Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, one of the many magnificent features in Yellowstone Park. Over 4,000 feet wide in some places and 1,000 feet deep. Both the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River are located in this canyon, about 1/4 mile apart. The geology of YNP is a mix of so many events over the last 300 million years, but this canyon is a result of a volcanic lava flow. The Rhyolite rock formed as the lava cooled, but “thermal” activity continued through thousands of years and altered this rock to be softer and more crumbly. As a result, this magnificent canyon and the mineralization has occurred in a geologically very short amount of time. It could be less than 20,000 years that the Yellowstone River has eroded this crumbly rock to form this canyon!
Today is Summer solstice and Father’s day. Monuments have been built by ancient cultures to follow the sun’s yearly progress. Father’s day was originally sponsored in West Virginia remembering 362 men who had perished the previous December in a mining accident. It was inspired by the idea that although Mother’s day was honored, no specific day remembered our dads. Father’s day took a while to catch on. One historian writes, “men scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving as a commercial gimmick! Eventually this was accepted as World War 2 continued and this became a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s day was a widespread tradition.
Our lives are full of tradition. One of my spring and early summer traditions is following the bloom of wildflowers and other phenological ( fluctuation) patterns. The following photos and short descriptions will tell you a story of my last weeks as spring moved into summer. I hope you enjoy this.
Grizzly Bears in Lower elevations until snow melts in higher elevations. Eating grasses and forbes, mostly vegetation other than carcasses from the ungulates like elk and bison that dont make it through the hardship of winters.
Just like everything else, Geyser Basins go through seasonal changes. Some microbes thrive in longer sunlight and the pigments in those microbes may change the appearance of features from season to season.Beauty in the Upper Geyser Basin where Old Faithful is found. So many other features exist in this Geyser Basin like these that you see along the Firehole River.In the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone where Old Faithful is located, approximately 150 geysers are identified out of 500 geysers in Yellowstone. Officially more than half of the world’s geysers are found in Yellowstone National Park! The others might be in Iceland, New Zealand, Chile, Russia Bulgaria, Brazil and Mexico.
Castle Geyser is also in the Upper Geyser Basin. Maybe the oldest geyser in the world
Amazing Blue Camas bloom in the Grand Teton National Park. These 2 youngsters are loving it. Traditionally many native tribes depended on these blooms that thrived in moist meadows. Meriweather Lewis famously documented the vast fields resembled “blue lakes of clear water” Roots were harvested and the bulbs required slow, day-long roasting or boiling to transform its starches into a sweet, nutty flavor.
Bitterroot, Lewisia redivivia, named by Lewis and Clark after they learned about it as a significant food source for tribal people. Like Blue Camas, the roots were harvested and cooked with meat or berries to create a delicious meal. It was also believed to have medicinal properties so it was a sacred plant only blooming at a very specific time of year ) late spring to early summer) The Bitterroot gardens were well known and visited at very specific times of year. It is now a long growing season and they thrive in gravely soils. Bitterroot is the Montana State Flower and, personally, one of my favorite plants! I look for them every year as they only grow in very select places.A recent trip to Northern Montana to visit friends brought me close to Glacier Park and the National Forest to the south. An iconic plant in this area is Beargrass, Long “grass-like” leaves used by early people to weave baskets were collected, but bears to do not eat this! Bears do use the leaves for denning material, however. Some say it was named by the Lewis and Clark expedition as they assocaiated this plant with habitat where they identified bears. Some plants bloom yearly, but spectacular, widespread blooms ( as it seems this year may be) occur once every 5-10 years. This is an almost once in a lifetime experience. A friend and I were off trail walking, looking for Bitterroot flowers when we wandered up to higher elevations. We found ourselves on a very rocky slope and moved toward the trees hoping for better footing. As we finally approached a ridge with some trees we navigated our way through downfall and some animal trails. As we climbed across a root system of a large old tree, I almost stepped on this elk calf that was waiting for its mom. These calves have no scent for the first weeks of their lives, so the moms will hide them as they wander off for feeding. No scent gives them a big advantage not to be found by predators so they stay put, very still and silent, waiting for their moms. This calf did not move a muscle, other than to twitch and ear one time! Spotted Coral Root
Coralroot orchids obtain the nutrients, minerals, and water they need to survive by parasitizing a mycorrhizal fungus that absorbs the nutrients they both require from a photosynthetic plant, which gets water and minerals from the mycorrhizal fungus in return. Two varieties of Coral Root orchids are found locally, the striped Coral Root and the Spotted are found in this area. These are very delicate plants and it can take up to 10 years before they are producing blossoms.
Striped Coral Root
Heartleaf Arnica All of the Arnica species we have locally have opposite leaves and yellow flowers. Locally, the most abundant are the Heartleaf Arnica. This plant, along with all Arnicas, has been used medicinally for centuries. Treatment for swelling, bruising and pain by applying the flowers and stems has been a common approach through time by many cultures. Tribal people used the root for sore throats, aching teeth, lacerations and bruises. Some said that mixing the roots with bird feathers and ocher could also be a love potion…..remember that if you ever find a need!
Subalpine fir put put low lying branches that grow along the ground and take root. A small ribbon of bark from the mother tree feeds the new growth that produces a skirt like colony of bonsai-like new branches that is still part of the same organism, and keeps this alive though the centuries.
I’d like to finish this with news from the Kid for the Wild Scholarship. The board for Wild Wind has chosen two recipients this spring for the summer Scholarship. Holly Moir will participate in an Alpen Girls program introducing her to multiple ecosystems around Montana.
Kaidra Adams will participate in an International Volunteers program “conserving Sea Turtles” . This will include: Supporting local efforts to boost turtle populations Learning about environmental issues and solutions Getting experience in turtle care and conservation Immersing yourself in Indonesian culture
Stay tuned for more about what the summer brings for these 2 as they spread their wings learning more about the Natural World.
As always, get outside and keep it all, “Forever Wild”
