There's little doubt that we'll still have some wintry weather here in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, but there is also no doubt that when Crocuses make their appearance, Spring is climbing up into the hills.
Photos of the day - 3 Apr 2016
May Flowers
The first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere was March 20th, over six weeks ago, but today is the first time it really feels like Spring here at almost 7000 ft MSL. It looks like Spring, too - lots of wildflowers are showing themselves.
Some of the shapes left over from last year are still beautiful, too.
More Crocuses
High country summer - Part III
Only a few weeks left in summer.
Insects & Plants
A member of the Copper family - perhaps Lycaena helloides, the Purplish Copper.
A Sphinx month, also called Hummingbird moth, hovers while feeding.
Mating Fritillaries.
Strymon melinus, the Gray Hairstreak.
Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus, on a thistle blossom.
Not a bee, but a fly that mimics bumblebees.
Bumblebee at work.
Honeybees at work on sage blossoms.
Landscapes
The approach to Mills Lake in Glacier Gorge, Rocky Mountain National Park. Long's Peak is the squarish dome on the horizon at center, and beyond, Keyboard of the Winds and Pagoda Mountain.
Dawn in Rocky Mountain National Park.
A waterfall in Glacier Gorge, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Near Mills Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Glacier Creek, Rocky Mountain National Park.
![View from the top of Mt. Ida [elevation 12,889 ft]: Azure Lake and Inkwell Lake, with Mt. Julian and Terra Tomah rising up behind, Rocky Mountain National Park.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5005dbf284aebe9f4d09d4f5/1378087731460-EXEP4M7F029HOS4IFYE6/1330-_P2A-1431-1432.jpg)
View from the top of Mt. Ida [elevation 12,889 ft]: Azure Lake and Inkwell Lake, with Mt. Julian and Terra Tomah rising up behind, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Jewel Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park.
![Solitude Lake [elevation 11,400 ft], with Powell Peak in the background, Rocky Mountain National Park.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5005dbf284aebe9f4d09d4f5/1378088508501-PNLSIFIGIS8EWAEC0SJZ/1333-_P2A-6155-6157.jpg)
Solitude Lake [elevation 11,400 ft], with Powell Peak in the background, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Looking across Glacier Gorge at Long's Peak, Keyboard of the Winds, and Pagoda Mountain, from near Shelf Lake.
Animals
Yellow-bellied Marmot.
Pica, or Rock Rabbit.
Ptarmigan in Summer plumage.
Bighorn Sheep.
Elk - they will be losing the velvet on their antlers, and moving lower as rutting season approaches.