Hikes and Plants-Rocky Mountains, Eastern Slope, Alberta (Kananaskis, Banff)

[Lori S.]

Well, as it will be months before I get out to these areas again (unless by back-country skiing), I thought I would remind myself of the pleasures of living in the shadow of the Rockies... or at least as little as a 45 minute drive away, anyhow.    I hope others find it interesting, as well!

First, a few scenes and plants from Banff, Healy Pass area and The Ramparts:


 edit by M: A reminder to new readers.... click the pix to enlarge!

Egypt Lake, Banff
The Ramparts, Banff
Pedicularis arctica
Dryas octopetala
Silene acaulis
Castilleja rhexifolia(?)
The Ramparts, Banff

[Maggi Young]

Lori, this is terrific! Thanks!

[Lori S.]

Thank you, Maggi!  (Hey, that's all the encouragement I need... you'll have a hard time making me stop now.  )

I love seeing Veratrum eschscholtzii in all its stages of development.  I find it amazingly beautiful.

Halfway through a long (28 km) hike on a very hot day (26 deg C, very hot for that elevation!), we got to "cool our dogs" in the cold waters of Eohippus Lake... heavenly!

[Brian Ellis]

Super Lori, I love that Veratrum eschscholtzii, it's a new one on me.

[David Nicholson]

Fabulous Lori, you must show us more, a lot more.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lori,

Great scenery, fabulous flowers. Many thanks, Paddy

[Lvandelft]

Fantastic Lori, these are the mountains and plants (like the Castilleja) we seldom see!
Great pictures!

[Lori S.]

Thanks, all!
Brian, to be correct, I probably should have said Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii... which will probably bring it back into the realm of the familar.

Sparrowhawk Tarns in Kananaskis Provincial Park, one of our favourite hikes:


 Sparrowhawk P1010069
 Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1829
 Saxifraga bronchialis IMG_1831
 Sparrowhawk P1010073
 Anemone parviflora IMG_1721
 Sparrowhawk sheep P1010026
 Epilobium clavatum? P1010015
 sparrowhawk epilobium latifolium P1010062
 epilobium latifolium P1010069

[Lori S.]

And some from Taylor Lake - Panorama Ridge, Banff:

Taylor Panorama 1- stream through the larch(Larix lyallii)-bordered meadows above Taylor Lake.
 Kalmia microphylla - in the wet meadow at the outflow of Taylor Lake.
 Anemone occidentalis
Scenery
 Taylor Panorama 2 - Panorama Ridge is the scree slope to the right.
 pika - Ochotona princeps ; living in the boulderfield in loose colonies; they can be seen collecting vegetation to dry and store for the long winters (through which they do not hibernate, amazingly); we came along their little hay piles on the shoreline rocks, with all the Petasites stems arranged to point in the same direction.
 Taylor Panorama  3
 Oxyria digyna
 Anemone occidentalis - showing the bluish outer petals.
 Taylor Panorama 4

[Lori S.]

Oops, I forgot Ranunculus eschscholtzii, which I meant to show in the last set... beautiful glistening petals!

[Lori S.]

Veratrum viride ssp. eschscholtzii, from emergence to bloom, and some others.  It occurs in moist meadows, at or near treeline, and in forest openings just below treeline.  My main and best source of local plant info is Flora of Alberta (Moss and Packer); it states that the range is from Alaska to California, and east to Idaho and Montana.  (In the strenuous slog uphill - and it's all uphill in the mountains! - coming upon veratrum is a bit of a relief, as it means the alpine zone is near! Whew!)


Veratrum eschscholtzii
 Veratrum eschscholtzii
 Veratrum eschscholtzii
 Veratrum eschscholtzii
 Smelowskia calycina
 Potentilla hyparctica?

[Lori S.]

By the way, if I am misidentifying anything, I do hope someone will point it out!  (I am trying to teach myself how to key out plants, but am frequently confused where similar species exist... or, perhaps I should just say frequently confused, in general.  )

An interesting little oddity, Silene uralensis ssp. attenuata, formerly Lychnis apetala... found on rocky alpine slopes.  I have yet to see these in large number anywhere, and they are certainly a treat to find... quite easily overlooked, too, as the entire plant is about 5 cm tall in these conditions.  Moss & Packer describe the range as circumpolar, from Alaska to Ellesmere Island and south to BC, northern Montana, south Mackenzie District, Hudson Bay, northern Quebec, Utah and Colorado.

[Lori S.]

Here is Veronica wormskjoldii (formerly V. alpina), occurring in moist alpine and subalpine areas, and a second photo of the same, for scale.

And from rocky areas, generally below treeline, Penstemon ellipticus.

[Lori S.]

Another form of plant life, that results in so-called "watermelon snow"... In summertime, the remaining snow patches develop concentrations of Chlamydomonas green algae; each organism contains a bit of hematochrome pigment, which causes the pinkish colour of the snow (which I hope is visible in the foreground of this photo).  (Re. Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, Ben Gadd - an excellent resource for information on every aspect of life and scenery in the Canadian Rockies.)

[cohan]

these are great to see. lori..
what time of year are these from?
i'm hoping to get a few trips to some good mountain habitats this year, but we are  a  couple hours from the higher alpine areas; hopefully do a couple of overnight trips, so i can get more quality time in for the amount of driving!
i want to figure out some good times to go when lots will be in flower, and will have to find some good short distance hiking areas, due to time constraints and a companion with 0 interest in plants...lol..

do you know anyone selling these plants from the rockies? i have looked at all the sources i have been able to find, and the alberta plants available are very few..... its far easier to get plants from turkey or china than from our own province!!