Winter Solstice is only a few days away, but wintry interludes have punctuated the weather along Colorado’s Front Range since mid-October, when a deep freeze brought an abrupt end to still-blooming flowers and changing leaves, which suddenly and sadly lost their pigment nearly overnight, and became brown and brittle appendages, that rattled through brisk autumn … Continue reading Season’s Greetings
I happened upon a giant. It was dead. The old cottonwood spread across the trail, its rotten trunk severed from its roots by a strong storm. Its branches reached out to the side, as if embracing the earth upon which it lay. The tree probably died years ago, but up until recently had been able … Continue reading My Friend, The Tree, Is Dead
When my husband and I espied a flock of big, white birds while approaching Colorado’s Windy Gap Reservoir near Granby ten or so years ago, we first mistook them for swans. Upon closer scrutiny and after consulting our nature guide, they turned out to be American White Pelicans. Pelicans in Colorado? Apparently so! During a … Continue reading Pelicans In Colorado?
One hundred fifty-five years have lapsed since one of the most infamous chapters in the annals of Colorado, the November 29, 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. While the Civil War was raging in the East, in the West conflicts with Native Americans defending their homeland from intruders had increased in frequency and severity. When territorial Governor … Continue reading Sand Creek
Is it possible for brawny, shaggy ungulates, that might tip the scale at one to two tons, to appear and amble gracefully? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Amble they may, and docile they may appear, but don’t be fooled, for this largest land mammal in North America is able to accelerate to 35 mph, … Continue reading Happy Belated National Bison Day
tanja britton 