Don's Blog Monarch 9-30-19

We are just not seeing Monarch butterflies this year. Maybe there will be more but this is the only one I have seen this month. 

And he did not stay long.

Flower for the Day Zinnia 9-27-19

The zinnias have been prolific this year. There are at least three beds of zinnias. Everywhere the seeds were broadcast they came up and thrived. This is such a great time of the year for them. The images speak for themselves.

 

        







 

Flower for the Day Globe Amaranth 9-30-19

I got this Globe Amaranth from my nephew over thirty years ago. At  the end of the year I collect the seed balls and the next year I put them back in the plantar. They have been very successful. I have added a few new seeds but mostly have re-seeded the regulars. They come up in August and stay until the first frost.

     

Who doesn't love little red balls.

                                      

           

Mystery Spider 9-19-19

Thanks everyone for responding. It is a Yellow and Black Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia).

They are easily identified by everyone in the world but me with the distinctive yellow and black coloring on the abdomen. The legs have yellow and black banding. This is probably a female since it is so large. They are reportedly not aggressive. They normally sit on their web in an upside down position.

Don's Blog Mystery

Recently we noticed this very large spider. Can anyone id it?

Don's Blog : Adventure on Charrette Creek 8-23-19

After our Colorado trip Gordon came to visit and we ended up at the Lake House.We went exploring. This is Charette Creek just after it is formed below the Lake Aspen dam.

We discussed whether we should drive across to the continuing road.

            

I got out and felt it was shallow. So Gordon drove downstream. No problems.

               

He went straight onto the road as the creek veered left.

              

            After this we went across a farm field and up a steep hill.  This is how Charette Creek looked from that point last fall.

              
         
           On the way back Gordon discovered this huge spider.
         

It was all great fun except for the chiggers.

Flower for the Day Blue Lobelia 9-18-19

This blue lobelia (Lobelia syphlitica) showed up in the front garden recently. It is unbranched. The leaves are narrow and lance shaped.

Its flowers present a 2-parted upper lip and a 3-divided lower lip. 

                     

Lobel was a 16th century herbalist. In the 18th century in Europe extracts were used as a remedy

for its namesake disease.

Pictures I wish I had taken 8-15-19

Wildlife was plentiful this year but I did not see my usual favorites.

Black bear

These pictures were taken by Bob Franke by his place.
 

Bugling Elk
Image taken by a friend.

Bighorn Sheep

This picture was taken by a friend on Trail Rodge Road. Its amazing that he got Longs, the Seven Knights,and Pagoda in the background.

 

Flower for the Day Morning Glory and Moon Flower 9-17-19

This year for our front porch vine we put in a combination of morning glory (Ipomoea in the Convovulacaea Family) and moon flower (Ipomoea alba). In the morning we had glory and in the evening we had moon flower. 

Here are some different color morning glory. They close up by noon.

My favorite:

                                  

And others:

                                   
                                 

                                  

              

              

The moon flower is a white morning glory that starts blooming at dusk.

         

They can be huge. They are closed by morning when it is time for more glory.

Flower for the Day Sunflower 9-16-19

Well I have run out of alpine flowers so its back to the heartland flowers that have survived the summer.

This sunflower is the only survivor of several that I put in last spring. It was strategically placed well behind another "survivor" from which the deer devoured all the sunflower seeds. Only the empty hull remained when we returned from Colorado. Its a Russian Mammoth.

                 

                

              

Flower for the Day Alpine Gentian

This Alpine Gentian (Gentiana algid) was by a trail near the Old Fall River Road at about 12,000 feet in RMNP. The funnel shaped flowers are white with green spots and thin purple lines along the folds. The corolla has five pointed lobes with a central group of light brown-tipped stamens and a greenish style. Leaves grow densely at the base and along the short stems. They are narrow, hairless, with smooth edges, and rolled up slightly along the long axis.The plant lives at high elevations and blooms late in the season, well into September. 

It was delightful to find it plentiful on the tundra.

                  

Flower for the Day 9-12-19 Addendum

Somehow the computer knocked out my best image. Here it is.

Flower for the Day Indian Paintbrush 9-12-19

The Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja) or prairie fire was lush this year with many beautiful colors.The red was the most breathtaking.

                    

                    

But the other colors were enticing.

                     

                                

Flower for the Day Some WildFlowers 9-11-19

On a day that we can all count our blessings here are a few final wildflowers from Estes Park.

Harebell (Campanula Rotudifolia) - this is a beautiful small bellflower.

                                                                                    
                                            

Fireweed (Chamaenerion augustifolium) - this is one of the first flowers to bloom after a forest fire.

                      

Yellow Coneflowers (Echinacea paradoxa) - These can grow chest high in moist shade. In dry gravel - not so high.

                      

Yarrow (Achillea millifolium) is in the aster family. This fuchsia yarrow amid the white fooled me because I had only seen yellow yarrow.

                                             

Don's Blog Upper Beaver Meadows 8-14-19

We took a nice hike with Chris and Meg today. Jan found a bracelet off the path.

                                 

The monarda was blooming chest high.

                                 
      

It was amazing.

                               

           and the path went right through it.
                               

We found a shady spot off the trail,

                                
      and were mesmerized by a young deer.

                  

Don's Blog Upper Beaver Meadows 8-14-19

We took a nice hike with Chris and Meg today. Jan found a bracelet off the path.

The monarda was blooming chest high.

It was amazing.

and the path went right through it.

We found a shady spot off the trail,

and were mesmerized by a young deer.

Family at Cheley 7-28-19

We love to see the family in Colorado. Here are some Cheley pics.

Will became Roy Rogers/ Gene Autry/ Hopalong Cassidy.

                                                

                      

                                 


                                

En Plein Air 8-10-19

It's always a treat to see the artist at work