Wyoming Wildflowers

I took my nine year old up to Bible camp yesterday.  He's very excited.  It's the first year he is old enough to stay the entire week.  He's gone to science camp up there before but that is just over one night.  So getting to stay the whole week is a real treat.  Along with the preaching services, they have tons of great activities, including horseback riding, rappelling down a huge rock cliff, and a zip line.  He was nervous but excited.  

 I never can resist taking my camera along when I drive up to that camp.  The scenery is amazing and this week the wildflowers were everywhere.  I don't know the names of all of these, but I still love taking pictures of all of them.

This was the plant I was really hoping to find.  It's called elephant's head (for obvious reasons).  I didn't find any.  I grabbed this photo from online.  

 Even though I didn't find the one I was looking for, there were plenty of other beautiful flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes.

 The area the camp is located in is gorgeous.  Some day I'd love to live up there - somewhere very remote where we would be snowed in all winter ;)

Speaking of being snowed in, I found this book at the library - Snowed In by Barbara M. Lucas - and it has become my new favorite. :)

 

 I don't know what these are, but they're very interesting, tall plants.  I wonder if they will bloom, or if that white at the top is the extent of their showiness.  I might have to look closer at these when I go back to pick up our son on Saturday.

I love this exposed tree root. :)
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 I think my favorite flower though is the columbine.  The white flowers in the photo here are columbines.  They grow in clumps and seem to like low areas - like they've been washed down the hill or something.

See the millions of flowers?

The photo before this was a close-up of this same area.  There are so many flowers in this area that you wouldn't be able to walk without stepping on one.  The whole forest is like that right now.  So pretty.

Here's a closer view of a clump of columbine flowers.  I'm going to plant some of these seeds around here (though I know they will probably just turn into a deer and moose buffet.)

And here's a close-up of the individual flower.

 

 This is blue lupine, which also grows in a clump or bush.  These are very pretty too.  I might plant some of these seeds while I'm at it.

Anyway, as you can tell, I had a nice, slow, peaceful drive home from the camp.  I was looking so forward to the nine year old getting a chance to go to camp that I wasn't anticipating the slightly sad feeling I had after dropping him off.  They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Well last night all I could think about was how helpful he really is around here.  I get easily annoyed with him because he's loud and all boy, but in reality, he's a pretty great kid.  I'm not sad today.  I'm excited for him to be having a fun week at camp :)