An ongoing record of wildflowers as they bloom, from Difficult campground on the west side of the Pass to Twin Lakes on the east

click on the images below to read more, and HERe to see the written checklist

july & August 2020

Featured
Campanula parryi.jpg
Mr. Parry scores another winner
Sneezeweed.jpg
Ha-choo!
Goodyera oblongifolia.jpg
Not afraid of the dark
Pterospora andromedea.jpg
The wildflower andromeda strain
Aster engelmannii.jpg
A tall, bedraggled fellow
G. parryi.jpg
Bottom of the ninth in the alpine
L. borealis.jpg
Circumboreal belle
Shepherdia canadensis.jpg
How bears wash their mouths out with soap
Ligusticum tenuifolium.jpg
Grin and bear it
S. holmii.jpg
Bucking for species status
Arnica latifolia.jpg
And again, better late than . . .
Erigeron leiomerus.jpg
Better late than . . .
Featured
Gentiana algida.jpg
The tundra's closing act
Erigeron divergens.jpg
A first-time daisy!
Parnassus 2.jpg
Three families want this one
Medicago sativa.jpg
A world beater
Ranunculus alismifolius.jpg
Ranunculus redux
C. scopulorum .jpg
Lakeside hemlock
Gentianopsis thermalis.jpg
Deep purple
Senecio fremontii.jpg
A ragwort never looked so good
Swertia perennis.jpg
A summer star
Melilotus officinalis.jpg
Bee kind
Lupinus parviflorus.jpg
Lupine at last!
Epilobium hornemannii.jpg
Telltale turions
Heliomerus multiflora.jpg
The end is nigh . . .
Senecio pudica.jpg
Name this flower and win!
Chamerion latifolium.jpg
Greenland's national flower
Descurainia incisa.jpg
Doh! (Descurainia duo)
Cirsium arvense.jpg
Bad (maybe the worst) thistle
Senecio serra.jpg
On the straight and narrow
Symphyotrichum ascendens.jpg
A bit of a stiff
Solidago velutina.jpg
The nerve (times three)
Pyrola asarifolia.jpg
Wet woods dweller
Pedicularis bracteosa.jpg
Another lousy wort
Bistorta vivipara.jpg
Viviparous, indeed!
Ranunculus pygmaeus.jpg
Pygmy buttercup
Erigeron elatior.jpg
Fuzzy wuzzy #2
Oxyria digyna 6.30.20.jpg
Beautiful and delicious
Delphinium barbeyi.jpg
Terrestrial dolphins
Solidago multiradiata.jpg
Making the mountains whole
Erigeron coulteri 2.jpg
A late-bloomer
Oreochrysum parryi.jpg
Goldenrod Granddaddy
Featured
Sf2.jpg
The asters are out!
Angelica grayi.jpg
Angelic
Hieraceum albiflorum.jpg
How much trampling can a flower take?
Agoseris glauca.jpg
The elegant dandelion
Campanula uniflora.jpg
Reindeer pollination
Antennaria media.jpg
Dirty feet
Erigeron ursinus.jpg
Can you bear another purple daisy?
Verbascum thapsus.jpg
Fish food, toilet paper, and self-servicing all in one!
Micranthes odontoloma.jpg
The consummate babbling brook beauty
Epilobium anagallidifolium.jpg
A nodding (and unpronounceable) beauty
Senecio wernerifolia.jpg
Hoary, not hairy
Hieraceum gracile.jpg
A slender fella
Senecio atratus close-up.jpg
Indy Pass mascot
Arnica rydbergii.jpg
An alpine arnica
Pepperweed.jpg
Another east-sider
Erigeron melanocephalus.jpg
Black hairs matter
Owl clover.jpg
A paintbrush-lousewort cross
Stellaria 2.jpg
A long-limbed star
Vaccinium cespitosum.jpg
One of three blueberries
A. mollis.jpg
Big, fuzzy arnica
Saxifraga oregana.jpg
So you don't get bogged down
A. glauca var. dasycephala.jpg
Fuzzy wuzzy
Cerastrium strictum 7.14.20 summit.jpg
Serious Science vs. Mickey Mouse
Oenothera villosa.jpg
Lady of the evening
