Down By The San Miguel River in May

The San Miguel River downstream from Naturita, Colorado, with muddy spring runoff from the high country.

The lower San Miguel River in Montrose County's West End is a cold high country stream running through red rock canyons of the high desert. It's a ribbon of green in a rocky and sandy land.

Growing leaves of Gambel Oak on the San Miguel floodplain. 

Between the town of Naturita ("little nature") and its confluence with the Dolores River, the San Miguel flows through both private and public land. The Nature Conservancy owns part of it, the Tabeguache (pronounced "tabba-shay" by the locals) Preserve, which it keeps open to the public on a day use basis.

The Nature Conservancy's Tabeguache Preserve on the lower San Miguel River.

"The San Miguel, a major tributary of the Colorado River, is one of the few remaining naturally functioning rivers in the West and is home to some of the best riparian (streamside) habitat in the upper Colorado basin." So says The Nature Conservancy on its interpretive signage along the river.

The Nature Conservancy has three preserves in the San Miguel River basin.

A particular spot I have been becoming familiar with is down a quiet dirt spur through the sagebrush  and oak brush to the river.

Claret-cup cactus beginning to bloom.

Some of the Claret-cup cactus, earliest of cacti bloomers, were opening their blossoms.

Blossom of one of the barrel cactus species near the San Miguel River.

So were some barrel cactus nearby.

The inconspicuous flowers of Gambel Oak.

The Gambel Oak ("oakbrush") flowers and leaves were expanding. Hopefully this year they won't get nailed by a late freeze, which prevented acorn production last year.

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© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Colorado Wildflowers

Blue Columbine, San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Some still, some moving.

The sun was shining and the breeze was blowing the flowers around. The Meadows in southwest Colorado's San Juan Mountains was calling me to pull over and appreciate them a little closer. 

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Early Summer at Natural Bridges: Owachomo Bridge, Armstrong Canyon

Narrowleaf Yucca plants send up their flowering stalks near Owachomo Natural Bridge.

May has turned into June at Natural Bridges National Monument, and an uncommonly (though quite appreciated) cool and moist spring has shifted to some hot, dry days.

Owachomo Bridge panorama.

So it's time to get acclimated to high desert summer weather. I load my REI daypack with four liters of water instead of just two. I'll only be down in the canyon for a few hours, but more is better, and the faster I drink it the lighter my pack becomes. Plus, I like to keep one liter in case I meet someone that hasn't brought enough and is in heat distress. You never know.

Owachomo Bridge from Zeke's Bathtub, an almost perennial pool in Armstrong Canyon.

The temperature on this glorious early summer afternoon won't exceed 80 Fahrenheit, but compared to 70 and below it's a good transition toward the 90s. 

Cliffrose (Purshia mexicana) in bloom at 6,500 feet.

Cliffrose - Purshia mexicana - are at peak bloom here at 6,500 feet. Visitors from lower desert elevations are delighted to find they get to see them and inhale their fragrance a second time this year.

I walk down the short trail to Owachomo Bridge. Then underneath the thin long span, to look for new shots from below it. The sky is classic southeast Utah: deep blue, low in haze, with pearly cumulus clouds for a fantastic accent. 

Narrowleaf Yucca (Yucca angustissima) leaves and flowering stalks.

The springtime wildflowers are quickly fading with the increased temperatures and long days, while the late spring to early summer blooms are enjoying their peak. 

Narrowleaf Yucca blooms.

Once again I photograph some more Narrowleaf Yucca - Yucca angustissima - in bloom. The tall (waist high to chest high) flowering stalks that have grown fast as corn are open on many plants, while some are already done. 

Narrowleaf Yucca blossom closeup.

Representing the yellow spectrum of wildflowers at this time of the season are Stemless Woollybase, Thrifty Goldenweed, and Common Hyalineherb. 

Stemless Woollybase - Hymenoxys acaulis

Thrifty Goldenweed (Haplopappus armeroides) in typical clumps.

Uinta Groundsel (Senecio multilobatus)

Common Hyalineherb (Hymenopappus filifolious), with its long wispy flower stalks and small blossoms.

No rattlesnakes seen on this hike, as usual. I've only seen two here in a year and a half.

Armstrong Canyon, from the trail downstream from Owachomo Bridge.

Photo Location: Natural Bridges National Monument, southeast Utah.


© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Rainbow Sunflowers, Flagstaff

Sunflowers and double rainbow, Flagstaff, northern Arizona

Monsoon season continues unabated here in northern Arizona. Sun and clouds and rain showers. The wildflowers are loving it. Smokey Bear is loving it (fire danger down to Moderate or less). I'm loving it.

This evening on my way home, a giant double rainbow appeared to the east of Interstate 17. I was able to maneuver myself into a spot on the edge of a convenience store parking lot where I could put some sunflowers in the foreground.

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Arizona Meadow Daisies

Daisies in a mountain meadow, Coconino County, Arizona

August, 2012: Much of the U.S. is suffering from one of the worst droughts in memory.

Meanwhile, it's been wet in northern Arizona, of all places! Our late summertime monsoon season is in full swing, and we have been getting soaked with rain showers almost every day. Our springtime was typically sunny, windy, and dry, and the wildfire danger gradually raised to the Very High rating, prompting a ban on campfires. Even charcoal in grills. We went a near-record 65 straight days without precipitation after the snow melted. 

Finally, the monsoon season began. The moisture arrived from the Pacific Ocean, the clouds started to build each morning, and rain showers began. Blessed rain. Visitors from back East were puzzled to come to Arizona to be dodging rain storms and lightning. Sometimes hail, too. 

In this photo, I was exploring a small mountain meadow near Flagstaff, where I live. The daisies were in bloom, and the rich green grass of the meadow along the fringes of a small pond made for a vibrant background.

Prickly Pear Blossoms

Prickly Pear Cactus Blossoms, Coconino National Forest, northern Arizona

You know it's finally summer at 7,000 feet in the cool mountain pine forests of northern Arizona when the prickly pear cactus plants blossom.


There aren't many of them up here in the Ponderosa forest. It must be at the very upper edge of their natural range. So, when I found these few, it was all the more special. I visit them at this time each year. Mid June. 


Coconino National Forest, north of Flagstaff, Arizona

Prickly Pear Cactus Blooms, Flagstaff, Arizona

[Photo: Prickly Pear blossoms. Click on picture for larger version.]

Twin blossoms of a prickly pear cactus glow in vibrant yellow and red underneath a Ponderosa pine forest on the Coconino National Forest north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Brown pine needles, shed the previous fall, provide subtle and interesting angles as they lay around and across the cactus pads.

You might also be interested in my Grand Canyon Photography blog..

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See my videos (including one of our amazing monsoon rains) on my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/naturalmoment