May 25, 2023

Many new flowers have emerged this past week with our warm (70s), sunny weather and now rain. Those mentioned in the last posting, such as Spring Beauty – Claytonia lanceolata, Utah Buttercups – Ranunculus jovis, and Yellowbells – Fritillaria pudica – are blooming strong in the north end of Teton National Park.

New flowers are emerging in sage flats and up slopes:

 Shooting Stars – Dodocatheon conjugens  – grow only a few inches high. 

Five pink petals fold back and five dark anthers ring the protruding single stigma. These plants are buzz pollinated. 

A bee comes in, clings to the tiny clefts at the base of the petals, vibrates its wings at a certain frequency, and thereby releases pollen onto its belly.  It flies to another flower where the stigma is sticking out, and the stigma dabs up the pollen—pollination!

Woodland Stars – Lithophragma spp.- are patchy along the northeast corner of the Antelope Flats loop, but likely elsewhere as well. Members of the Saxifrage Family, they have sticky hairs and 5-petaled, white flowers. We have three species to look for. 

The most frequent now is Fringe-cup Woodland Star – Lithophrama glabrum.  Note the white petals each have 3-5 lobes. Also, 8-12” plants have hairy, red bulbils in many of the axils of the divided leaves. The bulbils help the plant spread vegetatively, a bonus in hard spring times when pollinators are scarce.  

Two other species to look for:

Slender Woodland Star – Lithophragma tenellum also has 3-5 lobes to each petal, but no bulbils.  Also, the stem leaves tend to be pinnately (feather-like) divided.

Little-flowered Woodland Star – Lithophragma parviflorum – typically has only 3 divisions to its petals. The cup-like calyx tends to narrow gradually to its base. Stem leaves are palmately divided.

Ballhead Waterleafs – Hydrophyllum capitatum – are flowering beneath their overarching divided leaves.  You have to lift the leaf to see the hairy snowball-like cluster of many white flowers with elongated anthers.  A fun discovery!

Yellow Violets – Viola spp. – First, let’s just enjoy the yellow violets that are emerging! Amidst a bunch of leaves, yellow “irregular” flowers come forth.  “Irregular” means there are two similar sides like your face. 

Note the lines that draw the pollinator into the center of the flower. The insect perches and then pushes its head inside to seek nectar, which is held in the back of the flower; thus, the insect picks up or drops off pollen during its maneuver to reach a sugary reward or pollen itself.

Several yellow violets look similar and can be tricky to ID. Many identification keys use proportions and dimensions of the leaves but leaves are highly variable. Taxonomists separate different kinds/species based on highly technical features: fruit shape, seed details, and genetics. Experts acknowledge the complexity of the matter. 

Without getting into the botanical weeds, we place this species as a variety of Nuttall’s Violet, likely Viola nuttallii var. praemosa or just V. praemosa.

Goosefoot Violet – Viola purpurea var. venosa – has distinctively lobed leaves, like a webbed goosefoot. The flowers tend to come out a bit later than the Nuttall violet complex.

Wyeth Biscuitroot – Lomatium ambiguum – is emerging along the Park Road and and will become more prominent in the next week or two. Its umbels of sharp-yellow, tiny flowers have rays that are uneven in length.  Look for the swollen bases (petioles) of the leaves: they are the beginning of a single divided leaf. 

The linear leaflets are irregular in shape, length and arrangement—truly ambiguous in its growth pattern.

Also in the Parsley family (note the umbels!), Nine-leaf Biscuitroot – Lomatium simplex, formerly L. triternatum var. platycarpum – is growing taller. Compared to L. ambiguum, its umbels are more regular, the flowers a paler more lemon yellow, and the leaves are clearly pinnately divided into similarly sized segments.  This species has at least three common names.  Common names are like nick names – often very localized among friends vs. the botanical names which are like formal legal names. 

Up Josie’s Ridge – (many of these plants are found elsewhere)

Josie’s Ridge, which runs west of Snow King, rises 1000’ above Jackson. 

The dry, open lower elevation hosts a wonderful array of varied-blue shades of Hood’s Phlox – Phlox hoodii. Elsewhere flowers tend to be white. The difference may be some genetic variation or due to soils. Anyone know the answer?

Take a moment to catch a whiff of the sweet fragrance or get down and put your nose into the bouquet. It is often the fragrance of a flower that draws in the insects from a far, before they notice the color – just as you may first smell a bakery down a side street before you see the sign.  In other places they are beginning to fade in our weekend heat, but again are fresh at higher elevations.

Tucked in more shady areas grow Western Valerians – Valeriana occidentalis. Note the candle-arbor arrangement of the flower clusters.  White petals are in 5’s. 

Stem leaves are opposite and mostly pinnately divided, while the basal leaves are in more of a bunch and can be whole. Plants grow to up to 2.5′ tall. 

Valerian root of herbalists is from the European species Valeriana officinalis. It is known as a mild sedative to reduce anxiety and help sleep.  As a general rule, different species in the same genus can have significantly different chemical properties and can have different effects on individuals. Be very cautious when wild collecting for herbal treatments.

Mountain Bluebells – Mertensia oblongifolia – grow in occasional patches. 

The dangling tubes of flowers start off pink and then become blue and open up when ready to be pollinated. Pollinated flowers drop off.

As one climbs up the step switchback trail, one is rewarded by plentiful American Pasque Flowers – Anemone/Pulsatilla patens var. multifida.

Seasonal favorites, these members of the Buttercup Family, have 5-7 blue sepals (no petals) that surround many anthers and many separate pistils.  The hairy divided leaves are opposite on the 12” stems. These are all-time spring favorites!

And later they are known as Phyllis Diller or Dr. Seuss plants when the pistils develop into fruits.

Diamond-leaf Saxifrage – Saxifraga rhomboidea – are scattered in the grasses. 

Each white tight flower head stands 6-8” above a cluster of slightly toothed, triangular basal leaves. The stems have glandular hairs.

Typical of the Saxifrage Family, each flower has two divergent stigmas that look a bit like a dunce cap when the pistils ripen into two follicles.

Don’t overlook the few Kittentails – Besseya wyomingensis – that stand about 8-10” high. 

The blue color of the 2-3” inflorescence is created by many stiff violet blue filaments of the stamens tipped with darker stigmas. Each flower has two stamens and one pistil with two minor bracts at the base. The leaves are soft hairy—actually most of the plant is “furry”—perhaps the source of the common name. In some places Kittentails have already gone to fruit.

The Latin Besseya is likely honoring the Mid-western botanist of the mid- to late 1800s, Charles Edwin Bessey, as was Bessey’s Locoweed (see below). Plant names, both common and scientific, have lots of stories behind them.

At the top Josie’s Ridge and also other dry sites, Scarlet Paintbrushes – Castilleja chromosa – are beginning to emerge.  Hard to miss.  The bright red flower clusters almost glow as the hairs catch the sunlight. All paintbrush flowers are complicated: the bracts and sepals, not the petals, usually provide the color to lure in pollinators – red often attracts hummingbirds.

They are now plentiful at the north end of Flat Creek Road.

On other dry knolls, ridge lines, and slopes, often mixed in with creamy Pursh’s Milkvetch – Astragalus purshii,

is another member of the Pea Family, Bessey’s Locoweed – Oxytropis besseyi. The leaves of the two species are very similar—pubescent and pinnately divided, mostly basal.  This Locoweed species has tightly clustered pink flowers with the familiar shape of many members of the Pea Family: upward facing banner, 2 side wings, and keel that protects the stamens and pistil.

