Day 265: I first became acquainted with Western Meadow Rue (Thalictrum occidentale) while hiking with my mother on the Purcell Mountain Trail near Packwood. We each made similar mental associations for the dangling stamens which trembled at the slightest whiff of breeze, mine being somewhat more family-friendly than hers of "whorehouse lampshades." To me, they brought to mind Victorian era decor, silken pastel petals and long strands of beaded fringe. It's not an uncommon plant, but years went by before I saw it again because I was looking in all the wrong places. During a recent Team Biota hike, we found it in abundance on the east side of the Pacific Crest, recognizable by its columbine-like leaves. It was not in flower at the time, buds swollen but not quite bursting, so we made a second trip to the site a week later to find all the "lamps" lit and their fringe shivering in the breeze.
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