Solitary Hunter

As the cold, dark season envelops the land, hikers are more likely to encounter our resident carnivores; stirred by the cold and intent on s...

Clouds and Heat

Clouds, as beautiful as they can be, are nothing more than water vapor suspended in the air. Their formation requires the presence of adequa...

The Pleiades

As earth hurtles through space, on its annual journey around the sun, we are treated to an ever-changing view of the night sky. For any giv...

Below the Jet

On its annual push to the south, the jet stream has settled down across the northern States this week, guiding a series of Pacific storms ac...

Fear of Winter

Many humans despise winter, blaming the season for their blues and inactivity. But I suspect that a true "fear of winter" resides...

The Katy Trail

One of the best Rail-to-Trail projects in the country, the 200-mile Katy Trail hugs the north edge of the Missouri River floodplain, from St...

Santa Ana Winds

The Santa Ana Winds are scouring Southern California once again and destructive wildfires have reignited. These hot, dry, powerful winds typ...

The Common Stranger

Suburban residents are generally familiar with most of our common bird species. They know cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, robins, mournin...

Thanks to Gramps

All of us who are fascinated by nature have someone in our past who instilled and fostered that enthusiasm. For me, it was Gilbert Siegel, ...

Feeding the Birds

As cold weather grips the country, many Americans will begin filling their backyard feeders. Some will perform this ritual purely out of co...

The Tularosa Basin

Looking at a satellite map of New Mexico, one is struck by two prominent features in the south-central part of the State. The first is a nar...

Warm before the Storm

Strong southerly winds are pushing temperatures into the mid seventies across the Plains and Central Midwest today. When such unusually mil...

Saved by Wildlife

Long drives can be tedious, especially when they cover familiar terrain. On my frequent, I-70 treks, between Missouri and Colorado, I rely o...

Waterton Canyon

Waterton Canyon, southwest of Denver, represents the South Platte's final journey through the Rockies before rumbling onto the Colorado ...

Earth's Brown Cloud

After a day in the clean, clear air of the Front Range mountains, I returned yesterday afternoon to find Denver enveloped in a brown haze. M...

North Fork Valley

Leading southwestward from Metro Denver, U.S. 285 climbs through Turkey Creek Canyon and then undulates across the foothills. After descend...

Vertical Migration

Almost everyone knows that birds fly south for the winter. Even those who have no interest in nature have heard of this phenomenon in songs...

River Walk

Though snowy peaks rose to the west, it was warm and sunny in the South Platte Valley this morning. The River, high for most of the spring ...

The Highway Hawk

The most common and widespread buteo in North America, the red-tailed hawk is especially abundant on the farmlands of the Midwest. Favoring ...

Crab Orchard Mountains

On my recent trip to Florida, our flight crossed Tennessee just west of Knoxville. From my east side window on that clear, sunny after-noon,...

Hibernation

Mammals of the colder latitudes prepare for winter in a number of ways. Some, including whales, elk and caribou, migrate to wintering areas ...

Climate Cycles

The Pleistocene "Ice Age," which began 2 million years ago and ended 10,000 years ago, was just the latest of at least six glacial...

The Mogollon Rim

The Mogollon Rim is a prominant escarpment that curves across Arizona from the western end of the Grand Canyon to southwest New Mexico. More...

North Winds

Yesterday dawned with sunny, mild conditions in Columbia. A gentle breeze from the south had pushed the temperature into the low 50s and the...

Winter Song

For the first time this season, the song of white-throated sparrows rang through the neighborhood as I walked to work this morning. Natives...

The Beloved Bluebird

One of the more beloved birds in North American, the eastern bluebird is common east of the Rocky Mountains and is the State Bird in both Ne...

Tropical Storm to Nor'easter

After forming in the eastern Caribbean and bringing deadly rains to the Dominican Republic, Tropical Storm Noel crossed Cuba and lost some o...

Waterfowl Highway

Rising along the Continental Divide in southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming, the Missouri River exits the Rocky Mountains at Great ...

The Nature of November

Were it not for Thanksgiving, November would not be welcomed by many Midwesterners. Usually depicted as a gray, windy month, it often brings...