Category: Gardens

Nature Friday ~ July 3, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 75 Comments

WilsonWelcome to the latest edition of Nature Friday where we join the pups from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to check out what others have shared. Wilson here and we’re getting ready for America’s Semi-quincentennial, aka the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Mum has strong feelings about fireworks any time of year but especially on July 4th. It’s the day where more dogs go missing from fireworks. She’s watched various dogs over the years totally freak out when loud boomers go off. This year with Colorado’s wildfires, it’s even more essential not to have fireworks spark another blaze. Because the Aspen Acres fire near Pueblo is now the largest fire in the country burning over 60,000 acres with zero containment. Yesterday, both Douglas and Jefferson counties here in the metro area have cancelled public firework shows and I suspect other municipalities have followed suit. Truth be told, we’re not sad about that. Pets, veterans and other folks struggle with loud fireworks.

Anyway, this week rather than specifically focusing on the 4th of July, we thought we’d instead, take a trip to a garden center for Nature Friday. Let’s get started, shall we?

The Mum: Thanks House Pony, I know I get worked up about fireworks going off so I appreciate your showcasing flowers from the garden center down the road from the house.

Wilson: Sure, Mum, No problem-o. It’s good to investigate some of the nearby centers close to our house and I know you were checking to see if they might have a replacement bowl for our birdbath. So far, we haven’t found anything that will work with the solar fountain but we did see some nice plants. This is a small, family garden center and you were impressed with some of their plants. Just look at these beautiful Echinacea plants. Who knew there were so many different collections separate from your standard plain variety. Those ruffly ones were pretty cool. Looks like the bees liked them.

Echinacea Echinacea Echinacea

The Mum: Yeah, I was rather impressed with the various colors. When I went into the greenhouse, I was followed by a hummingbird. He zipped in and around the flowers and while the photo that I managed to capture of him, it isn’t great since I only had my cell phone but it was entertaining watching him flit this way and that among the flowers.

Hummingbird

Wilson: It’s not horrible..for a cell phone. Still, I see you had to highlight it because he was so quick and so tiny among the blooms.

The Mum: You know me, any critter comes within 20 feet of me and I’m all in.

Wilson: Right…you do tend to lose your mind love it whenever you see critters of any kind. You need to start being prepared better with cameras. You missed a great shot of a large doe in the wildlife habitat area on the trail. ‘Course she wasn’t willing to wait for you to pull your phone out of your pocket and focus on her. She took one look at me and was gone in a heartbeat.

The Mum: Yeah, I totally missed out on that one but remain hopeful that we’ll see her again on one of our walks.

Wilson: Like you always say, hope springs eternal. I noticed you spent a lot of time looking at the zinnias too.

The Mum: Guilty as charged. I just love them and the had a nice selection of some very colorful ones.

Zinnias

Wilson: These were especially colorful. You do like the unusual in plants, don’t you?

The Mum: I really do. Showy and out of the ordinary colored blooms are my jam. Like this Scabiosa (pin cushion plant). I just loved that deep color.

Scabiosa

Wilson: And the bees seem to like it too.

The Mum: There were lots of bees all over the center. It was nice walking through the various plant rows. Here’s a gorgeous impatiens with bright color and striking foliage.

Impatiens

Wilson: Here’s another plant we found near our house. The bees were all over those pretty purple flowers. I could hear them buzzing!

Bees

The Mum: Yeah I think that’s a Blue Mist Spirea shrub. They’re pretty drought tolerant and have a long blooming season. Pollinators are drawn to those purple flowers. We found a twelve spot dragonfly this week. While they aren’t very good pollinators, they are a large insect predator. These guys can devour pests like mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and midges. They aren’t interested in pollen so they generally don’t visit flowers. When you see these guys it indicates a healthy local water quality and they tend to show their habitat has an active, balanced ecosystem.  I was thrilled to see this guy on the sidewalk. I only hope he followed us home to nosh on the irritating midges near the front door.

Dragonfly

Wilson: He wasn’t too keen on my sniffing him.

The Mum: Well I think he was startled by you since it looked like he was resting.

Wilson: Well that’s it from us. Happy 250th birthday to the U.S. We hope everyone has a safe holiday and hope people are considerate to those who aren’t fans of loud fireworks.

July 4th

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ June 19, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 73 Comments
Giddy goose
Giddy Goose is more than ready for summer

Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. Today is Juneteenth, a federal holiday. It was 160 years ago that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they had been freed — after the Civil War’s end and two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Happy Juneteenth. Because it’s a federal holiday, no  mail will be delivered, the stock market is closed as well as some some businesses. Parades and other celebrations will mark the day along with public service. The City of Milwaukee is the oldest known and longest-running annual Juneteenth celebration in the United States. What started as a small gathering of vendors, now spans over several blocks of fun with over 170,000 participants. Denver will once again have a music festival beginning today and running through the weekend in the Five Points neighborhood.

Wilson here and as we always do, we’re joining our friends at The Adventures of the LLB Gang. Clicking on the link will take you to see what others shared this week. Even though summer is scheduled to arrive this Sunday, I think it jumped the gun. I don’t know about how the weather is on your end, but it’s been very hot here. As in 15+ degrees hotter than normal. Wednesday felt like we were walking into a pizza oven. Mum got up even earlier than usual so we could enjoy a morning walk in somewhat cool temperatures, but it was already 72F (22.2C) before 5 AM. Usually at that time, the temps are in the low-to-mid 50’s. By the time we finished our three-mile walk, I was panting heavily and not walk walking my usual speed and Mum was dripping in sweat. Neither of us enjoyed the walk much. The only thing that kept the walk from being a total bust was when we came across a coyote pup on our walk in the wildlife habitat we cross every day. He’s kinda hard to spot in the tall, dry grass but isn’t he kind of adorable? Look at those pointy ears! He almost resembles a German Shepherd puppy, doesn’t he? He curiously watched us walk through but made no attempt to follow us, thank goodness. I can’t help but wonder if his mama knew he was away from the den. If she’s anything like my mine, that little guy is probably in big time trouble.

