We made our way to Sylvan Lake, which is a gorgeous man-made lake in Custer State Park, about 100+ miles from the Badlands. Completely different scenery, with mountains and lots of green!
Before we got there, however, we still hiked in the Badlands. We went up Saddle Pass, which was challenging - but fun! -, and we hiked around Medicine and Castle Trails. It was quite intriguing to realize that there was a whole world on top of the Saddle Pass! Borderline surreal. And it was a beautiful and serene place, filled with prairie fields and rock formations. There were plenty of Goatsbeards (Tragopogon dubius), Mulleins (Verbascum thapsus) or Velvet Verbascum (?), as well as mixed grasses and cacti. One prominent feature of the Mullein is that they turn dark brown when they die, so we did eventually reached a cemetary of Mulleins. It was quite a sight, but not necessarily sad, as I know they’ve dispersed their seeds and are now making room for the next generation. It’s very revealing how we accept the death of other beings as part of the natural cycle, yet we do anything, to try to expand our lives as humans as much as possible. There is a disparity here that marks each end of the spectrum. I believe that ideally we should strive to meet in the middle, not only regarding, nonhuman lives - flies included! - with more value and significance, but also toning down our human exceptionalism, regarding death - at least natural death - as part of a cycle and a chance of renewal.
On a different topic, however, the Mullein is not my chosen flower for today. Today’s plant is Birchleaf Spiraea, or Spiraea betulifolia from the Rosaceae family. I saw this lovely flower around our campsite on Custer State Park. It was alone, almost under a rock, and drooping down. At first, from afar, I thought it was a wet yarrow; however, after getting closer, I realized that the leaves were completely different (being toothed and oval/round shaped, not fern-like) and what I mistook as water were actually multiple stamens all over. It was on what I’d consider a moist forest on a mountain.
I chose this plant as it took 2 days to identify it (so, yes, this is being written in retrospect!), so it’s more a matter of principle, and some admiration towards this mysterious and gorgeous flower.
I feel that this “journey” (done with the essential help and oversight from Dr. Gulezian, who even consulted a botanist friend about it!) made me more aware of the importance of naming. However not exactly as a means to claim or give meaning to something, as we’ve seen with multiple authors before (e.g. Kimmerer, Tommy Pico), but as a way to recover the knowledge that was already shared through multiple cultures and generations.
Journal entry by Deborah
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