Subalpine, alpine. Openings, tundra. Summer.
Lake Hope Trail, July 15, 2008.

Black hairs on the green phyllaries (look under the white ray flowers and see the photographs below), basal spoon-shaped leaves, and a large, showy flower identify this very small and common high altitude Erigeron.  Several short, often twisting leaves are common high on the flower stalk.  Plants can be six inches tall but they are commonly as tall as the plant in the photograph, just two inches.  Many dozens of plants often dot subalpine and alpine meadows with their brilliant white flowers.

Aven Nelson first collected this plant in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming; he named and described it in 1896.  "Melanocephalus" is Greek for "black head".

Subalpine, alpine. Openings, tundra. Summer.
Lake Hope Trail, July 15, 2008.

Subalpine, alpine. Openings, tundra. Summer.
Lake Hope Trail, July 15, 2008.

Varying stages in the opening of the flowers can be seen here.  At the top, the flower is fully open and at the very bottom the bud has just opened enough to show the ray flowers, which now appear yellow but which will soon turn white.