Go outdoors and enjoy! More information about these and other September natural events.

“Moon When Deer Paw the Earth” is how the Lakota describe September’s full moon;” the Cree call it “Snow Goose Moon;” and the Arapaho call it “Drying Grass Moon.”

Aspen reach their full glory by the third or fourth week. Wild rose, sumac, poison ivy, and other understory plants turn crimson, scarlet, orange, and yellow.

Wild plums, grapes, and “escaped” apples ripen, providing food for hungry black bears, porcupines, and foxes. Coyotes sometimes scale apple trees in the Boulder Mountain Park.

Arctic and blue gentians bloom in the mountains; sunflowers brighten roadsides; and dazzling ten-petal eveningstars unfurl at sunset on foothill shales north of Boulder.

Ladybugs may aggregate in the hundreds of thousands on mountain peaks, where they crawl under the bark of conifers to pass the winter. Check out the summit of Green Mountain. Monarch Butterflies start on their long migration to Michocan, Mexico. Look for them around milkweed patches.

Hawk migration peaks by the end of the month. Eagles, hawks, falcons, harriers, and vultures ride thermal updrafts south along the Dakota Hogback, where the mountains meet the plains.

Sage thrashers, pinyon jays, and other uncommon migrants move through. Doudy Draw, just south of Boulder, is a good place to look for them.

Mule deer bucks begin to lose velvet from their antlers and start playful sparring. Elk start bugling in the high country and continue through late October. Alpine elk herds begin their migration down to the foothills and plains.

Autumn equinox and the Harvest Moon occur just a few hours apart this year. The autumn equinox, when the sun is directly over the equator and day and night lengths are approximately equal all over the earth, occurs on September 22 at 9:09 p.m.; the harvest moon is officially full on September 23 at 2:17 a.m. On average, the moon rises 50 minutes later each night throughout the year. But around the autumn equinox, the Earth’s tilt relative to the orbit of the moon, means that the moon rises only 25 minutes later each evening, giving farmers more light to harvest their crops.

Go outdoors and enjoy! More information about these and other August natural events.

Ripe chokecherries in Sunshine Canyon, Boulder County

“Black Cherries Ripening” was how the Lakota, and Cheyenne knew the month we call August. It was “Corn in Silk” to the Ponca, and “Month of Joyful”  to the Hopi.

The tundra takes on an autumnal hue by mid-month. The rosettes of big-rooted spring beauties turn translucent red even as the plant’s white and pink flowers continue to bloom. King’s crown and rose crown also bloom, as their leaves turn to rubies. By late August and early September a mosaic of reds, oranges, and yellows unfolds like a magic carpet across the high ridges.

Rare Ute Lady’s tresses (Spiranthese diluvialis) bloom in a few wet meadows near town, and the more common plain lady’s tresses (S. romanzoffiana) and bog orchids bloom in subalpine meadows. Blue chicory (non-native) blooms along roadsides; and various blue gentian species bloom in the mountains.

Wild blueberries, raspberries, wintergreen berries, currants, and chokecherries ripen. Check these wild fruit stands for robins, towhees, gray catbirds, black-headed grosbeaks, and waxwings.

Butterflies from the south made a mini-invasion into the state this year to the surprise and delight of butterfly-watchers. Watch for pipevine swallowtails, Mexican yellows, white-angled-sulphurs, and sleepy oranges–all unusual visitors. Read more about Southern butterflies in Boulder County.

Mosquitoes still abound and bite in spite of increasing numbers of bats, nighthawks, swallows, and dragonflies.

Fall bird migration swells. Mountain chickadees, pine siskins, and nuthatches begin their vertical migration to lower elevations. Rufous hummingbirds engage in fierce battles as they pause at feeders and flowers. Broad-tailed, Calliope, and a few uncommon hummers join the feeding frenzy. Shorebirds arrive at lakes and ponds on the plains.

