Perky Sue has to be the happiest little sunflower on planet Earth!
“Is it because Perky Sue is an early spring bloomer, it’s smiling face opening in mid- to late March? Maybe it’s how those brilliant yellow flowers climb above fields of drab, dry grasses to brighten the landscape? Perhaps it’s those tall, soft and silky flower stems that dance with wild abandon to the music of our spring breezes?”
No matter why Perky Sue always brings smiles, you can’t deny that encountering a blooming bunch makes you instantly happy!
Look for these stunning sunflowers in the open areas scattered throughout and adjacent to the subdivision. Separate the dried grass and discover the soft sage-colored, spatula-shaped leaves densely clustered at ground level. Remember this spot and return every Spring to watch our grassy meadows awaken with dazzling yellow sunshine.
Did You Know ………………. ?
When you encounter Perky Sue (or most any other sunflower) take a close-up look at one of it’s flowers. What you’re actually seeing is a collection of tiny flowers (florets). The most numerous type of floret lies within the face or center of the flower head (these are the disc florets). But you may be surprised to learn there’s a second type of floret often thought of as the sunflower’s petals (called the ray florets).
The Sunflower Face
The face or central part of the flower head is called a disc; the individual flowers, the disc florets, are arranged in clockwise and counterclockwise spirals. Look close and notice each floret has five distinctly flared petal lobes attached to a fused floral tube (which together form the corolla). Each floret is fertile, having both male (staminate) and female (pistillate) organs, able to produce pollen and seeds.
The Sunflower “Petals”
Radiating out from the disc like the rays of the Sun is a showy ring (or multiple rings) of what looks like flower “petals.” However, each “petal” is a single ray floret consisting of a single strap-shaped flower (ligule) of five fused petals (corolla) that form a tube at the base. In Perky Sue and some other sunflowers, the ray florets are pistillate. But in the majority of species the ray florets are sterile.
The Sunflower “Landing Pad”
Sunflowers have one of the most highly evolved “flowers” in the plant kingdom. To maximize their visual attraction to pollinators, the ray florets became large showy structures that act as a “landing pad” for bees and other pollinators. When they “touch down” they are immediately drawn along the ligule to the bountiful pollen supply of the disc florets. Large pollinators also use the ligules of ray florets as a supporting platform to balance and feed from the disc florets’ floral tubes. So, ray florets evolved to increase the pollination success of the fertile disc florets at the center of the sunflower. And in the case of Perky Sue, insects carrying pollen as they fl to other “landing pads” increase the pollination of the pistillate ray florets.
Want to Learn More?
The biology of sunflowers is a fascinating subject, and I’ve spent many hours researching and illustrating their intricate parts and pieces, and how they work. If you’d like to learn more, check out these detailed posts I put together in the summer of 2023:
Have you ever taken a close look at its flower head or inspected the florets of another sunflower species?
What did you see?
Hope you enjoyed this page of my field guide. I’d love to know if you found the information new and/or inspired you to check out the details of your local sunflowers.
White-point Vetch (Oxytropis sericea var. sericea)
One of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, white-point vetch forms a dense bouquet of brilliant white, pea-shaped flowers that grow on 12 inch tall stalks arising from many basal, soft-hairy compound leaves.
Beautiful to look at ….. POISONOUS if ingested …
….… especially if you’re a cow, horse, sheep, goat, elk or mule deer
All parts of white-point vetch (aka white locoweed) are poisonous at all times, even when dried. The culprit is an alkaloid toxin called Swainsonine, which inhibits enzymes essential for normal carbohydrate and glycoprotein metabolism in cells. This causes carbohydrates to accumulate in the brain and most other organs preventing normal cell function. Depending on how long the locoweed is eaten, the affected cells can be permanently damaged; one to three months of heavy consumption can cause death. Also, Swainsonine is present in the milk of lactating animals affecting their nursing youngsters.
