Searching for Wildflowers, the Secret Treasure in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
Magnificent Grand Teton mountains make a stunning backdrop for (possibly) Mule’s Ears blowing in the wind. Image: ©Jovial Lewis ✍︎ Wildflowers can be notoriously difficult to identify, but that makes the quest all the more interesting. Think you may be able to identify this beauty? Tell us in the comments section below. Thank you!
By Jovial Lewis
Author and photographer, Jovial Lewis.
A New Path to an Old friend, Yellowstone National Park
June 5th, 2021, was a great day! My husband and I were flying to Boise, Idaho, to visit the Greater Yellowstone area in Wyoming. This trip was our 4th to Grand Teton National Park and 5th to Yellowstone National Park. As always, we were thrilled beyond words. Just the thought of being in these parks gives me a dopamine rush.
We have explored 18 other parks, and while each one is unique, these two hold a special place in our hearts. Yellowstone particularly feels like being transported back when wildlife roamed free, and life was simple. Here, the mundane ceases to exist. In 1883, Northern Pacific Railways advertised Yellowstone National Park with Lewis Carroll's character Alice, visiting America's new Wonderland. I can relate to that analogy.
At Grand Teton National Park, Streamback Globemallow, or Mountain Hollyhock, (iliamna rivular) is one beautiful and delicate example why wildflowers are my passion. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
✔︎ Trip Tips
What: Wildflowers
Where: Greater Yellowstone Eco-System.
When: late May - early July
How: Fly into Boise, drive.
Tip: Look down, step thoughtfully.
Over 60 mammal species live in this area and give birth in the spring. Late May-early June is an excellent time to see them. But, June through mid-July is good for wildflowers and more wildlife. So, I planned this vacation for early June.
Discoveries Along Our Route to Yellowstone
We usually fly in through Jackson, WY, but we decided to try a different route via Boise, Idaho, this time. We discovered Craters of the Moon National Monument and Shoshone Falls, two attractions worth visiting on this route.
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Bitterroot, (Lewisia rediviva) flowers peaking through the lava, a wonderful surprise at The Craters of the Moon National Monument. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
Craters of the Moon National Monument, is a vast expanse (almost 750,000 acres / 303541 hectares) of lava flow with cinder cones and sagebrush and wildflowers that pop up in late spring. The landscape resembles the moon's surface. This place is worth multiple visits. We also spent half a day at Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh, ID.
Dubbed, “The Niagara of the West” the falls at Idaho’s Shoshone Falls is actually bigger and well worth the stop. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh, Idaho
The Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh's namesake Camas lily blooms are at their peak from late May through early June. Unfortunately, the year was not the best for the flowers, but we had a few surprises. The Camas lilies are a sight to behold with [great expanses] of lilies of different shades [of blue, cream, and violet] and the common purple ones.
✍︎ Editor's Note: CPCM was purchased for conservation in 1983 by Idaho’s Dept of Fish and Game, Ducks Unlimited, and The Nature Conservancy. Spring flooding makes this high prairie grassland an important migration resting and breeding ground for wetland birds.
Headed to Grand Teton National Park
On our 3rd day, we drove to Jackson, WY planning to stay three days in Grand Teton, another four in Yellowstone, and then leave for Idaho via the west entrance. We had prepared for temperatures of 60-70F (15.5 to 21C) at the park, but it turned out to be significantly warmer, a high of 85-90F (29-32C). It was a prelude to the record-breaking heat that would hit the North-West US later in the month. While the sudden temperature increase drove the wildlife into shaded areas, it brought out the wildflowers.
Cowparsnip, or Indian celery, or (Heracleum maximum) at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park. They are only found in North America. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
Interested in seeing The Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park? Contact us
Parts of the park became carpeted with Larkspur, Scarlet gilia, American thorow wax, Camas lilies, and Lupine. I love bright colors. The combinations of purple, yellows, reds took my breath away! Unfortunately, the iconic Arrowleaf Balsamroot and Mule-ears flowers usually found near the Tetons had yet to bloom.
In springtime, the ground becomes brightly carpeted in red, yellow, white, and the lush violet, blue and purple of wildflowers like these Lupin (Lupinus argenteus). Image: ©Jovial Lewis
Interested in a seeing Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons? Let us know.
More About Grand Tetons
By Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
An Uncertain Future for the Grand Teton Grizzlies
The Definitive Guide to Getting Spectacular Moose Photos in the Grand Tetons
Wildflowers, Part of a Amazing Ecosystem That Includes the Famous Wildlife
I called my friend Daniel Muscatell (Dan), a photographer and Jackson resident, for the whereabouts of Grizzly 399. Dubbed Queen of Tetons, the 25-year-old mother Grizzly bear currently roams the park with her four yearlings. We staked a watch with tons of other photographers and tourists for three days but to no avail. It was a disappointment, sigh!
A Passion for Wildflowers is Born
While we continued to watch for wildlife, my first goal was wildflowers. I have been passionate about them since I first laid my eye on the wildflowers of California's arid and semi desert-like terrains. It was March 2017, heavy rainfall earlier had caused a rare botanical phenomenon informally called a super bloom, essentially carpets of flowers covering miles of terrain. I have been fascinated by them ever since.
That night in California, I searched the internet for unique flowers in the Grand Teton area and read about orchids and the leopard lily, also called Spotted Mountain Bells. One article mentioned leopard lily could be spotted along the Woodland Trail, a 1.7 miles loop towards Phelps Lake.
In Search of the Grand Teton’s Elusive Leopard Lily
In fall 2020, we attempted the hike but abandoned it as I was too tired. This time we found our purpose to complete it. We set out from the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve Center parking area. It was a comfortable hike, cooler than the rest of the park due to the moisture from the running stream. It could also be why we saw the Western Spotted coralroot and Yellow coralroot orchids all along the trail. Finally, we reached the lake and identified many more flowers but [not] the leopard lily.
