Campion or “bladder” flower is one of those weed or wildflower flowers. Our local agricultural extension classifies it as a nuisance. We have several species in our area and this one is either a Bladder Campion: Silene latifolia or Parry’s Campion: Silene parryi. My untrained eye is unable to distinguish between the two and even if it is a weed it is a fine looking weed.
A Raven quietly takes flight from a tree still teeming with life.
A Black Headed Grosbeak working overtime on a wild dandelion patch.
Looks like he has a long day ahead of him.
Just above tree-line we encountered a wonderful alpine garden. Innumerable varieties of alpine wildflowers packed to the gills growing in rockiest of rocky soil most only inches tall.
It was had to traverse the path up the ridge without an ill feeling of stepping on these wonderful flowers. 
So we just settled down close to the ground and photographed a field of flowers that seemed a universe unto it’s own. 
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and hope you can all enjoy a bit of time outside.
A Lazuli Bunting happily singing their unique and quite individual song.
“Just like we each have our own voice, each male Lazuli Bunting sings a unique combination of notes. Yearling males generally arrive on the breeding grounds without a song of their own. Shortly after arriving, they create their own song by rearranging syllables and combining song fragments of several males. The song they put together is theirs for life.”1
References:
1.https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lazuli_Bunting/overview
Granted no one wants ants in the pants but ants in the plants is another thing all together. One a fine summer day the ants were just as abundant as the wildflowers along the trail from the Rocky Mountain Penstemon pictured above to…
the Townsends daisies and Larkspur…
and the Painted Brush.
It’s not so bad to to have ants in the plants.
The day started Mostly Sunny and ended mostly cloudy and throughout of day it was mostly beautiful.
Gentle and elegant Wild Blue Flax dots the the west from prairies to alpine meadows and happily this summer we have seen our fair share
Either growing with a Townsends Daisy in a meadow…
or short as can be in an alpine rock garden.
A treat of summer and always a welcome sight
A Tri-Colored Bumble Bee getting acquainted with a Purple Coneflower. Although the introductions were awkward the date was a success.
A great horned owl waiting for the sun to go down so their day can begin.
