I was hiking on the east side of the Sandias late one afternoon when I noticed some alpine clematis climbing all over a tree stump.
I took several photos and, since it was getting dark, checked my camera to make sure I’d gotten what I intended. There was a bright orange speck next to one of the flowers.
I clambered back down into the ditch and through the weeds to get a better look. It was such a tiny thing, and it was so dark, that I couldn’t get a very good shot. Not to mention that it kept trying to hide from me.
I think it is one of the cutest little things I’ve ever seen. Its striped legs and orange body reminded me of Pippi Longstocking who, if I remember correctly, also had striped stockings, along with bright red hair.