Brush Creek Trail, July 2014: Part I

What's better than getting out for a hike in Crested Butte? Getting out for two!

After a rewarding trek to Hasley Pass on Thursday, I opted for something a little less adventurous Friday morning -- the Brush Creek Trail.  Adventure wasn't really my goal, though.  Wildflower shots were.  And as you'll see I was beyond successful in that effort.  So much so that I sought out executive director of the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival Sue Wallace when I went into town later in the day to help me identify many of the ones I'd shot, which she very graciously spent half an hour doing.

Despite sleeping in an extra hour and a half I actually ended up on the trail five minutes earlier than we were the day before, which was soon enough for the sun to still be fairly low in the sky.  That's what happens when the trailhead is a five-minute drive from where you're staying.

Fairy trumpets blaring.  The plant also has the common name scarlet gilia, which I don't think is anywhere near as descriptive.

A droopy mule's ear sunflower.

A patch of showy fleabane.

I was still into backlighting like I had been the day before.  It really seemed to make the sunflowers stand out from the rest of the scenery here.

Teocalli Mountain provided a dramatic backdrop as the trail disappeared into the distance.

More mule's ear sunflowers, this bunch a little perkier than the earlier specimen.

A ground squirrel kept a wary eye on me from atop a fencepost.

I'd set my D90 on the ground and was fiddling around with my D5300 on its tripod composing a landscape shot when this colorful bird landed on a shrub just a few feet from me.  I was able to slowly pick up the other camera body, zoom in and get a couple of shots before he flew off.  I'm pretty pleased with the focus on this one, as well as his pose and the catchlight in his eye.

Many thanks to Damion Strommer of the Front Range Wildlife Photographers Facebook group for identifying my feathered friend as a green-tailed towhee!

Salsify gone to seed.

Backlit not only gives a dramatic touch to the flower of this giant hyssop, but also really brings out the spider web between its leaves.

A curly head goldenweed appears to be blowing in the wind, though it was perfectly calm.

A white fairy trumpet, which is less common than the scarlet version and can interbreed to produce pink varieties.

Click here for Part II.