A late-July hike to Mt. Elly, south of Teton Pass, is an adventure through fields of wildflowers.

This post is in cooperation with the Wyoming Wilderness Association.   (https://www.wildwyo.org/ ) which promotes the preservation of Wyoming’s wild lands.  Peggie dePasquale, Associate Director, asked us to lead a group wildflower hike into the Palisades Wilderness Study Area at the end of July; however, due to concerns of Covid 19, we decided it was best not to be crowding around to view intriguing plants.

The following post encourages you to get out to see the flowers now along Teton Pass and other trails at similar elevations both in the Palisades WSA and elsewhere. Many, if not most, of the flowers will be the same. And they will keep on blooming at higher elevations or in cooler sites over the next couple of weeks.

The mile-and-a-half hike south from Teton Pass to Mt. Elly gently rises from 8,400’ to 9,200’ in elevation. The trail takes you across moist and dry mountain meadows covered in perennial wildflowers, through the dense shade of older growth Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir forests where fewer flowers persist, and to a south facing prominence dominated by sagebrush. At the end of the trail before it descends into Black Canyon, you can take in the expansive view south into the Palisades Wilderness Study Area (WSA).

The WSA is one half of the Greater Palisades Area that encompasses a quarter of a million acres of wild and untrammeled land. To learn more about the management challenges that surround the Palisades check out the website for the WWA film, PalisdesProject.org.

{photo by Peggy dePasquale, WWA)

On to Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers!

The following plants are organized more or less in the order of appearance. Most can be seen within the first half-mile to the junction with the cell tower. Numbers on the map by Susan Marsh helps to orient you:

Along with the photos, descriptions are meant to be helpful in identifying species. At the end of each is a rating of “relative frequency” for this trail: R-Rare, O-Occasional, F-Frequent – C-Common, A-Abundant, LA – Locally Abundant e.g. a plentiful in only one or two places.

Here is a diagram of the basic flower parts to help you to see and identify the flowers – fun puzzles! (image from greenandvibrant.com)

1.To start, climb up the trail (not the access road) through large old trees:

You will see two very large trees with flaking bark, Engelmann Spruce – Picea engelmannii. It has square, pointed, stiff needles that sit on little pegs. These sharp needles are typical of spruce. Cones dangle down and stay intact. They are often stashed by red squirrels for their winter food supply. O

Look for 3 small trunks at the bend in the trail that are mostly gray and smooth with horizontal lines of bumps. These are Subalpine Firs – Abies lasciocarpa. The bumps are filled with a sticky resin that helps defend the tree from boring predators. The resin has been used by humans for sealing seams of canoes. The wood is brittle and used for light construction. The individual needles are flat, blunt, and feel soft.  They are “friendly firs.” Cones stand up on the upper branches and the scales and seeds will fall off when they ripen in the fall.

These two tree species are stalwarts of the higher elevation “spruce/fir” forests seen around Jackson Hole and south into the Snake River Range of the Palisades WSA.  They grow where there is sufficient moisture/snow.

In the understory are several large 6-10’ shrubs of Mountain Ash – Sorbus scoparia. The leaves are divided into shiny leaflets arranged along a central stalk—”pinnately divided”. These “compound” leaves alternate along the woody stem. The sprays of small white flowers are fading and will produce bunches of red-orange berries in the fall that are relished by bears, small mammals, and birds.

2. As you step out into the sunny slope, you will see several of the most common species found in mountain meadows.  A combination of harsh winds and a late-growing season makes it hard for trees to survive. Herbaceous perennials use food stored in roots and underground stems to shoot up fast when the snow melts. New leaves take advantage of the long days of our short summers. It is amazing how such abundant biomass is produced each summer from bare ground.

Fern-leaf Lovage – Ligusticum filicinum – Tall 3-4’ plants hold up clusters of lacey white flowers. Leaves are finely dissected and skirt the stems to 2-3’. Abundant in montane parks and aspen groves. The shaggy thick fragrant roots have been used medicinally by Native Americans. C

Lovage is just one of several members of the Parsley or Carrot Family – Apiaceae –  seen on this trail. The tiny 5-parted flowers are held up in umbels. Umbels arise from a single point, like ribs to an umbrella. The dry fruits are schizocarps, which split in half. Often the fruits and/or foliage are fragrant. Leaves are usually dissected – think carrots and parsley. This family includes cumin, anise, dill, and several other fragrant herbs.  Many have been used medicinally.

Western Sweetroot – Osmorhiza occidentalis – is a 2-3’ tall member of the Parsley Family. The delicate umbels of tiny green-yellow flowers are now forming 1” elongated, licorice-flavored fruits—have a taste! Sweetroot is fruiting at the beginning of the trail, but flowering farther along. The compound leaves look like those of its relative celery.  Meadows and open forests. C

The ever popular Sticky Geranium – Geranium viscosissimum – is one of the most common and persistent flowers seen right now. Note the 5 pink petals with nectar guides converging on the center which attract many insects to pollinate the flowers. A bit later the dried fruits will catapult the seeds to new ground. The sticky hairs trap and can actually absorb nutrients from tiny insects. A

Silvery Lupine – Lupinus argenteus – is the common lupine of montane meadows and forests (vs. Silky Lupine – L. sericeus – of dry sage flats). A member of the Pea Family, it has stalks of many fragrant small blue pea-like flowers. The upright back of the flower, called the “banner”, is smooth (vs hairy in the Silky Lupine). Like all lupines, the leaves are palmately divided. Also, lupines can fix nitrogen with the aid of bacteria in their roots, and it is often the host for semi-parsitic paintbrushes. C

Blue Flax – Linum lewisii – 5-petaled flowers face up to capture the blue of the sky. The leaves are soft and narrow, alternately arranged along 1-2’ swaying stems. The long strong fibers of a European flax – L. usitatissimum – are used to make linen. This genus also supplies flax seed and linseed oil. C

Fern-leaf Lousewort – Pedicularis bracteosa – 3-4’ plants have spires of yellow, hooded flowers. The pinnately divided, roughly toothed leaves look fern-like. Fading at the start of the trail, it is just flowering at the end. Meadows and open forest. C

