Spring rain storm renders cool temperatures this morning making for a delightful trek. A couple of days since the last trail visit and much has changed out here, though the sego lilies are still blooming mightily. That old cheater, cheat grass, that cheats all other plants of precious water is drying out and is uncharacteristically red. It actually adds some depth and dimension to the landscape scene, but I won’t give any more credit to this undesirable nonnative species. It’s responsible for starting many a range fire and you’ve likely had to pick its obnoxious little sticker seed heads out of your socks more than once.
Otherwise, Galleta, a native grass, is greening up and has headed out. It’s a spreading, warm-season plant – in other words, it starts greening up when the weather starts warming up. Its leaves are curly at the base and the seed head shoots up and looks like a small braid. Cool-season Indian rice grasses are bunched here and there, and those have begun heading out, too. Horse brush is in full bloom as are the yucca.
When I began journaling about the daily treks, I began noticing details about the plants, the clouds, the weather, and the sky and I became more committed to the trail, to the Colorado National Monument, and to our environment in general. I feel a deeper connection to this planet in the sky that we call home. This has expanded who I am; my world has been enlarged. This opportunity lies in wait for all of us, right outside our front door.
Reader Comments
Your words and pictures are a beautiful reminder as always. Thank you! K
Great photos! L
Your sego lilies appear to be about the same as the mariposa lilies from my childhood. Tony and I used to explore thru the sagebrush on Sulphur Mountain, looking for them. They were far and few between, and it was always exciting to find a couple. They were white, pink, and occasionally yellow. In thinking about that, I realize we ran pretty loose, often barefoot, and there were rattlesnakes and an occasional mountain lion. We had tracks at night. No one seemed to care where we were, except we weren’t supposed to go in the flagstone quarry. But of course we did! AJ
