Erythronium montanum “Avalanche Lily” Liliaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 4, 2012
Robert Niese
Avalanche Lilies are some of the first montane flowers to bloom in the PNW. As soon as the snow begins to melt, these guys are sprouting and preparing for the brief alpine summer. E. montanum is endemic to the Pacific Northwest and is only found in alpine and subalpine regions of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges.
Mount Rainier from Paradise Valley
Fourth Crossing Trail-Paradise Rd E, Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 12, 2013
Robert Niese
Vaccinium ovalifolium “Oval-leaf Bluberry” Ericaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 9, 2013
Robert Niese
Anemone occidentalis “Western Anemone” Ranunculaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 4, 2012
Robert Niese
While many hikers will often overlook the flowering phase of this Anemone, their fruiting phase is definitely impossible to miss.
Elliottia pyroliflora “Copperbush” Ericaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 9, 2013
Robert Niese
Copperbush is a member of the blueberry family and is a PNW endemic (west of the Cascades). These deciduous shrubs tend to grow in wet, boggy regions around mountain streams and lakes.
Limenitis lorquini “Lorquin’s Admiral” Nymphalidae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 12, 2013
Robert Niese
These butterflies will aggressively defend their feeding sites throughout the summer, chasing off rival males as well as other intruding insects and even hummingbirds.
Mount Rainier from Tipsoo Lake
Chinook Pass, Mount Rainier National Park, WA
October 4, 2012
Robert Niese
(Those bushy, Dr. Seuss-like plants scattered throughout the foreground are the fruiting structures of Anemone occidentalis, a common and beautiful montane flower.)
Rhizocarpon geographicum “Map Lichen"
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 9, 2013
Robert Niese
Map Lichen is an easily recognizable montane species of crustose lichen that can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest. Look for its characteristic yellow thallus with black apothecia (the black dots surrounded by yellow). Individual lichens are bordered by a thick black line (seen clearly in the center left of this image) which makes them look somewhat like delineated countries on a map (hence the name).
Vaccinium ovalifolium “Oval-leaf Bluberry” Ericaceae
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
August 9, 2013
Robert Niese
Northwest Naturalist 