生活在加州，我們得以慢慢遊加州。
每年初春到夏季，優山美地不同海撥地區的山林間可以見到雪地裏冒出來的雪草，一種鮮紅色的植物。這種沒有綠葉，並不依靠光合作用而生存的植物，吸引了我的視線。
查資料，它是這樣說的：
雪草屬是杜鵑花科 (Ericaceae) 中一種美國西北部春季開花植物的單型屬，包含單一物種雪草屬 (Sarcodes sanguinea)，通常稱為雪草或雪花。它是一種寄生植物，從附著在樹根上的菌根真菌中獲取營養。由於缺乏葉綠素，它無法進行光合作用。外生菌根 (EM) 共生涉及植物根部和真菌之間的互利共生；植物為真菌提供固定碳，真菌則為植物提供礦物質營養、水和保護，防止植物受到病原體的侵害。雪草利用這種互利共生，進入網絡並通過真菌從光合作用夥伴那裏竊取糖分。這被稱為菌異養。雪草具有宿主特異性，隻能與外生菌根擔子菌Rhizopogon ellenae形成關係。
優山美地官網的視頻，非常詳細介紹了 Snow Plants。很喜歡這個製作精良的視頻，優美如詩的意境。
我對Snow Plants 最感興趣的地方，除了驚豔之外，據說它生長的位置附近都會有機會找到蘭花，見識山穀中的野生蘭花，我的夢想之一。
Snow Plants 見過，野生蘭花還在期盼中。
有夢，真好！
維基百科的資料再摘一段：
Due to its unique and striking appearance, coupled with its relatively limited geographic distribution, S. sanguinea has been a popular subject of various California naturalists. In his 1912 book, The Yosemite, famed nature writer John Muir wrote a description of Sarcodes;
The snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) is more admired by tourists than any other in California. It is red, fleshy, and watery and looks like a gigantic asparagus shoot. Soon after the snow is off the ground, it rises through the dead needles and humus in the pine and fir woods like a bright glowing pillar of fire.... It is said to grow up through the snow; on the contrary, it always waits until the ground is warm, though with other early flowers it is occasionally buried or half-buried for a day or two by spring storms.... Nevertheless, it is a singularly cold and unsympathetic plant. Everybody admires it as a wonderful curiosity, but nobody loves it as lilies, violets, roses, daisies are loved. Without fragrance, it stands beneath the pines and firs lonely and silent, as if unacquainted with any other plant in the world; never moving in the wildest storms; rigid as if lifeless, though covered with beautiful rosy flowers.
