Page 32 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

In October we found several individuals of Castilleja nelsonii, Southern Mountain Paintbrush, growing along the trail (photo right). This is a high elevation paintbrush, most of the specimens we found were at 9,500’ or above.
There were a surprising number of flowers still in bloom high on the mountain. Not prolific numbers but more than enough to add interest.
We found one flower of Helianthella parryi, Parry's Dwarf Sunflower, along the Powderhorn Ridge Trail (photo below). There were, however, many leaves of this species along the trail. At the height of bloom this section of the trail must be quite striking.
In October, Iris missouriensis, Rocky Mountain Iris, announced itself with leaves and empty seed pods all along the upper reaches of the trail north of McKnight Mountain. In May they were in bloom, photo top right of next page. If you are taking the walk to the peak it is well worth continuing up the trail a bit for the sunflowers and iris.
The Quaking Aspen, Populus
tremuloides, took a real hit
in the Silver Fire. In 2015
we wondered how they
would fare. Many of the
trunks were badly burned and obviously dead. This species grows as a clonal colony, an aspen grove is one individual with many trunks growing from the same root system, and a single individual can cover a large area. One individual, “Pando”, covers more than 100 acres in Utah. Five years on, how they fared is becoming more clear. Additional trunks have died but many remain alive and add wonderful color to the trail. This species sprouts aggressively from its root system following a fire and along several sections of the trail you have an eye level view of new aspen growth (photo right).