Flowers, Banff National Park

Take a walk along the boardwalk at Johnston Lake & stroll through the medow - bursting with scent & beautiful coloured wildlowers - I could have stayed all day with the gentle hum of insects, bird song & the least chipmunk (too quick to photograph) drarting to & fro.

The delicate white flowers, somewhat star-like, may have inspired the genus name ('Cassiope') of this plant, for in Greek mythology Cassiopeia was set among the stars as a constellation.

This species of White Arctic Bell-Heather, or Firemoss Cassiope, has a prominent groove on the lower side of each leaf which differentiate it from the other two species ( 'C. mertensiana' and 'C. stelleriana').

This delicate, porcelain beauty flowers July-August near and above the timberline. It is prevalent also in dips and areas where it can catch the moisture from the melting snow off the mountains in the Spring.

Here's another blue (blue-violet or violet, to be more exact) wildflower I simply love seeing!!
I usually see them growing in moist meadows or forests, along streams, and anywhere from the lowlands up into the mountains. I even have many growing in my yard...the part I have left wild and which I plan to expand.

These somewhat succulent (type of plant not how they taste!) Lupines are one of the tallest and lushest of the western species. They grow from 60 - 150 cm. tall and when you see them all blooming in colonies in a vast field, from June to August, they make an amazing display!!!

Whenever I see a blue flower anywhere, I either take a photo of it or buy it .

The Blue-eyed grass can grow anywhere from 10 - 50 cm. tall. Their blooming time is from April to September and they like to grow in moist places, generally in the open, from lowlands well into the mountains.

The native range of this plant is vast (NE Asia, Europe, Alaska, Canada, and northern U.S.). Hikers are familiar with it even in high elevations. And, like fireweed, it thrives in burn sites. It is a very hardy and drought-tolerant plant.

This clump-forming perennial dies down to its roots each winter. In spring the shoots emerge and grow from 1-3 ft. high. The flowers begin in June and grow into the fall.

Some Indians used the dry flowers to stuff pillows...something I just recently learned...and not a bad idea considering the cost of down pillows these days!!

So far though, I just collect these flowers around where I live (again, NEVER in National Parks!!) for my dried flower displays.
They last a very long time!
I guess that's why they call them Pearly EVERLASTING!! :o)

Well, I have to include my favourite fruit here!! .....and the fruit of the wild strawberry is by far SUPERIOR in flavour to any of the cultivated garden varieties!!

The flowers of the wild strawberry form after the leaves come out in the spring and there are usually 2-3 flowers in a cluster. The fruits are ripe around July in the lower mountain valleys.

You will find them most often at the edges of woodlands, openings to forested areas, and along roadsides and open, dry areas such as old fields.

Bears and other small animals LOVE to eat the wild strawberry. I usually only take a couple to savour (for my once yearly wild organic high!!) because I know Mother Nature gave the animals this fruit for their food and they are the ones responsible for spreading the wild strawberry seeds around.

All parts of the wild strawberry plant (roots, leaves, fruits) have been used for medicinal purposes, especially by our European ancestors and the First Nations people.

Growing up in Alberta I saw many wild roses growing around the places we went to on our hikes and other outdoor activities (picnics, Sunday drives, and visiting friends and family around the province).

The wild rose is a woody shrub with small 5-petaled pink flowers. It has numerous tiny prickles on its stems (like most roses) so be careful when taking a whiff of its lovely fragrance!

I have used the petals from the flowers (here where I live, NEVER from the park!!) to make Wild Rose Jelly, dried in tea mixtures, and as part of my potpourri recipes. Both are SO good (to smell and eat)!!!

After blooming in June, the flowers form red seed pods (similar to miniature apples) called hips and stay on the bush all winter. These hips, because they are high in Vitamin C, are made into jams, syrups, and jellies (popular in Europe) and they are best picked after the first frost. Personally, I'm not too fond of rose hips. The native peoples would eat the rind and leave the seeds of the hips. Also, they would make arrows from the rose wood.

The wild rose is the floral emblem of Alberta, and yet you will also find it growing profusely in B.C. where I live. It likes to grow in low to medium elevations and in clearings, open forests, and rocky slopes.

This is such a sweet and delicate beauty!!

I love the colours of it...from pale to deep sky blue. And they're so very graceful on their thread-like stalks... waving in the wind.
Can you hear them ringing??
I know the faeries can!

You will find these flowers of the Bluebell family growing on grassy slopes, canyons, and open or well-drained sites from sea-level to alpine elevations.

They are perennials which bloom during July, August, and September and grow from 30 to 40 cm. high.

I love this flower!! I see it everywhere...even here where I live on Vancouver Island.

It's a member of the Evening Primrose family and grows to 6 ft. tall with each of its flowers 1" wide.

It blooms during the months of July and August and grows in abundance in open areas, roadsides, and disturbed or cleared land.

Its common name is derived from its ability to rapidly colonize recently burned areas after a forest fire.

The 'Dryas octopetala' can easily be confused with the 'Dryas integrifolia' which grows mostly in the arctic.

The dryads growing in the mountains ('Dryas octopelata') are best told apart from the other arctic dryads by the leaves...which are longer (up to 3.5 cm), wider, and a little rounder.

They have scalloped edges and the upper leaf surfaces are wrinkled. The surface is often sticky from the chemicals excreted by the glands of the leaf. It grows low and close to the ground to protect itself from the harsh winds.

You will find this plant in gravelly and rocky barrens, alpine meadows, and alpine ridges. It loves the sun!