Wildflower Rainbow

Day 281: While Team Biota does spend a lot of its time on its respective hands and knees (figuratively in the instance of Joe, who is recovering from surgery), we do occasionally step back to take in the wider view. In this case, a scree slope above Cayuse Pass was painted with every colour of the rainbow, from tiny purple Boecheras (Rockcresses) and indigo blue Larkspurs to red and orange Castillejas supplemented with "damn yellow daisies" and a broad palette of green foliage in between. It is summer in the mountains, and these plants have only three months to complete their reproductive cycles before the long cold season settles in. Here, the undiscerning observer sees only beauty, not the intense struggle for survival which compels the display. It's serious business being a plant.