Are locoweeds naturally poisonous? Well, yes, in a way. But the poison isn’t made by the plant itself. Swainsonine is produced by a fungus (Undifiliumoxytropis) that acts as an “endophyte,” happily living between the plant’s cells of certain locoweeds in the genus’ Astragalus and Oxytropis. This fungus, thriving at high elevations on Western US rangelands, coexists symbiotically with the host plant, causing little to no harm to the host locoweed. In fact the host may even benefit from the fungus by receiving enhanced drought tolerance, as well as a “don’t eat me” sign to all hungry ungulates. Meanwhile, the fungus goes about its business of keeping the plant well stocked with Swainsonine. Only the species of locoweed without the endophytic fungus are not poisonous. Review the list at the end of my post to learn which Astragalus and Oxytropis species are known to cause “locoism.” (But the real lesson is to be wary of all species in these two genus’ until you seek expert identification.)
Symptoms of locoism in ungulates: Malabsorption of essential minerals and vitamins in the intestinal tract. Decreased appetite and weight loss. Decreased liver function and damage due to elevated liver serum enzymes. Calves, lambs, and foals may be born with deformed legs. Abortions and fetal death are common. Other general symptoms include depression, blindness, loss of coordination, emancipation, tremors, paralysis, constipation and deterioration of the coat.
We have 5 of these plants scattered around our property., and this is one of them. We also have a group of mule deer that walk by this plant almost daily. They must know not to eat the leaves and flowers, moving quickly by in search of something safe to eat.
Abnormal behaviors emerge, such as sudden changes in temperament, aggressiveness, ataxia, falling over unexpectedly, violent reaction to routine management practices such as putting on a halter or refusing to go through a chute. Horses become very depressed and sleepy, and often show more severe neurological effects of locoweed poisoning than cattle and sheep.
Specific to cattle, the major problem encountered with locoweed poisoning is decreased fertility characterized by lower conception and calving rates; semen fertility of affected bulls is also decreased. In addition, cows and bulls consuming locoweed experience reduced libido, behavioral changes, weight loss, and heart failure. Typical findings in calves are decreased growth rates resulting in lower weaning weights. Some calves may be born weak and die shortly after birth.
The flowers of White-point Vetch are bright white and quite lovely. This close-up shows how their form resembles a garden pea flower.
There is no effective treatment for locoweed poisoning! Recovery depends on the duration of ingestion and severity of the lesions. Locoed horses are considered permanently affected.
So why do animals eat poisonous locoweeds when other non-poisonous forage is available? One reason is locoweeds are palatable and have a similar nutrient value to alfalfa. Also, they become habituated to eating them from each other. Once one animal starts to eat locoweed others follow. Removing animals that are locoweed eaters from the herd can reduce the chances of other animals ‘learning’ to eat the plant through social observation.
Is the toxin Swainsonine poisonous to humans? While primarily a risk to livestock, unintentional human exposure, usually through ingestion or smoking, can cause hallucinations, severe liver damage, or even fatal poisoning.
From what I’ve read, people seeking to get “high” from Jimson weed (a Datura species), aka “locoweed,” often mistake a true “locoweed,” (like Oxytropis sericea) for the Datura, even though they look nothing alike. As they begin smoking the leaves or any other part of O. sericea, they can experience severe and rapid hallucinations, delirium, intense paranoia, psychosis, anxiety, agitation and disorientation as their heart races, pupils dilate, vision blurs, and a high fever sets in. Chronic ingestion inhibits cellular enzymes, potentially leading to long-term neurological impairment, reproductive dysfunction, and severe organ damage.
My hand carefully holding a flower stalk. This shows just how large the flowers are. Notice there are quite a lot of buds present at the flower stalk tip. (I did wash my hands after handling the plant)
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Well, that’s a lot of scary stuff! Let me end my post with something light-hearted and laughable from the Wild Wild West — something unbelievably crazy involving the extreme measures that were taken by Colorado ranchers during 1881 to 1885, to prevent their livestock from dining on poisonous locoweed.
Locoweed—The Most Infamous Plant of the Southwest!
As early as the 1800s, livestock growers in the west considered the presence of “weeds” (whether native or non-native) on rangelands an unwelcome nuisance, especially if they outcompeted the growth and availability of “desirable” plants (forage) needed to feed their herds. And if a tasty “weed” or two turned out to be poisonous to their livestock, then its elimination was critical. This was the case with white-point vetch, aka white locoweed (Oxytropissericea), and its close relative, purple locoweed (O. lambertii), both native perennial species found throughout the intermountain west. Ranchers in the late 1870s were shocked by the skyrocketing deaths of their livestock that were eating locoweed. And in Colorado, ranchers demanded action.
