Alaska 2004
Chocolate Lily; Fritillaria camschatcensis
Ken and I visited Alaska in June 2004 to celebrate our 24-1/2 wedding anniversary (I don't think we would have seen quite so much if we had gone 6 months later!). This plant is the lead-in for the Alaska site because it required a tremendous amount of effort to find it. I have never worked so hard to see a flower in my life! When we were told it was "just a short way" up the Skyline trail in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge I was anxious do the hike to find it. However, the lady at the Refuge Information desk didn't tell us that the trail went STRAIGHT UP! I found the wilted flowers at about 3/4th mile up the trail. Later, at my cousin's house in Kenai, he told me that the flowers grow in his neighborhood! I found this plant growing across the street on the bank of the Kenai River! When people ask me if the flowers smell like chocolate, my answer is, "Not like it does when it goes in!" The other common name, "Outhouse Lily", is pretty descriptive of their distinctive fecal odor! These stinky flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles. (story)
While we were up at the top of Mt.Healy a thunderstorm was approaching, we had to rush back down the trail before the rain and lightning hit. As we neared the bottom we realized the storm had blown out all the smoke, we could see the spectacular views for the first time!
Alaska Spirea; Spirea beauverdiana
These plants were blooming on Flat Top Mountain in the Chugach Mountains outside Anchorage. Spireas often have an unpleasant odor, which is probably why there are flies on these flowers instead of bees!
Alpine Meadow Bistort; Polygonum viviparum
These are common wildflowers along the trailsides, they are related to our Smartweeds. Some of my flower pictures are blurry because it was often very windy.
Alpine Arnica; Arnica alpina angustifolia
Arnicas are always bright and pretty. They add a lot of color to the landscape. I found these blooming in Kenai.
grouping
This photo was taken about 5:00 p.m. as we were flying over the Chugash Mountains on our descent into Anchorage. Note the glaciers, the one in the middle is a tidewater glacier. Glaciers move slowly but constantly, the ice at their base grinds the bedrock into a powder as fine as flour, in fact, it is called "glacier flour".
A Moss gentian with Kenny's finger as scale. This little plant was only 3/4th inch tall!
I was delighted to see these beautiful little white lilies blooming on Flat Top Mountain on June 20. It was our first hike in Alaska.
Anchorage has the largest seaplane port in the world at Lake Hood. At the busiest times of the summer there are 800 flights per day flying in and out. Since Alaska is such a large state and there are so few roads, private planes are a popular form of transportation.
A moth larva made these squiggly lines on this aspen leaf. The dark spots are "frass," the droppings of the larva. The caterpillars eat the cells on the inside of the leaves. Many leaves of the trees at Denali National Park had been affected by the larvae.
Beautiful Jacob's Ladder; Polemonium pulcherrimum
"Pulcherrimum" means beautiful. I saw two types of Jacob's Ladder, the "beautiful" kind and the "Tall" kind. I photographed these flowers on the Flat Top Mountain trail.
There were nearly as many dogs on the trail as people going up to Flattop Mountain! I'm checking out another tiny wildflower along the trail. photo by Kenny Light
Moss Gentian; Gentiana prostrata
It would be easy to overlook these tiny blue flowers, they are less than an inch tall!
Alpine Azalea; Loiseleuria procumbens
Flat Top Mountain towers above Anchorage offering fabulous views both on the trailsides and far in the distance. We saw 52 different wildflowers on the trail, including these beautiful little Alpine Azaleas. Many alpine wildflowers grow close to the ground. From the higher parts of the trail we could see the snow-capped volcanoes Mts. Spurr, Iliamna, and Redoubt across Cook Inlet, and the Alaska Range.
These pretty yellow flowers seemed to spring from the tundra on the hillside above the Eielson Visitors Center in Denali National Park.
Beach Pea; Lathyrus maritimus maritimus
This plant grows on the beaches. I found it on the Kenai Peninsula. Note how the flowers change color as they age.
Bell Heather; Cassiope tetragona
These tiny alpine plants grow in low, thick mats high in the mountains above the tree line. In Alaska, the tree line can be as low as 2000 feet above sea level. These flowers are in the Heath family.
The view from Flat Top Mountain is worth the long, rocky hike. On a clear day Denali (a.k.a. Mt. McKinley) and Mt. Foraker can be seen from about 250 miles away! Note the two white mountains on the horizon in the middle of this picture, Denali is on the right. "Denali" is the Athabaskan Indian name meaning "The Great One", it is well-named! The white rectangle below the Blueberry Loop trail on the middle hillside is the parking lot for the trail. map...
Alaska Cottongrass; Eriophorum scheuchzeri
The fuzzy white seedheads of these plants are easily spotted along wet areas.
Alpine Hawksbeard; Crepis nana
This tiny wildflower was blooming near the Matanuska Glacier. It is in the Aster Family.
Arctic wormwood; Artemisia frigida
I photographed this plant at Denali National Park. It is an example of a composite flower that does not have "petals" (ray flowers), just disk flowers.
Bearflower; Boykinia richardsonii
As the name implies, this plant is a favorite food of bears when they emerge from their long winter sleep. It grows in Denali National Park. It is in the Saxifrage family. I was able to get this picture because I practically begged the driver of the Denali tour bus to stop. He commented (a bit preturbed!), "It's just a flower!" I said, "There's no such thing as just a flower!" To me, seeing these flowers was almost as exciting as seeing a grizzly bear or caribou, but the other people didn't quite share my enthusiasm! They groaned as I stepped off the bus along the side of the road, but I got my picture! Mission accomplished! :) (story)
Bering Sea Chickweed; Cerastium beeringianum
I found this plant blooming along the Savage River trail in Denali National Park in early July.