A Trilling Reception

We returned to Columbia last evening, arriving just after the latest spring storm.  Stepping from my pickup, I realized that a full blown or...

Texas: Land of Drought & Flood

Texas, second only to Alaska in size, lies in the south-central U.S.  To its west are the dry landscapes of Mexico and the Desert Southwest ...

A Prodigal Sun

After weeks of cloudy, cool, wet weather, an intense morning sun lit the Front Range today.  Lasting through mid afternoon, the brilliant su...

Remembrance & Apologies

On this Memorial Day, Americans attend parades, visit cemeteries and enjoy picnics while honoring the men and women who served, or currently...

Avian Sunshine

After almost a month of cloudy, cool, rainy weather along the Colorado Front Range, packets of avian sunshine arrived on our Littleton farm ...

Geologic History of Cuba

As the Atlantic Ocean began to open, some 160 million years ago (MYA), the North and South American Plates were forced westward, a tectonic ...

Stressed Swallows

The recent chilly, damp weather in Colorado has curbed the activity of flying insects and has stressed those birds that feed on them.  Swall...

The Nature of Trust

Trust is the sense that another person or human organization has integrity and will act in our best interest.  It is distinct from love and ...

A Relentless Upslope

Over the past two weeks, a series of Pacific storm systems has produced a nearly continuous period of upslope flow along the Colorado Front ...

Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield

Settled by Frank and Elizabeth Hildebrand in 1861 and by the Green Family in 1935, the lower Deer Creek Valley, southwest of Denver, was obt...

The Nature of Avian Flu

Avian flu, commonly known as Bird Flu, is caused by a spectrum of influenza A viruses; many strains and subtypes have been documented and so...

Country Folk

On our recent trip to Flaming Gorge, my pickup blew out a tire.  Fortunately, we were at the exit for a small town when that random event oc...

Crossing Southern Wyoming

After leaving the Green River Valley, we drove east on Interstate 80 this morning, headed for our Littleton farm.  Between Rock Springs and ...

Flaming Gorge

The Green River of the Western U.S. rises on the northwest flank of the Wind River Range in west-central Wyoming and flows southward through...

Journey to Flaming Gorge

Though my wife and I have traveled extensively throughout the Western U.S., a visit to Flaming Gorge, on the Wyoming-Utah border, has eluded...

Caving to Big Oil

Despite the ecological disaster wrought by the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, five years ago, the effects of which have ...

On the Storm's Cold Side

At our Littleton, Colorado, farm, the rain began to change to snow just after 7PM last evening.  A potent upslope flow on the backside (nort...

Spring Bird Census

The annual spring bird count was conducted at South Platte Park this morning, a swath of ponds, meadows and riparian woodlands along the Sou...

Downslope Drying

In the midst of a Front Range deluge, drier air is moving into Metro Denver this evening.  The moisture flow is currently from the south, mo...

Water, Deserts & the Wealthy

In American society, the wealthy enjoy an increasing number of social perks, based on their ability and willingness to pay for them; close-i...

The Mystery Legume

When we purchased our Littleton farm, in 1990, I discovered a healthy looking shrub beneath a pair of spruce trees east of the house.  Never...

Trapped in a Trough

Over the past week, an atmospheric trough has enveloped the Front Range region and much of the Intermountain West.  Reinforced by a series o...

The Lonesome Towhee

Along the Colorado Front Range, both spotted towhees (permanent residents) and green-tailed towhees (summer residents) prefer the open shrub...

Axial Seamount, Iceland & Hawaii

Oceanic volcanic islands develop above mantle hotspots or along mid oceanic ridges where the sea floor is spreading.  The Hawaiian Ridge i...

Transition in the Valley

Over the past week, there has been a significant transition in the South Platte Valley.  The last of the winter birds have departed for nort...