Globe Mallow and a New High School in Wayne

The big book of wildflowers description of Orange Globe Mallow is Sphaeralcea munroana, and when it appears it is a welcome sight in early summer when the heat has begun to drive most of the other flowers and cactus out of bloom. 

Sphaeralcea’s (Orange Globe Mallow) long wands of orange flowers resemble miniature hollyhocks. Orange Globe Mallow is a deep-rooted wildflower native to the western U.S. Orange Globe Mallow is not the least bit picky about its soil and thrives in Wayne County’s heavy clay. A xeric, meaning requiring little moisture, perennial, this rugged plant thrives in the most challenging hot, sunny, dry conditions.

An Otherworldly Appearance

Driving the Big Rocks road in the early hours of the morning has been a veritable adventure of epic proportion; a blanket of Orange Globe Mallow a mile long and half a mile wide gives the area an otherworldly appearance, as if it isn’t otherworldly looking already. Add that to the low-lying white sheet of fog that lingers and slowly moves over the lowlands between the Wayne Wonderland Airport and Roger Brian fields and you either have yourself a dream sequence or a nightmare scenario depending on your bedtime reading preferences. 

There are some mornings that ghosts from the distant past can appear hitchhiking along the twisting and turning highway, or the Headless Horseman can be imagined, recklessly riding out from the dense fog. And it is not uncommon to see fences mowed down in this area of Wayne County where some individual missed the turn being chased by ghosts or the cops instantly appearing from the dense fog, or that person miscalculated the distance and direction of the sign they were aiming at with a Keystone Light beer can.

Consistent Moisture Sparks New Conversations

There has not been more than a day or two that rain clouds do not appear in the Wayne County weather forecast, much to the delight of teenagers charged with changing sprinklers. Hay fields from Hanksville to Loa are as green and tall as anyone can remember and new rubber hip boots sales at Brian Farm are at an all time high.

Although the consistent moisture has been welcome, there is growing concern among farmers and locals that gather to discuss such things at places like Howards, M&D, Brian Farm and Gordons, with fields getting close to being cut. Murmurs of “a little sunshine for a straight week or so sure would be nice” can be heard over oil motor oil types, best fertilizer brands and strong cups of coffee, with the occasional announcement of a new grandbaby. For those with less than half an acre, the discussion is more along the lines of weed eater cord, and landscaping rock, and when does one dare plant tomatoes in Wayne County? In Hanksville conversations at Duke’s and Curtis’s contain swamp cooler efficiency and “you should have seen the size of the Turkey I hit on the road in Caineville. Go take a look! It is still in the grill of my truck.”

In Torrey you don’t leave your windows on your outfit rolled down for any length of time this time of year or it will fill up with cotton, and you won’t get rid of it until you get to Lyman going 65 mph, or 90 if you have a scanner. There have been worse cotton years and generally the white fluffy stuff only lasts a week or two, then the crunchy pods start to fall and folks spend a week procrastinating raking them up until they can go purchase a new super duty rake at Loa Builders. Or they just blow them out onto the town street with their new 48” twin turbo Husqvarna lawn mower, (then feel guilty about it and go sweep them up).

Life in Wayne County: Every Year Something New

Excavation and construction on the new high school building in Bicknell has been a source of wonder throughout Wayne County since the swimming pool went by the wayside. Lots of dirt seems to be coming out the hole and warning signs clog the chain link fence in front of the construction trailer along the highway. Dirt seems to go from one side of the lot to the other week to week and local gold enthusiasts are itching to get in there and do some panning as they are positive there has to be something valuable down there, but their conscience, security cameras and the ever-present cops on Bicknell Main Street keep them from sneaking inside the gate.

Life in Wayne County is always adventure in and of itself, and around every corner; on every half mile there is something out there you never remember seeing before, unless you are Dicky Pace.

– by Adus F. Dorsey

Feature image caption: A stunning field of Orange Globe Mallow in the sun. Courtesy Adus F. Dorsey.