17 June 2010

Hoppy Days in Butte Montana

Heavy spring snows broke down the old arbor, and the warm (60+ degrees!) wet days are making the hops bines grow:

Mrs Rover & I drove a few miles to The Moulton for small, flexible lodgepole pines. First, cut & trim:

Then rack 'em in the truck:

A few hours later, with help from a pint or two of hoppy brew and some twine (and good Boy Scout lashings), a new arbor (two actually, for the hops bines in the front yard outgrew their old one):

Oh what's this? Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) all budded up? The perfect stage for a meal:

Bacon, dandelion greens, elk steaks, and a pint (and Thou). Heaven in a cast iron pan:

Meanwhile, wildflowers on the Butte hill are blooming. As an ecosystem in recovery from a century of mining and smelting damage, changes from year-to-year can be dramatic. The first Silky Phacelia (Phacelia sericea) began colonizing the mine waste soils about five years ago, and now they are common:


In recent years, Fuzzytongue Penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus) began to show up, but it was scarce. This year, it is everywhere:

Why is it called "Fuzzytongue?" Glad you asked!:

There's also showy Drummond's Milkvetch (Astralagus drummondii)--see the ant?:

And good old Sulfur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum):

Mmmm... I'm feeling sleepy. Must be the poppies--lascivious, voluptuous poppies (blooming soon in a virutal yard near you):

Have a bluebird day!

5 comments:

  1. I didn't know you could eat dandelions. Love the fuzzytongues. Can't wait to see your poppies in bloom - beautiful!

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  2. Mad arbor skills, Pat. I thought you were supposed to buy those things at Costco?

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  3. I remember sitting in the back row of a large auditorium/classroom at UofO, drinking dandelion wine out of a thermos brought by a fellow longhair in 1970....
    Also, drove over to 'no tellum creek' on Friday, it was high, but dropping. Maybe by mid-week....

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  4. So you can save some money by smuggling you uncook dinner and cook them at work. LOL (re your comment to my Hangi post.)

    I liike dandelion greens, cooked them myself.

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  5. Love the Rubaiyat (and thou) reference.
    The dandelion greens look tasty.
    Great wildflower photos.
    Our poppies have already finished their bloom, but they were beautiful while they lasted.

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