Wildflowers of the Crowsnest Pass

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) - WILDFLOWER stands out with its bright yellow petals that turn purplish-red towards the center. Blanket flowers are found throughout the Rocky Mountains and in the prairies up to Edmonton. This plant flowers from June to early August and can be easily grown from seed or division of the root stocks. The Blanket Flower prefers dry sites in grasslands and open coniferous forests. This plant was used to treat stomach disorders as well as nose and eye infections. Several species of Gaillardia are sold under the common name “Blanket Flower” though this species is native to Alberta.

Curlycup Gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa) gets its name from the sticky sap that is produced by the inch wide flower and the recurved bracts on the cups that enclose the flower. The disc and ray florets are bright yellow and bloom all summer long into September. The sticky flowerheads were used as chewing gum, used to make green and yellow dyes, and the sap was applied to wounds and cuts. These are just a few examples of how versatile this flower is. This flower can be found in disturbed areas, grasslands, saline flats, roadsides, and along trails. Gumweed plants grows 30- 60 cm tall from a deep taproot and have oblong to lance shaped leaves with alternate arrangement. The stalkless leaves surfaces are dotted with small glands and the edges can be smooth to coarsely toothed. This flower makes the perfect addition to your garden because it known as a keystone plant as it supports over 75 bee species and at least 15 caterpillar species. It is important to note that this species is not palatable to livestock.

Field Locoweed, Late Yellow Locoweed (Oxytropis campestris) has many names but can always be found in grasslands, gravelly slopes, meadows, and open woodlands. It can have creamy, pale yellow to pinkish blue flowers that bloom from May to July. These flowers form a calyx tube and can have upwards of 35 flowers per plant. The leaves are hairy and have 17-33 leaflets, which are linear, lance shaped, or oblong growing 6-25 mm long. Locoweeds get their name from how animals act after consuming these plants. Locoweeds are toxic to livestock and cause a number of ailments such as lack of coordination, paralysis, and sometimes death.

Golden Beans, Buffalobean (Thermopsis rhombifolia) can be found in open pine forests, grasslands, or dry sandy locations. The leaves are in alternate, and in sets of 3 leaflets. The bright yellow flowers can be seen from May to early June. The flowers are irregularly shaped but have 5 petals and sepals, 10 stamens and 1 pistil. The fruit resemble bean structures and curl into a semi-circle and brown as they mature. Each legume will contain 5-13 seeds. Though the legumes look edible, no part of this plant should be consumed as it causes respiratory paralysis. This plant can’t be eaten but it was used as a dye to colour skin bags and arrows.

Low Oregon Grape (Mahonia repens) berries can be made into jams, jellies, and wine while the roots can be used to make a yellow dye. Another name for this deciduous shrub is Creeping Mahonia. It is only found in the southwest corner of Alberta and typically only flowers in the month of June. Low Oregon Grape grows in open forest areas, trailing 10-30 cm long. Before producing blue berries that are bitter in taste, it has yellow flowers that are 4-8 mm across. The leaves can be easily identified with their leathery texture, alternate arrangement, and oblong shape. The leaves colours are green in spring and summer months before turning reddish purple in the fall.

Mountain Goldenrod (Solidago simplex) flowers from July to September. It stands out in the foliage with its golden yellow flowers that grow on erect stems 10-40 cm tall that have a few scattered hairs. A couple similar species are Alpine Goldenrod which can be distinguished by the amount of ray florets and disc florets as well as Canada Goldenrod which have densely haired stems below the flower cluster. These flowers grow in prairie grasslands, open forests, and on rocky mountain slopes!

Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa) is native to all of Canada and should not to be confused with prohibited noxious weed, Sulphur Cinquefoil. Shrubby Cinquefoil is a profusely branched, deciduous shrub that flowers from June to August. It can be erect to spreading from 30-150 cm tall. It has shredding brown bark with alternate leaf arrangement. It can grow in a wide variety of habitats ranging from wet to dry, grassy to rocky, and from the plains to subalpine. It is found throughout the Rocky Mountains, southern Alberta and northern Alberta. If you are having soil erosion issues, this shrub is a great solution!

Woolly Gromwell (Lithoospermum ruderale) grows up to 50 cm tall and is covered in bristly hairs. The leaves are linear to lance shaped and grow alternately along the stem. Upon closer inspection, you can see the leaves are stalkless, abundant, and are

covered with woolly hairs. The flowers are yellow but can appear greenish yellow and bloom from June to July. The flowers have five petals growing 5-8 mm long and are funnel- shaped. This species is considered extremely rare and endangered in Saskatchewan.

