Mountain Postcard

Day 267: I have the good fortune to be able to live, work and play in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful and exciting places on Earth: at the foot of Mount Rainier. I never know from one day to the next what I may discover. Why, just in the last few months, I've documented several rare plant species, and I have to tell you, those are the kinds of "red-letter" events which delight me most. But even when I'm viewing the mundane...marmots, paintbrush, alpine meadows filled with heather...it is the Mountain's presence which awes me and fills my spirit. This, above all else, is home.

The Icing On The Cake

Day 259: Yesterday, I introduced my readers to two of the most common species of Paintbrush to be found in Mount Rainier National Park. Today, it is my pleasure to show you a rare variety.

First, I want you to notice that I used the word "variety" in that last sentence. This is not a rare plant, per se, but it is a rare colour. Just like pansies, petunias and poppies can be found in a variety of colours, so can some of our native wildflowers. Their genetic differences are not sufficient to categorize them as separate species or even as sub-species despite the fact that they are visually quite different from others of their same species.

Castilleja parviflora var. oreopola is a case in point. This "Magenta Paintbrush" has white bracts. If you compare a "leaf" of magenta-coloured Paintbrush (C. parviflora) to a "leaf" of this white Paintbrush, you should be able to tell that they are identical in all respects except colour. The white form is rather rare in the Park, previously reported from the Sunrise area. Following a lead from a botanizing friend, I was pleased to be able to observe not one but two specimens near Paradise on a morning hike today.