Tribble-On-A-Stick

Day 327: Any Star Trek fan would be happy to identify this wildflower for you. It's "Tribble-on-a-Stick" and the subalpine meadows at this time of year are a testament to their reproductive abilities. Seriously, though...Anemone occidentalis does carry the quirky common name of "Mouse-on-a-Stick" in addition to "Western Anemone" or "Western Pasqueflower." The flower is one of the first to appear in the spring, often blooming in between snow patches. Phenologically speaking, Western Anemone has one of the longest cycles between budding and "blowing" of any of the subalpine plants and may be observed in the meadows throughout the whole season in one form or another. The "mop-heads" familiar to most hikers (as shown above) are the seed-bearing phase. When the seeds are fully mature, the plant will release them to be sown by the wind, ensuring a whole new generation of Tribbles to plague Captain Kirk.

Western Anemone, Anemone Occidentalis

Day 285: Today I bring you one of the most mispronounced flowers of Mount Rainier National Park: Western Uh-NEM-uh-nee. It is not a "an enemy" or any other amusing confusion of the consonants. Let's practice: "uh (pause), NEM (emphasized, pause), uh (pause), nee," M in the middle, Ns on the ends, "uhN-eM-uhN-ee." Now try it three times fast from memory, Anemone is not an enemy.

Most people recognize Western Anemone when it is in its gone-to-seed clothes, but a smaller percentage readily identify it when it is in flower. The seed stage looks like a mop-head or as a Trekkie friend termed it, "Tribble-on-a-stick." In fact, an alternate common name for it is "Mouse-on-a-stick," and the feathery nature of its achenes provide yet another from the manner in which the seeds disperse: Windflower. It is also sometimes called Western Pasqueflower, so if your tongue simply cannot handle the twists and turns of "Uh-NEM-uh-nee," you have plenty of other options.