Mr. and Mrs. Common Yellowthroat

Last Wed., after a drive along Spring Creek, I headed N. to Vanocker Canyon and my favorite stop along Elk Creek. Stepping into the creekside 'jungle', it wasn't long before I was the subject of a yellowthroat couple's ire and their diligent attempt to shoo me away from a hidden, nearby nest...

First Mr. Yellowthroat was chitt-ing at me, flitting here and there among the shrubs and trees...if he'd of just come out in the open more and held still (the males never do, in my experience, unless at a good distance), I'd of gotten my shots and left quickly...

Mrs. Yellowthroat, however, was like a mama bear protecting her cubs...she gave me the what-for and then some, chitt-ing and flitting about, exposing herself and allowing for several shots. This has got to be one of the best bird photos I've ever gotten to date. I love it!

The silver-spotted skippers were also flitting about on the gravel road

The stiff sunflowers are blooming...there are several types of sunflowers growing wild in the Hills, not just the common sunflower...

A white-winged version of the dark-eyed junco on a dead branch over the creek...

The common tansy, an aster, is blooming...

The Northern crescent butterflies like the gravel too...

The common hops is growing but not mature yet...(yes, the stuff beer is made with)...

It's not often I see blue ox-eye daisies growing wild in the Hills...in one area along the road in Vanocker Canyon, the daisies had been sprayed...weed killer?

The baneberry comes in red or white, and as the name implies it's poisonous (to people and grazing animals)...it's also real hard to find without any worm holes in it...

Spotted knapweed is only occasional in the Hills...I've found that it grows along a county road off of the N. end of the canyon...

As I mentioned in a recent post, the best place to find the dark-red variety of the blanketflower is along the roadside at the N. end of Vanocker Canyon. This is the only dark-red wildflower in the Hills, so for me it really stands out.