(Flowering plants) began changing the way the world looked almost as soon as they appeared on Earth about 130 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. That’s relatively recent in geologic time: If all Earth’s history were compressed into an hour, flowering plants would exist for only the last 90 seconds. But once they took firm root about 100 million years ago, they swiftly diversified in an explosion of varieties that established most of the flowering plant families of the modern world.

Today flowering plant species outnumber by twenty to one those of ferns and cone-bearing trees, or conifers, which had thrived for 200 million years before the first bloom appeared. As a food source flowering plants provide us and the rest of the animal world with the nourishment that is fundamental to our existence. In the words of Walter Judd, a botanist at the University of Florida, “If it weren’t for flowering plants, we humans wouldn’t be here.”

From oaks and palms to wildflowers and water lilies, across the miles of cornfields and citrus orchards to my father’s garden, flowering plants have come to rule the worlds of botany and agriculture. They also reign over an ethereal realm sought by artists, poets, and everyday people in search of inspiration, solace, or the simple pleasure of beholding a blossom.

Read the rest of the article to learn more about how flowering plants came to play such an important role in the history of world.

Justin Grigg

This year, the Missoulian is putting a modern twist on the assignment by bringing it to the popular social networking site Twitter.

We want you, western Montanans, to send a tweet describing your summer in 140 characters or less. To have your message included in our collection, use the hashtag #wmtvaca. Abbreviations will help keep your tweet short, and feel free to include TwitPics or links to other pictures.

For example, here is the tweet from news editor and Wildflower Walks columnist Justin Grigg (@jjgrigg), coming in at 138 characters:

“Got wet hiking OR, WA. Wildflower Walked. Ran MSO 26.2. Backpacked Glacier http://twitpic.com/28pzto. Hosted houseguests. Worked. #wmtvaca”

We’ll set up a collection of all the summer vacation tweets on Missoulian.com, and a selection of tweets sent by Sept. 1 will run in the newspaper over

Labor Day weekend. And, we’re going to award a prize for our favorite – a photo album provided by Yellowstone Photo to preserve your vacation memories.

Justin Grigg

Wild bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

Description: Many pink to purplish 1-inch-long flowers consisting of a narrow upper lip and a lobed lower lip with two stamens and one style. Flowers grow from a 1- to 3-inch-wide head that stands atop a stem 1 to 3 feet tall with opposite, lance-shaped leaves. Grows in moist or semi-dry ground in meadows, valleys, foothills and forests. Blooms late June through early August.

Recently seen: Pattee Canyon National Recreation Area and the National Bison Range near Moiese.

The walk: An easy place to find wild bergamot is along the Meadow Loop Trail north of the Pattee Canyon Picnic Area, about 3 1/2 miles up Pattee Canyon Road southeast of South Higgins Avenue. From the northeast corner of the picnic area, follow the trail north as it begins by paralleling an old dirt road. The 2.2-mile path loops around a meadow and through the forest, returning to the picnic area on its northwest side. Look for wild bergamot in the grass on the northern stretch of trail.

Justin Grigg

Yellow columbine

Aquilegia flavescens

Description: Flowers are made up of five cream to yellow petals that are open in the front and taper to yellow spurs and five yellow sepals. They stand atop stems 8 to 30 inches tall with basal leaves that are divided into three thin leaflets each. Found in moist meadows, along streams and on alpine slopes. Blooms July to August (”Wildflowers of Montana,” by Donald Anthony Schiemann.)

Recently seen: Stateline Trail near Superior, Gunsight Lake trail in Glacier National Park.

The walk: The trail to Glacier’s Gunsight Lake leaves from the Jackson Glacier Overlook about five miles east of Logan Pass on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Follow the path downhill to the southeast through the forest, crossing Reynolds Creek just below Deadwood Falls at about 1 1/2 miles. Continue southwest along the trail as it roughly follows the St. Mary River to another creek at the junction for Florence Falls at about four miles. (The falls are three-quarters of a mile up the very brushy spur trail.) Cross the creek and ascend up the side of Fusillade Mountain to Gunsight Lake at about 6 1/4 miles. Look for yellow columbine along the last two miles of trail as the terrain break out of the shady forest, also revealing views of Mount Jackson, Mount Logan and Jackson and Blackfoot glaciers. From Gunsight Lake, retrace your route back to the Sun Road, continue the 20-mile through hike over Gunsight and Lincoln passes to Lake McDonald Lodge, or stay the night if you’ve obtained a backcountry camping permit.

Justin Grigg

Socialize, get some native plants and enjoy the garden at its summer peak. The celebration is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and is open to all ages. Refreshments will be provided.

For directions or more information, call 327-0405.

