Spring at Home

Before telling you more about our desert trip, I wanted to share the fabulous spring conditions that we found when we came home. The first few days were gloriously sunny and warm.

The Pasqueflowers (wild crocuses) were blooming everywhere.

And the elk herd was nearby. All were in a phase of furious shedding for the "heat" of springtime.

As often happens, the elk herd pulled in the mountain lions. I believe that this is a female who has been in our area a lot.

She investigated the area near the elk herd carefully.

And then a male mountain lion showed up in almost the same spot less than 24 hours later.

So much snow had melted that I visited trail cameras that I hadn't seen in months. I discovered that a collared mountain lion had been around in February too - perhaps the same female as visited this week.

She sniffed in front of a camera.

And then turned to depart. What a strong creature!

Look at the thickness of her legs.

Now, after the warm and sunny sojourn, a spring snowstorm is hitting. I don't think it'll bring too much snow (less than a foot) but I feel ready to go back into hibernation. I'm tired from our desert fun and then our enjoyment of the brief spring weather here!

 Shyla's yawn sums up my energy level!