Yellow Columbine (Aquilegia flavescens) is a beautiful addition to your garden as they attract hummingbirds and other pollinators from June to July. This plant produces a beautiful, nodding, yellow flower that grows on the end of a sticky haired stem 20-60 cm tall. The flower is typically yellow but can have red or pink tinges and the sepals are very petal-like. The leaves are basal compound and divided typically three times. Once divided, there are several coarsely tooth leaflets. Being a bushy, native perennial to Alberta Rocky Mountains, it is a great way to fill out your garden.

Yellow Mountain Avens or Yellow Dryad (Dryas drummondii) forms a spreading mat over sandy or gravelly soils. Often found along river flats and roadside, it can also make great cover for edging pathways. It grows yellow flowers on leafless, woolly stalks from June to July and produces the feathery achene from July to August. The flowering stems are 5-25 cm tall, and the leaves are dark green with rounded teeth along the edges, however, the leaves have white-woolly undersides. If you plan on using this plant for ground cover, ensure it has good snow cover in the winter for successful planting!

Bearberry/Kinnikinnick (Arctostapylos uva-ursi) is a shrub that flowers from May to July and has pinkish-white, nodding, urn-shaped flowers that tend to grow in clusters of 3-10. This shrub has evergreen leaves 15-20 mm in length and are 6-12mm wide. This species name means grape (uva) of the bear (ursi). The fruits are dry and tasteless, drupe berry-like, bright red in colour and 6-10 mm across. These berries often remain on the stem until the following summer. This plant is found throughout most of Alberta and prefers to grow in dry forests or sandhills. The leaves have been used to tan hides of animals and the leaves are high in tannins. A similar species is the Alpine Bearberry whose fruit is also 6-10 mm across, however the leaves are only 2-4 cm long.

Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) was used for thousands of years to treat a number of different ailments. It was harvested for medicinal purposes as well as a fumigant and insecticide. You can identify this flower by its erect stems, broad, flattened heads of clustered white flowers, and feather-like leaves arranged alternately along the stem. It grows 10-80 cm tall in prairie grasslands, roadsides, and open forests and is a great addition to your garden. Different colour varieties are usually available for purchase.

Yellow Columbine (Aquilegia flavescens) is a beautiful addition to your garden as they attract hummingbirds and other pollinators from June to July. This plant produces a beautiful, nodding, yellow flower that grows on the end of a sticky haired stem 20-60 cm tall. The flower is typically yellow but can have red or pink tinges and the sepals are very petal-like. The leaves are basal compound and divided typically three times. Once divided, there are several coarsely tooth leaflets. Being a bushy, native perennial to Alberta Rocky Mountains, it is a great way to fill out your garden.

Death Camas (Zigadensus venenosus) as the name implies is EXTREMELY POISONOUS! It prefers dry prairies and hillsides, growing 20-50 cm tall. The leaves are grass-like, pale green, and v-shaped in cross section. The flowers appear from May to July and are creamy white in colour, 5-12 mm across, have 3 sepals, and 6 pistils. Ingestion of this plant could mean severe illness and possible death for humans and livestock.

False Gromwell (Onosmodium molle) grows 40-80 cm tall in open woodlands and gravelly slopes. The plant is densely covered with hairs and has oval to lance shaped leaves with prominent ribbed surfaces. The edges of the leaves are smooth and have alternate arrangement. The stout stems are branched and are often purplish in colour. You can see the flowers during June and July. The flowers are tube shaped, borne in clusters, and white with greenish or yellowish hues. These flowers have taproots and are drought resistant!

Holboell’s Rockcress (Arabis holboellii) can be a biennial or perennial herb that flowers from April to August, growing up to 100 cm tall. The stems are erect and stout and covered in short hairs. The basal leaves have pointed tips, are hairy on the underside and clasping to the stem. The flower petals are typically white but can be pinkish-purple pointing downward. It prefers to grow in dry, rocky areas from the plains to subalpine. Most Holboell’s rockcress resemble the photo on the right, lower in flower density and thinner stem.

Mariposa Lily (Calochortus apiculatus) are very special to the Crowsnest Pass as they are only found in a small area of the southwest corner of Alberta. They grow on dry slopes and hillsides and flowers bloom from June to July. The flowers are yellowish-white and occasionally have purple close to the center of the flower.  They have 3 petals and 3 sepals and have grass-like stems growing up to 30 cm tall with an onion-like bulb. Though these bulbs are edible, it is best to leave it in the ground and allow them to continue to grow and spread their seeds.

