Friendly Butterfly

Sacramento Mountains near High Rolls/Mountain Park

We headed down to the Bridal Veil Falls trailhead for a trek this morning, but parking areas at the side of the road were inaccessible even with our Jeep Commander because heavy rainwater pouroff had deeply scoured the shoulders.  We've had 4.38 inches of rain since we were here less than a month ago.  So we did the Grand View Trail instead.  On said trail we encountered an Arizona Sister butterfly that was intent on flying around us at close range and even landing on my daypack and Becca's drinking cup several times.  After ten minutes of photographing it and interacting with it I felt it was time to move along, especially because Becca had snapped at it once in an attempt to catch the beautiful creature.  That seemed a horrible fate for such a friendly butterfly.

Worms?  No--Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) seeds

Ancient Juniper

Ancient Juniper in black-and-white

What's down there?

Spotted Towhee in a Mountain Mahogany

The depth of this drop off never shows well

Happy hiker on the Grand View Trail

Looking this way and that

Hedgehog Cactus (front) and Prickly Pear Cactus growing in rock

Heading back

Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia)

Arizona Sister (Adelpha eulalia)

Arizona Sister

Juniper elevation

At first I though "hueco," but it's an odd shape

White Sands on the horizon

Hedgehog Cactus growing in rock

Same Hedgehog

Halfway back