Wildflowers of the Great Basin

This is a collection of wildflower photos taken with my vintage canon macro lens on a trip to Great Basin National Park (GBNP) in June of 2021. This area is unique in its composition of flora and fauna due to the "sky island" effect made possible by high elevation mountain ranges jutting out of the Great Basin Desert below (highest point in the Snake Range is Wheeler Peak at 13,063 ft. above sea level versus ~5k feet elevation desert near Baker, NV). The alpine ecosystem and its inhabitants are effectively barred from moving between mountain ranges and mixing populations (also no bears!). There are many species found here and nowhere else! (endemic is the word for those of you who are so inclined).

Mountain Bluebells (Mertensia ciliata)

Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus)

American Vetch (Vicia americana)

Longleaf Phlox (Phlox longifolia)

Plains Fleabane (Erigeron modestus)

Desert Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa)

Hooker's Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza hookeri)

Creeping Mahonia (Berberis repens)

Mountain Goldenbean (Thermopsis montana)

Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) - Yes I know, not a wildflower but still rad!

Some type of wild rose at the camp site that I did not get properly identified.