Breaking a promise to never write about vacations (or outdoor furniture arrangements), I’m posing some pics of a few wildflowers I observed when I visited Rocky Mountain National Park in late June/early July.
According to most sources, there are about 1000 species of wildflowers in Rocky Mountain National Park. Unseasonably hot in the Rockies when I visited, the wildflowers were at their peak, even in the alpine area. The Rockies experienced drought conditions for the past year or so with little snow during winter and limited spring/early summer rain. That said, there were so many beautiful wildflowers in all elevations. This Texas girl is impressed.
The park’s elevations are categorized as montane, subalpine and alpine. The montane ecosystem, located between about 5,600 and 9,500 feet in elevation hosts a large variety of the larger pines and meadow shrubs and flowers. Depending upon whether the slope faces north or south, the soil is moist or dry. The subalpine ecosystem, located between about 9,000 and 11,000 feet has large trees, fewer small shrubs, but many annual and perennial wildflowers. Above 11,000 feet is the alpine ecosystem. This area is above the tree line and experiences harsh and rapidly changing weather conditions for much of the year. There are no tall trees, only low growing plants and the area is tundra. In this area, about 350 species of wildflowers exist and thrive.
One of the first flowers I noticed was the Alpine Bistort (Polygonum viviparum) because it was everywhere along the slopes in the alpine region. I realized that this flower commonly grew at the lower elevations, as well. The lower elevation species of Bistort is the American or Western Bistort (Polygonum bistortoides). Alpine plants tend to be smaller in height and cling closer to the ground to withstand the harsh winds and cold temperatures. The Bistort are a good example of this adaptation: Alpine Bistort are about 4-6 inches tall, while American Bistort sport flower spikes to about 12 inches or more. I love the white inflorescence on the single stem of Bistort. This flower brightens meadows and forests alike.
According the knowledgeable and enthusiastic park rangers, the Alpine Bistort is typically pollinated by flies because it’s too cold for bees and the American Bistort is pollinated by bees and butterflies. Interestingly, the Alpine Bistort is less sweet-smelling (stinky, in fact), which attracts flies, while the American Bistort has a sweeter fragrance, which makes the bees happy.
Another common plant found at all elevations is the Yellow Stonecrop (Amerosedum lanceolatum). I noticed that the Stonecrop plants in the tundra had orange in the stem and flower parts of the plants and I was informed by a park ranger that those plants have more “anti-freeze” to withstand the normally deep snow and sub-zero temperatures of the long winter months. The Stonecrop plants in lower elevations tended toward a pure yellow.
One more commonly growing plant at all elevations is the Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fructicosa ssp. floribunda)










Whipleanus! Sorry. I don’t even have an adolescent male in the house (age-wise anyhoo) but that still made me snort a bit. Soooo attractive, TexasDeb. You are a beacon of propriety. Wait – where was I? Oh yes. Commenting on how incredibly amazing you are at flower ID among other things.
Tina I truly love your posts – I end up learning something novel and fascinating every time. And this post is packed with fabulosity. The colorations of stonecrop reflecting their cold hardiness, the variations in pollinators, the varying ecosystems, all of it. You are such a wonderful teacher here, and I for one love learning this way.
That slow growing sunflower is a bit of a heart breaker. I keep thinking how sad if hikers accidentally trample some 9 year old plant and that’s it! Ballgame. I try to get sunflowers growing here but the squirrels chew the stems and steal the bloom heads as soon as they reach any size. Reading this I realized: I need me some Park Rangers!
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Thanks so much, Deb–glad you stopped by! Books (and the computer) are indispensable at helping id plants and the park rangers were wonderful. I love those folks. And you’re right about the sunflower–the entire tundra area is so vulnerable to damage from tourist and climate change. I’m pleased that my vacation photos didn’t make you yawn. Maybe I could deliver a fox or two from my neighborhood to take care of your squirrels.
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I enjoy seeing gardening vacation photos. I was not a gardener when we visited but I still remember all the small flowers at the top and appreciate learning much more about them. Nice to know the rangers are so knowledgeable on the flora.
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Hi Shirley! Thanks for stopping by. I’m always impressed with the national park rangers. I was fortunate to catch the wildflowers in full bloom throughout the park, so it was interesting to see the variety of plants that grow in that region.
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Thanks for sharing your photos. I’ve never been to Colorado, but I love the mountains, and all those wildflowers look great. Plus, any place that allows llamas is cool in my book.
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Hi, Ally and thanks! The wildflowers were spectacular–I want to go back again, I enjoyed my visit so much. The sign was such a hoot–I couldn’t resist.
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