Coyote pup

The Mum: He seems larger than I thought he would be, which leads me to believe he’s older than I originally thought the pups might be. From what I learned when I looked up info about coyotes, they are usually born in spring and may have between four to seven pups in a litter. We didn’t encounter any siblings who were probably back in the thick brush behind this little guy. Anyway, I thought he was pretty cute and right in the area where that mama coyote bum rushed those little dogs recently.

Wilson: This guy kind of acted like he wanted to play with me, Mum. But I know you didn’t want to encourage him. Besides his mama was likely close by and no point poking the ‘bear,’ right?

The Mum: Absolutely! Trust me when I say, you will never be allowed…let me repeat that just in case there’s any question…you will never be allowed to play or interact with any coyotes. Period.

Wilson: Um sheesh Mum…don’t get so worked up. I’m not going off to play with some coyote pup, okay? Besides I’d never leave you on the trail by yourself…well at least not for a coyote. A squirrel, maybe but never a coyote.

The Mum: You bet your sweet bippy, you won’t! Now that we have that clear, what other slices of nature do you have to share?

Wilson: Well, there are a lot of heat loving plants out there that are pretty. Check out this lavender that was enticing pollinators early yesterday morning from a house down the street from ours. I love brushing against that border. Those plants fill the air with their scent.

Lavender

The Mum: I absolutely love lavender…and so do the neighborhood bees.

Wilson: We found another beautiful clematis that the bees like too. Look how pretty this one is and how well it showcases that garden statuary.

Clematis

The Mum: This is one of my favorite gardens we walk past. Everything always look so pretty.

Wilson:  My favorite place is the meadowy area near the canal overflow. There are loads of blanket flowers (Gaillardia) blooming now but yesterday, Mum saw a few prairie coneflowers mixed in with some of them along the trail. Such pretty wildflowers.

Wildflowers

The Mum: The blanket flowers are really popping up along that stretch of the Ralston Creek Trail. I get practically giddy seeing them randomly showing up here and there.

Wilson: It’s always interesting to walk along that area. You just never know what you’ll see. It’s very close to where we spotted the coyote. That area is becoming a real treasure trove of cool slices of nature. And lastly we have an update on Figaro. He’s finally beginning to set fruit after getting very bushy. Look at this little baby fig. Can’t wait till it ripens. I hope more will set because, no offense…I’d prefer not to share.

Figaro

The Mum: No offense taken. I thought the same thing! Well that does it for us.  Got any special plans to welcome summer?

Wilson: I plan to stay home zonked out on the sofa for a couple of hours while you’re hobnobbing for the rescue at the Denver Dog Fair.

The Mum: Yes, you can hang out at home. But please remember the rule about no dogs on the furniture.

Wilson: {snickering} Oh yeah, right. {wink, wink} Got it Mum. We both hope you have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy getting out in nature but try to stay cool and hydrated.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ June 12, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 51 Comments

BunnyGreetings mates. Wilson here and I’d like to welcome everyone to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where as always, we’re joining our friends at The Adventures of the LLB Gang. Clicking on the link will take you to see what others have shared this week. Well it’s been a uber busy week and Mum has been up to her eyes in alligators. All fun stuff mind you (her sister from Texas came for a short visit and brought her Dad with her) and she had some work done around the ole barn so photo taking sessions are, well let’s just say a bit slim this week. But one thing that’s not too slim are the number of bunnies we’re seeing whenever we’re out on our dawn walks. Why are we going on walks around dawn, you ask? Well, neither one of us can stand being outdoors when it’s 900 degrees. And yes, that is a bit of an exaggeration but not by much. The temps we’re having are more in the July or August variety of hot. We’re not looking forward to those months if these are the kind of hot temps we’ll be getting.

The Mum: Yes, it has been a very busy week with lots of work to take up loads of time. Last night I collapsed on the sofa-my body said “No more, woman or imma gonna hurt you” but apparently my body lied about the threat and delivered a raging ache in her lower back. She’s hoping now that things are semi-back to a more normal schedule that her lower back will stop aching nonstop. I asked Wilson when did I get so old but he didn’t have an answer…

Wilson: {interrupting} Not an answer you’d want to hear, at any rate.

The Mum: Wait, are you implying I’m just old?

Wilson: Umm, might be. You know if the shoe fits, you have to wear it. But I digress. Let’s get on with it and share what little we managed to capture around our neighborhood, shall we?

The Mum: Oh gosh, you know you’ve cut me to the quick, House Pony. Alrighty then, show me what you’ve got.

Wilson: Let’s first start with an update on the bloody cottonwood seeds that continue to stick to everything. No matter how many times you clean them up, the afternoon winds manage to disperse loads more. This was just a teensy fraction of them that rolled up together.

Cottonwood seeds

The Mum:  Oh yes, I’m so over the cottonwood seeds. It’s beyond incomprehensible why there is so doggone much of these fluffy seed heads. It’s as if they’re never going to end.

Wilson: It funny how fluffy they are when they’re floating around for a spot to land. After a few days the seeds begin to dry out and then they resemble popcorn and they are crunchy under your feet. These were found on top of the BBQ grill cover.

Cottonwood seeds

The Mum: I know, they’re everywhere. Luckily there are other things that are non-cottonwood related that brought smiles this week.

Wilson: Quite, Mum. Like this blooming yarrow. It’s so cheerful to look at and several of the homes near us have planted it. I think this variety is Moonshine. It’s very fuss-free, and loves the heat and blooms with its large clusters of canary yellow flowers on narrow stems on ferny-like, grey-green foliage clumps. Landscapers use it to accent sunny borders and rock gardens, or in mass plantings like it appears around our area to create a nice band of color throughout summer. The beauty of this particular yarrow is that it doesn’t go bananas naturalizing like so many other yarrow varieties.

