Carpe diem embodied

Linum lewisii, June 4, 2020

Common & scientific name
Blue flax, Adenolinum lewisii

Family
Flax, Linaceae

Location
Weller curve, 9,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

“Pluck the day [for it is ripe], trusting as little as possible in tomorrow.”  This is the more accurate and complete translation of the oft-cited “carpe diem,” which is usually reduced to “seize the day” and leaves out “quam minimum credula postero.”  I prefer this translation because it captures perfectly, in botanical terms even, the lesson of the blue flax: it blooms for exactly one day.  Its petals open in the morning, and fall off by afternoon.  Blue flax knows no tomorrow.  Would that we all could live that way!

Elderberry wine, anyone?

Sambucus racemosa, June 4, 2020

Common & scientific name
Red elderberry, Sambucus racemosa

Family
Honeysuckle, Caprifoliaceae

Location
Weller Curve, 9,400’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

The berries of its eastern cousin are used to make wine and for myriad medicinal purposes.  Our berries are safe to eat only after being cooked, and are only marginally palatable.  Leave them for the wildlife!

Bow down

Microsteris gracilis, June 2, 2020

Common & scientific name
Slender phlox, Microsteris gracilis

Family
Phlox, Polemoniaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Even easier to miss than Oregon boxwood, this tiny wildflower is often lost among other flowers and grasses in dry meadows and forest openings.  It has 5 petals, its leaves and stem are glandular and hairy, and it rarely grows more than a few inches high. It is frequently found growing beside another tiny beauty, Blue-eyed Mary, both of which will reward the hiker who is willing to stop and get low.

Cultivating appreciation

Paxistima myrsinites, June 2, 2020

Common & scientific name
Oregon boxwood, Paxistima myrsinites

Family
Stafftree, Celastraceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,100’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Easy to miss as Oregon boxwood’s tiny, cross-shaped flowers hide within the axils of its evergreen leaves.  It’s worth taking note of these rosy gems, though, because this common shrub will be a constant companion!

All things bright and beautiful

Viola canadensis, June 2, 2020

Common & scientific name
Canada violet, Viola canadensis

Family
Viola, Violaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 8,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Canada violets, found scattered throughout our woods, are unmistakeable.  They have heart-shaped leaves, bright white petals, and purple lines guiding pollinators to their yellow center.  Here they will come into contact with pollen, which will stick to their legs or bodies and be carried to the next flower for cross-pollination.  Cross-pollination allows for the exchange of genetic information among plants, leading to the extraordinary diversity we see on our hikes.

Wondrous creation

Thalictrum fendleri (male), June 2, 2020

T. fendleri (female), June 16, 2020

Common & scientific name
Fendler’s meadowrue, Thalictrum fendleri

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Difficult Campground, 8,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

This is one of my favorite wildflowers.  First, unusually, its plants come in male and female versions.  The first flower shown here, reminiscent of a tasseled lampshade, is male.  The female version below is star-like, akin to skinnier versions of False Solomon’s seal.  They love aspen groves, and their leaves look like columbines’. In their intricacy, they are wonders of nature!

Precious few wild blueberries

Vaccinium myrtillus, June 2, 2020

Common & scientific name
Bilberry or blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus

Family
Heath, Ericaceae

Location
Difficult Trail, 9,000’

Fun/weird/little known fact
This wild blueberry is the most common of our three Vaccinium species below treeline.  It also produces less flowers (the sweet little whitish-pink bells shown here), therefore less blueberries.  Later in the summer if you can find some, though, they are delicious!

Social climber

Vicia americana, June 2, 2020

Common & scientific name
American vetch, Vicia americana

Family
Pea, Fabaceae

Location
Difficult Campground, 8,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Look for this small but vivid flower hiding among other shrubs and flowers—it is one of only a few members of the enormous Pea family that is a climbing vine, using tendrils to climb other plants and make its way to the sunlight.

Shooting stars

Aquilegia elegantula, June 16, 2020

Common & scientific name
Western red columbine, Aquilegia elegantula

Family
Buttercup, Ranunculaceae

Location
Difficult , 9,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Nothing lights up a speckled woods like these dazzling red rockets.  They are often found in large groups, and in the same location as fairy slippers.  Look for both before they’re gone!

Bursting with abundance

Cardamine cordifolia, June 1, 2020

Common & scientific name
Heartleaf bittercress, Cardamine cordifolia

Family
Mustard, Brassicaceae

Location
Between winter gate and Weller, 8,800’; lower Lost Man, 10,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

Like all mustards, Heartleaf bittercress has four petals in the shape of a cross, and all its parts are edible (if bitter).  It will bloom in profusion near streamsides all summer.  When it has gone to seed, give its pods a squeeze and watch them burst!

C. cordifolia, July 13, 2020