Alpine Flowers 2024

[DayTrip]

Looks like there is no recent thread for this so not sure if anyone really follows or not anymore but Cumulus post about mountain laurel made me go looking for it. Anyway, I took the Skook up to Lafayette this morning and was surprised to see the diapensia in what looked like full-on maximum peak bloom all over the ridge. Seemed like every flower on every single plant was fully bloomed. Was kind of surprised by that. Feel like it's 2-3 weeks early. I know it varies. Last year I had a nice hike around the cone of Washington on 6/14 in what was good but not great blooms.

So is there similar activity in the Presidentials? Curious if anyone has observed good displays and where recently. Definitely putting that on the radar for next weekend considering what I saw this morning.

 

[peakbagger]

Not sure on the flowers but weather pattern has shifted early by a couple of weeks.

The 7 in Kings Ravine came and was gone quickly.

 

[Ken MacGray]

Here's a public Facebook post for the Alpine Garden from yesterday:

 

[DayTrip]

Here's a public Facebook post for the Alpine Garden from yesterday:

Wow. I hope it's sunny next weekend....

 

[Cartophile]

That Facebook post looks like the Crawford Path at the foot of Monroe, where I was hiking on Saturday.

 

[DayTrip]

Not sure on the flowers but weather pattern has shifted early by a couple of weeks.

The 7 in Kings Ravine came and was gone quickly.

Does "the 7" have any predicative value to the bloom? Wasn't it you awhile back who mentioned a lot of locals plant their tomatoes or something when the 7 disappears? Maybe the status of the 7 would be helpful for flower peepers.

 

[sierra]

I am by no means a botanist and identifying flowers is not my thing. But, I was in the Kilkenny Region this week and I noticed many blooms had fallen off or were altogether gone already. White Trilium were still in bloom, but that was it.

 

[peakbagger]

Does "the 7" have any predicative value to the bloom? Wasn't it you awhile back who mentioned a lot of locals plant their tomatoes or something when the 7 disappears? Maybe the status of the 7 would be helpful for flower peepers.

It is really just an indication that the snow pack is pretty well gone which usually lines up with the last frosts. There were a couple of close calls in the valleys for frost in the last week. I was an optimist and planted tomatoes and peppers a week ago.

 

[gramkuropa]

It's great to hear about your mountain adventures! Nature has its own timing, doesn't it? I remember hiking through the Presidential Range and stumbling upon unexpected blooms—it's like finding hidden treasures. Speaking of blooms, I once explored California during a super bloom season. The hills were ablaze with colors, a sight I'll never forget. If you're planning for next weekend, keeping an eye on peak bloom updates like those on mklibrary.com can make your trip even more rewarding. Nature's surprises are worth chasing.