MONTANA--Bitter Root

 

I was looking at the weather channel over the weekend and noticing how hot some of the southern states are already.  Me thinks we are in for some serious summer heat.  Currently, we have glorious sunshine here in the pacific northwest.  A miracle in June.  Summer has found us early and we are relishing in it.  But as soon as temperatures soar above 80 degrees I'm a cooked goose!  It's true that weather can affect our state of mind and productivity.  My girls were busy little bees over the weekend.  Without any prodding, they cleaned their rooms, tidied their closets, washed sheets, removed the feather-comforters from their beds and replaced them with light summer quilts, opened all the windows to let in the fresh air, and later got out the guitar and started singing!  Perhaps it was the *organic* chocolate buttermilk cake on the premises that added to their giddy excitement, as we celebrated somebody's graduation, somebody's birthday, and somebody's anniversary.  And even if we didn't have anything to celebrate, we'd invent something just for a slice of this cake.  It's that good.  In case you are still poking around in my fridge, yes, those pickles are from our garden last summer.  Blogged here. They are going fast.  Time to plant again.  Very soon we will be picking berries for jam too.  Things are about to get very busy around here.   So time is of the essence to get this quilt project wrapped up. 

Today we have the perennial bitter root (Lewisia rediviva) for Montana.  The taproots were considered a precious food source for the early Native Americans, who also used it for trade.  Later, Lewis and Clark discovered and collected it, and wrote about its beautiful pinkish flowers in their travel journals, although some flowers are white.  The genus name was derived from Meriwether Lewis.  Most species are ground-hugging, and bloom all through the spring and summer in the mountains of western and south central Montana making it the perfect candidate to represent the state.  When the election was held to choose a flower, the evening primrose and the wild rose were also in the running.  But the bitter root received 62% of the votes and was adopted as Montana's state flower on February 27, 1895.  A variety of bitter root species can be found throughout the north and south western states.  They prefer light shade and grow naturally among loose rocky soils; if cultivating, they do best when grown in a rock garden with adequate drainage.

 

COLORS:  flower petals--pink #3687 & pale pink #963; flower centers--light pink #3688; leaves--green #906; stems--yellow green #704; roots--reddish brown #356; lettering--smoke gray #645.

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Almost forgot to mention . . . the new JUNE bonus transfers are up.  I love this little bird.  A reminder of the western bluebirds nesting in our backyard birdhouses this year--a happy sight.  And speaking of BLUE, the blue poppy wiggled its way into the designs too.  Enjoy!

 

Comments

[Account Deleted]

All good wishes to each of you, Vicki. It's nice to have such lovely things to celebrate.

xo

[Vee]

That explains why I've never heard or seen one. They don't grow in my corner. Very pretty and, as always, I love the history of the selection. I see that the assistant is still on the job. (BTW, how lovely that the girls did all that on their own. It sure makes life ever so much more pleasant.) Enjoy the cake and all the busyness that summer will bring.

[Velma]

You are right about the heat in the south! Our garden has been thriving, and now I wonder if it is getting a bit too hot. Freezing and canning has been the business of the day... for weeks. I'm glad I have my pickle stash made for this year. I always look forward to reading about yours.

The cake looks so good. I would work for cake too. Congratulations, Happy Birthday and Best Wishes to all.

[cross stitch kits]

you are very lucky to have good weather. Over here in UK its not so good, hopefully summer will reach here soon. Lovely pic, thanks for sharing the pattern.

[Pam Kellogg]

It is always such a pleasure to visit your blog! Your photos and stitching are pure eye candy!

Pam