Wallflower 5-12-23This Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum) is one of my favorite spring wildflowers. It is commonly known as the sanddune wallflower, western wallflower, or prairie rocket.

This Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum) is one of my favorite spring wildflowers. It is commonly known as the sanddune wallflower, western wallflower, or prairie rocket.

Its color is surprising and up close it is gentle.

Lament north dakota i’m worried about you the companies you keep all these new friends north dakota beyond the boom, beyond the precious resources do you really think they care what becomes of you north dakota you used to be the shy one enchanted secret land loved by only a few north dakota when i traveled away and told people i belonged to you north dakota your name rolled awkwardly from their tongues a mouth full of rocks, the name of a foreign country north dakota you were the blushing wallflower the natural beauty, nearly invisible, always on the periphery north dakota the least visited state in the union now everyone knows your name north dakota the blogs and all the papers are talking about you even 60 minutes i’m collecting your clippings north dakota the pictures of you from space the flares of natural gas in your northern corner like an exploding supernova a massive city where no city exists a giant red blight upon the land and those puncture wounds north dakota take care of yourself the injection sites I’ve seen them on the maps four thousand active wells one every two miles all your indicators are up north dakota eighteen billion barrels, some estimates say more oil than we have water to extract more oil than we have atmosphere to burn north dakota you could run the table right now; you could write your own ticket so, how can i tell you this? north dakota, your politicians are co-opted (or cowards or bought-out or honest and thwarted) they’re lowering the tax rate for oil companies they’re greasing the wheels that need no greasing they’re practically giving the water away north dakota dear sleeping beauty please, wake up they have opened you up and said, come in take everything what will become of your sacred places what will become of the prairie dog the wolf, the wild horses, the eagle the meadowlark, the fox, the elk the pronghorn sheep, the rare mountain lion the roads, the air, the topsoil your people, your people what will become of the water north dakota who will ever be able to live with you once this is all over i’m speaking to you now as one wildcat girl to another be careful north dakota Debra Marquardt

Leathwerleaf Viburnam 5-10-23

This small tree outside our bedroom window blooms twice a year. It is Leather leaf viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum). The flowers are creamy white. It has long deeply veined oval leaves with dark blue-green surfaces and pale green undersides.

Allium 5-8-23

The weather has turned warmer and spring flowers have appeared quietly. Several gardens have eruptions of purple balls (Allium).

Up close they are amazing. This is Allium giganticum.

And the bees love them.

Globular panache Flawless elegant structure Allium Flower CJ Gregory

Lily of the Valley 5-3-23

I have a stand of Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) outside the back window. They remind me of growing up as my Dad had them outside the dining room window and we looked at them for over 20 years each spring.

They neither slumber nor sleep.

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12-27