In our past article, we’ve talked about how the trees can tell you a lot about the climate. As you go up in elevation, each area provides a perfect spot for a given species of tree to grow. In that same vein, Yosemite provides the perfect canvas for a display of wildflowers unlike anywhere in the world. A crossroads of 1,450 species found from the Pacific Coast, Great Basin, southern deserts, and northern mountains, all within one park.

Wildflowers have a basic time of year they bloom. But they aren’t on a rigid calendar based schedule. Rather, they take into account snowfall and weather. If the snowpack is deeper than usual, the wildflowers may take their time to come out of dormancy, but if it was a low snow year, then it’s the other way around.

If you arrive in early March through early May, the fireworks of wildflower displays are in the lower elevations. Here you’ll find a vast array of flowers such as the tufted poppies, spider lupines, and owl’s clover. As spring continues into late April, these flowers are replaced with a new tapestry featuring flowers like western azaleas and shooting stars.

Typically found in the conifer forests off of Glacier Point is the “Sarcodes Sanguinea” or commonly referred to as the Snow Plant. Compared to other plants, this fiery red beauty doesn’t get its nutrition from the sun but rather the fungi on the roots of conifer trees. If you're lucky and see one of these, it’s a forerunner that spring flowers will soon follow.

Known as the sub-alpine, spring comes much later here than the rest of the elevations at around June. As Tioga Road opens, you’ll be gifted with a display of pinks in the Tuolumne Meadow from the shooting stars. As the wildflower season wanes into late August, the flowers transition featuring blooms like the rich blue gentians and alpine goldenrod.

As many like to call it, this is the “roof” of the park. In the biggest winters, the hardy bloomers sometimes have to wait until early July before they get their chance. In the alpine zone, you’ll find flowers like the ranger’s button on ridge outcroppings, or if you’re there in the early bloom, Sierra butterweed.

Think of wildflower season in Yosemite like a rolling crescendo in a classical song. It starts slowly in the lower elevations, begins to transition into the valley, and climaxes in the meadows high up with a few stars left in the alpine.

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