Exploring the Earth and Sky of the West

Wildflower Photography

  • A cluster of pink wildflowers with sun shining through the petals
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii), Cowiche Canyon Preserve, Yakima, WA
  • Cluster of bright yellow sunflower-like flowers on a grassy slope
    Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) plants cover a dry slope near Chelan, WA
  • A trio of pale blue flowers nearly blend in against a partly cloudy sky
    A trio of blue flax (Linum lewisii) flowers nearly blend in against a partly cloudy sky, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, WA
  • Cluster of bright pink wildflowers at the base of a scraggly woody plant
    A cluster of bitteroot (Lewisia rediviva) flowers beneath a gnarled sagebrush stem.
  • Cluster of cream white, purple, and yellow wildflowers
    Thompsons paintbrush (Castilleja thompsonii) and Gairdner’s penstemon (Penstemon gairdneri) on Manastash Ridge, WA
  • A rare pink specimen of red columbine (Aquilegia formosa) in the Dixie National Forest, Utah.
  • Balsamroot
  • Hedgehog cactus (Pediocactus nigrispinus) blooming in the deserts of central Washington
  • Hedgehog cactus (Pediocactus nigrispinus) blooming in the deserts of central Washington
  • Lupine in the Yakima River Canyon
  • Large yellow flowers in the sunshine
    Balsamroot flowers in the Yakima River Canyon
  • A trio of yellow flowers with brown spots against a blue sky
    Tiger lilies (Lilium columbianum) in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, Washington
  • A variey of wildflowers on a ridge looking down into the valley of the Little Wenatchee River.
    Late season wildflowers on Kodak Peak.
  • Mountain goat and wildflowers, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
  • A trio of bright pink rocket-shaped wildflowers are seen in front of grasses and a yellow wildflower.
    Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon sp.) are among the early blooming wildflowers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. A yellow fritillary (Fritillaria pudica) lurks in the background.
  • A cluster of bright pink flowers in the middle of a hiking trail.
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A patch of bright pink flowers at the base of a low, rounded hill
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A cluster of bright pink flowers in a grassy field next to a rock.
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A few clusters of small yellow flowers sit on a rock with a river and gorge in the background.
  • A cluster of large, yellow, daisy-like flowers sits next to a boulder at the base of a tall cliff of brown rocks.
    Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sp.) was just beginning to bloom in some of the drier, sunnier parts of the gorge.
  • A mountain goat grazes a field of bright purple and red flowers
    A mountain goat enjoys a wide range of appetizers.
  • A mountain goat grazes a field of bright purple and red flowers
    A mountain goat enjoys a wide range of appetizers.
  • A tall volcanic peak dotted with snow rises behind a field of bright red wildflowers
    The summit of Mt. St. Helens rises above a grassy slope filled with paintbrush.
  • A field of red and purple flowers with a tent and mountain views in the background
    Red paintbrush and purple penstemon frame our campsite on the northeast flank of Mt. St. Helens.
  • Several five-petaled white flowers with yellow centers and bright green leaves dot the forest floor.
    White avalanche lily (Erythronium montanum), Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington
  • Large three petaled pink flowers with very large leaves
    Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington
  • Brown and yellow spotted bell shaped flower on the forest floor
    Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington
  • Large stalks of purple, pea-shaped flowers on the forest floor
    Lupine, Teanaway Community Forest, Washington
  • Pink and deep red flowers hanging from a shrubby plant
    Gummy gooseberry (Ribes lobbii), Teanaway Community Forest, Washington
  • Bright pink uniquely shaped flowers on the forest floor
    Fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
  • Blue-purple flower on the forest floor with water droplets
    Oregon Anemone (Anemone oregana), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
  • Six petaled yellow flowing hanging downward on the forest floor
    Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum), Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
  • Purple-pea shaped flowers with whorled leaves holding small droplets of water
    Lupine, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington
  • Bright pink wildflowers growing on a rocky slope
    Denali National Park, Alaska
  • A cluster of bright pink wildflowers growing in a gravel bar along a river
    Dwarf Fireweed along the Toklat River, Denali National Park, Alaska
  • Tiny bell shaped yellow and red flowers poke up out of the sand
  • A bright red desert paintbrush flower in the sand
    One of the few wildflowers left standing in late September: a single desert paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)
  • Pretty Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum), Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah
  • Purple flowers growing from within a green plant and white rocks in the background
    Lupine, Pine Park, Dixie National Forest, Utah
  • Bright red cactus flowers
    A claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) in full bloom., Pine Park, Dixie National Forest, Utah
  • Two white flowers with many petals and pink stamens
    Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), Pine Park, Dixie National Forest, Utah
  • Purple flowers grow in a sandy wash with rock formations in the background
    Lupines, Pine Park, Dixie National Forest, Utah
  • A cluster of purple flowers on a slope
    Lupine, Pine Park, Dixie National Forest, Utah
  • Orange and white spotted butterfly atop a yellow flower.
