Rail (road) Trip!

About two weeks ago we set out on a trip to Boulder, Colorado to be at our niece's wedding. We decided to take the train to our destination just to kick back and relax along the way, which we did very well! The wedding was high in the mountains above Boulder, in a private Yoga retreat, nestled in the ponderosa pines and aspens. We had a great time and in spite of the heavy rains and flooding that started a few days after the wedding, we were able to make it back after some delays. I'll be writing up a separate blog on the overall trip.

In this post, I wanted to make note of a couple of observations. First, it's really hard to get any good flora pictures through the window on the train; especially when it's barreling along at 70 mph! Next, when the train does stop at a station where you can get off to stretch your legs, there are no wildflowers in sight!

In any event, I was able to capture a few close-up blooms here and there, but the two big winners of our trip in terms of sheer volume were: #1 Rabbitbrush, and #2 Wild Sunflower.

Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus and Chrysothamnus nauseosus) is common throughout central and eastern Oregon. Fortunately it was blooming profusely, so easy to spot from just about any vantage point. And, as I discovered on this trip, the high deserts of Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado are also home to MILES of the brush. The only plant more extensive was sage and that was a close call! There were literally hundreds of acres of the brush growing as far as the eye could see along our route for roughly 300 miles!

The two species of rabbitbrush are very similar with C. viscidiflorus growing above 3000 ft. and C. nauseosus growing above 1700 ft. There are also several regional variations (sub-species) of each of these.

Rabbitbrush near Lousiville, CO along a bike path.

Rabbitbrush as far as the eye can see near Winnemucca, NV on the Westbound California Zephyr

Near Reno, NV.

The wild sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) were not as extensive, but we started seeing them in eastern Utah and this continued all the way to Denver. Most were near a water source of some sort, especially along creeks and rivers.

This common Sunflower plant grows up to 7 feet tall, displaying an abundance of bright yellow flowers on many branches. Each flower is about the size of a drink coaster. Leaves are heart-shaped. It's an annual plant, growing each year from the plentiful seeds produced. "Helios" is Greek for "sun" and "anthos" for "flower". This species has been cultivated since pre-Columbian times for its edible seeds. It is now cultivated throughout the world. The genus and species were named by Linnaeus in 1753 from specimens collected in Peru and Mexico.

Near Louisville, CO.

The blooms are 3 to 4 inches across.

Sunflower colony in a swale in Green River, UT