Helmet Peak, July 20, 2000. We generally think that life, especially delicate and beautiful life, needs shelter, water, and, in the case of plants, rich soils. But life thrives in many environments which do not fit these criteria. Lidia obtusiloba is an abundant, handsome plant forming a low, dense mat of bright green leaves topped by numerous white flowers. It grows on high, dry, rocky alpine ridges exposed to intense drying sun and wind.
Water drains very quickly through the rocky surroundings.
Family Foothills, montane. Loner Stoner Mesa Trail, June 12, 2000. Tuber Starwort prefers moist forests. It is tall for a chickweed and fairly common.