High Mountain Meadow--MacDougal verbena

A short hike through the forest from Rose Mountain led us to an open grassy meadow lined with boulders and crowned with a beautiful view.

A log structure locally known as the shepherd’s cabin was tucked snuggly among the aspen and a sprinkling of wildflowers dotted the meadow. A very peaceful place to linger.

I photographed several wildflowers while there. When I look at my photos, after the moment has passed, I sometimes notice missing details that would have helped identify a plant—like a better shot of the leaves or a better image of the way the leaves are arranged on the stem. As a naturalist friend of mine, Stephen Lyn Bales, recently told me, "they hold still and give you a good look. If you can’t identify one, it’s not their fault." --Gulp. Thanks to the Native Plant Society of New Mexico and Patrick Alexander's photos, I have this one safely identified as MacDougal verbena (Verbena macdougalii). I give myself a little slack for oversights on this excursion. There was a lot going on while snapping these photos, one of which was a rumbling thunderstorm that had our trailblazing counsel urging us to move on.

And I needed our counsel. They made it possible for me to lag behind snapping photos while they made sure we knew the way home. (To see more New Mexico posts click here.)