Category: Mother Nature

Nature Friday ~ June 26, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 70 Comments

WilsonGreetings and salutations, everyone. Happy Friday. Wilson here…and as always, I’m joining those lovable pups from the  Adventures of the LLB Gang. Well hallelujah…we finally received some rain last night. Arvada officially received somewhere between 0.40″ and 1.41″ of rain, with the heaviest moisture occurring in the western foothills. In our neighborhood I think we received somewhere in the middle. It. was. beautiful. And comes at a good time since our temperatures are slated to be in the low to mid-90’sF next week. But like my Mum always says, we’ll take that moisture.

Wilson: Besides the news about receiving rain, Mum has a new critter obsession now. We’ve know about this critter appearing in our area because we’ve seen evidence of him but had never actually seen one in person. Well that’s history now. Meet our newest critter in the ‘Hood. He is unnamed as of now so I’m asking for your help in suggesting a name for him since Mum can’t decide. Let me just say she is over the moon giddy about running into him a couple of mornings since last week. She couldn’t capture any good photos since she didn’t have her big camera with her and whenever she did, we didn’t see him but she’s been researching about beavers nonstop. Can you imagine being replaced as the love of her life by…{gasp}…a…rodent??

Beaver
Photo taken from the canal bridge
Beaver
Hauling a branch back to his lodge

The Mum: You are not being replaced, let me reassure you. It’s just I’ve never seen a beaver before in real life and I certainly never expected to see one in the city. This is monumental so I’ve been trying to find out about this fella. Did you know that beavers are the second largest rodent (behind capybaras) in the world and weigh up to 110 lb (50 kg)? With their stout bodies, large heads and those famous chisel-like incisors, beavers have brown or gray fur, with hand-like front feet, webbed back feet. Their tails that are flat and scaly and are used as a rudder as well as a alarm system when they slap it on the surface of water. Beavers can be found in a number of freshwater habitats and typically eat tree bark, aquatic plants, grasses and sedges. They are considered a keystone species because their damn and lodge building activities create wetlands that are used by many other species.

Wilson: {with his paw against his forehead} I can’t believe I’m being replaced by a rodent. This is just humiliating…

The Mum: {interrupting} Let me assure you that you are not being replaced. But seeing one of these guys is pretty monumental. They’re nocturnal you know.

Wilson: Well we do practically take our morning walks in the dark so I guess that makes sense…

The Mum:  Oh for heaven’s sake…stop being so hyperbolic. We walk early to avoid the heat…seeing that beaver was a bonus-just like that day we ran into the coyote pup. Did you know their eyes, ears and nostrils are arranged so that they can remain above water while the rest of the body is submerged and their nostrils and ears have valves that close underwater? They also have a translucent third eye membrane that covers their eyes when they are submerged. Isn’t that cool?

Wilson: {harumph} Big deal. They can’t cuddle with you like I do.

The Mum: No, you’re right about that…for which I’m grateful. You’re still my favorite pet, so don’t worry. But I will always want to better capture that guy in a photo. You’re still my bestest floof.

Wilson: Well I guess I feel better about that declaration. Thank you for that. Now that you’ve pledged your undying love for a rodent, how about I share some other slices of nature we encountered this week?

The Mum: I did not pledge undying love for a rodent but I’d love to see what else you have today.

Wilson: Just to prove we do walk in the middle of the night at dawn, here’s a beautiful sunrise we encountered a couple of days ago.

Sunrise

The Mum: That was a pretty spectacular sunrise through the coyote habitat.

Wilson: Umm, meh…I’d have been happy sleeping in but whatever.

The Mum: Oh come on…you love the cool mornings as much as I do. What else do you have?

Wilson: You’re right, I do like the cool mornings because I know it’ll be hotter later. The wildflowers are lovely. With the blanket flower (Gaillardia) a kind of chamomile is blooming with them.

Wild flowers

The Mum: To show how hot and dry it’s been, look at this rye grass. Crispy-crunchy.

Grass

Wilson: I’ve noticed gladiolus are starting to bloom and there are some real beauties in the neighborhood adjacent to the golf course. Just look at these babies.

