Wildlife

Western Azure Butterfly

One annual hike is Woods Canyon Lake east of Payson. It is best known for the hike around the lake, but the best part is the hike following the stream below the dam. About a mile in I came upon a cluster of Western Azure butterflies. There must have been about a hundred in this one spot that crossed the creek. These butterflies were about the size of a dime. They were bright purple when they flew, but appeared to be white when they landed. One of them landed on my hand so I took the photo with my other hand. Maybe I am ambidextrous.  

Canyon Tree Frog

I was walking around Mingus Lake and a couple was fishing. I asked them if they had seen any frogs. They said “there’s one on the rock behind you.” I thought they were goofing on me, but I looked at the boulder and there it was: Beautiful. Up at 7,550 feet. It was a Canyon Tree Frog. Mingus Lake is small and is just big enough to be classified as a lake, but it is stocked with catfish and at this altitude it is a great place for a summer getaway.

I took this photo of this pond slider turtle at Watson Lake.

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By Stan Bindell, Freelance Writer