Back in Montana!

Well I haven't been to Lone Pine for 3 weeks!  Time for an update!  The grass along the trail has grown tall and was full of pollen today.  Thank goodness for Claritin!!  Who would think that grass- pollen was so photogenic...

Before I show you the "lovelies," I need to call your attention to this invasive plant, Hounds-tongue. It is as "bad" as Knapweed, and really needs to be pulled.  Although I didn't tell you to....

There were a lot of new flowers in bloom as well as some still around from earlier in June.  Lots of this flowering shrub, Mock Orange, were all along the trail.

Lots of Showy Fleabane:

Yellow Hawkweed:

Birchleaf Spirea:

Gallardia:

Northern Bedstraw:

There was a new kind of Penstemon, called Scorched P. as well as the Blue:

There are lots of Snowberry bushes along the trail, and the Raspberry I found was about done flowering.

This is a type of Phacelia called Threadleaf P. or linearis:

Nodding Onion is starting:

I saw just a few Harebells and Bladder Campion:

There was a MESS of Stonecrop!  I've seen this already along the rocky edge at the top, but this was down low!

There is still a lot of Lupine:

And the Biscuitroot is going to seed:

Have I identified Yarrow yet?  It is very common and we saw a lot in New Mexico.  This bunch just looked especially sweet and fresh.

And there was a Lupine-Yarrow garden at the top of the hill:

The bright yellow crop on the south end of Kalispell are Canola fields.  They looked particularly striking with the blue sky, beckoning mountains, blue river and a little Mock Orange in front.

Don't we live in a pretty place!  Sometimes I have to pinch myself!

Views from the Top

My next Lone Pine report won't be until the end of June when we return from a trip to New Mexico.  Be sure to check "Wildflower Wanderings" to see my other flower adventures there.

Here is what you can see from the top of Lone Pine on a sunny day:

The view towards Whitefish and Big Mountain...

...towards Columbia Falls and the peaks in Glacier Park...

...towards the Swan Mountains and Flathead River...

...and towards Bigfork and Flathead Lake.

Wow!  That's pretty much the whole Flathead Valley!  Get out and enjoy our beautiful place!!!

False Solomon's Seal

I thought I would just post something interesting that I've been observing.  There are two varieties of False Solomon's Seal.  (I hate it when they do that in naming flowers--if it's "false," what is it really?)
The primary one still blooming at Lone Pine looks like this:

Smilacina racemosa

I want to revisit this one again later this summer, when it forms a cluster of berries.  There is another form called Starry False Solomon's Seal that you may come across elsewhere; Lynn and I saw a lot of it in West Glacier.

Smilacina stellata

I guess there is a "true" Solomon's Seal Lily that grows in the eastern US.  Just a little FYI.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

So many lovely things at Lone Pine right now!  I hiked on Thursday, but with school coming to a close, I haven't had a chance to blog until this morning.  It was my last chance to check out the yellow coralroots before we head off to New Mexico, so I was keeping my fingers crossed that they would be open. Yup, I was in luck!

Corallorhiza Trifida

At the end of my walk I came back to the Striped Coralroots that I had seen on a rainy day.  I'm putting them here so you can compare.  Still lovely in the sunshine. 

Corallorhiza Striata

Going on up the trail to the top, I started seeing some sweet wild roses starting to open.  When I got home and looked at the photo, I noticed there was an observer that I hadn't noticed when I took the picture:

Can you find my little spider friend?

I know I have already posted a lot of paintbrush photos, but this one was a whopper!  Its size probably won't show up in the photo, but the red-tipped bracts were huge.  I guess I should have put my hand in this one as well.

Alberta Penstemon is open all over the top of Lone Pine:

This is a new yellow flower and probably a type of Arnica, but not the Heart-Leaf Arnica that has already bloomed down in the forest.  I've included a leaf photo for anyone who wants to try and identify it for me! :-)
                         

The Blue Flax was stunning, but may have faded by now with the warmth and no rain this week.

This is what Prairiesmoke does after the bloom is gone--where it gets the "smoke" in its name.

More June blooms:

some variety of Daisy Fleabane

Stonecrop

Groundsel

Salsify

Salsify

there was a big field of Death Camas--watch out!

Lupine as I came on down the trail.

The bright yellow Oregon Grape is now forming the berry.

more Rosy-Pussytoes

This is where the Spotted Coralroot lives; hopefully you can see it behind the Lupine.
See how tall the Groundsel stem is!