‌Spring came late to Yellowstone & the Beartooths this year with snow storms occurring into June. Then snow changed to rain. Since we arrived in late June we’ve had more rain than last summer. Nonetheless, the mornings are more often than not cloudless. Clouds build up in the afternoon, often followed by a brief thunderstorm and, sometimes, rain lasting into the evening as successive storm clouds blow through. The extra rain has kept the risk of forest fires low and brought a provusion of wildflowers and green grasses into mid-August. By the end of July last year, most of the wildflowers were bloomed out and all the grassy slopes and high mountain meadows in the Park were brown. We’re hoping the grasses staying green longer than usual might mean some extra nutritional value into the fall for the wildlife that browse on them, like the bison.

Here are some of the wildflowers we’ve seen in and near the Park and the Beartooth Mountains. I’m not sure I have the identities of all correct. I made my best guess based on a wildflower guide for Wyoming:

Field of Lupines

Lulu Pass flowers

Pilot and Index Peaks w/flowers

Bitteroot

Plains Prickly Pear

Plains Prickly Pear – Peach color

Alpine Avens

Skullcap

Blue Flax

Indian Paintbrush