Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Summer wildflowers

Church Mountain trailhead 19 July 2012
Although we haven't had much of a summer yet, the wildflowers are just now coming into their peak weeks in the High Country. Last year we had spring and summer wildflowers all come out at once, since the snow didn't leave until very late in July and early August. Any spring flowers that had a chance to flower had to wait until then, and all the summer flowers came out at the same time. We had an abundance of wildflowers well into October. I look forward to this year's crop. Here's where we stand at the beginning of August.
Last Thursday I captured this picture of red columbine mixed with tiger lilies on the trail up to Hannegan Pass. They were right there on the side of the trail as I plodded uphill with my nose toward the ground, not wanting to slip and fall on the rocks. Which of course I did anyway, but I waited until I was on the way back down. My knee and right leg are still a bit banged up. Here's a closeup of that pretty tiger lily in the middle:
When I looked at this closeup as I downloaded my pictures at home, the two drops of water looked a little like bug eyes on an extraterrestrial creature. It had rained that morning but by the time we started our hike the temperature was perfect, although the humidity was on the high side. Then the sun came out, and we marveled at the raindrops on these grasses.
They looked like little diamonds perfectly placed on the blades of grass. Although this is not technically a picture of a wildflower, I think it deserves to be appreciated by as many observers as possible. Not too many people appreciate thistles, either, but I thought this batch of pretty pink thistles deserves to be admired as well. One person's weed...
Finally, we saw little patches of phlox by the side of the trail, sparkling in the sunlight and delighting us with their beauty. Phlox is usually in abundance in the High Country in late summer, and finding this patch in early August reminded me that summer is not only incredibly beautiful in the Pacific Northwest, it is also fleeting.
I read the other day that once we reach August 2 (when the majority of these pictures were taken), we begin to travel toward the fall weather, meaning we are not likely to have another heat wave like we experienced last week. The joke I heard to illustrate the brevity of our summer weather: one visitor to Seattle asked a native about what we usually do here in summer, and the native replied that if it falls on a Sunday, we go on a picnic!
:-)

25 comments:

  1. ha ha! good one! i just cannot imagine since summers in texas are half the year... *sigh*

    love the wildflowers and glad you included the grasses and thistles, too. i think it's all beautiful!

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  2. I love those wild flowers. The tiger lilies are especially beautiful.

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  3. The flowers in the high country is something I will never forget. Thanks for the photos. I think I did bang up my knee a few times. I hope your knee recovers right away.

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  4. ha i can see the face in your flower...smiles....beautiful colors...i like my flowers a little wild...

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  5. Those little purple pink ones are so gorgeously perfect.

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  6. How simply enchanting. Thank you. I hope your knee and leg are recovering fast.
    And yes, thistles and grasses are flowers in my book. And I think in botanical terms as well quite often.

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  7. Those tiger lilies are amazing. I've never seen anything like them. Hope your injury is better. You only have one more day before you have to hit the trail again.

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  8. Your pictures always amaze me. I love your eye for photography and your perspective on life.

    I'm so glad fall is coming soon. Orange is my favorite color and I can hardly wait for the leaves to start changing :)

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  9. Your photos are making me want to run away to the mountains for a day! I wonder what's in bloom at Paradise on Mt Rainier.

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  10. What beauties! And in such wonderful colors.

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  11. Hey, it's summer year round in Hawaii, but I haven't been to a picnic in years! What's wrong with me? Lol.

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  12. ..."we go on a picnic"....I like that, that's original and quite funny. You know we have summer weather here for about 9 months out of the year....hot, hotter, and hottest.

    Now, those columbine, I LOVE 'em. Of course, you know that the columbine is Colorado's state flower. And to have them mixed in with other wildflowers must have been a color explosion of joy.

    What a great post DJ!!

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  13. I like the variety of colors found in wild flowers and columbine has a nice variety. The top of the tiger lily is cute and reminds me of the muppets on Sesame Street. After your encounter with the bear on another hike, I've often wondered if you also see little critters like snakes.

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  14. The Tiger Lilly looks like a miniature Tiffany lamp shade - all bejeweled with tassels swaying. Beautiful pictures - nearly perfect day. Hope you heal in short order.

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  15. We have nothing like these flowers growing in the wilds around here unless it was once upon a time a farmhouse and some of the flowers still show up each year.

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  16. Those mountain wildflowers are gorgeous. Thanks for giving us such lovely views of them each summer.

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  17. Oh my the flowers are so pretty..Creeping Phlox and Tiger Lilies blooming all at once. I liked your grass photo also! Hope you take time to go on a picnic. Have you given thought to a winter garden?? I think there may be a few things you can grow..carrots, cabbage etc..ask around:)

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  18. Hope your banged up knee is healing allright. WOW, love the flowers, those raindrops do look like eyes - Alien handiwork. ha,ha Everything is lovely DJan - sure do enjoy your hikes n stories n photos. Hows the garden coming. Cheers, Lilly

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  19. I'm going to have to remember the picnic one. Enjoy that sunny weather while you can.

    All of those wildflowers are so beautiful DJan. I really like the water drops you captured.

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  20. What a gorgeous collection of wildflowers. Short cool summers and lotsa rain. Seems strange when much of the midwest is boiling and drought stricken...

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  21. The wild flowers are lovely even if the summer that brings them is short. Since our summer has been long and hotter than usual, I hope what you say about Aug. 2 holds here too!

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  22. Wow.. so beautiful to see your flowers in full bloom. I can see your little ET eyes.. too cure.

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  23. Dear DJan, I so enjoyed the last sentence of your posting! So witty. That's like what is said in Minnesota: "We have two seasons: winter and road work."

    Thank you for the lovely photos of wlld flowers and also of drenched grass. So lovely that they invite thoughts of fairies and wonder. Peace.

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  24. I enjoyed looking at all your pretty pictures. Today my husband asked me jokingly – where would you go anywhere in the world for 5 days next week if you could? I though and I said “Washington State, to see all the beautiful mountains from my friend DJan.” We went to Seattle twice – for a long week-end in spring, and once stayed for a week and it was sunny the whole time. When we went to Alaska in June 2009 and stopped in Seattle – it was a beautiful sunny day. So I have not seen your state in the rain. I love the wildflowers in Church Mountain.

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  25. Love LOVE this post, DJan. I love looking at wildflowers and these are so gorgeous. I'd love to see those columbines up close. The little raindrops are so jewel-like. Thank you for sharing these.

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