Nature Walk - June 7th, 2014

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On today's nature walk, along the Mica Mine Trail and at Connected Lakes, we saw a black-throated gray warbler, yellow warblers, and several other regularly seen seasonal birds. This morning's highlights were a pair of wood ducks, several species of butterflies, a reddish-colored weevil, and a bullfrog.

A reddish weevil on the Mica Mine Trail.
Possibly a Rose Curculio (Merhynchites sp.)
Or more simply... a Rose Weevil.

Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii),
Spotted on the Mica Mine Trail.

The water in the Connected Lakes area has risen
dramatically over the last few weeks.

A young, small bullfrog spotted in the Connected Lakes.

A blue damselfly at Connected Lakes.

A pair of wood ducks in Connected Lakes.

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No Thoroughfare Trail and Bighorn Sheep

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Today we went for a walk on the No Thoroughfare Trail in the Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, Colorado. Signs of Spring were everywhere. The special treat was spotting a group of six bighorn sheep passing by the first pond on the trail.

Closeup using my cell phone held up to a pair of binoculars.

Click on the pic above to see the whole group.

Looking out towards the trail...

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There were several different types of bright flowers already blooming along the trail.

A few species of wild bees could be seen droning around.

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Digging wasp alongside the trail.

One of several lizards that crossed our path.

A caterpillar tent in the brush.

A beetle (Paracotalpa sp.) on another caterpillar nest.

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Color Weekend at Powderhorn

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Click on each picture twice to see it full size.

Update: October 7th 2011
These pictures were taken on October 2nd.
Since then Powderhorn has gotten some snow.
http://bit.ly/nshCYd

We went to Powderhorn today to check out the fall colors.
The view from the parking lot hinted at what was to come.

The colors were quite impressive.

The landscape was painted with yellows, greens, and a touch of red.

The trip back down to the lodge was chilly.

The vistas on the way up the mountain were distinctly different from
those on the way back down in the lift. This was my favorite picture.

Mountains on the horizon formed the backdrop to all of
the scenery on the return trip down the Powderhorn slope.

 No trip of mine would be complete without an insect encounter.
This beetle landed on my neck just after we returned to the lodge.

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Tuesday 29 to 32 Rd

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The stretch of bike trail between 29 and 32 Rd. has some nice views.

Clouds behind the Bookcliffs.

Beetle on the water's edge.

My guess is a red-femured milkweed borer,

Possibly Tetraopes femoratus?
Definitely Tetraopes sp. 

Grasshoppers were everywhere along the trail today.
We saw a very large green one on the Audubon Trail yesterday;
it was about twice the length of the one pictured here.

First wooly bear caterpillar I've seen since moving to Colorado.

Do you think it will be a long or a short winter?

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Predacious Diving Beetle Update...

I've had these predaceous diving beetles now for a year now. 

They LOVE to eat full-grown, frozen crickets.
I keep the adult crickets in a critter-keeper until feeding time.
I put them in the freezer for a few hours before feeding the beetles.

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Day With Joe

Went to Fort Ord with Joe

Followed a barn owl into a green looking clearing that ended up looking like a mystic, magical wonderland out of the Lord of the Rings.

Continued following the owl out to a clearing and a basin in the brush, where we found two coyote dens surrounded by tracks. In one of the dens there was an oil beetle / blister beetle bumbling around clumsily in the soft sand. I picked a twig off of a bush and held it down so that the beetle would climb onto it. We brought it out and watched it lay on its side playing dead. I had never seen an actual oil beetle before, although I've seen several other blister beetles in Arizona.

We found several different types of scat, including what we think was bobcat. We also saw deer tracks, dog tracks, and what looked like skunk tracks.

We decided that we'd like to go back at night and we knew that there would be a full moon on Thursday night. We went out late and headed towards the same basin where we had been during the daytime.

Saw Great Horned Owl by the side of the street. Saw the profile on the building before it flew off. We then heard a male and female pair of great horned owls hooting in the overwhelming silence. We also heard a Saw-Whet owl screeching in the middle of the night.