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Reader Participation Day: Which Flowers Mean "Spring Is Here" In The National Parks?

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Published Date

May 22, 2013

(Top) Beargrass in Glacier National Park and (bottom) rhododendron along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Photos by Jim Burnett.

The spring and early summer blooming season is well underway in much of the country, and for many people that brings to mind some specific varieties of wildflowers or blooming trees or shrubs that they associate with a particular National Park Service area.

For Glacier National Park, some might suggest the conspicuous Beargrass or the appropriately named Glacier lily, while along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Flame Azalea, Mountain Laurel and Catawba rhododendron are big attractions.

Although some of this year's flower display has already come and gone in the lower elevations of desert parks, those sites can offer some dramatic blooms, such as the tall and dramatic century plant in places like Big Bend National Park. For an area such as Joshua Tree National Park, there's an obvious choice for the "namesake" blooms!

Do you have any favorite "national park flowers"? If so, which blossoms, and which NPS areas offer a chance to enjoy them?

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Comments

Submitted by justinh on May 22, 2013 - 3:24pm.

Avalanche and glacier lilies at Mt. Rainier NP; pink lady's slipper on Isle Royale NP; and whatever was blooming in early August on San Miguel, CINP last year (don't have their names, but they were pretty great).


Submitted by Megaera on May 22, 2013 - 3:34pm.

Spring wildflowers, huh? In my favorite national parks, wildflower season is summer.

At Mt. Rainier, the earliest flowers are glacier lilies, then paintbrush, lupine, and especially alpine phlox (you won't find much of the latter at Paradise, but it's everywhere at Sunrise). And, later, gentians. And at least a dozen other kinds of flowers. In front of the visitor center at Sunrise there's a little meadow with labels on practically all the plants. This is a very cool thing.

At Yellowstone, harebells and gentians and shooting stars. And penstemons. Electric blue larkspur was all over the place last time I was at Mammoth, not to mention more alpine phlox and balsamroot.

And I could go on and on and on and on...

Wildflower identification is one of my favorite things to do on the planet.


Submitted by [email protected] on May 22, 2013 - 9:21pm.

Bloodroot in the Southern Appalachians signal the beginning of spring flowers. They came and left weeks ago. We've seen a procession of flowers. Now we're enjoying fringed phacelias.

Danny www.hikertohiker.com


Submitted by mtgnppics on May 23, 2013 - 10:42am.

In the West Glacier area, mostly the first flower up is tiny yellow violets, or white trillium. Then it feels like a breath of spring air :)

JT


Submitted by roadrunner55 on June 5, 2013 - 4:28pm.

Columbines in the Rockies, Indian Paintbrush in the southwest, Crocus in Voyageurs


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