“Elks’ Lips ~ Rock Mountain Meadow,” an original painting copyright Susan A. Walton.

This work of art depicts summer meadow flowers in Colorado. There were millions of them blooming in what was really a vast alpine meadow but I chose to get on eye level with just this one plant. Similar to our yellow Eastern Marsh Marigolds, these white flowering buttercup relatives are called “Elk’s Lips” due to the shape of their leaves.

We found this one vast, lush meadow up on the Great Divide in Colorado where they were growing in startling profusion, in peak condition with little sign of insect damage. They favor places where the spring thaw creates wet conditions and they reportedly are considered quite tasty by grazing elk and moose.