Yesterday, Herb and I hiked Goats Peak. Our primary aim was to look for bluebirds and see whether they had begun to use our three nest boxes. We did see a couple of pairs of Mountain Bluebirds, but only at long range and it was a difficult to get pictures of them.

We are still at the beginning of the bluebird nesting season, so we still have hopes that our nest boxes will be used.

The only tenant to date has been a wasp. A week ago, when I looked into one of the boxes, on the underside of the lid there was attached a spherical paper wasp nest. It was only about the size of a walnut. I scraped the nest off and discarded it but it seems that the nest builder is not so easily discouraged--for when we looked inside that box yesterday, we found a wasp clasping the beginnings of new nest. I must admit to an act of "waspicide", for if the wasp nest had been allowed to remain, it would probably discourage any bluebirds from using the box.

Four mule deer stood watching us, belly-deep in one of their favorite foods, Redstem Ceanothus. This shrub is now loaded with fluffy white blossoms.

Heart-leaved Arnica is also blooming. While it superficially resembles Arrow-leaved Balsamroot, it is much smaller. 

Other plants now in bloom are Lemonweed , 

Lemonweed

Meadow Death-camas 

Meadow Death-camas

and one or more species of plants with pea-like flowers that I have just labelled vetch.

Small blue butterflies flitted about the old burn. The top surface of their wings is blue but the bottom sides, seen when the wings are folded, is mostly grey with a pattern of dark spots. I believe that this are one of the Spring Azure butterfly species, which I have seen and photographed in the burn in other years. Yesterday, I sent a photo of this butterfly to the online atlas, E Fauna http://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/

where it will be reviewed and identified by an expert in the field.