Category: Landscapes

Nature Friday ~ November 6, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 52 Comments
Pumpkin - skellie
Dog skellie imitating squirrel behavior

Happy first Friday of November. There are now 48 days left until Christmas arrives which means there are 55 days left in the year. We don’t know if you’ve recovered from this week’s mid-term election but one thing is certain, we can presume not one person in the U.S. is missing the constant barrage of political ads. The energy in the country seems almost peaceful, though we know there will be strife as each side tries to foist its power base on everyone. Hang on to your knickers but savor this pause in the process. We can only hope that both sides calm down and ease up on the rhetoric so that the country may begin the process of healing to create goodwill toward all and make peace the center of those efforts. We don’t know about you, but we’re exhausted at all the vitriol that has become the norm.

Wilson here. Enough about politics now. Let’s see what kind of scenes from Mother Nature we found this week. The weather has been exquisite. Perfect autumn days have been the norm with comfortable temps during the day and crisp temps at night have combined to make conditions absolutely splendid. We’re looking forward to the next week of clear blue skies and golden light as leaves are dropping at a rapid pace. As always we’re joining those pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Make sure you check out what others have shared by clicking on the link.

Wilson: We had an unexpected visitor a couple of days ago. If you’re easily creeped out, you might want to skip this portion. Mum was busy doing mum kind of things when she looked outside and saw a dark grey critter laying on the sidewalk. What the devil is THAT, she asked?  I was more than happy to check it out but she was adamant that I not get anywhere near it. We don’t know what happened to it and she didn’t want to risk my well being. Dawning latex gloves and keeping a paper towel shroud close, she went to investigate it up close. She couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury and could only speculate. Mum kindly gave this poor baby a dignified funeral behind our house. I named him Harold and reverently bowed my head while she was disposing it. We have owls in the neighborhood and it could have been a victim who fell from a death gripe. The owls in our neighborhood are notoriously elusive and probably not inclined to circle around and pick it back up. Then again, it just may have been its time. At any rate, Mum did the kind and respectful thing. The circle of life can be hard on nature lovers.

Norway rat
Rest in peace, Harold

The Mum: It was quite strange to find ‘Harold’ mid-morning. I have a good view of the front garden area where he was and saw nothing that might explain what happened to him but first saw it when I took out some recyclables to the garage. Then a few minutes later the neighbor kids were huddled around it. At first glance, I thought it could have been a muskrat from the canal but Sherlock Google said it was more likely a a common Norway rat. With the influx of new homeowners settling into our neighborhood, we suspect we may see more displaced critters like this. At any rate, we’ll keep our eyes open for burrowing in the mulch and other obvious signs.

Wilson: Never fear, Mum, I’ll be on high alert. I’m already getting quite adept on the bunny watch thing. Those little buggers are becoming quite plentiful. I see them nearly every night on my especially on the last evening airing. I keep thinking they’re squirrels but then realize they’re ‘just’ bunnies and for me not to get overly excited. They never stick around long enough for me to properly introduce myself and let them know I’m completely harmless but I guess they don’t want to risk any encounters. I’ll keep trying though.

The Mum: I’m sure you will. Hopefully you’ll get less interested in trying to arrange those up-close encounters. So what else did you find this week?

Wilson: Well, just take a gander at this cottonwood tree that lives behind our house. The early morning light highlighted how beautiful autumn is this time of year.The sky was ablaze with bright oranges and pinks. Everything seems to glow at this time of year.Sunrise

Sunrisew

The Mum: It truly was a spectacular sunrise this morning. While you were busy noshing on breakfast, I took a quick walk around and was in awe of the beautiful sunrise. What a great way to start the day!

Wilson: Well that’s it from us. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to get outside and experience this beautiful time of year, first hand. Any special plans?

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ October 23, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 64 Comments

June's Tea PartyHappy Friday. Today is a special day, I’m penning a two-for-one post! First, as we typically do, we are joining the Adventures of the LLB Gang. But following our regular nature post, I’m galloping over to June’s Tea Party of the century at Zoolatry. We hope you’ll join us over there once you’ve strolled through our autumn photos. Click on the links to check out all the fun.

