Wildlife is abundant in Wawawai canyon!

Mammals:
Our ranch is populated with so many species, like: Moles, prairie dogs, coyotes, raccoons, badgers, rock chucks, and squirrels. If you get lucky, you may see more elusive animals, such as: elk, bobcats, cougars or black bears. Perhaps you can get even luckier in the Spring and come across a fawn resting in the tall grass while their mother forages.

Wildflowers:
In April and May the wildflowers go into full bloom, coloring the hillside canvas of dark purple from wild lupine and hairy vetch, light purple with Brodiaea douglasii, pink from red stem fileree, and yellow from common salsify. Bright yellow bunches of arrowleaf balsam root blot the canvas and touches of white from the prairie star flower fill in the blank spots. We love to inhale the fragrance of houndstongue (beautiful fuchsia pink flower) in May as we sit next to the Wawawai spring. We have red desert paint brush and occasional wild pink rose blooms. The wild sunflowers open in late June. It is a delight to watch them blow wild in the breeze.

And, there are always surprises! Just when we think we know all about our land, we notice new species of wildlife or vegetation. We will provide you with a field guide so you can get to know the habitat and get in touch with our ecosystem.
Reptiles:
In the summertime, you will occasionally see beautiful bull snakes and rattle snakes. We sometimes see them while we are on our way somewhere, and they are on their way somewhere else. They are great rodent predators. My husband and his family who have been here for generations have only had occasional sightings and have not ever had any trouble with them.
Birds:
Like the food on our ranch, our birds change with the seasons. We have field guides and binoculars to help you find your way through the plethora of bird species here on our ranch. We have beautiful pheasants, cute little quail hopping all around, and distinct-sounding chukar. Some of the upland birds are the Bohemian waxwing, western bluebird, pygmy nuthatch, cassin’s vireo, Hammond’s dusky, red-naped sapsucker, hummingbirds, swainson’s hawk, bald eagle, golden eagle, and barrow’s goldeneye. We also have colorful wood peckers and chirping starlings. You could definitely spend a few days just checking out all the birds while on your walk or hike through the vast 3,000 acres of the ranch.
Insects:
If you are interested in entomology (like I am), you have found the right place. Our ranch is full of dragon flies, butterflies, and some strikingly beautiful moths. And, all you have to do is sit and watch the ground for a few minutes to see it come to life with grubs, worms, spiders…you name it. Our kids love scarab beetles, dung beetles and golden dung flies. We have insect field guides or can take you on an entomology walk!