Natural History Wanderings

There are some outstanding roadside flowers on the road up to Rock Creek. The best flowers start around 8500 feet elevation. There is are area with Kelley's Lilies, maybe 100's, along the road to Rock Creek Trailhead at about 9570 feet, just after the sign that you are entering Inyo County. Same area saw Rein Orchids. Some things were drying up along Rock Creek trail in the meadows but still many flowers in bloom along the trail. Did find Alpine Gentians as well. If you plan to visit this area go soon.

Used Rock Creek Wildflowers book by Cathy Rose and Stephen Ingram. It was very helpful. Click read more to see detailed plant list.

Drive up to Trailhead from 395

.9 mile Prickly Poppies

1.4 miles Angelica, Southern Mt. Misery, Wild Currants in fruit, Rabbitbrush, Popcorn, Gayophytum, Skeleton Plant, Frosty Buckwheat

2.6 a tapestry of foliage of high desert plants as well as “Frosty Buckwheat”

3.2 Lupine

5.1 Paintbrush

5.4 This is where the flowers really start at about 8500' elevation. Yellow Monkey Flower, Kelly's Lily, Rein Orchids, Ranger Buttons, Arrow-leaf Groundsel, Wild Rose Lupines, Willow Herb, Scarlet Gilia, Western Columbine, Yarrow, Richardson's Geranium

@ 9579 feet elevation there are hundreds of Kelley's Lilies on the north side just the bicycle sign (from the road end, it was just before the entering Mono County sign). Lots of Lupine, stream orchids,Willow herb, goldenrod, columbine, frog orchid.

@9740 lots of dogbane in bloom

@9950 after the road narrowed the was mountain pride and possible Coville's Phlox.

@Mosquito Flat, parking area. Meadow drying out. Slender and Sticky Cinquefoil, Whorled Penstemon, Paintbrush, Linanthus, maybe Colville's Phlox, Rosy Everlasting (Antennaria), and a very few Shooting Stars, an Erigeron and a Yarrow

Rock Creek Trail:

Slender and Sticky Cinquefoil, Whorled Penstemon , Paintbrush, Goldenrod, maybe Colville's Phlox, Mountain Pride, Erigeron

Mountain Lupine (endemic)

Single-stemmed groundsel

Delphinium

Timothy Grass

Mtn, Pennyroyal

Into Meadow Lupine

Naked Buckwheat

Frosted Buckwheat

Showy Penstemon

White Bark Pine

Squirrel-tail grass

Snowberry

Rangers Buttons

Scarlet Gilia

Sierra Daisy

Prickly Phlox

Meadow Linanthus

Carpet Phlox

Bitter rush

Nuttal's Linanthus

Large Elephant-head

Tiny astragalus

Goldenrod

Shrubby Cinquefoil

Rosette Thistle

Shooting star just a few

Wandering Daisy

Western Columbine

Fireweed

Swamp Onion

Club moss-Ivesia

Primrose Monkey flower

Rosy Everlasting

Matted Buckwheat

King's Sandwort

@fork took Morgan Pass Fork and went a little further and found

White Gentian, just off the trail, in meadows on each side of it

Red Heather, gone over

Labrador Tea

Long-stalked starwort