Wildflowers of the Kootenai National Forest in Northwest Montana

The wildflowers in northwestern Montana are just starting to bloom. These are some of the first few we’ve seen along the trails.

I’ve never seen these pretty red-orange wildflowers before. I forgot to bring my wildflower identification book w

What a pretty bunch of tiny white flowers along the trail to the site of the Pinto Mountain Fire Lookout in Kootenai National Forest!

This is the first warm/hot week in northern Montana this summer, so I hope to see lots more wildflowers popping up before we go home.

I don’t know what this crazy plant is! Maybe a mushroom or something? I love the texture and shape it has. I’m going to have to do some more research on this little guy to find out more about it.

North Carolina Gardens

During my recent visit to North Carolina, I got a chance to see some public gardens bursting with flowers.

The irises above were at the JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University. They were so oddly colored, we couldn’t decide whether we liked them or not. I finally concluded that, yes, the color is complex and beautiful. The base of the flower is a muted purple, and it transitions to a bright yellow at the top. 

These classic amaryllis blooms were spectacular!

We saw beautiful, delicate columbines at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens.

I wish I could remember the name of these crazy flowers! The blooms are above, the buds in the photo below.

I think in a former life, I must’ve been a gardener. These gardens in springtime are so inspiring!

Yellow Aster Butte Trail to Gold Run Pass near the Canadian Border

Mt Larrabee (right), American Border Peak (middle), 

and Canadian Border Peak (back)

Matt and I spent this Labor Day hiking up the Yellow Aster Butte Trail in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest, near the Canadian border.

View from the top of Gold Run Pass

The hike is short, but steep: about 3.8 miles round trip and 1800' elevation gain. It was a good workout, and once we popped out of the trees the views were spectacular.

 Douglas’ Spiraea

Wildflower season is late this year due to an unusually cool spring.

 Lupine

I was playing with my camera on the “super vivid” setting, just to see what would happen. It really brings out the color, but I think I also lost some depth and midtones.

 Looking back at Mt. Baker from the Yellow Aster Butte Trail.

Mt. Baker is still completely covered in snow, in September! There is still so much snow there, Matt’s co-worker went skiing last weekend.

Exploring the North Cascades

 Ross Lake, N. Cascades National Park

Matt and I just moved to Seattle, Washington for his exciting new job as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Coordinator at the US Forest Service. We were excited to get out on our first trip to explore the area. Matt took these beautiful landscape shots... Check out more of his photography here and here.

 Canyon Creek

Coming from Colorado where the mountains are upwards of 13- or 14,000 feet, it seems odd to be in the midst of the Cascades where elevations are often lower than 8,000 feet. But, don’t let the lower elevations fool you, these are some steep, rocky mountains!

There are waterfalls and wildflowers everywhere! Check out some of my favorite wildflowers from our earlier adventures here. We also saw tons of roses and wild strawberries growing along the trails.

 Tiger Lily

 I think this might be a penstemon,but I don’t know what kind.

Flowers in Snowmass, Colorado

I spent last week making art at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, Colorado. Late June is the perfect time to spend some time high up in the Rocky Mountains. The weather is spectacular and the flowers are unbeatable.

These poppies were planted near the spot I chose for my daily meditations. Their scarlet color caught my eye every time I walked by . . . breathtaking!

I saw numerous varieties of Columbines, like this peachy-yellow one above, and this rich violet one below.

 

This is the traditional Colorado Columbine, the state flower. These flowers are so delicate and short-lived. They are truly a testament to the beauty and fragility of life!

And finally, I had never seen lupine in this shade of pink before. I have typically seen the silver, purple, and yellow ones in the wild. I’m amazed by the color variants found within one species.

Next week, we’ll begin exploring all new flora and fauna in our new home-state of Washington, see you then!

Western Wyoming Wildflowers

Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus

Found along the banks of Corral Creek

Along with the beautiful landscapes we saw in Wyoming last week came an abundance of stunning mountain and desert wildflowers. My camera has a pretty good macro setting so I can get good detail in shots of even the smallest flowers.

Yellow Monkeyflower

Found on bank of Corral Creek

I was looking for the names of some of these flowers (still didn’t find all the ones I was looking for), and came across a great archive of western U.S. wildflowers, along with their common and Latin names. If you’re trying to identify flowers you found somewhere, check here first.

Mountain Harebells

Meadow in Black Canyon

Fringed Gentian

Meadow in Black Canyon

Pipsissewa

Found on the floor of a pine forest

Black Canyon above Greys River, WY

Indian Blanket (or Firewheel)

Found along shoulder of US Hwy 191

South of Pinedale, WY

Unknown 

(AKA Bon Jovi Hair Flower. You’re welcome, Lindsey!)

Found in a meadow on the trail to White Pine Lake

Cache National Forest, UT

Sierra Nevada / Tahoe Wildflowers

Jeffrey’s Shooting Star / Dodecatheon jeffreyi / Primrose Family

Matt and I spent the last week roaming around the Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. It was the perfect time of year to visit, as the wildflowers were abundant! (If you’ve ever read my blog before, you already know I’m a sucker for wildflowers!)

Pretty Face / Brodiaea lutea / Amaryllis Family

Mountain Heather / Phyllodoce breweri / Heath Family

I know this is a Penstemon, but I can’t seem to find the exact name in my book. I think I photographed one like this in Colorado last summer, too... and I didn’t know its name then either.

I can’t find this one in my book either.

If you know the names of these last two, I’d be so happy if you wouldn’t mind posting them so I can find out what they are!

Storms Over the San Juan Mountains Near Telluride, Colorado

Trout Lake with Common Fireweed in the Foreground

Matt and I spent the weekend camping along Barlow Creek in the San Juan Mountains near Rico, Colorado. On Sunday, we had hoped to hike to Lake Hope from Trout Lake, but the sky was ominous as we made our way to the trail head. By the time we got there, it was raining buckets. From the safety of our truck, we experienced the occasional bolt of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

South Fork of the San Miguel River, just south of Telluride

Galloping Goose Trail along the South Fork of the San Miguel River

Colorado Hwy 145 between Rico and Telluride, near Lizard Head Pass

Exploring Bolam Pass — San Juan Mountains

Wildflowers near Bolam Pass

Exactly six years ago, Matt and I spent 10 days roaming around in the mountains of Colorado on our wedding trip. Back then we were driving a rental Toyota Corolla, so we couldn’t explore the 4x4 roads. We came back to the San Juan Mountains for the weekend to explore the area more thoroughly in our new truck... We stayed in a campsite along Barlow Creek in Cayton Campground, about a mile from a dispersed site where we camped in 2003.

We drove up to Bolam Pass to catch the late afternoon sun. Looking out toward Sheep Mountain, San Miguel Peak, and Grizzly Peak.

Aspen Daisies (aster) near Bolam Pass

Whipple Penstemon at the Greysill Mine site near Bolam Pass

Cow Parsnip is one of my favorite wildflowers. It stands about 5 feet tall and often grows in meadows with the equally-tall Subalpine Larkspur (delphinium).

Weekend at Lincoln Creek Surrounded by the Collegiate Peaks Near Aspen

Petroleum Lake with Red Mountain in background.

To escape the 100° heat in Grand Junction, Matt and I spent the weekend camping along Lincoln Creek, near Aspen, Colorado. We took a nice walk up to Anderson and Petroleum Lakes, and saw a ton of beautiful wildflowers in alpine and sub-alpine meadows.

Colorado Columbine

Matt hiking the old two-track toward Petroleum Lake

Wildflowers in a gulley

Anderson Lake

Parry Primrose

King’s Crown