A small Brown Creeper eyes the way onward and upward with the hopes of finding a small grub along the sloping landscape of a cottonwood tree.
Tag: denver
Before November
Before the leaves blew down.
Before it was dark too soon.
Before November in a place not far from home.
Leaves and Lake
Golden fall colors reflecting upon a very calm lake. Silence is golden.
on a swivel
Quietly perched and giving us the 180 degree head turn like only an owl can give a Great Horned Owl waits in the early evening light for their day to begin.
So far from home
So close yet so fat from home a Sand Dollar washed up on the beach as the tide goes down. I can empathize with this guy as the west becomes more developed and the human heard marches across that landscape. Home feels so close yet so far away.
Hello Sunshine
A prairie dog greeting the autumn sunrise and soaking up the those warming rays.
Red-tailed on a grey day
We seemed to have settled into a very late fall like weather pattern as of late with sunshine appearing mid-morning then giving way to cloudy afternoon skies. We spotted this good looking Red Tailed Hawk on one of those cloudy afternoons perched on the remnants of a very fall looking tree.
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