Mouse-ear chickweed or Field Chickweed (Cerastium arvense) has white flowers from April to August, the petals are deeply notched and are longer than the sepals. The hairy stems are sticky and when the nodes touch soil they can produce roots which helps differentiate it from Common chickweed. Mouse-ear chickweed grows in dry, open plains and hillsides. The stems are 10-30 cm tall, erect to ascending, hairy and branched. The leaves are opposite, 1-4 cm long and the upper surface is often hairy.

This plant is often fed to goslings, chickens and caged birds when ill.  

Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale) has a set of four leaves that are whorled around the stem. The stems grow 30-80 cm tall and have a squarish, slender stem. These flowers have rhizomatic roots that help it create colonies. Flowers can be seen from June to July throughout most of the province. The small flowers are somewhat fragrant, measuring 2-4 mm across and resemble other bedstraw flowers with only 4 white petals. During the winter, these plants die back to the ground and bloom again in the spring.

Northern bedstraw has a number of different medicinal purposes but gets its name from when the pioneers used these plants as mattress stuffing!

Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) prefers full to partial sun and can be found in open woodlands. Pearly everlasting grows 20-60 cm tall with alternate linear leaves. The flowers grow in clusters, the bracts are pearly white and appear in overlapping rows making up majority of the flowerhead. The disc florets are yellowish orange and are either male or female. The flowerheads can be seen throughout the summer from June to August giving some truth to the name everlasting. Pearly everlasting provide some nice contrast in your garden and are deer and rabbit resistant!

Pink Pussytoes (Antennaria rosea) is a low-growing plant that produces flowers from June to August. The flowers have white disc florets and pink bracts. The name rosea is referring to the colour of the pink bracts. It is generally 15-50 cm tall, has woolly white hairs and alternate arrangement of leaves on the stem. It prefers to grow in open areas especially grasslands and is mat forming. If you are a gardener looking for ground cover or a great option for rock gardens, Pink pussytoes are a hardy perennial and won’t disappoint!

Star-Flowered Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) flowers from May to July. Similar in resemblance to wildflower False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) which flowers from June to July. The Star-Flowered Solomon’s Seal has erect stems, slightly arching and grows about 15-60 cm tall. It has slender, creeping rhizomes which helps it reproduce, so you will find multiple specimens in one area. It prefers moist environments, although can tolerate dry areas, and likes shaded to open sites from the foothills to the subalpine.

Thimbleberry, Red-Caps (Rubus parviflorus) is a deciduous shrub flowering from May- July. This shrub is an erect plant and has creeping rhizomatic roots which helps form dense thickets. It can grow on slopes, open to wooded, and in moist to day areas. It will take up a lot of space as its palmately lobed leaves measure 10-20 cm long and across. Once the flowers have dried up, it produces a raspberry-like edible fruit that is high in vitamin C and an important source of food for birds and wildlife. Teas can be made from the leaves, twigs and flowers.

Thread Leaf Water Crowfoot, White Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus trichophyllus) is a semi-aquatic or aquatic flower that grows in slow moving creeks, rivers, and ponds. The feathery leaves collapse when removed from the water but when submersed they are 4-11 cm long and 10-25 cm across in thread-like segments which are deeply divided. The white flowers, with yellow stamens and pistils, float as mats on the water’s surface. If you have a pond, this plant makes a great addition to provide shelter for fish and aquatic invertebrates, it also is a good food source for some waterfowl. If you choose to add this flower to your ponds, it is best to wear gloves, after all it is a member of the Buttercup family which has toxic compounds and can cause skin irritations.

Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) flowers all summer long from May to October in open woodlands from the foothills to montane regions. This plant is a member of the rose family! It’s flowering stems can reach up to 25 cm tall and has runners called stolons, that produce new plants at the nodes. The flower has 5 white petals and the leaves are in sets of 3; leaflets are oblong to oval and stalkless. The Woodland strawberry mostly grows in northern Alberta but can also be found here in the Crowsnest Pass and surrounding districts.

