October 2022 • Nebraskaland 49
"Steve will be so happy," added
Steffl.
During their visit, they found about
a dozen clematis plants. On their drive
out, they ran into the rancher and told
him of their botanical discovery. "Oh,
that plant? It's all over the ranch," he
responded. Apparently, hairy clematis
is doing well on the site.
Photos Falling Into My Lap
A few days later, Steffl emailed
me the story of their discovery. The
following Sunday, while enjoying our
morning coffee in my mother-in-law's
South Dakota farmhouse, I relayed the
story to my wife, Grace, who is also
a botanist. "This would make a nice
little Nebraskaland article … if I only
had a photo of hairy clematis to go
along with the story. But it's too far a
drive for a single photo," I concluded.
Grace then gave me one of her looks
and said, "Well, I was just outside and
it's blooming in Mom's flower garden."
"What?" I said. I grabbed my
camera, ran outside and photographed
three flowering plants.
Back in the house, Grace explained
that in early 2000s, while doing plant
surveys in the Black Hills, she fell
in love with the beautiful wildflower
and subsequently planted seeds of the
commercially available species in the
garden. During the intervening years,
I surely saw it blooming there, but
having never before encountered the
plant in the wild — I assumed it was
an exotic ornamental and ignored it.
As a botanist, I am a purist interested
only in native plants.
A few weeks later, it was déjà vu all
over again. We were back at the farm
drinking our morning coffee when
Grace said, "I was just outside and last
night's rain made the clematis seed
heads spread to their full glory."
"You're kidding me," I responded,
again heading outside with my
camera.
Such is luck.
N
Gerry Steinauer is a Nebraska Game
and Parks Commission botanist who
has been contributing to Nebraskaland
Magazine since 1990.
Hairy clematis fl owering in the author's mother-in-law's garden.
