Crane's bill (Erodiun cicutarium)

Common mallow (Malva neglecta)

Flixweed (Descurainia sophia)

We took the dogs to the Chatfield State Park dog ponds this afternoon. I didn't see a lot of new plants, but we had the following in full bloom: golden banner (Thermopsis divaricarpa), golden currant (Ribes aureum), chokecherry (Padus virginiana), common mallow (Malva neglecta), flixweed (Descurainia sophia), camomile (Anthemis cotula), crane's bill (Erodium cicutarium) (with elongated seed heads) and a sedge that I need to key out.

Cheatgrass

Purple mustard

We took a walk this morning and noticed the cheatgrass (Anisantha tectorum) has taken off with a vengeance this past week. It's certainly living up to its name by taking off early and cheating our later blooming native plants out of the moisture and nutrients they need.

Another common weedy species is purple mustard (Chorispora tenella). It now has set its seed pods so it won't be long before this plant spills its seed everywhere, guaranteeing its survival for another year.

Wax currant (Ribes cereum)

We took a quick run to Rattlesnake Ridge early this morning and saw wax currant had begun blooming along with golden banner, musineon, and an alyssum.

Drummond's milkvetch (Astragalus shortianus)

Saturday morning at the dog park on Green Mountain is where we found musineon again, plus 4 different vetches: American vetch (Vicia americana), Drummond's milk vetch (Astragalus drummondii), early purple milkvetch (Astragalus shortianus), and probable groundplum (Astragalus crassicarpus).

Musineon divaricatum

This afternoon we saw musineon in bloom at Rattlesnake ridge.

Golden currant (Ribes aureum)

Chokecherry (Padus virginiana)

An after work walk to Harriman Lake produced golden currant and chokecherry blooming on the south of the lake in the field. Also saw white pelicans on the lake.

Reynold's Ranch Hike



Saturday 14 April 2012-Reynold's Ranch Open Space-Elkhorn Trail. I found white top/hoary cress (Cardaria sp.), an unidentified cinquefoil, lots of pasque flowers,  early blue violet (Viola adunca), and junipers in full bloom. Both common juniper (Juniper communis) and Rocky mountain juniper (Sabina scopulorum) were sporting their blue cones.

Easter Sunday

Golden banner (Thermopsis divaricarpa)

 

The golden banner and plum are blooming in the neighborhood this week. Numerous "weeds" are also flowering-dandelion, purple mustard, (Chorispora tenella) and redstem filaree/crane's bill (Erodium cicutarium).

April Fool's Day 2012



Today we hiked Lair O the Bear park near Idledale, CO. It's been a warm spring, so I was expecting a lot of flowers to be in bloom, but was a bit disappointed. After Lair O the Bear, we stopped at Mt. Falcon to see if anything was happening there. At Lair, we saw spring beauty, pasque flowers, candytuft, and Oregon grape in full bloom. Mt. Falcon produced biscuit root, Nuttal violet, Easter daisy, and more spring beauty and Oregon grape.