There is nothing more beautiful than a wildflower, but what about them makes them so beautiful? Surely the details in them are often astounding. Long stamens, unique petals, or colorful flowers may dazzle the eyes. Alternatively, the beauty of a wildflower may be linked to its overall surrounding. We often find them perched in rocky crags, in front of mountain vistas, at the edge of our favorite pond, or along our favorite hiking trail. Each wildflower represents a detailed, wild beauty, and that beauty grows as you consider the ecosystem and ecology that surround them.

Wildflowers excel at telling us the progression of summer. In Alaska, one of the first wildflowers of spring, pasque flowers, spring up in large purple and yellow blossoms welcoming the queen bumble bees which have just woken up from a long winter. Similarly, the early blooms of purple mountain saxifrage provide a critical nectar resource for queen bees. However, the timing, or phenology, of wildflowers in Alaska is changing with a warming climate. Changing flower timing can effect insects populations, and in turn birds by growing at different times than they have for milleniums. An example that we (I believe) have all noticed is a quickly melting snowpack. As snowpack melts earlier it has repercussions on when a flower starts to grow and bloom by moving it earlier, and buds may freeze in the still cold temperatures (Inouye 2008). This changes the plant’s fitness and also the flowers available to pollinators. Although the genes of plants may have enough flexibility accommodate some of the effects of climate change, they may need to evolve to ultimately survive (Anderson, Jill T., et al. 2012).

This summer I’ve turned my lens to all of the wildflower blooms I can. I am actually pretty astounded by the number of species I have photographed and learned! When photographing them I both put them in their surroundings, and captured the fine details of their beauty. Some of these images are availble for purchase through my Fine Art America gallery. I hope you enjoy this extensive collection of the colorful seasons of Alaska! Photos are featured in the month that I captured them, rather than when they first start blooming.

June

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Chatanika River, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fragrant Bedstraw (Galium triflorum), Chatanika River, Alaska

Purple Aster (Aster spp), Chatanika River, Alaska

Arctic Bell Heather (Cassiope tetragona), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Pink Plumes (Bistorta plumosa), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Whorled Lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Capitate Valerian (Valeriana capitata), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Common Name Unknown ( Micranthes hieraciifolia), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Lousewort (pedicularis spp), Solistice, Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Arctic Poppy/Alaska Poppy (Papaver gorodkovii), Galbraith Lake, North Slope, Alaska

Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), Galbraith Lake, North Slope, Alaska

Dwarf Arctic Butterweed (Packera cymbalaria), Galbraith Lake, Alaska

Frigid Arnica (Arnica frigida), Dalton Highway/Haul Road, Finger Mountain, Alaska

Wild Sweet Pea (Hedysarum mackenzii), Delta, Alaska

Arctic Wormwood (Artemisia alaskana), Denali National Park, Alaska

Dwarf Hawksbeard (Crepis nana), Denali National Park, Alaska

Dwarf Fireweed/River Beauty (Chamerion latifolium), Denali National Park, Alaska

Landsdorf’s Lousewort (Pedicularis langsdorfii), Denali National Park, Alaska

Narcissus-flowered Anenome (Anemome narcissiflora), Denali National Park, Eilson Visitor Center, Alaska

One Flower Cinquefoil (Potentilla uniflora), Denali National Park, Polychrome Overlook, Alaska

Showy Locoweed (Oxytropis splendens), Denali National Park, Alaska

Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), Denali National Park, Alaska

Parry’s Wallflower (Parrya nudicaulis), Denali National Park, Alaska

Arinca (perhaps Frigid Arnica), Denali National Park, Alaska

Lapland Rosebay (Rhododendron lapponicum), Denali National Park, Alaska

Prickley Saxifrage (Saxifraga tricuspidata), Denali National Park, Alaska

Wild Rose (Rosa spp), Fairbanks, Alaska

Bluebell (Mertensia spp), Fairbanks, Alaska

Wild Sweet Pea ( Hedysarum mackenzii), Fort Yukon, Alaska

Northern Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium boreale), Porcupine River, Gates of the Arctic NWR, Alaska

American Madwort (Alyssum obovatum), Porcupine River, Gates of the Arctic NWR, Alaska

Horsetail, (Equisetum spp.), Porcupine River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

Horsetail, (Equisetum spp.), Creamers Field, Fairbanks, Alaska

Cherry (Prunus spp), Creamer’s Field, Alaska

Purple Mountain Saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Mendenhall Glacier Trail, Juneau, Alaska

Frigid Shooting Star (Primula frigida), Galbraith lake, Alaska

Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens), Fort Yukon, Alaska

Rock Harlequin (Corydalis sempervirens), Fairbanks, Alaska

July

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Fairbanks, Alaska

Harebell (Asyneuma), Twelvemile Summit, Alaska, August

Arctic Rattlebox (Rhinanthus minor), Fairbanks, Alaska

Soapberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Richardson Highway, Alaska

Northern Yarrow ( ) and Narrow-leaf Hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum), Richardson Highway, Alaska

Mountain Avens, Seed, Richardson Highway, Alaska

Hooded lady’s (ladies) tresses, (Spiranthes romanzoffiana), Wander Lake, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Fairbanks, Alaska

Wild Calla/Water Arum, Water Dragon ( Calla palustris), Creamers Field, Fairbanks, Alaska

Narrow-leaf Hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum), Seed, Creamers Field, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Creamers Field, Fairbanks, Alaska

Red Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), Denali National Park, Alaska

Sitka Burnet (Sanguisorba stipulata) and Red Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), Denali National Park, Alaska

Bog Star (Parnassia palustris), Denali National Park, Alaska

Purple Aster (Aster spp) and Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Denali National Park, Alaska

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp), Denali National Park, Alaska

Mastadon Flower (Tephroseris palustris), Denali National Park, Alaska

High-bush Cranberry (Vibrunum edule), Denali National Park, Alaska

Potentilla (Potentilla spp), Denali National Park, Alaska

Purple Aster (Aster spp), Denali National Park, Alaska

Northern Goldenrod ( Salidago multiradiata), Denali National Park, Alaska

Monkshood (Aconitum), Denali National Park, Alaska

Sitka Burnet (Sanguisorba stipulata), Denali National Park, Alaska

Bear Berry (Arctostaphylos spp.), Denali National Park, Alaska

Whitish Gentian (Gentiana algida), Denali National Park, Eilson Visitor Center, Alaska

Four-petaled Gentian (Gentiana propinqua), Denali National Park, Alaska

Northern Goldenrod ( Salidago multiradiata), Denali National Park, Alaska

Wild Geranium (Geranium spp.), Kenai River, Alaska

Large-leaf Avens (Geum macrophyllum), Homer, Alaska

Cow Parsnip, (Heralaceum maximum), Homer, Alaska

Lupine (Lupinus spp), Homer, Alaska

Yellow Paintbrush/ Coastal Paintbrush (Castilleja unalaschensis), Homer Alaska

Yellow Paintbrush/ Coastal Paintbrush (Castilleja unalaschensis), Eagle Summit, Alaska, August

Willow Herb, (Epilobium spp), Homer, Alaska

Squirrel Tail Grass, Northern Sulphur Butterflies, Glenn Highway, Matanuska Glacier, Alaska

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Denali Highway, Alaska

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) and Tri-colored Bumblebee, Denali Highway, Alaska

Harebell (Asyneuma), Twelvemile Summit, Alaska, August

Pale Gentian (Gentiana glauca), Denali Highway, Alaska

Lesser Wintergreen (Pyrola minor), Denali Highway, Alaska

Larkspur (Delphinium brachycentrum), Denali Highway, Tangle Lakes, Alaska

August

Rock Harlequin (Corydalis sempervirens), Fairbanks, Alaska

Cottongrass (Eriophorum), Fairbanks, Alaska, August

White Locoweed ( Oxytropis sericea), Steese Highway, Alaska, August

Monkshood (Aconitum), Eagle Summit, Alaska, August

Yellow Paintbrush/ Coastal Paintbrush (Castilleja unalaschensis), Eagle Summit, Alaska, August

Harebell (Asyneuma), Twelvemile Summit, Alaska, August

Arctic Rattlebox (Rhinanthus minor), Fairbanks, Alaska

Soapberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Richardson Highway, Alaska

Northern Yarrow ( ) and Narrow-leaf Hawksbeard (Crepis tectorum), Richardson Highway, Alaska

Mountain Avens, Seed, Richardson Highway, Alaska

Hooded lady’s (ladies) tresses, (Spiranthes romanzoffiana), Wander Lake, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), Fairbanks, Alaska

If you’ve made it this far then I want to let you know that these images are available in a single page as well with some images that are not featured in this post:

Wildflowers of Alaska

Identification Sources:

If you are looking for Alaskan wildflower identification I cannot say enough about the utility of these two sites:

http://www.turtlepuddle.org/alaskan/wild/flowers-1.html

http://www.alaskawildflowers.us/

USDA Plant Database http://plants.usda.gov/java/

Literature

Inouye, David W. “Effects of climate change on phenology, frost damage, and floral abundance of montane wildflowers.” Ecology 89.2 (2008): 353-362.

Anderson, Jill T., et al. “Phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution contribute to advancing flowering phenology in response to climate change.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 279.1743 (2012): 3843-3852.