Mushrooms proliferate if the monsoon rains arrive at the right time. Right now red and orange Russulas (pretty but most are toxic) ornament the forest floor in the mountains, and we hope to find the delectable  Boletus edulis soon in spruce/fir forests.

Painted turtle hatchlings dig out of their sandy nests and head for nearby water.

A pika checks out his world. Photo by Stephen Jones.

Colorado chipmunks, born late in May or June, appear above ground. Elk bulls and deer bucks scrape velvet from antlers, and fawns begin to lose their spots and gawkiness. Black bears, tempted by the ripening wild fruits, become more active in foothills canyons. Pikas make hay piles on the tundra. while marmots laze in the sun.

The Perseid meteor shower peaks August 12-13, and this year moonlight will not interfere. If you get away from the city lights and look to the north, you may see as many as 60 meteors per hour.

Endangered Wildlife Series

Author: Lisa Rhodes

Media: Paperback

Price: $3.95

ISBN: 978-0-87108-956-4

Pages: 32  Size: 8.5 x 11

Learn about some of the endangered animals found in the Mountain West region of the United States as you color your way through this book. Some of these animals are common, like the grizzly bear and the gray wolf. Others are more unfamiliar, such as the black-footed ferret and the southwestern willow flycatcher. Games and puzzles add to the fun.

About the Author

Lisa Rhodes lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Mountain Press.

Endangered Wildlife Series

Author: Lisa Rhodes

Media: Paperback

Price: $3.95

ISBN: 978-0-87108-953-3

Pages: 32  Size: 8.5 x 11

Discover some very strange and uncommon animals like the aye-aye, the tiny ring-tailed lemur, and the addax. Uncover some fascinating birds such as the pink pigeon. Find out what bird is the largest of all living birds and also the fastest on land. And, take a closer look at some common and well known animals such as the giraffe, rhinoceros, and cheetah.

As you color your way through this Endangered Wildlife Series book, learn how these magnificent and incredible creatures struggle for survival and the importance of keeping them alive on this beautiful continent of Africa.

Games and puzzles add to the fun.

About the Author

Lisa Rhodes lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Mountain Press

Discover the Great Outdoors

Author: Mary Pruett

Media: Paperback

Price: $3.95

ISBN: 978-0-87108-957-1

Pages: 32  Size: 8.5 x 11

A coloring book for children aged 4 to 8 years. Colorful and enjoyable birds abound in the West. Their visits are a welcome sight. Western birds may nest near the water’s edge, high in the mountains, tucked in a tree, or down on the ground. This book gives brief descriptions to help you observe their size, shape, color and habitat. Games and puzzles add to the fun.

About the Author

Mary Pruett is the leader of the pack at Pruett Publishing Company. She lives in Boulder with her husband, Jim Pruett, and daughter, Jamie. Her first child, Alysa Dearborn, has made her a grandmother.

Other coloring books by Mary Pruett:
Color the Wildflowers of the Rockies
Color the Wild Rockies

Purchase from Mountain Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Ghosts, Gases, & Goblins of Colorado

Author: MaryJoy Martin

Media: Paperback

Price: $16.95

ISBN: 0-87108-954-8; 978-0-87108-954-0

Pages: 208  Size: 6 x 9

Colorado enjoys a rich, vibrant, and sometimes spooky history. Numbers of prospectors began to comb the Colorado ranges of the Rocky Mountains during the late 1850s. These unsuspecting folks and the others who followed weren’t prepared for the treacherous and often dangerous conditions of the untamed high country nor the unpredictable plains, making for some very exciting, very difficult times.

Though the history books do their best at sharing the stories of these fortune seekers, and the rich legends of the native people who inhabited the land long before dreams of striking it rich out West—it’s always best to go straight to the source. And Colorado towns are brimming with spectral storytellers just waiting to tell their tale.

In this revised edition of Twilight Dwellers, you will encounter many new visions and voices from beyond the grave. MaryJoy Martin has conjured four new chapters to add to her collection of ghost stories that will be sure to make your spine tingle.