This is a true story of locoweed, the first “weed” for which the 1880s Colorado legislature enacted radical management regulations; the first “weed” where detailed steps were laid out to not only control locoweed, but eliminate all signs of this poisonous plant from Colorado rangelands.
The following is an excerpt from an article written by Charles Bryant, Huerfano County’s (Colorado) Noxious Weed Manager, and printed in “The Learning Ledger” on June 2, 2025.
A young bouquet of White-point vetch was nearly 10” tall, with more growth expected.
One of Colorado’s Most Loco Laws ………
….. the ‘Loco’ or Poison Weed Act of 1881
“At the time of enactment, Colorado had been a state for less than five years and was the epitome of the “Old West,” with the livestock industry being one of the primary drivers of the newly-formed state’s economy. Because of the impact locoweed was having on the health of livestock by 1881, Colorado legislators became preoccupied with the native Oxytropis species.
“The 1881 “Loco or Poison Weed Act” (Act) allowed citizens to “dig up not less than three inches below the surface of the ground any ‘loco’ or poison weed during the months of May, June or July and shall receive a premium of one-half cents per pound for each pound of such weed dug up, to be paid out of the state treasury as hereinafter provided; provided, that such weed shall not be weighed in a green state, but shall be thoroughly dry when weighed.”
“The Act went on further to describe how locoweed bounty hunters of the state were to deliver their dried loads of locoweed to their county clerk within two months of their digging. Upon delivery to the clerk of the county where the weeds were gathered, the clerk was to weigh the load and require those seeking reimbursement to sign an oath stating: “I do solemnly swear that the weed here produced by me this day is ‘loco’ or poisonous weed of X amount of pounds, dug up by me within two months last past.” Upon the recitation of this somber oath the county clerk was to “forthwith destroy such weed by burning” and issue a certificate for payment that was to be paid by the county, with the county later being reimbursed from the state treasury after their submission of an annual report that detailed the amount of locoweed gathered and to whom bounties were paid.
“By 1885 it became glaringly apparent that the locoweed bounty program was unsustainable, to say the least, and rife with fraud. The February 12, 1885, edition of the Rocky Mountain News lambasted the “loco industry” and pointed to the handsome sum of $8,727.27 that had been paid out in one month alone to El Paso County, equivalent to over $283,333 in today’s dollars. The coverage went on to question how over half a million pounds could be collected in El Paso County in a month, and stated that the monthly locoweed bounty expenditures for El Paso County matched the total monthly operating cost of the Colorado State Penitentiary. Only six days after this scathing review, Colorado legislator Rep. Abraham Bergh of Park County led the repeal effort of the Act, and the state finally did away with perhaps one of the most “loco” laws to ever be enacted in Colorado.”
Are you familiar with your local locoweeds? If so, I’d love to know which species you’ve encountered and if they’re on the list (below) of those known to cause locoism?
After learning more about the poisonous nature of locoweeds, next time you discover one, will you think twice before handling the plant? (And please, if you do, be sure to wash your hands!)
Hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for stopping by!
Astragalus and Oxytropis species known to cause locoism:Astragalus lentiginosis (spotted loco), A. mollissimus (woolly, purple loco), A. wootonii (Wooton loco), A. thurberi (Thurber’s loco), A. nothoxys (sheep loco), A. dyphysus (blue loco, rattlewood), A. earlei (Earle’s loco), A. argillophilus (half moon loco), Oxytropis sericea (white-point vetch, white loco), O. lambertii (purple point loco), O. bessyi (Bessy point vetch), and O. campestris (field loco).
(I’m thinking that just because these species are known to have the poisonous toxin Swainsonine, it might be best to err on the side of caution and treat Astragalus and Oxytropis species as suspect? Do you think so too?)
Such an awesome-inspiring place to spend a Spring week in New Mexico!
Three of the five big boys! Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument …..
comprises a breathtaking 245,000 acre area of the northern Rio Grande rift valley in north central New Mexico. Established as a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) national monument in 2013, the rugged wide-open plains average 7,000 feet in elevation before dropping into steep narrow canyons carved into the landscape by rivers that have been flowing for millennia.
