Small plants high up on a windy ridge doing their part in convincing me fall is indeed here.
Tag: colorado
Dusting
It was cloudy and cold all day but as evening approached the clouds were on their way out, blue sky moving in and just a dusting of snow on the peaks in the distance. Morning will be crisp and the sky clear as a bell.
Hare
A handsome looking hare posing for a portrait on the Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge earlier this summer.
Good as Gold
The Aspen tress are doing their thing and a day spent soaking it up is an experience as good as gold.
Happy fall to all.
A job well done
The other day I saw a yellow flash land in a nice cedar tree. Thinking it was an unusual insect I quickly went over to get a look. Alas, it was not a new insect but a Honey Bee and to say this one was covered in pollen might be an understatement. This little bee could hard fly with the load they had acquired. After a few minutes of rest they slowly lifted off and headed back to the hive. A job well done.
Mantid Sunday
We typically see only a few Preying Mantis each summer either while out hiking or in our garden. Last week, while out on a hike, we saw numerous Mantids and each one matched the specific grasses they resided in. The Mantid above was in grasses that were a mix of green and brown and the Mantid was green and brown.
While the Mantid above resided in fresh green grass.
This Mantids above were right at home in a field of brown.
We even got a look at one Mantid hanging upside down.
Photographed in Denver, CO
Prickly Poppies
Prickly Poppies are a wonderful wildflower to have around. On our daily walks we can rest assured we will find some in bloom. Once found, we can stop for a moment and enjoy the show as beetles, bees and ants do their work pollinating these delicate flowers. Even now, as fall approaches and most of the other wildflowers have lost their blooms, a few Prickly Poppies are still going strong.
They a treat for they eyes, like little whipped cream sundaes with a cherries on top.
Those little prickles protect such delicate yet tough flowers.
I am looking forward to see how long they continue blooming into the fall.
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/argemone_pleiacantha.shtml
Denver, CO
West Elks
Looking out into the West Elk WIlderness in central Colorado.
In The Thistle
A Female American Goldfinch enjoying the Thistle on a cloudy summer afternoon.
Worth the effort
An Ornate Checkered Beetle climbs the milkweed in search of pollen and his efforts are fully rewarded.