Early Blue Violet (Viola adunca) flowers from May to July with stems growing only 4-10 cm. It has leaf bearing stems, slender rhizomes that spread quickly, attracting a variety of pollinators. Early blue violet likes to grow in dry to moist conditions, in open to wooded sites throughout the foothills to subalpine regions

Low Larkspur (Delphinium Bicolor) flowers from May to July. Low Larkspur or Little Larkspur is native to northwestern North America and can be found from foothills to mountain forests in dry grasslands and open woodlands. The irregular flowers have indigo to purple petals that stand out against the grasses. These plants are 20-50 cm tall, unbranched, have thick, fibrous roots and are hairy near the top. A similar species called Mountain Larkspur (Delphinium Nuttallianum) can be distinguished by its notched petals. Mountain Larkspur can be found on dry slopes in the southern portion of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. All members of the Larkspur genus are known to be POISONOUS TO LIVESTOCK, DOGS, AND HORSES. Cattle find it palatable, so they are often poisoned from early spring growth.

Smooth Blue Beardtounge (Penstemon nitidus) is a perennial herb that can be found growing in southern Alberta in dry, rocky open areas and grasslands. It’s funnel shaped flowers are blue to purple in colour. The leaves are opposite arrangement, stalkless and somewhat waxy (similar to how tulip leaves feel) with smooth margins. This perennial flowers from May to July and can grow in clusters or in single plants. These flowers make great garden additions with their ability to attract songbirds, bees, and hummingbirds!

Creeping White Prairie Aster, Western Health Aster (Symphyotrichum falcatum) is a wildflower that we often see into November once all other wildflowers have disappeared. Both the leaves and stems are hairy and grayish green in colour. This flower has long, creeping, rhizomatic roots supporting stems that grow 30-80 cm tall. The stalkless leaves are covered in bristly hairs on the leaf surface and the leaf tips are often spiny. The flowers are borne at the end of the branches, have 22-35 white ray florets, and numerous yellow disk florets. The bracts are bristle tipped and hairy, borne in overlapping rows. Creeping White Prairie Aster grows in grasslands, meadows, roadsides, and even disturbed areas. The seeds make great feed for wildlife and the flowers are visited by a number of different pollinators such as butterflies, bees, moths, and is great companions with other late blooming grasses or wildflowers in your garden.

Crested or Fuzzytongue Beardtongue (Penstemon eriantherus) grows in dry grasslands and hillsides in the Southwest corner of Alberta. It has basal leaves at can appear oblong or spatula shaped. The edges of the leaves are smooth and the stems grow between 10-30 cm tall covered in sticky hairs. Crested beardtongue flowers from May to July producing tube shaped purple flowers that have 5 petals, 5 sepals, and a hairy throat. The species name eriantherus is derived from the Latin meaning ‘woolly anthers’. This wildflower is very hardy, deer resistant, and attracts many beneficial bees and birds to your garden. This is a great alternative to the non-native and invasive Blueweed.

Cut-leaved Anemone, Windflower (Anemone multifida) flowers can be white, pink, magenta, yellow, blueish, red or even mottled but the leaves will always be palmately divided into narrow segments and has terminal segments as well. This flower has 3-6 basal leaves, and the stem leaves are stalkless or short stalked, and whorled around the stem. This flower grows in open woods, river valleys, rocky slopes, and dry grasslands in the foothills to subalpine from May to August. The entire plant is covered in hairs and reaches heights of 15-60 cm tall. The seed resemble cotton swabs and were used to remedy headaches. These flowers can handle full sun to shade and prefers moderate to moist soil conditions.

Dotted Blazingstar (Liatris punctata) flowers late in the summer months from August to September. This is a great plant for birds, bees, and insects later in the year. It forms clumps, spreads by seed and grows on a hairless, woody stem that is 20-60 cm tall in dry meadows and rocky hillsides. The flowers are arranged in a dense, spike-like cluster with 4-6 disc florets that are pink-purplish in colour. The species name ‘punctata’, which is given to the plant because of the ‘dotted’ surface of the leaves.

Harebell, Bluebell (Campanula rotundifolia) can be seen flowering from June through September, growing in meadows, dry hillsides, cliffs, beaches, and dry nutrient poor grasslands. The nodding bell-shaped flowers are violet blue to white in colour and makes a wonderful addition to your garden. It has a yellow stylus which attracts various pollinators. Early in the season it has oval-shaped basal leaves that disappear and are replaced by linear to lance shaped leaves growing 1- 7.5 cm long. These leaves are numerous and hairless. These flowers can be sowed in March or April. As these flowers tend to grow in bunches, they can be divided in early spring or fall in your garden. Do not confuse this native flower with the non-native and invasive Creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides). This weed can be differentiated by the leaf shape which is oval to heart shaped and it grows to a greater height of 100 cm.

