The Rocky Mountain Front (May, 2023)

The Great Plains stretch in gently measured expanses for over a thousand miles before ultimately washing up against the stately peaks of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. The Front is where the boundless meets the formidable, and here, each spring, amid a symphony of contrasting colors and beautifully sculpted peaks, a most breathtaking convergence unfolds. Like waves crashing upon a rock-strewn shore, the grasses of the plains surrender and give way to sprawling displays of wildflowers ascending the foothills and then scrambling up the flanks of the Rocky Mountains themselves.

This year, the flowers are particularly prolific and showy. Expansive flourishes of arrowleaf balsamroot are attended by more modest displays of penstemon, larkspur, and lupine.

I am sharing a few images I captured with Desiree during a six-hour drive along the Front.

Awash With Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Meeting the Mountains

Desiree at the Sun River Game Range

—Mitchell Hegman

Clusters of Fairy Slippers

Calypso bulbosa, a member of the orchid family, is a small and rare perennial plant sure to capture the attention of anyone lucky enough to stumble upon one. The flower's unique and intricate design features a vibrant pink or mauve lip, contrasting beautifully against its pale yellow, purple-spotted sepals. Delicately arched petals resemble dainty slippers, hence the name 'fairy slippers.'

Fairy slippers thrive in the cool and moist environments of Montana's forests, often preferring areas shaded by coniferous trees. These elusive flowers can be found scattered throughout the western half of the state.

While fairy slippers may be small in size, roughly the size of the end of your pinky finger, their ecological importance is significant. These captivating wildflowers often rely on specific fungal relationships to assist in their germination and growth. By serving as indicators of forest health, their presence provides valuable insights into the overall ecological balance of their habitats.

While hiking near my cabin, I found several large clusters of fairy slippers. I have never seen such large collections of these flowers. Usually, I find them in singles or pairs.

I am posting photographs of two clusters I found.

Fairy Slippers

—Mitchell Hegman

A Study in Blue (Lake Helena)

On a drive into town, Desiree and I stopped at an access for Lake Helena just to take in the views.  After several days of gray skies and rain, the big blue sky and the calm, reflective surface of the lake sky impressed us appropriately.

Lake Helena

—Mitchell Hegman

Tracking Mitch

This time of year, you don’t need a sophisticated electronic device for tracking me.  A flourish of spring weeds will do the trick.  To determine where I’ve been, simply follow the lines of weeds I pulled and flung onto the road.

—Mitchell Hegman

Refrigerator Proud

I've seen my share of teenagers crashing. I'm talking about kids becoming wrecks emotionally, falling in with a bad crowd, or diving deep into drugs and alcohol. Too many fail to graduate from high school.

I have witnessed this in my friends, the children of my friends, and now the grandchildren of my friends. I thought about this the other day as I affixed the graduation announcement for a friend's daughter to my refrigerator with a magnet. I have likely hung several dozen of these on my refrigerator over the years.

But this felt different, not as perfunctory as all the previous times. Honestly, I felt righteously proud posting the graduation notice. Not just good stuff, this. Great stuff.

—Mitchell Hegman

Our Cousin (The Banana)

As near as I can tell, our nearest relative in the fruit section of your local grocery is the banana. I say this after having spent a good three or four minutes scouring the internet for information in this regard.

While it might seem surprising, humans and bananas share approximately 50% of their DNA. I am a bit unsure as to whether I should be alarmed or comforted by sharing so much of my makeup with any kind of fruit, and I wonder what exactly we are sharing.

Maybe when I walk into a room for something (as I just did) and then realize I forgot why I went in there... maybe that's banana stuff. Or when I'm not strong enough to lift something.

On the other hand, what about banana sundaes?

—Mitchell Hegman

Image: rastaimposta.com

The Sky Is My Garden

I posted my first blog on January 3, 2010. As best I can remember, the blog captured two readings: one from me and one from my wife. I reposted the blog about ten years ago, and just for fun, I am reposting my first blog again today. I have also shared the photograph (taken from behind my house) that I shared alongside the blog.

The Sky Is My Garden

The sky is my garden. By day, wind tends rows of clouds or scattered birds. By night, stars blossom above the zinc-colored mountains. They say that this Montana is 'Big Sky Country,' but that is not near enough to explain things. In the heat of summer, the sky ripples and spurs warped ravens across the prairie. At minus twenty, the whole sky sparkles, and the ice on the frozen lake below my house cries and moans. Clouds lift. Clouds drift away. The sky is a moving garden.

—Mitchell Hegman