Nice plants! I'll comment further on them in the Plant ID forum.
Wow, how I would love to visit that area again! The colours are so rich and the life one sees in the desert is so fascinating!
Here are some shots of natural "rock gardens" in the Rocky Mountains west of here. This is in northern Banff National Park. As one hikes up to higher elevation, it goes from fairly lush alpine meadow, to rich alpine tundra, and finally to what I think of as sort of a cold desert... my favourite part of it, though I think most people would think it was frighteningly barren! That's where the choicest little things grow and there's a certain quality of light that makes each of them stand out like a gem!
Another area... just a neat view from the very floriferous Lineham Ridge in Kananaskis, west of here. The turfy substrate is chock full of a variety of alpines in bloom.
