Wildflowers #3

Wyoming Paintbrush
(aka Indian Paintbrush)

For this posting, I'll be gathering pictures from several excursions.  I had no idea there were so many different kinds of wildflowers in the northern Rockies.  I'll give a place and a date for each of the pics.

Wyoming Paintbrush
(aka Indian Paintbrush)
Castilleja linariifolia
Scrophulariaceae
(figwort family)

Indian Paintbrush

This specimen and the picture of the wild garden above were photographed on July 14th, 2013 at Treasure Mountain Boy Scout Camp.  My son, Haydn had a job as a camp counselor there this summer and this picture was taken when we dropped him off for work.

Indian Paintbrush

This specimen was photographed on July 7th, 2012 when we took a short hike to Sheep Falls in Island Park, Idaho.

Indian Paintbrush is the state flower of Wyoming.  It is abundant and there are over 200 varieties in the northern Rockies.  It's one of the first wildflowers I learned as a young boy.  We had a cabin lot in Island Park and this flower grew all over the property.  My mother taught me the name.  I've always liked this flower.

Parry's Purple Bellflower
(aka Harebell)
Campanula parryi
Campanulaceae

Harebells

These Harebells were photographed on the same trip to Treasure Mountain when we dropped off our son.  Harebells are common in the Northern Rockies.

Harebells

Harebells

These two pictures are from the same trip.

Streambank Wild Hollyhock
lliamna rivularis
Malvaceae

Wild Hollyhock

Wild Hollyhocks

Wild Hollyhock

Wild Hollyhock

These wild Hollyhocks were also photographed on the trip to Treasure Mountain.  The foliage is less intense than it otherwise would be because of the dry conditions and the fact that these plants were adjacent to a dusty, dirt road.  Still quite pretty though.

Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Geraniaceae

Purple Wild Geranium

Purple Wild Geranium

Wild Geraniums are one of the more common wildflowers in North America and one of the easiest to identify.  It's abundance in no way diminishes the drama of this flower.  They come in many colors and saturations from purple to pink, red and sometimes white.

These two pictures were taken July 30th, 2013 at Howard Springs on Highway 20 on the Idaho side, just before the Montana Border.  That particular wayside area is a great place to see wildflowers.  They are abundant on the open meadow nestled in the forest and along the streambank.  Many different varieties are found there throughout the summer months.

Pink Wild Geranium

Pink Wild Geranium

These pink Wild Geraniums were photographed at Treasure Mountain Boy Scout Camp on the same day as the other pictures from that site.

White Wild Geranium

This White Wild Geranium was photographed August 17th in the Tom Miner Basin, north of Gardiner Montana.  We camped there last summer when we collected petrified wood from the petrified forest there.

Wild Sweet Pea
Lathyrus odoratus
Fabaceae

Wild Sweet Pea

Wild Sweet Pea

Wild Sweet Pea

I'm not sure this is a true wild sweet pea.  I'm not even sure if it's native to the Americas.  From my research I found that the sweet pea is native to the Mediterranean.  If this is a wild sweet pea, it is likely that it is an invasive species.

I found these wild sweet peas on a steep hillside on a roadcut on the East side of the Huckleberry Ridge Caldera, otherwise known as the Ashton Hill.  It was in an area that made it very unlikely that they were planted by people, so that is why I believe they were wild.  I photographed them on July 23rd, 2012 on our trip to Lower Mesa Falls in Island Park, Idaho.  We took the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway from Ashton, Idaho to the Lower Mesa Falls.  These photos were taken just before the road descended into Bear Gulch, at the scenic overlook where the Teton Mountains are visible.

Whether this is a naturally occurring wild sweet pea or an invasive species that has been transported here, it was beautiful and a great find.  I love finding things like this where I wouldn't expect it.

Dalmation Toadflax
Linaria dalmatica
Scrophulariaceae
(figwort family)

Dalmatian Toadflax

Speaking of invasive species...  Dalmatian Toadflax was introduced to the west in the 1870's from Asia or southern Europe.  It's pretty but doesn't belong in our environment.  It is spreading rapidly through the west and chokes out native plants.  The National Park Service has orders to pull it up wherever it is found.  We saw this on August 17th, 2012 on our campout to the Tom Miner Petrified Forest.  This specimen was photographed on the plateau on the trail to the other side of Undine Falls in Yellowstone National Park.  I didn't know it wasn't a native plant at the time or I might have been tempted to uproot it.

Dalmatian Toadflax

Dalmatian Toadflax

These other specimens were photographed on the Treasure Mountain trip this summer, just East of Driggs, Idaho.

This is enough wildflowers for today.  I've enjoyed getting to know the local flora.  I hope you have enjoyed the images of my travels.