Desert in Bloom!

Today my husband and I went on an "explore" out into the desert north of here. We love to do this on occasion, and in the early summer is the best time, because 1) it isn't so danged hot, and 2) the snow has just melted and the flowers are often out.

Flowers in the desert are generally not very showy - but they can be quite fascinating. Today we saw some miniature monkey flowers (mimulus) that we've seen elsewhere in the Craters of the Moon ecoscape. These are tiny - and I do mean TINY - flowers that bloom in early summer between the time the snow melts and the time the temps get hot enough to bake the ground.



This tiny clump of three Monkeyflowers could be hidden from view with a silver dollar. Each of the plants within the clump could be covered up with a quarter. That is how small these are. It's amazing to see them all over the ground.



This photo covers an area just a bit wider than a foot or so. There are other flowers besides the mini-monkeyflowers there, but I haven't identified them yet. It's just amazing what treasures you can find if you look down while out on a walk!

This is one of the things I love most about Druidry - it not only encourages, but in a way it mandates that I take the time to enjoy even the small things one can find in nature. How many years of my life have I simply walked past tiny wonders without even taking the time to really appreciate them? How much of my life have I spent not ever bothering to lift my head up to the night sky and stand in amazement at the billions of worlds whirling around above my head?

I love most how this path has re-awakened my feeling of wonder.