Good Stuff! Wildflower Spotting at Bear Lake

 

By John D. Brown

When I first moved to the Bear Lake valley, I looked at the hills and could only see the sagebrush and grass.

It was gray, dumb, and boring.

But as I started to walk the hills and actually open my eyes, I realized the landscape was anything but gray, dumb, and boring.

It was filled with a riot of color and interest all summer long.

The more I looked, the more I saw.

My walks in the hills are now full of surprise, delight, and beauty as the various wild flowers bloom and then fade.

Bluebells, purple penstemon, lavender phlox, yellow balsam root, red Indian paint brush, cute little fleabanes, tall and sweeping fireweed.

The hills of the Bear Lake valley are laid with a delicious visual banquet every day in the summer for those who want to enjoy it.

And there’s something that takes this wonderful experience and dials it up five levels. And that’s knowing the name of each of the flowers.

It’s one thing to spot a yellow flower and a white flower and another yellow flower. But the flowers are all different. And when you know the names of each, that’s when I found the magic happens.

But how do you find out the names?

You don’t want to lug some book around with you. You want to be able to take a picture and immediately know what it is.

And I found the perfect app on my phone that does just that. Actually, my daughter found it (thank you, Lilia). It’s called Picture This. And it’s been a terrific tool. You’ll see it with this logo. 

Nellie and I used it when we visited the Yosemite and Sequoia national parks to help us figure out whether each giant, dinosaur tree we were looking at was a massive redwood, sequoia, cedar, or ponderosa. We used it to identify the fabulous, smooth, mahogany barked manzanitas that grow there. We used it to identify the variety of oaks. And more.

We use it to identify wonderful trees and plants when we’re in the city.

And I use it every time I come across a new wild flower or plant in Bear Lake.

Knowing the names of the flowers as they come and go in their crescendos adds something special to the wildflower show.

If you’re walking the hills, walking the Limber Pine trail, walking anywhere in this glorious valley and want to truly savor the experience, let me suggest you try Picture This and see if it doesn’t take your enjoyment to a whole new level.

The bluebells are gone, but the pale, yellow bitterbrush are blooming, as are the pink phlox, the lavender wollypod milkvetch, and more. Don’t miss them.

John D. Brown is an award-winning novelist who writes action-packed thrillers and epic fantasies. Find his latest at johndbrown.com