Welcome to Friday where we share bits and bobs of nature scenes around our neighborhood. So let’s get started and join our weekly hosts, Rosy, Sunny, Arty and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard. Don’t forget to click on their link to check out what Blogville dished out for everyone’s enjoyment at their blog hop.

This week has been a dream for December weather. On Wednesday our temps were just shy of 70F and like a welcome mat to go for a mid-afternoon walk before the sun dips and cooler temps arrive. As I was walking the dogs along our usual route, we happened past a spot of bright yellow that caught my eye. At first glance I thought it might be a discarded wrapper but when I stopped to look closer, this is what I found.

I think this is a primrose that may have reseeded itself with the warm temps. The name comes from the Latin word “primus” meaning “first” or “early” and primrose do tend to be one of the first blooming plants in spring. Its leaves and flowers are edible and can be served in salad form. Young flowers of primrose have also been used in the manufacture of wine.

I’ve never grown primrose myself but decided to do a bit of research on this charming December surprise. Primrose are a herbaceous plant that belong to the family Primulaceae (primrose family). Originating from Europe, primrose prefer moist but well-drained soil in partial shade. Primrose typically blooms from March to May. In mild winters, it could begin blooming in December though I suspect this one was protected enough to rebloom. You typically wouldn’t see this little gem blooming in December in Denver’s Zone 5.

Primrose was historically used in treatment of paralysis, gout and rheumatism. These days, a tincture of primrose can be used in the treatment of insomnia, restlessness, headache and cough. More historical info about the tiny primrose is that it was used in the preparation of magic potions during the Middle Ages. As a perennial plant, Primrose Day is celebrated on 19th April in the United Kingdom. I’m either early or late depending on your perspective.

We hope you enjoyed seeing a spot of color from our otherwise drab landscape and hope you can enjoy some outside time this weekend. We plan on staying busy in the kitchen making Christmas goodies because this just began a little bit ago.

Yup, snow. Welcome to the wild and wacky world of weather in Colorado. Have a great weekend and stay safe.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

It’s Friday and if you made it still in tact, kudos for you. This week has been filled with major chaos and churn. If you’ve been under a rock or without WiFi, you may not have heard there was a major election in the US. We’re still waiting for the final results but the Ranch Hands and I are celebrating some local and statewide proposals. First, Denver voters repealed the city’s 30-year long pit bull ban. This past February, the Denver City Council voted to repeal the ban but the mayor vetoed the ban. His office released this statement at the time saying, “while Mayor Hancock has always been forthright in sharing he could not, in good conscious, sign the bill to overturn Denver’s pit bull ban, he has also been very clear he supported putting this decision in the hands of Denver voters.” While I’m not 100% thrilled with the legislation which doesn’t go into effect until January 1, 2021, it is a step in the right direction. Rather than calling it a repeal of the ban, it’s more accurately a bit of a “time-out” as owners will be granted a special permit to own up to 2 dogs and must comply with other requirements including microchipping and vaccination. If there are no incidents (i.e. dog bite charges filed within three years), the special restrictions can be dropped. Our family has had first hand experience with so-called ‘pit bulls’ and they’ve all been absolute sweethearts. For the record, there is no actual ‘pit bull’ breed that exists but rather a category of various dogs with similar characteristics. A certain type of dog descending from bulldogs and terriers, have been lumped into a category known as the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. First used 1927, the term pit bull is usually considered a heterogeneous grouping including the breeds of American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and occasionally the American Bulldog, along with any crossbred dog that shares certain physical characteristics with these breeds. It’s canine profiling in our books and we have been outspoken about it for years. City voters approved the repeal with 65% in favor.

Though not yet certified, it appears that Proposition 114 narrowly passed statewide allowing wolves to be reintroduced on Colorado’s Western Slope. There has been a 40-year effort to return wolf populations to Colorado after they were hunted into extinction in the 1920s.

So enough election results, let’s move on and take a gander at what Mother Nature dished out this week for another episode of Nature Friday where we joined our friends, Rosy, Sunny, Arty and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard. Our area has officially moved into the brown season where everything is drab, dry and brown. That said, there are some spots of color…but we’ll need to look indoors.

A couple of days ago, one of two cacti at the Ranch started blooming (the other one is coral colored and doesn’t bloom as reliably as this one). It’s still a bit early but it’s vibrant color is very welcomed and hopefully will last until Christmas. Various common names include ‘Christmas cactus, Thanksgiving cactus, crab cactus or holiday cactus.’  This one is likely the genus Schlumbergera, and one of the two groups within the cultivar known as Truncata which displays stem segments with pointed teeth; the flowers are held more or less horizontally, and whose upper side is differently shaped from the lower side (zygomorphic) and been a part of my indoor garden for probably over 20 years. Flowering earlier than members of the second group, Buckley,i it is actually considered a tropical plant hailing from Brazil and requires higher water and humidity requirements than its Southwest cactus buddies. Maintaining these beauties is pretty simple. Water deeply whenever the top inch or so of soil is dry, repot if the soil gets hard or compacted, and allow the water to slowly penetrate the tight soil. Fertilize  only when actively growing or when blooming. The soil should be a well-draining potting soil mix. It likes bright, indirect light for best blooming conditions while avoiding cold, drafty spots or locations close to a heat source. Pinch back stem ends following blooming helps make for a bushier plant.

So anything blooming in your indoor garden? Do you have a ‘Christmas cactus? How’s it doing?

We hope you have a lovely weekend where we hope the week’s chaos is finally resolved. Be sure to get out there and enjoy some nature-trust me, it helps. After setting record temperatures the past couple of days conditions may become more typical with a slight chance of moisture. Keep your fingers crossed-we’re in desperate need of wet stuff.

Live, love, bark! 🐾