Heal-all, Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) is a low growing, herbaceous creeping perennial that belongs to the Mint family and is able to grow in meadows, lawns, open woods and creek banks. The stems are partially hairy, square in shape, and grows 10-30 cm tall. The leaves are opposite of each other and oval to oblong shaped with smooth to slightly toothed leaf edges. The flowers can have a range of colours from red to pink, blue to purple, or even white. As the fruit ripen and dries, it remains intact and does not open. This plant gets its name from its long history with medicinal purposes, inside and outside of the body. This flower is a great butterfly and bee food source.

Showy Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum) is one of two native Jacob’s ladder species found in Alberta. This species can be found in dry, open slopes, whereas Polemonium acutiflorum can be found in wet meadows and marshy grounds. The leaflets are small growing 2-8 mm long and are arranged alternatively compound with 11-23 leaflets per stem. The flowers appear blueish purple but can also be quite pale appearing almost white. They have their first bloom early from April to May and can have a secondary bloom that lasts throughout the summer until September. These bell-shaped flowers have a yellow throat and have a very sweet scent.

Linear-leaf phacelia, Thread-leaved Scorpion-weed (Phacelia linearis) is an annual herb and has linear to lance shaped leaves. The stems are erect and grow up to 60 cm tall, covered in hairs. The flowers are light to moderate purple and all petals are fused together. The flowers grow in a crowded, terminal cluster and can be seen from April to early July in open forests, grasslands, well drained dry areas, and open scrub. This flower and its close relative Silky scorpionweed are a great way to attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

Mountain Fireweed (Chamerion latifolium) is a colourful flower that grows along streambanks and riverbanks. It is very similar to Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) which grows in open forests and areas that have had forest fires. The species angustifolium also grows up to 3 m tall whereas Mountain fireweed grows to lesser heights of 10-70 cm and is restricted to the mountain regions. It has creeping rhizomatic roots that helps it form colonies. The leaves elliptical to lance shape making them a bit wider than species angustifolium. The flowers are magenta, 2-5 cm wide, and have 4 petals and 4 sepals blooming from June to August. Fireweed species are great for containers if you don’t want it taking over your garden and it will need regular watering and full sun.

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) is a perennial herb native to North America that likes to grow in open areas ranging from moist to dry. It has very slender stems that grow 10-50 cm tall, arching at the tip giving the plant nodding, pinkish-white flowers from June to August. This plant is a great resource of food for ground squirrels and can be used to aid digestive issues and add flavour to your choice of meat!

Perennial Lupine (Lupinus Sericeus) flowers from May to July. It is native to North America but when consumed in large quantities, it can be poisonous to humans and animals. The perennial lupine grows in grasslands and open woods. It can be easy to pick out when in bloom with its purplish-blue flowers. The species name, Sericeus, refers to the ‘silky’ hairs found on the upper and lower side of the leaves, the back of the top petal, and the fruit, which is covered with white hairs. A similar species called Silvery lupine (Lupinus Argenteus), does not have hairs on the back of the top petal.

Prairie Crocus (Pulsastilla patens) - WILDFLOWER is a perennial herb native to Alberta that flowers from April to June. Another common name for this flower is Pasque-flower. It has pale blue to light purple petals, sometimes they can even be white, with silky hairs found all over the plant. As the flowers and fruit appear, it becomes elongated growing from 8- 40 cm tall. It grows in clusters and spreads by seed in dry open areas such as sand dunes, pine forests, and prairie grasslands.

In the Crowsnest Pass, seeing the Prairie crocus is a sign that spring is here, as it is one of the first flowers to appear on south to east facing slopes. This plant has also been called the “ears of the earth” due to its ability bloom through the snow, listening for the approach of summer. It can be found through most of Alberta all the way up to the border of Northwest Territories. 

You can also find it’s similar species, Chalice-flower (Pulsatilla occidentalis) which has white petals, becomes woolly while in flower, but during maturity is nearly hairless. The species name occidentalis means western, as it is found on the western side of Alberta, throughout the Rockies. 

-Prairie Smoke, Three Flowered Avens, Old Man Whiskers (Geum triflorum) has many names but can be identified by its unique cyme flowers from May-June. It usually has three flowers as the name states, but it is possible to see 1-5 flowers. The nodding flowers are pinkish-red, 12-20 mm across. The fruit are feathery and borne in an erect cluster. These feathery styles are what gives this flower its name. It often grows in thick patches in dry, open prairies or meadows, and when blowing in the wind can resemble prairie fire smoke. The leaves can still be seen the following year at the base of the plant. The leaves are numerous and have deeply toothed or lobed edges and are also covered in soft hairs

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon Pulchellum) tends to stand out with its bright magenta flowers from May to August. You will find them in moist to wet meadows, from the plains to alpine of Alberta. It is generally 10-20 cm tall and is hairless. The petals can range from a magenta to white, but is often purplish-pink with yellow colouring at the base. It has 5 petals and sepals with maroon pollen sacs and filaments. A similar species called Saline Shootingstar (Dodecatheon Pulchellum) can also be found here in the Crowsnest Pass but tends to have a short flowering period from late June to early July and grows up to 50 cm tall.

