Utah Elevation impacts spring flowers

5.04.13   Yesterday I visited an area that a week ago was covered with Spring beauties and Glacier lilies; both flowers were fast fading and going to seed.  Today I climbed up an additional 500 feet and found those ephemerals

in their prime.  In fact, patches of snow lingered in shaded, north-facing areas.  Two pairs of Pink-sided Juncos flitted around in trailside shrubbery.  The male has  darker head and neck than the pale gray of the female.  Both have a dark eye lores and brown patches on their back.  When wings are raised, tan-pink coloration is more visible along the sides.  As I came down the mountain, Arrowleaf Balsamroot clumps brightened the west-facing roadside.  This plant is an important forage for livestock.  The bright blue of Stickseed provides a nice contrast among all the yellow flowers at this time of year, but its dry, hooked seed won't be as welcome attached to socks and pant legs in a few months!