At the end of June, we hiked on the Stake Lake Trails, enjoying the weather, dry trails, and the wildflower display along the way.

Rosy pussytoes (Antennaria microphylla A. rosea) form dense mats in open spots.

rosy pussytoes

Red columbine (Aquilegia formosa) has unmistakable red and yellow flowers, usually growing in open glades in the forest.

Canada violets (Viola Canadensis) are often white, but can be pinkish-purple too.   The purple lines on the lower 3 petals help us to identify them.

violet

There were a few morels (Morchella sp.) along the trail.

morel

Showy jacob’s-ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum) graced the trailside in open areas.

jacob’s ladder

Pollinators were active on flowering plants like this agoseris.

agoseris

Butterflies like this hoary comma (Polygonia gracilis) were spotted on arnica.

comma on arnica

Lupines were abundant in open areas on the higher trails.

lupines

A spotted coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata sp.) is often spotted near the Stake Lake Trails.

spotted coralroot

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) is a trailing evergreen shrub.   Small pink trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in June-July in forested areas.

twinflower

On boulders on steep cliffs, orange crustose lichens (Xanthorioideae sp.) catch the eye, but there are 5 different types of lichens visible on the rock.

rusavskia

There were many active butterflies, including this silvery blue variety (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) which paused for a photo.

silver blue

Small-flowered penstemon (Penstemon procerus) grows from woody clumps.   The flowers growl in whorls around the stems.

small flowered penstemon

We finished our hike by returning to walk around Stake Lake, another fine day in the high country lodgepole pine forests.