Justin Grigg

Pink mountain heather

Phyllodoce empetriformis

Description: Bright pink bell-shaped flowers growing in clusters from evergreen shrubs 8 to 20 inches tall. Found in most soil of higher mountains. Blooms late June to August. (”Peterson Field Guides: Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead Jr. and Ray J. Davis.)

Recently seen: Stateline Trail to Illinois Peak, southwest of Superior.

The walk: From the west side of Interstate 90 in Superior, drive about 1 1/4 miles southeast on Diamond Match Road. Turn southwest onto Cedar Creek Road (Forest Road 320) and follow it about 25 miles to the Stateline trailhead at Cascade Pass on the Montana-Idaho border. From the parking area, the trail tracks up and down along the ridge through fairly open forest, providing views west into Idaho and east into Montana. At about 1 3/4 miles, the deep blue water of the uppermost of the three Oregon Lakes can be seen on the Montana side of the ridge. Past the overlook, you’ll see pink mountain heather in many open areas along the ridge. (Heather is just one of many flowers that were blooming along the trail earlier this week, including columbine, a variety of penstemon species, purple shooting stars, yellow pasqueflowers, bluebells, gentian, phlox and more.) At about four miles, the trail begins to climb through craggy rocks on the side of Illinois Peak. At about 4 1/2 miles, the path passes a second trail that drops to the southwest on the Idaho side of the ridge; continue southeast uphill a short distance to a grassy junction, following a fainter trail northeast to the top of the mountain at five miles. Enjoy lunch on the open, grassy 7,690-foot summit of Illinois peak, taking in the expansive views of surrounding mountains, then retrace your footsteps to the trailhead.

Justin Grigg

This year, we had our sights set on backpacking over Gunsight Pass from the Going-to-the-Sun Road in the St. Mary Lake drainage to Lake McDonald Lodge. The idea was we’d leave our car at Lake McDonald, shuttle over Logan Pass to the trailhead and camp at Gunsight Lake and Lake Ellen Wilson or near Sperry Chalet along the trail.

Problem is, Ellen Wilson and Sperry aren’t yet open to camping. Sperry may be by the time of our trip, but we need a backup plan. (Another problem may be securing walk-up backcountry permits for any itinerary, but we’ll cross that bridge later.)

Here’s where you can help. I’m open to any two-night backpacking ideas you have, with a couple of caveats. The hike must utilize the Sun Road shuttle system or be a loop. We have one car, so can’t shuttle ourselves, and we prefer not to do an out-and-back hike. Several trails are off-limits, as we’ve done them in recent years and want to cover new ground: the Highline from Logan Pass to Granite Park, Swiftcurrent Pass, Piegan Pass, Siyeh Pass, and the Dawson-Pitamakan Loop. (Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park is fair game, too.)

Any ideas are welcome, but there’s no guarantee we’ll use them. Who knows, we may end up only day hiking. No matter what, we’ll enjoy ourselves in the Crown of the Continent.

Update: Lake Ellen Wilson has opened and we have secured a permit for our original itinerary. Hope the “high-angle snowdrifts” are mostly melted.

Justin Grigg

Nodding onion

Allium cernuum

Description: Cluster of 25 to 40 small white or pink flowers, with stamens longer than petals or sepals, that hangs from a bent stalk 6 to 18 inches tall with grasslike leaves growing from the base. Found in dry to moist valleys, open hills and ridges. Blooms mid-June to early August. (“Peterson Field Guides: Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by John J. Craighead, Frank C. Craighead and Ray J. Davis.)

Recently seen: Pattee Canyon and Rattlesnake national recreation areas.

The walk: Follow Van Buren Street and Rattlesnake Drive a little more than four miles north of Interstate 90. Turn northwest on Sawmill Gulch Road and continue about a quarter-mile to the main Rattlesnake trailhead. Follow the wide main path along the creek and through the forest, connecting with smaller trails on the west bank along the way. Look for nodding onion in the first couple of miles from the trailhead. Turn around at your leisure, or continue up the 15-mile main trail.

Justin Grigg

I recently listened to a discussion of this topic by Robert Krulwich, one of the hosts of WNYC’s “Radio Lab” program, and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. The program is about a year old, but is still an interesting listen.

Listen or download the MP3 here, or find it on iTunes here.

Justin Grigg

“Photography in Glacier Country” will be held July 21 to 23. Learn to photograph subjects big and small, from panoramic vistas to closeups of flowers. Cost is $400.

“Wildflower Wanderings at Logan Pass” will be July 24. Check out the wildflowers along Glacier National Park’s Highline Trail at Logan Pass. Cost is $65.

For more information, call (406) 755-1211 or follow the links above.

After a long spring of training for the Missoula Marathon, I’ll soon be taking some time off to head up to Glacier. I hope to bring back a couple of Wildflower Walks from the park later this month.

Justin Grigg