Rain and Restlessness

It has been raining two days now, and we've had the heater on...my hubby even turned the pilot back on for the gas fireplace...in June?! Ugh. Being housebound makes me even more restless to get out and "shoot" something. In the meantime, here's some recent photos I haven't shared...

A chipping sparrow visited my back yard recently, eating seeds fallen from the feeder. We mainly get Cassin's finches, similar to purple finches, of the small bird group.

I was real excited to see this lone blue columbine growing on the side of a trailhead in the NE Hills Mon. They can be found along Roughlock Trail in Spearfish Canyon in early July, but I'd never seen any before in this spot (one of many I visit periodically).

Mon. I found black currant in the spot along Box Elder Creek where I saw the robin bathing in a puddle. The Lakota call it "beaver's berries." There are several currants/gooseberry plants in the Black Hills. I've already spotted red currant and golden currant.