Colorado Columbine – Aquilegia coerulea – Elegant 5-parted flowers have flaring white sepals; the white tubular petals form 2”-long spurs trailing out the back; and many yellow anthers. Leaves are delicately dissected into 9 parts. These 24” plants are pollinated by moths and hummingbirds that can hover and extend their mouth parts deep into the spurs to reach nectar. In the process, the pollinator’s head/body is showered with pollen. When it visits another flower, the female sticky stamens tag the pollen. Consequently, 3 dry capsules with seeds will form. Moist montane. F

3. After a bit of forest, the trail goes along a drier slope:

Coiled Lousewort – Pedicularis contorta – grows along the trail edge and up the dry slope. This species rarely exceeds a foot in height, and often grows in groups of single-stemmed plants. The deeply divided leaves help in identifying it; compare to the more open, fern-like leaves of Bracted (or Fernleaf) Lousewort. Its creamy white flowers just fit the shape of particular pollinators, often bumblebees. A bee lands, vibrates its wings, and dislodges the pollen down the coiled “beak” onto its back.  At the next flower, the female stigma is designed to reach pollen stuck between the head and thorax—where the bee can’t reach it. A very precise operation. The divided leaves help in ID. Drier locations. F

Edible Valerian or Tobacco Root – Valeriana edulis – 3’ robust plants hold up candle-arbors of small white flowers, which then form fluffy fruits. A pair of 8-10” stem leaves are pinnately divided. The basal leaves are entire and elongate to 8-10”. The thick roots have a peculiar odor and taste, and to some noses stink like “sweaty socks”; however, it is nutritious sustenance with its large fleshy root, and it has been used by humans for food. F-C

Western Sweetvetch – Hedysarum occidentale – The magenta pea-like flowers dangle from 12-18” stems, which will mature into uniquely flattened segmented pods. The leaves are pinnately compound with 1.5” elongate leaflets which have obvious veins. Plants form bright, untidy clumps to 3’ tall. More farther down the trail. Montane meadows. O

4. At the end of this stretch where the trail curves sharply to the right,

a large Douglas fir – Pseudostuga menziesii – stands out on the ledge to the left. These trees are more drought tolerant than spruce and fir. Their thick rugged bark helps it withstand low-intensity fires frequent in drier habitats. It is hard to reach the branches here, but the needles are similar to fir—soft and flat, but with a bit of a stalk to them.  The dangling cones have distinctive “bracts” which some say look the tail and two back feet of a mouse diving for cover under each scale. O

As you come around the corner, several new flowers attract attention on an extensive dry south-facing slope:

Blue Penstemons or Beardtongues – Look for stalks of blue tubular flowers and opposite leaves. The flowers have 5 short sepals and 5 fused petals that form a tube that flares out at the end with a 3-lobed lower lip. Four male stamens are curled up inside at the top of the tube. A fifth sterile stamen, more or less straight, lies at the base of the flower, and has hairs at the tip – giving the name “beardtongue”— say ahh!.  Although penstemons are easy to ID to genus, species ID requires lots of fine details. We have identified these two for you:

Low – Penstemon humilis – small 8-12” tall, with deep blue flowers with a bit of pink at the base; dry slopes. O

Wasatch – Penstemon cyananthus – mid-sized plants average 18-24” tall; Dry to moist slopes. F

Paintbrushes – Castilleja spp. – can be confusing to identify in part because they hybridize and colors vary within a species. Many species are hemi-parasitic, their roots connect to roots of other plant species, such as lupines and sagebrush, and siphon extra nutrients to help them grow.

In general, the leaves alternate up the stems.  Flowers have a unique design: flowers have a colorful bract (shown to right) under each flower. Each flower has a colorful calyx tube which is lobed. It surrounds the galea = tube of fused petals. The stigma and anthers are protected inside. Here the stigma sticks out from the green and red galea.

Here are some photos and tips to help ID three common paintbrushes.

Wyoming Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja lineariifolia – The Wyoming state flower has very slender often narrowly lobed leaves. Bracts and fused sepals are also pointed and narrow, and provide the orange color we see here. The petals are green and form a the elongate “galea” which leans way out between slits of the calyx tube. Look for the stigma protruding at the tip. These tubular flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. Dry sites. F

Scarlet Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja miniata – (we saw many on the first meadow slope, and more later) – is more true red here. The flowers are bunched together at the tops of often-branching stems 1-3’ high. The bracts and sepals tend to be wide, unbranched, and pointed. Along streams and meadows, aspen and coniferous forests. F

Sulphur Indian Paintbrush – Castilleja sulphurea – The overall look of the flowers is pale creamy yellow. The galea is often tucked behind the calyx and bracts. Stems 8-22” often branched. Subalpine to Alpine. F 

Sulphur Buckwheat – Eriogonum umbellatlum – is also common in sageflats and dry slopes of the valley floor. The pale-yellow to white flower clusters have a collar of leaves on 12” naked stems, and then small oval leaves that form a mat on the ground. Later the flowers will turn a rosy pink, and the dry fruits will be eaten by many small birds, such as juncos.

Scarlet Gilia – Ipomopsis aggregata – Bright red 1” tubular flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds. Hairy leaves are deeply dissected into linear segments that alternate up 1-3’ stems.  Note, at first glance it might remind you of the Wyoming Paintbrush but the flowers here are much more symmetrical in design. Meadows and sageflats. F-C

Silverleaf Phacelia – Phacelia hastata – is a lowly grayish plant with dingy blue flowers that is able to tolerate these dry rocky soils. At the end of the trail you will see its elegant relative. O

The Aster Family – Asteraceae – includes many familiar flowers. In this large family, many tiny flowers are arranged in “heads” surrounded by green bracts which together form what look like single flowers—a  “composite” flower. Flower heads may have showy “ray” flowers that look like petals and small “disc” flowers that cluster tightly together in the center. Some genera have only ray flowers, others only disc flowers.  Bracts and leaves are highly variable and help in ID. Fruits are achenes: a dry shell with only one seed inside. Think of your unshelled sunflower seeds. Some fruits are light and dispersed on a hairy “pappus” that floats them away; other achenes sit tight in the drying flower head until eaten by a bird or rodent.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot – Balsamorhiza sagittata – is a prime example of a composite flower: It has a large yellow sunflower-like flower head with yellow ray flowers around many disc flowers that bloom over time. Green bracts surround the head. Note the foot-long silvery arrow-shaped leaves. This species flowered abundantly in the valley over a month ago, and is still blooming at these higher elevations. You will see more later. F

