A Flower Geek, That’s Me!

I have always loved flowers. I can’t recall our dining room table in my childhood home being without a vase of flowers, real ones from the garden or good-looking silk ones during the winter. Jan being a horticulturist and working in greenhouses, we never lacked for cut flowers and potted plants in our own home. I love receiving a bouquet of flowers, not only because of the joy the flowers give me but mostly because of the thought behind it from the giver.

But there is something about wildflowers that touch me in a way that is hard to express in words. The closest I can come is that my mind is filled with a certain peace and delight when my eyes find the reds, yellows, and blues amid the greens. I am fortunate to have good friends who share my passion, and it was one of them who came up with the term “flower geek” a number of years ago on our annual wildflower trip together. Now that we live in two different provinces our flower geeking is done by sharing pictures online—not the same as discovering the wildflowers together, but a good second. For a couple of years when Life got in the way I missed the peak of the season and it was with a touch of sadness I had to accept that. “Next year” I said to myself…

And then came 2020. Barely into the year the world shut down because of COVID-19 and we are not out of the woods yet—pardon the pun! But as the air cleared around the globe and marine life found old waterways, the wildflowers of Alberta put on the greatest show I have ever seen. I have no idea if the abundance of wildflowers this year has anything to do with the pandemic—probably not, but when I think back on 2020 in future years, my first thought will be of the stunning display of wildflowers, and the corona virus second.

Old man's whiskers and a couple of larkspur. There are fields and fields of old man's whiskers everywhere

Glacier lily. On a recent hike in Kananaskis there were hundreds of glacier lilies in bloom

Shooting star. A friend alerted me to this place where the shooting stars were so plentiful

Star-flowered Solomon's seal. I usually find the false Solomon's seal, so this was a real treat

Common red paintbrush. One of my favourite wildflowers, and I can't get over how many are in bloom right now

Long bracted green orchid. I adore wild orchids! AB is home to 26 species and while I have found many I have by no means seen them all. This one I hadn't seen until this year

Lupines. Another favourite of mine, and they are everywhere right now

Sainfoin. I have never seen this wildflower before. Apparently it's a gourmet addition to hay fields!

Jan and I have been out and about more this summer than in recent memory. The beauty of the abundance of the wildflowers leaves us breathless every time no matter where we go in our corner of the world. While nothing can rival what the eye sees in real life, I do my best to capture some of it in my camera’s viewfinder. I have taken a lot of pictures, and the images shared here are but a fraction of what’s out there. Go see for yourself, if you haven’t already!