Looks like autumn has finally arrived with trees beginning to show some color change. Yesterday on our walk, we finally found some leaves actually changing color. Some are still green, some are yellow and brown but others are finally changing to red/orange. We’re still getting used to the area on this side of town so every day as the landscape changes is an adventure as to what is going on visually.

Autumn leaves
What…I can’t hear you…that tree is too loud.

With a few trees showing some bona fide autumn color and not just the yellow from all the cottonwoods near our house, you can see the creek is barely running now. Trees along this stretch are mostly yellow (and/or brown) since we still haven’t received much rain. It’s ironic as southwest Colorado (Pagosa Springs, in particular) are experiencing some serious flooding the past couple of days. Nature sure is cranky. Maybe when I go to June’s Tea Party, I’ll offer her a cuppa so she can calm down.

Autumn leaves

Autumn leaves

If you look way in the background, you can see a couple of trees that read the memo about changing colors. Mum and I walked over one of the bridges at the golf course to see if there was anything colorful toward the west. The sky was cloudy and threatening all day but we only received about 15 drops of rain. Nature continues to tease us.

We found a lovely out-of-the way spot along the trail near the tap house so naturally Mum had to stop and made me pose for her. Give that woman a camera and she’s all up in your grill. Notice my furs were stolen this week? It hasn’t been cold yet for me to shiver, it’s just nice and crisp for our morning saunters.

Wilson - autumn

Well that’s it from me. Time for me to sashay over the Tea Party and serve some cake to the guests. I’m going to volunteer to clean up any crumbs left on the grounds. We hope to see you there. Both Mum and I wish you a great weekend and hope you’ll be able to get out and walk about in crunchy leaves and enjoy the sights and sniffs autumn provides.

Nature

Live, love, bark~ 🐾

Nature Friday ~ October 9, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 58 Comments

Welcome to Nature Friday where we join those lovable pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared. Wilson here. We have a few odds and ends of nature from around our barn. Mum’s had a busy week, but I convinced her to take a few photos in between. Nature is still doing the slow roll to changes leaves but we managed to see some sumac trees surrounding one of the anti-flood retention ponds that were beginning to turn to bright orange.

Sumac tree Sumac tree

While striking in color, Mum is not a fan of this shrub. It tends to be invasive but in a landscape with not a lot of autumnal color yet, it’s fairly attractive.

Wilson: It was actually an accident that Mum found those trees. She’s still learning the neighborhood and was on an errand and encountered one of the scariest Halloween decorations she’s ever seen. She had not walked along this street before and this caught her by surprised. She scurried around the first corner to get away from it as fast as she could and found those trees which helped her get over the heebie jeebies that thing gave her.

Scary clown

The Mum: Creepy, right? Now you know why I couldn’t get away quick enough from it. That shock of orange sufficiently distracted me while I caught my breath.

Wilson: Catch your breath or begin to breathe again?

The Mum: Umm, most likely the later. Clowns are scary on general principles but this one…nope, nada, not going there again any time soon.

Wilson: I don’t blame you, Mum. Halloween decorations are beginning to pop up, and truth be told, are appearing a bit more than the changing leaves. With all the cottonwood trees along the creek trail we walk every day, I know you were expecting a whole lot more of those bright, golden heart-shaped leaves but with the ongoing drought, I think their appearance has been delayed.

The Mum: Mostly likely. I’m not sure there’ll be a great show this year because of the drought. Many of the leaves are starting to fall and they’re frequently brown and the trees only have small little patches of yellow. There doesn’t seem to be as many maples and ash trees in the neighborhood like our old one. It’s been an adjustment for sure, much like the Halloween decor. I miss the gigantic skeletons that were posed in different scenes. I may have to swing by the old neighborhood just to see them. Luckily most of the decorations in our neighborhood (other than that terrifying clown) are far more benign. I saw our friend, Giddy Goose just down the street dressed up as a cute ghost…something more in line with my sensitivities. Pretty cute, huh?

