Flora
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Delicate Beauty
The Fairy Slipper (Calypso bulbosa), Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana, June 2016. The Fairy Slipper is a tiny North American Orchid native to Alaska, Canada and the Northern United States from Washington to Maine. The diminutive wildflower (dime-sized) is considered one of the most beautiful wildflowers of North America. The genus name Calypso is from the Greek mythical nymph in Homer's Odyssey and the species name bulbosa is latin referring to the bulb structure of the root. The sepals are modified to create the basin or slipper which emits a vanilla- like fragrance to lure bees into the "slipper" or pouch. As they exit, the insects rub against the pollen bearing "column" of the slipper and transfer the pollen to the next orchid.
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Miraculous Life
Fairy Slipper Orchid (Calypso bulbosa) in context, Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.
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Sunflower Impression
Little Sunflower (Helianthella uniflora), near Pryor Montana.
Seasonal Flourish
Indian Paintbrush and Lupine adorn meadows in Glacier National Park, Montana.
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Purple Pulchritude
Lewis' Monkey Flower (Mimulus lewisii), Absaroka- Beartooth Wilderness, Montana, August 2013. (Mimulus lewisii) is named in honor of Meriwether Lewis. Lewis and Clark collected the flower in 1804 and it was subsequently described and named by the botanist
Frederick Pursh. Mimus is Latin for comedian and so named because the opening of the corolla reminded Pursh of the smiling face of a comic or monkey. The species “lewisii” is obviously after Meriwether Lewis. Mimulus lewisii may be translated to Lewis’ smiling flower. A member of the figwort or snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae).
Purposeful Turn
Exfoliated Monkeyflowers litter the gravels along a brook in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness of Montana, August 2013. It's a bitter sweet time of year as our brief hour of flourish draws to a close. All living things turn with a purpose though we long for an endless summer. Next spring the Pasque Flowers will emerge through the snow as a symbol of re-birth and a new season will again captivate and awaken our souls.