In the sun and the shade

So many interesting pictures from The Cedars, it's been hard to choose which to show!  Here's another view of a creek surrounded by the dry, rocky landscape:

 

And Sagebrush Lizards (Sceloporus graciosus) in the sun (Check out those toes!):

 

 

And back to the water, with some columbine, too:

 

More to come! 

A hummingbird's view

 

Crimson Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), photographed in Humboldt County on 25 May 2017.

If you were a hummingbird nectaring on a columbine flower, you might see this flower from a different point of view:

 

This is same flower, looking up at it from below.  The yellow parts are the bases of the petals, while the red spreading parts are the sepals.

P.S.  According to Wikipedia —  the common name "columbine" comes from the Latin for "dove," due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered together.  [And a note from me: The bird family that includes doves and pigeons is called the Columbidae.]