Wilson: I dunno, Mum…color me dubious. That goose seems a bit sketchy to me.

The Mum: Don’t be ridiculous. Giddy Goose is friendly and just because a slight breeze kicked up its sheet, it would never hurt you.

Wilson: I’m still skeptical and plant to stay way clear of it. I’d rather focus on some of the pumpkins that are showing up although I’m not sure I’m very  inclined to taste test that middle one…it seems to have a few barnacles on its skin.PumpkinsThe Mum: You’re too funny…always thinking of your stomach. That’s an ornamental pumpkin, not one you’d want to eat. Rabbits might, but you definitely shouldn’t.

Wilson: For the record Mum, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make sure that anything that crosses my lips is healthy and tasty. I have discriminating tastes and won’t just eat anything.

The Mum: Ha…that’ll be the day! You have the appetite of a starving refugee which is why I have to watch you like a hawk so you don’t ingest something that isn’t good for you.

Wilson: {gasp} You cut me to the quick, Mum. Being a growing boy, I’ll admit I’m a bit hungry most of the time.

The Mum: A bit? Hahahahaha. I think your legs are hollow. And you’re not a growing boy. You’re fully formed. You slay me sometimes. What else have you got.

Wilson: I’m slighted by that observation, Mum but I’m not going to stoop so low as to respond. Instead I’m going to share this sunrise from the other morning. Early mornings the sun is late appearing and it delays our walks. It’s probably just as well-we can let the wildlife sleep in a few extra minutes before we hit the trail although I’m sure we’ll be adjusting our schedule to go later after the temps aren’t quite as crisp and we’ll wait until the sun comes up a bit to warm things up. Although I must say I’m enjoying these crisp mornings. It leaves me quite frisky.

Sunrise

The Mum: It was a pretty sunrise and it did make for a lovely early morning walk. The weather has been quite pleasant although it’s been unseasonably warm. Warm enough to see multiple heat records this week but I heard a rumor that maybe by next weekend, we may have our first frost with a bit of white stuff. We’ll see though…the forecasts for the Super El Niño have not panned out the way they’ve been telling us they would.

Wilson: Yeah, I’ll believe it when it happens. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy what Nature is dishing out. That’s it from us. We hope you have a terrific weekend enjoying autumn and preparing for Halloween. Have any special plans? Whatever you do, we hope you are able to enjoy a fabulous weekend.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ September 18, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

Wilson

{slightly off key humming} 🎶 Doh, dee, doh…🎶  Um…good morning, Wilson here. Let me welcome you all to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we’re joining our hosts, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget  to click on the link to see what other folks have shared.  As of today, there are officially 4 days until the official arrival of the autumn equinox but we’ve been enjoying much more mellow temps . Color Mum and me elated. We’re happy to be in the home stretch toward moving into our favorite season. Nothing says autumn like the changing temperatures we’ve been experiencing this week. And the few sprinkles of rain we received have been a bit of a bonus. Although not nearly enough moisture, we’ll take whatever Mother Nature is willing to gift us.

The Mum: Good morning, House Pony, how are you doing this fine day?

Wilson: I’m doing great Mum. The morning walk was lovely and quite enjoyable walking in the upper 50’s every morning now. I’m just loving this time of year. The leaves aren’t changing quite as much as I expected in this new neighborhood but nearby mountain roadway s are starting to turn a brilliant gold which means there are lots of leaf peepers out on the roads.

The Mum:  Guanella Pass (located about 50 miles to the west of the metro area is ablaze with golden aspens. If gas wasn’t so expensive right now we might have taken a drive out there yesterday. But for the high the cost of gas as well as crowded roads, we could have gone out to check in person. I still recall last year’s outing and don’t want to have to deal with that cluster again any time soon. You can read about that outing here. Oh well. We still have a few pics from the recent outing to Finding Nectar Farms that we wanted to share today. In case you missed our post from that outing, you can see it here.

Golden Laced Polish chicken

Wilson: That chicken was quite a capture, Mum. What kind is it?