Look closely to see the outward protruding point of the keel (vs. the curved-up tip of the Milkvetch). To remember this pointy feature and the Latin name of this genus, I think of being gored by an ox.  Oxys-tropis is Greek for ‘sharp point‘).

Both Milkvetches and Locoweeds are highly toxic to humans and other mammals.  All parts contain an alkaloid swainsonine that affects the central nervous system, reproductive system, heart, and intestinal systems, and lycocytes. It also affects behavior e.g. makes one “loco”.  Here is a link to more info.

In the time of compiling this What’s in Bloom, more flowers are happening.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata – are running up the south side of East Gros Ventre Butte.

Nuttall’s Larkspur – Delphinium nuttallii – are flourishing out Flat Creek Road. 

So many more flowers are opening each day!

Frances Clark, Wilson, WY

As always we appreciate your comments and corrections at Tetonplants@gmail.com

On recent forays around Moose, Kelly Warm Springs, and out Flat Creek Road, eager botanists have found an array of early spring favorites. Often you have to get down on your belly to see the cool identification features (belly botany).  With so few flowers to date, this “What’s in Bloom” focuses on how much you can see if you really look.

Among sage flats or under open cottonwood stands:

Very early, and requiring a keen eye to find, are Turkey Peas – Orogenia linarifolia. The “peas” are underground bulbs. These starchy features are relished by squirrels and likely burrowing small mammals, such as voles and pocket gophers. 

The leaves are indeed linear as the botanical name implies – actually long lobes of divided leaves. The white flower clusters are barely an inch across and likely pollinated by tiny flies or gnats.  Turkey Peas are very small members of the Carrot/Parsley Family – Apiaceae.  Several more members of this family will be emerging this spring.  They can be tricky to ID, especially as the fruits are often the definitive key feature. Patience required.

Sagebrush and Utah Buttercups – Ranunuculus glaberrimus and R. jovis – are adding sunny sparkles to flats and slopes. 

Sagebrush Buttercups have simple leaves

while Utah Buttercups have 3-lobed leaves. The flowers are typically 5 petaled, but some have none.

The glossy look of buttercup flowers is a result of morphology and physics of the petals. See: Glossiness of Buttercups

 Spring Beauties – Claytonia lanceolata – are just unfurling their opposite leaves and expanding their white flowers—5 petals with 5 delicate pink anthers. 

Also, a challenge to discover, but definitely worth the effort, are Steer’s Heads – Dicentra uniflora. Look for the bluish, roundish leaflets and then for the expanding flowers only an inch or so off the often-pebbly ground. Their flowers epitomize the West!

The plants go from flower to seed within 3 weeks and the leaves soon disappear – they are termed “spring ephemerals” for their brief spring appearance. Research indicates that it may take 10 years from seed to the first flower.  The plants are also host plants for the larvae caterpillars of the Clodius Parnassian Butterfly – Parnassius clodius. 

A lot of cool info for such tiny plants. Tread carefully!

Yellowbells – Fritillaria pudica – are still scant.  In the Lily Family, the yellow flowers bear 6 yellow “tepals” held about 6” above ground.

Flying low where the spring sun is warming the soil and the wind is reduced, pollinators such as flies and bees search for early nectar and pollen as seen inside this flower.

Once a flower is fertilized, researchers say it’s petal color will change from yellow to an orange, signaling pollinators not to waste time visiting it: go to nearby flowers instead. This adaptation helps other members of the local yellowbell population to be fruitful. See if you can observe this change: carefully look inside for withered anthers and growing ovaries. I haven’t quite seen it myself.

Here and there, such as in South Park Feed Ground and near the park rotary, Cous Biscuitroots – Lomatium cous – are sprouting. Look for the dissected, deep green, mostly smooth leaves with reddish petioles and fists (umbels) of tiny sharp-yellow flowers.

At the base of each flower cluster or “umbel” are broad, rounded involucral bracts – a key ID species for this member of Carrot/Parsley Family.

Biscuitroots have swollen tubers which have been eaten raw or dried and pounded into flour that was used to make biscuits.  Fruits will be flat and split.

Also, in the Carrot/Parsley Family – Turpentine Spring Parsley – Cymopteris terebinthus – has finely dissected leaves with a tangy fragrance when crushed. The flowers are also yellow and arranged in umbels (think of the spokes of umbrellas), but here the involucel bracts are elongated and pointed. 

These plants will form quite large mounds of fine leaves and many winged fruits. Fruits are usually needed for definitive ID of members of the Parsley Family (Apiaceae). They are termed “schizocarps”–split fruits. Turpentine Spring Parsley tends to grow in shaley soils.

Dry rocky slopes and knolls, such as found in the hills on the east side of the Jackson Hole, feature special species:

One of the earliest and most common flowering plants are Hood’s Phlox – Phlox hoodii.  Related to garden phlox, Hood’s Phlox have small white-to-bluish flowers on very compact plants. Leaves are tiny, sharp, opposite, with “cobwebby” hairs. 

The tubular, fragrant flowers are furled in bud.  When the flowers unfold, a bee or fly which  is attracted by scent then color lands on the flared petals and then inserts its proboscis down into the tube for nectar, picking up or dropping off pollen grains during its visit.

Overall, the plants are smaller than the later-blooming Multiflora Phlox.

One of the smallest blooming wildflowers are Low Pussytoes – Antennaria dimorpha. Indeed, the mat-forming plants are less than an inch or two tall. 

Get down to look for the flower heads: Individual flowers are termed “disc” flowers and are arranged in composite heads. Male flowers produce pollen. Most of the plants I have been seeing so far are male. (photo below)

Female flowers produce delicate white stigmas surrounded by pappus hairs to catch pollen picked up by wind from any male plants nearby.

Like other pussytoes, plants are dioecious: male and female flowers are on separate plants. More species of pussytoes will be blooming soon.

Members of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) are often the earliest to bloom.  Twinpods and Bladderpods (formerly Lesquerella) are now all in the genus Physaria. Generally, the genus sports silvery, stiff, often spade-shaped leaves. Precise ID features include hairs(!) and fruits; and with fruits in hand, you may still need to count the number of seeds to know the species for sure.

But for now, just enjoy the cheerful color of the 4 yellow petals and the plant’s ability to grow on rocky, dry, infertile ground. If you have a 10x handlens, you may enjoy the fancy star-shaped hairs.

Also emerging are members of the Pea Family, Woollypod Milkvetch – Astragalus purshii.  The fuzzy, pinnately compound leaves are unfurling on rocky south-facing slopes near Kelly Warm Springs.

The pea-like flowers have white to cream banners and wings and purple-tipped keels. Fruits will be very hairy, short tough pods with sharp tips—hence “woollypod” milkvetch. Many fruits from last year are still lying about. 

A special find is Common Townsendia – Townsendia leptotes – These perennials in the Aster Family are slow growing with 1” flower heads surrounded by many tiered, pointed bracts.  The pubescent leaves are elongate and a bit fleshy. Growing close to the ground, plants tend to tuck in among small rocks.

The photo of the tap root was taken of a plant that was uprooted for some reason—did an elk take a nibble and spit it out?  Note the root extends deeply to reach scarce water.

Don’t be fooled:

A common rockcress – Boechera or Arabis sp. – can fool you and insects by looking like they have bright yellow flowers. The leaves of rockcress can host a yellow fungus Puccinia monoica.

Fungal spores land on a young mustard and invade the host’s tissue. Spores begin to grow using the nutrients from the plant thereby, sterilizing it so the mustard does not bloom. Instead, the fungus stimulates the formation of “pseudo-flowers”: mutated leaves that look like and even smell like flowers. This  alliance of plant and fungus produces a sticky nectar-like substance and yellowish pigments that reflect UV light to further attract pollinators. These pseudo-flowers have hundreds of small cup-like “spermatagonia” which contain the sex cells of the fungus.

