Skaha Wildlife

To most people, "Skaha" is the lake south of Penticton, but to climbers it's the Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park. It's a great climbing area, but it's also a beautiful place to hike and see the wildlife. We were busy climbing so I didn't spend much time on photography, but I still managed to grab a few shots. The chipmunks are common and the young ones are always entertaining, chasing each other over the rocks and up the bushes. The trick is to catch them when they're actually sitting still for a few seconds.



There were lots of big swallowtail butterflies flying around but they seldom landed. I had just told Shelley that I was giving up on photographing them when one of them stopped to feed on some thistles right in front of me. It even continued to feed as I got closer, allowing me to get some good shots of it. I think it's a Two-tailed Swallowtail.



Sometimes when you're climbing you run into frogs. It can be disconcerting when you stick your hand in a crack and you feel something moving, especially since there can also be rattlesnakes in the cracks. We found this one frog on a boulder beside the cliff. I think it's a Pacific Tree/Chorus Frog. They vary in color from grey to bright green and can change color - this one had perfect camouflage for the rocks it was on.



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