Flower for the Day Liatrice 8-27-18

The liatrice also is a victim of the heat and lack of water. Latrice spicata is also called blazing star.It is a perennial native in the sunflower and daisy family Asteraceae. Its tall spikes resemble bottle brushes.

Flower for the Day Lavender 8-26-18

We are back in the heartland in brutal heat. The weather has not been kind to my lavender ((Levandula).All but one of my plants have died this year and the remaining one is real puny. Lavender is in the mint family.

Maybe next year.

Flower for the Day Rose Hip 8-20-18

Rose hip is the accessory fruit of the rose plant. They form after successful pollination of

the flowers in spring and ripen in late summer. Rose hips are particularly rich in Vitamin C and are often used for herbal teas.

These were growing beside Mill Creek in RMNP.

Flower for the Day Jacob's Ladder 8-19-18

Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans) is a beautiful little wildflower that was growing 

along a shady moist mountain trail near Bear lake. The flowers are light blue and bell shaped. The pinnate leaves are arranged in the form of a ladder. It is also called Greek valerian. At this time of the year it was great to see a delicate flower still blooming. You can see the ladder.

Don's Blog - Congratulations

Today is our 57th Wedding Anniversary. We are still in a state of JOY!

May you all be so HAPPY and LUCKY.

Don and Jan

Flower for the Day Indian Paintbrush

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja) grows in the west from the rockies all the way south to the Andes. I also have it occasionally in the heartland. It is described as hemiparasitic on the roots of grasses and forbs. This one was on a trail just below the tundra.

Don's Blog Humming birds 8-14-18

Another advantage of our cabin is that we have hummingbirds at all times.

After awhile then get used to us. If we wear red they buzz around us for

half a minute or more.

After several weeks we have had rufous humming birds (Selasphorus rufous) which are obnoxiously aggressive chasing away our favorite red throats. We are trying to figure out how to handle this .

Flower for the Day Harebell 8-13-18

The little harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) are common tundra and subarctic flowers. They are down facing and are everywhere.

They are members of the bellflower family.

Flower for the Day Gaillardia 8-12-18

Gaillardia or blanket flower is very common n the National ParkIt is in the sunflower family and is also found in the heartland. It is always comforting to be surrounded by friends.

Flower for the Day Alpine Gentian 8-11-18

This alpine gentian (Gentiana family) was seen on a tundra hike

at about 12,000 feet. Th small alpine plants are tough and beautiful.

Don's Blog Big Birds? 8-9-18

Well in the National Park we ride around looking for wild animals. We passed a meadow and a man was there with a long lens shooting like mad. We passed by and when we cam back we got out into the meadow and this is what we found.

 

No, not an elk or a moose or a coyote or a bear. It was 3 huge female turkeys and about 12

fledglings.

Our local friends said they were becoming very common these days.

Flower for the Day Ratibida columnifera 8-8-18

Ratibida plants are in the sunflower tribe and the daisie family. This is Ratibida columnifera

(Mexican Hat) which presents at home and away. This one is from the Fern Lake trail in RMNP. 

And here are some yellow ones.

 and a mixture.

They are also called gray headed coneflowers.

Flower for the Day Yellow Coneflower 8-7-18

This yellow coneflower (Ratibpda pinnata) is growing at the Fern Lake Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

They grow large flower heads.

An almost as tall as Jan and in the shade.

Don's Blog Our Great Condo

We have been coming to a special stand alone condo in Estes Park for many years. It sits atop a ridge. Looking from our deck we see Longs Peak and Mount Meeker in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Looking over the ridge the other way we can see Lake Estes and the village of Estes Park.

But the most fun of being here is the wildlife. On the way back from a morning walk today there was an elk walking right toward Jan's silver car.

It was a nice size elk with a family of five.

Including a nice size young buck.

Flower for the Day Fremont Geranium 8-5-18

This Fremont Geranium has been plentiful along the trails for the last week. Geranium caespitosum is also called purple cluster geranium and piney woods geranium. Its a perennial and blooms for quite a long time.