Until the first burst of color...Indian paintbrush more ocherous than red it lights up the meadow like its name "prairie fire."
And then there is yellow. Goldenrod, sunshine, primrose and saffron-colors shade the meadow a lustrous kaleidoscopic view of a rain-drenched spring in Colorado.
The palest pink bud bursts into a pearly ephemeral flower that looks like a woman's handkerchief tossed into the wind.
There are purples and blues too. Tiny bells that are hard to photograph because any slight breeze starts them trembling and wild Alpine sweet peas, rich dark purple like amethysts in the grassland.
Blood red and magenta flourishes from prickly succulents against the variegated stone.
An hour later as we leave the skies have cleared, the thunderhead has moved on and the peak is clearer. I used to think the mountains never change.