In August, authors Bernie Nagy and Linda Nagy visited the Cascade Mountains in Northern Washington. They were amazed at the wildflowers still in bloom. They saw some familiar Rocky Mountain wildflowers plus many new flowers. The new discoveries only grow in the Cascade Mountains. Mountain Heather in white and pink was at subalpine elevations.
Surprisingly, white Avalanche Lilies were still blooming in late August. Rosy subalpine Spirea shrubs were covered with rounded flowerheads of tiny 5-petalled pink blossoms.
Another standout flower was the evergreen Partridge-foot. Although the spikes of yellow flowers were small, they were growing in large patches. This wildflower gets its name from its evergreen leaves divided in 3 parts resembling a bird’s foot. Rocky Mountain wildflowers seen on the trip were tall Fireweed, Pearly Everlasting, Lewis Monkeyflower, and the not so common Fringed Grass-of-Parnassus.
These last four flowers are featured and described in the Nagys’ Rocky Mountain Wildflowers Field guide. To enjoy wildflower images throughout the year, see also the Wildflowers of the American West 2018 calendar. Both the book and the calendar are available on www.HighCountryArtworks.com or on Amazon.