    A orangetip butterfly enjoys the wild mustard buffet in the Cottonwood Canyon Narrows.
  • Bright red desert paintbrush plant.
    Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa) growing in deep sand.
  • Vibrant pink Golden Prickly Peak flowers
    Electric pink flowers of the Golden Prickly Pear (Opuntia aurea), Washington County, Utah. I realize that it looks like I jacked up the saturation on this photo, but the vibrancy of these flowers is truly that stunning, almost tropical in nature.
  • Bright pink flower of the Engelmann Hedgehog cactus
    Engelmann’s Hedgehog (Echinocereus engelmannii), Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Utah
  • Multi-colored flowers of the Desert Prickly Pear
    Red and yellow flowers of the Desert Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha), Washington County, Utah
  • Pink flowers of the Desert Prickly Pear
    A stately row of pink Desert Prickly Pear (Opuntia phaeacantha) flowers, Washington County, Utah
  • Pink prickly pear flowers
    Mojave Prickly Pear (Opuntia Erinacea), Beaver County, Utah
  • Pink and yellow Straggling Mariposa Lily flower
    Straggling Mariposa Lily (Calochortus flexuosus), Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Utah
  • Bright yellow prickly pear cactus flower
    Golden Prickly Pear (Opuntia Aurea), Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona
  • Bright orange desert prickly pear flowers
    Beautiful orange flowers of the Desert Prickly Pear (Opuntia Phaeacantha), Pipe Spring National Monument, Utah
  • Bright purple Desert Four-O'Clock flower
    Desert Four-O’Clock (Mirabilis multiflora), Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona
  • Bright red claret cup cactus flower
    Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) flower, San Francsisco Mountains, Utah
  • Butterfly on bright yellow Desert Marigold flower
    Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta) butterfly on Desert Marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
  • Bright pink beehive cactus flowers
    FLoursecent pink Beehive Cactus (Escobaria vivipara) flowers, San Francisco Mountains, Utah
  • Sky pilot and Wheeler Peak
    Sky pilot (Polemonium viscosum) in a glacial cirque beneath Wheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park, Nevada
  • A Western Tiger Swallowtail pollinates and feeds from a crimson columbine
    A Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus) feeds from a crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa) along Baker Creek, Great Basin National Park, Nevada
  • Early blooming pasqueflower in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
    Early blooming pasqueflower in Moraine Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
  • Alpine wildflowers, San Juan Mountains, Colorado
  • Rock Mountain Columbine
    Hey look! Colorado’s state flower, the Rocky Mountain Columbine!
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado<
  • Kamiak Butte Flowers
    Mule’s Ears on Kamiak Butte in Eastern Washington.
  • Red Mountain, San Juan Mountains, Colorado
  • A patch of Cushion Phlox (Phlox pulvinata) on the rim of Cedar Breaks Amphitheater
  • Lupine flowers on the lateral moraine of the Eliot Glacier, Mt. Hood, Oregon
  • Wildflowers, Lava Beds National Monument, California
  • Showy phlox (Phlox speciosa), Snow Mountain Ranch, Yakima, WA
  • Wildflowers coat the hillside at Snow Mountain Ranch near Yakima, WA
  • Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), Snow Mountain Ranch, Yakima, WA
  • Hikers traverse slopes covered in arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), Snow Mountain Ranch, Yakima, WA
  • One of my favorite wildflowers, the elusive chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis), Columbia River Gorge, WA
  • Lupine (Lupnius sp.) and large-flower triteleia (Triteleia grandiflora), Columbia River Gorge, WA
  • Upland larkspur (Delphinium nuttallianum), Klickitat River, WA
  • Wildflower covered slopes, Columbia Hills State Park, WA
  • Spring wildflowers bloom at Columbia Hills State Park, WA, with Mt. Hood in the distance.
  • Lupine (Lupinus sp.) Columbia Hills State Park, WA
  • Columbia Hills State Park, WA
  • Columbia Hills State Park, WA
  • Poet’s shooting star (Primula poetica), Klickitat River, WA
  • Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii), Cowiche Canyon, WA
  • Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii), Cowiche Canyon, WA
  • Yellow fritillary (Fritillaria pudica) and bluebells (Mertensia sp.), Snow Mountain Ranch, Yakima, WA
  • Blue Camas (Camassia quamash), Ahtanum State Forest, WA
  • Magenta paintbrush (Castilleja parviflora)
  • Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), one of my favorite Cascade wildflowers