Insects alight on these appealing pseudo-flowers and collect fungal sperm instead of pollen, and they carry it on to the next plant with the fungus, thus facilitating sexual reproduction of the fungus, not the plant! There is another stage of the rust’s life cycle: hyphae develop producing “aecia”, which produce spores. The spores then fly on the wind to infect nearby grasses – the “alternate host”.  After two more lifecycle stages–“uredia” and “telia” — on grasses, the fungus produces spores that infect the mustards again. Truly a complicated process all starting with the bright yellow pseudo-flowers.   See: https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/tag/Boechera

Uninfected  rockcress – Boechera sp. – may be blooming nearby, sporting bluish – not yellow – 4-petaled flowers. The 3-4” plants shown here were frequent up around Kelly Warm Springs. 

The one in the photo has been keyed out in Dorn to B. exilis; however, there is much dispute, and scant herbaria specimens to confirm this species’ identity…botanist’s dancing on the head of a pin and mustards are tough to ID.

Don’t overlook the flowering trees:

Aspens – Populus tremuloides – are blooming!

This wind pollinated species has male flowers on one plant, and females on another. Flowers are arranged in “catkins”: many Individual flowers with either anthers or stigmas are subtended by protective forked bracts edged with many hairs. The overall effect is trees festooned with fuzzy gray dangles. Male catkins tend to be longer and hang down, releasing their masses of pollen upon the wind from purple anthers.

Female catkins tend to be stiffer and slightly splayed outward, their bright red stigmas are ready to receive by pure chance any pollen grains. (two photos below)

The exhausted male catkins fall to the ground (and on your lawn) after they run out of pollen. Pick one up and take a closer look and see if you can find the old anthers held in little cups.

Amazing details!

Female catkins hold on. A month from now we will see who won the wind lottery. Leaves will emerge after the flowers have done their thing so as not to block the free flow of pollen. More on how aspens grow here

The new growth of Aspen’s larger relatives – Cottonwoods –  Populus spp. – is just popping. Cottonwoods also have male and female trees with a similar arrangement of flowers in catkins. Extraordinary what comes out of a simple brown bud.

Much more to come!  This is just a tease and a taste of wonderful botanical adventures before us.

Frances Clark

Teton Plants, Wilson, WY

P.S.  We always appreciate your corrections or queries.  Let us know at tetonplants@gmail.com – but note our response may be slow as we may be out in the field looking for flowers!

The nights are becoming cooler and definitely shorter. Insects of all sorts – bees, wasps, beetles, ladybugs, aphids, butterflies, moths, and caterpillars — are flitting, creeping, chomping, and pollinating our native plants as foliage browns and flowers fade. Chipping and white-crown sparrows along with juncos flush up from meadows as we hike through. They have been feasting on seeds. 

Some of us have made pilgrimages to expansive stands of fireweed; others puzzle over goldenrods and aster look-alikes; and many applaud yet another yellow composite just beginning to bloom along roadsides. Summer isn’t quite over.

Below are some of the final flowers to look for on your hikes and drives throughout the valley.  They provide interesting botanical puzzles.  Below, we have tried to help you sort them out if you are so inclined.  A 10x magnifier helps not only to identify the characteristics of the species, but also to reveal how many bugs and grubs are dependent on our native plants for survival. It is fun to botanize on these last lazy summer days.

Asters and their look-alikes

Taxonomically, “asters” have been split into several different genera over the years. Most of this differentiation is due to molecular studies, and not necessarily easy-to-see field characteristics. 

In general, “aster” flower heads display mostly blue, violet, lavender, to white ray flowers surrounding a center of many tiny yellow disc flowers. Leaves slowly become smaller as they alternate up the stem. Overall size of plants and leaves can vary considerably depending on growing conditions.

The bracts that surround the composite “heads” are key to separating the genera. Then focus on hairs, leaves, etc., to get to the species. 

Leafy-bracted Aster – Symphyotrichum foliaceum var. canbyi – is a common aster with large leafy bracts. 

The plants vary in size from 1.5-2.5+ feet all. Lower leaves on the upright stems are notably larger than the stem leaves. In this variety, stem leaves often “clasp” the stem. 

Note to botany nerds: Dorn lists 3 varieties of S. foliaceum for NW Wyoming. Flora of North America (FNA) says S. f. var. parryi is not here in Wyoming, nor is the very similar S. cusickii. 

Alpine Leafy-bracted Aster – S. foliaceum var. apricum – is found at higher elevations, such as the bowls above Ski Lake. These plants grow only about 1’ high and stems are “decumbent”, more sprawling at their base. Bracts are less leafy and are edged in purple.

Eaton’s Aster – Symphyotrichum eatonii – is usually found in moist places such as stream edges and springs. 

The many white-to-blue small flower heads cover the upper third of more-or-less 3-4’ plants.  Their bracts are not foliaceous.

The leaves are long and narrow and are “sessile”, sitting upon but not clasping the stem. 

Long-leaved, American, or Mountain Aster – Symphyotrichum ascendens – The many common names of this species are a good indication that this species is noticed by many in different places: the way a popular person may have several nick names among family and friends. Indeed, this plant is native across the western U.S. in a variety of habitats. 

It has been blooming along road and trail sides since early August. The easiest way to know this “typical looking aster” is to examine the leaves: the veins form elongate shapes. 

Engelmann Chaffy Aster – Eucephalus engelmannii – is common in the light shade of aspens, forest openings, and moist upper meadows.

Plants typically grow to 3-4’+ high, and the 3-5” leaves remain similar in size and shape as they spiral up the stem.

Bracts are tidy: neatly arrayed like shingles on a roof, and are smooth except for the fringed edges. The long white rays are relatively few: 8 -10. 

Elegant Chaffy Aster – Eucephalus elegans – is often overlooked as it is only about 1-2′ tall and grows amidst usually thicker foliage of other forbs. 

However, the violet-blue ray flowers and purple-tipped bracts substantiate the “elegant” in its name. A species worth looking for.

Blueleaf or Gray Aster – Eucephalus glaucus – was common along the trail to Mt. Elly at the time of writing. The leaves are notably “glaucous” – bluish gray. The ray flowers are lavender to white. The generic name of this species has changed at least four times since 1840 and is now deemed by Flora of North America to be in the Herrickia genus. 

Thick-stemmed Aster – Eurybia integrifolia – The bracts not only curve out pointedly, but they and the stems are covered with very sticky glandular hairs.

Furthermore, the hefty stems tend to zig-zag. 

The leaves are oblong, sessile to clasping, and get smaller as you go up. 

Sticky glands help to protect plants from small marauding insects who get stuck in the miniature forest of hairs. In some cases, such as sticky geraniums, the plant is able to absorb nutrients from the decomposing insects. I am not sure if that is the case here….a research opportunity for a master’s degree student.

Hoary Tansy or Spiny Aster – Machaeranthera canescens – is truly a late-summer into fall bloomer, with spine-tipped, bent-out bracts protecting the violet-blue heads.

Small, stiff, grayish hairs provide the “hoary” or “canescent” look. Plants grow in dry exposed locations, with relatively thin and sparse branches with mostly small, 1-2”, sometimes toothed, leaves. The leaves are spine-tipped, too.  A tough plant for sure. 

!Not an aster – an exotic invasive!

At first glance Spotted Knapweed – Centaurea maculata – might seem an innocent and lovely native aster. It is not. This species came over in the late 1800s in forage and ballast from Eurasia and has spread profusely throughout the U.S.  

