Maggie Pond, Breckenridge, Colorado

Maggie Pond

Location: Breckenridge, Colorado, USA

This is Maggie Pond, in Breckenridge, a resort town situated more than 9,000 feet above sea level in Summit County, Colorado.  Ice-skaters frequent Maggie pond during the winter.  In summer, it is the scene of boat rides.  Regardless of the season, you can't fault the surrounding scenery!

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)

Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

Despite the stripes, this little critter is not a chipmunk; it is a ground squirrel.  Taxonomically, ground squirrels and chipmunks belong to the same family, Sciuridae, but represent different genera.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's website about North American Mammals, Gold-mantled Ground Squirrels are solitary burrow-dwellers that  "eat almost anything, including fungi, a variety of plants, fruits, and seeds, insects in all life-cycle stages, nestling birds and eggs, small mammals, and carrion."

I photographed this individual earlier this month in a wooded area near the shore of a small lake within Rocky Mountain National Park.

Lichens on a rock

Lichens

Location:  Estes Park, Colorado, USA

I don't profess to know much about lichens, but I do know that they can be categorized  according to their growth form.  Lichens that form a sort of crust on rocks or tree bark or whatever substrate they grow upon are called "crustose" lichens.  I'm thinking the lichens in this photo may qualify as crustose lichens.  (Then again, I may be wrong, so don't quote me!)  

Wild Blue Flax (Linum lewisii)

Wild Blue Flax (Linum lewisii)

Location: Windy Saddle Park, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA

From late spring until the end of summer, this wildflower can be found along roadsides and in meadows in much of the western United States.  The flowers are short-lived.  They bloom just after dawn, and drop their petals later in the day.  Fortunately, the blossoms are replaced each day throughout the season.

The species name honors Capt. Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  He is said to have noted the presence of this wildflower in the northern Idaho territory.

Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Male Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)

Location: Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

I saw this male Ring-necked Duck and his mate paddling around near a marshy area along the shore of of Sprague Lake, in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.  Seeing it first from a distance, I thought it might be a Wood Duck.  When it came a bit closer I noticed the distinctive white markings on the bill.

June Snow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Trail Ridge Road, AKA US Route 34

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

This is Trail Ridge Road, the main road through Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.  According to the National Park Service, "Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest paved roads in any National Park in the United States. Trail Ridge Road crests at 12,183 feet.  Due to the high elevations and exposure park roads are subject to strong winds and rapid weather changes."

The photo was taken on June 7, 2011 -- one day after this road was opened for the 2011 season.  As you can see, the snow alongside the road was still several meters high.

Young Rocky Mountain Elk

Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

This is a young male elk, photographed near the Moraine Park campground in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park.  His antlers are much smaller than those of a mature elk buck.

A Profusion of Pine Cones

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

In an area of Rocky Mountain National Park dominated by Lodgepole Pines and Ponderosa Pines, the ground alongside a certain hiking trail was completely carpeted with pine cones and twigs.  Here and there a few green seedlings poked through the piney rubble.