Yarrow

The Mum: Seeing these over by the mailboxes always makes me happy, even if it’s hot as blazes over there. It’s an especially great plant for our mountain desert climate.

Wilson: It is a beauty, no doubt, but there’s beauty in the milkweed plant that’s beginning to bloom now. Hopefully that means there’ll be lots of butterflies arriving soon and not just the cabbage butterflies we’ve begun seeing around the neighborhood. Milkweed seems to be everywhere around the golf course and along the Ralston Creek Trail where we walk everyday.

Milkweed flower

The Mum:  The grasses along the trail have really gotten tall and thick. With a bit of rain recently, even the dandelions are gigantic. I think it’s actually Salsify or Goatsbeard, not the typical small yellow flowered plants we find in people’s lawn. Dandelion

Wilson: Well I’m no horticulturist, but it looks like your average dandelion to me. Anyway, it’s not the most unusual thing we saw this week. While it looks a little bit like your average every day Canadian goose, it was actually a wild female turkey on the golf course. You don’t see those every day. Mum didn’t have her big camera with her and had to rely on her cell phone to capture it and sadly it’s not a great shot, plus it turned its head and waddled away as fast as her long legs would carry her.

Turkey

The Mum: Nope, you sure don’t see them all the time. But it’s always a joy whenever I see some new critter along our walks. We’re starting to see lots of blue jays now but they seem against posing so I haven’t managed to capture any semi-reasonable shots. Hopefully soon though, since we are seeing them every day now.

Wilson: Well, that’s it from us. We hope you are able to check out some of Nature’s finest sights. Whatever you do, we hope you have a terrific weekend. Stay cool if you can (or in the case of some of you, stay dry).

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ June 5, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 60 Comments

Wilson Chewed up coasterHappy Friday, folks. Wilson here. We have been busy this week. Mum is getting ready for our annual sheepdog picnic/fundraiser and sadly, I’m had to spend a lot of time entertaining myself after my walks. But apprently I’m not happy about being left to my own devices while Mum is working on getting the gift baskets ready for the picnic. I don’t know, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But I was contrite when Mum saw it. My head went down quicker than a bad day on the stock market. Mum knows I had no idea what I was doing, us dogs don’t feel guilt like our humans think we do. Still I know I disappointed her and for that, I’m sorry. Ok, maybe not all that so sorry, but here we are. Anyway, we’re joing our pals from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to click on the link to see what others are sharing.

Wilson: So we had a couple of days of light rain in our neighborhood. Oh my giddy aunt! In Denver however, things got real. There was major downpour in downtown and hailstones fell like crazy (see a video here). A family from Aurora posted a photo of an alligator they created from all of the hail. Bulldozers had to be called in to shovel it off roadways and one woman was rescued at a gas station because the hail and fast moving water was running so deep. Holy cow!

Hail alligator

The Mum: That was quite the weather event. It was nice to receive some moisture but I’m sure the northern third of Denver and eastern suburbs feel differently. Currently those nice temperate days are definitely in the rear view mirror. It’s back to hot temps. Yesterday the thermostat hit 88F (31C) and it’s forecast to be hotter during the next week. Bet you’re glad that you were groomed with a summer cut, aren’t you, House Pony?

Wilson: Absolutely. We’ve had to take our morning walks at the crack of dawn. I know you’d like to sleep in a bit as much as me but we need to get cracking to avoid the heat. It’s disrupting my chi, Mum.

The Mum: I know, buddy and yes, I’m not happy about it either but we just have to accept that’s the way El Niño rolls…hot temps, with lots of moisture. ‘Course with those hot temps, it makes our statewide drought worse. It’s a vicious cycle. Anyway, not much we can do about it. What else do you have for us?

Wilson: Well, the weird weather didn’t keep us from finding a few pretty flowers from around the ‘Hood early in the mornings. I think I’m going to look at this next photo often while it’s hot. It’s so calming and gives me a nice cooled off feeling. Not that I will start liking water, mind you, Mum…so don’t get any ideas but I think it’s a refreshing place along the trail to pause and enjoy.

Creek

The Mum: No, I get it. I feel the same way. That view is from one of the bridges we cross  and it always makes me want to stop and inhale deeply to relax even more during our walks. Best time of the day crossing that bridge and seeing that runoff rushing into the creek from the canal.

Wilson: Right! That’s what I’m talking about. I did rather enjoy the new route we took this week to see what kind of gardens other folks have. This front garden was especially pretty.

Garden flowers

The Mum: This was such a pretty front garden and they had a couple of fun signs in the middle of it. Everything was neat as a pin and fairly formal.

Wilson: And then there was this gorgeous clematis. So full and vibrant. Much more so than the ones we had at our old house. Yours never did bloom that much.

Clematis

The Mum: No, I don’t think I really gave mine enough water and with the shade from the silver maple, well I just don’t think they ever liked the conditons where they were planted.

Wilson: It’s ok, Mum. We have lots to see on our walks. I really enjoyed passing this large clump of blue flax in the area between the path and the creek very near the spot where that coyote was seen. Looks like Mother Nature was moving ‘furniture’ again. She sure finds the oddest places to put flowers, doesn’t she?Blue flax

The Mum: Well I don’t mind, it’s rather fun finding what she thinks is a good spot for flowers. Last week it was the Gaillardia (blanket flower) and this week, it’s this flax. Nature sure has an interesting way of moving things around.

Wilson: Nature provides us with some beautiful sights, like last night’s sunset. The clouds gathered up and swirled and it looked like it might rain a bit. But alas, it was just a tease. Still, it was very lovely. Well, that’s it for us. Please make sure you get outside this weekend and have a great weekend enjoying all that Nature shares with us. Since Mum is busy again today with picnic preparations for the rescue’s fundraiser, we may not be able to respond for a while but she’ll do her best. After the picnic, she’ll be getting ready for her sister from Texas to come visit next week. No rest for the wicked and the righteous don’t need it, right. So which one is she? Have a great weekend.

