Blue Sky Returns

As the blue sky returns at the Wilderness Centre at Paradise Meadows, the visitors return! Yesterday's Nature Walk was well attended & the plant list in German came in handy. Below is the botanical list of plants in the meadows compiled by Sunday's guide Fred Constabel (those with a * were seen on Sunday's walk):

Trees:
Mountain hemlock Tsuga mertensiana *
Subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa *
Amabilis fir Abies amabilis *
Noble fir Abies procera *
Western white pine Pinus monticola *
Yellow cedar Chamaecyparis nootkatensis *
Mountain ash Sorbus sitchensis *

Shrubs:
Sitka alder Alnus crispa *
Oval-leaved Blueberry Vaccinium ovalifolium *
Black huckleberry Vaccinium membranaceum *
Bog blueberry Vaccinium uliginosum *
Bog cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccus
False azalea Menziesia ferruginea
White rhododendron Rhododendron albiflorum *
White mountain heather Cassiope mertensiana
Pink mountain heather Phyllodoce empetriformis *
Western Bog laurel Kalmia microphylla
Bog rosemary Andromeda polifolia
Black Crowberry Empetrum nigrum
5-leaved bramble Rubus pedatus
Black twinberry Lonicera involucrata
Arctic willow Salix arctica *

Monocots:
False asphodel Tofieldia glutinosa *
False hellebore Veratrum viride *
Clasping twisted stalk Streptopus amplexifolius
Queen’s Cup Clintonia uniflora
Swamp lantern Lysichiton americanum
White bog orchid Platanthera dilatata *
Rattlesnake plantain Goodyera oblongifolia
NW twayblade Listera cauria
Rein orchid Platanthera unalaskensis
Black alpine sedge Carex nigricans *
Cotton grass Eriophorum angustifolium *

Dicots:
Sundew * Drosera rotundifolia
Butterwort * Pinguicula vulgaris
Leather-leaf saxifrage * Leptarrhena poryfolia
Foamflower * Tiarella trifoliata
Grass of Parnassus Parnassia fimbriata
Alpine bistort Polygonum viviparum
White marsh marigold * Caltha leptosepala
Broad-leaved marsh marigold * Caltha biflora
Narcissus anemone Anemone narcissiflora
Globeflower Trollius laxus
Mountain buttercup Ranunculus eschscholtzii
Partridgefoot * Luetkea pectinata
Sitka burnet * Sanguisorba canadensis
Great burnet * Sanguisorba officinalis
Nootka lupine * Lupinus nootkatensis
Bird’s-foot trefoil * Lotus corniculatus
One-sided wintergreen Pyrola secunda
Fireweed * Epilobium angustifolium
King gentian Gentiana sceptrum
Broad-petalled gentian Gentiana platypetala
Sickletop lousewort * Pedicularis racemosa
Bracted lousewort Pedicularis bracteosa
Small-flowered lousewort Pedicularis parviflora
Alpine speedwell Veronica wormskoldii
Shooting star * Dodecatheon pulchellum
Northern starflower Trientalis arctica
Alpine aster * Aster alpigenus
Subalpine daisy * Erigeron peregrinus
Mountain arnica * Arnica latifolia
Pearly everlasting * Anaphalis margaritacea
Narrow leaved hawkweed Hieracium umbellatum
Bunchberry * Cornus canadensis
Sitka valerian * Valeriana sitchensis
Deer cabbage Fauria crista-galli
Buckbean * Menyanthes trifoliata

This list includes one of my favourite plant names: Sickletop lousewort! I will post a photo hopefully later this week. Below is fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) , abundant on the roadside up the mountain and around any cleared or logged areas on the hill.

An osprey was reported around Circlet Lake.

A Leatherman tool was reported lost at Croteau Lake. Please leave any found items, or even a note, in the mailbox at the Wilderness Centre.

The mama bear & cubs were reported again today, near Croteau Lake. The Level 2 Hike to Croteau Lake on Sunday will likely be a big enough group that bears would give a wide berth - but maybe someone will find the item lost at the lake!