If you have been watching the elk rut, undoubtedly you have seen this expression. What may look like a snarl or possibly a pucker is actually the flehmen response, meaning “to curl the upper lip” or “to bare the upper teeth.” In this case, the bull elk inhales with his nostrils closed and upper lip curled up in order to expose his vomeronasal organ (also known as Jacobson’s organ or VNO) located in his palate or roof of his mouth. The VNO functions as a secondary organ of smell.

For Mule deer of the Estes Valley, September marks the changing of the guard — guard hair that is. Gone is the reddish-brown summer coat and in comes winter’s grey. While color is important in thermal regulation (red is more reflective, while grey absorbs heat) the two coats vary in other ways, too.

EVWC was created in the wake of the 2013 floods, and has now been working for an entire decade to mitigate their effects and bolster the resilience of our watershed.

EVWC continues to coordinate volunteer groups to help clean up fishing line and other debris which poses a hazard to our water, forests, and wildlife.

For us humans, Labor Day marks the end of summer - a time to play or cram in as much summer as possible before the cold sets in. In the animal world, rather than a day on the calendar, they rely on the sun. Diminishing daylight tells them that the seasons are changing and it is time to get serious about preparing for season ahead. For some that means taking advantage of the bounty of fruit and seeds. For others it’s time to get down to the business of creating the next generation.

Smile for the camera! The Spotted pine sawyer is one of the most easily recognizable beetles in the Estes Valley. It’s long antennae and powerful jaws set it apart. As pine beetles, they are often attributed to killing trees. In reality, Pine sawyers mostly feed on already dead or dying trees, often following fires and mountain pine beetle outbreaks.

There is a whole lot of buzz around the Estes Valley these days. Bees are busy, flies are flying, and wasps are…..wasping? Telling one from another can often be confusing.

ach week I often wonder what I will write about. A few days ago, while working in the yard, a swarm of Yellowjackets said “Don’t forget about us!” Yellowjackets have an interesting life cycle.

EVWC recently coordinated two large groups of volunteers to help with the ongoing restoration efforts at Fish Creek.

What’s in a name? Strawberry blite, Strawberry spinach, Strawberry goosefoot, Blite goosefoot, Indian paint, Indian ink, and Beetberry. All these are common names are for a single plant and many are descriptive and indicative of its many uses.

Birth of a forest. I find the successional process after a wildfire fascinating. As many of you may remember, in October of 2020, the East Troublesome fire roared through the old growth forest of Fern and Spruce Canyons. Parts of the areas hadn’t seen significant fire for hundreds of years and the results were shocking.

Last week we looked at many of the wildflowers that have been thriving in the Estes Valley with our rainy weather. We are not alone in enjoying these flowers. A wide array of pollinators appreciate them, too.

While the weather may have put a damper on last night’s fireworks, the moisture has been a boon for wildflowers in the Estes Valley. Here are just a few that you can find blooming right now.

100 years ago both Grizzly and Black bears roamed the Estes Valley. In fact, Grizzly bears could be found throughout Colorado and even well into the western plains states and south into Mexico. Now Grizzlies are relegated to the Northern Rocky states and Canada.

Happy first day of summer! Thanks to our recent rains we are off to a banner wildflower season. I am sure you have seen meadows full of irises, wallflowers, Penstemons, and especially Golden banner.

Bare footing in the park, or should we say “bear footing”. Bear tracks are a pretty rare sight in the Estes Valley for several reasons.

Looking for a plus side to all this rainy weather? This could be a banner year for wildflowers in the Estes Valley. One particular beauty that thrives in shady, damp coniferous forests is the rare Calypso Orchid, also known as the Fairy Slipper Orchid.

June is the time that the newest generation of elk, deer, and bighorn sheep appear in the Estes Valley. During their first few weeks, these young ones are in their most vulnerable state until they gain the strength and speed needed to elude predators. Prior to giving birth each mother will leave her herd for a secluded spot.

It is elk calving season once again here in the Estes Valley. Have you ever wondered what makes this such a special place to give birth?

This week’s featured bird is the Osprey. The Osprey is found in many parts of the world. In North America, it breeds in the northern US and Canada and over-winters in Central and South America. There are also populations that breed in Europe and the Eurasian continent all the way to Japan that then over-winter in India and the southern half of the African continent.