On a July morning I took the Sun Peaks Chairlift to mid-station and hiked trails on Tod Mountain.  I followed the Gil’s trail through the forest on the east side of the mountain, then went out to Tod Lake, and then returned on the Saddleback Trail to Crystal Bowl.    Much of the route was through damp forested slopes and across wet meadows.    Many of the flowering plants were in shaded spots, but the larger wildflowers were blooming on open slopes too.    There were a number of photographs taken along the way.    I kept up the hike so many shots were of the “duck-rise-keep moving” system.    Some photos turn out and some don’t and are deleted.

The survivors are shared here – western Arctic skipper (Carterocephalus skada), alpine miterwort (Pectiantia pentandra), subalpine fleabane (Erigeron glacialis), stream violet (Viola glabella), white marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala) , alpine woodrush (Luzula alpinopilosa), red paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), western meadow-rue (Thalictrum occidentale), bracted lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa ), tall western groundsel (Senecio integerrimus), pink mountain heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis), and stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum).

The photo album can also be viewed on Google Photos at this link – Tod Lake Trails

Our plan is to hike the upper part of Tod Mountain 5 times this season and with each new venture, there are different plants emerging.