Hoarhound-Marrubium vulgare

This non-native plant that often grows in disturbed areas is hoarhound (Marrubium vulgare), a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). It has square stems and opposite leaves. It is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa and brought over to the U.S. as a garden plant with various medicinal properties. However, it escaped gardens and now grows out in the wild.
The small white flowers are followed by burs with hooks that can catch on anything that brushes up against them.
For more information about hoarhound, click here.

Bigbract Verbena-Verbena bracteata

This spreading plant often found in disturbed areas is bigbract verbena (Verbena bracteata), the only member of the Verbena Family (Verbenaceae) in this area. It's also called prostrate vervain.
Stems are hairy and leaves are opposite. The flowers have five lobes.
For more information about bigbract verbena, click here.

Wax Currant-Ribes cereum

This spreading bush with attractive leaves and whitish-pinkish flowers is wax currant (Ribes cereum), a member of the Goosefoot Family (Grossulariaceae). Later in the season, small berries appear that can be used to make jelly. Generally this bush grows from 6,000-9,000 feet in our area, but I found it next to a lake at 10,230 feet.

Here you can see the fan-shaped leaves and the flowers in clusters.
For more information about wax currant, click here.

Wyoming Indian Paintbrush-Castillja linariifolia

We saw lots of this beautiful Wyoming Indian paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia) on a recent drive. It has narrow leaves and a corolla that projects down through the deeply cleft front side. It's found throughout the western U.S.

It grows from about 7,000 to 10,000 feet.

For more information about Wyoming Indian paintbrush, click here.

Silvery Lupine-Lupinus argenteus

This attractive blue flower is silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus), a member of the Pea Family (Fabaceae). It is native to western North America and grows in sagebrush, grasslands, and forests.
Flowers are clustered and bright blue.
This long-flowering plant can grow up to 3 feet tall.

To learn more about silvery lupine, click here.

Shaggy Fleabane-Erigeron pumilis

One of the most common fleabanes flowering right now is shaggy fleabane (Erigeron pumilis), also called low fleabane. Pumilis is Latin for dwarf. This fleabane rarely grows more than 10 inches tall.
Shaggy fleabane is found throughout western North America.
For more information about shaggy fleabane, click here.

Martin's Ceanothus-Ceanothus martinii

This small shrub with white flowers is Martin's ceanothus (Ceanothus martinii), also called Martin's snowbrush. It's the only member of the Buckthorn Family (Rhamnaceae) found in this area.
The distribution is throughout the Intermountain West.
The flowers are grouped in clumps and have an unusual shape. For more information about Martin's ceanothus, click here.