At least once a year, usually when the the Dogwood, (Cornus sp.), Blue bells (Mertensia sp.), and Geranium (Geranium sp.) are blooming, I wander the 5 acres my house sits on and photographically inventory the plants on my property. (Actually, I do this EVERYWHERE I go, but I do it systematically at "my house".) In the past 20 years, there hasn't been any significant change in the number of species on my lot, but there have been some interesting surprises. This year I have discovered two new species for my property's species list!

The first one was one of the 30-odd species of native orchids that Alaska has. That's right THIRTY SOME-ODD species. More than three times more native species than HAWAII has! The orchid I found was Platanthera unalascensis. (I posted about that find here: http://thehunterslife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19512.)

This afternoon, I was walking along the path to the firepit, and found Pyrola asarifolia, also known as Liverleaf Wintergreen, Pink Wintergreen, and Bog Wintergreen. A very pretty little plant that is a member of the "Heath" family, Ericaceae.

Here are some pictures of the latest find. This is how I found them, mixed in with the Equisetum sp (horsetails):


A thunderstorm was just starting and I only had my cell phone with me, so these first pictures aren't great. Mostly they show the foliage. I went back after the rain stopped and got some better pictures with my DSLR.




When I went back after the rain stopped, the mosquitoes were HORRENDOUS, so I just got a few pictures, but they show how pretty this little plant is.








I'm jazzed! These two plants are not common in my neck of the woods. It's kinda neat to find them on my property.

Paul

In Montana that last one is called "Elephant Orchid" pretty catchy huh.

Dad was an avid wild flower photographer and with the help of a botanist (Klaus Lachshewitz) from The University of Montana in Missoula they categorized and photographed many new plant species never before discovered in Montana.

Dad's passion for wildflowers started while taking "dudes" on trail rides in Glacier Park. Not knowing the correct answer to "Hey, what kind of flower is that" questions turned into a life's mission identifying and categorizing Montana's diverse alpine and high plains plant  species.

Sadly, I can only tell noxious weeds from alfalfa and a few of the "more popular" wild flowers. And timothy.

RJ

Some of Klaus' work:

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_int/int_gtr277.pdf

I KNOW I have Dad's copy someplace.

RJ

Not sure what you mean by "that last one", RJ, as all of these pictures are from the same plant. I also think you are confusing this plant Pyrola asarifolia with an "elephant orchid". This is one of the problems with common names. I looked for "elephant orchid in Montana" and didn't find anything, although there are "elephant orchids" 'around'.

That's very cool about your dad and Lachshewitz. I 'need' to know everything I can about the plants and animals that share 'my space'.

Paul

That's what Montanans call it not what it's actually called but it looks pretty close to what you've got there as near as I can recall. Like calling a 7mm Remington Magnum a sevumag . . . . . . get it . . . . . .  

I was not into my morning coffee yet and couldn't focus in between cell phone and DSLR pictures.

Horsetail we have here too. Not "here" here but in the mountains "here". Also the list of wildflowers I can readily recognize and identify is very short but very distinguished. Dog tooth violets, columbines, lady slippers and a few more. The ones I know I know well.

I got to go on many of their jaunts which usually ended up being a fishing trip for me. ANYTHING to get out of the house full of wimmen as Klaus always brought his two daughters and wife Gertrude along to visit with my mother and (older) sister and THEY would plot against us men.

RJ