Terry & Diana's Photography and More

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NEW MEXICO 2014

Diana and I didn't go as far this year. We made a loop through northern New Mexico then south through western New Mexico and then back across to west Texas.

August 31 - We left Lewisville after spending a couple of days celebrating our niece's one year old girl, Madison's birthday. We stopped once in west Texas at Silver Falls roadside rest area to check out the spring for dragonflies and damselflies. This is an area we need to go back to earlier in the year.

Our first night was spent at Sumner Lake State Park. One of the few lakes we visited on the trip that was full from the recent rains.

September 1 - Headed north toward Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Sumner Lake State Park camp ground

Sumner Lake

On the way to our next camp ground by way of Las Vegas.

Coyote Creek State Park

Camp ground at Coyote Creek State Park (We spent two nights here.) Diana slipped and sprained her knee on our first hike up this hill on day one, so she didn't get to hike much the rest of our trip.

Coyote Creek, habitat for dragonflies and damselflies.

Some flowers from the park.

Dwarf Indigo (Amorpha nana) and Spreading Fleabane (Erigeron divergens)

Purple Cluster (Geranium caespitosum) and Five Nerve (Helianthella quinquenervis)

Lewis Flax (Linum lewisii) and Ipomopsis aggregata

Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) and Thick-stem Aster (Aster integrifolius)

A few birds observed in the park.

Board-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird and Song Sparrow

House Wren

Spotted Sandpiper

Some other vertebrates photographed.

Northern Leopard Frog

Southern Plateau Lizard

Mountain Cottontail

Some odes photographed

Springwater Dancer

Arroyo Bluet and Western Forktail

Pale Snaketail

Paddle-tailed Darner

Shadow Darner

Haldeman's Grasshopper (Pardalophora haldeman) and Carolina Grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

September 3 - We left Coyote Creek and headed for the Red River area. Shopped and ate in Red River. Stopped at Elephant Rock camp ground. I went across to Fawn Lakes to look for dragonflies.

On the way to Angel Fire and Red River

Wheeler Peak in the distance.

Elephant Rock camp ground

Mallard Duck

Black Meadowhawk

September 4 - We headed for BLM Rio Grande Scenic River area west out of Questo. We checked out the camp grounds and the scenery.

Some of the views for the area.

Confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River

Trail leading down to the river.

More scenery from the area.

Clark's Nutcracker

Tarantula Hawk and Southern Plateau Lizard

Found a camp ground south of Taos on the Rio Grande Scenic area at Rio Bravo camp ground. I checked out the area for odes and cactus.

Rio Bravo camp ground

Rio Grande

A couple of species of cactus found in the area.

Two more species of cactus found in the area.

Boreal Bluet

Arroyo Bluet

American Rubyspot

It is either a Plains or Pacific Forktail

Widow Skimmer

Blue-eyed Darner

September 5 - After washing clothes in Taos we headed west. More scenery from the Rio Grande Scenic Area

The Bridge over the Rio Grande west of Taos.

Rio Grande

We then headed for the high mountains west of Taos.

Hopewell Lake (over 10,000 ft)

Areas near Hopewell Lake in Rio Arriba County

Mountain Gentian

Cowboy and his dogs herding cows.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel and Canadian Geese

Common Checkered-Skipper

Boreal Bluet

Northern Spreadwing

Paddle-tailed Darner

Lake Vado, El Vado State Park. This land mass is supposed to be an island.

Magpie

September 6 - We headed up to Trout Lakes to check out the area for odes. Very nice.

Trout Lakes

Hoary Comma and Purplish Copper

Northern Leopard Frog

Robberfly (I have not been able to ID this one yet.)

Variable Darner

Paddle-tailed Darner

Boreal Bluet in wheel

Northern Spreadwing

Black Meadowhawks in wheel

The road on the way out from Trout Lakes

Scenery on the way out of Trout Lakes

We stopped for the night at Lake Abiquiu State Park. Beautiful sunset.

Sunset at Lake Abiquiu

September 7 - We got early and heading into Los Alamos to go to Church. A small world. One of my cousin's son was a member there. After eating lunch with him and his daugther, we headed west to San Antonio camp ground north of Jemez. A very nice camp ground.

September 8 - We spent the day visiting the local scenic areas, Jemez Falls, Caldera Valles, and Seven Springs Fish Hatchery.

Jemez Falls. Three species of nuthatches.

Purple Aster and White-breasted Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch and Red-breasted Nuthatch

Caldera Valles old ranch house

Prairie Dogs in the caldera

I observed a coyote attempting to catch a Prairie Dog without any luck.

Cows are interested in what the coyote is doing.

Coyote trying to catch a Prairie Dog

Northern Harrier

Black Meadowhawk

Wandering Gartersnake

female Shadow Darner

September 9 - Headed south out of the mountains toward the Gila Mountains. Stopped at Sevillea National Wildlife Refuge to check out for odes. Then on over to Apache Creek camp ground.

Powdered Dancer

Blue-fronted Dancer

Spotted Spreadwing

White-belted Ringtail

Variegated Meadowhawk

American Bullfrog

Side-blotched Lizard

Back on the road toward Apache Creek.

VLA east of Dytil. Beautiful grassland.

Camped at Apache Creek. Some neat moths at the bug light.

September 10 - Spent the morning searching for odes along Apache Creek and the beaver ponds and a creek below Evans Lake.

Water plant. Polygonum

Aztec Dancer

Aztec Dancer

Springwater Dancer

Springwater Dancer

Arroyo Bluet

American Rubyspot

American Rubyspot

Painted Damsel

Painted Damsel

Painted Damsel

Pacific Forktail

Mexican Forktail

Black-fronted Forktail

Praying Mantis

Southwestern Prairie Lizard

Common Sootywing

Robberfly (Stichopogon trifasciatus)

Black-necked Gartersnake

Sunset at Gila National Monument

September 11 - After spending the night at upper Scorpion Coral camp ground, the morning was spent chasing odes on the Gila River near the camp ground.

Gila Spotted Whiptail

Carolina Grasshopper (Dissosteira carolina)

Taxiles Skipper

American Rubyspot

Springwater Dancer

Arroyo Bluet

Painted Damsel

Blue-eyed Darner

Dashed Ringtail

Finally something I was looking for. Nice way to end our trip. We headed for home. Stopped in Van Horn, Texas for the night. Looked at a couple of places in west Texas for odes before heading for home.