These are outstanding competitors to our native plants. Considered a biennial or short-lived perennial, each plant can produce a 1000 seeds that readily sprout in spring and fall and remain viable in the soil for five years.  Seeds are easily carried by air currents along roads and water down streams. The plants have an advantage because their different life forms keep out the competition in disturbed locations. It was once thought they also had the advantage of cnicin, an allelopathic compound in the plants. However, this was analyzed and found not to be of sufficient toxic levels to affect their rivals in the field. Even without this edge, it outcompetes our natives. More info  

Teton Weed and Pest lists Spotted Knapweed as Priority three: regional infestation. It also lists several other knapweeds. Wear gloves when pulling it out as it is known as a carcinogen. Not a good plant.

Goldenrods

First of all, goldenrods do not cause allergies. The pollen is too heavy to fly in the air and up your nostrils. They have a bad rap as their masses of colorful blooms and thick growth often hide inconspicuous wind-pollinated plants that come out about the same time, such Lamb’s-quarters – Chenopodium spp. (Dorn indicates we don’t have ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) in Teton County).

The inconspicuous flowers of lamb’s quarters are hard to see.

Some Sagebrushes – Artemisia spp. – also release pollen upon the wind in the autumn.)

Goldenrods are one of the most important herbaceous plants for small wildlife. Up to 100 insect species thrive on this genus. Butterflies, such as coppers, sulphurs, and hairstreaks, suck up nectar. Bees of all sorts gather protein fats and minerals. Myriad midges lay eggs that form galls. Chickadees and woodpeckers subsequently eat the protein-rich larvae inside. Goldfinches, grosbeaks, and nuthatches eat the seeds. (Reference)

We have eight species of goldenrods (Solidago spp.) in Teton County. The three low-growing species with a bunch of leaves at the base, are relatively easy to identify. The five taller species with leaves that are typically “three-veined” present frustrating puzzles. Their tiny bracts and variable leaf and stem hairs tend to be diagnostic. The widespread Canada Goldenrod is notoriously variable. We will treat the different species more fully in a separate technical ID posting. 

For here and now, we emphasize two large species still in bloom that can be separated by the smoothness of their stems and bract details. Note: in any identification endeavor, look at several plants and parts to get the average or typical characteristics. 

Rough stems:

Canada Goldenrod Solidago canadensis – has a disputed natural range. Some people have heard that it is native mostly to the Midwest and Northeast and that Canada Goldenrod has “invaded” the rest of the country. Taxonomic experts report that while indeed it is a robust rhizomatous species, Canada Goldenrod is indigenous throughout much of Canada and the United States. Notably, it was introduced to Europe as an ornamental as early as 1645, where it has become an invasive exotic there. It can be aggressive in one’s garden. 

Canada Goldenrod plants grow 3-5’ high, with finely hairy stems. Plentiful leaves are elongate and sharply pointed with saw-toothed edges. Leaves are usually smooth to very finely hairy on top and slightly rough along the three main veins below. As with all goldenrods, there are many small heads of ray and disc flowers. Its miniature bracts are elongate and narrow. Ray flowers number 10-17, averaging 13. Moist places, fields.

Smooth stems:

Giant Goldenrod – Solidago gigantea – looks very similar in its size, leaves, and inflorescence to Canada Goldenrod. The main difference is that below the flower cluster, the stem is smooth and slightly powdery bluish gray (glaucous).

Leaves are smooth up top with only a few hairs on the main veins below.

For botany nerds: there are two other somewhat common look-alikes: Velvet Goldenrod – S. velutina – Stems tend to be hairy, the leaves less toothed, but the ray flowers fewer about 8. Dry locations – I have seen it up Death Canyon. Missouri Goldenrod – S. missouriensis – Stems smooth below flower cluster, leaves usually without teeth, but the leaves can feel rough along edges; the 3 nerves are not that clear. Bracts clearly widest at the base (oblong).  Rays 6-10, often 7 or 8. Good luck!

Other composite yellows

Showy Golden-eyes – Viqueria (Heliomeris) multiflora – are lining trails, bike paths and roads with their prolific, cheery yellow flowers. Growing around 2′, stems have opposite, smooth, narrowly oblong leaves 2-4” long.

Note the collective show of ray flowers often darkens toward the center of the flower head. Likely, this slight difference to our eyes is much more dramatic to insects with infrared vision.

The bracts form a simple whorl below the head.  

Golden Asters – Heterotheca villosa – are comparatively more humble, untidy looking plants with stubby, finely hairy leaves that alternate up the stems.  (The butterfly is Weidmeyer’s Admiral.)

The flowers are bright yellow on slightly long peduncles. This highly variable species ranges from the West Coast to the Midwest mostly in dry sunny locations. 

For botany nerds: In Teton County we have two ecotypes or varieties: One: H. v. var. depressa is found around the thermal areas of Yellowstone which I think I have seen around Storm Point.  The leaves are clearly hairy. The second: H. v. var. villosa is common, almost weedy, along GTNP roadsides and dry, sandy soils. The oblong stubby leaves and stems have fine hairs lying against the surface (appressed). They mix in with Gumweed along park roads.

Curly-cup Gumweed – Grindelia squarrosa – is one of my favorites for its unique bracts.

Each bract curls back to a point, and they fuse together to form a perfect cup, truly gummy in texture. This species likely originated beyond Teton County but has made its way in along dry road sides and other disturbed places where it seeds readily. 

This sticky resinous plant is full of chemicals unpalatable to wildlife but appealing to humans for a variety of medicinal purposes. Caterpillars seem to appreciate the flowers. Plants are about 2′ tall, with alternate, small, oblong, blunt leaves with a few teeth.

Odd-ball yellows

Owl’s-clovers – Orthocaprus spp. – used to be in the Snapdragon or Scrophulariaceae Family, but along with its relatives, paintbrushes (Castilleja) and louseworts (Pedicularis), the genus is now placed in the Broomrape or Orobanche Family. These three genera are hemi-parasites on other plants. Their specialized roots (haustonia) connect with their host’s roots and siphon off nutrients.

Owl’s-clovers are annuals that grow 6-18″ high, have small pouched flowers and small leaves . Hosts are unknown. We have two species in Teton County:

Yellow Owl’s-clover – Orthocaprus luteus – is usually single stemmed and the hairs stick out.

Tolmie’s Owl’s-clover – Orthocarpus tolmiei – grows along the trail to Ski Lake and above. It usually has several branches and the hairs are mostly pressed against the stems.

Finally

Mountain Bog Gentians – Gentiana calycosa – form patches of blue often on rocky slopes or talus at higher elevations, such as along the trail south of Teton Pass. The stiff, deep-green, shiny leaves are opposite, rounded, and very tidy looking. 

For half an hour I watched various bumblebees dive into the tubular flowers, wriggling down while the anthers shed pollen onto their hairy bee bodies. The bees follow nectar guides to the base of the flower. Just below are five holes that lead to wells of nectar reachable only with a long proboscis (tongue).

I noticed the bees back out, appearing to clean their long proboscis. In researching further, I read that a bumblebee has a long hairy tongue that laps up nectar. The tongue or proboscis is enclosed by two mandibles that fold under the bee’s body when it flies.

Watching longer, I noticed that some bees tumbled off the flower. Then they righted themselves and flew to another open flower, where a stigma maybe positioned to rub off the pollen to start the seed-making process. Very cool action between plants and insects.

While flowers fade, fruits form (a subject for another posting), and leaves will turn wonderful colors before winter arrives. Keep on botanizing!