The confluence of two of these rivers, the Rio Grande and the Red River, occurs in the northern Wild Rivers area of the Monument. It’s at this confluence where the gorge is its deepest at 800 feet, and its widest from rim to rim measuring 3/4 mile. It’s an impressive view from the la Junta (“the Meeting”) Overlook. All of the views from anywhere along the rim are impressive.
We backed our RV (‘Felix’) into what must’ve been the best designated camping site ever ….. #9 on the southern loop in Big Arsenic Springs Campground. After setting up, we discovered that Felix rested only a few steps west was the rim and the long plunge down to the Rio Grande! But immediately south of us, the rim formed a small peninsula where nearly every afternoon I could be found sketching the plants growing from the basalt cliffs, or the swifts and turkey vultures soaring along the cliffs and over the river aided by the canyon’s updrafts. This skinny little peninsula quickly became my favorite sit spot; then late one morning it became priceless …….
Can you spot our RV? We were precariously perched above the Rio Grande, right on the rim of the gorge!
I could hear them approaching, like a swarm of bees. In a matter of seconds I was witnessing a cacophonous chorus of 100’s of pinyon jays. These noisy birds quickly moved in and onward while descending, like they were famished, on this year’s piñon pine cone-laden trees in large erratic groups, all the while screaming, “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!” Where exactly they came from or where they went remains a mystery. All I know was the spectacle must’ve lasted a good 10 minutes or more, as I watched wave after wave of these birds pass by. I still get goosebumps (jaybumps?) recalling those exciting moments.
We had planned to spend only one day camping in the Monument, but every morning we decided to stay at least another and then another day. We hiked every rim and interior trail (sometimes more than once), spent hours at all of the Overlooks getting ‘High on the Views,” were thrilled with our chance encounters of five (5) Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep rams (twice in one day), and marveled at how the forces of nature* collaborated to carve the narrow and steep 800 foot deep gorge within the Monument.
But alas, it became time to pack up our home away from home. Even tho a string of completely clear days allowed sun to shine on our solar panels from sunup to sundown, keeping Felix’s battery purring happily our entire stay, it did nothing to recharge our potable water tank. So the morning we found the water indicator light teetering on ‘Empty,’ was the day we headed for home (after enjoying a farewell hike, of course) with my nature journal full of sketches and memories for a lifetime!
Do you have an especially special place where you can spend time in nature? Please share your discovery and what makes it so awesome!
As always, thanks for stopping by!
*Geology 101
From the overlooks throughout the Monument, we could see stacks and stacks of basalt and ash lining the narrow canyon walls of the Rio Grande Gorge. It’s hard to imagine the volume of material deposited during two very active periods of volcanic activity that occurred 5 and 3 million years ago. Soon after these events, water moving through the major drainage in the area (today’s Red River) began eroding pathways into these deposits as it flowed downstream into the 10-16 million year old rift valley. Geologists refer to the ancient Red River drainage as the ‘original Rio Grande’ because the still-closed San Luis Basin to the north (in south central Colorado) would not overflow for a few million years. Then 400,000 years ago, coinciding with a change in climate resulting in an overabundance of snow and rain, the San Luis Basin filled and spilled. As water does so well, this new and powerful river, today’s Rio Grande, moved ‘downhill’ towards the ‘original Rio Grande’, cutting through everything in its path (including the ancient volcanic deposits). When it converged with the ‘original Rio Grande,’ the erosive force of both rivers became enough to eventually carve out an 800-foot deep gorge in the Rift.
Confluence of the Rio Grande and Red RiverSunset on basalt cliff
A selection of basal rosettes that popped out of the ground this Spring.
Have you ever noticed a dandelion? Oh sure …… you’ve seen hundreds, probably thousands of those ubiquitous sunburst yellow flowers blanketing a lawn or brightening an abandoned field. But before all that brilliance magically appears, have you ever looked below all those flower stalks? Have you ever noticed a dandelion before it blooms?
It’s early Spring in the mountainous areas of central New Mexico, and it seems like the high desert is slow to bloom this year. Anxious to spot even a hint of green during this transition time is always challenging, but if you look closely …….. Tucked beneath dry grasses and piled-high tumbleweed skeletons wedged next to swelling cholla you’ll find the green. Clusters of new leaves hugging the ground no more than an inch high, are beautifully arranged in a circular pattern like the unfolding petals of a rose.