Sunset

PicnicThe Mum: Wish us lots of luck at the picnic! It’s always interesting herding all those Floofs.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ May 8, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 60 Comments

Greetings mates, tis I, Wilson your friendly neighborhood House Pony. Boy have I got some photos to share with you showing Mother Nature at her best or her worst, depending on your opinion. It’s been a wild week but let’s dive in shall we. As always we’re joining those cute pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly nature blog. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared from around Blogville.

Wilson in snow

Wilson: Mum…why do I have to bundle up? I mean keeping me dry is one thing, but you know how I feel about snow boots. Ugh.

The Mum: What? Come on, you look adorable in your booties. And you posed so nicely wearing them…

Wilson: {interrupting while raising his voice} E-nough. I should think that expression says it all. Wearing those hideous things is humiliating, Mum. I hate them.

The Mum: But they sort of keep your feet somewhat dry, well at least drier than if you were stomping around with your furry paddles…and without anything to protect your paws you’d need either a session with a hairdryer or a serious and lengthy mopping up with towels before coming back inside the house. I mop the new floors enough as it is because you’re a such drool machine.

Wilson: Yeesh…you cut me to the quick, Mum. We could argue discuss this all day long. But I’ve got photos to share and we should probably just move along. So as you were able to tell from our discussion and the first photo, it snowed this week (Tuesday and Wednesday). I know a lot of you will be aghast at the thought of snow in May but it’s not all that uncommon in the Rocky Mountain region. The irony to that fact is we received the most snow in May for over 20 years. Look at some of these snow depths through Wednesday.

Snow totals

The Mum: The total in Arvada really surprised me. We all knew a storm was coming but I only expected around 4 inches or so. Fortunately it was a nice wet snow with lots of moisture. I think we received nearly as much moisture over those two days as we’ve received to date this year. We’re still down and the drought is nowhere near gone but this was a nice dent toward improving things.

Wilson: Do you think plants were adversely impacted by that heavy snow?

Spring snow storm
Early morning view of our trees – the shrubs were buried for the most part

Spring snow storm

The Mum: I won’t sugar-coat it, the storm did a fair amount of damage to trees. Cottonwoods which are softwood trees, were particularly hit hard as were many ornamental pear trees around the neighborhood. I went out every 3 or 4 hours to shake off our crabapple trees but along the trail we walk every day, a lot of large and small limbs were broken. Yesterday I was impressed that the city crews were out early cleaning up around the pathway. Most of the larger branches that fell far away from the pathway will be cut up and left to provide habitat to the area’s critters, while those closer to the trail were removed. And a lot of plants were flattened but by yesterday when we were in full melt, they were rebounding. Even these peonies didn’t seem to be worse for wear but they are somewhat protected by the trees around it. Yesterday’s high  was 72F (22C) and more than half of the snow had melted. It was totally crazy. The forecast for the weekend will be in the 70’sF and we may even reach the low 80’sF by Monday. The temperature whiplash is in full force.

Peonies with snow

Wilson: It was absolutely beautiful when we walked and even more quiet than normally. Funny how people don’t want to get out and walk around in it. I’m glad you don’t mind, I just wish I didn’t have to bundle up from head to paw but it was fun checking everything out. The smells were quite remarkable.

The Mum: Even our newly blooming Bachelor Buttons in a large pot survived.

Bachelor Buttons

Wilson: Nature is pretty amazing. But somewhat selective, isn’t she?

The Mum: Pretty much. What other photos did you want to share?

Wilson: Well…how about some photos from the pathway? It was so beautiful and the quiet was palable.

Spring snow storm
Along the southwest side of the golf course
Spring snow
The canal was filling up from its previously low levels
Ralston Creek Trail in snow
Along the creek

The Mum: You managed to curate a fairly representative batch of photos. Well done, House Pony.

Wilson: Thanks Mum. See, I’m not just a pretty face. I can put a few pics together to show off how Nature is truly amazing. I see that Mother’s Day is this weekend and we want to wish everyone a very Happy Mother’s Day. We know not all of you have two feet kids, but you have fur babies so I think you deserve to enjoy the day as well as mums to them. Are you doing anything special for your mum? Whatever you do, we sincerely wish you a wonderful weekend and hope you are able to spend some time enjoying the many sides of Mother Nature. Have a good one, everyone.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ April 24, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 62 Comments

Wilson, bed headWelcome to the last Friday of April. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that April is nearly over. Where did the month go? Wilson here and I’m joining our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly Nature Friday blog hop where participants share slices of nature. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared. The good news is we haven’t blown away but these daily Red Flag Warning days are becoming a bit ridiculous. Yes, I’m a floof but for the love of all that’s holy, floofs gotta see and I constantly have hair in my eyes. Yes I know one remedy is a haircut but you know how I feel about grooming sessions. Mum suggested we put my hair up into a ‘pineapple’ top knot. {SHUDDER} I put my paw down and said unequivocally, “umm, no thank you.” Guess I’ll just keep rubbing my face on the sofa to get the hair out of my eyes.

The Mum: Oh come on, at least you’d be able to see easier…

Wilson: {interrupting} No way, Jose. I’m not wearing a rubber band or scrunchy on the top of my head to get the hair out of my eyes. End of discussion.

The Mum: Alrighty then. So what do you have to share today.

Wilson: Wait…what?  I said no and you caved with no attempts to urge a different outcome? I better pinch myself…I figured you’d spend a lot of time arguing trying to cajole me into looking like a pineapple landed on top of my head. Not to say I’m suspicious…but I am a bit suspicious, Mum.

The Mum: Not to worry, House Pony…I don’t mind giving you some agency about minor things like that.

