White Mountains: Green's Peak & Greer

Back on August 19, 2011, my family and I went on a day trip over to the White Mountains in eastern Arizona, checking out Green's Peak, Greer, and Springerville. This trip was our first time over to the area since before this summer's Wallow Fire (the largest fire in state history thus far). Most of the area around Greer didn't look too bad...most of the severely burned parts were on the slopes above town and didn't touch any of the creeks that run through Greer or the three area lakes (Buch, River, and Tunnel reservoirs). Wildflowers were very good nearly everywhere we went. By the time we got to Greer the area was being rained on, but intermittently. We were able to walk along Benny Creek for about an hour before the lightning/thunder got closer. Wildlife highlights included several mule deer, an adult Bald Eagle, and a really cool spotted tussock moth caterpillar. Here are pics from that day:

spotted tussock moth caterpillar (Lophocampa maculata):

Bald Eagle at River Reservoir, Greer:

mule deer at Greer:

golden-mantled ground-squirrel:

butterfly species:

Green's Peak / FR 117 area:

Me and Eva on Green's Peak:

Mushrooms on Green's Peak:

Mushrooms growing on "cow pies":

Greer:

orange agoseris (Agoseris aurantiaca, Family Asteraceae):

pale agoseris (Agoseris glauca, Family Asteraceae). At least I think? They could be more yellowish A. aurantiaca though:

wood-sorrel species (Oxalis sp., Family Oxalidaceae):

American bistort (Bistorta bistortoides, Family Polygonaceae):

spur gentian (Halenia recurva, Family Gentianaceae):

western spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis or T. pinetorum, Family Commelinaceae):

Scouler's catchfly (Silene scouleri, Family Caryophyllaceae):

slender-tube skyrocket (Ipomopsis tenuituba, Family Polemoniaceae):

skyrocket (Ipomopsis aggregata, Family Polemoniaceae):

buttercup species (Ranunculus sp., Family Ranunculaceae):

bellflower species (Campanula sp., Family Campanulaceae):

thistle species (Cirsium sp., Family Asteraceae):

unidentified aster (Family Asteraceae)...looks kind of like snakeweed, but with bigger flowers:

prairie smoke (Geum triflorum, Family Rosaceae):

gentianella (Gentianella amarella, Family Gentianaceae):

sandwort species (Arenaria, or Eremogone sp., Family Caryophyllaceae):

various wildflowers (mostly indian paintbrush [Castilleja sp., Family Scrophulariaceae]):

nurse log (where a decaying log acts as a substrate for new seedlings, in this case an orange gooseberry in the second photo):

southwestern white pine (Pinus strobiformis, Family Pinaceae):

grasshopper species on a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale, Family Asteraceae):

New Mexico checkermallow (Sidalcea neomexicana, Family Malvaceae):

Arizona kittentails (Besseya arizonica, Family Scrophulariaceae):

coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria, Family Asteraceae):

southwestern cosmos (Cosmos parviflorus, Family Asteraceae):

monkshood (Aconitum columbianum, Family Ranunculaceae):

cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata, Family Asteraceae):

Richardson's geranium (Geranium richardsonii, Family Geraniaceae):

larkspur species (Delphinium sp., Family Ranunculaceae):

nodding onion (Allium cernuum, Family Liliaceae):

Mexican hat (Ratibida columnifera, Family Asteraceae):

aster species (Machaeranthera sp., Family Asteraceae):

brickelbush species (Brickellia sp., Family Asteraceae):

orange sneezeweed (Hymenoxys hoopesii, Family Asteraceae):

American hop (Humulus lupulus, Family Cannabaceae):

thinleaf alder (Alnus tenuifolia, Family Betulaceae):

redstem dogwood (Cornus sericea, or C. stolonifera; Family Cornaceae):

golden currant (Ribes aureum, Family Grossulariaceae):

yewleaf willow (Salix taxifolia, Family Salicaceae)???? with galls:

red clover (Trifolium pratense, Family Fabaceae):

horsetail species (Equisetum sp.):

mosses and lichens:

Walnut Canyon flora, etc.

Back in August, Theresa Clark and I went out on the road to Walnut Canyon National Monument to refresh our plant ID skills with flora in the pinyon-juniper woodlands. We only got to look around a bit before intense lightning, rain, and hail came in. At the visitor center parking lot the hail was piled up in a few places looking a little like snow. We tried waiting it out in the visitor center looking at the displays and the gift shop, but it never let up and Flagstaff had rain the rest of the day and night. Here are some pics:

blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulea, or S. nigra; Family Caprifoliaceae):

fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium, Family Rosaceae):

sandmat, or rattlesnake weed species (Chamaesyce sp., Family Euphorbiaceae):

moss (Grimmia sp.):

many-flowered gilia/ipomopsis (Ipomopsis multiflora, Family Polemoniaceae):

Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica, Family Scrophulariaceae):

flax species (Linum sp., Familly Linaceae):

winged buckwheat (Eriogonum alatum, Family Polygonaceae):

Later on in August I went out again with Theresa and her friend Lluvia to look at plants off the Old Walnut Canyon Rd. 

buckwheat species (Eriogonum--umbellatum??, Family Polygonaceae):

toadflax penstemon (Penstemon linarioides, Family Scrophulariaceae):

penstemon species (Penstemon sp., Family Scrophulariaceae):

redroot buckwheat (Eriogonum racemosum, Family Polygonaceae):

Views from the forest roads near sunset and after the rains: