Pastor's Blog

Earlier this spring, I saw this striking plant out at the Navarino Wildlife Area at the edge of the southwest corner of Pike’s Peak flowage, one of the flowages that has a trail around it that’s actually on a map.  I didn’t see this plant anywhere else around Pike’s Peak flowage, nor did I see it at the edge of any other flowage out at Navarino. Like a lot of plants I see out at Navarino, I’ve never seen this one before in my life.  You’d think I didn’t grow up in Wisconsin or that I spent my entire life locked up in a basement. 

You’ve probably seen a thousand of these. You probably know all about this plant.  After about an hour of research which I could have avoided if I would have called you up at 4:00 a.m. yesterday morning, I decided this is a calla palustris which is the scientific name for bog arum or water arum or marsh calla or wild calla.  You probably know it by an even more common name, and if you do, please let me know. 

Last Friday at the Navarino Wildlife Area: the young were coming of age.

The monarch caterpillars steadily devouring the small milkweed plants looked every bit like zebras last week at a half an inch as they’ll look next week at an inch and a half.  Fully mature, they’ll be, of course, something altogether different. 

After Jesus’ resurrection, saints who had fallen asleep came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 

Matthew 27:53

Last Friday, I met a young man who was on a long walk out at the Navarino Wildlife Area.  I actually met him twice.  The first time he was looking at his GPS device.  It showed him a blue blob that is the 80 Acre Flowage he had just walked by and another blue blob that is the Hansen Flowage just south of where we met.  But nothing else.  No trails.  No buildings.  No roads. Just blue blobs on a green screen. 

The second time we met, I was eating my cheese and pickle sandwich.  He wanted to talk.  He wanted to know if I had been out at Navarino before.  He couldn’t believe there was nothing but green on his GPS screen.  (He was young.)  You know from walking with me that there are lots of things not on GPS devices.