Gladiolas

The Mum: They really are pretty. I’ve always thought those “sword lilies” are quite showy and this house has a gorgeous selection. They do tend to flop over so I’ve never planted any in favor of other plants that stay upright without support like these gorgeous lilies.

Lilies

Wilson: Well that’s all I have this week. We hope you have a terrific weekend and don’t fry in the heat that is set to return. Mum is helping the rescue out tomorrow at the annual Denver Dog Fair. This is one of the best public events for dog rescues. They find homes for so many dogs and there are vendors selling everything you can imagine associated with owning a dog. I’ll be happily snoozing on the sofa (don’t tell Mum) while she’ll be dealing with crowds, parking and all the things I wouldn’t enjoy. What are your plans? What ever you do, we hope you can find some time to get out and enjoy what Nature shares with us. And don’t forget to suggest a name for the rodent. I was thinking of Theodore like that Leave It To Beaver kid or Norbert, a famous beaver who lived at the Detroit Zoo. What do you think? I have no doubt that if Mum has anything to do with it, she’ll be sharing more photos of he who is to be named. Sigh. Have a wonderful weekend!

Dog Fair

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 ~ 62 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 29, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 42 Comments

WilsonWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our pals at The Adventures of the LLB Gang. Clicking on the link will take you to see what others have shared this week. This week’s post is mostly about one topic-cottonwood trees. Ok…let’s get started.

Wilson: ‘Morning mates, here I am sitting nicely in front of one of the wildlife habitat area’s huts created along the Ralston Creek Trail where we walk. They provide habitat for the area critters on both sides of the path. Along the path and creek are gobs of cottonwood trees and lately they have been very active as the leaves emerged.

The Mum: It’s been as if it’s snowing as jillions of cottonwood seeds are floating all over. I realize it’s a bit hard to see them but all those teeny little white specks are cottonwood tree seeds.

Floating cottonwood seeds

Wilson: They float on the breeze. I had to chuckle when they flew up your nose a couple of times. But you’re right, Mum. They are EVERYWHERE and stick to wherever they land.

Cottonwood seeds

The Mum: I’m constantly pulling them off the few potted plants in our yard and some of the window screens.They especially seem to like sticking to the hairy stems on the potted tomato plant. They are a nuisance and potentially damaging when they stick to air conditioning units. Removing those seed heads will be part of this weekend’s chores around this barn of a house.

Wilson: What else can you tell us about cottonwood trees?

The Mum: They are one of the more popular tree species in the world and often grow to more than a hundred feet tall. They provide loads of shade along our creek bed. Cottonwood trees are dioecious, meaning the trees grow male and female flower parts on separate trees with the male flowers appearing first and the female buds emerging about a month later. The male plants produce pollen, while the female plants produce the seeds or fruit. Cottonwood trees are rapidly growing trees, growing as much as 6 feet a year and are hardy in Zones 2 through 9.

Wilson: We weren’t 100% positive if the fluffy seeds would follow the male catkins which began to emerge in April, but expected they probably would. We didn’t have many of them in our old neighborhood so Mum didn’t keep any photos of them when they started to drop and fall on our pathway last month but found the following image online. Leaves emerge from those catkins and then the seeds begin to form from separate trees about a month later.

Catkins
Photo courtesy of Jim Chatfield of OSU Extension

The Mum: With our breezy conditions most days and the recent snow and rain, a lot of branches and twigs came down. Cottonwoods tend to have soft wood and breakage is a constant threat. The pathway was littered with the evidence that indeed we were going to have lots of floating seeds. Notice how they start out as little necklace-like strings of the seed pods that eventually release millions of white, cottony seeds into the air. Cottonwood trees are a member of the poplar family similar to Colorado’s quaking aspens, but unlike aspens, cottonwoods do not clone themselves from a single root system. They can readily re-sprout though if broken or cut down from the cotton seeds after they emerge. Cottonwoods thrive at lower altitudes (3,500 to 6,500 feet), on the Eastern Plains and along riverbanks. The male trees grow reddish-purple flowers.