Frances Clark, Wilson, WY

August 28, 2022

Sageflats, hillsides, and ridges throughout Jackson Hole are a bloom! Now is the time to catch the balsamroot extravaganza and to look for other treats throughout. There is so much to see. To encouarge you, below are photos with ID tips of the most common species. We have also provided some information on how flowers “work”—which pollinators come by, how do they fit, where do the fruits and seeds form. By looking closely (including dissecting plants) and knowing more, flowers are more fun.  So please enjoy botanizing as you hike; or just take a walk, sit and watch what is unfurling and flying about you.

Yellow Composites:

Balsamroot exhibits a classic form of the former Composite Family now called the Aster Family.  Sunflowers, asters, pussytoes, dandelions are all related. Let’s take a closer look using balsamroot as our first example.

The basic flower plan in the Composite Family is a set of many small flowers arrayed on a platform surrounded by green bracts to form a “head”. Balsamroot has a ring of showy ray flowers which consist of 5 fused petals that are tongue-like (ligulate). The inner flowers are “disc” flowers also with five petals which fuse to form a tube with flared tips.

Five dark male anthers develop facing inward. The female pistil pushes through the press of male anthers to push out pollen grains that tend to stick to the outside of the stigma ready for pick up by pollinators. Soon the pollen is gone or dried up, and the stigma opens wide into a two-parted arch ready to receive pollen from another flower delivered by a pollinator helping in cross-pollination. Many different insects can easily land and forage for pollen and nectar over the course of several days. Composite heads for insects are sort of like you parking and shopping at Walmart.

Disc flowers start blooming on the outside and form a Fibonnaci spiral inwards.

Each fertilized flower produces a fruit below the petals (inferior ovary). Inside the dry fruit will be a single seed (achene). This is the same design as sunflower seeds: the hard outer shell with one seed inside. Often when you open the flower head you will see grubs settled in for a good meal.

The Composite Family has hundreds of variations (species) on this theme growing around the world. More examples are below.

Arrowleaf balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata – still dominates many slopes and sage flats in Jackson Hole right now. It has arrow-shaped, slightly hairy, large 1-2′ grayish leaves all growing on long petioles from the base. Stalks have 1-2 large flowers with yellow ray flowers and disc flowers. Fresh flowers smell like chocolate, and the roots have a balsam scent.

Mule’s Ears – Wyethia amplexicaulis – look similar to Arrowleaf Balsamroot at first. But note the leaves are shaped like a mule’s ears and are smooth and green.

Several orange-yellow flowers alternate up the stem along with smaller leaves. Mule’s Ears tend to be found in relatively moist, often heavy clay soils.

Twin Arnica – Arnica sororia – is having a good year around Antelope Flats and foothills. The bright yellow flowers stand upon 1’ stems with 2-3 pairs of narrow opposite leaves with a few more at the base. 

Common Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale – This introduced European plant is still popping up in our lawns, fields, and trails. It has all ligulate or ray flowers that look like petals – actually each “petal” is 5 petals combined. The bracts are in two rows, the outer row is reflexed, the inner stands upright. 

From each ray flower, tiny rough fruits (achenes) are formed and are attached to a pappus that serves as a parachute for distribution of the seeds by wind.

While annoying to us, dandelions are favored by many bees and seed-eating birds. They are also full of healthy vitamins and nutrients.  https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/dandelion Note we have native dandelions seen mostly at higher elevations.

Mountain or False Dandelion – Agoseris glauca – All the flower heads have yellow, ligulate or ray flowers, as in the common dandelion. Each plant produces only one flower head.

Several rows of upright bracts encircle the heads. All the leaves are basal. 

Fruits are elongated and smooth. You can see why this is called False Dandelion–it takes a close look to tell the differences.

There are three varieties of this species and two other genera (Nothocalais nigrescens and Microseries nutans) that are very similar. The achenes or fruits are the best way to be sure of your ID and are not addressed here. 

Pussytoe – Antennaria sp. – flower heads have only disc flowers and scaly inconspicuous bracts and, therefore, look very small and plain compared to many of our composites. Pussytoes in general are easy to ID by their “pussytoe”-like flower heads. Heads have either male or female disc flowers on separate plants (dioecious).

In the photo, the heads with male flowers are on the left with anthers bearing pollen, and the heads of female flowers are on the right with delicate white stigmas with many extra bristles. Pussytoes often make seeds without fertilization (apotomictic) and/or are polyploids (having extra sets of chromosomes) which can make ID more complicated.

Below is a Small-leaved Pussytoe – Antennaria microphylla with a mat of small, hairy leaves

and its rosy form with pinkish bracts (female heads):

Low growing Shaggy Fleabane – Erigeron pumilus – is common on many dry knolls. Fleabanes have heads surrounded by a ring of equal-sized bracts and many narrow ray flowers. In this species the maturing flower heads nod, the 1-2″ leaves are very narrow, and hairs stick straight out like the hairs on a frightened cat! Hairs reduce water loss by shading the surface of the leaf and reducing velocity of wind currents. Hairs are common on plants growing in dry locations.

One of Many Mustards

Rough Wallflower – Erysimum asperum – grows to 18″ with several yellow flowers at the top. Flowers in the Mustard Flower typically have 4 sepals, 4 petals, 6 anthers – 4 long, 2 short, and a single pistil with one stigma.

In this specis the ovary extends into a 4-6″ fruit called a silique–think sleek siliques.

Other mustards such as Penny Cress – Thlapsi arvense – may have roundish silicles where the fruit is about as long as wide. In the picture below you can seed the seeds forming inside.

This is a very weedy 12″ annual of disturbed sites; however, it can be helpful in stabilizing open slopes, providing a protective layer from eroding rain drops until other plants can take root. The Mustard Family is very large with many rare as well as many weedy plants. Fruits and even hairs may be essential for ID, a bit frustrating for this botanist.

More Yellows:

Stoneseed – Lithosperma ruderale – has delicately scented yellow flowers tucked amidst the leaves near the top of robust 1-2’ plants.

Plants have been used historically as a contraceptive by various native peoples here in North America, and its cousin was similarly useful in European. The fruits will look like white tear drops and are very tough.

Cinquefoils – Potentilla spp. – are just coming out with their cream to yellow flowers on top of 2’ stems. About four common species with a variety of subspecies complicate precise identification, with several other low growing species also found in the county. Generally, Cinquefoil leaves are divided into 5 (cinque) or more leaflets arranged either in a palmate or pinnate arrangement. Flowers are held near the top and have 5 green sepals and 5 yellow petals with many stamens and pistils. Examining the small flower features with a 10x handlens is critical to accurate ID. Regardless of identity, cinquefoils are very important for many pollinator species, and are host plants for several different butterflies. 

Paintbrushes

There are several species of red, orange and yellow paintbrushes in Teton County. While most people recognize a paintbrush, technical features separate the different kinds, and hybridization and allopolyploidy (multiple sets of chromosomes from different parents) add to the confusion. For instance, colors may range widely within a species.

Most paintbrushes are hemi-parasitic: they attach to grasses, lupines, and other host species to grow vigorously. Indeed, some siphon off toxins from lupines to produce particularly effective defense systems. If purchasing a paintbrush, be sure to also obtain its host plant for success.

Botany is a hands-on occupation: take a 10x handlens, find some examples (not in a national park) and do some dissection to see if you can distinguish the species. Below is  picture of a typical unit to start with: full unit left, taken apart to show: bract which provides added color and protection; sepals forming a tubular calyx; and the petals (corolla) creating an elongate tubular flower with a greenish “lip”. Anthers and pistil are secured within.

The following three yellow species are found in and around lower, sunny, relatively dry elevations of Jackson Hole now. They are not easy to ID, and just knowing the plant is a paintbrush is great!

