I actually took this photo two years ago, but I wanted to have a record of it somewhere and this photo journal seemed like a good place. I'd looked for rose pinks for years in Erie. They are supposed to grow on the peninsula, but I don't think I've ever seen them there. Then two years ago, I had to make a quick trip back Virginia in the middle of July, (right around this date) for a class I was taking. On my way to the class I saw some pink flowers growing on the side of the road. So after church I had my friend Marianne drive me (and one of each of our kids) over to the roadside. While Nick and Hope hid in the back seat, I jumped out to take a picture and saw the elusive rose pink gentian. Suffice it to say that unless you are a wildflower hunter, you won't really understand my joy at this discovery.
This summer, just before I left for Erie, the Department of Transportation dug up the field where the rose pinks had been blooming in order to widen the road. Since I might not ever see these beautiful flowers again, I wanted to preserve them here.
There are so many things I love about these flowers. They are my favorite color of pink and I love the lime green pentagon lined with magenta in the center. The yellow stamens are all curled up. Look the rogue flower in the top right corner . . . rose pinks have five petals, but this one only has four.
