Reading flowers and seasons on the slope

Flowers above the treeline appear in a narrow window. The timing depends on altitude, the direction a slope faces, the depth of snow and the weather of the year. The same species can be in flower low on one side of a hill and still be closed higher up on the other.

Flowering time and altitude

Each step upward usually means a later start to flowering and a shorter season. A plant in flower low on a slope may be in seed higher up, while the upper slope is still under melt water. A visit to a slope at one time of year shows only part of its flora. The months below give a rough sequence on many high slopes.

June

Early flowers appear on sunny, low ground where the snow has gone first.

July

The main display begins on most open ground, and many species reach their peak.

August

Late flowers appear in damp hollows and on slopes that face away from the sun, where snow lingered.

September

Seed forms, and the few flowers that remain are often small and sparse.

Aspect and the slope

Aspect is the direction a slope faces. Slopes that face the sun warm faster in spring and dry sooner. Slopes that face away from it keep snow longer and stay damp. Plants on either side can differ by weeks in flowering, so a single slope can hold two seasons at once.

Flower colour and shape

Colour is one of the first things a reader notices, but colour alone is weak evidence. Pale flowers fade, and weather changes the look of a bloom. Shape, arrangement and the number of parts are steadier features. Describe the colour in plain words, then move on to structure.

Feature	What to look for	Why it helps
Petals	Number, and whether they are separate or joined at the base	Separates many groups at a glance
Bracts	Leaf-like parts just below or around the flower	Distinguishes leaves from petals
Flower head	Single flower or cluster, and how the cluster is arranged	Narrows the choice within a genus
Stamens	Number, and whether they show beyond the petals	Helps confirm a group
Scent	Present or absent, if it can be noticed without disturbing the plant	Adds a further check

Petals, bracts and the flower head

Petals are the showy parts, usually the coloured inner ring. Bracts are leaves or leaf-like parts that sit under or around a flower and can look like petals. Count petals and bracts separately, since many errors come from mistaking one for the other.

Recording sightings

A useful record holds three things: a photograph of the whole plant, a close view of the flower, and a written note of place and conditions. Write the altitude if a map or device gives it, the aspect of the slope, the type of ground, and the date. A quick outline sketch of the plant helps fix its proportions in memory.

Pressed specimens are best kept to plants grown in a garden, because high-ground species recover slowly from being picked. For wild plants, the photograph and the note do the work that a specimen would otherwise do.