Mt. Baker Hikes: August 2002

These photos were taken on a three-day trip to the north side of Mt. Baker. There was a profusion of wildflowers, especially in the valley along the Lake Ann Trail and the summit of the Skyline Divide Trail. This collection shows only photographs taken on this trip. The Lake Ann Trail ranged from 3900 to 4800 feet in elevation. The top of Table Mountain is at about 5700 feet. The Skyline Divide Trail ranged from 4000 to 6215 feet..

Copperbush
Cladothamnus pyroliflorus
Heather Family

Location: Lake Ann Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/12/02.

Description: Shrub to 2 m (6') tall. Flowers 1-1.5 cm (1/2-3/4") across.

Ecology: Shrub to 2 m (6') tall. Flowers 1-1.5 cm (1/2-3/4") across.

Additional Information: It has loose, shredding, copper-colored bark. The flower has a curved style and a stigma like a pyrola. This shrub is often found with White Rhododendron and False Azalea..

Fan-leaved Cinquefoil
Potentilla flabellifolia
Rose Family

Location: Lake Ann Trail (Mt. Baker) August 8/12/02.

Description: Leafy, creeping plant to 30 cm (12") tall. Flowers 1.3-2 cm (1/2-3/4") across.

Ecology: Ecology: Moist meadows and scree slopes. Subalpine and alpine.

Additional Information: This is one of the first flowers to bloom. The leaves are strawberry-like. The flower looks something like a buttercup, but the petals are heart-shaped and are attached to the edge of a "platform" and the stamens form a ring rather than being arranged spirally.

Queen's Cup
Clintonia uniflora
Lily Family

Location: Lake Ann Trail (Mt. Baker) August 8/12/02.

Description: Plant with 2 or 3 basal leaves. Flower stem 10-20 cm (4-8") tall. Single flower, 2.5 cm (1") across..

Ecology: Moist forests and forest openings. Low to subalpine.

Additional Information: Queen's Cup is one of the many white flowers found in the deep woods. White is the predominate color there because it is the easiest for bees and other pollinators to see in the shade. Note the prominent golden stamens on the large photo. The fruit is a single, metallic-blue berry. Another name for Queen's Cup is Blue-Bead Lily.

Small-Flowered Paintbrush, Red
Castillija parviflora
Figwort Family

Location: Lake Ann Trail (Mt. Baker) August 8/12/02.

Description: To 35 cm (14") tall. "Flower" 2-4 cm (1-1 1/5") across.

Ecology: Subalpine and alpine meadows.

Additional Information: The colorful "brush" of paintbrush is composed of bracts not petals, just as the "petals" on the Poinsettia are actually bracts rather than petals. The flowers of the Paintbrush are the thin green tubes that can be seen protruding from the bracts. (See the large photo.) Paintbrush is pollinated by hummingbirds or long-tongued insects, such as butterflies.

Davidson'sPenstemon
Penstemon sp.
Figwort Family

Location: Table Mountain (Mt. Baker) 8/15/02.

Description: Dense evergreen mat, 20-30 cm (8-10") tall. Flower 2.5-4 cm (1-1 1/2") long.

Ecology: Rock ledges and talus slopes. Subalpine.

Additional Information: Leaves are small, thick, and firm. The flowers are on short stems that barely clear the leaves. The throat and lower petal are bristly, thus another name for Penstemon is Beard's Tongue, although it is not commonly used for this species.

Tolmie's Saxifrage
Saxifraga tolmiei
Saxifrage Family

Location: Table Mountain (Mt. Baker) 8/15/02.

Description: Dense mat 5-10 cm (2-4") high with flowers stems 5-10 cm (2-4") long. The flowers are 1 cm (1/2") across.

Ecology: Moist talus, scree, or rock crevices. Alpine.

Additional Information: This Saxifrage blooms soon after the snow melts. Thick evergreen leaves curl over along the edges; they have a sedum-look to them. Narrow, petal-like rods support the stamen. These rods point up at first, then gradually bend out to the position seen in the large photo. The ovary turns bright red after fertilization.

Pink Monkey-Flower
Mimulus lewisii
Figwort Family

Location: Near Mt. Baker Ski Lodge 8/15/02.

Description: 30-60 cm (1-2') tall. Trumpet shaped flowers, 2.5-5cm (1-2") long..

Ecology: Along streams and in wet clearings. Middle to high elevations.

Additional Information: The flowers have 2 petals above and 3 petals below. The throat is yellow and hairy. Another name is Lewis Monkey Flower.

Indian Hellebore
Veratrum viride
Lily Family

Location: High Divide Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/16/02.

Description: 1-2 m (3-6') tall. Long, drooping tassels of .8-1.5 cm (1/4-1/2") green flowers.

Ecology: Wet thickets, meadows, bogs and swamps. Lowland to alpine, mostly at subalpine.

Additional Information: The leaves are very large, to 30 cm (12') and prominently veined. All parts of this plant are very poisonous. It is one of the most poisonous plants in the Northwest Coast. Other names are Green False Hellebore or Green Corn Lily.

Lupine
Lupinus latifolious, var. subalpinus
Pea Family

Location: High Divide Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/16/02.

Description: Bushy plant, to 60 cm (24") tall. Flowers 1.5 cm (1/2").

Ecology: Forest openings, moist meadows at all elevations, but most abundant at middle and subalpine.

Additional Information: Sometimes Lupine covers a whole hillside. This Lupine has a banner with a white patch, that usually turns rosy-purple with age, as is seen in the photographs. (There are many species of Lupine and identification is often difficult. This one is probably the same species as Arctic Lupine in Collection 1, or a sub-species of it. My sources are not clear on this.).

Western Spring Beauty
Claytonia lanceolata
Purslane Family

Location: High Divide Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/16/02.

Description: Flowering stems 5-20 cm (2-8") long. Fleshy flowers 1-2 cm (1/2-1") across.

Ecology: Moist meadows, open slopes. Middle to high elevations.

Additional Information: The petals are slightly notched and often pink-veined. There is a pair of leaves just below the flowers. Western Spring Beauty is also called Indian Potato because the bulbs were eaten by the Native Americans.

Yellow Glacier Lily
Erythronium grandiflorum
Lily Family

Location: High Divide Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/16/02.

Description: 15-35 cm (6-14") tall. Nodding flowers about 3 cm (1 1/4") across.

Ecology: Moist open areas, middle to alpine.

Additional Information: These flowers grow in masses soon after the snow melts. The petals curve backwards exposing the pistil and the stamens.

Small-flowered Paintbrush, White
Castillija parviflora
Figwort Family

Location: High Divide Trail (Mt. Baker) 8/16/02.

Description: To 35 cm (14") tall. "Flower" 2-4 cm (1-1 1/5") across.

Ecology: Subalpine and alpine meadows.

Additional Information: This is a variation of the Red Small-Flowered Paintbrush, but is not as common. There is also a magenta variation. For more information see Red Small-flowered Paintbrush.