Big Cottonwood Canyon/Camp Redman Flower Parade

There are a few flowers that I typically see in bloom in Camp Redman each year.

The purple blue Monk's Hood is one of my favorites.

See the hood and up raised praying hands with flowing wide sleeves below?

Of course you do.

And isn't it easier to remember the name of flowers that come with descriptive names like Snapdragons and Indian Paintbrush?

White Wild Geranium is pretty common and becomes prettier the closer one looks at it.

 



Why this lovely pinkish-purple flower is called Fireweed I have not idea as it is most commonly seen blooming next to streams.

It is said to grow well in burned out areas but to my way of thinking, that is not enough to name a pink flower after the orange colors of fire.

It is a perennial, a fact that surprised me but shouldn't have as each time we go to Redman the flowers are blooming in exactly the same places.

I just learned these additional tidbits about Fireweed:

 

Young shoots can be cooked like asparagus, young leaves used in salads and steeped for tea. The pith of the stem can be used to flavor and thicken stews and soups. It is an important honey plant.



I haven't been inclined to try to cook with the herb.

Too pretty...I'd rather just look at it.

Don't you love the four way split spirals in the flower's center?

 



I have yet to discover what this flower is called.

 



It was blooming right next to the Monk's Hood in our camp site.

 



Photographing Monk's Hood using various camera settings.

 



The mystery flower was being worked over by a mystery bee.

I say mystery bee because it has a bright orange red bottom unlike regular golden colored honey bees or furry yellow bumble bees.

 



I do like a dappled background effect.

 



The stream actually ran in three parallel paths by our campsite.

I waded over to check them all out, pushing my way through dense vegetation to get to each streambed.

The light on this one was especially beautiful.

 



Ragged yellow daisy shaped blooms looked great in a scene, less charming up close.

 



A quartet of Wild Geraniums grew out and over the running water.

I was surprise that there were no water edge growing Shooting Stars to be seen.

But then again I wasn't looking particularly diligently.

Sometimes a meander and seeing whatever is enough for a lazy get away kind of adventure.

Today is the last day of July.

We have had rain and temperatures in the low 70s the  last two days.

Such a relief after high 90s the rest of the month!

Mid summer...wonder what the rest of summer will hold?