Flower Hike!

Zelda showing off a stalk of Tall Chiming Bells.

Gravel crunched thoughtfully under our shoes as we followed her khaki vest down the trail. Her practiced eye probed the brush on either side, looking for blooming bits of color to point out. Every few yards, she stopped, gathered us close, and explained the minute differences between the bracklets or petal formation of two close flower cousins.

I felt like I was eight years old again, treasure-hunting for beautiful flowers, rocks, and trees the way we always did in our homeschooling days. I was a very romantic little girl, almost Anne-of-Green-Gables-esque. For me, every tiny petal was something to pull out the magnifying glass and squeal over.


And even though I'm nearly two decades older, I admit unashamedly that I still squeal on the inside. As Zelda called our attention to nearly imperceptible wonders every few yards, I got that old familiar thrill of amazement that things so tiny could be so beautiful. And I couldn't help but worship my incredibly creative God.


I hope you feel some of the same thrill as you enjoy the pictures! :)

Crab Spider. These tiny white guardians wait on the flower until an unsuspecting insect comes along. Then...GULP!

The beautiful leaf of a member of the Geranium family. 

Narrow-leaved Penstemon. These beauties are everywhere!

Prairie Evening Primrose. I found it at around 11:00 in the morning, but only because it was in the shade of a large tree. 

Fremont's Geranium. 

Richardson's Geranium. This one is like the one above, except that, as the story goes, "Richard wouldn't be caught dead wearing pink".

Canadian Thistle. In the top picture, you can see the beautiful fuschia head, which resembels a sea anemone. The next photo shows the back of the flower, which tells you why my hand was not in the picture. :)

I have always loved the striking black and yellow of the Black-eyed Susan. This flower is actually composed of over fifty tiny flowers: black disc flowers on the circular central disc, and yellow ray flowers arranged like individual petals around them. 

I can't remember the name of this lovely five-pointed star, but isn't it beautiful?

This clustered white flower, named Yarrow, has a special secret. If you mash it's leaves to make a paste with some water and put it on a cut, it can stop the bleeding!

Sprawling Daisy. 

Common Evening Primrose. 

And I'm ending it with the sweet-smelling Ponderosa Pine...even though it's not a wildflower. :)