Sighting for May 21, 2022

Sunny, 64° and very windy from 2:45 to 4:30pm. I was eager to get above the treeline to see if there are any early-eclosing alpine butterflies yet. The trail through twisted Mountain Hemlock from the parking area was packed deep with wet, slippery snow and there’s still lots of snow on the upper slopes of the mountains too. Strong wind and snow in places made for a challenging time and butterflies were scarce. I hiked to the top of Blueberry Knoll at an elevation of 2,618 feet. The hill was almost entirely snow-free and numerous wildflowers were beginning to bloom or already open. The fritillaries were found on the lookout hill beside the parking area and near the top of Blueberry Knoll. A white butterfly blew by on wind gusts but at too great a distance to identify. I saw two Arctic Ground Squirrels, an American Pipit, and a singing Golden-crowned Sparrow.