Down by the River

Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the summertime, the Santiam River has areas of exposed rock that is usually underwater all winter. It’s fun to explore, and children love the adventure of discovering how water has the power to carve craters in the rocks, and smooth corners like a fine piece of art. Plants spring up in the crevices. Here’s one I can’t identify, yet it caught my eye with its bright red stems.

Meadow Sage

On every stem, on every leaf … and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part.                           – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Salvia pratensis (Meadow Clary or Meadow Sage) is a perennial sage native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. The larvae of butterflies, skippers, and moths use it for food, so it’s great to consider when planting a “butterfly garden”.

A Step Closer #2

When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.  – John Muir

 

An insect samples the sweetness of a snapdragon bud.