phlox – Boulder wildflowers

This place takes my breath away. We couldn’t get to Arapaho pass or Diamond lake with out going through bogs and snowfields, but still found all these wildflowers. Seems like it is still early in wildflowers season at 10,000 to 11,000 feet.

Shooting star, Dodecatheon pulchellum, Primulaceae (Primrose) family

Alpine Forget-Me-Not, Eritrichium aretioides, Boraginaceae (Borage)

Globeflower, Trollius albiflorus, Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)

Marsh marigold, Psychrophila leptosepala, Ranunculaceae (Buttercup). USDA puts this in buttercup family, but other references call this a hellebore. This looks similar to the globeflower and both are growing abundantly along the streams.

Glacier Lily, Erythronium grandiflorum, Liliaceae (Lily Family)

Purple Fringe, Phacelia sericea, Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf)

Parry’s Primrose, Primula parryi, Primulaceae (Primrose). Just budding.

Indian paintbrush, Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family)

Valeriana acutiloba, Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle)

Jacob’s ladder, Polemonium pulcherrimum, Polemoniaceae (Phlox)

Sky Pilot, Polemonium viscosum, Polemoniaceae (Phlox)

Pygmy Bitterroot, Lewisia pygmaea, Portulacaceae (Purslane)

Probably about to bloom Rose crown, Rhodiola rhodantha, Crassulaceae (Stonecrop)

Snowball Saxifrage, Micranthes rhomboidea, Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage)

Blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, Ericaceae (Heath). I’ll have to verify this one. I know this is a Heath, but am not positive it is a blueberry because I haven’t seen fruit. Huckleberry has similar flowers and could also be at this location. But, I am eliminating huckleberry based on the toothed leaves.