Wildflowers

Don't mind me, I'm just going to nerd it up a bit on here. I've had an idea in my head for a little while now, and so I'm going to go ahead and do it!

I've always been a keener my whole life. I adore the natural sciences. My dad once mentioned (when I was a grown up) that he was so sure I was going to be a scientist when I was a kid. It was such a funny comment to me, because as much as I love science, it had never occurred to me to be a scientist! A scientist in my mind, is a chemist or physicist. In a lab. White coat. Frizzy hair. Well, I've got the hair for it!

I had rock collections that I gathered, but not just 'pretty' rocks most kids pick, or the glossy polished ones from gift stores. I would scour wherever we went, for rocks I could name and categorize (you know, igneous, composite and sedimentary?).

I would bundle up in the pitch black middle of winter with a flashlight and my star maps to try to identify the constellations. I remember one year in school, going up to my science teacher and telling then about all the constellations I found. Were they impressed? The reaction I got was more of a "that unit is over. But good for you, little girl."

I was blessed with supportive parents though. I had a dad that would read his monthly National Geographics cover to cover. Therefore, I assumed he was the smartest man alive. My mom, while frugal, would almost always indulge our insatiable appetites for books. My parents thought it was great that I use to BEG for a telescope.

This whole preamble is a long-winded way to say:
I'm a legit nerd.

Long before hipsters made being nerdy cool.

And I recently bought myself something I've wanted since... About Grade Two. No joke.

I got myself a book on identifying wildflowers of the prairies.

Cool, huh?

Oh, did you think it would be more exciting than that? Nope.

But I sure got a giddy thrill when I purchased it!

As I have this riveting reference in my hands and I have been enjoying getting out and looking up specimens in it, I thought I would begin to record some of my findings! Mostly for my own enjoyment, so if you're not interested, just keep scrolling on by!

The below picture is a few blocks from our house. What a weedy, overgrown mess! Right?

Actually, as I stood beside it, I quickly recognized over a dozen wildflower specimens!

This hobby has helped me to literally stop and smell the flowers!

Who knows, you may pick up a tid bit of knowledge along the way too!