Here are some photos of my latest venture up in the buttes. My venture was cut short by the threat of a nasty storm. I plan to wander back up there again really soon and capture more photos of the flowers and critters that live up there.
Here are some of the Prickly Pear Cactus that I've mentioned in other postings. They are everywhere in the buttes and you have to be careful not to brush your legs against them. Also, it is a very good idea to look around before sitting down to rest as sitting on one of these guys could prove to be quite painful. I can't wait for them to flower and produce fruit. I'm noticing that the ones outside the dorm are beginning to bud out and should flower soon.
The Currents are flowering. They are everywhere. I'm guessing that if a person wanted to make jelly that they would have no issue finding enough of these berries in the buttes to make a good sized batch.
While climbing the butte, I nearly stepped on this guy. I'm believing that this is a Western Hognose Snake, but I could be wrong. The only other option would be a Bull Snake. Either way, it was nonvenomous and also non-aggressive. If it was a Western Hognose, I would have absolutely nothing to worry about with an encounter as they are totally harmless. On the other hand, an encounter with a Bull Snake could lead me to a hospital visit, even though they are nonvenomous. Although they are nonvenomous, Bull Snakes are highly aggressive an have a nasty reputation for biting. Their bites are nasty and can cause a severe bacterial infection.
This is a photo of where I live. I live in the building that is to the right of the center of the photo. It is the building that is on the outside of the corner where the street bends. The dorm contains 20 rooms and houses a total of 40 men.
Here is the full view of Medora as promised. As can be seen, Medora is in a canyon surrounded by high buttes on all sides.
After reaching the top of the butte, I saw these storm clouds rolling in. The winds had picked up and I felt as though I was going to be blown off. I decided to capture a few scenic shots of the area surrounding Medora before descending down the other side of the butte to avoid being caught in a potentially nasty storm. Ironically, the storm went around Medora in a circle, but skipped the town.
These beautiful blue flowers are all over on the north side of the buttes where the sun isn't quite as hot and there is some shade. I'm not fully sure as to what species they are, but I do intend to identify them.
On my hikes, I was mesmerized by the songs of this beautiful bird as he sang perched in a Juniper shrub. I took this photo of him foraging on the slope of the butte. This is a Western Rufous-Sided Towhee. I am eagerly anticipating finding a nest to observe throughout the summer and will keep my eyes open on my hikes.
I was quite delighted to find a flower that I was somewhat able to identify. I did look it up just to make sure that it was what I thought it was. This flower is known as Little Larkspur. I found a few clumps of them flowering on the north side of one of the buttes I was climbing. I plan to go out looking for more on my next hike.
Here is another photo of the unknown blue flowers I have yet to identify.
The Currents are flowering. They are everywhere. I'm guessing that if a person wanted to make jelly that they would have no issue finding enough of these berries in the buttes to make a good sized batch.
While climbing the butte, I nearly stepped on this guy. I'm believing that this is a Western Hognose Snake, but I could be wrong. The only other option would be a Bull Snake. Either way, it was nonvenomous and also non-aggressive. If it was a Western Hognose, I would have absolutely nothing to worry about with an encounter as they are totally harmless. On the other hand, an encounter with a Bull Snake could lead me to a hospital visit, even though they are nonvenomous. Although they are nonvenomous, Bull Snakes are highly aggressive an have a nasty reputation for biting. Their bites are nasty and can cause a severe bacterial infection.
This is a photo of where I live. I live in the building that is to the right of the center of the photo. It is the building that is on the outside of the corner where the street bends. The dorm contains 20 rooms and houses a total of 40 men.
Here is the full view of Medora as promised. As can be seen, Medora is in a canyon surrounded by high buttes on all sides.
After reaching the top of the butte, I saw these storm clouds rolling in. The winds had picked up and I felt as though I was going to be blown off. I decided to capture a few scenic shots of the area surrounding Medora before descending down the other side of the butte to avoid being caught in a potentially nasty storm. Ironically, the storm went around Medora in a circle, but skipped the town.
These beautiful blue flowers are all over on the north side of the buttes where the sun isn't quite as hot and there is some shade. I'm not fully sure as to what species they are, but I do intend to identify them.
On my hikes, I was mesmerized by the songs of this beautiful bird as he sang perched in a Juniper shrub. I took this photo of him foraging on the slope of the butte. This is a Western Rufous-Sided Towhee. I am eagerly anticipating finding a nest to observe throughout the summer and will keep my eyes open on my hikes.
I was quite delighted to find a flower that I was somewhat able to identify. I did look it up just to make sure that it was what I thought it was. This flower is known as Little Larkspur. I found a few clumps of them flowering on the north side of one of the buttes I was climbing. I plan to go out looking for more on my next hike.
Here is another photo of the unknown blue flowers I have yet to identify.
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