The alpine world (see pages [36]-37) stands as magic for some. Its lilliputian scale fascinates. A tiny rabbit, the pika (or cony), gathers grasses there all summer in miniature haystacks you may discover. The yellow-bellied marmot, on the other hand, stores fat, its body being adapted to pass the winter in hibernation. Surprising numbers of insects are found there. And spiders wander the snowfields to feed on cold-sluggish insects blown up from warmer elevations.
Diminutive alpine creatures aren’t seen from a car, but much of the park’s wildlife bounty reveals itself to casual observers. The national park tries to offer the wild community a haven where natural processes can work, but this is no simple task. The park includes only portions of some creatures’ annual ranges. And underlying the ideal balance of natural processes are complex relationships we only gradually unravel.
Mammals
Bobcat
Weasel
Yellow-bellied marmots
Pika
Moose
Deer mouse
Coyote
Elk calf
Badger
Black bear
Snowshoe Hare
Pronghorn (antelope)
Mule Deer
Uinta ground squirrel
Beaver
Porcupine
Birdlife
Yellowthroat
Killdeer
Screech owl
Blue grouse
Prairie falcon
Great gray owl
Sandhill crane
Sage grouse
Bald eagle
Mountain bluebird
Greentail towhee
Steller’s jay
Goshawk
Canada goose
Western tanager
Common snipe
Wildflowers
Columbine
Sugarbowl
Leopard lily
Mountain or False dandelion
Geranium
Yellow violet
Phlox
Low larkspur
Calypso orchid
Green gentian
Indian paintbrush
Yarrow
Lewis flax
Harebell
Mule ears
Scarlet gilia
Part 3 Guide and Adviser