Wilson: Minor? Trust me, that’s not minor, Mum. Wearing my hair up in a top knot would make me the laughing stock of Ralston Creek. You know I have a certain “je ne sais quoi” to maintain.

The Mum: Oh my gosh, you are so dramatic! It was just a suggestion to help you see better until your grooming appointment in a few weeks. Lighten up.

Wilson: Harumph…I just wanted to get things out in the open and on the record. I think we should probably focus on slices of nature we encountered this week instead, now that the pineapple strategy is dead in the water. How about it, Mum?

The Mum: {rolling her eyes} Yes, let’s change the subject and move on. I know where you stand and won’t bring it up again.

Wilson: Thank dog! Now that we’ve settled that, let’s share a few slices of nature from our house before we hit the trail outside, shall we? Figaro is looking pretty doggone good. I can barely get around him. He’s going crazy, Mum. I think we should put him outside.

Figaro

The Mum: He is getting pretty big but since there still can be overnight freezes, we’re going to have to wait until that threat is gone so you’ll just have to co-exist with him for a little while longer. And I beg you to be careful as you’re racing to the front door which is just a few feet away.

Wilson: Hey there, I’m always careful! I can’t help it if he takes up too much space.

The Mum: Right…{eyes rolling again}. You’re about as careful as a bull in a china shop. Delicate you are not.

Wilson: Now, now, Mum. That corner of the entry must have some really good juju because your Christmas cactus is in bloom again. While not nearly as full of blooms at it was at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it does have a few bright blooms. Even the Christmas cactus that rarely blooms and nearly died a few months ago has some buds on it. Are you doing something special with the cactuses?

Christmas cactus

Christmas cactus

The Mum: Nope, not at all. That last cactus has more blooms than it ever has! It lost a fair amount of its branches and I almost considered letting it go. I just think they like the light in the entryway-it’s not too severe or bright. But whatever it is, I’m pleased that they’re in bloom again and setting leaves and flowers. It’s very exciting and even the newest one (on the lower right) is joining the ranks of bloomers. It came from Dad’s house and is also setting buds. Color me happy.

Wilson: Way to go, Mum. Did you see the new neighbors? I haven’t met them but hear them every day.

Bird nest

The Mum: Spring is always an exciting time in the world of birds. I’m keeping my eyes peeled to see new baby ducks and Canadian geese which we’ll likely see before any of the birds who nest in trees.

Wilson: We’ve seen some blooming wildflowers along the Ralston Creek Trail this week. This first one looked a lot like the lupine we had in our old garden. I looked it up and it’s  a Thermopsis, a herbaceous perennial and legume and commonly known as goldenbanners or false lupine. When I looked it up , I discovered it’s quite toxic so I guess we won’t be walking close to it. Apparently there has been some research about the toxicity of T. rhombifolia (which I think is the variety we found along the creek) with the highest concentration in young plants. We just found them blooming this week so they are likely fairly young.

False lupine

The Mum: It’s a good thing you aren’t much of a taster of plants. I was shocked to read about the toxicity. I’ve been missing the lupines from the old garden so was happy to see something that looked like the old garden plant (although I discovered a hitchhiker that started to grow in a planter that had bachelor buttons in it which will like bloom over the next week). Maybe we’ll get some new seedlings to start a fresh lupine garden at the new house. Fingers crossed.

Wilson: I’m sure that’d would make you happy. So what’s this plant? It was next to the sidewalk on the street I walk along every day toward the creek trail.

Parrot tulip

The Mum: Ahhh, that’s a parrot tulip. Just look at that pretty ruffled flower. It sure is quite colorful but I think it needs some fellow tulips to create a nice spot of color. Hopefully it will naturalize.

Wilson: Guess yellow is this week’s main color outside. We found another yellow blooming plant along the creek trail. This one is a biennial herb called, Barbarea vulgaris, commonly known as wintercress or yellow rocket. Native to Eurasia and North Africa, it has naturalised in many parts of North America. It prefers fresh or moist places, along  roadsides, rivers, and on slopes and in ditches, up to an altitude of around 8,000 ft. It apparently doesn’t mind clay soil so it should do well here. I don’t think Mum has ever found more clay soil than here. Along the trail it was interspersed among grasses and near a few sporadic blooming flax plants. Mum wasn’t able to get any photos of the flax, it didn’t show up very well in the grass.

Yellow rocket

The Mum: It’s been a week of discovery of the local wild plants and I’m enjoying what grows well around here in the wild. It’s fun to see critters among plants in natural settings. It’s so different from our old neighborhood so this has been quite the adventure.

Wilson: Speaking of adventures, what plans do you have for the weekend? Anything exciting going on. Mum is meeting up with another old colleague to catch up with her before she retires. Mum was saying she probably wouldn’t know too many people still at the firm, they’re all retired now. I tried to tell her that’s normal for humans. They move on but they hang on to the past too often. They should be more like us dogs who know how to live in the moment. Whatever you do, we hope you have a great weekend and can find spots of nature to enjoy.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ April 17, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 74 Comments

Wilson watching PBSWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As we always do, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Wilson here with today’s offering. Last week I shared a PBS link about the orphans of the Retiti  Rescue Center. You may have seen Part 2 this week on PBS, but if not, I encourage you to click on YouTube link, if you love animals and happy endings in Nature, you’ll be glad you did. I know I sure did. Those baby elephants will steal your heart.

Wilson: Oooh, Mum…that was so good. I’m glad we got to watch part 2 of that Nature episode this week. It was reaffirming watching humans work hard for years trying to save multiple species of orphans and to meet the next group as they work toward re-wilding each of them.

The Mum: It was a very touching conclusion to the first episode. I hadn’t realized there was  a second one and it made me realize we need to record more episodes of Nature on PBS. We love that it shows elements of the natural world that we don’t get to see every day and highlights some of the pitfalls many animals face in a warming planet.

