During July and August the lush subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier host a display of flowers unequaled anywhere. Some flowers bloom at the edge of the melting snow pack in late June, while other waits to bloom in August. In these meadows more than 30 flower species provide a rainbow of colors: blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow in a lush green background. Mount Rainier's wildflower meadows are found at elevations between 4,000 and 6,500 feet above sea level throughout the park. Some of the best locations are Paradise Valley, Tipsoo Lake, and Yakima Park (Sunrise). Many other areas are reached by trail. The timing and quality of the floral display will be determined by the amount of snowfall and summer temperatures. Each season is different, as is each area of the park.
| White Blossoms | Alumroot Beargrass Bog Orchard Bramble; Blackberry Cascade Azalea Coltsfoot Cow Parsnip Heather, white Hellebore, False Huckleberry; Blueberry Lily, Avalanche Marsh Marigold Meadow Parsley Mountain Ash Partridgefoot Pearly-Everlasting Pedicularis, Coiled Beak Pedicularis, Sickletop Sandwort Saxifrage, Yellowdot Spring Beauty Valerian, Sitka Western Anemone Yarrow |
Heuchera spp. Xerophyllum tenax Habenaria dilatata Rubus spp. Rhododendron albiflorum Petasites frigidus Heracleum lanatum Cassiope mertensiana Veratrum viride Vaccinium spp. Erythronium montanum Caltha biflora Ligusticum grayi Sorbus scopulina Luetkea pectinata Anaphalis margaritacea Pedicularis contorta Pedicularis racemosa Arenaria spp. Saxifraga austromontana Claytonia lanceolata Valeriana sitchensis Anemone occidentalis Achillea millefolium |
| Yellow Blossoms | Arnica, Broadleaf Buckwheat, Wild Buttercup Cinquefoil Fleabeane, Gold Goldenrod, Mountain Groundsel, Ragwort Lily, Glacier Lomatium Monkeyflower, Common Monkeyflower, Yellow Pedicularis, Bracted Pedicularis, Rainier Stonecrop; Sedum Violet, Pioneer |
Arnica latifolia Eriogonum spp. Ranunculus eschscholtzi Potentilla spp. Erigeron aureus Solidago spp. Senecio triangularis Erythronium grandiflorum Lomatium spp. Mimulus guttatus Mimulus tilingii Pedicularis bracteosa Pedicularis rainierensis Sedum divergens Viola glabella |
| Orange-Yellow Blossoms | Tiger Lily, Columbia |
Lilium columbianum |
| Red Blossoms | Columbine Fireweed Heather, Red Paintbrush, Magenta Paintbrush, Scarlet Penstemon, Cliff Spirea, Rosy Thistle |
Aquilegia
formosa Epilobium angustifolium Phyllodoce empetriformis Castilleja parviflora Castilleja miniata Penstemon rupicola Spiraea densiflora Cirsium edule |
| Red-Pink Blossoms | Jeffrey
Shooting Star Pedicular, Birdbeak Pedicularis, Elephanthead |
Dodecatheon jeffreyi Pedicularis ornithorhyncha Pedicularis groenlandica |
| Pink Blossoms | Monkeyflower, Lewis Moss Campion Phlox, Spreading |
Mimulus lewisii Silene acaulis Phacelia sericea |
| Blue-Pink Blossoms | Aster, Alpine Aster, Purple Aster, Tall Leafybract Butterwort Daisy, Mountain; Fleabane Speedwell, Curick's Violet, Hook Violet, Marsh |
Aster alpigenus Aster ledophyllus Aster foliaceus Pinguicula vulgaris Erigeron peregrinus Veronica cuciciik Viola adunca Viola palustris |
| Blue Blossoms | Bluebell, Harebell Gentian, Rainier Pleated Jacob's Ladder Larkspur Lupine Lupine, Subalpine Mertensia, Merten's Bluebells |
Campanula
rotundifolia Gentiana calycosa Polemonium pulcherrimum Delphinium spp. Lupinus spp. Lupinus lepidus Mertensia paniculata |
| Brown Blossoms | Fescue Sedge, Black Alpine |
Festuca spp. Carex nigricans |
rev. 1998
Last Updated:Thursday, 06-May-2004 13:22:02 Eastern Daylight Time
http://www.nps.gov/archive/mora/ncrd/subalpin.htm
Author: Natural & Cultural Resources Division
Mount Rainier National Park's Official Homepage