Late April at Mt. Falcon

Late April is a great time to visit the Transition Zone forest of the Colorado Front Range foothills.  Also known as the Montane or Yellow P...

Earth's Evolving Landscape

From the moment of its formation, 4.6 billion years ago, Planet Earth's surface has been continuously molded by natural forces.  Plate t...

Front Range Waders

As the days lengthen and the weather warms, some birds return to the Colorado Front Range that may seem out of place in a State known for pr...

Spring Arrives at Chatfield

Though it's a month late, spring has finally taken charge at Chatfield State Park, southwest of Denver.  On my visit this morning, I foc...

A Welcome Thrush

No sooner had the recent blanket of snow melted from our Littleton, Colorado, farm than a Swainson's thrush appeared, foraging in a flow...

The Cost of Extravagance

While human society seems to value some professions with little attention to their social importance, we cannot deny anyone the income that ...

Recovery in Sight

As light snow continues to fall along the Colorado Front Range and overnight lows dip near twenty degrees F, the signs of spring are few and...

Bluebirds in Colorado

During the warmer months, generally from April through early October, Colorado hosts all three species of North American bluebirds.  Arrivin...

South Platte Crossroads

Granted a reprieve from our wintery spring weather, I decided to visit South Platte Park, a greenbelt of ponds, meadows and riparian woodlan...

Australia's Great Central Ranges

While the Great Dividing Range runs up the east edge of Australia and various highlands are scattered along its periphery, the Continent is ...

The Spanish Peaks

In southern Colorado, southwest of Walsenburg, two prominent cone-shaped peaks rise east of the Sangre de Cristo Range.  In light of other v...

Iran's Subduction Earthquake

Yesterday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake in southeastern Iran, the most powerful in that country in more than 50 years, occurred near the Pa...

Our Response to Terror

Following episodes of terrorism, as occurred at the Boston Marathon yesterday, we immediately empathize with those caught up in the tragedy....

Drought Tolerant Shrubs

In our effort to reduce water consumption, it is important to landscape our property with plants that do not require irrigation (i.e. plants...

Water & the Southwest

Faced with a persistent drought and a below-average snowpack, superimposed on our arid climate, those of us who live in the American Southwe...

The Shrike and I

Earlier this week,  a spring snowstorm expected to arrive on the following day, I opted for a drive into the mountains west of Denver.  With...

Fossils & Catastrophe

While the fossils of aquatic plants and animals are often preserved at the bottom of lakes and oceans during the natural process of sediment...

Eolian Jurassic Sandstones

Three eolian (wind-deposited) Jurassic sandstones make a major contribution to the spectacular scenery of the Colorado Plateau.  These strat...

Close but no Blizzard

As one who practiced inexact science for more than 36 years, I am always hesitant to criticize meteorologists when their forecast is less th...

The Mt. Evans Massif

Mt. Evans, 14,264 feet, the prominent mountain WSW of Denver, is actually the high point and centerpiece of a dissected mountain ridge that ...

Front Range Cormorants

Double-crested cormorants have returned to Front Range lakes and reservoirs over the past week, among the earliest summer residents to arriv...

The Nature of Coaching

Regardless of the sport, a successful coach is characterized by two essential traits.  The first is the knowledge to teach the fundamental s...

The Hartville Uplift

Wyoming is a spectacular landscape of mountain ranges separated by broad basins.  While most of the uplifts, including the Laramie, Medicine...

Plant Behavior

Last evening, an episode of Nature  on PBS purported to demonstrate that plants, like animals, exhibit behavior.  A range of examples includ...

An Upslope Stream

For the past 24 hours, cool air, low clouds and light drizzle have enveloped Metro Denver.  These classic upslope conditions have resulted f...

The Adaptable Bobcat

Native to North America, the bobcat evolved during the Pleistocene Ice Age and ranges from southern Canada to central Mexico; though extirpa...

The Nature of Influence

From the moment of our birth, we are influenced by other humans.  During our first few years, that influence comes primarily from family and...