Minuartia obtusiloba - Alpine Sandwort

Above: Alpine Sandwort flowering in the Rocky Mountains

The lovely mat-forming wildflower is an arctic species and occurs high up in the western mountains of North America. It thrives in sandy or gravelly substrates and can quickly cover large areas of ground.

Alpine Sandwort grows in the Rocky Mountain National Park, and flowers late in the season - from the end of summer and into autumn.

The specimens shown on this page were photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park in late August.