Two Little Sunflowers – Helianthella spp. – are also seen here and there along the trail and are common elsewhere. The One-flowered Helianthella – H. uniflora – has alternate to opposite elongate oval leaves and typically 1 flower at the top of each 2-3’ stem. O

The Five-nerved Helianthella – H. quinquefolia – has larger heads 2” across which stand up up to 3-5’ and seem to stare right at you. The lower 6-8” leaves have 5 distinct veins. O

Comparatively, Tapertip Hawksbeard – Crepis acuminata – is not the most showy flower, but together its many small yellow flower-heads form a yellow bouquet on top of branching 12-18” stems. The flower-heads are like small dandelions with all “ray” flowers. Each head has only 5-10 ray flowers and the surrounding few bracts are smooth. Note the 8” grayish sword-shaped, leaves with sharp lobes are mostly at the bottom but also alternate up the stems. F on dry open slopes here and in sageflats.

As the trail bends around and there is more moisture, there are places with magnificent mixes of species. These are good “review” spots.

5 Continuing along the dry rocky slope: more “composites”

Dusty Maiden – Chaenactus douglassii – are grayish plants only 8-10” high. The whitish flower heads have only disc flowers, no ray flowers. The leaves are “pinnately” lobed and silvery hairy. The hairs help to reflect the intense sunlight and reduce evaporation, thus reducing water loss. R

Rocky Mountain Groundsel – Packera streptanthifolia – has bright yellow flower heads with several wide ray flowers, and a center of disc flowers. The basal and stem leaves are highly variable as is the height. It shows up here and there along these dry slopes. O

Rocky Mountain Goldenrod – Solidago multiradiata – has compact clusters of bright yellow-orange heads with many tiny ray flowers atop 1’ stems. Lower elongate leaves have stiff hairs along the edges of the petioles – a good ID character. Typically grows in dry rocky sites. O

Mountain Townsendia – Townsendia montana/alpigena – can be overlooked as it is a  very small plant that grows in 6” wide tufts and only 2-3” tall. This tiny aster-like plant has violet-blue flowers and yellow disc flowers. 1-2” leaves broaden toward the tip (obovate). Dry rocky, subalpine locations. R-O.

Another yellow composite that will soon be frequent along the trail: Houndstongue Hawkweed – Hierachium cynoglossoides – leaves are oblong-linear, with noticeably hairy stems—hairs stick straight out.

Plants will produce clusters of bright yellow ray flowers surrounded by blackish-hairy bracts. O

6. Just before you reach the access road and cell towers are two showy members of the Phlox Family.

The Phlox Family has fragrant tubular flowers with 5 flaring lobes. They are pollinated by long-tongued bees or butterflies that can perch on the wide petals and dip their mouthparts down to the bottom of the  tubes to reach their reward of nectar. Leaves are opposite on the stem.

Nuttall’s Gilia – Leptosiphon/Linanthus nuttalii – White very fragrant flowers cover foot-wide mounded plants. Leaves appear needle thin and whorled around the delicate 12” tall stems. Actually they are deeply dissected opposite leaves. Grows on rocky, usually sunny montane slopes. O, fading

Many-flowered Phlox – Phlox multiflora – A reminder of spring in the valley, mats of tubular white flowers waft a wonderful scent. Opposite, “awl-shaped” leaves are about 1” long forming dense mounds. Dry open places. O – most faded here.

After the Cell Towers:

The open meadow has many of the same flowers as before: Balsamroot, Flax, Edible Valerian.

Cinquefoils – Potentilla spp: – become more noticeable. Several cinquefoils are frequent along roadsides and meadows. They all have 5 green pointed sepals, 5 bright to pale-yellow to whitish petals, and compound leaves—some are pinnately compound, others palmately divided–found at the base of the plant and alternating up the stem. Most are very adaptive plants and they can hybridize: They can be confusing to ID! You don’t have to bother with the particular names—just “cinquefoil” is fine. For the avid, here are three common ones found along this trail.  

Tall (Sticky) Cinquefoil – Potentilla arguta –stands 2-3’ high, has “pinnately-divided” leaves at the base and up the stem, sticky hairs all over, and pale yellow (to white) flowers that are clustered fist-like at the ends of stiff upright stems.   F

Gland Cinquefoil – P. glandulosa – is very similar and at times hard to distinguish from Tall cinquefoil. However, the flowers tend to be on branches that are less stiffly upright. O

Slender Cinquefoil – Potentilla gracilis – has wide-spreading sprays of cheerful yellow flowers. The leaves are “palmately”-divided into 5-7 leaflets, mostly found at the base of the stem. This is a highly variable, common, and adaptable species. F  

7. Entering Palisades WSA:  Note the sign is posted on a fir tree.

You will continue through the small patch of spruce/ fir forest to more meadow with many of the same species as before. Here we add:

Orange Mountain Dandelion – Agoseris aurianticum – looks like a large orange dandelion with its many ray flowers at the top of 8-12” stalks surrounded by elongate basal leaves. O

You may see also the more common yellow Mountain Dandelion – Agoseris glauca. O

Thickleaf Groundsel – Senecio crassulus –  is another composite that can be common in mountain meadows ranging from 1-3’ tall. Bracts are all the same length, smooth, and black-tipped and surround the several strap-like yellow ray flowers and many disc flowers. The base of the elongate pointed leaves “clasp” the stem. The fruits will have a feathery white “pappus” which will help the seeds disperse in the air, like a dandelion. O

Tall Larkspur – Delphinium occidentale– is sending up 4-5’ spires of blue to white flowers. It is a lean relative to the profuse ornamental Delphinium/larkspur blooming in many Jackson Hole gardens right now. Look for its  relative Low Larkspur farther along to examine how the flowers work. O

Sugar Bowls – Clematis hirsutissima – is often nicknamed “Dr Seuss plant” for its clusters of unruly fluffy fruits on top of 2’ tall 3’ wide plants.

