Finding Fairy Slippers

On a hike to Lupine Lake here in Western Montana, my husband, Josh, and I found no lupines (the flower mentioned in a scene of Bleeding Heart). However, we did find something I don't recall ever seeing in the wild before, something that I had wanted to spot someday but didn't expect to see on this hike...

Fairy Slippers

From a YouTube video by hike734, I had hopes that maybe we'd come across one of these flowers at some point in Montana, but I felt absolutely thrilled and blessed to see some as such a surprise!

There was one standing prettily amid the duff, regal and exotic, but not pretentious. I became so excited when my gaze landed on it, and I proceeded to gush to Josh and take pics. I'm pretty sure it was in that moment that a mosquito took advantage of my distraction to give me a good bite on my finger, but it was worth it. ;)

We spotted another one as we continued on our hike—and then, on the way back, we saw so many more in the same location that we had missed! As much as they stand out once you notice them, you do have to keep your eyes peeled for them, as they're short and easy to overlook. But they truly are beautiful with their fancy purple petals and splash of yellow.

It felt like a gift from God to see them in the wild. ♥

This is the flower my Cinderella short story is named after. You can learn a bit more about the flower on Brittanica's website. And you can learn more about Fairy Slippers on my short stories page.

If you'd like to buy a Kindle copy of this short story (combined with my Beauty and the Beast retelling, Bellflower), you can do so on Amazon! (And if you don't have a Kindle, feel free to leave a comment and let me know if you'd like for me to send you an .epub file, no charge!)