Urban Gardening

Life begins the day you start a garden. ~Chinese Proverb

August provided a change of scenery for our little family, a move across town, a new garden to love.  As we settled into our new home in the Campus West community of Fort Collins, we were most excited about the little garden that gives.  Tomato plants brimming, basil, mint, and strawberries ready for harvest.  Truly it was a delight of the senses and a welcome surprise for two tired movers.  

The garden also provided us with flowers, butterflies, bees, and the sweet smell of herbs.  Last night I spent the afternoon dimming to dark as a Wilson Warbler fed on insects in the garden. We were fretting the move but this little garden has made the hard work worth it!  

There's a certain comfort that comes from eating food out of your own garden, making your own minty mojitos, and inviting friends over to share the bounty. Everyone should have a garden or at least a few plants.  I'm glad we've found a new home with a perfect garden space. 

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling. ~Mirabel Osler

Daisy Dog

Daisy is a sweet name and we are so lucky to have such a sweet pup.  She has a little tick-tock tail, just a stub but it shows so much joy.  Her muscled body allows her to jump to fairly decent heights and she runs circles in the backyard like its her job.  On her morning walk by Troutman Park, she pulls me towards Horsetooth Mountain with vigor but with a firm call, she looks at my shyly and slows down.  Her favorite place to be is Grand Lake, where at the cabin she roams the flowery meadows, runs full-speed down the dirt loop road, and jumps in the nearby stream.  She's a handful at times, as most shelter pups can be but I can't imagine life without her now.  Daisy, you are the sweetest flower.

NC Mountains

Mountain Laurel blooming in front of Looking Glass Rock on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For Memorial Day weekend I headed to North Carolina to spend some time with my Mom and our little dog Picabo.  It was great spending a few days in the mountain air with beautiful vistas.  Not only did I take a few nice hikes but I also found some killer birds like Ruffed Grouse and Common Raven.  I'll have some photos up later this weekend. 

Kindness

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
    Mahatma Gandhi

I used this quote today in a newsletter to my volunteers at work.  It was in memory of two very special Green Cay volunteers that passed away this year.  I thought I would share it with all of you. Have a great weekend and remember to to share the kindness of the world.

Duck Potato and Bees

Duck Potato, Sagittaria latifolia, is one of my favorite wetland plants. The edible tuber was used by Native Americans but mostly has been forgotten by people now. Luckily at Green Cay it is used by the bees and insects. I just love the pollen sacks on the bee above. It's springtime in South Florida and though I could live without the skyrocking humidity levels, I do enjoy the flowers.

I thought it interesting that ducks don't eat the tubers, though they eat the seeds. Other wetland animals do eat the "potato" such as muskrats and beavers. What I would give to see that!

Colorado Blue Skies

Boulder is a beautiful little town that packs a lot of punch. It has green spaces galore and the hikes around the town are not only fun but full of surprises. We left Emily's house for a hike downtown on one of our last days. Along the way we paused to watch House Finches collect nesting material and magpies hopping about the ground.

The first crocus of the season were blooming. I especially enjoyed the purple ones that seemed to dot the golden landscape. These flowers are a sign of spring but sometimes they come too early and hit a patch of snow. They must be hardy plants to survive these conditions. These were my first life crocus and ones I will never forget.

Once outside of the housing community our hike began to ascend upwards. I thought that the blue skies were made only more beautiful by the golds and browns of the land. The day was sunny but the little wind gusts kept us bundled up.

Aptly named Boulder, we saw many interesting rock formations. Also in the backdrop of the town are the Flat Irons which loom ominously to the west. I really loved the drastic differences of Colorado compared to my current state of Florida. It was hard to imagine that I left 80 degrees and balmy humidity for the beautiful, crisp Colorado air.

We hiked up the Goat Trail and let me tell you, this one has a perfect name. It wasn't too serious of a climb but it was definitly steep at times and rocky. Being a flatlander, it wasn't the easiest transition for breathing at these altitudes so we took it slow. It was well worth the view of Boulder and surrounding countryside once at the top.

The trail down was much easier and we stopped to watch Western Bluebirds flit around some small trees. We also had the whole jay trifecta: Black-billed Magpie, Stellar's Jay, & Western Scrub-jay all at one viewing.

One of the best parts of traveling is even the famaliar becomes exotic. I enjoyed the mountains, the birds, and even the large squirrels that Colorado had to offer. I promise this may have been my first visit but certainly not my last!

California Day 1: SF

After a delay in Atlanta I finally made it to San Francisco a day late but it was nice to walk out to the Pacific Ocean and find my first lifer of the trip, a Heermann's Gull mixed in with some Western Gulls. I only saw one or two here but I would see more as the days would advance.