These fruits come after the early blooming flowers mature. Flowers have four, 1-2” long violet-blue sepals (there are no petals) that form an elongate, thickened, bell-shaped flower.

The large opposite leaves are dissected into elongate leaflets. Sugar Bowls are considered a harbinger of spring in the valley, yet it is blooming at end of the trail now!  O

8. Enter another large patch of old growth spruce/fir forest. Note the downed trees that remain intact for years due to the cold dry climate.  Little grows in the deep shade.  A large log serves as a handy place to rest, before you continue you up and on to more meadows!

9.  Got the blues! This meadow has a great selection of blue flowers:

Jessica Stickseed – Hackelia micrantha – looks like a tall for-get-me not. Delicate clusters of sky-blue flowers with yellow centers have much appeal. Plants grow to 3-4’ feet tall with 4-6” elongate leaves, mostly at base, but also alternating up the stem. However, its barbed fruits which stick to clothing and fur are less welcome. The fruits help spread the seeds down the trail. C

Low-Larkspur – Delphinium nuttallianum – Another plant that bloomed almost 2 months ago in the Valley, there are still patches here. The deep blue flowers have 5 flaring blue sepals—one of which forms a spur; 2 whitish petals streaked with nectar guides that stand up, 2 hairy petals that drape down. This array  guides pollinators into the flower past the mop of yellow anthers, to reach down to where there is a reward of nectar. They fly off with a dusting of pollen on their backs. If pollen is successfully transferred to another flower, 3 upright seed capsules will form. F

Mountain Bluebells – Mertensia ciliata– Dangles of pink to blue “bell” flowers at the tips of 3-4’ high arching branches. Oval 2-3” blue-green leaves alternate up the stems. Flower color goes from pink to blue when ready for pollinators. Found in moist meadows and seeps. LA.

Two blue aster-like species have begun to bloom along the trail.  They are actually Fleabane Daisies – Erigeron spp. –flowers have many blue to whitish narrow ray flowers and the bracts to their flower heads are pretty much all the same length. Keep an eye out for them.

Showy Fleabane – Erigeron speciosus – is probably the most common of the larger fleabanes in the area, growing at moderate and higher elevations. Many narrow ray flowers of a violet-blue color, ofen 2’ or more high. Leaves are shiny and they often have slightly wavy margins. O

Wandering (Subalpine) Daisy – Erigeron peregrinus – This showy daisy has light violet ray flowers that tend to be wider and larger than those of Showy Fleabane. They grow up to 2’ tall, and along this trail they favor the edges of forest where both sun and moisture is available. O

Late melting snow patch 100’ before the Lithium Trail. Wind has deposited the snow into a heap over the winter, and the deep shade of the forest keeps it from melting very early, so you can still find the first flowers of spring here.

Spring Beauty – Claytonia lanceolata – bloomed in the valley in April and is just now blooming as the snow melts here. R

Snow Buttercup – Ranunculus adoneus – has glossy yellow petals which reflect sunlight. Weak stems are about 6” high and the leaves are divided into delicate long segments. R 

10. Meadow near End of Trail:

Amidst the yellow stalks of Fern-leaf Lousewort is Mountain/Alpine Sorrel – Rumex paucifolius. Plants stand 1-1.5’ tall, with a cluster of 6-8” elongate leaves around the base and shorter leaves alternating up the stems. Leaves have a tangy flavor from oxalic acid. Flowers are very small but in numbers produce an intense reddish hue. Male and female flowers are on different plants. Different species of sorrels are used for food and/or medicine. LA

 Enjoy the view south into the heart of the Palisades WSA.

Looking across Mosquito Creek, you can see many of the area’s high peaks from Wolf Mountain to the south to Observation, Palisades, Starvation, and other high points to the west. The plant communities in the area include some that are not common in this part of Wyoming (curl-leaf mahogany; bigtooth maple). The area’s size, diversity, and beauty all contribute to its status as a candidate for wilderness.

11. To the summit of Mt. Elly:

Bear left up a short, steep slope through spruce and fir, and dying white bark pine trees.

White-bark pine – Pinus albicaulus – is a high-elevation species with 5 needles/cluster and tough 2-3” cones with large nutritious seeds. Clark’s Nutcrackers are able to dislodge them from the cones with their strong beaks and can stash 1000s of seeds each year, remembering where they placed them in holes on mountain sides. They retrieve this highly nutritious food to survive the winters. However, some seeds are left to sprout.  Both bird and pine depend on each other. Climate change is affecting the viability of this keystone species as pine bark beetles and pine blister rust have now spread into the warming high elevations. R

Silky Phacelia – Phacelia sericea – is tucked into the shade.  It is an elegant plant that stands up tall to 1-2 feet.  Stems are trimmed with coils of royal purple flowers, each with elongate, gold tipped anthers.  The leaves swirling around the base of the stem are neatly lobed. R

Dry south facing slope: Sagebrush is intermingled with several common species found in the valley below:

Along with Sulphur Buckwheat, Scarlet and Wyoming Paintbrushes, and Slender Cinquefoil, look for

Ball-headed Sandwort – Eregomone congesta – Needle-like leaves are paired up the 12” thin stems which together form delicate clumps. Each stem is topped with several ¼” white flowers, each with five sepals and petals, congested together. Dry sageflats and slopes. Here scattered on dry slopes. LA

Lance-leaved Stonecrop – Sedum lanceolatum – has small pudgy pointed leaves that alternate up the 4-8” stems or form rounded clusters at the base or axils. Flowers with 5 bright yellow petals. The succulent leaves along with a different metabolic pathway help them survive on rocky or desert sites. LA on rocky sites.

On the way back enjoy the abundance of the many different flowers and the large and small critters that depend upon them. Remember the freedom provided by the space and wildness of the Palisades Wilderness Study Area.

We welcome comments, corrections, and shared adventures.

Frances Clark and Susan Marsh, Teton Plants

Teton Plants is a chapter of the Wyoming Native Plant Society.  We are all volunteers who enjoy sharing the delight and intrigue of wild plants through field trips, lecture programs, and postings.  See past “What’s in Bloom” postings for more information on plants throughout the seasons.  To be placed on our email list or to get a list of the plants seen along this trail contact us at tetonplants@gmail.com

Also, contact Wyoming Wilderness Association for more on the Palisades Wilderness Study Area, and the other work they do.  WWA can also provide the list of plants on the trail.  https://www.wildwyo.org/

On Thursday, August 22, a friend and I took the JH Mountain Resort tram up to 10,400’ elevation for a hike down through Cody Bowl along the Rock Springs Loop trail*.

