A favorite at picnics near and far.
Take three bees, an assortment of flowers, dash of pollen and splash of nectar, blend together and voila, a fine little dish recreating the bounty of summer.
Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.
Tag: wildflower
The fruits of their labor
Working hard from spring through summer the plants have done their thing. Now all that hard work is proudly on display.
The Choke Cherries have ripened and will provide food for bears and birds and even a human or two.
The Oregon Grape has produced berries of purple-blue that will help feed the grouse and pheasants as well as waxwings.
The wild rose has a a tough go of it as these bushes are a favorite food of deer. These Rose Hips were hanging high on the only branch not trimmed low to the ground by a local family of deer. A mother Mule Deer and her two fawns can really make quick work of a rose bush.
The snowberry bushes are numerous and cover the forest understory. This year they have done well and the berries will provide food for songbirds, game birds and many small mammals as winter rolls into town.
The plants have been busy and the fruits of their labor show.
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant: Cleome serrulata
Rocky Mountain Bee Plant: Cleome serrulata was a wonderful late blooming wildflower near us this year. It drew numerous species of bees, and butterflies, from near and far and always had visitors when in bloom providing pollinators with a generous sip of nectar.
Growing up to 4 ft tall Bee Plant stands out in the fields of tall fall grasses.A beautiful and very sculptural wildflower Bee Plant is fun to photograph as well.
According to the USDA “Cleome serrulata is an important cultural plant for many Southwestern Indian tribes. The young, tender shoots and leaves are good sources of vitamin A and calcium. In the past they were used as potherbs or medicinally as teas for fevers and other ailments. The seeds were ground and used to make gruel or bread. The Navajo still use the plant as a source of yellow-green dye for their beautiful wool rugs and blankets. Many pueblo tribes use a concentrated form of dye, made from boiling the plant into a thick black resin, to paint designs on pottery or for decorating their baskets.”
On this particular afternoon the little green sweat bees were enjoying the plant to no end.
Every flower seems to have a visitor.
And one last look as even the bee fly mimics got in on the action.
Seeing time
Colors and textures telling time.
Time measured on a bigger scale.
Time without time.
Lichen it
Even the rocks are dressed in the latest fall fashions.
More Purple
Purple wildflowers in may shades filled the meadows all summer long. From the Bergamot or Bee Balm: Monarda fistulosa L. to the purple flowers in grass filled meadows.
The Lupine in the alpine meadows offer a bit of pollen to the bees.
And the Rocky Mountain Columbine. 
All purple of a different shade and a wonderful way to remember a summer filled with flowers.
So just a bit more purple before all thought of summer fades.
Happy weekend to all.
Pearly Everlasting: Anaphalis margaritacea
The understated beauty of Pearly Everlasting is something in and of itself. A beautiful wildflower that attracts several species of butterflies most notable the Painted Lady. Simple yet elegant, rustic yet refined, perhaps everything a wild wildflower should be.
On the forest floor
After a mile or two of a hike that began in tall grassland and meadows we suddenly entered a stretch of trail that wound it’s way through a luxuriant forest filled with treasures of all kind. From beautiful Woodland Pinedrops to what seemed an unending variety of ground covers, the landscape was transformed. From dry to wet, from brown to green, you never know what you’ll find on the forest floor.
Unusual fungi and tiny white bells.
Life took many forms and all play a part in the ecosystem of the forest floor.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and some time to explore.
Pipsissewa:Chimaphila umbellata
Pipisissewa is a beautiful and distinct wildflower found on the forest floor not to mention a fun name to say. With its long stem and single umbrella shaped flower it is hard to miss while hiking through the woods and native to much of cool temperate forest across the northern hemisphere. A member of the wintergreen family Pipsissewa has green leaves year-round, it receives a significant portion of its nutrition from fungi in the soil.
Pipsissewa, as much fun to observe as it is to say and wonderful companion on any forested walk.
Seeking Solitude
A day in the forest.
Flowers flowering.
A gentle breeze.
nature has no boss 
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