Flowers of Glacier National Park

FLOWERS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Virginia L. Bailey

Early in the spring just after the snow leaves the ground, the glacier lilies spread a beautiful yellow carpet over large areas along the Blackfeet Highway, particularly around the Hudson Bay Divide. Other early blooming flowers along the east side highways are purple pasque flowers with flowers sometimes two inches across, and carpet pink with tiny rose pink flowers forming low matted cushions on the ground, and the blue camas lily. Excepting the last, all of these may be seen at Logan Pass during early July soon after Going-to-the-Sun Highway is opened for travel. At about the time the meadows at higher elevations start to bloom, those below have finished or changed their pattern. During the latter part of June and early July there are pink geraniums, blue and yellow pentstemons, purple-flowered silky phacelias, pale blue burr forget-me-nots, yellow arnicas and a host of others.

Gradually as summer presses on many of these are replaced with other species such as the gaillardia, exactly alike in appearance to the cultivated variety, yellow and bronze false dandelions, showy purple fleabane, brilliant red paintbrush, shrubby cinquefoil with bright yellow flowers, white spiraea, wild roses, purple horsemint, and the mountain spray composed of a mass of tiny cream-colored flowers. The pink-flowered wild hollyhock is one of the most admired plants along the Going-to-the-Sun Highway and in the Many Glacier region.

During the latter part of the season purple asters with their numerous showy flower heads are among the most conspicuous roadside flowers, especially on the east side. Goldenrod also makes its appearance as well as the tall slender stalks of mullen with yellow flowers clustered on the erect candle-like stalks. This is a weed that has become increasingly common along Going-to-the-Sun Highway from St. Mary Lake to Belton.

Following the early flowers at Logan Pass the meadows blossom out with myriads of colors and the "Hanging Gardens" present as fine a display of flowers as can be seen in the park. Many of the species are the same as those seen in the lower meadows earlier in the season, but others may be seen only at the higher elevations. Late in the season at the Pass the yellow-flowered St. John's wort with its bright red buds becomes one of the most conspicuous plants.

The illustrations include some of the more common and showy of the flowers seen along the highways in and near the park, with flower color, season of flowering, and location listed for each. Also a simplified guide has been included to aid in the identification of the species.