Rock Plants

A rare treat as after picking me up from the Auberge Pont du Nant, Hilary took me to Leukerbad, which I last visited about fifteen years ago.  From there we ascended the cable car to the Gemmi Pass, at 2348m, the highest point I will reach this trip.  What a change!  Shirtsleeve weather at the bottom, winter at the top, with a cutting wind.  Extra layers were donned.  Hilary was on a mission to photograph Bearded Vultures who proved elusive in the absence of warm thermals.  I mooched among the rocks and enjoyed finding many interesting plants.  This harsh environment, with little soil, is classic alpine rock plant territory.  The main pic is Silene acaulis, Moss Campion, related to the Pink Campion ubiquitous in UK hedgerows.   I've added extras of yellow Draba azoides, white Ranunculus alpestris, pink Saxifraga oppositifolia and for a Welsh connection, Lloydia serotina, the tiny Snowdon Lily, one of Britains rarest wildflowers.