The Mum: I think that’s a Golden Laced Polish chicken named after the Polish army’s feathered caps because that plumage on it’s head resembles that feathered crest. They are pretty docile but pretty skittish but very even tempered but because of their limited eyesight due to the that crest limiting their eyesight, they are vulnerable to predators. This one was very apprehensive and wouldn’t stand still, instead nervously moving around the coop.

Wilson: Seems weird looking to me but whatever. I never have understood chickens anyway. I see you have found another chicken while you were there.

Sussex chicken

The Mum: Yes, I think this one is a Sussex chicken, a heritage breed from England, originally developed as a dual-purpose bird for both meat and eggs. They are fairly friendly and a consistent egg layer and relatively each to maintain. Their origin goes back several hundred years, but they became fairly widespread in the 1800s. She watched me like a hawk.

Wilson: Maybe she was just making sure you didn’t bother her Polish buddy.

The Mum: You may be right about that. She did seem fairly protective of that guy.

Wilson: I see you couldn’t refuse posting another goat photo.

Goats

The Mum: Yeah, I’d admit it-I’m a sucker for goats.

Wilson: They are fascinating as they bounce around and play, I’ll give you that and they seem fairly jovial.

The Mum: They really are. I just love them.

Wilson: And pray tell what is this thing? I noticed it because there are usually bunnies at this house that I’m always seeing.

Mushroom

The Mum: That’s a mushroom that had been turned upside down. I noticed it yesterday. It’s a fairly large one, proving once again even a little bit of moisture can sprout mushroom spores around here.

Wilson: Do they taste good?

The Mum: Ha! Leave it to you to inquire about how something tastes. I don’t know, I don’t trust eating wild mushrooms since I don’t know enough about them but these popped up practically overnight which is surprising since our so-called showers can be measured in drops rather than inches.

Wilson: Well if you ever need a taste taster, just let me know. Well that’s it for us this week. Google sent us a warning that we’re close to exceeding our space limit. Anyone know how to minimize the size of photos? Mum’s gonna have to figure out how to minimize her ever growing library of photos.

The Mum: We hope you have a terrific weekend and get out there to enjoy the last days of official summer but more importantly, we encourage you to enjoy all the beauty Mother Nature provides this time of year.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

 

Nature Friday ~ September 11, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 62 Comments

BeeWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join the pups from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. To see what others have shared, just click on the highlighted link. Today is the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. We hope you’ll be taking a quiet moment to honor and salute the 2977 victims, as well as 441 first responders who perished, not to mention the thousands of rescue workers, survivors, and area residents who have since died from 9/11-related cancers and respiratory diseases.

{Bowing his head respectfully for a moment} Wilson here. It’s quite remarkable that even after 25 years, the planners of the attack have still not been tried. It seems unfathomable that the survivors still have no closure regarding that horrible day.

Today we are visiting a new place that’s not that far from our house. Let’s take a look at the “Finding Nectar Nursery” and farm. Finding Nectar Nursery is a small, pesticide-free garden center and farm in Arvada, Colorado that grows native flowering plants that are not only lovely to look at, but also provide pollinators with much needed pollen. Let’s take a gander around the farm, shall we?

Nectar Farm

Wilson: You can’t dispute the cuteness factor of many of the animals at this little farm which began in 2021. Alpacas, La Mancha and Nigerian Dwarf goats were enjoying breakfast while Mum was there. Sadly I was refused entry. Can you believe it…they have a ‘no pet’ policy?! That’s just not fair, I’m a sheepdog for crying out loud…keeping everybody in line in my life’s work.

The Mum: Now, now, it’s always good to obey the rules and there was no need for you to disturb the animals as they enjoyed their breakfast…some a bit more than others. I mean, just look at this character-he really got into munching of the hay, literally. Several of the goats burrowed into the hay bin to get up close and personal with their meal.

GoatsWilson: Well I’m just telling you, I would have maintained decorum around the hay feeder. There wouldn’t be any of that kind of tunneling on my watch.