While at first glance the slopes appear barren,

we were delighted to find so many wildflowers – from early summer favorites to late season popups – blooming together. 

This spring snows were deep and melted late on slopes and basins in the irregular and spectacular topography of the mountains.  Consequently, there was an unexpected crescendo of bloom  at the end of a summer-long symphony of flowers. 

While we took the tram up and hiked only a few miles, others of you may be able to hike farther and higher to find additional locations still colorful with wildflowers.

Below is a showcase of flowers on Rendezvous Mountain with habitat and ID tidbits.  Avid or novice wildflower watcher, please enjoy!

The very top of the ridge in loose rocks and drying winds

A few Old-Man-of-the-Mountain – Hymenoxys grandiflora – still bloom among the gravelly soils. They indeed look like wizened sages of the alpine.

Mountain Dryad – Dryas octopetala – a member of the Rose Family which can fix its own nitrogen, inhabits these lean, exposed soils, growing in very low mats.  After its saucer-like yellow flowers are pollinated, they produce twisted clusters of fruits

which will fly off individually to find a place to germinate in time.

Gordon Ivesia – Ivesia gordonii – has tight heads of several yellow flowers that are beginning to fade.  The “pinnately-divided” leaves are at the base: the tiny, hairy leaflets branch off from the center of the leaf. This is also in the rose family.

D—! Yellow Composites:

Two spreading yellow composites can form large patches of yellow:

Shrubby Goldenweed – Haplopappus suffructicosus – is finishing bloom along the mountain shoulder. The whole plant is glandular and fragrant.  Wide-spreading flowers are at the tips of 1-2’ woody stems. The oblong 1-2” leaves alternate up the stem.  

Longleaf Arnica – Arnica longifolia – is just beginning to flower near the summit.  The largest of of our arnicas, these 2-2.5’ tall stems have 5-10 pairs of long opposite leaves, and several relatively small yellow flower heads at the top.

Largeleaf Arnicas form extensive colonies in rocky seeps and wet talus visible from the tram.

Two-leaf Groundsel – Packera/Senecio dimorphophylla – is a high-elevation species with succulent leaves, including at least one relatively large, slightly lobed leaf clasping the stem.  The “two-leaf” of the name indicates the great variety in leaf shapes that adds to ID woes.

It can be mistaken for another mostly lower-elevation Twisted-leaf groundsel – Packera/Senecio streptanthifolia. It has thinner leaves, longer stems to the flowers, and is generally less compact.  But they are confusing!

Several species familiar from lower elevations:

Common Yarrow – Achilea millefolium – is one of the most adaptable and widespread species growing not only within a full range of elevations, but also it spreads around the Northern Hemisphere.

False or Mountain Dandelion – Agoseris glauca var. dasyphyllum – grows to about 6-8” with large heads of ray flowers. This native is commonly seen in the sageflats in May.

Rocky Mountain Goldenrod – Solidago multiflora – grows from 4” to 18” high depending on elevation and associated conditions. The tiny flowerheads have about 10-20 ray flowers and the lower leaves have “ciliate” hairs on the petioles.

Three Fleabane Daisies and Asters look very similar. They tend to grow 1-2.5’ high with many oval leaves alternating the stem. They have blue flowers.  Turn over the flower-heads and look at the “bracts” that form the green protective structure around the base.  They are different!

Fleabane Daisies – Erigeron sp. – have narrow, equal-length bracts. 

Peregrine Daisy – E. peregrinus has wider ray flowers (they look like petals)

than Oregon Daisy – Erigeron speciosus (above).

Leafybracted Aster – Symphiotrichum foliaceum – has wide ray flowers (like Peregrine Daisy) but has broad leaf-like bracts. The low growing alpine variety is “apricus” if you are into the details.

This slope is covered with phlox-like Nuttall’s Leptosiphon – Leptosiphon/Linanthus nuttalii – with dashes of common Lewis’ Flax – Linum lewisii – which are also found at lower elevations.

On the same slope is a mix of blue flowers: flax and penstemon.

Thin-stem Penstemon – Penstemon attenuatus – seems to be one of the most common of the confusing beard-tongues.  I look for the glandular hairs on the flowers, acute sepals, and inside the smooth anthers spreading at 180 degree angle to help with ID.   In any case penstemons have opposite leaves, blue “irregular” flowers with curled up stamens along with a “beard’s-tongue” inside.

These subalpine species grow in patches with sufficient moisture and nutrients :

Death Camus – Zigadenus elegans – has beautiful whitish green flowers with heart-shaped yellow pools of nectar on the the 6 petals (technically here called tepals).

It has 6 stamens that stand around the center pistil which has 3 stigmas.  Flower parts in multiples of 3 is a good indication that it is in the Lily Family.  Compare it to your Easter Lily.

Coil-Beak Lousewort – Pedicularis contorta – has 1-foot+ stalks arrayed with white flowers that twist around their bee pollinators to position them for prescise fertilization. The lower leaves are pinnately divided, helping to differentiate it from the similar Curled Lousewort – P. racemosa – whose leaves are only toothed. 

Here Coil-beak Lousewort grows with Sulphur Paintbrush – Castilleja sulphurea. 

Bog/Explorer’s Gentian – Gentiana calycosa – greets you with blue goblets of flowers.

The interior lines and spots draw pollinators deep inside searching for nectar which is at the very bottom.  As a consequence, the pollinator rubs against the male anthers or female stigma (they are receptive at different times) effecting fertilization for new seeds to come.

Parry’s Catchfly – Silene parryi – has a swollen calyx decorated with elegant lines: They glow like Chinese lanterns. This alpine native is related to the common, weedy bladder campion – Silene latifolia – that pops up in our gardens.

Tucked into talus rock of Cody Bowl:

Moss Campion – Silene acaulis – is often the first alpine to bloom. This tightly growing, mounded “cushion plant” is still blooming and is also forming fruits. Plants a few inches across and an inch high can be dozens of years old. This is related to the much larger Parry’s Catchfly (see above).  Both are related to carnations!

