[wikipedia] Habitat, Range: Phacelia sericea, the silky phacelia or blue alpine phacelia, is a showy perennial species of Phacelia endemic to western North America.[1] It grows mainly at subalpine to alpine elevations in forest openings or above treeline among rocks and sand.[2][3] Sericea comes from the Latin sericeus, or silky, referring to the fine hairs on the leaves and stem. Phacelia sericea is a subalpine to alpine species of open well-drained slopes, usually above 1500 m elevation, it is found in the mountains of Vancouver Island, the southern British Columbia Pacific Ranges, the Rocky Mountains from Banff National Park to southern Colorado, Olympic National Park, the Cascade Range of Washington, the mountains of eastern Oregon and the northernmost counties of California, and the mountains of Idaho, Nevada and Utah.[5] It generally blooms from near the end of May through the end of August.[5] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)