Wildflower Surprises

I had a few sweet wildflower surprises as well as the wildlife surprises on my adventures in Nebraska and Colorado. The first flower that gave my memory a jog was the tiny orange one. I had not seen any since my childhood when I picked them in my grandmother's pasture. I asked Mom if she remembered them or had seen them since then. She was equally taken by seeing them again after such a long time. We identified them with help from some staff at Fort Robinson as being 'cowboy's delight'. Can't help but wonder how it got its name.

The second flower that neither of us had ever seen before was the wild begonia. We identified it as well by a live specimen that had been brought to Ft. Robinson. We saw some of it the first time as we drove country roads trying to get closer to Chimney Rock. We saw it in hot pink, peach, yellow, and mixed hues. Some of the blooms were so big that they reminded me of hydrangea. It was truly a gift to find a wildflower so large and gorgeous that I had never encountered before in my travels.

I can't help but think God connected a sweet flower memory from my childhood with the discovery of a new wildflower sighting while on an adventure with my mother. We were just two little girls having fun and being free. A sweet wildflower memory from my childhood and a new sweet wildflower memory with my mother, as women of a certain age; yet with the excitement of little girls looking in wonder at the beauty God gives in his creation to delight us. We were chasing wildflowers while being wild at heart and thanking God for his many blessings greeting us along the country roads.