Two miniature 2-4”-tall aster-like plants are readily confused (by me anyway!). They have single blue flowerheads at the top of short stems. The leaves are mostly clustered at the base:

Alpine Aster – Oreostema alpigenus – has deep-blue flowers and long leaves. Note the long tap root that has been unearthed.  These are very old plants.

Alpine Townsendia – Townsendia montana – has much shorter, spoon-shaped leaves.

American Thorowax – Bupleurum americanum  – is a member of the Parsley Family with an umbrella-like arrangement of flowers and fruits.

This species is unusual in having undivided leaves. It is common among the rocks here.

Tweedy’s Thistle – Cirsium tweedyi/eatonii – sprawls out of the rocks attracting a variety of pollinators. It is definitely one of the “good” thistles and is a native found only at high elevations.

Fringed Grass-of-Parnassia – Parnassia fimbriata – is worthy of a close look at the frilled petals, lobed yellow nectaries, sculpted pistil.  The oval leaves are also elegant.  These plants like moisture.

Netveined Willow – Salix reticulata – Willows are common and confusing in the alpine zones (and elsewhere!) This very low-growing species has small rounded leaves with distinctive veins (reticulate) making it is pretty easy to ID, I think…

Truly on the rocks:

Miraculously, several plants cling onto rock faces such as found along the Rock Springs Loop trail below Cody Bowl.

Brewer’s Cliffbrake Fern – Pellea breweri – was a new one for me.  Black wiry petioles (stipes) hold out leathery evergreen leaflets.

The black sori are protected by the folded leaf edges. Sori produce the spores that are key to reproduction in ferns.

The pale lavender flowers of Mountain Penstemon – Penstemon montanus – are fading, but are still a treat to see.  The plants are slightly woody and have toothed leaves (unusual for our WY species). The anthers are woolly.

Common Alumroot – Heurchera parvifolia – is a true rock lover! It is in the Saxifrage Family.  Saxi = rock

Telsonix/Boykenia – Telesonix heucheraformis thrives in a rock crevice of a large glacial erratic on the way down to Cody Bowl. You may be able to see some family resemblance with Alumroot.

Tufted Rockmat – Petrophyton caespitosum – forms a dense carpet draped over a ledge.

No matter how you look at these plants, one can appreciate their adaptability and tenacity, growing in this challenging terrain—rock, snow, abrasive winds, drought, intense UV light, not to mention a growing season of maybe a couple of months.  And consider the luck of a seed to land in the right spot in the first place and mature and reproduce throughout many years of such trials.

If you don’t get up to admire these floral athletes this year, they will be there next year to enjoy on your alpine adventures.

Frances Clark, Wilson, WY,  August 24, 2019

*Note: Check on the trail conditions through the JH Mountain Resort before taking this hike.  At thie time of writing, the summit-access road was closed for construction projects. High elevation and rocky trail can be difficult for some hikers. Saying that we, were able to reach safely a wonderful display of flowers from the trail!

With summer strong, flowers are blooming everywhere in and around Jackson Hole. Here are a favorite dozen (plus!) wildflowers seen on hikes this past week: around Phelps Lake and up Munger Mountain (above); the start of the Ski Lake Trail; just south of Teton Pass; and the north end of Grand Teton National Park.  Lower elevations fade first while upper elevations are just emerging.

As always, it is fascinating to observe flower shapes and color and to discover which pollinators come to visit. Much is still unknown about how flowers work. Also, much of the action occurs underground.  Enjoy your investigations.

Sticky Geraniums (Geranium viscosissimum) are abundant both in full sun and under the shade of aspen trees. Their wide-open pink to magenta flowers attract pollinators of various sizes. Nectar guides—dark lines—lead into the center of the flower to the reward of both nectar and pollen. Male pollen is offered first by 10 anthers, and as the flower matures, five female stigmas are then exposed to gather pollen from insect visitors.  This way it is not fertilized by itself, which can cause inbreeding depression.

Wide open flowers invite a variety of pollinators.  Here the male anthers are ready before the femail stigmas which lie in the very center of the flower.

One-flowered Little Sunflowers (Helianthella uniflora) form masses of cheerful yellow on hillsides.

About 2-2.5’ tall, each of its many stems sports more or less opposite leaves with three strong veins. The stems are topped off with at least one 2”-wide flower head.

Here the Little Sunflowers are flourishing high on Munger Mountain July 4.

Its more robust relative Five-veined Little Sunflower (Helianthella quinquenervis) stands taller and glares right at you.

Note the number of pollinators and the individual small flowers beginning to bloom!  As composites, sunflowers have many tiny flowers that unfurl in a spiral, starting on the outside.  These many flowers form a “head”.

The large lower leaves have 5 distinct nerves (quinque = 5 and nervis = nerves) and plants usually have only one big 3-4” flower head per stem.

Both of these sunflowers are relatively small compared to cultivated sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) produced for oil and seed. Note, a sunflower head has many tiny flowers that bloom in a spiral sequence. Each flower will produce a fruit with a single seed—think about unshelled sunflower seeds—the shell or husk is the fruit, with a nutritious seed inside. Birds will flock to the seeds when ripe.

Fernleaf Lovage (Ligusticum filicinum) or osha is just coming into flower in some places. Individual tiny flowers are held out in umbels—structures similar to ribs of an umbrella. Umbels are a distinctive feature of the Parsley or former Umbelliferae Family.

Lovage leaves are finely dissected, similarly to its relative—carrot or Queen’s Anne’s lace.

Below the frilly skirts of leaves grows a dense collection of pungent roots that Native Americans have used for centuries for medicinal purposes.

Giant Hyssop (Agastache urticifolia) is one of the few members of the fragrant mint family in Jackson Hole.

Like all mints, the 2-4’ stems of Giant Hyssop are square, the scented leaves are opposite, and the flowers “bilabiate” or “irregular” e.g. flowers have two similar halves—like our faces.

Long anthers stick out, distributing pollen on the heads of hovering hummingbirds or on bodies of pushy bees which use the lower petals as platforms.  Upon visits to other hyssop flowers, these pollinators distribute pollen to female parts which form seeds.

