May 7 - Corner Canyon

 Sunny day with temps near 80 degrees.

Heading down for my yearly hike at Corner Canyon in Draper. My typical hike is X to Ghost Falls and then up to the trail head and finally around and down  X trail. It's just a big loop.

When I arrive around 8am, there's a new parking lot and a bathroom! No more parking circle and a blue potta john - yea!

But as I pull into the parking lot, it's full - shoot! I ask a guy in the parking lot where else can I go and started backing out to head there. But good fortunes arrived and someone pulled out - awesome!

I hit the bathroom - yes, bathroom with a toilet/sink - love it! Great upgrades!

I head off up the Canyon Hollow trail. The trail is dry. The Maples and Oaks are starting to leaf out; the Maples are ahead of the Oaks though.

The flower of the day are the Forget-me-knots - lots of it throughout all of the wooded sections.

Virginia Waterleaf is next

though most of the plants are not in bloom yet.

But the OregonGrape is also blooming - love those yellow balls.

Also blooming are Phlox in the drier areas

along with some Utah Vetch

and only a few Mule-ears

Although they've done great work removing Murtle Spurge, I managed to find a plant or two. Beautiful but terribly invasive.

The Wild Onion has buds now. 

Overall, the flowering was farther behind than I expected. :(

However, the birds were sure singing. Very hard to spot the singers though. I did manage to spot a Towhee

a Yellow Warbler

and the score of the day - a Lazuli Bunting!!


Despite the dryness, when I arrived at Ghost Falls, it actually had water (for 2 layers of Falls).


I get to the Ghost Falls trailhead 

and start around to Clarks Trail on the dirt road.

On the way, I see a lone doe crossing the road and back into the woods. She waits just into the woods. But when I pass, she runs off.

I also finally see a butterfly - CA Tortoiseshell!

Heading down the Clarks trail, I see 2 Orangetips - first ones of the year!

In these woods, the flowering is much early as I'm seeing Avalanche Lilies and Spring Beauties.

And in one dry section, Death Camas.


Great day!

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