A Go-to South Facing Slope

Took a short hike from Gregory Canyon trail-head to Crown Rock and back.  Here are some early wildflowers and weeds I saw on the south facing slope to Crown Rock.

Nuttall’s Violet, Viola nuttalli, Violaceae (Violet). Native.

Oregon grape, Mahonia repens, Berberidaceae (Barberry) just starting to bloom. Native

Blue eyed mary, Collinsia parviflora, Scrophulariaceae (Figwort). Native

Small-flowered Alyssum, Alyssum parviflorum or Alyssum minus, Brassicaceae (Mustard). Weed.

RedstemFilaree or Stork’s Bill, Erodium cicutarium, Geraniaceae (Geranium). CO dept of Ag. List C noxious weed.

Myrtle spurge, Euphorbia myrsinites. CO Dept. of Ag. List A noxious weed. Picture on left shows male and female flowers. Picture on right shows typical growth.

Where is the flower? In this picture there are 4 yellow glands with little doggy ear-like protrusions. In the middle of the glands there is a single male flower. It is a very simplified flower consisting of a single anther. In this photo it appears brown.

Moth not Butterfly, but oddly very active during the day. These were fluttering all over the trail.  Epirrhoe plebeculata. A member of Carpet Moths Subfamily Larentiinae.

Snow on the north slope of Gregory Canyon and last year’s poison ivy berries.

Rocky Mountain National Park wildflowers, shrubs, and bugs

A close up of Purple Fringe,  Phacelia sericea.  My friend Alice found this at the Alluvial fan.  It is also called purple pincushion — imagine the long stamens with yellow anthers are the pins. For this blog, I go with USDA plant database to chose between synonyms or to ID families, so I’ll call this a Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf). But one of my favorite websites, swcoloradowildflowers.com , puts this in the Borage family.

Purple Fringe,  Phacelia sericea . At the Alluvial fan.

Darn tick! Found this when I got home. The only tick in Rocky Mountain National Park is the Rocky Mountain wood tick. I believe this is a male. According to the fact sheet linked below, these can cause Colorado Tick Fever.

RMNP tick fact sheet

Pine Tiger Moth, Lophocampa ingens, photo credit to my friend Andrew.  ID through Bugguide.net. The caterpillars make “nests” that bind together the needles on the top of a  pine tree (or some other trees) and they feed on the needles. They pupate in early summer and moths emerge in July.  Here is information from CSU: Insects that feed on trees

Northern Fairy Candelabra, Androsace septentrionalis, Primulaceae (Primrose Family). I love the name of this tiny white flower. First photo is from Aluvial fan, second and third from Aspen Glen loop trail.

All the other cool stuff! Click on photos for slideshow with ID.

 

 

 

 

Anemone Trail

Lots of folks going to Mount Sanitas, but this trail had far fewer hikers. After the formal Anemone trail ends at the sign, there is a beautiful “social trail” that goes along the ridge above the Sunshine canyon trail and ends at a fence after about a mile.

This trail goes through some of the area burned during the fire on March 19 and we could smell the “campfire” smell and see the blackened trees and yucca that survived the fire.

 

Wildflowers! Click on photos for names and families.

 

Insects!