The Gully

Yesterday I walked through the gully that runs along the back of our property.  I try not to go there because it's home to the coyotes and great horned owls, and I don't want to disturb them.  But yesterday there was a turkey buzzard circling around, and I needed to see what had caught its interest.  Fortunately I didn't find anything gross, and I had a lovely walk.  The vegetation is quite different along the gully.  There are lots of ponderosa pines.  In spite of my good intentions, I spooked the great horned owls. 

We stared at each other, and then with a great flapping of wings, they lumbered off.

They perched in a lone pine where they could keep a good eye on me.  Can you see them on the right side of the tree, about half way down?

I continued on, giving them lots of space.  I found some yarrow.  I like the legend of yarrow, Achillea lanulosa.  Achillea comes from Achilles, who used the yarrow to stop the bleeding of his soldiers' wounds.  Yarrow was an important medicinal plant for many Indian tribes; the leaves can be used to stop bleeding and pain.  (I'm paraphrasing my favorite flower book, Wildflowers of Red Rocks Park).

The gully ends in this pretty little pond just off our property.  The pond is dry most of the year.