Western Blue Flax

The Western blue flax, or Lewis flax (Linum [Adenolinum] lewisii [perenne]) likes open steppes and alpine slopes, and was easy to find on the Beaver Ponds trail. (This one only has four petals but was surrounded by the normal five-petal flax.) Though this is a high-use, non-climbing trail, it has constant changes in slope, aspect, and drainage that give it a remarkable diversity of flora. It's a great place to find wildflowers in Yellowstone, if that's your thing. June 2009.