Yellow Paintbrush – Castilleja flava – is a bright yellow color. Flowers are rather remote and not so hidden by bracts as the other 2 species. Calyx 12-23 mm long, deeply and subequally cleft above and below, its primary lobes are divided into 2 triangular, acute segments 2-6 mm long. (The photo of parts above is also Yellow Paintbrush.)

Pallid Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja pallescens – is pale yellow, the calyx (fused sepals) is cleft more deeply in front and back than to the sides. Ultimate calyx lobes are acute to acuminate. Note the large expanded pouch: lip, and the stipma jutting out the top of the flower tube.

Parrot-head Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja pilosa var. longispica – Also pale yellow, the calyx is cleft to about the same length into 4 equal, pointed lobes. The inflorescence overall has puberulent to sparsely villous hairs. Plants are many-stemmed and generally decumbent at their bases. No photo, but in your dissection look for the calyx with equally sized, sharp pointed lobes.

Parsley/Carrot Family – Apiaceae 

Look for the umbel of the inflorescence. The tiny flowers are held out at the end of stalks arranged around a central point like ribs of an umbrella.

Nineleaf Biscuitroot – Lomatium triternatum var. platycarpum (now L. simplex) – As the name implies, the leaves are thrice divided in threes to from nine linear lobes and look grass like.

The flower umbels each have a whorl of tiny bracts around their bases.

Each flower will have dried fruits that split into two single seeded parts=schizocarps. Here they are flat with a few ridges and wing-like edge. Fruits are important in ID of the Carrot Family.

The starchy, edible taproots were a source of food and medicine to Native American tribes. The roots were cooked or dried and ground into flour, which could be shaped into cakes and stored for later use. They were also used for flavoring. 

Wyeth Biscuitroot – Lomatium ambiguum – blooms along dry, often disturbed slopes and flats, and are particularly abundant around the Saw Mill Pond overlook and the road cut on the north end of the Moose-Wilson Road and the inner park road. The compound leaves are divided in uneven segments. There is no set of bracts below the flower umbel. The yellow is a shaper tone than found on the Nineleaf Biscuitroot.

Whites, creams to pinks:

Bolander’s Yampah – Perideridia bolanderi – is clearly in the Parsley family described above with its lace-like umbels and thread-like divided leaves. It looks very similar to its cousin Common Yampah – P. montana/gairderni, but this species comes out earlier, the leaves often have swollen bases, and the fruits are more elongate.

It is locally abundant now at Saw Mill Ponds Overlook on the north end of Moose-Wilson Road, but generally is rare in Teton County. Yampah roots were important food for Native Americans, as well as bears.

Grassy Death Camas – Zigadenus venenosum var. gramineus – is indeed poisonous. It is considered by the USFS to be one of the most deadly meadow plants to livestock, particularly sheep, and is known to affect elk, mule deer, and small mammals as well. All parts are toxic due to the presence of zygacine, a neurotoxic steroidal alkaloid.

In the Lily Family, Death Camas is a bulb plant, and spreads vegetatively by bulblets. The leaves are grass-like, and the flowers are held in a panicle. Greenish yellow nectar glands form at the base of the 6 white tepals. When sepals and petals are similar they are called tepals, which is a frequent trait of members of the Lily Family, such as Easter Lily.

Field Chickweed – Cerastium arvense – is aptly named as it is often found spreading in fields as well as sunny trail sides.

Many people pull “dastardly chickweeds” from their gardens. Indeed, the much smaller Mouse-ear Chickweed (C. fontanum) introduced from Europe is considered a weedy species.

I have planted the native chickweed to brighten some corners of my garden. I have discovered it has a wonderful fragrance! There is also a higher elevation Mountain Chickweed – C. beeringianum for when you are above 9000’.  Chickweed is in the Pink Family. It has five notched separate white petals and the the leaves are narrow and opposite. 

Long-leaved Phlox – Phlox longifolia – have mostly pinkish, tubular flowers whose petals flare out at the tops. Plants grow to 6” or more, often sprawling.  Relative to our earlier blooming phlox, the leaves are long at 2-3”, narrow, opposite, and slightly hairy. Flower fragrance is alluring to long-tongued butterflies, moths, and some bees which land on the flared petals and dip their probosci deep inside. 

Sulphur Buckwheats – Eriogonum umbellatum – are just expanding from tight red fists, into pink to cream umbels of flowers that tower over a mat of oval leaves. (Yes, it has umbels, but no schizocarps as in the Parsely Family). Flowers lure in all sorts of insects which are in turn important protein sources for sage-grouse chicks. Plentiful dried capsules appeal to birds and rodents in the fall. Buckwheats are useful and beautiful plants for relatively dry, sunny spots in your garden.

Bastard Toadflax – Comandra umbellata – is genetically speaking odd. It is the only species in its genus (monotypic), and one of only two genera in the Comandraceae, formerly Santalaceae – Sandlewood Family. This species is found throughout much North America and restricted to the Balkan peninsula in Europe. Strange taxonomy and distribution indeed.

This 6″ plant is a hemiparasite, with stubby root structures (haustoria) which attach to hosts such as pussytoes, grasses, and aspens to name a few. It is also the alternate host for the comandra blister rust (Cronartium comandrae), a rust fungus that affects lodgepole and other pine species in North America.

Pinks to Rose to Reds

Prairie Smoke – Geum triflorum – has clusters of three dangling flowers with pinkish sepals that almost hide the yellow petals.

With maturity, fruits stand upright holding aloft their hairy styles which produce a smoke-like effect and help the seeds fly off to new lands.

With the flowers and mat-forming, pinnately compound leaves that have a lovely fall color, Prairie Smoke is an enjoyable and commercially available native garden plant.

Sticky Geranium – Geranium viscosissimum – is one of the most recognized plants in our area.  The 5 radial, pink-to-blue petals are perfect landing pads for a variety of insects. They can easily follow the fine “nectar guides” to the center to where pollen and stigmas await. The 10 anthers mature first. Later 5 sticky stigmas arch outward to catch the pollen. This arrangment is another strategy to assure cross-pollination.

Sticky stem hairs serve to capture small, possibly marauding, insects, which in turn attract bigger insects that then glean the insects, providing the plant double protection. Also, these glandular hairs can dissolve the dead insects, enabling the plant to absorb nutrients from their bodies.

Scarlet Gilia – Ipomopsis aggregata – “Ipomopsis” means startling appearance. Indeed, these brilliant red flowers have great appeal to hummingbirds that can see red (insects cannot).  These biennial to short-lived perennial plants are currently shooting up their stems and expanding their hairy dissected leaves from last year’s rosettes.

Flowers unfold and hummingbirds hover and reach their beaks and lapping tongues into the long tube for nectar. In so doing, the birds bump their heads against the protruding anthers and get a dollop of pollen which sticks. They then fly to another flower where the white stigma is ready to pick up the pollen off the bird’s forehead. 

Later in the year, or in other parts of the west, Scarlet Gilia flowers may bloom more pink to white, attracting moth pollinators. The flowers have an unappealing skunky fragrance to us people.

True Blues

Lewis’ Flax – Linum Lewisii– is covering roadsides with their delicate wands of sky-blue flowers.

The European/Asian species Linum usitatissimum (roughly translated: very useful) has long been known for two main values. The stems have particularly long, strong fibers which have been used for centuries to make linen. Current research is being conducted on the mechanical properties of flax for making composite materials. Flaxseed or linseed oil has been used for constipation and control of cholesterol. Always check with a doctor for proper use as it can affect how one absorbs other medicines.  In any case, flax is a beautiful plant.

