Leland Dirks

Growing Free Leland Dirks

Leland moved from an inner-city neighborhood in Denver to five acres in the eastern part of Colorado's San Luis Valley more than a decade ago. He knew he was moving to a desert and expected only the omnipresent sage. It was a rainy summer when he began building his off-grid home, and as he worked on the roof, he noticed an astonishing thing: large swaths of brilliant color. The rabbitbrush was coming into its glorious yellow bloom, and the purple of the asters painted areas that he thought had only weeds. In the years that followed, he discovered more flowers and plants, their names, and their uses. He has collected that information and his photographs into this slim volume. The book is neither an extensive nor a complete listing. It contains only the plants he has encountered in the eastern part of the Valley, at about 8,500 feet in elevation, and only his favorites. Forty-three plants in all, mostly native, with many reputed to have medicinal, ceremonial, or food value. The book is indexed by both scientific and common names and will be a valuable addition to anyone who loves the wild plants of the San Luis Valley.