Wilson: Sounds good to me. But in other news, it happened again…we got hoodwinked into believing our weather forecast which called for a couple of inches of white stuff with cold temps. As usual, we received the cold part, although it was not quite as cold predicted in the 20’sF approximately -6C, with a freeze warning. The temps hovered slightly above freezing but featured what we are beginning to accept as normal around here…windy conditions. And not a flake in sight. In fact, the sky is only cloudy in our neighborhood so maybe precipitation will happen later {fingers crossed}.  Mum brought in the herbs she had purchased earlier in the week, just in case. She probably didn’t need to bother but she didn’t want to take a chance and below freezing temps may occur tonight.

The Mum: I’m going to start taking weather forecasts with a grain of salt. Being off a few degrees is one thing but to get people all wigged out about impending precipitation is a bridge too far to cross. The only thing we can definitely count on being correct are windy conditions.

Wilson: Well, in the good news department, you were able to attend a fundraiser at the neighborhood’s premiere garden center last evening and what a great batch of flowers you saw. Just look at some of these photos.

Black Mounding Petunia
Black Mounding Petunia
Mounding Petunia
Another Mounding Petunia-just look at that beautiful veining!
Topiary
A Topiary troll greeted visitors near the front of store

Shrubs Overview

The Mum: It was a totally amazing array of unusual plants which I especially love to see. I’m not a big fan of the big box stores with their limited selection of unusual plants, so this was quite the treat. And because it was a fundraiser for a good cause, there were vendors of all manner, much like a farmer’s market so my friend and I were able to sample various tasty treats and see an outstanding selection of craft items. It had been years since I last visited Echter’s and I was blown away by their selection. They bill themselves as carrying many unusual varieties of flowers not typically found at other garden centers. With over 70,000 square feet of indoor space, they carry over 2500 different varieties of flowers every year and their plants are not sold at other locations. In addition, they offer trees, shrubs, houseplants, garden art, houseplants, birdhouses and bird seed and all manner of supplies to beautify and take care of your garden. They also are a big supporter of the community and offer their facilities for events at no charge. They also host a quilt show, a glass and art show so I plan to attend more events in the future.

Lobelia
An unusual variety of Lobelia

Wilson: Just look at these beauties! Mum loves interesting and unusual plants and these bi-colored geranium leaves qualify and she was blown away by the gorgeous Ranunculus, a massive Delphinium, a speckled Rose and of course, our gorgeous state flower, the blue Columbine to name a few. The pond area was very zen-like as well.Geranium leaves Ranunculus Speckled rose Pond

The Mum: Yes, it was such a lovely evening walking about the enormous greenhouse and outside grounds. Oohs and ahhs came from every single row of flowers. It was such a lovely evening spent with a former colleague from the law firm. We hadn’t seen each other since we both retired and we recently learned on Facebook that we lived a mere 5 minutes away from each other. It was a lovely evening that allowed us to see interesting and beautiful plants and get a bit caught up on the personal front since our mutual retirements. We’re hoping to get together again soon. It was such fun.

Polka dot plant
Red polka dot plant
Foxglove
Foxglove
Delphinium
A massive Alpine Delphinium

Topiary

Wilson: What a strange creature, Mum. What was that last topiary?

The Mum: Not 100% sure but it looked mostly like an elk. Whatever it was it was pretty cool. So how was your week? Do you have anything planned for the weekend? Whatever you do we both hope you are able to get outside and check out all the beauty nature provides. Have a wonderful weekend and if you’re like us, you’ll ignore the weather forecast-it’s probably way off.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

 

Nature Friday ~ April 3, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

Wilson - EasterWelcome to April’s first edition of Nature Friday. Today also happens to be Good Friday and Passover began a couple of days ago, so first off, we first want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and send our best Passover greetings to our Jewish friends.

As we typically do for these Nature Friday’s, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on their link to see what others have shared for their Nature Friday blog hop.

Greetings, mates. Tis I, the House Pony ridiculously gussied up as the Easter Bunny. The things I do for my Mum. This week we’re going to look at Nature from nearby Boulder since we enjoyed a family get-together with Mum’s son, his partner and the grandbaby last weekend. Spring has begun unfurling itself in earnest all along the Front Range but seeing springtime in Boulder caught Mum by surprise.

The Mum: You bet your sweet bippy, House Pony. I don’t think I’ve ever seen lilac bushes in full bloom in March. Talk about being gobsmacked. Early and ever so fragrant, that delicious sweet fragrance really caught me off guard.

Lilac

Wilson: That is pretty crazy, Mum. But no crazier than the pear tree that was in full bloom.

Pear tree

The Mum: As I walked their backyard garden I was amazed at the various fruit trees in bloom along with returning vegetables (the artichoke was only a few inches tall so I didn’t take a photo of it), along with other perennials like Columbines. The bearded irises I gave my son early last autumn are doing well in their new home and I may end up getting a few back since the movers neglected to bring the bucket of corms with specimens of the black and soft blue bearded irises I had hoped would accompany me to the new garden.

Wilson: I noticed the Hostas were going gangbusters, too. Those variegated leaves make them distinctive in any garden landscape.

Hostas

The Mum: I was pleased to see Forget-Me-Nots throughout their garden. Such pretty little blue flowers adding lovely pops of color in the spring garden. I’m a sucker for blue flowers. Kevin said they are going as crazy naturalizing as my lupines did in the old garden.

Forget Me Nots

Wilson: Did you know the Forget-Me-Not is Alaska’s state flower, Mum? Though generally classified as short-lived perennials or biennials, they often act like perennials since they spread vigorously by self-sowing. They tend to bloom from spring to early summer in USDA Zones 3–8, and prefer partial shade and moist soil. With the ongoing drought here, it’s not likely we’ll be adding any of them to our garden any time soon. I know how you are about water guzzlers.