Beards Tongues – Penstemon spp. – are hanging out in patches on dry hillsides.

Our penstemons are blue (rarely white) and are pollinated by bees. All penstemons have opposite leaves and 5 petals forming a tube. Inside are four arching stamens, each with paired anthers. A fifth stamen that looks like a hairy tongue lies at the entry. This “staminode” doesn’t have pollen but does direct pollinators (so the researchers say). 

Bees land on the lower lip and follow the lines and variations of light back into the tube. Nectar is produced in hairs at the base of the stamens.  Researchers say the hairy staminode helps push the bee into the anthers, where they get doused with pollen. Visting the next flower, the bee may then trip upon the long style with stigma to facilitate fertilization. Take a look inside the flowers and think like a bee or find a mini go-pro to attach to its head. (Really, how do the researchers know how a staminode works?)

Silky Lupines – Lupinus sericea – are just coming out on the sunny open sageflats and hills. The hairy palmate leaves and pea-like flowers are definitive for ID.

Look for white or pink dots on the upright banner: a contrasting white dot indicates the flower is fresh, ready to be pollinated; a duller pink or purple blotch indicates a pollinator has come for the nectar already or the nectar has dried up.

This color change serves as a signal for the bee not to waste its energy looking for nectar or pollen.

Low Larkspurs – Delphinium nutttallianum – have been blooming for a few weeks. They have welcomed migrating broad-tailed hummingbirds with their nectar. 

Hummingbirds can hover just outside the flowers, thrusting their beaks into the long spurs to lap up nectar, thereby brushing against the cluster of dangling anthers. On a more mature flower, where the anthers have withered, the pollen-covered bee wiill bump upon the 3 protruding stigmas.

Larkspurs are poisonous to livestock and many mammals. 

Different species of Bluebells – Mertensia spp. – are human favorites across the country and consequently have several common names. They are spring ephemerals—plants come up in early spring, are hopefully fertilized, store up food underground quickly, and then wither, leaving little trace of the plants by the end of the summer.

The dangle of flowers is advertisement. Several flowers together put on more of an show than if scattered on the stem. Flowers turn from pink to blue signaling treats are ready for bumblebee pollinators.  And then the petal tubes drop off indicating no more customers needed.  Virginia Bluebells – M. virginiana – are garden favorites in the east.  Our local species may be good natives for our gardens here, as well.

Sagebrush Bluebells – Mertensia oblongifolia – grow to 12-16” on dry, often grassy hillsides (shown above). Tall Fringed or Mountain Bluebells – Mertensia ciliata – look very similar but are found arching 3’ high over streams at low elevations now, but then at high elevations in mid-August.

Stickseeds – Hackelia spp. – are members of the Borage Family along with For-get-me-nots – Myosotis spp. – and bluebells (above).

They have white to blue demure flowers open to the sky; however, they produce pesky fruits that attach to socks and dogs in order to make their way to new ground away from domineering parent plants. Although they appear delicate, stickseeds have an evolutionary determination to succeed.

Spotted stickseed – Hackelia patens – has white flowers with delicate blue nectar guides.

Two other stickseeds have truly blue flowers and tend to inhabit more moist, streamside habitats: Jessica’s Stickseed – Hackelia micrantha – has multiple stems which help indicate it is a perennial. Large-flowered Stickseed – H. floribunda has slightly larger flowers and fewer stems. It is an annual/biennial that grows in disturbed sites as along the Old Pass Road.

A Monumental Plant:

Monument Plant or Green Gentian – Frasera speciosa – is having a good year!

Its hard to miss the 4-5′ towers of flowers sprouting up on hillsides. Not so long ago, it was thought this species was a biennial or short-lived perennial: the tall tower rose from where there was a whorl of leaves the year before.

A researcher marked the plants, and through intensive research over years in the Colorado Rockies, Dr. Inouye https://www.jstor.org/stable/1940400 determined plants take several decades to bloom. They have to amass 20+ leaves, maybe adding one leaf a year if conditions are good enough. The leaves add energy into the deep tap roots for the winter which then sprout into new rossettes the next spring. Slowly, slowly they gather enough energy for the final climax.

Furthermore, it was discovered that the flower buds were triggered by relatively high rain in June and July three years before they actually bloomed! This trigger of mature plants produces cohorts of many plants blooming at once in a given area.

The open flowers attract myriad insect pollinators which then leads to hundreds of seeds, if not thousands, per plant This abundance is greater than the many consumers can stomach, and so there is a chance for some seeds to grow to maturity under the helpful decomposing shade of the toppled parent plant.

Please get out and enjoy!

There are so many places to go and see wildflowers right now. Most of these pictures were taken driving around Antelope Flats, out by Kelly Warm Springs, and along the inner park road in Grand Teton National Park. Flowers can be found hiking up around Cache Creek just to the east of Jackson, or Trail Creek just west of Wilson. Munger Mountain and Ann’s Ridge (photo above) to the south have similar open habitats. Note: While flowers may be fading at lower elevations or in more southern parts of the valley, they may well be blooming fresh to the north or higher elevations.

If you have questions or see mistakes, please contact us at: tetonplants@gmail.com. As we are out much of the time, our response may not be quick. Also check earlier postings of “What’s in Bloom” on this same website.

Frances Clark, Wilson, WY

June 28, 2022

This summer has been notable for a late spring, then heat, drought, dashes of rain, and smoke. Flowers burst forth starting in June, sped along with the warmth, but then began to crisp early in many locations. Reports include tall forb and alpine flowers averaging three weeks early. 

Flowers still bloom along streams and shady canyons, and road sides are sporting late summer yellows in abundance. Fruits are ripening fast. Here are some of the most obvious flowers at lower elevations, which means they should still be going strong farther up the trail. Butterflies are active on these remaining nectar sources: fritillarys, coppers, blues, tortoiseshells, and parnassia, to name the more recognizable groups.

Showy Goldeneye (Vigueria/Heliomeris multiflora) is abundant along roads, in meadows, and up hillsides ranging from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone National Park. The cheerful yellow heads wave atop slender 2-3’ stems with mostly opposite leaves. Sometimes the rounded ray flowers are visibly lighter toward their ends—under UV light they look like bulls-eyes to pollinators. These “composite” flowers with both ray and disc flowers provide a showy and easy place for pollinators to land and gather pollen and nectar from many tiny flowers. Like going to a big box store.

Pacific Aster (Symphiotrichum ascendens) forms colonies of blue along roadsides and smaller patches in more wooded areas.

They bloom at various heights: mowed, grazed, or just left alone. One way to tell these blue asters from others is to look at the venation of their elongate leaves.  The veins outline elongate areas. 

Curly Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa ) has colonized along main highways and park roads. Early herbarium records indicate that they have naturalized relatively recently in the county. 

They tolerate drought and winds of roadsides with their tough slightly succulent foliage. Their sap is also thick. Flower heads are sticky and the bracts curl under, hence its common name. It has an interesting fragrance.

Golden Aster (Heterotheca/Chrysopsis villosa) also colonizes park roadsides and collects in dry depressions.  The leaves are clearly hairy, shorter, and the yellow composite flowers abundant. Flowers are now forming heads of individual fruits: each fruit with one seed inside is attached to a fluffy pappus of hairs that helps them disperse into new dry sites. 

Canada Goldenrods (Solidago canadensis var. salebrosa) have been blooming strong over the last few weeks. Goldenrods have a reputation for causing allergies. This is a bum rap. Wind pollinated grasses and ragweeds (Ambrosia spp.), which are found farther east, often bloom at the same time unnoticed. Wind pollen is light and abundant and designed to disperse on the wind, and therefore gets up our nostrils. Flowers with showy petals like goldenrods have evolved to attract insects to carry the pollen from plant to plant—pollen is relatively heavy and not flying about on its own. 

