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Marsha A. Goetting, Ph.D., CFP, CFCS
Extension Family Economics Specialist
P.O. Box 172800
Bozeman, MT 59717-2800
phone: (406) 994-5695 fax: (406) 994-4838
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June equates to wildflower season in Montana. That means it’s time for me to grab my camera,
tripod, and backpack and head for the mountains. I spent the first Saturday in early June
hiking around state lands in the mountains near Bozeman. A variety of wildflower were blooming….prairie
smokes, larkspurs, shooting stars, ball head waterleafs and many, many more. I really didn’t care that it rained most of
the time and that it was too windy to take photographs…. I was just happy to be
among the millions of blooming flowers.
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| Albino Fairy Slipper |
My husband (Gary) and I spent the next two weekends in June in the
northern section of Yellowstone National Park.
I was ecstatic to find an Albino Fairy slipper. Contrast the Albino with the normal
purple-ish one below. Aren’t they both
beautiful? A fairy slipper is sometimes
called a Calypso orchid. This flower has
a very specialized reproduction system, requiring exacting habitat conditions
so finding one calls for a celebration.
When you visit Yellowstone this time of year you experience what
we locals call “Bear Jams.” You can
almost tell when a person sees a bear for the first time. The driver stops the car, four doors blast open
and people run out with their cameras in hand to take a photo of the bear. Never mind that the bear will only appear as
a black dot on the final picture.
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| Fairy Slipper |
I can’t blame them for
their excitement in one way, but when you are stuck on the road for a half hour
because the person in front of you and the driver in the opposite lane have
abandoned their cars, we locals tend to get a bit testy. However I must confess that because of a
“Bear Jam” we were fortunate to see a mother black bear and her two cubs churning
up grass and eating grubs. We also saw grizzly
bear grazing in a picnic area. Luckily
no one was picnicking at the time!
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| Chocolate Lily |
Gary’s find of the day the second weekend in June was the tallest
Chocolate Lily we had ever seen.
Chocolate lilies are a challenge to photograph because the flowers hang
downward like a bell. The tallness of
this one allowed Gary to get “up close and personal” with one of the flowers on
the stalk as you can tell from the photo below.
You
won’t find any fairy slippers or chocolate lilies at Big Sky in September
during the NEAFCS 2016 Conference because our blooming
season is usually mid-May to late June. But if you attend my preconference on
September 12 entitled….Wildflower
Reflections: Families, Legacies, and Estate Planning you will
meet the Fairy Slipper Family and learn how one father accidently disinherited
his children by having the property in joint tenancy with his new wife.
Speaking
of flowers ... if you are looking for a way to send a lasting bouquet to friends
on their birthdays, consider purchasing Montana wildflower note cards as a
gift. Plus, you'll also be providing support for the NEAFCS 2016
conference.
More information here.
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