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Continued...
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 The aspen is a fast-growing tree, which shows in the slenderness of its trunk. Piņon, juniper, ponderosa, and cliff rose are the main flora in my box at Milk Ranch Canyon. Ponderosas are my favorite. Their bark smells like cream soda. Other flora in this box includes: scarlet gilia, a purple flower, yellow flowers, blue grama grass, prickly pear cactus, several types of lichens, Spanish moss (growing on piņon), gambel oak, and Indian paintbrush. At Milk Ranch Canyon, no one species predominates. The soil at Milk Ranch is sandy, dry, and red-brown. Lizards hide so well I see them only when they streak. I glimpsed one lizard. A scarlet gilia attracted a hummingbird. Surprisingly, Milk Ranch Canyon exhibits greater biodiversity than the aspen grove. I still need to identify some of the flowers I photographed at Milk Ranch. Even my Boy Scouts of America Philmont Fieldguide, specific to northern New Mexico, failed me here.
September 22, 2002: Lost Lake The aspens have green leaves; only a few leaves are yellow. Scarlet gilia, Indian paintbrush, and goldeneye are still blooming. |
Walking back to the car, a single turkey crossed our trail. I had only seen wild turkeys in groups before today. Perhaps this turkey was scared away from its companions by hunters. As we approached Wingate, a fox dashed across the road. Here I also noticed aspens at a halfway point between Lost Lake and Milk Ranch Canyon. These aspens have gold leaves. Are their leaves turning yellow faster because they get more sun than the aspens near Lost Lake? Comparing Aspen Grove to Milk Canyon Ranch
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