Spring Begins In The High Country

Lone Cone Peak, from the south in early May, 2018.

The re-emergence of plant growth happens last in the high country. We watch it move up from the lowest elevations to the highest. From the warmest to the coolest.

Early springtime in the mountains is what I call one of my two "in-between" seasons. Most of the beautiful snow is gone, but the green has not begun. It's mostly brown across the land, except for the conifer trees. It's in between.

Willow blossoms.

It's a very dry spring here in the Southwest. The snow has melted early, and so the plants respond accordingly.

Far below Lone Cone Peak, some of the Canada geese have their hatchlings on the edge of the lake for the first time.

Geese hatchlings on the lake.

On the San Juan National Forest I had lunch in a mountain meadow that was not long ago under snow. The flowers of the willows ("pussy willows") along the cold mountain stream glowed in the warm sunlight.

"Pussy willows" flower buds, San Juan National Forest. 

To the north, on the mighty Uncompahgre Plateau (Uncompahgre National Forest) I was disappointed to find out that I had already missed the peak blossoming of the Arrowleaf Balsamroot plants. Those earlybirds were extra early this year.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot blossoms, Uncompahgre National Forest.

I enjoyed their next in line successors of the early wildflower season. Oregon grape. Pasqueflower.

Pasqueflower.

At lower elevations, the Gambel oak trees were flowering and beginning to leaf out. I always love seeing them finally emerge because, tough as they are, they seem very cautious about whether the last freezes have passed. And even they get caught wrong, as happened last year.

Gambel Oak, emergence time.

From further above there were lovely sight lines across the top of the Uncompahgre Plateau and to the distant snowy San Juan Mountains peaks.

Early spring hues across the top of the Uncompahgre. Such subtle hues and intriguing patterns of the land.

I was tempted to drive the rest of the length of the Uncompahgre Plateau that afternoon. But it's a long though lovely way. Instead I turned around and descended the switchbacks back down to the San Miguel River.

Ponderosa pines, high mountain meadow, and the shining San Juan Mountains.

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Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg