Summer Solstice
Yesterday after dinner, on the eve of the summer solstice, we took a gravel road drive up our canyon into the national forest to check on the status of the huckleberries, see how the active logging operation is changing the landscape in our neck of the woods, and also simply have a pleasant meandering.
Somehow I managed to totally forget about the bounty of wildflowers that we would see along the way, so that was a wonderfully unexpected thrill and delight. Our flower season is short here in Montana, as is our warmer weather summer months, so it’s especially lovely to enjoy them when we can. We came home with a lovely bouquet in an empty La Croix can we had in the truck (see pic all the way at the bottom down below). A mix of lupine and larkspur; a sprig of amazingly honey-scented snowbrush; a few daisies and what I think might be arnica flowers. And also my favorite: Indian paintbrush. The dashing red paintbrush, firm in its devotion to stand out like small flames on the hillside, sends my spirit flying as high as any bird.
beargrass
Just as someone who moves to a big city might pick up a keen interest in attending the theater, art exhibits or the opera, based on its close proximity and high caliber of quality and content, my interest in plants, trees, and flowers is growing. (No pun intended.) Now that we live in the woods, I find myself feeling a gravitational pull towards learning more about the names of plant and flower species, how trees grow, and what things I can forage for to eat or turn into tea. It’s not that I didn’t like or enjoy plants when we lived in town, but I didn’t have an affinity for them like I do now.
Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s the time of year here when:
The sky starts alighting around 4 AM and doesn’t darken until around 11;
The Swainson’s thrush is first and last to sing;
Western tanager birds visit and service berries slowly ripen;
Doug firs have fresh green tips that are fun to snack on;
Outdoor living is easy and we don’t have to dismantle our propane & rainwater shower unit set up after every use, in order to store the parts inside the cabin that can’t be left out to freeze;
We must be extra diligent about making sure every single bucket we have floating around is either securely lidded or overturned so as not to become a small critter trap;
Beargrass is blooming.
western tanager
On the tallest peaks we could see from the amazing vistas we enjoyed when climbing in elevation on our drive, a bit of snow still remains. We also saw an incredible amount of trees taken down by a couple of big wind events we’ve had here recently. Huge ponderosa pines upended with their root balls and tall firs flat on the forest floor mark the landscape around Empty Mountain and in many places all around western Montana.
Forests are dynamic. They are ever-changing places. And each season offers its own unique flavor of beauty and abundance. Amen and hallelujah for summer.
I bow to the Earth in gratitude
For the enchantment of flowers,
The wonder of plants,
The potency of trees.
This precious gift of life
And for all beings.
