Natural History Wanderings

Mount Rainier National Park  reports

Currently Blooming – Updated July 22, 2016
Subalpine meadows like Spray and Seattle Park are reported to have a great diversity of wildflowers beginning to bloom from early season avalanche and glacier lilies to penstemon and paintbrushes. This is also a good year for tiger lilies, which are blooming widely across the park. Tiger lilies take three to five years to mature and begin blooming, with distinctive drooping yellow flowers with dark spots.

Wildflower Reports

• Paradise (7/22) – glacier lily, cusick’s speedwell, avalanche lily, scarlet paintbrush, magenta paintbrush, buttercup, cinquefoil, sitka valerian, bracted lousewort, cascade blueberry, bear grass, arnica, pink heather, white heather, pasqueflower, marsh marigold, sitka mountain ash, jeffreys shooting star, alaska and leatherleaf saxifrage, partridgefoot, willowherb, elephanthead lousewort, agoseris, jacob’s ladder, lovage, rosy spirea, Lewis and mountain monkeyflower, bistort, bluebells, goat’s beard, edible thistle, subalpine daisy, groundsel, cow parsnip.
• Carbon River (7/19) – corydalis, bleeding heart, single delight, lupine, Queen’s cup, foam flower, twin flower, gnomeplant
• Ipsut Pass (7/18) – valerian, cow parsnip, selfheal, tiger lily, grays lovage, buckwheat, arnica, sagewort, scarlet and harsh paintbrush, larkspur, western columbine, baneberry, waterleaf, penstemon, yarrow, pearly everlasting, stonecrop, goat’s beard, red elderberry, thimbleberry
• Spray and Seattle Park (7/18) – western bog-laurel, slender bog orchid, pink and white mountain heather, jeffreys shooting star, many avalanche lilies
• Paradise Valley Road (7/13) – avalanche lily, rosy spirea, pearly everlasting, bog orchid, pink and white heather, jeffrey shooting star, sitka mountain ash (early), penstemon, partridge foot
• Glacier Basin Trail to Burroughs (7/12) – Lower: monkeyflower (peak), tall bluebells, sagewort, sitka valerian, pearly everlasting, yarrow, cinquefoil, arnica, water leaf; Higher: magenta and harsh paintbrush, jeffrey shooting stars, cow parsnip, stonecrop; Basin: magenta paintbrush, sitka valerian, showy sedge, elegant jacob’s ladder, partridgefoot, pink and white mountain heather, phlox, cusick’s speedwell, yellow and purple violets, bistort, glacier lily; Borroughs: still sparse in spots, white and pink heather, phlox, saxifrage, golden fleabane
• Stevens Canyon (7/11) – rosy spirea, paintbrush, sitka valerian, subalpine daisy, pink mountain heather, avalanche lily, thistle, bear grass, pearly everlasting, penstemon, mountain dandelion, cow parsnip, goats beard, ocean spray, stonecrop, yarrow, sitka mountain ash (early), tiger lily, Oregon sunshine, monkeyflower, self heal
• Sunrise (7/7) – western spring beauty, valerian, magenta paintbrush, harsh paintbrush, glacier lily, avalanche lily, penstemon, speedwell, cinquefoil, buttercup, marsh marrigold, pasqueflower, pink heather, bracted lousewort, American bistort, broadleaf lupine, cascade aster, Lewis monkeyflower (White River), low and elegant jacob’s ladder, tall bluebells, mountain monkeyflower (Fremont), partridge foot, smooth mountain dandelion, spreading phlox, subalpine buckwheat, western columbine

See photos and more information on Mt. Rainier Wildflowers at Discover Wildflowers – Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)