The Gentian Family

The Explorer Gentian is one of the most conspicuous flowers of the late flower season.  It blooms in large clumps making it a real eye catcher with its dark blue color and small green dots on the petals.  Enjoy!
Less conspicuous than the Explorer is the Alpine Gentian.  However when you are able to find this flower, it is quite attractive with its large size and white coloration.  The green dots on the petals mimic its relative above.

The Green Gentian is "blessed" with many common names. The other two are: 1. Deer's Tongue and 2. Monument Plant.  It grows to almost five feet in height (the monument) over its two year life and its leaves may be the size of a deer's tongue? The flowers seem to almost disappear blending with the rest of the plant with its muted greens and whites.  Quite weird, wouldn't you agree?

The Hiker's Gentian is the only bashful member of the family at Tahoe. It hides in grassy patches and is very hard to locate.  After I finally found them I had to wait for the sun to come up so they would open and give me a good picture.  It was worth the wait.