The Mum: You’re right, especially this year where mandatory water restrictions are in place. I’m still mulling over what plants I’ll add and where to put them but did buy a nice deep purple hyacinth and a small peony bush that I hope to plant soon. I’m sure by autumn when spring bulbs will be planted, I’ll have a good idea of where things might go. Working on the overall plan may  take some time so I’m not in a super hurry and am excited about various possibilities long term.

Wilson: There were even some lovely tulips in bloom. I know you didn’t photograph the black ones that were just beginning to start forming buds but you fell in love with this pink one.

Pink tulip

The Mum: Yeah, I absolutely love pink tulips and would have photographed the black ones if they weren’t still fairly tight in bud. I always enjoy an unusual colors in the garden.

Wilson:  You do tend to favor pink in the garden. I mean just look at this beautiful pink apple blossom that really is highlighted against the blue sky.

Apple tree

The Mum: It was nice being in Boulder for the day especially since I’ve been driving back and forth to Pueblo working on the house every other day. I think we’re basically ready for the house to be listed next week.

Wilson: Grandpa was sure delighted with the way it turned out. The new flooring sure turned out beautifully and I know you and all the siblings are hoping a new family will buy it and continue the happy times in that lovely home now that it’s been updated and spiffed up.

The Mum: Yes, the house needs to have a family that will continue the awesome history initially started by our family. We shared so many great meals, spirited conversations and celebrations with wonderful get-togethers welcoming new family members over the years. There is such a positive energy to the home and I wish whomever moves in loads of ongoing love, laughter and happiness.

Wilson: I’m sure someone will be very happy there. And closer to home along the Ralston Creek Trail we saw the creek fill up from the canal you featured last week. Not sure where that water came from but hearing it moving downstream warmed our hearts. It’s been barely trickling for the past several weeks and while we received a tiny amount of rain on Wednesday, it certainly wasn’t due to that. It sure brought folks out to check it out, probably because it’s been so long since it was running. With mild temperatures this week, this is the kind of spring we can get on board with.Ralston Creek

The Mum: Well that’s it from us. Do you have special plans for Easter or Passover? However you celebrate this time of year, we hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature

Nature Friday ~ March 27, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 70 Comments

WilsonWell, well, well…here we are although Mum wasn’t expecting to post today because of all the traveling back and forth to Pueblo but she learned late yesterday that she didn’t need to go down today so here we are. Maybe she can relax a bit now. Course this means I’ve gotta scramble like a mad hatter to throw pull something together. But I’m nothing if not a professional, in addition to being a fabulous floof, so I’ll do my level best. Wilson here. I know Mum is overwhelmed and over stressed but I managed to find a few things to share for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As always, we’re joining those adorable pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang for the last Friday of the month. Be sure to click on their link to see what slices of nature others have shared.

The Mum: {yawning} Thanks House Pony, appreciate you stepping up. I’m a bit brain dead after the last session where I painted the outside window sills in 90F (32.2C) degree temps. After a week of summer temperatures in the upper 80’sF (31.6C), this morning’s crisp temp of 37F (2.77C) was very welcome. It felt great needing to wear a light jacket to take you outside at 6 AM.

Wilson: It sure revved me up. I just wanted to bounce till I got to my favorite potty spot. I hope you buckle up for our morning walk, Mum. No slow walking, okay?

The Mum: Please be gentle with me. I’m old and sleep deprived, buddy.

Wilson: Oh Mum…I’m sure you’ll be okay…

The Mum: {rolling her eyes and interrupting} Especially remember the old part. These days that’s extra critical…so what did you manage to find for us?

Wilson: Well, spring definitely has sprung. Although I think we went from pitiful winter to flat out broiling summer. I finally spotted a nice clump of blooming daffodils around a tree. Aren’t they just delightfully cheerful?

Daffodils

The Mum: Those daffodils are the largest clump we’ve seen yet. The few places we’ve spotted daffodils have been the one off and I always think a clump gives them a much better presence in the spring garden. They did make me smile.

Wilson: Well if you liked them, I’ll just bet you enjoyed yesterday’s sunrise. The clouds were quite gorgeous and left a nice glowing arch to decorate the morning sky.

Sunrise

The Mum: It was very pretty, for sure. And very quiet, something that I rather relish since moving to this peaceful neighborhood. The morning sounds are birds calling to one another, not the traffic and hubbub that we used to face every morning. And it makes me very grateful to begin each day here. When you’re in the midst of hustle bustle, and then you’re out of it, it’s very noticeable. Life is good, even when it’s busy.

Wilson: That’s the spirit, Mum! I know I sure enjoy the birds and all the new smells I encounter and I’m glad you’re taking the time to notice the simple things. The flowering trees (ornamental pears and crabapples that were getting ready to bloom late last weekend) emerged with the warm temps and are providing a beautiful contrast of color to the otherwise scorched brown landscape.

Flowering trees

The Mum: I noticed yesterday afternoon some of those same trees are beginning to lose their pretty blossoms. I guess we’re finally getting snow…even if it doesn’t have any moisture in it.

Flowering trees

Wilson: Well look on the bright side, you don’t have to shovel. But yeah, I get it. One of the things I found a couple of days ago was the following graphic that depicts the seriousness of the high temps and lack of moisture on the snowpack that the entire state is suffering. Things are very grim with no end in sight. Notice the statewide average is a mere 38%.

Colorado snowpack
Colorado snowpack courtesy of 9 News

The Mum: That graphic is very sobering. While today is much cooler (and very appreciated) moisture continues to not show up in our extended forecast. Mandatory water restrictions are going into effect all up and down the Front Ranch.

Wilson: I know it’s very grim, Mum. We’ll have to do what we can conserving water. For my part, I will happily give up baths.

The Mum: {smiling} Not so fast, dog breath. You still will need to get the occasional bath just not as frequently as when you were going to Lutheran for visits but I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice.

