sulphurflower, Eriogonum umbellatum

It's hard not to see sulphurflower in the Rockies. It seems to grow everywhere. It's most striking feature may be its persistence. It blooms in June or July, then the flower heads get dry and papery. A little like straw flowers. As they age they may turn rusty orange. You can still see them into August and September. The first time we saw them we thought they would make good dried arrangements, and hung some in the car to take home. But by the time we got back to Michigan they were too beat up. Never got back to the experiment. Sulphurflower grows from foothills to subalpine areas in AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY, AB, and BC. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Montrose Co CO, 6/20/13.