Shanahan Ridge and Upper Bluestem trails

Later than previous years, wildflowers are starting to bloom along 4 mile loop around Shanahan Ridge, Mesa and Upper Bluestem trail. Most obvious and abundant are Spring Beauties along the North Fork Shanahan and Nuttal’s violets along the Upper Bluestem.

Pasque flower, Pulsatilla ludoviciana, Ranunculaceae (Buttercup) on South Fork Shanahan trail with a fly.

Wavyleaf dandilion Nothocalais cuspidata, Asteraceae (sunflower). Upper Bluestem trail

Spring beauty, Claytonia rosea, Portulacaceae (Purslane).

Mouse ear chickweed, Cerastium strictum, Alsinaceae (Chickweed)

Salt and pepper, Lomatium orientale, Apiaceae (Parsley)Kinnikinnick, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Ericaceae (Heath) Shanahan ridge 04082019

Nuttall’s Violet, Viola nuttalli, Violaceae (Violet)

Oregon grape, Mahonia repens, Berberidaceae (Barberry)

Jagged chickweed, Holosteum umbellatum, Caryophyllaceae (pink family), introduced species. Lower bluestem grazed area.

Echinocereus viridiflorus (Hen-and-Chickens), Cactaceae (Cactus). spines grow in lines along longitudinal ridges. Bluestem trail

turkey vulture

Walden Ponds

Hazy air from fires in MT and elsewhere in the west made it hard to see birds in the distance. So as usual, I photographed the flowers. I found some species in wetlands areas that I’ve never seen before: jewelweed and false floxglove, pictured below. These weren’t in any of my go-to local flower guides.

Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, Balsaminaceae (Balsam) Walden ponds 09052017

false foxglove, Agalinis sp., Orobanchaceae (broomrape), Walden ponds 09052017

Can’t wait to go back to look for birds again. Here is the snowy egret, a blue heron, an unknown-to-me flicker, and a downy woodpecker. Obviously, I am new to birding. I just got a Nikon Coolpix L340 20.2 MP Compact Digital Camera. Nothing super fancy, but it lets me get a photo of a bird with enough detail to attempt ID.

Here are other flowers found at Walden and Sawhill ponds. Click for slideshow and to see captions.

 

Scenery

painted lady butterfly

Columbines on the Colorado Trail

This is the second year in a row our family stopped in Park county along Hwy 285 where the Colorado trail crosses at the Kenosha campground. This is the only place I’ve seen so may columbines. A short walk revealed many of the vibrant wildflowers and all the butterflies pictured below. I also included photos of flowers found on the trail to Agnes Vaille falls in Chaffe county.

Colorado Columbine, Aquilegia coerulea, Helleboraceae (Hellebore), Colorado trail, 06302017

Beardlip Penstemon, Penstemon barbatus, Scrophulariaceae (Figwort), Agnes Vaille falls trail

Whipple’s Penstemon, Penstemon whippleanus ,Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) colorado trail, 06292017

One-sided Penstemon, Penstemon unilateralis, Scrophulariaceae (Figwort), Chaffe county area 06292017

Yellow Monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus, Phrymaceae (Lopseed), Agnes Vaille Falls, 06292017

Fendler Sandwort, Eremogone fendleri, Caryophyllaceae (Pink), Agnes Vaille falls, 06292017

Waxflower, Jamesia americana, Hydrangeaceae (Hydrangea) Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

Indian paintbrush, Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family) Colorado trail 06302017

glandular phacelia (like Purple Fringe), Phacelia glandulosa, Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf), Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

Both in the rose family: Wild rose, Rosa woodsii, Rosaceae (Rose), Agnes Vaille falls 06292017, Shrubby Cinquefoil, Pentaphylloides floribunda, Rosaceae (Rose), Colorado trail, 06302017

Both in the rose family: Beautiful Cinquefoil, Potentilla pulcherrima, Rosaceae (Rose), Colorado trail 06302017, Boulder Raspberry, Oreobatus deliciosus, Rosaceae (Rose), Agnes Vaille falls 06302017

White Locoweed, Oxytropis sericea, Fabaceae (Pea), Colorado trail 06292017, unidentified Fabaceae family (pea)

yarrow, Achillea lanulosa, Asteraceae (sunflower), Colorado trail 06302017, Fendler’s ragwort, Packera fendleri, Asteraceae (Sunflower), Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

Richardson Geranium, Geranium richardsonii, Geraniaceae (Geranium) family, Colorado trail 06302017

Lousewort, Pedicularis sp., Orobanchaceae (Broomrape), Colorado trail 06302017

Purple aster, Erigeron sp., Asteraceae (Sunflower), Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

Possibly norway cinquefoil a weed

Nodding Onion, Allium cernuum, Alliaceae (Onion), Colorado trail, 06302017

Mouse ear chickweed, Cerastium strictum, Alsinaceae (Chickweed), Agnes Vaille falls trail 06292017

Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, Campanulaceae (Bellflower), Colorado trail 06292017, Cutleaf Evening Primrose, Oenothera coronopifolia, Onagraceae (Evening Primrose), Agnes Vaille falls, 06292017

Cinquefoil, Potentilla sp., probably wolly cinquefoil, Potentilla hippiana, Rosaceae (Rose), Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

Buckbrush, Ceanothus fendleri, Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn), 06292017

Heartleaf bittercress, Cardamine cordifolia, Brassicaceae (Mustard) family, Agnes Vaille falls 06292017

caterpillar with branched spines, possibly a buck moth caterpillar. http://bugguide.net/node/view/1395298#2414975

black and white caterpillar- Meris alticola moth larvae. It eats penstemon spp. It mimics another caterpillar. Neoterpes graefiaria.

butterfly -variable checkerspot maybe, colorado trail 06302017

western tiger swallowtail maybe on white locoweed, colorado trail 06302017

another butterfly on cinquefoil flower

 

 

 

Rocky Mountain National Park wildflowers, shrubs, and bugs

A close up of Purple Fringe,  Phacelia sericea.  My friend Alice found this at the Alluvial fan.  It is also called purple pincushion — imagine the long stamens with yellow anthers are the pins. For this blog, I go with USDA plant database to chose between synonyms or to ID families, so I’ll call this a Hydrophyllaceae (Waterleaf). But one of my favorite websites, swcoloradowildflowers.com , puts this in the Borage family.

Purple Fringe,  Phacelia sericea . At the Alluvial fan.

Darn tick! Found this when I got home. The only tick in Rocky Mountain National Park is the Rocky Mountain wood tick. I believe this is a male. According to the fact sheet linked below, these can cause Colorado Tick Fever.

RMNP tick fact sheet

Pine Tiger Moth, Lophocampa ingens, photo credit to my friend Andrew.  ID through Bugguide.net. The caterpillars make “nests” that bind together the needles on the top of a  pine tree (or some other trees) and they feed on the needles. They pupate in early summer and moths emerge in July.  Here is information from CSU: Insects that feed on trees

Northern Fairy Candelabra, Androsace septentrionalis, Primulaceae (Primrose Family). I love the name of this tiny white flower. First photo is from Aluvial fan, second and third from Aspen Glen loop trail.

All the other cool stuff! Click on photos for slideshow with ID.