Wildflowers: an Alaskan color palette

Nootka lupine clusters catch droplets of spring rain.

For most of the year, Alaska’s palette of natural color is muted: white snow, golden grasses and tundra, dark evergreen.

May and June bring a riot of new colors as early wildflowers and shrubs bloom along the coastal cliffs, in bogs and meadows, and mountain slopes of south-central Alaskan wildlife refuges. Take a photo tour below!

Shooting stars (Dodecatheon pulchellum) are early bloomers — flowering along coastal meadows and sea cliffs. Photos: Lisa Hupp

Pink wildflowers appear early, attracting pollinators and bringing a pop of color to greening landscapes: elegant shooting stars, shy salmonberry blossoms, and the brilliant, tiny Kamchatka rhododendron.

Kamchatka rhododendron (Rhododendron camtschaticum) and salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) blossoms. Salmonberries are some of the first berries to ripen, providing a tasty treat for humans, birds, and bears. Photos: Lisa Hupp

Purple hues color hillsides and meadows: pale wild geranium and Aleutian violets peek out from last year’s grasses, wild iris rise tall and stately, and Nootka lupine erupt in carpets from the mountains to the sea.

Wild geranium (Geranium erianthum) and Aleutian violet (Viola langsdorffii)

Wild iris (Iris setosa) have large, showy sepals as their outer layer to attract pollinators. The true petals of the iris are near the center of the flower.

Nootka lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) are part of the pea family. Photos: Lisa Hupp

White, gold, and even brown add to the wildflower color scheme: rocky cliffs dotted with yellow villous cinquefoil, meadows of white anemone, and the notoriously odiferous chocolate lily (the smelly-sock odor attracts fly pollinators!).

White anemone (Anemone narcissiflora), villous cinquefoil (Potentilla villosa), and chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis) Photos: Lisa Hupp

You can help: keep invasive plants out of Alaska refuges!

Orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) was introduced as a colorful garden plant, but it can do incredible damage, replacing native plants that are important to wildlife. Photo: Lisa Hupp

Not all flowers are welcome. Invasive and aggressive weeds like Canada thistle, creeping buttercup, and orange hawkweed can destroy native wildflower and wildlife habitat. Prevent the spread of invasive plants by cleaning boots and equipment before entering a refuge; report sightings of invasive plants; and do not transport flowers.

Alaskan wildflowers are a spectacular and welcome sight after long winter months. Enjoy their color, variety, and beauty!

By Lisa Hupp, Outreach Specialist, U.S.Fish&Wildlife Alaska

See more wildflowers on National Wildlife Refuges. Photo by Carl Evans

Want more wildflowers?

Pour over these colorful native spring wildflowers on national wildlife refuges.