Spring

 On yesterday's hike I saw the first signs that spring really is going to appear this year!
The Wyoming Paintbrush are starting to appear along with some of the other early bloomers like lupine and loco weed, phlox and douglasia.

 We had a good view of a common visitor of the thrush family - the Townsend's Solitaire. Not as colorful as his cousin the robin, he is still beautiful in his own understated way.

The real tip off that warmer weather is on the way was the sighting of a number of Anise Swallowtails. I am always amazed at how butterflies and hummingbirds traveling through this arid environment manage to spot its scarce flora.

Technical note: I have been disappointed in the recent issues with Blogger and the fact that the posts of the last few days have disappeared. I hope the glitch is temporary and that the lost data will be retrieved soon!