Canada Goldenrod has many slightly toothed, pointed, 2-3” leaves alternating up 2-4’ stems.  Tiny heads contain about 13 ray flowers. Here the many small composite flowers bunched together create a show signaling in pollinators who can perch and wander about for the goods of pollen and nectar. Also, there are many other tiny and large insect crawling in and about the flower heads, some munching, others laying eggs, some just hiding from predators.

For plant nerds: Two other common goldenrods are smaller, smooth all over, with most of their larger leaves bunched near the base. Rocky Mountain Goldenrod (Solidago multiradiata) is distinguished by ciliate hairs long the petiole of the basal leaves and 13 ray flowers per head.

Sticky Goldenrod (Solidago simplex) has smooth petioles and heads with only about 8 ray flowers. Flower heads can be a bit resinous or sticky.

Thickstem Asters – Eurybia integrifolia – are tough, 2-2.5’ plants seen in a variety of habitats and elevations.

Their flower heads have sticky bracts and stems, and its thick stems tend to zig-zag. Flower heads have deep blue to purple ray flowers surrounding the yellow to rusty disc flowers. Lower leaves are much larger than those along the upper stems.

Fireweeds (Epilobium/Chamerion angustifolium) were also notably early this year and some didn’t bloom at all. Those still blooming tend to be at high elevations or in moist or shady locations lower down.

If you observe closely, you can see the flowers change flowering stages. First the anthers (above) produce male pollen while female part located in the center is still undeveloped. Then the anthers wither and the female stigma matures (below) ready to receive pollen from another flower. This progression from male to female avoids flowers self-pollinating. Flowers at the bottom of the inflorescence bloom first.

Many plants are already going to fruit and seed. Their seeds, dispersed on the wind, remain viable for only a few weeks.

In high meadows where fireweed can be abundant, hummingbirds are important pollinators. They load up on nectar before migrating south. Hummingbirds lap, don’t suck, nectar. They have little bristles at the tips of their tongues and rapidly dart their tongues back and forth into their long beaks while hovering. Truly a feat.

Rabbitbrushes are flourishing right now, with more to come. They are particularly important for supplying nectar at the end of the flowering season: look for myriad butterflies, bees, and other winged invertebrates working them over.

We have a 4 common varieties of rabbitbrushes in Teton County. These shrubs typically range from 1-3 (4)’, grow in relatively dry, sunny conditions along roadsides and hillsides, often on disturbed soils. They stand out at this time of year. Once in one genus, they are now split into two. All have linear leaves and bunches of flower heads with only yellow disc flowers, giving them a similar appearance. The varieties can be difficult to tell apart!

Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosus) has straight narrow leaves and tomentose (felt-like hairy) stems. They smell when broken and when fresh twigs can exude a white sap – hence “rubber” rabbitbrush and nauseosus in the name. 

For the botany nerd:

var. oreophilus (above) has very narrow 1-nerved leaves, greenish tomentose stems, and smooth involucral bracts.  2.5-5’ tall.

var. nauseosus has white tomentose stems, narrow grayish green leaves, and tomentose (hairy) involucral bracts. 1-2’ tall.

Compared to Rubber Rabbitbrush, Yellow Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus) typically has twisted, often wider, leaves, often with stiff hairs on leaf edges (ciliate). Also they are somewhat sticky e.g. viscid, as in the name.

var. lanceolatus has hairy upper stems and often hairy leaves which are mostly 2-6 mm wide. Involucral bracts are hairy. More common and low growing at 6-18” high than var. viscidiflorus (not shown.)

See the next posting for fruits found at this time of year. https://wordpress.com/post/tetonplants.org/4696

Frances Clark, Program Coordinator, Teton Plants, Wilson, WY

tetonplans@gmail.com

While flowers are disappearing, many are in fact forming fruits. Some fruits are dry and brownish, others soft and berry-like, often turning red.

Three red berries and one speckled:

Walking in the moist, shady forest and openings such as along the Trail Creek and Cache Creek trail systems, you may come across the following berries on herbaceous plants. After the fruit photos we show the flowers.

Red Baneberries – Actea rubra—are poisonous to us but not so to birds or small mammals. Its shiny fruits are arranged in racemes: stalks arise off a central axis as if all are racing away. Sometimes baneberries appear in white. It is in the Buttercup Family.

Three species in the Lily Family have elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with parallel veins.

Twisted Stalk — Streptopus amplexicaulis — has long arching forked stems 3’ high which zig zag slightly. Leaves clasp the stem and at each joint (axis) a single ovoid red berry dangles below. Take a close look for the kink in the pedicel where there is also a small gland (perhaps to attract insects?). Twisted Stalks often grow along stream edges. 

Fairy Bells — Prosartes trachycarpa –usually have two berries to match where there were once two yellow flowers at the end of each stem. Berries change from green to orange to a velvet red. They are not quite round nor are they smooth. The covering is textured and contains several seeds.

False Lily-of-the-Valley – Maianthemum racemosum – has a panicle of spotted fruits held at the end of 1-3’ arching single stems. In a panicle, stalks come from a central stem and then branch again, as if going off in a panic. The leafy stems arise from a thick rhizome underground.

While the speckled berries ripen to red, they are often scarfed up by birds or rodents before you see them.

Umbellifers:  This large family of plants was recognized by the Greeks for its distinctive flower arrangement. The Umbelliferae Family is now called the Apiaceae or Parsley/Carrot Family. The flowers are arranged in an umbel: spokes from a central point like ribs of an umbrella.

The dried fruits are termed schizocarps: they split into two parts each with one seed, dangling from a cool hanger-like structure-carpophore. When we eat “seeds” of dill, celery, caraway, cumin, anise, and coriander, we are actually consuming schizocarps.

The largest umbellifer we see is Cow Parsnip – Heracleum spondylium — with its 3’ divided leaves with very broad leaflets. The stems are over one-inch thick, hollow, and have hairs that can cause a rash with some people.

Plants with big leaves need a lot of water to keep them turgid so you often see them near streams or in wet meadows.

Cow Parsnipis is related to Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), a highly invasive introduced species found in the East and northwestern states. Hogweed is highly phototoxic, meaning the sap combined with sunlight can cause a very nasty burn-like rash.

Sharptooth Angelica — Angelica arguta — is only slightly shorter but the leaves are twice divided with smaller leaflets. The schizocarps are more bunched and also have more ribs to them.–reminiscent of celery leaves, to which it is related.

The 2’ long and wide lacy leaves of Fernleaf Licorice-root or Lovage — Ligusticum filicinum—turn a beautiful gold as they begin to dry out. (Below is one whole leaf)

Schizocarps are held up to 3’ high, are abundant, but are very small and fragile:

The flowers were also very delicate and lacy in their umbels. These plants can be plentiful in open meadows low and high. Their fragrant roots were used for medicine.

Western Sweetroot – Osmorhiza occidentalis – has almost disappeared for the season; however, you may still find the elongate schizocarps dangling along a trail edge or meadow. Earlier they had a licorice-anise flavor to them. 

If you look closely at the thine dark-brown shiny schizocarps above you can see how the one to the right is split and the two sides are dangling from a very delicate carpophore. This is the same scheme of all the other schizocarps but they are so delicate we often miss it.

It is fascinating to watch the development of flowers to fruits. While we may bemoan the passage of summer, there are always botanical treasures to behold!

Frances Clark, Program Coordinator, Teton Plants, Wilson, WY

tetonplants@gmail.com

August 18, 2021