Showy Aster (Eurybia conspicua) flowers from August to September and prefers open forests or edges of shrubs and thick grasses. Aster is a genus of perennial plants and the name, aster, comes from an ancient Greek word meaning star.  You can identify these flowers with their purplish- pink colour, erect stems and height as they can grow up to 100 cm tall! There are many species that can be confused with Showy Asters if you are just looking at the flowerheads, but Showy asters can be differentiated by their height, rough-haired stems, stout rootstocks, flat-top flower clusters, and their habitats. The disc florets are yellowish-brown with ray florets pale purple to pink. The bracts are green and papery with pointed tips covered in sticky hairs. Large Northern Aster (Canadanthus modestus) tends to grow in wet meadows and bogs.

Showy Locoweed (Oxytropis splendens) is a great option for revegetation for a couple reasons, first being it has nitrogen fixing properties, can be planted in poor soils, and takes up selenium. The downside is it contains toxic alkaloids, so this flower is not suitable for forage. This flower is easy to identify, the entire plant is covered in silky hairs giving the plant a white appearance. The flowers are along the top of the stems and are reddish-blue in colour from June to August. The basal leaves are pinnately compound with 7-15 whorls with 3-4 leaflets whereas the leaflets are elliptical to lance shaped. The stems have no leaves which helps differentiate it from Reflexed locoweed.

Sticky Purple Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) is a perennial herb that flowers from June to July. These flowers reflect UV light which the bees love! In the fall these leaves turn bright red adding some colour to the autumn foliage. These beautiful and eye-catching flowers grow in open grasslands in the montane to subalpine regions in the southern Rocky Mountains and an isolated area on the border of Saskatchewan in southern Alberta. Viscosissimum translates to sticky, or viscous, referring to the sticky hairs that cover this plant.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is also known as horsemint and  belongs to the mint family. Growing 30-70 cm tall, it can found be found in fields, open woods, and prairie grasslands. Wild Bergamot flowers from July to September and can vary in colour from pink to purple. The leaves have opposite arrangement, short stalks and are oval to triangular with grey hairs. This plant was used as an aromatic tea to treat a variety of ailments and the dried leaves and flowers make a great perfume!

Wild Rose or Prickly Rose (Rosa acicularis) is Alberta’s provincial flower and blooms from June to August and has straight thorns, reddish brown bark, and pink flowers with yellow centers. This shrub grows up to 2.5 m tall on the edge of woodlands, pastures, and roadsides. The Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana) can also be found in the Rocky Mountains but has globe-shaped fruit compared to the Prickly Rose, which has pear-shaped hips. Similar to other roses, the flower is quite fragrant. It has 5 pink petals, and 5 sepals with alternate, pinnately compound leaves.

Woollen-breeches, Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum) gets its species name capitatum from the head-like cluster of flowers. The cup-shaped flowers can appear pale white to bright purplish-blue and have bristly hairs, measuring 6-10 mm in diameter with long-stalked stamens. The pinnately divided leaves, measuring 5-12 cm long, grow on long, stalked stems, and have short hairs on the surfaces. You can find these flowers in open montane woods, or in moist areas.

Orange Mountain Dandelion, Orange False Dandelion (Agoseris aurantiaca) resembles non-native and highly invasive Orange Hawkweed but can be differentiated by the woolly hairs below the flower head. The invasive Orange Hawkweed has stiff black hairs and has clusters of flowerheads. Orange Mountain Dandelion is native to the mountainous areas of Alberta and prefers meadows, grassland slopes, and open woods. It has a singular flower that grows at the top of a leafless, hollow stem. The ray florets are burnt orange and as they dry out become purplish pink in colour. This flower can bloom throughout the summer months of June to August. The stems grow 10-60 cm tall and below the flowerhead of woolly hairs, the leaves however are hairless to finely haired. Orange Mountain Dandelion is like other dandelions, it exudes a milky sap when the stem is broken. The species name aurantiaca means ‘orangey red’.