tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51279411798318464322008-11-07T17:13:53.307-07:00Rim Country Land Institutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02685756477840034063noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-21740923844772771532008-11-07T16:12:00.003-07:002008-11-07T17:13:53.319-07:00

Appropriately, after the fire, water seems to be the predominant theme of the land in the last few weeks. Even after the snow melted, enough rain has fallen to keep things really moist. The tinajas* and bird-bath sized potholes have been almost continuously full of water. This is good news for the prairie dogs, who are in the midst of storing up fat for the winter (and have grown quite large

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-25950113893196338762008-10-20T16:03:00.004-06:002008-10-20T16:22:25.406-06:00

Snow! Almost two feet! And a few drops of rain, all adding up to about 1/2" of moisture for the prairie in October. The pine trees fared just fine, though the softened soil at the edges of rims caused a few to fall. The sumac bushes did less well. Their shoots and branches are stooped from the snow, though the weight has melted away now. The chokecherries and other bushes have suffered some

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-33627596510961677012008-09-19T14:37:00.002-06:002008-09-19T14:52:38.562-06:00

It's been almost two months now since the fire, and the changes between now and then are startling. Deep-rooted bunchgrasses are re-sprouting in the flat at the bottom of the canyon, joined by new prickly pear leaves and pincushion cacti pushing up between the charred grasses. Spring and fall are almost in eclipse--the oranges and reds of burned pine needles, changing colors of broad leaves,

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-91542417942885989832008-08-21T12:28:00.002-06:002008-08-21T12:42:56.320-06:00

Three pronghorn, a buck and two does, were roaming around just East of the barn this week, and six mule deer were spotted, as well. Four of the deer, including a fawn, were browsing in the canyon, and two bucks made their way up to the rim on the North side. The gayfeather and curlycup gumweed are blooming, and the Rocky Mountain beeplant continues to attract lots of insects. Most of the

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-45163073690225063072008-08-21T12:11:00.002-06:002008-08-21T12:27:58.465-06:00

Only three weeks after the fire, the view has already changed. Pine needles are now scattered across the black earth like a rust-colored net, and green leaves are sprouting even in the middle of August. Many of the new plants are more than three inches high, and are growing out of the middle of white ash rings left by burned sumac. Overall, the fire looks to have been a relatively healthy one

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-6396087127765245632008-07-31T17:37:00.003-06:002008-07-31T18:13:02.657-06:00

After a wet spring and a few dry weeks of July, a lightning storm ignited land on the state section. A quick rainstorm caused the fire to smolder until last Wednesday morning, when it took off and eventually burned 700 acres in the two Easternmost sections. Most of the canyon, from just past the windmill out to the mouth of the main drainage, was burned, as was much of the adjacent grassy

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-87214857145151201162008-07-17T18:15:00.002-06:002008-07-24T21:25:30.581-06:00

A patch of prairie coneflowers has been greeting visitors as they come in the gate, and the rocky mountain beeplants are still attracting plenty of their insect namesake with flamboyant purple blooms. Scarlet gaura, yarrow, scurfpea, and white prairie clover are still attracting pollinators of their own. A big bull snake has been seen slithering around the barn for the last month, likely

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-12108632156004389752008-07-17T17:05:00.002-06:002008-07-17T17:55:10.858-06:00

Both a fawn mule deer and a fawn elk were spotted this week in the Cove Creek canyons. The fawn deer was high-hopping across the rocks as its mother watched from above. Fresh elk tracks could be seen along trails at the base of the canyons, as well. And while most animals choose to wander over or around or even under the rocks, this week a bird's nest was found inside of a rock (see photo).

Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06334712661489263036noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-18957972211391558542008-07-01T08:28:00.000-06:002008-07-02T08:31:19.918-06:00

Welcome to the land blog! Many of our program participants, visitors, and friends have asked about what is happening at the place that means so much to us all. We have decided to create this virtual space to help connect people with the natural space of Cove Canyon. Check it out for updates on the flora, fauna, and ecosystem developments that make up the life of our prairie. If you have

Conrad Flynnnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5127941179831846432.post-82424070754627151432008-06-25T08:31:00.002-06:002008-07-02T08:42:59.013-06:00

A prairie-friendly combination of a few weeks of seasonally warm weather after a cool, wet June have pushed dozens of species of flowers into bloom. This week, midsummer blossoms are showing their colors through the grasses. Scurfpea, Sego Lilies, and Western Wallflower have all been spotted in the grass, as has been the more subtle Downy Paintbrush and Prickly Pear flowers. A crop of

Conrad Flynnnoreply@blogger.com0