Northern New Mexico - 2016 Bandelier, Valle Grande, Great Sand Dunes, Rio Grande del Norte, Petroglyphs
This was our view from our balcony outside our room at the Española Inn.
Gaura coccineaEvening Primrose FamilyMay 21, 2016 clr:2-r
I need to work on this one!
Fendlera rupicolaAgave FamilyMay 21, 2016
Thermopsis divaricarpaPea FamilyMay 21, 2016
Valle Grande National monument stream running through the grassland.
Valle Grande National monument map
Lappula occidentalis capulataBorage FamilyMay 21, 2016
Bandelier National Monument ruins
Visiting one of the cliff dwellings at Bandelier
Rhus trilobataSumac FamilyMay 21, 2016 This three-leaved shrub is related to Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac, but it does not contain the urishiol oil found in its' itch-inducing relatives. It will have red berries later in the year.
Thalictrum fendleriButtercup FamilyMay 21, 2016
Calyophus hartwegii fendleriMay 21, 2016
Phacelia integrifoliaWaterleaf Family>May 21, 2016
The white layer of rock in this image is a very thick layer of pumice from a long ago eruption of the nearby volcano that created the Valle Grande caldera. Pumice is an interesting rock because it will float in water (until the little air holes fill with water).
Bradbury museum in Los Alamos This is one of the exhibits at the Bradbury museum in Los Alamos. These statues represent Gen. Leslie Groves and Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, two of the key figures in the development of the bombs. In 2015 the National Park Service dedicated the Manhattan Project National Park, a three-part park commemorating the three national sites and their participation in the Manhattan Project.
Androsace septentrionalisPrimrose FamilyMay 21, 2016 I was amazed at these tiny flowers I found growing in the Jemez Mountains above Los Alamos and in Valle Grande National Monument.
Cynomys gunnisoni These shy little Prairie Dogs were seen at Valle Grande.
Valle Grande, looking toward the Jemez Mountains
Cryptantha crassisepalaBorage FamilyMay 21, 2016 This is a common wildflower of the southwest.
Heterotheca villosaAster FamilyMay 21, 2016
Bandelier National Monument ruins and cliff dwellings
when we go out west, it smells like vanilla!
Lithospermum multiflorumBorage FamilyMay 21, 2016
Psilostrophe tagetinaAster FamilyMay 21, 2016 clr:5-y
Yucca intermediaAgave FamilyMay 21, 2016
Fallugia paradoxaRose FamilyMay 21, 2016 Apache Plume is a small shrub with lovely white flowers. I found this one blooming along the highway going up to Los Alamos.
The mountains above Los Alamos have been scarred by frequent wildfires.
Solidago multiradiataMay 21, 2016 This goldenrod species is found growing in the higher elevations of New Mexico. This was photographed in the Jemez Mountains above Los Alamos, I also saw it growing on the mountain in Taos at 9,000 feet.
An old cabin at Valle Grande National Monument
The park rangers take visitors on a guided van drive to see a different part of the park away from the visitor center.
Penstemon secundiflorusSnapdragon FamilyMay 21, 2016 This was one of those, "Stop the car! I see a new wildflower"! plants. I spotted it on our way to Bandelier.
Gaillardia pulchellaAster FamilyMay 21, 2016
Oenothera pallidaEvening-Primrose FamilyMay 21, 2016
Vicia americanaPea FamilyMay 21, 2016
Maianthemum stellatumAster familyMay 21, 2016 I found this flower blooming in the wooded area near a stream at Bandelier National Monument.
Erigeron divergensAster FamilyMay 21, 2016 I saw this wildflower blooming at Bandelier National Monument. It is a common wildflower in the southwest.
Hymenopappas filifoliusAster FamilyMay 22, 2016 I found this flower growing along the road as we were driving to Los Alamos. It was a very common flower in the northern New Mexico area. It varies from cream colored to bright yellow.
Delphinium wootoniiButtercup FamilyMay 21, 2016
Like Oak Ridge, TN and Hanford, Washington, Los Alamos was built to manufacture the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in WWII.
Cerastrum arvense strictumPink FamilyMay 21, 2016
Valle Grande National Monument
Valle Grande National Monument was added to the National Park Service in 2000. It is the caldera of a huge, ancient volcano. The grasslands in the valley are home to herds of elk and other animals. The burned area was from a recent fire. The pronunciation of the park is "Vie-ay grahn-day", meaning "big valley" in Spanish.
Valle Grande National Monument
Bandelier National Monument is located near White Rock, NM. It has fascinating ancient ruins of Native American cliff dwellings and valley structures. It is possible to enter a few of the cliff dwellings by log ladders.
Bandelier National Monument ruins and cliff dwellings
Phacelia pinkavaeWaterleaf FamilyMay 21, 2016 I found this common wildflower blooming in Bandelier National Monument.
Ptelea trifoliataCitrus FamilyMay 21, 2016 At first glance, this small tree could be mistaken for Poison Ivy or Oak because of its' three-parted compound leaf. It is not related to Poison Ivy or Oak, it is more closely related to oranges and lemons.
Berberis fenderliBarberry Familymay 21, 2016
Robinia neomexicanaPea FamilyMay 21, 2016 I found this tree blooming at Bandelier National Monument. It was at the beginning of its' blooming season, most of the flowers were in bud.