While several of the flowers listed below have faded in southern, lower reaches of Jackson Hole, they are blooming abundantly up near Oxbow Bend and at higher elevations.

Many flowers that bloomed around Antelope Flats a few weeks ago are now blooming at higher elevations or more northern reaches of the park.

Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum) forms “clouds” of flowers above mats of ½” oval leaves.

At this time of year, 1’ stems shoot up forming clouds of fluffy creamy white to yellow to rose flowers. They float low over the hillside or sageflats.  At the base of the “inflorescence” is a whorl or collar of oval leaves.

Sulphur Buckwheat flowers provide valuable nectar to pollinators, such as Parnassian Butterflies. Dr. Diane Debinski of Montana State University is investigating the relation of this species and Clodius Parnassian butterflies (Parnassius clodius) near Pacific Creek to determine impacts of climate change on insect populations.

I think this is a Clodius Parnassian butterfly which is being studied.  The species nectars on Sulphur Buckwheat flowers.

Towering up between sulphur flowers, wands of Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) wave in the wind.

The 1-2” red trumpet flowers attract hummingbirds, which are able to hover and extend their long tongues into the deep tube to lap up (not sip) nectar. A bird’s head may be doused in pollen on one visit. On the next stop, it is poked with a sticky stigma that will collect the pollen to make seeds. Pinkish flowers later in the season attract long-tongued sphinx moths, which provide a similar pollination service.

Lupines are another common flower of both sage flats and mountain slopes.

Silky lupine (Lupinus sericeus), which grows in sunny locations, has hairs on the backside of the “banner” of the pea-like flowers and very hairy palmate leaves. The hairs help protect plants from intense sun and wind of open sites.

In the Pea or Legume Family, lupines can “fix nitrogen”, enabling plants to grow in poor soils. Bacteria are harbored in nodules formed by the roots. In return for the plant’s protection and some food, bacteria convert nitrogen (NH2) from the air (soil has air pockets) into a form that plants can use (NH3). For centuries, farmers have grown clovers and alfalfa—also legumes–to provide this same soil enriching function.

Some hillsides along the Ski Lake Trail or under aspens at Munger Mountain are dominated by spires of yellow Fernleaf Lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa). These laterally flattened, irregular flowers require bumblebees to pollinate them. Bumblebees are strong and smart enough to land on the lower lip of the flowers and push and prod their way into the throat to find nectar. In so doing, the bee gets a bunch of pollen on its body. At another flower, it distributes pollen to the stigma protruding from the top of the upper lip.

Flowers of louseworts are designed to fit specialized pollinators. Here you can see the stigma poised to tap pollen off the back of a visiting bee.

Fernleaf Louseworts are hemiparasites—they get extra nutrients and even chemical defenses from “host” plants. Roots of louseworts can attach to Arrowleaf Groundsel (see below) and Engelmann Spruce for these added benefits.

Another “free-loader” or hemi-parasite is Scarlet Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata).   The plants attach underground “haustoria” to a variety of different species. Scarlet paintbrushes, and other paintbrush species, are blooming at different elevations in Jackson Hole.

Cinquefoils (Potentilla spp.) appear pretty much everywhere. Research indicates that the yellow- to cream-colored, 5-petalled flowers of tall cinquefoils (Potentilla arguta/glandulosa) attract dozens of different types of pollinators, which is a good evolutionary trait for success. Different insects may or may not be abundant in different years.

Sticky Cinquefoil (Potentilla arguta) is one of the most commonly seen species at this time. For precise ID, one counts up to 25 anthers, notes the roughly marked stigmas on smooth ovaries forming a slight cone in the center, and sees several flowers held tightly together on sticky stems.  In fact, taxonomists are lumping two look-alike species and now calling the genus Drymocallis. Definitely plant geek talk, you can ignore.

By being a generalist, cinquefoils are always likely to have some pollinators visit in any given year. Note: there are several different look-alike cinquefoils.

Stickseed (Hackelia micrantha) is abundant now at higher elevations, such as Teton Pass.

The blue flowers of stickseed look like fragments of heavenly blue sky.

However, the fruits will not be so delightful—they have devilish fruits with barbs that will attach to your socks. You will be their unwilling disperser to new lands in a few weeks.

A few other tall meadow flowers are seen along Moose-Wilson Road and will soon bloom up higher:

A mix of tall flowers along Moose-Wilson Road where there is plenty of moistsure and sun.

Tall Larkspurs (Delphinium occidentale) are unravelling their deep- to pale-blue stalks of flowers.

Tall Larkspur has trumpet-shaped flowers that require bee pollinators to push deeply into them to receiive their rewards.

Several tall groundsels (Senecio spp.) will soon add bouquets of yellow blossoms. Typically, flower heads all have several yellow ray (petal-like) flowers surrounded by a pallisade fence of even-sized green bracts—often with black tips. The leaves are helpful identifiers to species:

Butterweed Groundsel (Senecio serra) has oblong serrated or toothed leaves. Plants grow to 4-6’ tall.

Thickleaf Groundsel (Senecio crassulus) has somewhat fleshy or succulent, smooth leaves that clasp the stem. Plants  are around 12’ tall.

Arrowleaf Groundsel (Senecio triangularis) are found in wet areas—seeps and stream edges. Leaves are distinctly arrow-shaped and sharply toothed. They grow to 2-3’ tall.

Can you guess what this is?

A flower bud of Cow Parsnip (Heracleum spondylium)! Cow Parsnip has the largest flower cluster (umbel) of any member of the Parsley Family in the west.

Cow Parsnip  (Heracleum spondylium) grows in moist meadows and ravines where there is enough water to supply the very large leaves on 4-6’ plants.

Of course there are many more flowers to see.  However, this “botanist’s dozen” is a good beginning to your explorations. Soon we will add postings for flowers growing in the forest, wetlands, and in just plain odd places.

Have fun!

Frances Clark, Teton Plants

P.S.  We try very hard to be accurate.  If you see an error, please let us know so that we can correct our mistakes at tetonplants@gmail.org .  Thank you!

Our first flowers are finally revealing themselves as the snow melts along road verges, fields, sage flats, and open forests on the valley floor.

