Finally.....Summer.

 

One advantage to a late spring is that the meadow stays green and full of wildflowers for much later in the summer.  The meadow is still green and flowers still blooming, but August is just around the corner.  

This summer we have had a bumper crop of Tiger Lily's in the meadow.  The purple monkshood have flourished with the cooler, wetter weather.  Here is mid-July the Lupine is still blooming, while the yellow arrowleaf flowers are just fading from the scene.  Usually, they are done by mid-May!   

After being on the meadow for 14 years we thought we had found everything.  Well, as the aspen grove at Lily's place rotted and fell apart it revealed a row of yellow roses.  These are small delicate roses that are the same size as the wild roses found on the meadow.   So Lily must have had a fondness for yellow roses!  There are Iris's and Lilac's at her homestead that bloom every spring, but this is the first year that we have found the yellow roses.

The elk are still in the meadow.  Looks like this cow is keeping a close eye on her calves.   Is that the start of a rack on one of those calves??   Coming home from a performance of the Sound of Music at the Leavenworth Summer Theater we encountered a small, big eared pup.  He ran up to the car and wanted to check us out.  We thought, we was a coyote pup, but looking through the web it appears he was a fox kitten.

On a walk around the meadow we encountered this little "message" in the middle of the trail.  The scrape is not visible in the photo, but there was no doubt that it was a cat.  Bugaboo was interested, but not excited.  Professional courtesy between predators??  A quick look into our Animal Tracks and Scat reference revealed that it was a bobcat.  We had seen Bobcat's on the paved portion of Camas Creek Road, but this is the first time we had seen sign of them on the meadow.

Elk, foxes, bobcats, and all sorts of creatures.  It appears that the Sandhill Cranes have left the meadow for their summer nesting grounds.  However, there is plenty of wildlife roaming the meadow.  

We are currently booked through the 17th of July.  The last weekend in July and Labor Day weekend are also booked.  August is open.  So book your summer stay on Camas Meadows!!