Natural History Wanderings

Mt. Rainier National Park reports

Currently Blooming – August 31, 2017

Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) earns its name. It begins blooming mid-summer and continues blooming well into the fall, outlasting all other wildflowers. Pearly everlasting flowers are not technically “pearly” however. The name comes from white bracts, or modified leaves, that protect the true flower, which is yellow. Pearly everlasting can be found blooming throughout the park.
Find a trail to explore Mount Rainier’s meadows. Bear sightings become more common in late summer/fall – remember to stay safe and give bears plenty of room!

Wildflower Reports

• Paradise (8/28): cascade aster, american bistort, lewis monkeyflower, pearly everlasting, rosy spirea, arrowleaf groundsel, broadleaf arnica, grey’s lovage, paintbrush, mountian bog gentian, fireweed, false hellebore, huckleberries! Good wildflower trails: Alta Vista, Deadhorse Creek, Myrtle Falls, Avalanche Lily, and Nisqually Vista

Please Note: As snow melts away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow that are covering trails. However, by going off trail you are walking on and damaging the wildflowers that you may be coming to see! It is better to stay on trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise.