Bugged

I think I graduated out of winter mode today by taking a break from birdwatching & bird photography to snap pics of this little butterfly. Sure, Mourning Cloaks can pop up at almost any time if things warm up enough (the adults hibernate), but today my friend Nathan Pieplow and I came across this Hoary Elfin up in the Boulder County foothills while trying to track down Red Crossbills. These little butterflies hatch really early in the spring- great to see after a long break from butterflies around here.