orange hawkweed

Cloudy. School buses spotted in W. Rutland. The whole summer season can be marked by the transition of the wildflowers. They appear. They flower for a couple of weeks. They're gone. May, June, July, August...Bloodroot, Ladie's Slipper, Spreading Dogbane, Cardinal Flower...turn, turn, turn. There is one wildflower that runs against the grain. It is the Orange Hawkweed, sometimes known as Indian Paintbrush. These bright orange wildflowers are among the first to appear in May. It was the first wildflower that caught my eye when Allyn & I lived here in the '70s. The other day I was heading to production, and there were three plants of Orange Hawkweed, still producing robust and colorful flowers.
Somehow they remind me of the goldfinches and chickadees which hang around all year long when so many of the birds come and go. These birds appear to have a zest for life that is totally unaffected by the dark days of late fall and winter. It is inspiring to have these examples of joyful fortitude and endurance to witness in the natural world.