Rosettes!
Rosette arrangements are found throughout nature,1 but in the flowering plants they are particularly common in the following families: Asteraceae (like dandelions), Brassicaceae (like cabbage), and Bromeliaceae (like pineapple). Many other families display the rosette morphology too. The needle sharp leaves of yucca and the bayonet-shaped leaves of century plant (in the Agave family) form tall rosettes. The intricate leaves of wild spring parsley (a tiny member of the Parsley family) and the petite red-stemmed stork’s bill (Geranium family) both form ground-hugging rosettes.
A century plant displaying a beautiful basal rosette.
Where Rosettes Form
Basal Rosettes grow close to the soil at or near the plant’s crown (the thick part of the stem where the roots attach). Their structure is an example of a modified stem in which the internode gaps between the leaves do not expand, ensuring all the leaves stay tightly bunched together and at a similar height. A protective function of a basal rosette makes it hard to pull from the ground; the leaves come away easily while the taproot is left intact (have you ever tried to pull a dandelion without snapping off the root?). Generally speaking, basal rosettes improve a plant’s odds at survival. For example, overwintering rosettes, like the basal leafy growth produced in year #1 of the 2-year life span of giant mullein, protect the plant and its roots from extreme cold temperatures. Emerging Spring rosettes, like those found in long-stemmed poppy, also protect the plant from late winter frosts. Basal rosettes are also more protected from changes in microclimate, gravity, wind, browsing, and mechanical damage if they are closer to the ground than tall leafy stems would be. help in water balance and conservation, especially important during periods of drought.
Lichen that has form small rosettes on rock.
But don’t only look down. Another form of rosette occurs when the internodes (those areas between leaves) along a stem are shortened, bringing leaves closer together as in lettuce and some succulents.2. And although not as common as basal rosettes, some plants form rosettes at the terminal or top end of their often naked stems, branches, or even trunks. One plant that does this is the native sedum called wild stonecrop. The top of the plant stems usually terminate in whorls or three fleshy leaves. Another example is the Hawaiian screwpine, which has a terminal rosette of sword-shaped leaves which sits atop an erect trunk, often supported by prop roots.
Know Your Local Rosettes
A number of desirable and undesirable (weedy) plant species produce rosettes, particularly basal rosettes. Being able to identify a species that pops up in the Spring by its rosette is so helpful in preventing a removal mistake by inadvertently digging them up. Many weedy, non-native plants gaze first at their world through rosette “eyes.” But not all plants with rosettes are undesirable. Do you know your local rosettes by their other names?
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1Rosettes are found throughout nature, not just in the flowering plants. Here’s some examples you may have seen or heard of:
In bryophytes and algae, a rosette results from the repeated branching of the thallusas grown by plant, resulting in a circular outline. Lichens also grow rosettes.
Tiny wasps and midges can induce the development of galls that become leafy rosettes.
Jaguars, leopards and other feline species display rose-like markings on their fur, referred to as rosettes.
Malaria parasites are known to form spontaneous rosettes in uninfected red blood cells.
Neural rosettes in the human brain are being studied to learn how new cells are born.
It is unknown why the Rosette-Nosed Pygmy chameleon, at home in the mountains of Tanzania, has evolved a distinctive, rosette-shaped, fleshy protrusion on the end of its nose.
The Rosette nebula, named for its rosette-like appearance, is a beautiful collection of gas and dust 5,200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros the Unicorn, and stretches about 130 light-years across.
A gorgeous lichen decorated rock from Colorado. Note the rosette patterns of growth (the thallus)
2 The horticultural definition of a succulent describes a drought-resistant plant where the leaves, stems, or roots have become fleshy and their tissues are able to store water. Succulents include aloe, euphorbia, sedum, the garden favorite hen-and-chicks, and bromeliads. But horticulturalists do not include cacti in the succulent group. huh? Even though cacti are frequently found in books describing succulents based the definition of a succulent, succulents are not cacti. In agreement with that last statement are many botanical and other scientific experts. (Can this get any more confusing?). So basically some experts are lumpers, while other are splitters. Which are you?
Basal rosette of a yucca in the NM foothills.
