Yellowstone Fall Color

We had come to Yellowstone primarily to see the animals, but we were hoping to see some fall color.  We were lucky to find many reminders of the season.

The Bison of Yellowstone

The American Bison has done very well in Yellowstone, and in various areas within the park are very numerous.

They even seem to rule the roads.

This one was taking a dust bath.

They also make a handy meeting place!

Yellowstone's Thermal Areas

Yellowstone is most famous for its quantity and variety of hydro-thermal features.

Note the small pool in the foreground.

After the geyser in the background quit, this pool quieted down and started to drain.

In just minutes, the pool was completely empty!

Yellowstone Pronghorns

During one of our drives, we came upon a group of Pronghorns.

From www.desertusa.com:

"Entirely unique on this planet, the Pronghorn's scientific name, Antilocapra americana, means "American antelope goat." But the deer-like Pronghorn is neither antelope nor goat -- it is the sole surviving member of an ancient family dating back 20 million years.

The Pronghorn is the only animal in the world with branched horns (not antlers) and the only animal in the world to shed its horns, as if they were antlers. The Pronghorn, like sheep and goats, has a gall bladder, and like giraffes, lacks dewclaws. If that weren't enough, the Pronghorn is the fastest animal in the western hemisphere, running in 20-foot bounds at up to 60 miles per hour. Unlike the Cheetah, speedburner of the African plains, the Pronghorn can run for hours at quite a fast pace."

When we see Pronghorns, they are usually alone or in small groups.  This was a fairly large group.  We soon found that this was mostly a group of females being herded by a mature male.  There were two younger males that were interested in all those females.

 

One of the younger males.

 

Bears of Yellowstone

During our visit, we were able to spot both grizzly and black bears occasionally.  Often the bears were a long distance away or under poor lighting conditions, but we also got a couple of shots at reasonable distances.

This grizzly we spotted a couple of different times feeding at a carcass in the Lamar Valley.

 

When we first spotted this bear it was sleeping under the log.  Eventaully, it sat up to see what all the people at the side of the road were looking at.

Yellowstone's Small Fry

During a little side trip to Sheepeater Cliffs, I saw a couple photographing something in the talus at the base of the cliffs.  Upon going over to investigate, I discovered that there were Picas and Chipmunks busily preparing for winter.

I'm shy!

What are these large beings?

I want to see too!