April (Snow) Showers Bring May Flowers
These last couple weeks have been very hectic between finals, packing, moving, and just generally trying to get my life sorted out. In the midst of finals week I had to get everything moved out of my apartment in Vermont into a storage unit for the summer while simultaneously deep cleaning the apartment, trying to see friends before I departed, and packing up the rest of my stuff to head out west for the summer. Then there was the actual drive where I travelled 2600+ miles across the country from Vermont to Montana (look out for a future post about the trip) in five days averaging 500 miles a day and around 10 hrs/driving. Ouch. (My butt is still sore.)
Now I am settling into my new place in Montana, which is a camper in the woods that I’ll be staying in for the summer while I’m working for the forest service as a botany crew member (hello dream job??). I’m excited for summer to arrive now that the snow has FINALLY seemed to melt (it was snowing May 22nd and 23rd when we got in).
The snow and rain from April (and May) has aided in the growth of many flowers and fun plants that I’ve been happy to find along my travels this month. I’m still learning a lot and am very hyped to be learning more this summer through my job and personal time exploring the wilderness of Montana and the surrounding Rocky Mountains. Below are some fun photos of plants I’ve seen along with a list of (some confident and some tentative) species identifications.
Fuzzy-tongue Penstemon - Penstemon eriantherus.
Alpine forget-me-nots - Myosotis alpestris
Ponderosa pine - Pinus ponderosa
Wild ginger - Asarum sp.
May apple - Podophyllum peltatum
Chickweed - Stellaria sp.
Painted trillium - Trillium undulatum
Chickweed and club moss - Stellaria sp. and Lycopodium sp.
Milkwort - Polygala sp.
Flowering dogwood - Cornus florida
Tulips - Tulip sp.
Trout lily leaves - Erythronium americanum
Assorted plants at Oakledge park
Flowering crabapple - Malus sp.
Norway spruce - Picea abies
Asian bleeding heart - Lamprocapnos spectabilis (tentative ID)
Rhododendron - Rhododendron sp.
Cool tree (I have no idea I still need to take dendrology so any input is appreciated :)
Hopefully the summer will bring a lot more fun plants this way and many more adventures to write about! Best wishes to everyone out there and remember to stop and smell the roses or whatever is flowering near your path.
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