We hiked the Barnes Lake Trails in Barnhartvale and stopped to take some photos along the route.   The grasslands were dry and spring flowers were emerging.   The upland forest was still somewhat dormant in comparison.

Most of the flowers, birds, and insects were spotted in the grasslands, at the start and end of the hike:

meadowlark	puccinia monoica
oil-backed beetle	mourning cloak
lomatium	hornseed buttercup

We were pleased to spot an emerging suncress (boechera stricta).   Its hard to keep up the similar members of this family.

Many more “waves” of flowering plants will come to these trails over the next months.   We will continue to hike this zone to watch for the new arrivals.