This Penstemon secundiflorus is displaying its fuzzy staminodes, which stick out from the flowers like hairy little tongues.
The staminode is a sterile stamen, and its purpose is to aid in pollination by acting as a landing pad and ensuring pollinators contact the required reproductive parts.

Often seen on the side of trails while hiking in the Rocky Mountains, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is a ground cover shrub that puts out small urn shaped flowers in the spring.

This species is in the family Ericaceae, which is the same family as blueberries and huckleberries.

Today we have one of my all time favorite wildflowers, Liatris punctata. Known for its vibrant purple flower spikes, this plant is in the family Asteraceae and tends to bloom in the late summer.
A real native banger that can be planted in your garden if you reside in the central US or central Canada

Unlike the walls of sunflowers that line the highways of America’s west, Hymenoxys grandiflora can only be found at higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains.
This diminutive sunflower only grows one flowerhead per stem and only gets to be around a foot tall!

This Geum triflorum is displaying it’s feathery styles, which open towards the sky post pollination.
The leaves look quite similar to a fern, but this plant is actually in the Rose family.

People who live in the deserts of the southwest US will probably recognize this distinct cactus, Cylindropuntia echinocarpa.
This specific plant was located in Valley of Fire State Park in NV, but this species can be found as far South as the Baja California Peninsula.

While this species is native to the mountain tops of NM, CO, and WY, Saxifraga bronchialis has a range that spans all the way to Russia!
They tend to grow in large mats and in the Spring put on a dazzling display of white blooms.

Found all over western North America, this Primula pauciflora belongs to the family Primulaceae.
This stunning species comes in many different varieties and can be found in xeric habitats as well as higher elevations.

Being one of the most charismatic wildflowers in the Western US, Phacelia sericea is quite different from other members of it’s genus.
Phacelia sericea is a perennial, found at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains. While most other species in the genus tend to be either annuals or biennials.

Found at much higher elevations than your typical Marigold, Caltha chionophila tends to grow along the edges of melting snow banks.
The white flowers, though very beautiful, contain no true petals but instead are composed of sepals.

Found along the banks of my favorite lake near Red Feather CO, this Iris missouriensis grows from a rhizome, which allows a plant to grow and spread from underground, much like a subterranean stem.
Clusters of these plants grow outwards and can form rings around older flowers as they grow.

Many of the plants I’ve posted can be found throughout the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, but today’s plant is strictly endemic to the Front Range.
Penstemon virens grows in low spreading mats and can often be found blooming alongside other species of Pentstemon throughout Spring.

This bright yellow beauty is Lithospermum incisum, another species in Borage family. This dainty looking perennial is characterized by its fringed petals and can be found widely across the Central US and Canada .

Today’s plant is a small cactus that, instead of the desert, tends to be found more in the mountains and on rocky outcrops.

Pediocactus simpsonii can be found at higher elevations throughout the Western US, and in the Spring puts out a fragrant set of flowers that can vary in colors

Instead of another picture of a cat, here’s one of my favorite plants Calochortus gunnisonii. A member of the Lily family that can be found throughout the Rocky Mountains from Montana to Arizona.

In place of therapy I might need, I’m gonna start posting informational plant pics everyday.

Starting off with Eritrichium argenteum, a species in the family Boraginaceae. These guys grow in tiny clumps near the tops of mountains throughout the Rockies from Alaska to New Mexico