I came upon this pretty female elk grazing in a meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. As I focused the camera, she looked right at me and smacked. Then, almost as if she realized I had captured her in an inelegant moment, she quickly struck a more serious pose -- protruding grass stems and all.
Snake River, looking toward Mount Moran, in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Here are a couple of snapshots from the area around Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The first, taken from the banks of the Snake River, shows Mount Moran, elevation 12, 605 feet (3,842 meters). The mountain is located in Grand Teton National Park.
The second photo, below, shows Jenny Lake, situated at the base of Grand Teton National Park's Cascade Canyon. There is a nice seven-mile hiking trail around the perimeter of the lake.
The Western Mountain Ash (Sorbus scopulina) is a shrub that grows wild in the Rocky Mountains. The plant is a member of the Rose family (Rosaceae), and despite the common name, it is not related to Ash trees. In spring the shrub bears clusters of white flowers that mature in late summer to bright red-orange berries. The berries are eaten by birds and a number of mammals, including deer, elk and moose.
I photographed this example in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Pair of Bighorn Sheep, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
While driving through Badlands National Park in South Dakota we came upon what appeared to be a nuclear family of Bighorn Sheep: a young ram, his apparent mate, and a small lamb. In the mountains near our house in Colorado, we are accustomed to seeing Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) in herds. Occasionally we see a lone ram. But in our experience, a threesome such as this is an unusual sight.
Now, there may have been more sheep nearby that we did not see. These three individuals were quite near to the road, so perhaps the rest of the herd was just over the ridge that rose up behind them. But that day we saw only these two young adults, a male and a female, and the little lamb. The lamb was young enough that the vestige of its umbilical cord was still visible on its belly!
Below are some close-up photos of each of the individual sheep.
It is wildflower season in the mountains of Colorado. Flowers of every color imagineable are scattered in meadows, on mountain slopes, beside streams, and along hiking trails. I spotted this pretty yellow Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp.) at an elevation of nearly 8,700 feet, beside a trail near Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Cinquefoils belong to the Rose family (Rosaceae). The Cinquefoil in these photos -- exact species uncertain -- grows low to the ground. Other species have stems that may be more than a foot tall. In some areas Cinquefoils are considered to be noxious weeds, invading gardens and agricultural fields. To hikers in the high Rockies, these Cinquefoils are seen simply as delightful yellow wildflowers.
Yellow Cinquefoil growing in Rocky Mountain National Park
On an early Spring day, we walked the trail around the perimeter of Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. At a point where a boardwalk section of the trail crosses over a marshy area, we paused to take in the view. Fortunately I looked down just in time to see this pretty butterfly land on some vegetation just below the boardwalk. It is a Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti), a member of the Nymphalidae family.
Orange Spring Mound, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
This photo shows the Orange Spring Mound, one of many curious features in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
The National Park Service tells us:
Bacteria and algae create the streaks of color on Orange Spring Mound. It is noticeably different from many of the other terrace formations nearby. Its large mounded shape is the result of very slow water flow and mineral deposition.
You can learn more about Yellowstone's Mammoth Hot Springs and see photos of many of the geologic formations there by visiting the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces Tour.
Blending in with the habitat is a survival advantage for creatures in the wild. It is harder for predators to spot a critter who blends in well with its surroundings. Wildlife photographers aren't exactly predators (we hope!), but sometimes we, too, have some difficulty spotting critters that blend well with their habitat.
Consider the photos series below. In the first pair of photos an American Pika is perched on a rock. The color of its fur is so similar to that of the surrounding rocks that in the longer shot, the little animal almost could go unnoticed.
American Pika (Ochotona princeps)
American Pika - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
In the next pair of photos, a Yellow-bellied Marmot sits in repose. This animal's larger size and golden color usually make it easier to spot amid the rocky background than the Pika . In this instance, though, the critter just happened to stop next to a rock of a color similar to the animal's coat. I do not know whether this was by intention or by chance, but it did make it tougher to get a photo in which the animal stood out from the background.
Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
Yellow-bellied Marmot - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Both of these mountain-dwelling species prefer high-elevation habitats. I photographed these two individuals in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park near the base of the Tundra Communities Trail, at an elevation of around 12,000 feet (3,700 meters).
Here are some earlier posts on this blog with photos and more information about these two animals:
Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota is one of those places that defies description. The park itself covers more than 240,000 acres, much of which is characterized by erosion-carved buttes, pinnacles and other geologic formations. The vastness of these features cannot be adequately captured in a photograph, and the wide open sky above adds to the feeling of limitless space.
Scattered along the roadsides through the park are overlook points that afford the visitor breathtaking views. They also are excellent spots for weather-watching, offering unobstructed views across the surrounding prairies that seem to go on forever.
On the morning this photo was taken the sky was as clear a blue as can be imagined. By midday this picture-perfect fleet of clouds had accumulated and the first of several passing rain squalls appeared over the buttes.
Anyone who regularly photographs birds -- or tries to -- will tell you that it is not an easy thing to do well. It is difficult because birds tend to move about a lot. They may land briefly, but as often as not they fly away before you can set up the shot. And when they do perch somewhere for awhile, it is often at a distance greater than the photographer would like.
I photographed this Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) in a parking lot at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. As we unloaded some gear from the car, this individual flew down to the pavement from a nearby tree and landed right next to us. It seemed unafraid of people, and my hunch is that this bird had a history of being fed by tourists.
I wouldn't go so far as to say the bird was "tame" but it certainly was an unusually cooperative model. This afforded me a nice opportunity to get some great close-up photos of the Magpie, including the one below, in which you can actually see my reflection in the bird's eye!
Location: Sprague Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
When we first spotted this Raven, he was squabbling with another of his species. We stopped to watch their quarrel, trying to figure out what the problem was. Perhaps it was a territorial boundary that was in dispute. This individual eventually chased the other bird into the nearby pine forest, then returned to perch on the top rail of a fence. He stayed still just long enough for me to take his picture before resuming his patrol of the area.
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
Many people consider Magpies to be nuisance birds -- and indeed, they can be aggressive and annoying sometimes -- but they also are very beautiful creatures. I photographed this individual in a parking lot at Rocky Mountain National Park.
Interesting factoid about Magpies: They are one of only four American songbirds whose tail makes up half or more of the bird's total body length (according to Wikipedia).
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
A large member of the Squirrel family, the Yellow-bellied Marmot is known to live at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountains. I photographed this individual in Rocky Mountain National Park near the Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass, elevation 11,796 feet (3,595 meters).
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
I am not certain of the species of this pretty insect, but I believe it is a kind of Fritillary butterfly, probably of the genus Speyeria. Fritillaries belong to the Nymphalidae family. The wildflower this individual is visiting is called Arrowleaf Ragwort (Senecio triangularis). which is abundant in the western United States.
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
My friend and I were hiking on an established trail around Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. We spotted a bench that overlooked the small lake, and decided to sit there to eat the sandwiches we had brought with us. As soon as we unwrapped our food, this little guy appeared to beg for tidbits. Although he was persistent to the point of being somewhat a pest, we didn't feed him. Judging by his girth, he certainly was not starving! In fact he looked very plump -- all ready for his winter hibernation.
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
The photos above were taken in succession just a few seconds apart. I had been photographing a small group of Elk cows that were grazing in a clearing in a pine forest in Rocky Mountain National Park. Suddenly this bull Elk came crashing through the trees at the edge of the clearing, and he was heading straight for me. He trotted toward me at a pretty good pace, vocalizing as he approached. I got the message immediately: "You leave my women alone!"
I made a hasty retreat -- probably not a moment too soon! Satisfied that I had withdrawn an acceptable distance, Mr. Elk slowed his pace and then stopped, but he remained vigilant until I was completely out of sight.
