We often use the term “watershed”, but what exactly is a watershed?

Happy International Mountain Day! To celebrate let’s recognize some of our alpine residents.

No matter how long you have lived in the Estes Valley, you soon realize how different each day is.

Let’s talk turkey. Turkey has long been on the dinner menu. Turkeys are native to North America and were domesticated by the Aztecs over 2000 years ago. Spanish explorers then brought turkeys to Europe in 1529. They became an instant hit and their popularity spread throughout the continent. The pilgrims brought turkeys with them on the Mayflower to the New World only to find they were already there!

Pictured here is another example of “facultative mutualism” you may see in the Estes Valley - the pairing of a Black-billed magpie and a Mule deer (or often an elk).

Interspecies relationships are always interesting. For example, skunks and foxes hunt together in a mutualistic relationship.

When I’m seeking solace, I hit the trails. As the Estes Valley’s most famous naturalist put it “The trail compels you to know yourself and to be yourself, and puts you in harmony with the universe.

“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” We all know a back rub feels good. For Mule deer grooming has physical and social benefits and starts the day they are born.

What do all of these birds have in common? They can all be found at Lake Estes and all can get caught up in fishing line. Fishing line is meant to be strong and nearly invisible. Often it also includes hooks, weights, or bobbers. Inevitably it can get caught up in rocks, branches, trees, and bushes. Whether you are a diver, dabbler, or song bird this can be a huge hazard.

If it seems like the elk rut has been subdued this year, it is not your imagination. Denver recorded its hottest September on record this year and that heat extended to the Estes Valley. Elk have a number of physical and behavioral adaptations to deal with the heat. On the physical side, elk sweat to cool by evaporation and pant to expel hot air. Behaviorally, they are masters of their environment. They use microclimates to their fullest extent. Elk may move up in elevation to find cooler air, head to the trees for shade, bed down in a damp meadow, or even take a dip in a lake or river. The most important adaptation, however, is to shift and reduce activity. Elk tend to be lethargic in the heat and shift activity until temperatures cool off late in the day and through the night.

Do you have trouble sleeping or wake up with a high pitched squealing in your ears? You may be suffering from Elk Fever. Symptoms may vary but Elk Fever is running wild through the Estes Valley. All residents and visitors have likely been exposed. If you have any of the following symptoms you may have Elk Fever. Immediately stopping whatever you were doing upon sight of an elk, inability to judge distance or calculate risk, dress in camouflage for weeks on end, urge to selfie with an elk, buying elk tee shirt or apparel, desire to pet or ride an elk, otherwise drawn to elk, and mesmerized by sound of their bugle and clanking of antlers. If you are displaying any of these symptoms, precaution should include not driving or operating heavy machinery, and keeping a safe distance from elk. There is no known cure for Elk Fever, but fortunately, this condition usually runs its course by the end of October and the conclusion of the elk rut.

Needles are not the only long lasting pine product of coniferous trees. Pine cones not only take a long time to decompose, but also take a long time to develop. Pollen and ovulate cones form near the ends of new growth in the spring. By fall, the spent pollen cones have dropped off the tree while ovulate cones, if fertilized, begin to transition into a pine cone. Still small in stature, they loose their bright color becoming green to woody brown for the winter. The following year those young cones will grow rapidly in size and mature by the second fall. Many cones open on their own and seeds are dispersed by the wind. Others, such as Lodgepole pines, require a heat source such as fire to break down the resin of the cone allowing it to open. As you can imagine, a lot can happen over a two year time span. Many cones do not survive to maturity and so we have bad mast years and good. This seems to be a low production year for Ponderosa cones in the Estes Valley as I have seen very few new cones. Don’t be deceived, however. Even old cones can stay up in trees for many years so a tree will continue to drop cones in good years and bad.

Have you ever wondered why the Three-toed woodpecker only has three toes? Most birds have four toes with three pointing forward and one pointing back. Woodpeckers (as well as parrots, owls, and Osprey) have zygodactyl feet, however, meaning they have two toes pointing forward and two pointing back. This is great for gripping, in the case of the parrot, owl, and Osprey, as well as standing on vertical surfaces in the case of woodpeckers so they are able to inflict strong forces into the hard wood of a tree with their bill. Not all the woodpecker’s toes are in a fixed position and you will often see an outer toe rotated to the side and the small inner toe tucked under the foot.

In a previous post we talked about Aspen trees. This week it's mushrooms. While Aspen trees are members of the plant kingdom and mushrooms fungi, they are both deceptively among the largest living organisms in the world. What we see above ground is just the tip of the iceberg. Many Aspen groves are made up of trees sprouting from a vast, single root system called a clone. In some cases it can cover hundreds of acres. While Aspen trees rarely live over 100 years, the grove, or clone, can be thousands of years old. Mushrooms are much like that Aspen tree. They are the fruit of fungi and the only visible portion.

If it seems like bears have been more active lately, it is not your imagination. Bears are now in a state of hyperphagia, meaning they have an insatiable hunger. Since bears can lose up to 30% of their body weight during hibernation they must gain all this back before winter. For example, a 150 pound bear going into hibernation may come out of hibernation at only 100 pounds. That means he/she must gain back 50 pounds before going into hibernation again. Additionally, that weight must be all fat. Bears use water from the metabolization of fat to stay hydrated.

On a recent run I paused at a curve in the trail to look for a favorite Pine squirrel. Looking down, I noticed two bright yellow eyes staring back at me. Although I had never seen one in person before, I quickly recognized it as a Saw-whet owl. I have heard their “too, too, too” calls before at night, so I knew they were Estes Valley residents.

It seems like Lazuli Buntings have been a little more common this year. These beautiful birds have a finch-like appearance but are more closely related to cardinals and grosbeaks. Males feature a distinctive blue with white belly, orange chest and black mask. Females are a more subdued light brown with a slight blue tinge and pale chest and wing bars. Lazuli Buntings thrive in burnt areas as well as shrubby hillsides and along streams. They forage in the understory looking for caterpillars, ants, beetles, and other bugs as well as berries and seeds.

Last week we celebrated National Moth Week with a look at the day-active Police Car moth. This week we look at a flower that evolved with night flying moths in mind. During the day Smoothstem Blazingstar, Mentzelia laevicaulis, is easy to ignore with its long jagged leaves reminiscent of a thistle. This Blazingstar is also known as Stickleaf due to the stiff hairs on the leaves that give them a rough texture that can easily stick to clothes.

The last full week of July marks National Moth Week. Most moths are nocturnal. We often see them fluttering around lights at night. (Many moths use far off light source such as the moon to orient flight at night. When a moth encounters a close light source such as a porch light they can become confused and fly erratically). Members of the tiger moth family are diurnal, however, and can be seen feeding during the day.

Have you ever noticed a suspicious white blob on the side of tree? This is an organism that moves through the environment, but isn’t an animal. It has the ability to learn, but has no brain. It detects light, but has no eyes. Despite its name it is not a fungus or plant. This is a reticularia lycoperdon, or the “False Puffball” slime mold. Slime molds are interesting organisms that don’t fall into the animal, plant, or fungi classification. Most slime molds are microscopic so cannot be seen by the naked eye. False Puffballs, however, belong to the Plasmodail slime molds which can be quite large.