Autumn arrives early in the high country

Gentianella amarella, July 26, 2022

G. amarella, Portal Campground area, 10,600’, July 29, 2022

Common & scientific name
Autumn dwarf gentian, Gentianella amarella

Family
Gentian, Gentianaceae

Location
Linkins Lake, 12,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Autumn dwarf gentian’s flowers are a lovely shade of lavender. They grow in small clusters from the tip of the stem and from most of the leaf axils. They have four or five petals, equal in length, that flare widely to reveal a circle of long white hairs. Autumn dwarf gentian can be tall like this plant, or much smaller depending on elevation and conditions. While July 26 hardly counts as “autumn,” it is like all gentians (save green gentian) a sign of the waning summer season.

G. amarella, Wet Gulch 12,200’, August 5, 2022

Indy Pass mascot

Senecio atratus, July 26, 2022

Common & scientific name
Black-tipped senecio, Senecio atratus

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Roadside, 11,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
We LOVE this native flower at the Independence Pass Foundation because it doesn’t mind—maybe prefers—disturbed ground, like roadsides or rock retaining walls, where it stabilizes steep slopes where other flowers find it hard to grow. It is also tall, handsome, and an unusual shade of gray-green (owing to the thick hairs on its leaves), and grows in large colonies.  And it’s well-named and easy to remember: its phyllaries have distinct black tips!

Deep purple

Gentianopsis detonsa/thermalis, July 26, 2022

G. detonsa, roadside, 11,400’, August 5, 2022

G. detonsa, Lost Man Reservoir, 10,600’, August 15, 2022

Common & scientific name
Rocky Mountain fringed gentian, Gentianopsis detonsa/thermalis

Family
Gentian, Gentianaceae

Location
Linkins Lake, 12,000’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This delightful, widespread gentian (think roadside ditches, among other wet places) has four spiraling, delicately-fringed, deep-blue or deep-purple petals (compare the photos at left). “Thermalis” refers to the thermal pools of Yellowstone, where this gentian is particularly abundant and has been designated the park’s official flower.

G. detonsa, Wet Gulch, 11,400’, August 5, 2022

G. detonsa in end bloom, Geissler 12,000’, August 24, 2022

Precious few

Vaccinium myrtillus, July 20, 2022

Common & scientific name
Bilberry or blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus

Family
Heath, Ericaceae

Location
Weller Lake, 9,600’

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.  Here, though, is one, and they’re delicious!

Family feud

Orthilla secunda, July 20, 2022

Common & scientific name
One-sided wintergreen, Orthilia secunda

Family
Wintergreen/Heath, Pyrolaceae/Ericaceae

Location
Weller Lake trail, 9,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
The above two-family nomenclature reflects the current state of disagreement among botanists as to where this diminutive, dark- woods flower belongs.  It is probably the Pass’s most common wintergreen, er, heath . . . . 

How much trampling can a flower take?

Hieraceum albiflorum, July 20, 2022

Common & scientific name
White hawkweed, Hieraceum albiflorum

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Weller Lake, 9,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Another dandelion-like flower (ray florets only), but white, rather spindly, and considered a “weedy” species in some places, as it readily recolonizes disturbed ground (e.g., post-fire or logging). On the Pass it occurs infrequently on dry, open soil.  

As a subject of the US Forest Service’s Fire Effects study, it was learned that “White hawkweed is susceptible to high levels of human trampling. A study from western Montana revealed that white hawkweed has low (<10% increase) resilience in terms of short- and long-term recovery of relative cover after being trampled. Its resistance is listed as moderate (200 to 400 passes/year required to reduce frequency). It can tolerate light (75 to 100 passes/year) trampling and still recover.” 

Please don’t trample the daisies!

Carl's favorite

Linnaea borealis, July 20, 2022

Same

Common & scientific name
Twinflower, Linnaea borealis

Family
Honeysuckle, Caprifoliaceae

Location
Weller Lake area, 9,700’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Named after Swede Carl Linnaeus, who invented the binomial (genus + species) system, as he claimed this to be his favorite flower (and indeed it is one of mine).  It stands just a few inches high, with demure, bell-shaped, pink and white flowers.  In our area it is found in deep spruce/fir forests, only occasionally, and only for those keeping a sharp eye out, although once found it usually boasts numerous neighbors.  It is the sole species of its genus.  It is circumboreal (found throughout the northern hemisphere).  It is why we care about wildflowers! 

A wet woods dweller

Pyrola asarifolia, just before opening, July 20, 2022

P. asarifolia, Roaring Fork River, 9,800’, July 28, 2022

Common & scientific name
Pink pyrola or wintergreen, Pyrola asarifolia

Family
Wintergreen, Pyrolaceae or Heath, Ericaceae

Location
Weller Lake, 9,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
Grows in wetter forests or shaded meadows, and owing to its color and shape can’t easily be confused with other wintergreens.  Look for it when it starts to go to seed—it looks like an elephanthead!

P. asarifolia, Roaring Fork River, 9,800’, July 28, 2022

A bashful fella

Senecio pudicus, July 20, 2022

Common & scientific name
Bashful ragwort, Senecio pudicus

Family
Sunflower, Asteraceae

Location
Weller Lake, 9,600’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This rayless ragwort, grows up against rocks, heads droop “bashfully,” I guess!