Wilson: Harumph…thought you might say that. Just wanted you to know I’ll happily forego any water torture. But let’s leave our dear readers with a scene that’s not all doom and gloom, with a bit of pretty, shall we, Mum? I liked seeing ducks swimming in the water’s reflection.

Canal reflections

The Mum: We enjoy walking nearby on the trail path but when I noticed the canal was full, I just had to check it out and was delighted to see a couple of ducks swimming around in it. I had expected that the canal would delay filling up but it was a nice sight seeing it. I’m sure it’ll be used downstream and the level will fluctuate during late spring and summer.

Wilson: So long as we just walk past and don’t get into the water, I’ll be happy. Well that’s it for me. Do you have any plans for this last weekend of March? Whatever you do, we both hope you are able to get outdoors and enjoy some of the beauty Nature provides. Have a wonderful weekend!

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ March 6, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 53 Comments
Weather forecast
Photo courtesy of Denver 7

Welcome to the first Friday of the month. March has arrived like a lion and while we’re counting down the days until Spring officially arrives (14 days if you’re keeping score), today greeted us with a bit of white stuff. You’ll get no complaints from Mum-with ongoing fire alerts, we’re welcoming the change. A nice wet slushy mix of rain and snow. The forecast only calls for 1-3 inches in the area but it’s welcomed nonetheless. Just look at all that glorious blue on the map…woohoo. The forecast is calling for 6 to 14 inches of new snow through Friday night in the mountains. Gusty winds will make travel dangerous with blowing and drifting snow on higher mountain passes.

Wilson: Well, are you happy now, Mum? Here I was, raring to go out to pee this morning when “this” greeted me. I got my paws wet for heaven’s sake. What the dog?!

Spring snow

The Mum: This is one weather phenomena I can get behind. We need the moisture.

Wilson: But Mum…I. Got. My. Feet. Wet! Eew, you know how much I hate my feet to get wet.

The Mum: Oh for heaven’s sake…you big baby. You’ll live.

Wilson: Well, for the record, I’m not happy about it. This will mean I’ll have to wear heaven’s only knows what kind of anti-moisture apparel. I’ll be grudgingly fine keeping my floof dry but may have to draw the line when it comes to snow boots. Ugh…

The Mum: {interrupting}  For crying out loud, stop being such a wuss. You will be just fine. You’ll stay relatively dry and any moisture will be on your raincoat and won’t be released as that distinctive ‘eau de wet dog odor’ while staying nice a dry underneath. It’s a win-win for both of us.

Wilson: Umm, for the record, I’m rather dubious, Mum. I shall expect lots of ear rubs as well as a pocket full of treats to assuage my feelings. Sigh.

The Mum: {changing the subject} Tender feelings aside, I think you have a few photos to share?

Wilson: Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It was an exciting week. After last week’s post telling everyone that we saw a coyote on a golf green, he was back on the links closer than ever to us on the Ralston Creek Trail. And while the close up isn’t nearly as good as Mum would have liked, I didn’t have to circle it like I did in last week’s post. By the way, Mum, that was more than embarrassing. Taking that little itty bitty scene and having to circle him. I have standards you know and didn’t appreciate looking so lame. Besides, he looks like a German Shepherd not a coyote.

Coyote

The Mum: My goodness…you really are on a roll today. I have a little advice for you…lighten up, House Pony and stop being so sensitive about little things.

Wilson: Harrumph. I remain on the record as simply trying to bring respectability to this blog. After all, I’m trying to keep you relevant.

The Mum: {eyes rolling and with a hint of sarcasm} Ummm, I appreciate your efforts? Let’s move along and see what else you have for us.

Wilson: Fine, I’m moving along. More spring bulbs are emerging along our walking route. This neighborhood seems to favor turf over flowers, much more than our old neighborhood did but I did manage to find a few scenes that were delightful. Again because the dry winter conditions didn’t display them at their optimal best, but a spot of color here and there were welcomed.

Daffodils

The Mum: Those daffodils were peaking out of a clump of ornamental grass next to the sidewalk. I almost missed them. But who can resist these cheerful blooms?

Hyacinth

Wilson: And those hyacinths were a nice shock of color in the red mulch. And of course, the scent was divine! I can see why you like them.

The Mum: Yup, I put them on my list of spring bulbs to add to our landscape this autumn. The mulch in our small garden space only has a few shrubs so we’ll need to add lots of bulbs and xeric perennials to provide color around the Ranch ‘Barn.’ I hope you’re ready for a big season of gardening.

Wilson: Well I am ready to snoopervise your efforts. Remember, I lack a vital component for gardening…a thumb.

The Mum: You’re right, but I hope we can create a nice outdoor space from where you can supervise. Are you up for the task?

Wilson: {saluting} I won’t let you down, Mum!

The Mum: I will be most grateful for your efforts. Together I think we can create a lovely space where we can relax and enjoy the great outdoors this Spring and Summer. The first project will be to add a small paver patio from where you can oversee the transformation. We have to submit plans to the HOA for approval. Hopefully they’ll grant our proposal. Keep your paws crossed, the rules surrounding the submission seemed a bit involved but we’re trying to play nice and meet the requirements, onerous as they may be. I’m not used to having a board having oversight on outside projects so this is all new to me.

Wilson: You got this Mum. I have every confidence you’ll be able to sweet talk them into making our little garden a beautiful place. With that vote of confidence I’ll leave you with last night’s sunset walk. The clouds were forming for today’s spring storm and with a hint of color, it made for a lovely evening walk. The silhouetted trees were quite pretty.

Sunset

The Mum: Indeed they were. We hope you all have a lovely weekend. Doing anything special? Whatever you do, we hope you’re able to get outside and experience some of nature’s best this time of year.

Wilson: This is all I plan on doing until the sunshine returns this weekend. Stay warm and dry.

Wilson - snow

Whirlygig

PSA: Remember Daylight Saving Time starts this weekend. Make sure you ‘spring’ forward Saturday night.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