Senecio eremophilus.jpg
A cut above
Cirsium eatonii.jpg
Thistle love
Agoseris aurantiaca.jpg
I ain't no lawn lover
Oxeye.jpg
The crazy-making daisy
Senecio crassulas.jpg
Go ahead, be crass
Osmorhiza depauperata.jpg
Licorice-like
Featured
Pyrola chlorantha.jpg
Heath vs. Wintergreen redux
Veronica wormskjoldii.jpg
Wormskjold, indeed
Orthilia secunda.jpg
Family feud
Distegia involucrata.jpg
Berry uncertain
Corralorhiza maculata.jpg
Don't need no stinkin' sunshine
Senecio amplectens var. amplectens.jpg
Senecio sunshine
Rubus idaeus 7.9.20.jpg
Friendly fire
Urtica gracilis 2.jpg
Feel the burn
Aconytum columbianum 7.8.20.jpg
Calling Luke Skywalker . . .
Rumex crispus 7.9.20.jpg
Naturalizing nicely
Erigeron formossisimus 7.9.20.jpg
Your roadside companion
Descurainia californica 7.9.20.jpg
Tricky tansymustards
Elephanthead.jpg
The elephant in the alpine
Solidago simplex 7.9.20.jpg
Why ciliate-margined petioles matter
Campanula rotundifolia 7.9.20.jpg
The Scottish bluebell
Sedum lanceolatum 2.jpg
A Royal Family member
Pedicularis racemosum 7.9.20.jpg
Hostess with the worstest?
Goldbloom #2.jpg
There’s gold in them there hills
Claytonia megarhiza 7.8.20.jpg
The leaves are half the show
Trifolium parryi 7.8.20.jpg
Mr. Parry gets another great flower
Tonestus lyalli 7.8.20.jpg
A most golden "weed"
C. scopulorum 7.8.20.jpg
Good thistle!
Pedicularis sudetica.jpg
Maybe the worst named flower
Chionophila jamesii.jpg
A rarity
Mimulus tilingii 7.8.20.jpg
What a clown
Rhodiola rhodantha 7.8.20.jpg
A crowning achievement
Draba aurea.jpg
Two hairy beasts
Calochortus gunnisonii 7.8.20.jpg
Lily of the aspens
Antennaria corymbosa 7.7.20.jpg
How a flat top became rosier
Senecio triangularis 7.7.20.jpg
Triangles in nature
Featured
Tonestus lyallii 7.7.20.jpg
In case you didn't think wildflowers were serious business
Aquilegia coerulea 7.7.20.jpg
Pledge allegiance
Heuchera parvifolia.jpg
Common, little, hmmmm . . .
Penstemon whippleanus.jpg
Whip's veneration
Arenaria congesta 7.1.20.jpg
Ballhead, indeed
Veronica serpyllifolium 7.1.20.jpg
Of European descent
Bistorta bistortoides 7.1.20.jpg
Not just a pretty face
Mitella stauropetala.jpg
Satellite saxifrage
Gayophytum smoke.jpg
Gangly Gayophytum
Heracleum sphondylium.jpg
Eat but don't touch (?)
Erigeron peregrinus.jpg
Daisy vs. Fleabane
Stickseed.jpg
Baby-blue beauty
Rhodiola integrifolia.jpg
A crowning achievement
Antennaria rosea.jpg
Here, kitty, kitty
Castilleja occidentalis 7.8.20.jpg
Fuzzy, was he?
Ribes montigenum.jpg
These red berries won't kill you
Arnica parryi.jpg
A (non) ray of sunshine
Oxytropis splendens.jpg
Showiest in show
Orobanche fasciculata 6.28.30.jpg
PARASITE
Penstemon procerus 6.28.20.jpg
The runt of the (lovely) litter
Oxytropis sericea 6.28.20.jpg
Mind the sheep
Senccio spartioides var. multicapitatus (best guess) 6.28.20.jpg
Help found!
Geranium caespitosum 6.28.20.jpg
East sider only
Dasiphora fruticosa 6.28.20.jpg
Proud to be called a shrub
Primula angustifolia 6.27.20.jpg
See me!
Besseya alpina 6.27.20.jpg
Purple jewel of the alpine
Mertensia ciliata 6.27.20.jpg
The abundance
Erigeron pinnatisectus 6.27.20.jpg
Another daisy for your delight
Pedicularis parryi 6.27.20.jpg
I am NOT a parasite
C. rhexifolia & view.jpg
Things are looking rosy

