June in Rocky Mountain National Park is a time of new buds, new babies, new sights, and new sounds. Many species of wildlife have new babies. They are not always easy to see, but patience can be rewarded with the sight of new coyote pups, elk and moose calves, mule deer fawns, cottontail bunnies, and occasionally bear cubs. Birds and butterflies have migrated back to the park, and there are new arrivals every day. Bird calls we haven't heard for months greet us in the early morning. The scent of warm pine is in the air at noon. In some years, afternoon rainshowers, unusual for the park in June, leave us with much needed moisture and the wonderful feeling of a freshly washed world. Unusually large numbers of wildflowers burst into bloom as a result of the rains. Visitors, volunteers, and staff can be pardoned if, at times, we get the impression the description of June from "The Vision of Sir Launfal" written by James Russell Lowell must have been written about our park:

“...And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays;
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten…”