Cottonwood Marsh and Walden Ponds - non bird

I love getting up before sunrise and starting the day outdoors! I also love staying up late, being with friends and all kinds of non-nature activities, so the early start mornings are few and far between. When they do happen though, they are almost always worth the horrible wake up time.

Of course the main intent of my walk was to see some birds, but wildflowers and mammals made their bids to steal the show. I have no idea what the bloom above is, there were a handful of them growing along the boardwalk in the now flooded Cottonwood Marsh.

Same goes for these purple jobs, but the sunlight catching on the tiny drops of dew makes them look impressive.

Not that this furball stopped to notice, the dew just makes them that much juicier.

Clear blue sky and bright colors make a great start to any day! The ladybug and gnat may not have appreciated the setting, but I sure did.