Pedicularis procera, Towering Lousewort
A native perennial forb with fern-like leaves, produces a long tight receme of yellowish-orange flowers with distinct dark stripes. 2 – 4’ tall.  Blooms early to late spring through July. Often associated with moist sites in aspen woodland and sagebrush and found in the Western US and Canada, foothills to montane. You might mistake this species for a fern without seeing the flowering raceme. You’ll often see this species in large groups under a canopy of aspen. The flowering head is a favorite of deer and elk and by late summer most of the heads are nipped off. This species is in the snapdragon family. For more information click here.

Crepis acuminata, Tapertip Hawksbeard is a native perennial forb producing clusters of multiple small yellow flowers that form on long stalks. Leaves form basal rosettes and appear deeply toothed and lance shaped. 8 – 18” tall. The bloom period is Mid to late summer. Often associated with dry sites in sagebrush and open forest and found in the Western US, plains to montane. You will usually come across this species when you’re in sagebrush. For more information click here.

Polemoniaceae foliosissimum, Jacob’s Ladder

Is a native perennial forb producing multiple showy flowers on tall stalks. Flower appear light blue to dark purple. This species is in the phlox family.  I often find this species growing in moist sites amongst tall grass and shrubs in aspen understory in small groups. The bloom period is mid summer. It has a small range and is found in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. For more information on this species see Southwest Colorado Wildflowers.

Trifolium gymnocarpon, Hollyleaf Clover
A native perennial legume, is a visually striking little plant due to the marking s on the leaves and the prolific amount of flowers it can produce. The bloom period is in early summer. Once the dry season arrives, the leaves of the plant shrivel up and the plant disappears from the landscape. This species is found in the Western US from montane to subalpine. For more information see USDA PLANTS.

Leymus cinereus, Basin Wildrye

Is a native perennial bunch-grass that can grow as high as 5′-6′. This species is found in the western US and Western Canada. Basin wildrye provide excellent cover for song birds and is palatable to domestic and wild ungulates. It likes to grow in moist to dry sites in open country and is often found on hill slopes along roads and irrigation ditches. Upon going dormant the tall leaves turn color and clusters of the species show up as white washes amongst the sage.

Phlox mutiflora, Flowery Phlox

Phlox is often associated with sagebrush ecosystems at higher elevations. It blossoms during the late spring and early summer.  If a wet spring occurs phlox does really well and in the early summer it appears as large splashes of white mixed in the sage when viewed from far away. This species grows low to the ground and flowers appear mostly white with some having tints of lavender.  Phlox is often used as a landscape ornamental. Phlox can be found in the western U.S. Rocky Mountains, montane to subalpine. For more information on this species see USDA PLANTS.

Flowers are anything but boring. If the appearance of a flower you’ve seen a hundred times starts to wear on you, I suggest taking a closer look inside the flower or underneath it to observe the life that occurs in and around flowers. I was lucky enough to capture this scene under a Senecio serra, tall ragwort, specimen in a subalpine meadow near Gunnison. There are a few things going on here 1. The flower is infested with aphids 2. The ants are farming the sweet honeydew excrement from the aphids 3. The lady bug is gorging itself on aphids, stealing from the ants! The ant near the lady bug seems to be contemplating whether or not to intervene with the lady bug’s meal to avoid losing the precious aphid honeydew.

Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey, Bottlebrush Squirreltail

A cool-season bunch grass that is commonly seen in sagebrush ecosystems. It is easily identified by dark purple awns up to 3″ long. Upon drying the seed spike turns bleach white and the awns bend at 90 degree angles also making it easy to identify. Squirreltail is palatable to domestic livestock and wildlife prior to the formation of the seed spike. This species can be found in the western US from Canada to New Mexico, plains to subalpine. For more information about this species see  USDA Plants.

Senecio bigelovii, Nodding Ragwort

Is a curious species because the mature flower appears unopened due to a lack or ray flowers. You might come across this plant in a moist swale in the sagebrush steppe or edge of a forest meadow. I find this species in dense clusters as well as solitary. The plant typically grows higher than 2′ and produces multiple flowers at the end of one stock on multiple stems. This species can be found  in the Southern Rocky Mountain of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. For more information see USDA PLANTS.