Marsh marigolds are a perennial found in wet areas in the alpine and subalpine. We see them at the edge of small ponds, seeps, and snowmelt areas in early summer on Tod Mountain, Trophy Meadows, and in the alpine medows in the Selkirks and Monashees.

The leaves are toxic, but First Nations in Alaska boiled the parts of the plant to make it safer to eat. Another name for the flower is “elkslip.”

A single flower blooms on the end of a long stem above waxy green leaves.

We expect to see them on our first hike to the peak of Tod Mountain and on our first hike to the top of Trophy Mountain in July. By the mid-summer explosion of wildflowers, marsh marigolds are past their bloom, except perhaps in small pockets of late-season snowpack melt.