Bye, Yellowstone! It was wonderful to know a little bit of you!
We made our way to the Beartooth Mountains today in Montana. On our way there, we stopped at Hauser Lake, which is a surreal place where alpine plants are surrounded by lakes and mountains. These plants only grow in regions above 10,000 feet, so it was amazing to see so many of them, especially since they won’t be around once we’re back in Illinois.
The ones that definitely caught my attention were the Rosy Paintbrush (Castilleja rhexifolia), the Elephant’s Head (Pedicularis groenlandica) (as it probably did with everyone else), and some small droopy plants named Pink Mountainheath (maybe) (Phyllodoce sp.). I’ve decided, however, to write today about the Elephant’s Head, honestly because I thought it would be fun to draw it, due to its unique shape and characteristics. The P. groenlandica belongs to the Broomrape family - Orobanchaceae. It apparently has sedative and aphrodisiac effects, which can be useful to animals, although it sounds like an oxymoron. On the other hand, it’s also a parasitic plant, getting nourishment from other plants’ roots, which I assume it’s not great for such host plants.
I appreciate the fact that Hauser Lake seems to be mostly untouched by humans. From the bacteria that lives enclosed in the snow, to some of the plants and animals that we’ve found in that place, I can imagine that many could have been wiped out with the interference of humans, as they maybe aren’t exactly appreciated for their ecological function.
It reminded me of Naess’ article, as some of these species only have their intrinsic value, regardless of their positive or negative effects on other beings.
Journal entry by Deborah
Comments