Lower leaves are much larger than those along the upper stems.įireweeds ( Epilobium/Chamerion angustifolium) were also notably early this year and some didn’t bloom at all.
Flower heads have deep blue to purple ray flowers surrounding the yellow to rusty disc flowers. Their flower heads have sticky bracts and stems, and its thick stems tend to zig-zag. Thickstem Asters – Eurybia integrifolia – are tough, 2-2.5’ plants seen in a variety of habitats and elevations. Flower heads can be a bit resinous or sticky. Sticky Goldenrod ( Solidago simplex) has smooth petioles and heads with only about 8 ray flowers. Rocky Mountain Goldenrod ( Solidago multiradiata) is distinguished by ciliate hairs long the petiole of the basal leaves and 13 ray flowers per head. Also, there are many other tiny and large insect crawling in and about the flower heads, some munching, others laying eggs, some just hiding from predators.įor plant nerds: Two other common goldenrods are smaller, smooth all over, with most of their larger leaves bunched near the base. Tiny heads contain about 13 ray flowers. Here the many small composite flowers bunched together create a show signaling in pollinators who can perch and wander about for the goods of pollen and nectar. Flowers with showy petals like goldenrods have evolved to attract insects to carry the pollen from plant to plant-pollen is relatively heavy and not flying about on its own.Ĭanada Goldenrod has many slightly toothed, pointed, 2-3” leaves alternating up 2-4’ stems. Wind pollen is light and abundant and designed to disperse on the wind, and therefore gets up our nostrils. Wind pollinated grasses and ragweeds ( Ambrosia spp.), which are found farther east, often bloom at the same time unnoticed. Goldenrods have a reputation for causing allergies. salebrosa) have been blooming strong over the last few weeks. Flowers are now forming heads of individual fruits: each fruit with one seed inside is attached to a fluffy pappus of hairs that helps them disperse into new dry sites.Ĭanada Goldenrods ( Solidago canadensis var. The leaves are clearly hairy, shorter, and the yellow composite flowers abundant. Golden Aster ( Heterotheca/Chrysopsis villosa) also colonizes park roadsides and collects in dry depressions. Flower heads are sticky and the bracts curl under, hence its common name. They tolerate drought and winds of roadsides with their tough slightly succulent foliage. Early herbarium records indicate that they have naturalized relatively recently in the county. The veins outline elongate areas.Ĭurly Gumweed ( Grindelia squarrosa ) has colonized along main highways and park roads. One way to tell these blue asters from others is to look at the venation of their elongate leaves. They bloom at various heights: mowed, grazed, or just left alone. Pacific Aster ( Symphiotrichum ascendens) forms colonies of blue along roadsides and smaller patches in more wooded areas. These “composite” flowers with both ray and disc flowers provide a showy and easy place for pollinators to land and gather pollen and nectar from many tiny flowers. Sometimes the rounded ray flowers are visibly lighter toward their ends-under UV light they look like bulls-eyes to pollinators. The cheerful yellow heads wave atop slender 2-3’ stems with mostly opposite leaves. Showy Goldeneye ( Vigueria/Heliomeris multiflora) is abundant along roads, in meadows, and up hillsides ranging from Jackson Hole to Yellowstone National Park. Butterflies are active on these remaining nectar sources: fritillarys, coppers, blues, tortoiseshells, and parnassia, to name the more recognizable groups. Here are some of the most obvious flowers at lower elevations, which means they should still be going strong farther up the trail. Reports include tall forb and alpine flowers averaging three weeks early.įlowers still bloom along streams and shady canyons, and road sides are sporting late summer yellows in abundance.
Flowers burst forth starting in June, sped along with the warmth, but then began to crisp early in many locations.
This summer has been notable for a late spring, then heat, drought, dashes of rain, and smoke.