La Plata Wildflowers

As I mentioned in the wildflower report thread, the La Platas are pretty much at peak right now. I spent a couple of days up there shooting between the ever-present thunderstorms. This first shot was taken in Cumberland Basin looking towards Diorite Peak.

This shot was up on Indian Trail Ridge looking towards Columbus Basin.

And finally, this was the last shot I took on Indian Trail Ridge before a thunderstorm forced me to head for shelter in the trees.

Very nice, Guy! Looks like the storms actually added some nice cloud cover and dramatic skies.

I really like the first one; something about the colors and contrast in that one that doesn't seem to be equally present on the other two. I'm surprised by the lack of snow considering all the threads about snow lingering everywhere. Didn't the LaPlata's enjoy the snow as much this past winter?

A beautiful series. The sky adds great drama to the flowery foregrounds.

Gorgeous! Those storm clouds do add a lot, although they can make for frustratingly short hikes.

The first two are my favorites.
The columbines add such a nice touch to the second one!
I think you were blessed with nice even lighting and dramatic clouds here.

Thanks everyone....Craig, the La Platas did get a lot of snow over the winter, but they didn't get as much late season snow as the northern parts of the San Juans. Thus, the snow melted earlier. That, coupled with generous monsoon season moisture, seems to have resulted in a slightly earlier wildflower bloom than the rest of the San Juans as well.

Beautiful, would have liked to have seen more of the clouds, maybe.

wow Guy the flowers are incredible, I am hoping to get less than half that in my beloved Eagles Nest Wilderness, and the Eagles Nest Wilderness is said to have some great flower fields

Looks like a lot more paintbrush that I saw last weekend. Great shots!

Thanks for the report Guy. Look like a wonderful place to be now.

I like the first shot best. The mixture of flowers is the second is spectacular but the greens seem a little weak. It's nice to see someone finding some flowers in Colorado. My last two outings have been duds in terms of the wildflowers.

Cheers,

Holy cow! Sweet shots Guy!

I prefer the first image. I like the layers and the balanced comp. Very nice.

All three are very nice, Guy. I like the comp/view in the second the best. A little more contrast might be in order on that one, but all in all a solid collection of images!