The peaks that form the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains are located in western Wyoming. This photo of the central massif was shot facing west from a spot in the Jackson Hole valley known as Windy Point. The peaks in this image, from left to right, are:
South Teton -- summit elevation 12, 514 ft (3,814 m)
Middle Teton -- summit elevation 12,804 ft (3,903 m)
Grand Teton -- summit elevation 13,770 ft (4,200 m)
Mount Owen -- summit elevation 12,928 ft (3,940 m)
Teewinot Mountain -- summit elevation 12,325 ft (3,757 m)
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
This cute little critter, which somewhat resembles a guinea pig in size and body shape, is a threatened species residing in rocky areas of the Colorado mountains. We saw this one scurrying about on a steep rocky bank near the Rainbow Curve Overlook on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Pikas do not hibernate, so they must gather and store food to sustain them during the harsh Rocky Mountain winters. During the summer, they collect bunches of grasses and other plants and set them out on rocks to dry into hay. They store the hay in piles under boulders.
Scientists from the University of Colorado recently assessed "69 historical sites known to host pikas in a swath of the Southern Rockies ranging from southern Wyoming through Colorado and into northern New Mexico. The results showed that 65 of the 69 historical sites that had hosted pikas — some dating back more than a century — were still occupied." Here is the link to an article about that study of the Pikas' habitat.
Here is a YouTube video about the University of Colorado team's study of the Pikas.
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
Trail Ridge Road, the main east-west thoroughfare through Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, climbs high into the mountains and crosses the Continental Divide. Along the way, there are a number of overlooks where you can stop to enjoy spectacular views. One of those is the Forest Canyon Overlook, pictured here. Located above the tree line in an area dominated by tundra, this high perch affords the visitor unobstructed views in every direction. The sights include huge mountains, several alpine lakes, and a dramatic gorge formed by ancient glaciers.
Like other high mountain valleys, Forest Canyon was filled with ice and shaped by glaciers during the past two million years. Here, ice flowed through a stream valley and followed the straight line of the ancient faults. Side valleys contributed their own rivers of ice, and carved the canyons of Hayden Gorge and Gorge Lakes. The Rolling terrain of the high country was untouched by glacial ice.
Location: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA
This is a view of an area of Rocky Mountain National Park known as Endovalley. Large animals like elk and Bighorn sheep are often seen grazing in this meadow. The photo was taken near the base of the Old Fall River Road. At the back of the valley, that's Sundance Mountain (summit elevation 12,466 ft) on the left, and Mount Chapin (summit elevation 12,454 ft) on the right. Endovalley is popular with hikers and rock climbers.
BNSullivan.jpg "Mount Moran, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming")
BNSullivan.JPG "Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming")
BNSullivan.jpg "Western Mountain-ash (Sorbus scopulina)")
BNSullivan.jpg "Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis), South Dakota")
BNSullivan.jpg "Bighorn Sheep ram (Ovis canadensis), South Dakota")
BNSullivan.jpg "Bighorn Sheep ewe (Ovis canadensis), South Dakota")
BNSullivan.jpg "Bighorn Sheep lamb (Ovis canadensis), South Dakota")
BNSullivanPhoto.jpg "Yellow Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp), Rocky Mountain National Park")
BNSullivan.jpg "Yellow Cinquefoil (Potentilla sp), Rocky Mountain National Park")
BNSullivan.JPG "Milbert's Tortoiseshell Butterfly (Aglais milberti)")
BNSullivan.jpg "Orange Spring Mound, Yellowstone National Park")
BNSullivan.jpg "American Pika (Ochotona princeps), Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado")
BNSullivan.jpg "American Pika (Ochotona princeps), Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado")
BNSullivan.jpg "Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)")
BNSullivan.jpg "Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)")
BNSullivan.JPG "Badlands National Park, South Dakota")
BNSullivan.JPG "Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)")
BNSullivan.JPG "Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)")
BNSullivan.jpg "Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)")
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BNSullivan.JPG "Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)")
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