A Wildflower Morning

 We had a great time watching a large Bison herd in the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park this summer.  I got some good photos, but I wish I could let you know what it sounded like too.  I don't have a video camera.  But someone else did, and posted it on youtube.  Open this link in another tab, and listen to the sounds while you look at these photos.  The bison were pretty close to the pullout where we parked, but I also had on my telephoto lens to get my good close up shots.  I definitely respect these big creatures, and want to give them space.

 One of the most famous animals of children in Yellowstone Park is the chipmonk.  He visits picnic tables, and says hello to hikers. We were surprised to find this male Sage Grouse displaying for a female near Mt. Washburn trail head.   Elk herds eat grass in the meadows. Mothers and babies congregate on the lush lawns of Mammoth.  A Ground Squirrel kept his eye on the Bison, and on us. The Bison congregate in large herds in the Lamar Valley.  The north road in the park, is our favorite road for wildlife in the park.  We didn't see any wildlife at all, near Old Faithful, the most populated, congested area of the park. A lone Pronghorn Antelope wondered through a field.  It was our first time to find one of these here. We caught a glimpse of a black bear, but no photos were taken.  At one parking area there was a a man who spends his summer vacations volunteering to help a wolf researcher.  He had his scope focused on...

 In mid September we took our lunch and headed up into the mountains for the  afternoon.  My heart was happy.  There was a beautiful garden growing by the side of the forest service road.  Bright red Indian Paintbrush stood out among the beautiful St. John's Wort, overlooked by perfect spires of Fireweed.  St. John's Wort isn't really anything to speak of by itself, but if it wasn't there, this garden wouldn't have looked sparse  The abundant yellow was there to make the red and pink look good, and it sure looked good to my eyes.  Down in the valley, everything was dry; the wildflowers were finished months ago.    Our shady forest trail was hiding some late summer treats for us.  The Huckleberries were abundant.  None of us could resist picking them, and even though I wanted to take some home to make pancakes or jam, I ate every berry I picked. We thought we were alone in the forest.  We hadn't seen a single car once w...