Cottonwood seeds

Wilson:  Are there any advantages to these trees?
The Mum: Well, their fast growth and wonderful shade are reasons enough to like them but they have other positives. According to the Colorado State Forest Service, they reduce erosion, capture and filter sediment, provide wildlife habitat, slow flood water runoff and increase water infiltration. The leaves have flat stems, which make them shimmer and rustle in the wind making them eye-catching and distinctively attractive. The tree offers strong fall color, with leaves fading to glowing shades of gold. The National Forest Service often use them to stabilize stream banks and they may act as a natural waterway filtration system to reduce sedimentation. They colonize and form groves that can act as natural windbreaks though as I’ve experienced, the leaves and twigs are constantly falling all year long. I thought after I moved from the old neighborhood with all of its silver maples, I could leave that behind me. Instead, I’m constantly picking up little twigs and gobs of leaves that fall in the wind. Sigh
Wilson: Well I don’t mind the cotton snowing on us-it’s pretty and when it begins to heat up next week, maybe we can imagine cooler temps with that ‘snow.’
The Mum:  With those warmer temps slated for next week, I’ll try to envision snow. In the meantime, I guess we’ll just need to endure all the cotton floating in the area and stacking up along the pathway.
Wilson:   Anyway, let’s share a couple of images of something other than the cottonwood seeds. We found this hydrangea getting ready to bloom. Look at the beautiful pink color that’s beginning to emerge. And finding a Blanket flower along our walk through the wildlife habitat area was a nice find. It’s like Mother Nature was moving ‘furniture’ around.
Hydrangea Blanket flower
The Mum: That’s a good way to describe how Nature decorates sometimes. I saw a few other spots where blanket flowers were beginning to pop up and whenever I see a flower showing up like that, it makes me smile.
 
Wilson: Thanks, Mum. Well that’s it from us. We hope you have a terrific weekend. Hard to believe this is the last Friday of May and June is on the horizon. Where has this year gone? 
Nature
Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ May 22, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

Wilson - LoraxGreetings mates, Wilson here sporting my best Lorax poise. I woke up with a bit of bed head but you can be sure while I’m not small or orange, I am mustachioed and I do speak for the forest by making sure I water trees every chance I can. Mum laughed at me but I couldn’t figure out why. Then I looked in a mirror. Egad, that must have been quite the dream I was having. All I remember was I received a rather heavy handed shove. Apparently I was in the midst of a dog pile early yesterday morning. Mum has been complaining about waking up and being at the bottom of the pile. Doesn’t she know I need to be right next to her though I prefer being on top of her.

The Mum: You have been a bit too much lately. As in heavy as all get out. There’s nothing like waking up unable to breath because there’s a House Pony crushing your throat or chest.

Wilson: Oh Mum, you’re exaggerating. A little. Ok, so you’re accurate but I love you and want to show you how much.

The Mum: Being the object at the bottom of the dog pile is not my idea of a good time. We have to have a serious discussion about it. Your constant squashing has reached a point where we need to set up some rules about it.

Wilson: Rules-shmules. I love you and am just showing you my affection.

The Mum: Well perhaps you could love me just a teeny tiny bit less? I’d be very grateful and might even consider relaxing the “no dogs on the sofa” rule in effect in the living room as a compromise.

Wilson: {grumbling under his breath} You’re being too dramatic, Mum. Why can you just enjoy all my beautiful floofy love?

The Mum: You mean enjoy the fur in my mouth or an elbow in a rib or your head across my throat? Gee, what was I thinking?

Wilson: {shaking his head} Blimey…Mums can be so persnickity. Anyway, we can do all that negotiating behind the scenes. I’ve got slices of nature to share. As we always do, we’re joining the gang from Adventures of the LLB Gang and encourage you to click on the link to see what others have shared from their neighborhoods.

The Mum: Fine, we’ll discuss this politely later this afternoon. Just know it’s spring, the pollen count is high and I have a hard enough time breathing. Just something for you to consider as we come to an agreement about this ‘dog pile’ thing.

