When Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was invited to teach Chaucer and early English drama during Summer School at Colorado College in Colorado Springs in 1893, she could not have imagined that her brief but profound experience on top of Pikes Peak, our local landmark mountain, would inspire her to compose a poem which, in time, … Continue reading Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: Katharine Lee Bates
Hello friend, It has been my intention for many months to write to you but I have struggled to put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard. Personal, family, and global turmoil have left me feeling uninspired, uninspiring, and cynical, and I’m afraid this letter will not be upbeat. I have long been debating whether to … Continue reading Hello Friend
After our 18 days in Texas this spring, I submitted 79 different checklists to eBird, the citizen science website administered by the renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where anybody anywhere in the world can record their bird sightings. During those 18 days, I saw an astounding-to-me 210 different species of birds, even though more experienced … Continue reading On the Road–More Texas Birds
I had seen exactly one Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) in my life prior to our trip to Texas this spring, in May 2021, when a lone representative was observed 15 miles south of Colorado Springs at Clear Spring Ranch, a birding hotspot. This triggered an odyssey of local bird lovers to the site, as this … Continue reading On the Road–Texas Scissortails
Flowers are made even more beautiful by winged visitors. Happiness is to see wings on petals. All photos were taken in Colorado in June and July of this year. Please let me know if you can fill in any of the ID blanks: Photo 1: Fritillary Butterfly (? species) on possible Musk Thistle (a non-native … Continue reading (Almost) Silent Sunday: Wings on Petals
tanja britton 