MOUNT CHARLESTON
Sometimes you need to take a break from the high temperatures. So I went to a mountain where I knew it would be cooler.

Western Whiptail.

Robberfly.

Black-headed Grosbeak.

There were many different wildflowers in bloom on the mountain. Here are a few:

Arizona Skyrocket.

Palmer's Penstemon.

Indian Paintbrush.

Alpine Penstemon.

Evening Primrose.

Male Sagebrush Lizard.

Female Sagebrush Lizard.

These reptiles were quite common in this habitat.

Darking Beetle doing the "headstand thing."

It was kind of a "magical moment" when this yellow robin-sized bird dropped down from the treetops and started foraging 25 feet away from me - Western Tanager.

Great Basin Fence Lizard - these climb pretty high up on tree trunks.

Great Basin Fence Lizard on the ground.

I like trees. Lately I've become interested in Bristlecone Pines, the longest lived tree species in the world.

They are well known for their fascinating, twisted shapes.

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel.

Side-blotched Lizard.

I set my sights on finding a particular Bristlecone Pine that is over 3,000 years old. The six mile round-trip hike was at times at elevations of over 11,000 feet. Here's a Painted Lady that I saw along the way.

And I finally did get to meet up with that tree.

The Palmer's Chipmunk is found nowhere else, but on Mount Charleston.

Like the Palmer's Chipmunk, the Nevada Admiral is only found here.

Mule Deer.

Later that night - Desert Banded Gecko.