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.

Mt. Rainier National Park reports

Currently Blooming – August 24, 2017

Late season wildflowers make the most of every day of sunshine before the fall rainy season. These arrowleaf groundsel wildflowers are blooming even as they start to go to seed. Pollinators like bees, butterflies, beetles, and other insects are also still active in the park’s meadows. This time of the year you might also start spotting some larger wildlife – like bears! (Remember to stay safe and give bears plenty of room).

Find a trail to explore Mount Rainier’s meadows!

Wildflower Reports

• Paradise (8/21): arrowleaf groundsel, mountain bog gentian, pearly everlasting, paintbrush, Cascade asters, alpine daisy, rosy spirea, sitka valerian
• Spray Park (8/10): arrowleaf groundsel, fireweed, grays lovage, tall larkspur, alpine aster, lupine, magenta paintbrush, pink mountain heather, bistort, bracted lousewort, mountain bog gentian, slender bog orchid, saxifrage
• Mowich Lake (8/10): mountain bog gentian, grays lovage, alpine aster, arrowleaf groundsel

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.Plan Your Visit

Mt. Rainier National Park reports

Currently Blooming – August 17, 2017

Most subalpine meadows are past peak bloom, however that does not mean there are no wildflowers! Many later-season wildflowers like pearly everlasting, rosy spirea, and arrowleaf groundsel are still blooming well. While there are many yellow wildflowers in the park, arrowleaf groundsel (Senecio triangularis) is one of the easiest to identify for its toothed arrow-shaped leaves. It’s also tall for a wildflower, reaching up to 5 feet, and often found growing in large patches along water sources.

Find a trail to explore Mount Rainier’s meadows!

Wildflower Reports

• Spray Park (8/10): arrowleaf groundsel, fireweed, grays lovage, tall larkspur, alpine aster, lupine, magenta paintbrush, pink mountain heather, bistort, bracted lousewort, mountain bog gentian, slender bog orchid, saxifrage
• Mowich Lake (8/10): mountain bog gentian, grays lovage, alpine aster, arrowleaf groundsel
• Paradise (8/6): Trails in Peak Bloom: Nisqually Vista (open Fri-Sun), Golden Gate, Myrtle Falls, west Skyline, lower Deadhorse Creek, Moraine, East Skyline to Mazama Ridge, Mazama Ridge
• Sunrise (8/6): Trails in Peak Bloom: Berkeley Park, Sunrise Rim to Shadow Lake, Glacier Overlook
• Paradise Valley Road (8/1): sitka valerian (peak!), magenta paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush, columbine, thistle, lupine, Cascade aster, alpine aster, alpine daisy, arnica, arrowleaf groundsel, gray’s lovage, bistort, early: sitka mountain ash, false hellebore, rosy spirea, pearly everlasting,

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.Plan Your Visit