Wilson: {ignoring the last comment} Well, we received some rain this week and boy howdy, was that something. It rained all night and all day on Monday, and sprinkled during different parts of all the other days. I looked a little bit like a drowned rat even with my rain jacket on and you trying your level best to keep me under the umbrella which scared me.

The Mum: Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, I was just trying to keep your head as dry as possible. We both got pretty soaked Monday but our other rainy walks weren’t as bad. Everything is lusciously green and because I protected the herbs and potted tomato plant, they all survived the freeze warning we had earlier in the week.

Wilson: Things do look quite lovely. As the neighborhood Lorax, I’m glad to see everything got watered without my help. Just look at Exhibit A.

Iris

The Mum: Those iris clumps are planted along the strip between the sidewalk and street around the neighborhood and I love the pops of color. This was one of the few moments where we had decently sunny conditions. Most of the week was shrouded in clouds. We’re headed for a bit of a warm up for the Memorial Day weekend but have been told there is potential for more rain next week. I remain somewhat skeptical but we’ll see. If it happens, we’ll gladly accept any moisture.

Wilson: I enjoyed sniffing through the wildlife habitat area at the golf course. You couldn’t ask for a more sniffable landscape. The ground smelled of moisture with lots of decayed leaves. It was awesome. Mum tried to hurry me along to keep from getting too wet but my snooter just couldn’t get enough. There’s nothing like damp conditions and decaying leaves. The aroma was practically peaty. Mum frequently tries to get in some parkour on this log but I was too interested in sniffing around it. Those grass seed heads were way too interesting for me to think about climbing up on that big log. Don’t they look like they’d make a cool woven piece of artwork?

Grasses

The Mum: Our walks were so delightful. There wasn’t anyone out walking on the rainiest day so we wandered to our hearts content without being an obstacle along the path. It was terrific.

Wilson: The potted hibiscus Mum received on Mother’s Day was a pretty happy camper too. Mum is always amazed how much more beautiful plants are when they receive even a little bit of rain. Rain makes everything look so much better so we were quite chuffed on that day when we received a nice gentle, soaking rain.

Hibiscus

The Mum: It really is quite remarkable seeing how much of a difference a little rain can impact plants. A couple of days ago we found some beds that had been recently planted with annuals at intersections in the golf course community. I’m a big fan of ornamental cabbage so I’m looking forward to seeing this all summer long. They’re small now but this week’s rain will give them a good start.

Ornamental cabbage

Wilson: You’re so right, Mum…a little bit of rain makes garden plants look fantastic.

Fountain

The Mum: Even the snapdragon seeds that I sprinkled in a pot earlier this month managed to germinate and are doing nicely. These little plants will provide a nice pop of color by the back door area and the potted Roma tomato appears to be in good shape with a couple of tiny tomatoes emerging this week.

Snapdragon seedlings

Tomato plant

Wilson: Well, that’s about it for us this week. It’s Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and we will honor all those who paid the ultimate price for serving their country. You can read our post from last year here for a historical background. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season. We’re planning a low key get together with the family. With gas prices so high, we aren’t planning on doing much driving any time soon. What are your plans for the holiday? Did you have a good week? Whatever you do, we hope you are able to enjoy some slices of Nature. Have a safe holiday and enjoy the long weekend.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ May 15, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 74 Comments

WilsonWelcome mates…Wilson here. Notice a thief stole my fur. Mum said I was beginning to look like Sasquatch and needed a bath so she took me to the grooming shop for a bath and groom. P{lease also notice my disapproving look. Miss Sydney is always very sweet and loving but I just don’t like baths. I guess if it keeps Mum happy, I’ll get over it but in the meantime, I’ll cry like a baby and shake like a leaf. Mum says I’m overly dramatic. You might remember that we had a pile of snow last week (if you missed it, you can read about it here) and this week we’ve been in the upper 80’s. These yoyo weather patterns are going to give me a stiff neck. What the dog?! The forecast is calling for some moisture this weekend but we’ll see if any materializes. Anyway…as we do on Friday’s, we’re joining our friends from the Adventures of the LLB Gang blog. Make sure you click on the link to see this week’s slices of Nature from around Blogville.