The Mum: Which is no doubt another reason for the ‘no dogs’ rule. Although I’m sure you’d have been quite effective, there is no point unsettling everyone around the hay feeder, right?

Wilson: {eyes rolling} I’m just saying, Mum. And I definitely know I would have helped this overly enthusiastic guy out of his predicament.

LaMancha goat
Umm…a little help here. I think I’ve been captured by my breakfast. 

The Mum: I laughed when some of the goats climbed into the feeder and while it might look like this little guy is stuck, he jumped in and out repeatedly. It was like a game with him.

Wilson: Harumph…and I suppose this guy was the mayor of the entire herd? He looks a bit bossy while trying to appear like he’s is big cheese around the farm making sure everyone stayed in line.

Nigerian dwarf goat

The Mum: He watched me like a hawk from the barn but came over to the fence to get petted. He’s a Nigerian Dwarf goat. They are an American dairy goat, but originated from western African stock. Originally bred as show goats and later as companions, they are smallish (approximately 35 kg (75 lb), quite docile, thus making them wonderful companions. They are an excellent choice for small dairy farms.

Wilson: I’m not sure I approve of that watchful eye. What if he’d attacked you?

The Mum: Don’t be silly. Like I said, they are vey docile and their milk is high in butterfat and protein content which makes it suitable for making cheese and butter.

Wilson: Well I’m just not 100% sure of their intentions. You should be careful who you hang out with, Mum.

The Mum: Oh for heaven’s sake…why do I think ‘someone’ is a bit jealous. Would you have preferred me hanging out with the alpacas instead?

Alpacas
Nom, nom, nom
Alpaca baby
It would be hard to beat cuteness like this fella
Baby alpaca
I’m smiling for the camera, so hurry up and take my picture, lady.
Baby Alpaca
Yum…this wire is remarkably tasty.

Wilson: Well, at least they don’t seem too threatening. Besides, they seem more content to eating than competing for attention.

The Mum: You’re being ridiculous. Stop acting like a baby. It was fun  watching them. They are such fascinating creatures.

Wilson:  If you say so. The farm seems to be very much about educating the public on the importance of protecting pollinators of all kinds.

Pollinator sign

The Mum: Yes, they had a number of informative signs to show people how best to help bees and other pollinators. Their mission is to promote and keep them safe. Did I mention they are a pesticide free farm?

Wilson: Yes, you did mention that earlier. This weekend they will begin to open the pumpkin patch where peeps can wander around choosing from bins of carving pumpkins, pie pumpkins, heirloom and jumbo varieties, gourds and corn stalks. It sounds like they might even have some honey tastings. They are big in having bee keeping supplies on hand. Too bad you won’t be able to go this weekend since you’ll be busy helping out the rescue with the big Longs Peak Highland Celtic Festival in Estes Park. I’m sure you’ll take lots of pictures so you can share with us next time. This festival has been around  now for over 50 years so it should be very interesting. Perhaps in a week or two you can check out the pumpkin patch and maybe you’ll ride around in this truck.

Pickup truck

The Mum: Isn’t that a classic? The rust was particularly photogenic and I loved the teal color.

Wilson: Well that’s it from us this week. We hope you enjoyed touring the Finding Nectar farm. Have a wonderful weekend and please make sure you get outside to enjoy this beautiful time of year where the days are warm, the mornings are cool and the light has that special golden glow. Today might be our last 90F degree (32.2C) day this summer. Yay.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ September 4, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 68 Comments

Wilson snootHappy first Friday of September, campers. How you like my snooter today? I was trying to get Mum to pet me while she was working on typing this post. She said she’d give me her undivided attention in a bit. Meanwhile I’m cranking my neck and she’s not taking the bait. Harumph. I got gypped.

