
After a winter taking Dark-eyed Junco portraits in the snow a fresh view of this cute little guy as well…refreshing. Green leaves in the background as well as soft looking, clean and very spring like feathers made for a nice portrait.

After a winter taking Dark-eyed Junco portraits in the snow a fresh view of this cute little guy as well…refreshing. Green leaves in the background as well as soft looking, clean and very spring like feathers made for a nice portrait.

On a recent walk through sagebrush scrub and grassland we were treated to numerous hidden gems along the way. Lupines flowering amongst the grasses still mainly brown after a winters sleep.

Shooting stars in clusters were dispersed along the way. Never a thick carpet, just a sprinkling, every now and then.

Bluebells dangled in little clumps…

and Penstemon light the way.
Hidden gems indeed.

A dose of afternoon sunlight brings out the best of things, these leaves included.

Light, leaves and color create a feeling as well as a sight.

Hope your weekend includes a bit of both.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend.

A few weeks back we began to see the Chipmunks scurrying around the area. After spending the winter in their dens and absent from sight they are a welcome addition to the late spring-summer population of area residents. Quietly going about their business and cute as a button to boot. Welcome back Chippie.

A male Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to the local trees in much the same way those early spring flowers are adding a bit of color to the ground below.

Identical no less with matching fur coats for those crisp spring mornings.

This week the fields near home are full of the Western Spring Beauties. A beautiful wildflower when viewed up close but it can appear unassuming from a distance.

Native to much of the western United States Western Spring Beauty is a short flower only growing 2-3 inches tall in our area and it begins to bloom right about the time the last patch snow has melted from the ground.

“As the name suggests, Western springbeauty blooms in the spring, barely waiting for the snow to melt. This perennial grows from a deeply buried, spherical, underground stem; when cooked, the stem tastes like a potato.” 1

A beautiful flower and one we always look forward to seeing each spring.
Reference:
1. Wildflower.org The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Early spring reflecting into calm water.

The first wildflowers are just poking up in our area yet just as fast as they start to bloom they have found partners for that lovely dance called pollination. Above a Biscuit Root flower only a couple inches wide and tall and just fully in bloom finds dance partners both big and small.

Above a fly asks a Sagebrush Buttercup for a quick spin around the dance floor.
Yes, let the dance begin.
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