Spring!
Stemless Townsend Daisy, also known as Easter Daisy
Spring in the high desert is the season when everything seems to happen at once. The changes that take place on a daily basis are almost too numerous to count. Insects and plants make themselves known at the same time that various species of birds arrive and others take their leave.
The mammals are less apt to appear or disappear overnight but many of their habits change to reflect the season.
A young male bluebird checks out houses for the future.
Dark-eyed juncos and mountain bluebirds are the first migrants to arrive on the scene, overlapping with the rosy-finches for a week or two before the latter head up in elevation for the summer months.
We have one bluebird house in particular - the oldest one we own - that is claimed every spring in late March. Bluebirds tend to require a significant amount of space during nesting time so the arrival of the seasoned pair means newbies, like the one pictured above, may shop for a house but probably won’t be tolerated so close to the established nest.
Our ravens began building their nest in mid-March and the female is sitting on the eggs already. They are risking a late spring storm that could ruin all their efforts but we are hoping for the best.
Festive tiger beetle
Tiger beetles are among the first insects to emerge in spring. As predators, they don’t need to rely on flowers for their meals so can get a quicker start on the year than many pollinators. We have three separate species of tiger beetles that reside here: cow path, blow-out and festive tiger beetles. I believe they are among the most striking of insects but they are extremely difficult to photograph as they are one of the fastest animals in the world, relative to size. They actually outrun their vision and have to stop and readjust when in pursuit of prey, still managing to be successful more often than not.
Sheridan’s Green Hairstreak - Wyoming’s state butterfly
Even though it is a tough time of year for pollinators, Wyoming’s state butterfly is one of the first to show up every spring. They almost always arrive near my home in April each year and are gone before many of the other species of butterflies show up.
They are extremely tiny at about 18mm, just slightly smaller than a dime, and are often overlooked by those who don’t know to be on the lookout.
Doe cottontail bringing bedding material into the nest.
The biggest change with the ungulates that share our space is that the larger herds of winter elk and pronghorn are breaking up into smaller groups of a few animals as females get ready to give birth.
The cottontails, on the other hand, are in the midst of both breeding and nesting season and will be busy with both from now through the end of June. That means the males are spending their time boxing each other in macho displays meant to impress the females, while many of the does are digging nesting burrows which they are then lining with soft grasses and twigs mixed with fur off their own bodies.
To hear more about the changes occurring as spring unfolds, be sure to listen to my podcast on the subject by clicking the button below, or by downloading the latest episode from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.