AUTUMN COTTONWOOD TREE NORTHERN CARDINAL (CARDINALIS CARDINALIS) I arrived at the trailhead

I arrived at the trailhead with plenty of time before the colors of the sunrise would dominate the sky

The colors of the sunrise shifts from the purples and pinks of the early morning

A male northern cardinal perches on a branch of a peachleaf willow tree on this summer evening at Wildflower Park

It wasn't long before I reached the area of wildflowers I wanted to photograph

I had been photographing the wildflowers and sunrise for about a half hour now when this scene unfolded

AUTUMN COTTONWOOD TREE NORTHERN CARDINAL (CARDINALIS CARDINALIS) I arrived at the trailheadThe October evening sunlight brightens this cottonwood tree at Wildflower Park. (610 11)