Wilson: Last week we were going to post a few photos of various plants that were in bloom at the time but then had to switched gears because the snow buried us. Remember those peonies that were in showing buds ready to bloom? Well the 7 inches of snow we received didn’t seem to bother them one bit. Just look at how lovely these beauties continued to bloom this week. You can almost smell their sweet fragrance, can’t you?

Peonies

The Mum: Ahhh, peonies…the queen of the garden is my favorite spring flower and this bush is so very luscious and full. They’re only shortcoming is they don’t bloom long enough for me.

Wilson: They’re quite beautiful, Mum. It looks like Nature boosted many of the flowers with the snow. Just check out these two clematis plants that continue to bloom along our walking route. The purple one is particularly vigorous.

Clematis Clematis

The Mum: That reddish pink one really caught my eye. They both flank a driveway we walk past every day and they wind their way up brick pillars. Those pillars create for a beautiful welcome to visitors and passersby alike.

Wilson:  Just down the lane we found this version of our state flower, the Columbine.

Columbine

The Mum: This Trumpet Vine is starting out the season with a few pretty blooms. In no time, this baby should fill in nicely along the iron fence. It was just a few feet away from the lilac bush below and was the very last bloom on the bush and practically begged to have its picture taken.

Trumpet honeysuckle

Honeysuckle comes in coral to reddish colors and is a great attractor for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Songbirds may eat the berries. The leaves and stems are waxy and the plant can reach 20 feet long, with sturdy support. I learned the plant is very flammable and not recommended for planting near structures. Honeysuckle is cold hardy and can be drought tolerant if the soil is good so it makes for a nice addition to the Colorado landscape.

Lilac

Wilson: Like I mentioned earlier, it’s been pretty warm this week and one evening it started to cloud up. We had hoped for a tiny little sprinkle but it was too warm for any rain to reach the ground. It did however provide for a lovely sunset. There’ll be another six weeks of extended sunshine and then it will begin to grow darker, about a minute per day until autumn begins. Till then we’ll enjoy what Nature shares with us.

Sunset

The Mum: Spring is a lovely time of year but it can be cruel. Just off the golf course we walk through, we came across this robin egg on the ground. I can be sure what happened, perhaps windy conditions made it fall out of the nest. I think it’s the part of spring that may not be kind and gentle.

Robin egg

Wilson: {interrupting} Well, you know what I think, Mum? I think a squirrel probably knocked it out. You know how naughty they are.

The Mum: I’ll admit that’s a possibility. While squirrels are mostly considered  herbivores, they are quite opportunistic omnivores given half a chance. Raiding nests can provide them with much-needed protein, fat, and calcium. It’s a sad reality.

Wilson: It is sad and yet another reason for me to despise them. This just proves they’re total brutes.

The Mum: Calm down, House Pony. Unfortunately, it’s Nature’s way. On the plus side, the shell will eventually break down and add nutrients to the surrounding ground so it’s not a total loss.

Wilson: Sorry Mum, I’m not persuaded. I still don’t like them. Bloody tree rats.

The Mum: Well I understand your strong feelings, I’m certainly no fan, but there’s not much we can do about it now. We can only enjoy the birds that grow up, the flowers that bloom and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets that Nature shares with us.

Wilson: I guess. Still, it was sad. I vow to avenge that little fella’s existence…

The Mum: {interjecting} Ummm, let’s rethink that strategy. Remember revenge is a dish best served cold. I’m sure Nature had a plan and it’s important that we not try to change it. Besides, remember I’m old and need my shoulders to function, thank you very much.

Wilson: Well okay, but only because it’s you. I’ll try to contain my loathing of those vile creatures. So that’s all I have this week. We hope you enjoyed a lovely spring week. Wait…what the heck was that that dashed across our back porch?

The Mum: And just like that, the morning calm is broken as a squirrel ran near the back door and all hell broke loose. Sigh. So much for the earlier promises. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and how no squirrels cross your paths. It’s hard to realize Memorial Day is just two weeks away. Where did May go? Have any fun plans for the weekend?

