Mount Rainier Wildflower Explosion

Every summer, the subalpine meadows at Mount Rainier National Park put on quite a display. Acre upon acre of dazzling wildflowers in all the colors of the rainbow are a treat for the eye and the nose. The growing season is short but intense, as these little beauties have only three months to bloom and seed the next generation in some years. A snowier winter will typically be followed by a shorter growing season, but will generally have more flowers. This is because of the abundance of water. This year's peak bloom is nigh upon us, and I am expecting a bumper crop of lupines, Indian paintbrush, columbines, and more. We had a warm, wet winter in the lowlands where I live, but up in the mountains the snow began falling at the end of August. The previous winter was well below the average snowfall and the wildflowers were nice to look at, but not all there.
It seems as though the first flowers to bloom are the glacier (left) and avalanche lilies.
      
I rarely see these two when I stroll the Paradise meadows in July and August. Other flowers abound, however. Some of the flowers prefer the moist conditions of marshy areas and stream sides, while others are content with the drier and well-drained slopes.

Left to right: alpine aster, Lewis's monkeyflower, pearly everlasting

Pink mountain heather (left) and bluebells

Left to right: scarlet Indian paintbrush, magenta Indian paintbrush, Jeffrey shooting star

Left to right: subalpine daisy, lupine, American bistort

Left to right: Cascade aster, Sitka valerian, Sitka mountain ash

Left to right: Small-flowered penstemon, Gray's lovage, orange agoseris

Mountain bog gentian

Left to right: Columbia tiger lily, western columbine, bear grass
These pictures were taken at Mount Rainier's Paradise near the visitor's center and Indian Henry's Hunting Ground wilderness. Paradise is probably the most popular area with visitors, but I think Indian Henry's has the better meadow. It is at the end of a difficult 5.5 mile trail and well worth the effort, if you don't mind some flies and mosquitoes. As you can see in some of the pictures, the flowers are a boon to the local insect population. The insects, in turn, feed the birds, which feed the foxes, and so on up the food chain. Not only do the wildflowers bring delight to thousands of visitors, they also support an ecosystem.