I might have expected David to find something special for our 56th Wedding Anniversary, and he did. I walked into the guest bedroom and immediately spotted something new on the wall. A photograph, on canvas, that I had taken last summer while hiking in Idaho. It is the elephant head, little red elephant, Pedicuaris groenlandica.
This sub-alpine plant blooms in mid summer and our timing for the hike was perfect. We had hiked the Norton-Big Lost Lakes loop many times. There are three sub-alpine lakes, Norton Lake, Big Lost Lake and Smoky Lake. It was at Smoky Lake where I wandered into the lakeside meadow filled with wildflowers and where I found the plant.
At first I thought it was an orchid but then I saw the little heads and a light went on. I had seen it in my book, Idaho Mountain Wildflowers, A Scott Earle. It was the elephant head. Do you see his little face, two large ears and trunk?
The location was just a described where other lovers of moist ground were blooming; the Explorer's gentian, Gentiana calycosa. Found between 9000'-10000'
and the Elegant camas, or mountain death camas Anticlea elegansm. Also a lover of boggy ground and high places.
From the gorgeous flower-filled meadow the hike takes you down along side the creek which runs out of the lake. The sides filled with monkey flowers and all manner of stream side plants. It has to be one of my favorite hikes in Idaho for the wealth of wildflowers.
What a wonderful idea for an anniversary gift. Every time I walk into the room it will bring back memories of that wonderful hike and that wonderful find. We will be heading back there again this year and this time I will find the Steers head, Dicentra uniflora!
It even got me blogging again!
