September Morn

Day 324: As my faithful readers may remember, September Morn (September 1) is for me a special day, ranking second only to Christmas. It marks the changing of the seasons on my personal calendar, and opens the Beautiful Month. With the whims of the weather gods dictating, I seldom manage to perform the ritual associated with September Morn on the actual date, and this year took my annual de-stressing ablutions during August with a twenty-minute cold dip in Ghost Lake. Rinsed pure of what I refer to as "the dross of humanity," I am now ready to tackle another year. If possible, I'll have a second dunk in a chilly alpine tarn some time during the month to reinforce the cleansing. I had hoped to take a hike today, and although that's not entirely out of the question, a heavy mass of grey and foreboding cloud is currently hiding the Mountain from view. A little rain won't keep me from enjoying a dinner out at a Chinese restaurant, though!

In honour of September Morn, the photo depicts one of my favourite fall wildflowers, Orange Agoseris (Agoseris aurantiaca). It is usually found in limited numbers in the alpine meadows, and its unfortunate resemblance to the non-native invasive Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) puts it at risk for well-intentioned but misguided removal. Know your plants before you pull (and don't pull anything in the Park, regardless)!

Orange Agoseris, Agoseris Aurantiaca

Day 261: Orange Agoseris is not a rarity. In fact, it's hardly even something you'd bother taking a minute out of your hike to photograph. It looks for all the world like an orange dandelion, and when it crops up in a meadow painted with lupines and castillejas, you'd walk past it without a second glance, dismissing it as a weed as opposed to a wildflower. Nevertheless, it's one of my favourites because my initial encounter with it was on a trip through the same area in which I'd taken my first serious hike at age 9. Every time I see it, I am reminded of the event which charted the course of my life, a memory which no other wildflower jogs so strongly. It is for me a "medicine plant," one with which I have a spiritual connection, a figure of significance in my animist theology. I never pass one without acknowledging it, even if it's just to say, "Hi, Agoseris!"

So how do you say, "Hi, Agoseris" correctly? That's a matter of some dispute. The guidelines for classical Latin say that the emphasis should be on the antepenultimate syllable, in this case "a-GOS-er-is," but there are those who would debate the issue. Many botanists will pronounce the name "a-go-SER-is," but again, not all agree. My preference is "a-GOS-er-is," but then, I say "litch-en" instead of "like-en." Who ya gonna trust?