Tucked away on this surface of lava cinders are two of my favorite things, Scorpion weed- Phacelia hastata var. hastata, and Blue Dragon Lava. The scorpion weed is eking out a life precariously a top the Inferno Cone at Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. I love the juxtaposition of the furry leaves against the red, cobalt blue and black cinders.
The black and cobalt blue cinders are known as Blue Dragon Lava. It occurs in many places across the Monument. Local folklore says that if you remove it from Craters the blue fades away. That’s not to mention that it is against the law to collect anything in a National Park or National Monument.
The different color of the cinders represents different mineral contents. They also likely came from different eruptive events.
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