Mountain of Eden, Pt. 2

Here’s our last Wyoming wildflower excursion, providing I don’t go on another hike soon. Please excuse the ignorance of your tour guide, as these are specimens which she has yet to positively identify. Even so, they’re too extraordinary to be passed over!

Wax current?

Mystery tree, apple-like

Mystery flower

Some kind of vetch?

"You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom." –PSALM 1:3 (MSG)

Mountain of Eden

It occurred to me that some readers may never get to go for a springtime hike in Wyoming, so I’ll continue with the wildflower tour for another day or two. Flora-phobes will just have to bear with the rest of us!

Disclaimer: I’m not a botanist, so my wildflower identification proficiency is more than suspect. I welcome any corrections!

Star lilies (aka sand lilies)

Mountain cactus, townsendia

Tall bluebells

Trefoil (I think!) 

Alpine milkvetch

“See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth.” –PSALM 46:8 (MSG)

Flowers with Coats

On last Saturday’s hike, Anna and I saw hundreds of pasque flowers. Pasque is  French for Easter, which, in many climes, is when pasque flowers usually bloom. Easter has long since come and gone, but in the high altitudes of Wyoming, winter has barely bid her farewells! (I did see one big snowdrift that had yet to melt.)

Said to be quite poisonous, the little lavender wildflowers are also called prairie crocuses, meadow anemones, or wind flowers. The pasque flowers’ bracts, stems, and leaves are so covered with fine hairs that they are positively furry! Could it be that pasque flowers are so wooly because they need to stay warm?

“…Complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love….” –2 PETER 1:5-7 (MSG)

Paintbrush Politics

According to historians, the Indian paintbrush barely made it to Wyoming state- flowerhood. When the Indian paintbrush was nominated nearly a century ago, legislators, botanists, school children, and the Daughters of the American Revolution debated the merits of the controversial wildflower.

It seems that, while undeniably lovely, Castilleja linariaefolia was  hemiparasitic (partially living off the roots of other plants) and, as such, tricky to propagate or transplant. In addition, the Indian paintbrush sported too many difficult-to-distinguish varieties and was less prevalent than its closest runner-up, the fringed gentian. The record is unclear as to which political party was pro-paintbrush and anti-gentian.

After its defeat in 1916, the fringed gentian apparently forsook Wyoming for more politically welcoming states. According to the USDA PLANTS Profile, the fringed gentian grows in many northern and eastern states, but not Wyoming!

Indian paintbrush seen on yesterday's hike

“You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.” –PSALM 30:11 (MSG)

Welcome Back, Summer!

When I was a kid, Memorial Day weekend always meant one thing: the first camping trip of the year. Sure, it could snow up there in the mountains—and did, sometimes—but still, it was the unofficial kick-off of summer.

I haven’t been a kid for a long time, but I still had fun in the mountains today. I met up with son Zach’s girlfriend, Anna, for a snow-free hike and picnic. Due to the holiday weekend and gorgeous weather, the trail traffic was somewhat congested. I didn't count how many people and dogs we saw, but I do know that everyone looked quite happy to be there!

Zach was absent because he’s spending the summer in Yemen, of all places, participating in a college- and state-sponsored anthropology project. I e-mailed him this photo of his girlfriend and dog, just in case he isn’t homesick!

Anna and Bodie

“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing….” –PSALM 68:6 

The Fish Whisperer

Newlyweds Josh and Rachel have been living in a rental that prohibits pets. After a tough day, Josh was sitting in his chair and talking to the Lord about how much he wished he had a dog. If I had a dog, he thought, he’d be right beside me, and I’d be petting him.

Josh’s gaze wandered over to Pishy, their pet beta. I wonder if I could pet Pishy. He stuck a finger in the water. At first, Pishy was wary, but before long he began coming up to the top of the water to be petted. Now, Pishy eagerly responds to Josh’s voice, sometimes getting so keyed up he nearly jumps out of his glass. Josh brings Pishy’s glass with him around the house so the two can be together.

In a few weeks, Rachel and Josh are moving to a new house, one with a back yard. They’ve already picked out a beautiful dog from the animal shelter. I’m excited for them, but I wonder if Pishy will be jealous.

Click on the link below to see Josh petting Pishy.

Josh and Pishy

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” –PSALM 23:1

Pork Chop

Meet our newest addition, a yearling Angus bull which Hubby purchased last month at the Midland Bull Test Sale. Black Angus bulls, in my mind, are about as safe to be around as a box of dynamite. I voted for a Hereford, which are both handsome and chivalrous. Either the election was rigged or my ballot was inadvertently thrown in the trash because the bull is black.

I concede that the bull seems somewhat calm and friendly. He’s got a weird, unfunny registered name, but we’ve already named him Pork Chop (Porky for short) for his relatively short legs, long, deep body, and huge appetite.