Around Mount Shasta_7_26 & 27

First we visited a spot on Ski Park Highway that we knew from a previous trip. There were flowers along the road but the main attraction was a patch of white mint flowers hidden from the road. The air was filled with the scent of mint.

mint (Pale mountain monardella)_Monardella odoratissima ssp pallida_P1270658

mintPalemountainMonardellaodoratissimassp.pallidaP1270658

Butterflies like this checkerspot were flitting from flower to flower, staying a few seconds on each one. It wasn't easy to get photos and I didn't know that the camera that I was using wasn't producing sharp pictures.

butterfly (Checkspot)_-_P1060448

butterflyCheckspotP1060448

We also saw butterflies on other plants like this cudweed.

butterfly_-_P1120162

butterflyP1120162

And this Lorquin's admiral on a manzanita. I liked the angle of the wings in this picture.

butterfly (Lorquin's admiral)_Limenitis lorquini_P1060485

butterflyLorquin'sadmiralLimenitislorquiniP1060485

Lots of St. John's wort around. Probably Hypericum perforatum (non-native and invasive) . The plants each had many flowers close together with leaves and stems to make the settings even busier.

St John's Wort_Hypericum perforatum or Scouleri_P1270606

St.John'sWortHypericumperforatumScouleriP1270606

I did manage to isolate a single flower in this photo.

St John's Wort_Hypericum perforatum or Scouleri_P1120110

St.John'sWortHypericumperforatumScouleriP1120110

And another one with very different light.

St John's Wort_Hypericum perforatum or Scouleri_P1120205

St.John'sWortHypericumperforatumScouleriP1120205

Farther up the mountain we saw different flowers including this pussypaws.

One seeded pussypaws_Calyptridium monospermum_P1270635

OneseededpussypawsCalyptridiummonospermumP1270635

The closeup made me think of petticoats.

One seeded pussypaws_Calyptridium monospermum_P1120172

OneseededpussypawsCalyptridiummonospermumP1120172

We saw plenty of fireweed on Mount Shasta. Another plant with many flowers that's hard to photograph. I got this closeup of a single flower with this golden insect as a bonus.

fireweed_Chamerion angustifolium _P1120120

fireweedChamerionangustifoliumP1120120

We first saw and IDed this spiraea on Mount Shasta on an earlier visit. We often associate plants with the place where we first saw them. The very dark insect provided contrast to the pink flowers.

spiraea (Douglas's spirea)_spiraea Douglasii_P1270623

spiraeaDouglas'sspireaDouglasiiP1270623

We saw a rein orchid on Mount Diablo last year. A pleasure to see one on this trip.

rein orchid (Coleman's piperia or Alaska rein orchid)_Piperia colemanii or Piperia unalascensis_P1120189

reinorchidColeman'sPiperiaAlaskacolemaniiunalascensisP1120189

We've seen scarlet gilia in a number of places over the years. I still get much pleasure from seeing them again.

Scarlet gilia_[Common Name]_[Scientific Name]_[Name]_P1120234

ScarletgiliaCommonNameScientificP1120234

Lesley took this picture of anther scarlet gilia in a different stage with different light. For me, the variability in what the camera records adds to the pleasure.

Scarlet gilia_[Common Name]_[Scientific Name]_[Name]_P1270596

ScarletgiliaCommonNameScientificP1270596

There were still a few columbines in bloom with aphids and other insects present.

columbine_Aquilegia formosa_P1270660

columbineAquilegiaformosaP1270660

We stopped at a large gravel parking lot on the way down the hill. A sign described it as the Mount Shasta Nordic (Ski) Center. It didn't look that promising but I felt we might see something of interest. Goldenrods and other flowers at the edge of the parking lot were hosting insects like this wasp on the right and a smaller insect on the left.

goldenrod with insect_Solidago sp _P1270688

goldenrodwithinsectSolidagosp.P1270688

We got to know this mariposa lily in Paradise Valley in April 2017. We were surprised to find 8-10 plants under light tree cover near the parking lot.

Naked mariposa lily_Calochortus nudus_P1270695

NakedmariposalilyCalochortusnudusP1270695

This tiny monkeyflower was another discovery. Not bad for an initially unpromising spot to stop.

Dwarf monkeyflower (or Layne's monkeyflower_mimulus nanus or mimulus layneae_P1270692

DwarfmonkeyflowerLayne'smimulusnanuslayneaeP1270692

I wasn't sure whether this was spreading dogbane or manzanita. Pretty either way. After further thought and comments, I think it is dogbane.

spreading dogbane (or manzanita)_Apocynum androsaemifolium_P1270753

spreadingdogbanemanzanitaApocynumandrosaemifoliumP1270753

The next morning we drove up A10 on the west side of Mount Shasta. Much shadier than yesterday's locations. Tihs small plant was not well lit but looked interesting. I didn't see any basal leaves and no green leaves on the stem. At the time, I thought it was the dried remains of last year's plant. Looking at the photo on my computer, I thought that the plant was parasitic. I read that it might sometimes be parasitic. Quite an interesting discovery for me.

bog wintergreen or White-veined Shinleaf_pyrola asarifolia or Pyrola picta_P1120226

bogwintergreenWhiteveinedShinleafPyrolaasarifoliapictaP1120226

The size of the thimbleberry leaves always amazes me.

Thimbleberry_Rubus parviflorus_P1120228

ThimbleberryRubusparviflorusP1120228

Well, this plant is certainly parasitic. We saw a plant like this along Hwy 36 near Chester a few years ago and didn't know what it was. We've seen a variety of parasitic plants since then and recognize the characteristics now.

Pine drops_Pterospora andromedea_P1120217

PinedropsPterosporaandromedeaP1120217

The first of a number of cinquefoil / potentilla flowers we saw on this trip.

Cliff Woodbeauty (cinquefoil)_Drymocallis pseudorupestris var saxicola_P1120157

CliffWoodbeautycinquefoilDrymocallispseudorupestrisvar.saxicolaP1120157

A tiny flower we had never seen before.

groundsmoke_Gayophytum sp _ground smoke_P1120203

groundsmokeGayophytumsp.groundsmokeP1120203

We've seen madia species before. I don't know whether we've seen this species before. With my bare eyes, I see a spot of color and little detail. With magnification, I can see beauty and detail.

Slender tarweed (madia)_Madia gracilis_P1120212

SlendertarweedMadiagracilisP1120212

The fuzzy collar below the flower made it easier to ID this very small flower.

Milk Kelloggia_Kelloggia galioides_P1270607

MilkKelloggiagalioidesP1270607