By mid-August in the high country, wildflowers are running out of time to complete their reproductive cycle. Above, sulphur buckwheat dries and changes from cream-colored to pink. 
Indian paintbrush turns brown,
Pink sticky geranium blooms are gone; the newly turned red leaves announce the coming of autumn.
Lupine forms seed pods.
Many of the wildflowers are going to seed. By early September, the first frost will arrive.
At 10,000 feet (3100 m), this may be the last wild rose of summer.
Your summers are so short (says the person currently watching the wind and rain outside!) - good thing it's so beautiful to make up for it.
ReplyDeleteYou are so knowledgeable about the plants in your area. We've had our first frosts, but we are supposed to a have a little Indian Summer with temps to 70 this week. How will winter affect your riding?
ReplyDeletesuch a little beauty hanging on to the last vestiges of warmth in those cool climates. I see there is a fire close to Duchesne Canyon--how are your skies?
ReplyDeleteJ: yes, the summers are short in the high country, but elevation around here varies from 4000 ft 13,000 ft, so we can vary where we go and extend our warm weather that way.
ReplyDeleteGayle: If the snow holds off, we'll ride through November at the lower elevations, and may be able to start again by the end of February.
Kaye: Skies are hazy and have been since last weekend. We were getting haze from the California fires, and now the Duchesne area fires have added to it.
I absolutely adore wild flowers, they make our earth seem so plentiful and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteCJ xx
At Mt. Rainier in late July the meadows were purple with lupine. A month later thelupine were looking like peas in a pod and the various mountain aster varieties made the meadow jsut as purple.
ReplyDeleteIn this part of the world there is no doubt about what season it is. We have SEASONS. As you said, it is nice to be able to get away from the heat of summer (which seldom happens) or the drearyness of winter by changing altitude. Positive attitude helps as well. Love the flower photos, even the seedy ones.
ReplyDeletewildflowers...ahhh...they remind me that little seeds of good and beauty are sprinkled all over this earth.
ReplyDeletetake care, suz
Wow---that may truly be the last rose on that mountain.... At 10,000 feet ---the temp. must be fairly low now... Glad you got 'her' picture!!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like FALL is coming to Utah also. We have alot of fall signs happening around here.
Great pictures, Janie.
Hugs,
Betsy
My favorite season is the fall. It is way too short for me. Crisp mornings and warm days and beautiful leaves. It is just starting.
ReplyDeleteHi Janie
ReplyDeleteI loved to take your walk through the autumn pasture and wildflowers. I am preparing a 'what spring looks like here in the subtropics' post so we are in direct contrast
seasonally...
and that makes life all the more interesting..
Happy days
We're starting to see signs of autumn here on the Plateau of Tennessee, but I hope that first frost is considerably later than early September.
ReplyDeleteYou are super observant about natures, I am so impressed. You noticed the white flowers on my MYM photo, I didn't until you mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteThumbs up! and right now I want to hug you and tell you that you are an amazing lady.
Tess
Autumn comes so quickly to the upper elevations! It sounds like you can ride for much of the year though, which is great. The rose is beautiful. I love the fuzzy Lupine seed heads too.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting and wonderful to get this view into another part of the country.
Ah, yes, summer is definitely on it's way out -- not as quickly here in Seattle as where you are, but there's a definite feeling in the air. It was so long getting here I hate to see it go, but there is much beauty to be seen here in the fall, too.
ReplyDeleteTerrific shots, as always, Janie!
Sylvia
Hi - Just popped over here from A Joyful Chaos - LOVE the blog and the pictures!! Can't wait to visit more ~ ♥
ReplyDeleteWildflowers have their own beauty in all the stages it seems. That sulphur buckwheat looks very pretty, esp enlarged. It must be fairly cool at 10,000 ft.
ReplyDeleteI do so love those beautiful transformative phases of plants, even what seems to be the dwindling of life force. It just reminds me poignantly of the beauty of nature's rhythms.
ReplyDeleteHow love of you to share these images. Thank you.
Mother nature is so beautiful...
ReplyDeleteI love the way you've captured the last traces of summer!
ReplyDeleteSummers are short but sweet. I know that in a couple weeks just to the north in Idaho the mornings will be getting quite nippy.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy being in the rythmn of the seasons. The seed pods are just as gorgeous as the flower heads!
ReplyDeleteIt has been a cool wet summer at my house. The wild flowers have loved it!
Sherry
Beautiful! Fall is on it's way!
ReplyDeleteOh Janie, is it fall already? I've seen the ferns going brown and the mahoney turning red. Yet the aspen's are still green. I'm just not ready for fall yet.
ReplyDelete