State Park Wildlife

So far this summer we have spent nearly 5 weeks in Colorado state parks and we have 3 weeks to go. Two of the parks, Chatfield and Cherry Creek, are in the city. Nevertheless, we have seen quite a bit of wildlife. Nothing dramatic but interesting for sure.

We have seen deer in each state park. These were crossing the road right behind our trailer yesterday.

We have seen great blue herons here at Cherry Creek and at St. Vrain.

Today we saw this egret.

This little cottontail rabbit came to watch John carve the other day.

This is the 3rd bull snake John has seen, a first for me this year. I know they are harmless but I don't like snakes of any kind or size. This one is pretty, though, isn't it?

Of course, we see Canada geese all over the place  in Colorado at this time of the year.  They are on both land and in the water.  They leave a real mess.

And these turkey buzzards  are seen all across the country.

Bears and elk and maybe a mountain lion would be good to see, but we are enjoying the animals we have seen in these state parks.

The Sights (not Ides) of March

March is the last month of the snowbird winter for many folks here in Arizona.  The weather is getting warmer and many people decide to begin their travels back to the north.  Never mind that there is a chance of snow today in both Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

During these last days of March it has been sunny and warm and many plants are blooming.  The ocotilla seems to have especially large blooms this year, even if we haven't had any rain since January.  Maybe a drip irrigation system it watering these plants.

Some large yucca plants produce tall flower stems.  Here are some buds. The photo below shows those buds opened, ready for pollination by birds and bees.

With all the warm weather, all sorts of interesting 2- and 3-wheeled vehicles are showing up.  Look at this two-seater.

The palo verde trees are in full bloom--beautiful until you have to clean up all the fallen flowers.

This great egret has been flying around the neighborhood the last couple of days. It's winter range includes southwestern Arizona and much of Mexico. It migrates through this area to it's summer range, mainly in the mid-west. Since the only water nearby is in in two golf course ponds, I imagine it will be leaving soon. But what a beautiful bird.