Our yard tends to be shabbier than most of our neighbors’, even now that we use a regular mowing service. Dandelions proliferate, and crabgrass competes with the clover. However, for the most part, it seems to be healthy, if not too closely managed. The crabapple and sand cherry trees, and the lilacs, butterfly and bridal […]
Category Archives: nature
Visitors are common in our town. Situated along the Front Range with plains to the east and mountains rising suddenly to the west, Golden is divided by Clear Creek gushing out of the mountains and sheltered from the Denver metro area by two mesas to the east. On the west side, big Lookout Mountain has […]
Reporter Justine McDaniel talks about air pollution: “A rising number of Americans — nearly 2 in 5 — has been living with unhealthy levels of air pollution, while the United States experienced a record number of days between 2020 and 2022 with very unhealthy or hazardous air, according to a new report … More than […]
If you get too excited, “Just take a slow deep breath,” they say. The sense of cool, clean air entering our lungs has a calming effect on anyyone. But what if the air we breathe is neither cool … nor clean? The BBC’s Melissa Hogenboom reports, “Emerging studies show that air pollution is linked to […]
When I was in junior high, we moved into a new house much larger and nicer than the one I grew up in. It had a bigger yard and my dad installed a couple of dog pens for his birddogs. My brother and I had to mow the yards, but on my dad’s instructions we […]
Well, it’s late April, nearly Earth Day, and I think that Mother Nature is just showing off. It’s been pretty mild this spring and we’ve really enjoyed the massive blooms on the crabapple and the small, scatteredblossoms on our very old, very tall pear tree. Many of the shrubs are just coming in bloom. But, […]
There’s a new hole in the ground that goes under the edge of one of our flower beds near the bird feeder. Our yard is pretty wild and, probably according to the neighbors, unkempt. Our dog has dug up a few spots, and the squirrels routinely create small excavations in the lawn where they either […]
These nice days are really scaring me. It’s spring in Colorado, but we still have plenty of chances for big snow or freezing temperatures. Sure, the bulbs are up, and buds are showing on the shrubs, and we’ve been able to leave the back door open in the afternoons. The dog and cats appreciate the […]
It’s spring in Colorado, so that means we should be prepared for any weather conceivable. We noticed buds on some of our flowering shrubs today. The vivid yellow crocus blooms are up in the flower beds and violets are peeking shyly through the lawn. There are still patches of snow in the shaded areas, left […]
I have seen a number of articles lately about converting our grassy lawns to insect-friendly gardens replete with flowering shrubs and exotic ground covers. I like the idea, but have struggled with how to implement it. I like having a lawn that opens up the lot and highlights the beds around the outside and facilitates […]
Writes of Nature 