Many early wildflowers are “spring ephemerals”: they flower before there is competition for light by larger plants and then disappear, leaves and all, within a few weeks. They have adapted to this niche of opportunity.  Often just a few inches high, they are best observed on one’s belly – belly botany.

A few sturdy woody plants are also blooming. At this time of year they count on wind for pollination, as insects are few. We often overlook their flowers because they don’t have showy petals: wind cannot see.

Spring ephemerals emerge from underground storage units: tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes. Stored starch fuels new shoots to stretch above ground into the light where they can then form leaves for photosynthesis, making new food. They will quickly flower and then store fresh starch reserves underground for the next year. The leaves disappear from the surface—leaving only fruits to release seeds.

The growth pattern of our wild spring ephemerals is similar to our cultivated bulb plants, such as snowdrops, crocus, and daffodils whose foliage will fade by the end of spring. If you let them die back naturally in your garden instead of “tidying them up”, the leaves will make enough food to form new bulbs for a show next year.

The flowers of Turkey Peas – Orogenia linearifolia – are tiny: 10-12 or more blossoms will fit on your thumbnail. The plants are barely an inch or two high and hard to detect among old twigs, leaves, and stones. The name Turkey Pea likely comes from their tiny bulbs.

Turkey peas are miniature members of the Parsley Family or umbellifers. The two parted stigma is maroon and surrounded by 5 white petals and maroon anthers. We observed flies and less frequently honey bees pollinating them.

Utah and Sage Buttercups are spreading their bright yellow petals–they gleam! Both species look very much the same; however,

Utah Buttercup – R. jovis has 3-parted leaves and fleshy, tuberous roots. So far I have seen these frequently under cottownwoods and in rough fields.

Sage buttercup – R. glaberrimus – tends to have undivided leaves at least the first ones at the base.  Stem leaves may lobed.  The roots are cylindrical, not pudgy. As the name implies, it is more often found in sagebrush habitats.

Honey bees are a pollinator to this Utah Buttercup.  Note Turkey peas in lower right. (Photo by Mary Lohuis 4.20.18.)

Bending down low you can catch a whiff of their sweet fragrance 1-2’ off the ground. The sun warms the soil and wafts the scent to low-cruising pollinators—flies, bees, honeybees. They pick up the scent, then the color. The slight change in color in the inner part of petals is a change in the UV reflectance of “bee yellow”: the inner part is a contrasting bull’s-eye to the pollinator.

Spring Beauty – Claytonia lanceolata – is beginning to appear. Two opposite leaves expand and 1 to several flowers will slowly stand up in between.   White to pinkish peals are striped pink, drawing in pollinators to open saucers of flowers serving nectar.

Yellowbells – Fritillaria pudica – have been sighted! The 6 yellow tepals (3 sepals and 3 petals) dangle down forming a bell. Pollinators key into the changing of color at the base of the flower: green then reddish—indicating different stages of fertility.

By all appearances Steer’s-heads – Dicentra uniflora – are the quintessential western spring flower with their distinctly bovine design.  The flowers serve to attract bees that can navigate the complex flowers to reach the nectar reward at the base. Bluish leaves are divided several times into rounded lobes and are toxic. Dicentra seeds are dispersed by ants.

The Bleeding Heart (Fumatory) Family includes our ornamental bleeding hearts – Dicentra spectabilis – and our local species Golden Corydalis – Corydalis aurea – which can be seen along Game Creek in late April.

Woody plants – With the lengthening of the days, buds begin to exude a hormone, auxin, which then spreads down woody stems stimulating cell division of the cambium—the stem tissue that encircles the stem just below the bark.  New vessels (xylem) enable water and nutrients from the roots to reach newly expanding shoots and flowers.

Typically, early spring shrubs and trees are wind pollinated. There is plenty of wind and relatively few insects about. Plants colonize open areas where there is little interference by leaves or trunks for pollen to blow from male to female flowers of the same species.

Most flowers are either male or female and come out at slightly different times or are on separate plants altogether to assure cross-fertilization—a mixing of genotypes.

Alders – Alnus incana – are dangling their 2-3” long male catkins over the wetlands along Moose-Wilson Road and elsewhere. If you can get up close without getting your feet wet, you can look for the deep-maroon 1/4″ female catkins nearby on the same branch. They have scarlet stigmas which capture the pollen. You can also find last year’s tough 1” woody female “cones”. Male catkins wither away after they have released their pollen.

Aspens – Populus tremuloides – Fuzzy, silvery catkins are emerging on some trees but not others, depending on the clone. Male and female flowers are on separate trees and separate clones.  Below female catkins extend their maroon stigmas to catch the wind-dispersed pollen.

Closely related to aspens, Cottonwood – Populus spp. – buds are bursting. Cottonwoods also have male and female plants. One can smell the distinctive odor of the balsam “oil”. The oil is popularly used as a salve and for aromatherapy.  In the photo below, male catkins are just emerging–note red anthers, also the sticky, fragrant sap on the bud scales.

Pussy Willows – Salix spp. – Since childhood, many of us have loved pussy willows for their silky soft catkins. There are dozens of different types of pussy willows in Jackson Hole, with catkins ranging in size from ½-3” and the leaves of different sizes, shapes and textures. ID to species is very difficult, but the genus Salix is easy to determine. Buds have one covering or scale. Watch as this cap is pushed off as the catkins expand.

While I used to think willows were wind pollinated, in fact many willows are insect pollinated. The tiny scales hidden in the silvery hairs of the upright catkins have nectar glands at their base. UV light and perhaps the shiny catkin hairs attract bees and flies to this reward.  Vistors then carry pollen to a separate female plant. Look for anthers in the males  catkins (shown below) and stigmas in the females to know which gender the shrub is.

Yellow willow stems are obvious in spring. Carotenoids produce yellow and orange hues (the same pigment that colors our carrots!).  These pigments help trap certain wavelengths to aid photosysntheis while at the same time protecting cells from harmful rays.  Willows are taking advantage of the bright unshadowed light for a jump start to growth in spring.

April is a wonderfully subtle time of year when a few blooms count for much pleasure. I hope you can venture outside and enjoy it!

Frances Clark, Wilson, WY

4.22.18

As always, we appreciate any corrections.  Please email tetonplants@gmail.com