Flowers and kittens🌼😻

I had some plans to go see some great new trails and places this week, but various circumstances prevented that from happening.

However, I did go to BYU on Thursday for an interview. It's a little strange to walk on campus and realize that my most recent memory there as a student was more than four years ago, and some memories go back eight years. I would say it was my first time there with a beard, but that's not true: I sported a beard for my two-week field studies class in 2013, and I had one a couple weeks after I graduated (but still lived in Provo). I stopped at the Provo City Center Temple, my first time there (though I did attend a concert in the Provo Tabernacle in 2010).

Provo certainly isn't that exotic, but the beauty of May can make me think, "Am I still in Utah?!" Even if I'm in my regular places.

This is along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in North Salt Lake before the radio towers. There's an entire field of Palmer's penstemon. This flower is stunning not only for the way it covers a meadow, but also for the strong, lovely fragrance wafting in the air.

 It's especially stunning when arrowleaf balsamroot mixes with it.

Purple Palmer's penstemon and yellow yarrowleaf yalsamroot.

 There are frequently people taking engagement or family pictures along the trail, and on this evening I counted at least six groups. It was a lovely evening for it. One of my pet peeves with that is when the photographer is on one side of the trail, and the couple is on the other side. Why don't you both get on the same side, then people won't be cutting through? There was none of that this time, but there was one photog taking pictures of the couple walking along the trail, and she asked me and a hiker to hold on while she took her shots. I'll admit I was annoyed.

Even ugly vacant lots are lovely in May.

At work, I have seen a feral black cat on a few occasions. This week, some other employees told me that the cat had three kittens. You all know how I feel about cats, so I had to take a look. They thought the kittens might be half bobcat, but that seems like a stretch to me. Usually two of the kittens hang out with their mom, while a third hides in the shrubs, but I think it's a different kitten hiding each time I've looked. It was tempting to pick one up, but I didn't want to terrify them; they were already hissing at me. There's something hilariously adorable about a tiny kitten trying to be ferocious.

You can see three sets of eyes in this picture.

One of my favorite trails when I don't have much time is the local Woodbriar Trail, because it's very steep, so it's good exercise in a short amount of time. It's less popular, but it is stunningly beautiful. It has its share of arrowleaf balsamroot now,

 as well as western waterleaf,  tufted evening primrose, and Utah sweetpea.

 Arrowleaf balsamroot's doppelganger, mulesears, are starting to make their appearance. Give it a week or two, and this meadow will be jaw-droppingly fabulous.

On Friday night, I ran up to my old standby of North Canyon. It's been a while since I've done an evening run there, and it was actually the first time I've ever made it all the way to Rudy's Flat in the evening. It had its share of Oregon grape,

 another look-alike to arrowleaf balsamroot that I haven't identified,

 arrowleaf balsamroot itself,

 blossoming trees I haven't identified,

 smallflower woodlandstar,

Sorry for the bluriness.

 caterpillars,

Morning runs are more convenient, but evening runs are more beautiful.

 mountain bluebell,

 and heartleaf arnica.

These are blossoms on an apple tree at the actual trailhead (not the dirt road).

I have less than two weeks left in May, so I hope to enjoy more of it while I have it.