Castle Crags State Park where I started my hike is noted for its spring wildflowers but by the summer months conditions are far too dry for anything other than evergreen scrub and canopy. I knew I would have to backpack up into the alpine elevations of the wilderness area beyond to reach the mountain meadows of Mount Eddy still lush from the melted snow- a trek from around two thousand feet above sea level to over seven thousand.
 At about five or six thousand feet the landscape was still parched but I started to spot the first flowers. Indian Paintbrush (above) was common from then on. Actually this is a catch all common name for the fiery red Castilleja species of which there are many variations which all look rather similar. I might revisit these entries at a later date to brush up on the botany but I'll stick with the basics for now.

 A bit further and higher these yellow lupines became a regular feature. Last year when I visited Crater Lake lupines were also very common but always in shades of magenta, blue and purple. The ones above are Lupinus croceus which in fact is also known as Mount Eddy Lupine.
 Eddy and Castle Crags are part of the vast territory referred to as Klamath-Siskiyou which encompasses a large chunk of northern California and southern Oregon, home to over 3,500 plant species including many endemics and neoendemics.

 Another common one- Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata). NB Many of these are new to me and I am relying on an excellent field guide "Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest" published by Timber Press. Happy to be corrected if I am mistaken in any of my identifications!

 Water is the key. Where creeks flowed (or had flowed till recently) there were fertile corridors of green. For example Rosy Spirea (Spirea splendens) flourishes along these stretches of moist soil.

 Some plants like their feet right by or in the water e.g. Streambank Arnica (Arnica amplexicaulis).

 Where Arnica grew there would also be this American variety of Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) nearby. I saw this same combination in Crater Lake so clearly they both favour the same conditions.

 On the slopes of Mount Eddy these creeks and streams create verdant mountain meadows (about seven thousand feet above sea level) each with their own character. For example this one is dotted with the white flowers of Western Bistort (Polygonum bistortoides) and the exquisite Red Columbine (Aquilegia formosa).
 The Bistort needs a lot of moisture but the Columbine seems to be something of a generalist at this elevation, it pops up all over the place.

 This meadow was only a short walk away from the one above but it is speckled by the pinkish-red flowers of a different plant altogether. Perhaps you are wondering what it is? So am I!

 These meadows are characterized by their tapestries of low growing wildflowers varying in height from a few inches to a few feet. These little Asters for example (not sure what kind they are) are common to many of the grassy areas I saw.

 There are a few taller species however. I'm always a bit wary about misidentifying umbellifers because they include the Hemlocks but I'm thinking this might be Angelica arguta. Magnifying the photo it appears to have serrated leaves and A. arguta is known as Sharptooth Angelica so maybe I'm on the right lines here.

 To my mind the special atmosphere of these meadows has a lot to do with their intimate scale nestled as they are among the vastness that surrounds them. Mountains and rocks are eternal, the forces that shape them are colossal, trees are ancient but every year these flowers bloom briefly for their season.

 
 And like all meadows the flowers of Mount Eddy create enchanting combinations of form and colour.
 I will dedicate my next entry to one plant in particular, which flourishes here like nowhere else: the carnivorous California Pitcher Plant (though fortunately it eats flies rather than hikers). It's a plant I particularly wanted to find and Mount Eddy did not disappoint...