About the Author

MaryJoy Martin—author, artist, composer and student of Victorian Colorado—lives in Montrose, Colorado. Known to some as the Ghost Lady of Central City, she writes for the San Juan Horseshoe and is author of Something in the Wind.

Could you recommend Discover Colorado?

We would like to include recommendations from teachers in our marketing efforts for Discover Colorado. What would you tell your peers about this book?

Go outdoors and enjoy! More information about these and other July natural events.

Read Ruth Carol Cushman and Stephen Jones’s Nature Almanac column in the Daily Camera “Get Out” section each month.

Old man of the mountain is blooming now on Arapahoe Pass

Harrier Independence Day

Three young northern harriers fledged from their nest in the wetlands west of Boulder Reservoir on July 4. This is only the second successful northern harrier nest reported in Boulder County since 2004. Kudos to Mark and Sue Ponsor for finding the young!

Other July Happenings

Rosy paintbrush, elephantella, and Parry’s primrose bloom in alpine meadows. Colorado columbines flourish in montane forests. Common sunflowers begin to bloom on the plains.  (see pp. 99-104).

Butterfly populations peak. The North American Fourth of July Butterfly Count is held during the first week of the month. To participate visit the North American Butterfly Association web site, www.naba.org.

Rufous hummingbirds appear at feeders. They’re completing an elliptical migration that takes them up the Pacific Coast in spring and down the spine of the Rockies in late summer. Along the way, they stake out and defend foraging territories containing nectar sources. Broad-tailed hummingbirds that have nested in the foothills and mountains move down to urban gardens and feeders. A few migrating calliope hummingbirds also appear on the plains.

Golden eagle young fledge from cliff nests in the foothills and mountains, while bald eagle young fledge from tree nests on the plains. The young will stay with their parents for at least a year and not reach breeding age for another four years (see pp. 55 and 57).

Ptarmigan chicks, under parental supervision, hunt for insects in the alpine tundra. You can find these elusive and exquisitely camouflaged birds on Mount Audubon, South Arapaho Peak, and Niwot Ridge.

Toward the end of the month, as many as 1,000 south-migrating Franklin’s gulls may gather at Boulder Reservoir. Some shorebirds appear as well. Many of these early migrants are failed breeders (see pp. 50-53).

Pikas start working on hay piles and continue until snow covers the ground. If you sit by a rock pile above tree-line, you can watch them dashing around with mouthfuls of grass and wildflowers (see pp. 77-78).

Mountain lion kittens are born throughout the year, but the birth rate peaks in July. The kittens huddle in a shallow scrape while their mother wanders off for 24 hours or more to find prey (see p. 24).

Authors Ruth Carol Cushman and Steve Jones will talk about and sign copies of their new book, Wild Boulder County, on Monday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. at Boulder Bookstore.

Boulder Bookstore is located on the Pearl Street Mall, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder, Colorado. If you would like an autographed copy, but cannot attend the book signing, call the bookstore at 303-447-2074, and they will have a book signed for you.

Ruth Carol Cushman and Stephen R. Jones have observed the wildlife and wildflowers of Boulder County for more than 40 years, reveling in the flow of seasons. They are the authors of The Shortgrass Prairie, The North American Prairie, Boulder County Nature Almanac (with Jim Knopf), and Colorado Nature Almanac. Steve also wrote The Last Prairie and Owls of Boulder County. Ruth Carol co-authored Boulder Hiking Trails with her husband Glenn Cushman.

If you’ve ever wondered what to do on a pewter gray November day, where to search for ptarmigan in winter or the first orchids of spring, or when to listen for bugling elk and trumpeting sandhill cranes, this is the book for you. Discover the wonders and joys of nature by tracking these seasonal occurrences, and knowing when and where to look for them. Wild Boulder County reveals the magic that surrounds us and opens new pathways into the natural world.

Join Ruth Carol and Steve as they talk about how their current book about the wonders of Boulder County came to be.