Anyway, September is a big month for our family because there are lots of birthdays this month including Mum’s Dad who turned 96 on September first. She’s hoping he passed the longevity gene to her since she’s getting to be a bit long in the tooth. As she typically does on his birthday, she made him a batch of beef jerky that turned out pretty nicely. Three days after giving him his gift (Mum delivered it in person last Friday when she went to visit him), he told her on Monday that it was halfway gone. Sounds like he liked it. Mum was shocked at the price of beef and wonders how people can afford it. She’s a vegetarian and prices her groceries are expensive enough these days but beef…well that’s definitely out of her league. Wilson here. As always, we’re joining the pups from Adventures of the LLB gang. Don’t forget to check out other posts by clicking on the link.

Wilson: So last weekend, Mum went to visit her great granddaughter at her house. Her grandma from Hawaii was visiting and we had a nice visit. Every week when Mum sees Halia, she’s blown away by how much she changes. She’s been on a talking tear lately and enjoys conversations that this little 2 year old has with adults. She’s totally hilarious.

The Mum: Yes, she really is hilarious. We had a spirited conversation about one of her cats, Terrance. ‘Terry’ was the shy kitty of the two that Halia’s Mum rescued from her vet clinic last summer. The other one, Phillip was always more outgoing. Whenever I’m there visiting, I almost never see Terry but last weekend, it was the exact opposite. Terry was all over me and was super intrigued with my backpack. He kept rubbing all over it and then he’d come over to me and rub all over me. Not sure what he was trying to communicate but it was such a delightful surprise despite the fact that I’m fairly allergic to cats but he was so sweet, I simply couldn’t resist him. By the time I left, I was completely plugged up but at least my eyes weren’t swollen shut. It’s important to be grateful for small miracles, right? Terry is a gorgeous grey tabby whereas his brother is not. Phil is a beauty in a different way. I don’t even know how to describe his coat but it’s super soft and he’s quite the cutie. It resembles a wild animal but also is very soft.

Cat - Terrance
Terrance – aka Terry
Cat - Phillip
Phillip – aka Phil & his brother Terry

Wilson: Do you think they’d be willing to play with me? They don’t seem to mind the dogs in the house.

The Mum: No telling but you tend to frighten kitties so I don’t take you with me when I go visit the baby.

Wilson: It’s not fair, Mum. I’m a good boy and people love me.

The Mum: I know House Pony. But you come across as a bit intimidating.

Wilson: {Gasp!} What? Mum, you cut me to the quick. I’m a lovable guy, really I am.

The Mum: You know that, I know that, but small kitties might not see that. Maybe some day. {changing the topic so as to deflect Wilson’s sadness} You know this weekend starts football season. As in American football; folks here call football, soccer. It looks like our neighbor, Giddy Goose is all set for the season.

Giddy Goose

Wilson: He’s even dressed in the local team’s colors. That’s one outfit we’ve not seen before.

The Mum: Well you know I love sports, but my favorite sport is hockey so I’m gonna go on a quest to see if they have my favorite hockey teams jersey. Now that would be fun!

Wilson: Well, how do you think the Broncos will do this year? They were kind of less than impressive in pre-season.

The Mum: Well, it’s hard to say. They have broken the hearts of local fans for 67 years if you count the years they were in the AFL before the merger between the AFL and the NFL in 1970. I won’t get my hopes up too high and will patiently wait until the NHL starts it’s season at the end of the month before I get really worked up. I know a lot of people are celebrating the start of college football but we’ve got time to get involved in that though I wish I’d have seen the CU game. What a shocker to block the field goal in the final seconds to eek out a win. Congrats to the Buffs.

Wilson: That game sure did sound like a stunner. But enough sports, I still have one last pic from the flora from around the neighborhood. The red yucca is in bloom and boy is it impressive. I love walking past those plants along the hell strip. They sure are interesting to look at and they have some fascinating scents visiting around the plants. Sorry about the blur-the camera went off the reservation on focusing.Yucca