Next we headed to the Golden Gate Recreational Area where there were more Heermann's Gulls. I enjoyed seeing my first California Poppy on the walkway down to the beach.

This is only my second trip to California and I must say the weather was much more cooperative. Last time in San Francisco I found it so cold but I was lucky to have blue skies shine through and the sun warm things up. There were plenty of Brewer's Blackbirds to watch up close. One man's junk bird is another person's treasure as they say.

Within only a couple hours of touchdown from flying I had my second lifer of the trip, a Black Turnstone. We watched a couple of them dodge and run the waves near this rocky outcropping. I see turnstones in such great number on the East Coast so it was nice to see one that looked a bit different. I will say that our eastern vareity is much prettier in color.

We spent some time wadering around the outcroppings and searching for birds or other sea life. Geraldine, my host, was very patient and allowed me to soak in the scenery. I know she had plans for us to hike around but sometimes the naturalist part of me wants to slow down and take in the details.

As we were walking around we found my first Western Scrub-Jay of the trip. This one was looking quite ragged and was molting. Mixed in with the jay was quite a few sparrows. Many of them hid right out of sight.

After sneaking a peek at the Golden Gate Bridge we decided to head into the city and have lunch. A Red-tailed Hawk soared above us as we left the park.

We spent some time in Dolores Park people watching and had some great Bi-Rite Creamery ice cream. After some walking and people gazing in the Castro we decided that it was time for Irish Coffee.

The Buena Vista Cafe is famous for its Irish Coffee. Geraldine and I both ordered one but I will say that I consumed the majority of both. I was a very happy camper after a few celebratory drinks. Two life birds in one day and a week's worth of adventures ahead makes for a very satisfying day.

Come back for more tales of California birds and wildlife!

Hiking in Zion

On our first full day in Zion National Park we decided that we would tackle the Angel's Landing Hike. It was a beautiful morning and luckily for us we found that it was National Parks week so the fee was waived to enter the park. We hit the trail head just over the Virgin River.

When we first got to Zion we were interested in two hikes, Angel's and the Narrows. The Narrows was closed due to the water levels so it made our decision very easy. The hike has over 21 switchbacks but if you take it easy it's actually not that hard of climb.

Along the way we encountered some wildlife like this lizard and the White-tailed Antelope Squirrel seen below. This is also where I saw my first lifer bird of the trip, a group of White-throated Swifts. These swifts would be along the trail all the way to the summit. They gave some spectacular aerial displays near Scout's Overlook.

At Scout's Overlook I decided to hang out while Geraldine made the summit. I didn't really like the idea of one little slip and falling to my death. So I found a nice shady spot and settled in to soak up the views and look for some birds.

I'm really glad I stayed behind because less than 15 minutes later a California Condor perched on the ledge directly in front of me. I was so excited that I spent the next 30 minutes taking photos and soaking in my much-loved lifer bird. Condors hold a very special place in my heart and seeing this one was like a dream come true.

To make the trip even better, two more condors joined the perched one and they sailed high into the air. I probably spent a total of almost an hour with the Zion Condor show. It was really a day to remember. Shortly after Geraldine joined me and we chatted about the condors. She also saw them flying by her but she didn't get the perched views.

After the Condors there wasn't much that could make my day better but we decided after luch to take another small hike to Weeping Rocks. There were so many beautiful small flowers there and a small waterfall.

The water literally seeps out of the rock and trickles down the next layer. The top layer of this are is permeable and once the next layer of rock comes the water has to seep out horizontally. This provides a very unique ecosystem.

While waiting for the shuttle bus at the Weeping Rock trail we explored the river bed for more birds. I picked up a few new ones for my life list including Virginia's Warbler and Gray Vireo.

When I was preparing for the trip I made a list of birds I could potentially see and the California Condor was at the top of the list but I didn't realize how easy it would be to find it. Even without the condors this day was full of many fun memories and one I will never forget. I figured this would be the high point of the trip but I was pleasantly surprised to find that each day brought new gifts. Come back to share in the trip.

On the road in Utah

Roadside flowers in Utah (anyone know the ID?)

Driving into Zion National Park

My first look at the canyon


There still was some snow capped mountains despite the warm weather.


The rocks were a beautiful red color that even tinted the road.



Our little rental car did just fine navigating the ups and downs in Zion.


The famous arch, a natural rock formation.

This was a little "window" in the tunnel at Zion.

The tunnel was dark and longer than I expected. They only allow one way traffic due to the small size of the road.

Zion is famous for it's variety in rock formations. They have so many different layers and types of stratification.

After driving from Las Vegas we took a nice spin through the park and then made a loop back to our hotel. We needed plenty of rest for our first full day of hiking in Zion.

These are called the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. They are located near Mt. Carmal Junction. We drove by them on our loop by to our hotel.