Amongst the rocks

Yesterday, a small group of us were privileged to be able to access the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve. This mountain is on the southern end of Kananaskis (a long drive south of Calgary). There is a gate across the road up to Plateau Mt. that is kept locked, preventing access other than for workers checking the small gas plant at the top, and for certain people who have permission to go for scientific reasons. We walked from the south end to the north end (about 9 kms round trip, which was much further than many of us were expecting, lol!)), where we saw the plaque giving information about the Ice Cave that is somewhere in this area, gated so that no one can enter. This was a perfect place to stop for our picnic lunch, after which a few people walked on a little further. They found one of our target plants - Pedicularis flammea (flame coloured lousewort). I was thrilled to find a little cluster of them, without having to walk that extra distance! Will eventually post a photo of this tiny plant with its unusual flowers. Can you imagine finding one very tiny plant of a certain species on a mountain top like this? It always amazes me when it happens. It was a beautiful day (though it was not hot, thank goodness), sunny with great clouds filling the sky, and a strong and cooling wind. A good variety of plants, including small clusters of Roseroot, seen in this image. I thought it might be too early to see Roseroot in bloom, but was delighted to see that I was wrong. Thanks so much for the ride, Stephen - as always, greatly appreciated!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodiola_rosea

It made me smile when I was reading the info on the above Wikipedia link. "Rhodiola rosea may be effective for improving mood and alleviating depression. Pilot studies on human subjects showed that it improves physical and mental performance, and may reduce fatigue." Well, just seeing these beautiful plants definitely made me feel happy, though it did nothing to help reduce my feeling of fatigue, lol.