More photos from the Slim Buttes area
I posted this on BugGuide.net and got an ID of a Haploa moth. It might be possible to take it to
species if an expert in the genus takes a look. Six Haploa species are found in America north of Mexico.
I found a family of magpies, with four young. This one could not fly very
well yet, the others wouldn't let me get close.
I believe this is a Green Comma, and if so, a new county record. Still checking.
Here's the rattlesnake. When I'm out hiking, sometimes I get down into a narrow gully or a trail with low banks. That's where this snake was. I always pay more attention in these places, because if a snake is there, it will strike higher on my leg, above my boots. I couldn't hear this snake, even though it was rattling. I happened to see it just before I took another step that would have put it right next to me at knee level! Then, I could hear it rattling, though not very well. It was very photogenic.
A fledgling Red-winged Blackbird. The adults were getting pretty excited.