During the third week of May, I had an opportunity to visit the area around The Dalles on the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. The foothills were green with new shoots of grass. Soon they will turn to brown with the hot, dry summer sun. And, golden balsamroot, purple lupine and other colorful spring wildflowers were dancing in the ever-present Gorge winds.

Of course it wasn’t just tall bi-pedal predators like me that were enjoying the lush landscape, there were many birds, insects and animals too. Here are several of my favorite.

A Blacktail Buck in velvet heading for safety

Young Blacktail Buck in velvet

Blacktail Bucks in velvet

Colorful Chipmunk