So Much Beauty Out There

At 7:10 this morning I stepped out of the car with the Lab and was amazed at the sheer number of birds singing. The Lab and I went to the Scratchgravels for a nice gentle meander walk about. I was hoping to get another picture of the Nuttall’s Violet, and I wanted to see how the Bitterroots were coming along up there.

I decided to do a few sound ID’s to see what I was hearing. As I did my first one, a flock of 40+ Evening Grosebeaks flew over- twittering and calling as they flew. All told, I was surrounded by no less than 14 species. Clark’s Nutcrackers, Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches, Cassin’s and House Finches, and so many more. The volumn and variety of bird-song was restorative.

And there were flowers everywhere. Phlox and Vetches, I was able to rephotograph the violoet and I found several areas where the bitterroot leaves we so thick you could not have walked across the patch without stepping on several with each footfall. Needless to say, I did not walk across. If all the bitterroots blosom, it s going to be a very pink year out there.

I also found three more Valley Violets a couple of biscuitroots, and so many larkspurs, bitterroots, and shooting stats on the flanks of Mt. Helena that I can’t believe it.