P.S. Cacti have stems that are thickened fleshy water-storing structures, and are considered to be a stem-succulent group of plants. Are there any cacti species that develop leafy rosettes? Because the spines are the leaves, greatly modified, in all my rabbit-trailing thru the internet and perusal of my collection of botanical references I’ve yet to see any spines forming whorled/rosette-like patterns. If you have, please contact me immediately!
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Are you ready to explore the wide diversity of rosette forming plants in your neighborhood? Get on out there before those circularly-arranged leaves become disguised by an overabundance of gorgeous wildflowers!
As always, thanks for stopping by! And Happy Earth Day (week)!
Felix parked along the Old Spanish Trail route, south central Colorado
With no defined route or objective, we decided it was high time we hitch up the trailer (Felix) and tote it north just to see what’s going on in south central Colorado this time of year. As we made our way through the San Luis Valley, we found acres of lush greenery topping almost-ready-to-harvest potatoes. Alfalfa was nearing its second cutting. Carrots had already been shipped to market. The wildlife refuges were patiently awaiting the arrival of migratory birds. And the last of the summer tourists were excitedly boarding the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito, for the 64 mile steam engine journey to Chama, NM.
Day 1. Our first stop was in northern New Mexico, just south of Tres Piedras, Carson NF. An unlikely dispersed camping spot that I nicknamed “Puffball Meadow.” A nice level spot adjacent to a dry stock pond. The meadow was full of fist sized puffball fungi, and a coyote paid us a visit during the night.
We enjoy boondocking on our public lands managed by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Having a trailer that’s self-contained, we can easily find lovely off-the-grid areas to set up camp. And thanks to our solar panels (and lots of sunny days) and large water tank, we can stay out for up to 5 days without needing refills. This allows us to explore lesser visited areas, which suits our tastes beautifully!
Day 2. Made it to the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Wandered around until we found a wide open area of dispersed camping in the vicinity of the Old Spanish Trail. Lots of wildflowers blooming, and plenty of hiking opportunities.
But I think one of the best things about random travel is the spare time …… we drive for 3-4 hours, find a place to camp ….. then the rest of the day involves hiking, wildlife watching, nature journaling, collecting drawable items, photography, more sketching, identifying the unknowns, reading, napping, and a bit of ukulele strumming! Perfection!
Day 3. We enjoyed the area so much, Roy suggested we stay for another day! And then he found this weathered mule deer jaw bone. Day 3, continued. Magpies! Can’t understand why these gorgeous birds don’t come south at least as far as Albuquerque and East Mountains.
Although the 6-day trip wasn’t remarkable, it was good to get away. Scattered about this post are my journal pages highlighting Days 1 to 5.
Day 4. Our travel route as we made our way to a campground to charge our battery and top off our water tank. An inconvenient, unplanned for detour led to future camping possibilities.
On Day 4, we decided to make our way up and over Slumgullion Pass (11,530 ft) on our way towards Gunnison Country. Not having been this way in years, we really enjoyed the crisp mountain air and spectacular views up and over the Pass. The villages of Creede and Lake City have grown swollen with tourist amenities and summer cabins dotting the once open meadows. As we got closer and closer to Lake City, we couldn’t help recall the story of Colorado’s notorious cannibal, Alferd Packer. Wanting to reread the tale as we passed near Cannibal Plateau and Deadman’s Gulch, the crime scenes, here’s what I found:
BriefBackground: Alfred Packer (newspaper misspelling as “Alferd” Packer, which stuck) (1842-1909) was a prospector who set out for Colorado gold fields in 1873. By the winter of 1874, he reached the rugged San Juan Mountains with a party of five men where they became lost and stranded during one of the worst winters on record. The men, with only had 3-4 days provisions quickly consumed and no firearms, were forced to cook their rawhide moccasins. Places where “snow had blown away from patches of wild rose bushes,” ….. they “were gathering buds from these bushes, stewing them and eating them.”
When the snow finally crusted over, Packer, the only man to survive the ill-fated trip, walked out of the mountains after 60 days. He told a story about the demise of his fellow prospectors, and how he managed to survive by eating them. His story involving cannibalism became legend, and continues to be passed down to today! (Whether the story is true or not will never be known, but it makes for colorful history.)
