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
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
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 first of a number of cinquefoil / potentilla flowers we saw on this trip.
Cliff Woodbeauty (cinquefoil)_Drymocallis pseudorupestris var saxicola_P1120157
CliffWoodbeautycinquefoilDrymocallispseudorupestrisvar.saxicolaP1120157