Return to Forgetmenot Ridge, Kananaskis P.P., July 31/09

[Lori S.]

Revisiting Forget-Me-Not Ridge (Kananaskis Prov. Park, east slope Rockies, Alberta) on July 31st, we had a wonderfully floriferous trek along the top!
1) Down at river level, the silken seedheads of Dryas drummondii, each tightly wound with a counter-clockwise twist (or so it seemed), until they spring loose to release the plumes; very few still in bloom now.
2, 3) No photos during the hot trudge up, but with the climb over, it's time for lunch and some views, followed by easier walking ahead;
4, 5) At home on the scree slope of the ridge, Eriogonum ovalifolium var. ovalifolium, some with the aging flowers beginning to turn colour;
6, 7) And Saussurea nuda var. densa, very few still in bloom here -  most instead with seedheads forming;
8, 9, 10 ) And then the meadows up top!

[Paul T]

Lori,

A lot of colour in the meadows, isn't there.

[cohan]

great stuff, lori!
looking forward to more gems from this site, already love the Eriogonum and Saussurea...

[Lori S.]

Yes, it was amazing!
Making up the bloom (and please correct me if I'm getting any of these wrong!):
1) Hedysarum sulphurescens in vast tracts;
2) Zigadenus elegans, beyond count in both the scree areas and on the turfy substrates;
3) Oxytropis montica
4) Polygonum viviparum
5)  Delphinium glaucum, providing the dashes of purple; up here, they are only 15-25 cm tall;
6, 7) And in some areas, the russet spikes of sorrel, Rumex acetosa ssp. alpina, adding to the colour palette;
8, 9 ) The ubiquitous Dasiphora/Potentilla fruticosa - a constant backdrop - with many very attractive specimens, and smaller and smaller towards the top of the ridge;  
10) Arnica angustifolia, adding more yellow (with a close-up in the next batch...)

[Lori S.]

1) Arnica angustifolia close-up.
2) Pink tones added by Erigeron spp...
3) And more yellows added by black-tipped groundsel, Senecio lugens...
And, more to follow!

[ranunculus]

Wonderful posting, as always, Lori ... many thanks once again.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nature at it's best Lori ! 
Thanks for showing !!

[tonyg]

Mmm.  It's a long way from home but I can feel the urge to plan a trip coming on
Thanks for sharing your walks - the massed display of flowers is magical.

[Ragged Robin]

What a great name Forget-me-not-Ridge - plenty to remember Lori with those views, meadows and variety of plants.  I really like Zigadenus elegans (and that name too!)

[Lori S.]

Thanks, all!
1) Many tiny delphiniums, only 10cm at the tallest, which I think are D. bicolor (if so, very dwarfed).  I'm not totally sure they are not D. nuttallianum... ?
2) Mat of Eriogonum ovalifolium with unknown low-growing composite, Delphinum glaucum and potentilla.
3, 4) Colourful seedpods of Oxytropis podocarpa.
5) Myosotis alpestris and a fair number of Dryas octopetala in bloom on a north slope.
6) Salix spp.
7) Abundant splashes of pink from what I believe is Hedysarum boreale ssp. mackenzii (as opposed to ssp. boreale at lower elevations, with more upright habit); the characteristic hedysarum loments (flat pod with constrictions between seeds) are visible in the photo.
8 ) A cute little Dasiphora/Potentilla fruticosa - nice flower size-to-plant ratio!
9) Back in the scree as we carry on towards the next finger of the ridge complex... Claytonia megarhiza
10) I always wonder about the origin of these patterns of scree and vegetation on the ridge... the striations at the top of the hill running at a high angle to those at the bottom of the photo... down-slope creep?, some preservation of ice-flow directions?  Directional symbols to guide alien spaceships to the nearest trailhead parking lot... ?!?!  (As a child, I read those books by Erich von Daniken, LOL!)

[Lori S.]

1) As we continue along to the high point in the middle of this photo, we pass through a slightly lower, wetter saddle with a rich growth of many different species...
2, 3) Penstemon procerus - the first patch we encountered was a wonderful rich blue, but it doesn't register in the photo.  
4, 5, 6) Pedicularis groenlandica... a good sign that there must be a spring or very recent snow in that little saddle.   I'm sure the common name for these will immediately spring to mind, from the close-up!  
7, 8, 9, 10)  The many colour variations of Castilleja spp., enjoying the wetter conditions in the saddle - absent from the ridge itself.

[ruweiss]

What a beautiful landscape and such great plants Lori,
thanks for showing them to us!

[Lori S.]

My pleasure!
More from the saddle area:
1) Beautiful shining petals on Potentilla gracilis
2) A few Dodecatheon spp., again suggesting ample moisture here.
3) A patch of Salix spp.
4, 5, 6) Among the taller grasses and yarrows on the steep coaly slope (scaled so as to avoid the much steeper rock face on the front side), Eriogonium umbellatum var. subalpinum
7) Heuchera cylindrica clinging to the steep slope.
8 ) Sedum lanceolatum
9) And at the top, jumbled piles and columns of conglomerate - heavily lichen-covered in olive green and black.  
10) Among the blocky boulders, a pretty rock garden of Saxifraga bronchialis, tiny Solidago multiradiata(?) and compatriots.

[Ragged Robin]

Lori, I do like the heuchera cylindrica against the rock - the leaf rosette is set so low with the tall stem rising and the simple wand of creamy white flowers - delightful 

The landscape slope shot is fabulous and it's interesting to see in the last photo a wild mix that is so pretty and something similar to an effect I'm trying to create in part of my rockery!

[cohan]

more great stuff, lori!
a lovely place with great plants..
a few faves--
claytonia is wonderful; castilleja--we have a number of colours here, but i dont think we have this true pink; sedum is an old fave;
i agree with the alien landing strip theory, its the most logical conclusion