I was just about resigned to be disappointed when we spotted the lilies near a large patch of coralroots. There, they were, pretty and delicate! They were unlike the bold thick-leaved lilies seen in the wild and gardens, which is why we had missed them. I had to [gently use] a stick to tilt the flower to see if it matched the article's picture. It did, and I couldn't have been happier. Later I posted the photos on Facebook's Wildflower page, and after a few confirmations, I was thrilled.
The "Secret" Endemic flower species of Yellowstone National Park
Reading about Yellowstone's exotic flowers on their website got me more excited. Yellowstone has three species of endemic flowers: Ross's bentgrass (Agrostis rossiae), Yellowstone sand verbena (Abronia ammophila), and Yellowstone sulfur wild buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. cladophorum.)
The Parsnipflower Buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides var. heracleoides) is a relative of the elusive endemic, Yellowstone sulfer wild buckwheat. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
We walked along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, where the Yellowstone sand verbena thrives, looking closely at the tiny flowers. Well, none of them looked like a verbena. I had read that its location is kept a secret as it has been declining due to human traffic, and if spotted, it would be by sheer luck. However, we did find a relative of the Yellowstone sulfur wild buckwheat, called Parsnipflower Buckwheat, in abundance throughout the park
Secrecy can be a good thing as visitors do not think twice to trample wildflowers or drive right over them at the side of the road or meadows in their zeal to see the wildlife. But someday, I hope I will spot these exotic flowers and a few more orchids. There is always tomorrow!
We drove to the Fishing Bridge towards the East Yellowstone entrance, hoping to see the grizzly bears named: Snow, Raspberry, and Jam, who, photographers informed us, had been spotted at Lake Butte Overlook by a carcass the day before. Unfortunately, we missed them but saw a different set of flowers on the east side.
Joy and Sorrow on Finding the Divine Camas Lily
There is a large field of Camas lilies on the drive between the Yellowstone South entrance and Grand Teton. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing them; it is pure liquid purple! However, as I walked down the narrow trail closer to the flowers, that joy soon turned to sadness. People had trampled the flowers.
We spotted the obscure little signboard saying 'protected area' back at the parking area. That signboard should be placed in a more visible area with barricades to protect the field. I mentioned it at the south entrance office and hoped they'd do what is needed.
This field of Camas lilies took my breath away, until I realized how many had been trampled by people trying for a better look at the wildlife they had enticed. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
I recently learned that the bulbs of the Common Camas are a delicacy, and considered an important "root" food to the Northwest and Canadian native people. The taste is often compared to a baked pear, fig, or sweet potato. It can sweeten other foods or be powdered and used as a thickener. In the olden days, the leaves and stalks were used to make mattresses. In addition, they were used as a cough remedy. Wow, a wonder plant and a beauty!
Searching for Wildflowers in North and West Yellowstone
We spent the next few days driving the Lamar Valley and Beartooth Pass. We came upon many patches of Douglas Iris and Rocky Mountain Iris at the Mammoth Springs area. We spotted the exotic white bog orchid. I have seen them previously on the road towards the West entrance of Yellowstone and between Norris and Mammoth Spring. And we saw Monument Plants near Hayden Valley. The multiple bogs and water bodies in this section of the park make it an excellent place to spot bears and moose along with the Yellow water-lily.
Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, the American Serengeti
We spent two evenings driving around Lamar Valley, watching the bison and calves in soft light on this trip. It is stunning to witness multiple herds of 100-500 bison grazing in the valley with the calves frolicking around. You are spoilt for choices as to which animal to photograph. I feel blessed to witness this scene; herds of free-roaming purebred wild bison, a few compared to the millions found across this vast land a couple of centuries ago. We also saw our first ever black wolf in the wild, a single lone one, wandering along the side of the road. In addition, we enjoyed the flax, Sticky Geranium, Penstemons, Common Money flower, and Yellow Owl Clover growing sporadically all across the valley.
New baby bison in the soft evening light of Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley are a bonus of searching for wildflowers in the spring. Image: ©Jovial Lewis
Even in a National Park, Invasive Species are Problematic
When surrounded by the wilderness, you don't think beyond the raw and pristine beauty. I would not have thought of flowers as invasive species in a national park and only realized these two, Hound's Tongue and Dalmatian Toadflax, are both introduced after posting the pictures to the American Wildflower Facebook page. However, invasive plant species can be toxic to native wildlife, spread quickly, and overtake local flora on which wildlife, birds, and insects rely. Since then, I have learned that there are Invasive Plant Management teams who keep a check on non-native species in the Parks.
Memories of Treasure With Each Step
While we saw wildlife like the fox, pronghorn, black bear, cinnamon-colored black bear, elk, and grizzlies, the highlight of this trip was the wildflowers at Grand Teton, Beartooth Pass, and Yellowstone.
☞ Disclaimer: All pictures of wildflowers were taken with a powerful telephoto lens at sufficient distance from a clearing, trail, or standing over plain grass. Enthusiastic feet can trample delicate wildflowers.
What comes to mind when visiting parks are the iconic vistas, wildlife, and unique geological features, but when you look down, there are treasures to be found at every step and corner of the way. Nature dazzles with multiple seasonal flowers in every color. They, too, deserve our care, respect, and appreciation as they play a vital role in keeping an ecosystem healthy. "Do Not Pick Flowers" or "Do Not Trample Flowers" should also be added as mottos for the visitors to the park.
We returned to our New York City home, satisfied and blessed with a few new lessons learned during this trip.
✍︎ Editor’s Note: We’d love to hear from you. Join the conversation below.
Interested in seeing The Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park? Contact us