Lewisia Triphylla, Three-Leaf Lewisia

Day 258: Roughly a quarter inch across, the flowers of Lewisia triphylla (Three-Leaf Lewisia) are borne close to the ground. Its leaves are succulent (fleshy); flowers emerge on reddish stalks lacking basal leaves, and the inflorescence of a single plant may contain up to 25 blooms. In the case of these specimens found near Chinook Pass (Wenatchee National Forest), they were mostly single. I was thrown off track by the leaf and the absence of pink veins on the petals and wound up referring it out to my contact at the Burke Herbarium for identification. The photo and 10 others taken while on this particular hike will be included in Burke's database. It was a very productive trip! Four of the species we encountered only marginally outside the Park will be the objects of a search next week when we make a patrol of a different trail in the same area which lies within Park boundaries. Lewisia triphylla is one of our targets.

Delphinium Glareosum, Rockslide Larkspur

Day 277: No rarity here, just a blue that'll knock your socks off! Rivalling Gentian and Monkshood for intensity of colour, Rockslide Larkspur (Delphinium glareosum) puts on a rather weedy but spectacular show, its flowers loosely arranged in an open inflorescence rising up to 30 inches above fan-shaped, mostly basal leaves. A cousin to "garden-variety" Delphiniums, this Larkspur's central "bee" provides our botany lesson for today.

As a generalization, flowers are comprised of four whorls: the calyx, the petals, the stamens (filament and anther) and the stigma/style/ovary. Not all flowers contain all these elements, and when one is lacking, they are referred to as "incomplete." In the case of Larkspur, its petals are white (the second whorl) and its sepals (segments of the calyx) are blue (the outer whorl). Its reproductive parts are concealed by the petals, a factor which limits the types of insect which can pollinate the plant. Only bugs of a specific size/shape or the deft tongue of a hummingbird can penetrate its "inner sanctum" to ensure future generations of this blue beauty.

Erythronium Grandiflorum, Glacier Lily

Day 260: Like their well-known white cousins Avalanche Lilies, Glacier Lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) follow the receding snow-line, often flowering right at the edge of snow patches or sometimes poking their heads straight up through. In fact, the blooming cycle of both Erythroniums is closely tied to the depth of snow-pack. Their corms not only require a period of chill but of darkness. When the snow-pack is lower than normal, a small amount of sunlight passes through the snow. Given a low snow year or an early melt, fewer Glacier and Avalanche Lilies will be seen in the meadows the following spring. At Mount Rainier, Glacier Lilies are more likely to be found on the east side or below Paradise, while Avalanche Lilies dominate the western portion of the Park.

Hoary Marmot

Day 258: Even seasoned photographers can't resist taking pictures of the Park's most commonly observed mammal. Hoary Marmots are natural "models," ready to strike a pose or hold perfectly still. Marmota caligata is a member of the family Sciuridae, i.e., a squirrel on steroids. A full-grown marmot may weight up to 30 pounds! They live in dens dug as deeply as six feet into the ground and subsist on a variety of herbaceous plants. Hikers in the high country often see them with mouthsful of wildflowers, or sitting up on their haunches surveying their surroundings, but marmots are not exclusive to the subalpine areas. Although generally seen near tree-line, they have been reported at elevations near sea level. Their call is distinctive: a high-pitched whistle which gives rise to their nickname of "whistle pig."

Monkshood, Aconitum Columbianum

Day 281: When it grows among the subalpine Larkspurs featured in yesterday's post, Aconitum columbianum is easily dismissed as a member of the same species, dwarfed as it may be by the stresses of life in the higher elevations. However, its color tends to lean more toward indigo or purple as opposed to the rich blue of Larkspur, and when viewed in profile, the helmeted cap of the flower quickly identifies it. Aconitum columbianum goes by several common names including the descriptive "Monkshood" as some readers may remember from Severus Snape's reproach of an inattentive Harry Potter, "As for monkshood and wolfbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" To that I say, "Well? Why aren't you? And while you're at it, make a note that all parts of the plant are highly poisonous."

Rockslide Larkspur, Delphinium Glareosum

Day 280: Another vibrantly blue flower you may encounter in the high country, Larkspur is a smaller cousin to the towering Delphiniums of your grandmother's garden. Like those Delphiniums, a pink or lavender colour variation can be found occasionally. Of the hundreds of plants we observed on Chinook Pass two days ago, only one pink specimen was noted. Delphinium glareosum grows to a height of approximately twelve inches, and bears several blossoms on each stem.

Campanula Rotundifolia, Harebells

Day 277: "These are not the Campanulas you are looking for." Campanula scouleri remains elusive, even when I was in the company of the two friends who found it a few days ago, but an abundance of the more common Harebell (aka Bluebell) provided a bright interlude to scouring the ditch alongside Stevens Canyon Road. The three of us retired to the Tipsoo Lake area after spending an hour in search mode, there to find a number of other delightful wildflowers which I'll feature in upcoming posts. Upon a return to the search area and another two hours of patrolling, we decided that C. scouleri must have lost the petals of its only two blossoms and that looking for a solitary specimen with a leaf closely resembling that of another common plant was not likely to lead us to success, we packed it in and called it a day.