Based on historical records and news reports, Alferd Packer was tried several times for murder and cannibalism (even though the act of cannibalism wasn’t considered illegal in the US). Convicted of these heinous crimes, Judge M.B. Gerry supposedly uttered this famous quote while handing down the sentence in Packer’s first trial ……
“Stand up yah voracious man-eatin’ sonofabitch and receive yir sintince. When yah came to Hinsdale County, there was siven Dimmycrats. But you, yah et five of ’em, goddam yah. I sintince yah t’ be hanged by th’ neck ontil yer dead, dead, dead, as a warnin’ in reducin’ th’ Dimmycratic populayshun of this county. Packer, you Republican cannibal, I would sintince ya ta hell but the statutes forbid it.”
This is the quote I’d grown up hearing many times, over and over and over! It makes for good reporting, but is a ways from the actual sentence and what Judge Gerry sounded like while reading it (nope, he didn’t talk like Yosemite Sam!). Here’s what the record shows:
“Alfred Packer, the judgment of this court is that you be removed from hence to the jail of Hinsdale County and there confined until the 19th day of May, A.D. 1883, and that on said 19th day of May, 1883, you be taken from thence by the sheriff of Hinsdale County to a place of execution prepared for this purpose, at some point within the corporate limits of the town of Lake City, in the said country of Hinsdale, and between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. of said day, you, then and there, by said sheriff, be hung by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead, and may God have mercy upon your soul.”
Alfred Packer tombstone in Littleton Cemetery where he was originally buried in 1909. Today, he now lies back in Hinsdale County, near Lake City.
Alferd Packer never did hang. It’s quite a detailed story following his first trial, including a jail escape, nine years on-the-lam, and recapture. There was a second trial in 1885 where he was charged for only one murder; after serving only 16 years of his 40-year sentence, he was released and died peacefully one year later at the age of 60. He was buried in Littleton, Colorado where his tombstone properly reads Alfred Packer.
Day 4. Supplemental information about that strange name “Slumgullion.” Is it a stew? Is it a drink? Is it the sludge that puddles below an 1870 sluice box? Day 5, on our way back to Old Spanish Trail (because we liked it so much). Discovered a new-to-me plant; after a bit of checking with iNaturalist, learned it was Black Henbane, but not before handling all parts of this very poisonous noxious weed!
A short comment on the KG Baking Powder tin lid we found near our trailer. It was old and rusted, but very readable. The tin and its contents were probably long gone. Tried to find any information on the KG brand; sure curious about the age of the lid. If you’ve heard of this brand, please let me know.
KG Baking Powder tin lid we found near Old Spanish Trail.
Day 6. Headed for home. Hope you enjoyed my travel journal.
San Juan Mountains …… up and over Slumgullion Pass. The view of the 700 year old earth flow.
August was a busy month, filled with high elevation camping in Colorado, and a lot of cool mountain hiking back home. Even though the lower elevations took on a hot and parched look, at 9,000 feet and higher the wildflower season was far from over as evidenced along roadways and trails, where fresh, colorful blooms could still be found.
The highlight of the month was a 3-1/2 day visit from my brother Bob and grandniece Livi. At 15 years of age, Livi is already a fine artist, and took to nature journaling like a pro! It was great fun discovering and sketching nature on our daily hikes. She even got a chance to hold one of the adult ornate short-horned lizards we see frequently along various trails, and then found a baby lizard on her own, hiding nearly motionless under a small plant. Her smiles were priceless!
Despite the high temps, it was a month of good days and nights, ending perfectly with the rising of a rare Super Full Blue Moon! If you missed it, there’s plenty of time to prepare for the next …… which occurs in March 2037.
Once again, a big shout-out to “Made by Fay” for the inspiring “Littles” idea! These pages are fun to create, and remind me of monthly highlights as I revisit my previous “Littles” posts. Hope you’re enjoying them too, along with the ending days of the season. Stay tuned for the next installment of “Littles.”
After sitting idle for many months, The Felix was begging for a short adventure! So we loaded up and off we headed …… north into high elevation Colorado, to enjoy some cool temps and breathtaking scenery.
A quick 822 mile loop in 4-1/2 days met all of our goals plus we enjoyed afternoon thunderstorms and a few rain showers.
Follow the link below to read about our trip as I narrate my daily journal pages.
a curious nature 