[Geezer]

Can anyone tell me an easy sure way to tell the difference between Moss Campion and Spreading Phlox wildflowers?

[gb]

Phlox is Phlox diffusa; the moss campion is Silene acaulis. You might also look up Saxifraga oppositifolia or pink saxifrage, as the latter would probably be most easily confused with moss campion. The spreading phlox is a larger plant that forms patches that can be quite large, and has a larger flower than the other two, and is typically found in the subalpine mostly on ground. The latter two are strictly (in this climate) alpine plants. Both form pronounced mounds, with moss campion in moist grassy areas at elevation or on rocks in the alpine. The saxifrage also forms mounds on rocks in the alpine but blooms in late May to early July. You can look them up and study images at the Burke Museum Image Collection most easily by the scientific names: http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/browse.php?Classification=Vascular%20Plants&BrowseBy=Species&OrderBy=SciName&BeginsWith=P