Veronica wormskjoldii, July 1, 2022
V. wormskjoldii, Linkins Lake Trail, 11,800’, July 19, 2022
Common & scientific name
Alpine speedwell, Veronica wormskjoldii
Family
Plantain, Plantaginaceae
Location
Roadside, 11,700’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Common, variably-sized, delightful subalpine and alpine plant that frequently grows trailside near streams or wetlands. Named after Danish botanist, Morton Wormskjold. Hopefully he didn’t discover too many other plants.
Arnica rydbergii, June 29, 2022
Common & scientific name
Rydberg’s arnica, Arnica rydbergii
Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae
Location
Linkins Lake Trail, 11,800’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This Arnica can be distinguished from the other half-dozen hard-to-tell-apart Arnicas by its location (likes treeline and dry slopes), single flower on top (unlike A. mollis which usually has three—a rare instance where Bill Weber got it wrong), usually smaller than A. latifolia, and as it ages the tips of its petals whiten (see photo to come).
Oenothera villosa, June 29, 2022
Common & scientific name
Hairy evening primrose, Oenothera villosa
Family
Evening primrose, Onograceae
Location
Winter gate,8,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This tall, striking primrose, often showing its yellow petals wilted during the day as orange, has a red, hairy stem and hairy leaves. It can be seen roadside from the bottom of the Pass to about 9,700’ in elevation. One of the only other families of flowers to have four petals (like the mustards), its flowers open in the evening to invite long-tongued moths in.
Micranthes oregana, June 29, 2022
M. oregana in fruit, Lost Man Reservoir, 10,600’, August 15, 2022
Common & scientific name
Bog saxifrage, Micranthes oregana
Family
Saxifrage, Saxifragaceae
Location
Upper Lost Man TH, 11,500’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Distinguishable from Snowball saxifrage by blooming later, being taller, having multi-flowered stems (not just one ball of flowers at the top), always growing in wet places, not having diamond-shaped basal leaves, AND erupting in huge numbers about now in the subalpine & alpine wherever water is found!
Pedicularis parryi, June 29, 2022
Common & scientific name
Parry’s lousewort, Pedicularis parryi
Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae
Location
Above Linkins Lake, 12,100’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
With characteristic beaked flowers and fern-like leaves, this highest growing and smallest of the fascinating Pedicularis genus whorls around on itself in delightful fashion. It is hemiparasitic (hence its move from the Snapdragon family into the Broomrape family), meaning it produces chlorophyll and thus can survive on its own, but obtains additional nutrients from the roots of other plants.