June 2020

Featured
green gentian big.jpg
I may be 80 years old
Draba crassifolia 6.26.20.jpg
Most delicate draba
Astragalus alpina 6.26.20.jpg
Eat your peas!
Ranunculus adoneus cropped.jpg
Follow the sun and the flies will come
Saxifraga bronchialis 6.26.20.jpg
Break on through
Packera dimorphophyllus 6.26.20.jpg
Genus vs. genus
Arctostaphylus usi-ursa 6.26.20.jpg
Kinnikinnik spelled backwards
Sibbaldia procumbens 6.26.20.jpg
A rose is a rose is a . . .
Limnorchis dilitata 6.26.20.jpg
One in a million (well, 35,000)
Lewisia pygmaea 6.23.20.jpg
Pygmy bitterroot (that's my name!)
Erigeron grandiflorus:simplex 6.23.20.jpg
Tundra daisy
Dryas octopetala 6.23.20.jpg
Climate change bellwether
Phaceliea sericia 6.26.20.jpg
Fireworks!
Trifolium repens 6.23.20.jpg
Short life but many offspring
Saxifraga flagellaris 6.23.20.jpg
Not just ANY old little yellow flower
Penstemon hallii 6.23.20.jpg
Colorado native who never left
Anaphalis margaritaceae 6.23.20.jpg
Pearly vs. Pussy
Draba crassa & Smelowskia 6.23.20.jpg
Smooth sailing
Parry's.jpg
Another smelly beauty
M. obtusiloba 6.23.20.jpg
The white in red, white, and blue
Securigera varia 6.23.20.jpg
Oy vetch!
Draba streptocarpa 6.23.20.jpg
Delightful, difficult drabas
Geranium richardsonii 6.23.20.jpg
Drilling down on reproduction
Kalmia microphylla 6.19.20.jpg
Meet me by the lake
Lloydia serotina 2.jpg
Linkins Lily
Trifolium pratense 6.18.20.jpg
Red clover, red clover, . . .
Achillea millefolium 6.18.20.jpg
Seems a little early for Yarrow, but . . .
Featured
Erigeron speciosus 6.18.20.jpg
Aspen vs. Showy
Ranunculus inamoenus 6.18.20.jpg
"Unattractive?" Not!
Ipomopsis aggregata 6.18.20.jpg
Herald the fairies
Valerian edulis 6.18.20.jpg
Tobacco's waning appeal
P. pulcherrimum 6.18.20.jpg
Skunks are beautiful!
Senecio wootonii 6.18.20.jpg
Yet another LYF (little yellow flower)
Silene acaulis 6.19.20.jpg
A world traveler
Anemone narcissiflora 6.16.20.jpg
Narcissism fed
Potentilla pulcherrima 6.16.20jpg.jpg
A lesson in potentillas (and patience)
Eriogonum umbellatum 6.16.20.jpg
King of the Genera
Rubacer parviflora 6.16.20.jpg
Our best berry
Descurainia incisa 6.16.20.jpg
Define “beauty”
Rosa woodsii 6.16.20.jpg
Looks good, smells good, tastes . . . well . . .
Artemisia scopulorum 6.16.20.JPG
Spicing up the alpine
Wyethia 6.16.20.jpg
Mules ears lighting up the hillsides
Mertensia lanceolata 6.23.20.jpg
Bluebells abound
Trifolium nanum 6.16.20.jpg
Lucky clovers
Sky pilot 6.30.20.jpg
Good news: I smell a skunk!
Nailwort close-up 6.11.20.jpg
Bedding down for the summer
Hymenoxis rydbergia 6.23.20.jpg
If this were your last summer in the mountains . . .
Eritrichum nanum 6.8.20.jpg
Never to be forgotten
Heterotheca villosa 6.8.20.jpg
Good enough wins
Geum trifolium 6.27.20.jpg
Smokin' soft
Cerastrium strictum 6.8.20.jpg
Scarious stuff
Erysimum capitatum 6.8.20.jpg
Yellow to the west, lavender to the east
Castilleja linarifolia 6.8.20.jpg
I'm early this year!
Ranunculus macounii 6.8.20.jpg
Shiny, beautiful things
Penstemon strictus 6.16.20.jpg
Rocky Mountain regal
Pseudocympoterus montanus 6.23.20.jpg
I am not a sham
Trifolium nanum 6.8.20.jpg
Peas mind where you're stepping
Featured
Tragapogon dubius 6.8.20.jpg
Big daddy dandelion
Ceanothus velutinus 6.8.20.jpg
Patience pays
Iris missouriensis 6.8.20.jpg
Really wet then really dry = exquisite!
Castilleja sulphurea 6.8.20.jpg
The Broomrape family welcomes a new member
Erigeron simplex 6.8.20.jpg
100s of flowers in one
Antennaria parviflora 6.4.20.jpg
Pussytoe vs. Pussytoe
Geum rossii.jpg
Pika produce
Smelowskia calycina 6.8.20.jpg
Smelowskia, smelowskia, smelowskia!
Oreoxis alpina 6.11.20.jpg
How low can you go
Viola labradorica 6.4.20.jpg
Word of the day: "cleistogamous"
Trollius laxus 6.4.20.jpg
A marigold's best friend
Caltha leptosepala 6.4.20.jpg
Goodbye snow, hello Marsh marigolds!
Potentilla diversifolia 6.4.20.jpg
Isn't scientific language awesome?
Actea rubra 6.4.20.jpg
This could be the bane of your existence
Micranthe rhomboidea 6.4.20.jpg
Sufferin' saxifrage!
Barbarea orthoceras 6.4.20.jpg
What's in a weed?
Thermopsis montana close-up.jpg
Yellow lupine?
Antennaria pulcherrima 6.4.20.jpg
What's new, pussytoe?
S. scopulina 2.jpg
An autumn superstar
Lathyrus lanszwertii 6.2.20.jpg
Visualize whirled peas . . .
Linum lewisii 6.4.20.jpg
Carpe diem embodied
Sambucus racemosum 6:4:20.jpg
Elderberry wine, anyone?
Microsteris 6.2.20.jpg
Bow down
Paxistima myrsinitis 6.2.20.jpg
Cultivating appreciation
Viola canadensis 6.2.20.jpg
All things bright and beautiful
Thalictrum fendleri 6.2.20.jpg
Wondrous creation
V. myrtillus close-up 2.jpg
Precious few wild blueberries
Vicia americana 6.2.20.jpg
Social climber
Aquilegia elegantula 6.16.20.jpg
Shooting stars
Cardamine cordifolia 6.1.20.jpg
Bursting with abundance

