SUMMER IS ON IT'S WAY.......enjoy the transition time



Sometimes it seems to me that we spend more time waiting for summer than we actually spend enjoying those months with the great weather, wildflowers, and incredible hikes and bike ride.
I started paying attention to the transition time, discovering a lot of beauty that I never made time to see before......whether it is the return of the varied 

a hungry junco returns

thrush with its incredible flute like call, the juncos that I didn't really miss until they came back, or the red wing black birds that  crowd to my feeder, especially when they get surprised by a inches of new snow on the meadow that was starting to green out. 

As the meadow melts out, there's lots of water which the mallards enjoy until it starts to dry out. On a few occasions, we've even seen a pair of sandhill cranes feeding in the wetness. Blooming skunk cabbage are the first wildflowers to show their color around Summit Meadow each spring.

Skunk cabbage starting to bloom

one of the 1st trilliums



They are followed by the trilliums poking their heads up frequently while patches of snow still litter the ground. As the snow melts and before the roads are clear enough for passenger vehicles, it's not unusual to see deer or elk grazing in the meadow.



Summit Meadow dotted w/ lupine

This year, since our accumulation at 4,000 feet was less than usual, it looks like we'll have an early summer and may be driving in any time from now..

Trillium Lk

Before you know it, here's what Trillium Lake and Summit Meadow will look like.