Umtanum Creek Canyon — Saturday, May. 5, 2012

Central Washington > Yakima

We started with lunch in Ellensburg, and were concerned because the wind was very strong there. The wind was much more moderate down in the canyon. We started our hike just before 2:00 and hiked 1 1/2 hours up and an hour down. We took the trail up toward the ridge. Many wildflowers were in bloom. Phlox and balsam root were dominant from a distance, but there were many other flowers as well, including larkspur, woodland star (Lithophragma), and a few lupines (they were just starting). The sagebrush was not yet blooming. The birdsongs were quite lovely, especially after we reached grassy uplands. We saw only two butterflies -- they were Sara Orangetips. The most significant entomological note was the ticks -- we treated our dogs with Advantage the night before, but still collected several ticks from each one, and half-a-dozen from our clothes and ourselves. We did close the bottoms of our pantlegs in anticipation of this difficulty.