 May 2020

Featured
Boechera stricta.jpg
A hairy problem
E. compositus 2.jpg
This daisy doesn't like to be pigeon-holed
M. stellatum 2.jpg
A flower looking for a family
Amelanchier alnifolia.jpg
Here, bear, bear, bear . . .
Erigeron flagellaris.jpg
The classic spring daisy
Senecio integerrimus.jpg
With a name like "ragwort" . . .
C. miniata 2.jpg
Painting a pretty picture
Claytonia lanceolata 5.19.jpg
Spring beauties, indeed
Calypso bulbosa 5.19.jpg
First orchid of 2020!
Fragaria virginiana 5.19.jpg
Bigger isn't always better
Albino D. nuttallianum 5.19.jpg
Albinos are beautiful
Mertensia fusiformis 5.13.jpg
The opposite of the blues
Collinsia parviflora 5.13 cropped.jpg
Free eye test
Arnica cordifolia.jpg
Pollinators need not apply
N. montana.jpg
Look for me EVERYWHERE
Mahonia repens 5.13.jpg
More (not very) yummy berries
Ribes cereum 5.13.jpg
Coming your way soon: yummy berries
Dozens of flowers in one
Dozens of flowers in one
Good day, sunshine
Good day, sunshine
First wildflower of 2020!
First wildflower of 2020!

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.        — ed abbey