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 ~ May 1, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 58 Comments
Pepperweed
Pepperweed

Happy May Day, mates. Wilson here and as always I’m joining our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang for this week’s Nature Friday blog hop where participants share slices of nature. Be sure to click on the link to see what they and other have posted. As I noted above, today is May Day where traditionally we celebrate the return of spring. May Day, like other early holidays that originated from ancient times, has its emphasis in celebrating the arrival of spring, the season of renewal. Festivities were filled with song and dance with doorways and livestock decorated with yellow May flowers. Historically, children would hold on to colorful ribbons, and dance around a maypole which symbolized fertility and the renewal of life. People would “bring in the May” by gathering wildflowers and green branches, and weave  floral hoops and hair garlands. I told Mum there would be no ‘decorating’ my glorious floofness after she saw a wide swatch of pepperweed which has sprouted near the Ralston Creek trailhead. Thankfully she didn’t argue with me.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, May Day has its roots in astronomy since it’s the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It was one of the Celtic cross-quarter days, which marked the midway points between the (four) solstices and equinoxes of the year. Since we don’t have a maypole, we’ll just celebrate by admiring flowers in bloom that we pass on our walks. Mum hasn’t planted anything yet because the risk of frost is still possible but her naturalized Bachelors Buttons are full of buds ready to display their bright cornflower blue flowers soon.

Bachelor buttons

The Mum: Good morning, House Pony…Happy May Day, buddy. After a couple of cloudy days that had a few sprinkles but mostly soft misty conditions, we woke up to clear blue skies but cool temps.

Wilson: Did you encounter rain yesterday when you traveled to Pueblo with your brother to see Grandpa?

The Mum: We did encounter some rain, but nothing too heavy mind you, but every drop was welcomed up and down the Front Range. What I wasn’t expecting was seeing a little bit of white stuff at my brother’s house with more on Monument Hill between Denver and Colorado Springs. It didn’t last long.

Snow in Castle Rock

Wilson: I was glad I stayed home with your son, even though he keeps accusing me of snoring loudly. I. Do. Not. Snore. I rest peacefully. You know that, but why he keeps telling you I snore is beyond me.Wilson

The Mum: I think he just likes to tease you. And even if you do/did snore, so what…you’re snug as a bug snoozing comfortably and that’s all that matters.

Wilson: So we didn’t take a lot of photos this week but we did capture a few photos of some ducks. That was pretty exciting since I know you’d never seen Wood Ducks in person before. The males are really colorful but they are very shy and didn’t seem to want to get to know me very much so I was left out of the photo shoot.

Wood Ducks Wood Ducks

The Mum: I am totally fascinated with Wood Ducks. The colorful males don’t seem real. We still haven’t seen any babies yet but hope they’ll be showing up soon. The males have stunning multi-colored iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive white flare down the neck. The female are less colorful with a white eye-ring. Both males and females have crested heads. Like other ducks, they do not mate for life but tend to stay seasonally monogamous. I could have watched them for hours but they were very nervous with my presence so after taking a ton of photos, I slipped away and let them feed and swim in the shallow canal.

Wilson: I just don’t understand why ducks don’t like me. Even the Mallards are skittish whenever I’m around.

The Mum: I’m sure they view us both as predators. After all, there are hawks, coyotes and bobcats who make their home along the trail. Don’t take it personally. I had to sneak up on this Mallard and he kept turning away from me keeping a nervous side eye on me. I only managed to capture a couple of pics and they were fairly similar so I only included this one in a sunny spot along the creek.

Mallard

Wilson - Cinco de Mayo

Wilson: Even though the mornings are still cool (in the mid-30’sF 1.66C) we should reach 60F (15.55C) today and are expected to stay sunny all day. The weekend forecast should be dry with perfect temps for celebrating May Day, as well as watching the 152nd running of the  Kentucky Derby and seeing local Cinco de Mayo festivities. So this weekend will showcase lots of fun. What will you celebrate this weekend? Whatever you do, we hope you enjoy and take opportunities to get out in Mother Nature.

 

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! 🐾