On the way home from Rocky Mountain National Park, I stopped and hiked four miles at a new open space north of Palmer Lake. It was about 80° and clear, but a nice breeze off the mountains kept things from being oppressive. The trail meandered in a loop over rolling hills with some unusual rock formations scattered about. There were some patches of Ponderosa Pine and Scrub Oak. I saw 16 birds, which isn’t bad for the middle of a warm July afternoon.
Female Lesser Goldfinch
Purple Locoweed in the foreground with Sulphur Flowers in the back.
Yellow toadflax, also known as Butter-and-Eggs
Prickly Poppy. These are big (the photo is close to life-size) and floppy and look like they’re made of tissue paper.
