La Primavera Esta Aqui!

Spring is here in Montana! 

Juniper Berries

While the vast farmlands of the Gallatin Valley and the foothills of the Bridger Mountains remain dull and brown, Bozeman and the surrounding area are boasting some early signs of spring. Bozeman Creek is swollen from the rapidly depleting snow melt and the low lying elevations that were covered in snow have turned muddy while the sunny spots are nice and dry. I noticed while hiking at the "College M" trail yesterday that the Juniper trees have big indigo berries that are slowly ripening in the warm Rocky Mountain sun and emitting a wonderfully sweet smell. I picked a couple berries off their branches and crushed them in between two rocks so that the potent essential oils could be released for me to take a whiff of and then left them on the ground for some small critter to scavenge. Along the trail were also patches of green, little tiny shoots being brought to life by the afternoon sun and sustained by the moisture in the soil from the melting snow. I believe Bridger Bowl and Big Sky officially close this week and the trail heads had dozens and dozens of cars lined along the roads. Pretty soon the mountain bikers will be out scouring the best trails and backpackers and summer hikers will start to get their first taste of the new season.

 
In downtown along the cute numbered streets, tiny little flowers have just started to bloom in the past couple of days. The houses around the Dog Park on Story Avenue always boast a colorful display- I cannot wait for all of the tulips. For now we have some smaller flowers, mostly purple & white, and I sure wish I knew the names of some of them!