The Mum: Yeah, not sure what happened there but those pods steal the focus anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how they continue to change. Well that’s it from us. Sorry we don’t have a lot of photos this week. Our new neighborhood doesn’t have a lot of diversity like the old one had and thankfully we haven’t seen any Halloween inflatables. Yet. We hope that remains but we’ll see. This is our first autumn here so we aren’t sure what generally shows up. I suspect folks here are less inclined on that sort of thing. But we’ll see. Anyway, we send our best wishes for a terrific weekend. Have you got any special plans for this Labor Day weekend? We plan to just take it easy but hope we can get out for a few nice walks. Don’t forget to get outside and enjoy Nature in the last unofficial weekend of summer.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday and a Big Birthday ~ July 31, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 65 Comments
Colorado Birthday
Happy 150th Birthday, Colorado

Welcome to this week’s episode of Nature Friday were we join our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to check out what bits of Nature have been shared by others. Wilson here. Today’s post will strictly be only me-Mum is tired and is for history buffs as well as nature lovers as we celebrate our state’s 150th birthday. Colorado became the 38th state in August 1, 1876 having been a territory from 1861. At the western entrance to the capitol building, carved into the 15th step is the inscription “One Mile Above Sea Level” which explains, Denver’s Mile High City moniker. Later is was determined that marker was off due to inaccurate measuring techniques at the time. Now a brass medallion with a silhouette of the Rocky Mountains rests at the 13th step which is exactly at the one mile high mark. The capitol opened in 1894 and in 1908 the dome was covered with 200 ounces of 24-karat gold leaf to acknowledge the state’s gold rush days honoring all those who helped build and settle Colorado. It was reguilded in 1949, 1980, 1991 and 2013.

Designed by architect Elijah E. Myers in a neoclassical design, the capitol was built using Colorado white granite in the 1890’s opening in 1894 with copious amounts of rare Colorado Rose Onyx marble inside with the main entrance hall open to the top of the dome and as tall as an 18-story building. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of Denver’s Civic Center area across the street from city hall.

Colorado state capitol

Capitol
Looking up into the in the interior of the Capitol Dome showing some of the rose quartz pillars from the center hall.

Colorado is well known for it’s purple mountain majesty. According to the Colorado Geological Survey, Colorado has 58 named summits over 14,000 feet. Here are a few of them that we’ve visited over the years. Probably the most famous of our 14’ers is Pikes Peak. You can read more about about how it inspired the writing of America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates here.

Pikes Peak Colorado

Pikes Peak
Photo courtesy of Paul Ehlis
Colorado - Vail
DaVos Trail – near Vail
Colorado river - Glenwood
Glenwood Springs

Here is another photo showcasing Colorado nature is our state flower, the blue Columbine from the Nederland area.

Columbine flower

Well that’s it for me this week. Sorry we’re a bit short on content today. It’s been a busy week. Hopefully you enjoyed slices of nature from around our state on its 150th birthday. Next time Mum will join us in sharing slices of nature. We hope you all have a terrific weekend and manage to get outside to experience nature in person. Oh, and for those interested in where we’re at in the summer countdown, there are 53 days left until autumn. Mum is jonesing to drag out her sweaters. I told her just to let me lay on top of her but she nixed that idea straight away saying I didn’t come with buttons. Not sure what she means by that but..talk about rude.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ July 17, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 55 Comments

Summer temps

Well, well, well…we’ve reached another Friday and are that much closer to our favorite season, autumn…which for those seeking a smattering of hope is 68 days. Happy Friday peeps. Wilson here. There are no words to describe what we’ve endured so for the benefit of Tom of Reiko’s Journey, who’s clearly exhausted about our whinging about the hot temps we shan’t say another word about it and just let the screenshot speak for itself. And because it’s Friday, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to check their blog hop  to see what other have shared from Nature.

We’ve had a hectic week which will continue through the weekend but we managed to find a few slices of nature on our early morning walks.

Wilson: Imagine my shock while I’m walking along nicely with Mum in the early morning houses, totally in the zone as we crossed one of four bridges along the Ralston Creek Trail and out of the corner of my eye, a creature much larger than me stotted from under the bridge and bounced off like Tigger. I was stunned, the deer was stunned and Mum was stunned. Luckily she managed to actually put aside her surprise and wonder and quickly pulled out her cell phone to capture a few shots.

