Windy day up on the hill. No bees, but many flowers making themselves all pretty for them.

That’s a beautiful flower. When you’re from this place, it’s the only one for you, the one that pulls at your heart.

She is arrow-leafed balsam root, which is a series of wrong names for a wild sunflower native to these hills. Yeah, no bees, but look who is braving the cold:

A butterfly growing up! Now, here’s the thing: these leaves taste like menthol. Reallllly strong menthol when they get this big. I guess menthol helps with the cold. Speaking of braving the cold of an extra-early spring:

Listen to him: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/sounds

Yellow’s the season. This Western Meadowlark is a cheeky guy. Here he was three days ago, thirty metres above the neighbour’s house up the hill.