June 7 - Lamb's Canyon

Returned to Lambs Canyon to see what new flowers are blooming (don't want to miss the big event) and of course any new bfly species.

Got a late start (around noon) but its Friday and the parking lot was empty (I get the whole trail to myself -- perhaps I might get lucky and see a moose.)

I check the muddy area to see what's puddling -- the usual Rocky Mt Duskywing, Azure, WTB, Northern Cloudywings. Some of these bflys are pretty old and beaten up.

The trail through the woodland is bright due to the midday sun. The W. Virgin's Bower (purple flowered vine) is still blooming. The Western Meadow-rue is now blooming - the leaves look like columbine. It has tiny green flowers - looks like a little wind chime. And a white flower that looks like Baneberry is also blooming. The flowering trees/shrubs are all in bloom with their white flowers -- and boy do some of them smell good!!!

A lot more plants have come up but are not yet blooming -- lots of lupine (and its not as far along as the lupine I saw last week on the Pioneer Trail -- probably because this location is at a higher elevation and it more of a woodland).

The trail maintenance folks have been out and cleared the 4 logs that were blocking the trail earlier.

See one probably older, deep moose print on the trail. And that's the only sign of moose for me today.

Bflys are about: orangetips, blues, duskywings, milbert's tortoiseshells, and brown elfin. I see for the 1st time this year a West Coast Lady (similar to the Painted Lady and American Lady in the Midwest). I also see a Sheridan's Hairstreak - I almost pass him off as a Brown Elfin but something told me to take a closer look -- he's a bit beaten but his green color still shows through!

I also see a couple of caterpillars. The plant is definitely their host plant as it is eaten and "they've left their marks" on the plant.

Kinda look like a crescent or checkerspot caterpillar but I'm not sure which kind. I see several of the same caterpillars today in several spots on the trail. Curious to know whether this is the second brood (ones that have already flew and laid eggs) or just the 1st.

The trail, for some reason, is much harder than it was a few weeks back. My legs just don't want to climb -- perhaps they're just too beaten from the fallen earlier in the week and are rebelling (and I wouldn't blame them cause they look horrible) but I push upwards.

The snow is gone from the trail. There's one spot of snow near the top - off the trail but just barely. And at the viewpoint, a small patch of snow hangs on.

Lots of brown elfins especially near the top (8000 ft) -- probably because they are just emerging.

No flowers yet. But they've grown. I need to check again in a week or two.

On the way down, I get to watch a female orangetip nectaring on some flowers. A male flyies by and does some courting. Don't know if he won her heart - but they both flew away.