Flower ID?

The purpose of this forum is to help people identify things they've seen while out hiking: wildflowers, trees, birds, insects, small animals, animal tracks, even geographical features like buttes or streams
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BurnsideBob
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Location: Mount Angel, Oregon

Flower ID?

Post by BurnsideBob » September 12th, 2015, 5:04 pm

I'm just back from a loop in the White Clouds of central Idaho and ran across this flower--one of very few plants in bloom in the White Cloud's late fall landscape. Even purple gentian looked past its prime and just a scattering of yellow monkey flower was present in a few places along creeks.

Only saw a few of these--elevation 9500-10000 in open (un-treed) areas populated with a scattering of heather, grasses. Seemed an unusual flower with the bifurcated petals and bloom timing.

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Hoping someone has some insight! TIA!
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bobcat
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Re: Flower ID?

Post by bobcat » September 12th, 2015, 7:55 pm

My two cents: Epilobium obcordatum = rock fringe willow herb.

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BurnsideBob
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Re: Flower ID?

Post by BurnsideBob » September 13th, 2015, 1:37 pm

Looks like you nailed it, Bobcat. Thanks for helping the botanically impaired!!

I did look at some websites and the plant is listed as occurring in central Idaho on some but not all.

It provided a welcome color contrast in a landscape dominated by browns and yellows--even the pines were yellow with needles about to be shed.

Needles at edge of lake:

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miah66
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Re: Flower ID?

Post by miah66 » September 18th, 2015, 10:39 am

Post pics of the yellow pines!
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BurnsideBob
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Re: Flower ID?

Post by BurnsideBob » September 20th, 2015, 6:36 am

I promise to do a trip report--maybe when the rains start in earnest.

The pines shed a year's worth of needles in the fall--the oldest needles go so each branch will have a collar of yellow underneath the green, younger needles. I don't have any photo looking up thru the canopy, which would accentuate the yellow. This photo of Hummock and Hidden Lakes in the Boulder Chain Lakes Basin shows the general yellowish palette.

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It was very windy for the duration of our trip. Needles blowing out of the trees into the lakes would collect in huge rafts along the shore, providing the photo opportunity in my post above.

Scree Lake with Serrate Ridge and Castle Peak in background.

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I keep making protein shakes but they always turn out like margaritas.

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