Brush Creek Trail, July 2014: Part II

Click here for Part I.

The Brush Creek Trail was really a bit of a Plan B.  I'd originally planned to do more of an alpine hike near Kebler Pass.  But as it turned out, this was an absolutely outstanding choice.

A seasonal creek provided some unexpected running water, which I am known to be huge sucker for.  And I really like the texture I was able to capture in this close-up.

A broader shot was challenging due to the high contrast.  But still beautiful.

Wildflowers in the foreground, the East River in the midground and mountains and clouds in the background.  That works for me.

Stumbled across a few stalks of fireweed, which I'd seen much more of in Alaska a couple of summers ago.

A small patch of clover.

Who wouldn't want to walk on this trail on this day as far as it would take you?

As the morning warmed up, the butterflies became more active.  I'll have to tap into BAMONA for help with an ID of this one on some sulphur buckwheat.

The ground squirrels weren't as curious as I'd seen in other places.  Hopefully that's a sign that they don't get fed much.

Possibly cow parsnip.  Possibly osha.  Apparently the leaves are a more telling species indicator in wildflowers than the petals.  I'll have to keep that in mind and make sure to get shots of flowers I can't identify in the future to make it easier for folks I tap into for help.

Fritillary on an orange agoseris.  EDIT: Old friend of the program Mike Fisher specifies it as a Variegated Fritillary.

Another butterfly I'm asking for assistance to identify, I believe on some heartleaf arnica.  EDIT: Mike Fisher to the rescue again.  This is a Gnophaela vermiculata, commonly known as the Police-Car Moth or Green Lattice.

Some Wyoming paintbrush injecting a splash of red into the color palette.

All too soon I was rounding the bend that brought me back to the trailhead.  I'd never been on a hike before where I was able to get nice shots of 15 different wildflower species.  Brush Creek Trail during wildflower season is definitely a Plan A hike!