If you can take your eyes off the mountain long enough, you will soon discover that the flowers are equally breathtaking. The new Visitor’s Center had a display of mountain flowers, and I was particularly struck by how far phlox, a rather dainty flower at first glance, roots penetrated the soil, making it possible to grow in places other flowers can’t. Needless to say, on this trip I saw phlox everyone,
though I’m not sure I ever noticed them before.
Of course, it’s impossible to look at flowers closely like these Asters
without also noticing the insects that thrive on them. On this day, the bees seemed to drawn to the purple flowers, whether Asters or Jacob’s Ladder.
In sheer numbers, the bees far outnumbered the butterflies,
but this butterfly, an Edith’s Checkerspot, I think, seemed everywhere I looked.
Best of all, the Indian Paintbrush was magnificent, whether the passionate pink variety that dominated lower altitudes,
or the lovely orange varieties that dominated at higher altitudes.