Deer Deer Deer

The Mum: Wasn’t that encounter something else? I’m not sure which of us jumped higher with surprise.

Wilson:  You’re not wrong about that. That’s a Mule Deer, an indigenous breed of deer found in the Western United States and particularly in the Great Plains. They received their name based on the size of those large ears. Although more than capable of running away from perceived predators, mule deer most often are seen “stotting” where they spring into the air, lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously, a common trait of quadrupeds. People who live in areas where these deer can be found often refer to them as rats with hooves. They graze on trees and flowers in suburban communities, much to homeowners’ dismay.

The Mum: It was an exciting few minutes to watch this doe bounce around the landscape all the while keeping on eye of our presence on the path. She was alone and not taking any chances.

Wilson: Maybe we’ll run into her again. I’ll keep my eyes and nose at the ready. Oh, that’s your cue to keep your phone handy. Better yet, maybe bring your big camera with you more often. You missed another opportunity to capture two blue heron as three white egrets this morning. They took off before you could snap their pics.

The Mum: Well, in my defense, they were behind a metal fence which I couldn’t quite crop out of the frame and when I tried to move closer, they took flight. And not seeing anything while having to lug a heavy camera doesn’t make for a fun walk.

Wilson: Oh sure, blame them for your inability to quickly take a pic. I guess if it makes you feel better think…

The Mum: Whoa, lighten up there, House Pony. Encounters with wildlife isn’t always going to result in some award-winning photo.

Wilson: Well in this case, it resulted in no photo…award-winning or otherwise.

The Mum: Ahem…got any other pics to share, Mr. Critical?

Wilson: Well we’ve been seeing these plants called Dipsacus for a while now. Commonly known as ‘teasel,’ these tall herbaceous biennial plants have been popping up along the creek and canal. They’re anywhere from 3 to 8 feet tall (1–2.5 meters) with prickly stems and leaves, with purple, dark pink, lavender or white flowers that form a head on the end of the stems. They are considered invasive in the U.S. despite the seeds being a good winter food source for many bird populations. Teasels have been used since Roman times to comb the nap of wool.

Teasel
Along the canal

The Mum:  Lucky for us, we won’t be getting close to those stickers. I don’t want to be picking those out of my socks or your legs.

Wilson: Appreciate that Mum. So what’s the story about this tree? It sure is pretty.

Tatarian Maple

The Mum: Oooh, I’m glad you asked. I love this maple tree, known as a Tatar Maple. It’s somewhat smallish tree/shrub that grows to anywhere from 13-39 ft. (4–12 m), possessing a short trunk with slender branches. The bark is thin, pale brown, and smooth at first but becomes slightly fissured as the plant ages. It produces green leaves, but the real beauty of these trees is the fruit called samaras with a beautiful rosy red color which matures in late summer and will last until early autumn. Those samaras will quiver on a slightest breeze and add even more visual interest to the landscape.

Wilson: Nice capture before the smoke began to fill the skies with haze, Mum. Speaking of smoke-filled skies, the Aspen Acres fire has now grown to nearly 100,000 acres and is the largest current fire in Colorado. It has destroyed over 800 structures and only around 36-45% contained. At least your brother’s house remains safe but officials are closely watching the winds which have been changing directions daily and is keeping residents from being able to return to their homes. Here’s a graphic of some of the historic fires in the state so you can get a sense of what people are dealing with. We continue to keep everyone affected by wildfires across the U.S. and Canada in our thoughts and prayers. I know the air quality is especially severe in the upper Midwest as well as the East Coast from all these wildfires.

Aspen Acres fire stats
Data as of July 15, 2026

The Mum: Yes, it’s been so heartbreaking that so many are still displaced. We will keep them all in our thoughts and prayers.

Wilson: Make sure to have a safe weekend, stay hydrated and please be mindful of pavement temps on tender paws. And for heavens sake, please don’t leave your pet in the car, even for a few minutes while you dash in to quickly pick up something. Please leave us at home instead.

Pavement temps

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

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! 🐾