BY LESLIE REGO
Last week was the perfect moment to be amazed by the lupine and arrowleaf balsamroot on display in Croy Canyon. The deep blues and yellows were dazzling. As I walked amongst the flowers, I was in awe that Nature could produce fields overflowing with such abundance of color and blooms.
At first, as I hiked, I was entranced and unable to focus on anything but the entirety of the overwhelming display. I chose a particularly colorful spot amongst the lupine and arrowleaf to sit and draw the different characteristics of the flowers. I took particular delight in drawing the curving leaves of the arrowleaf, depicting their ruffle-like edges.
After sitting for a while, I began to hike deeper and deeper into the hills. As I hiked, more details emerged and I began to pick up on quieter delicacies. At one point, I stumbled upon a rare collection of leopard lily, also known as chocolate lily. These lilies are not as showy as the lupine, but are an elusive, delicate treat. The bell-shaped flowers arc downward from slender stems. The stems are so slight that it is a wonder they can sustain the dangling flowers. The understated colors blend into the sage hillsides. They would be easy to miss amongst the much more vivid colors of the lupine. I was so taken by these gentle buds that I stopped again to draw, taking particular care with the drooping character of the flower so as to accurately render the petals.
The tranquil character of the leopard lily began to infuse me with an incredible peace. I had experienced the adrenaline burst of the extravagant blues and yellows and now I was in a quiet setting, reveling in a very different kind of beauty. Both beauties elicit wonder. It is the rare person that can demonstrate such opposite personality traits. How is it possible that Nature, within a small patch of ground, can showcase such wildly opposing dynamics?
Coming down from the mountain I was torn between the gentle, soothing moments with the leopard lilies and the wild festive moments with the arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine. Nature surely is wondrous.
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit www.leslierego.com.