Debi Boucher - "Realtor Showcase" Real Estate Photography/Virtual Tours

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

We have had some seriously cold weather the past week or two. Currently, (according to the Weather Channel), the temperature in Colorado Springs, (about 6500 feet in elevation), is 4 degrees below zero, windchill of 17 below. Of course, here in Woodland Park, at an elevation of about 8400, it is colder, 10 below zero, windchill a balmy 33 below.

The last time we had weather this cold was in the early 1900's.

I didn't sign up for this....LOL

However, the cold weather does make for some interesting photos, as long as you are willing to go out in it!

Fountain Creek runs down Ute Pass on US Hwy 24, thru Manitou Springs and down into Colorado Springs. I took a ride to where the creek is just above Manitou, and stopped at a pull out to get these shots.

Do you know how hard it is to shoot with big wooly gloves on?

Or how long it takes to get frost bite if you don't wear them?

Check out this chart from the Weather Channel, and stay safe!

You could make a ton of margaritas with this...

Lost Creek Wilderness Area - Colorado

Designated as wilderness in 1980, the Lost Creek Wilderness Area includes almost 120,000 acres of forest, river, and incredible rock formations amid the Tarryall, Platte River and Kenosha mountain ranges in the heart of Colorado. Running through the middle of this magnificence, is the 35 mile long Tarryall Valley.

The area was settled by miners and ranchers, drawn by beauty and hope for success, their future was carved out of this immense landscape. The valley is dotted with evidence of their time here, abandoned buildings telling the stories of the rough and rugged few who called this home.

The Wilderness is a favorite of backpackers, mountain and rock climbers, fisherman, and photographers. Wildlife is abundant here and one might see black bear, mule deer, mountain lion, golden eagles, and elk. It is one of the best spots for viewing bighorn sheep, although I wasn't lucky enough to see any on this trip.

No! I don't mean Virgo, you September babies! Thought it was a typo, didn't you? LOL

No, this post is about Virga which is a weather phenomenon we often see, sometimes as a spectacular display. I was on the Eastern plains of Colorado recently, and was completely taken by the clouds that formed on the horizon. The day started out clear and sunny, and changed as the afternoon wore on.

I live in the mountains, so I have to leave my community to get out further east to enjoy the big skies of Colorado. It's worth the drive!

VIRGA

Streaks or wisps of precipitation, such as water or ice particles, that fall from clouds but evaporate before reaching the ground. From a distance, the event sometimes may be mistaken for a funnel cloud or tornado. Typically, it may fall from altocumulus, altostratus, or high based cumuonimbus.

Virga, also known as 'fallstreaks", is Latin for the word 'broom', and often looks like a wispy torn curtain hanging from the bottom of a cloud.

I might have been a storm chaser in another life....

Anyone know how if that pays? LOL

This is the image most of us conjure up when we think of a wolf. An evil beast that howls at the moon in the night, amber eyes watching from the woods, sending chills down our spines.

But, unlike humans, wolves kill only to eat. Wolves in the wild are afraid of us, and will do everything they can to keep their distance.

From the Yellowstone Insider...during the 100 years of the 20th century there were between twenty and thirty attacks in North America (including Alaska and Canada, which have relatively high populations of wolves). Of these, three were fatal, all because of rabies. No attacks have been recorded in Yellowstone since the reintroduction of wolves more than a decade ago. For comparison, during the 20th century there have been 71 fatal grizzly (brown) bear attacks in North America. Each year in the United States, 16-18 people die from dog attacks.

The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation

There is a place in Guffey, Colorado that is a sanctuary for abused and abandoned wolves. The Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation , a non-profit 501 3C, was started by Mark Johnson in 2001. It sits just outside the eclectic town of Guffey, on 35 acres that was donated for 'life' by caring neighbors.

I had the privelege of visiting there this past Sunday, and the experience was one I'll never forget! To see why, click here - (seriously, you've GOT to see this!)

I Was A Chew Toy For Wolves

Mark provides 'sanctuary, rehabilitation and and environmentally natural housing for captive-born wolves and wolfdogs who have suffered from injuries, neglect and abuse'. The Foundation's Mission Statement is:

"Encourage an interest in and understanding of wolves by providing opportunities for people of all ages to interact with wolves, to learn about wolves and living safely with wildlife, and to understand the important role we humans have in the continual survival of wolf populations".

There are four wolf pups at the Foundation, three of which are Ambassadors. Mark welcomes visitors to come and interact with the pups, takes them out on 'field trips' to schools, organizations, and other events to help promote a better understanding of the wolves and our need to develop a better understanding of the role we humans have in the survival of wolf populations.

A visit here will help you to better understand why wolves are not a good idea for a pet, and their plight at the hands of many of those who discover this the hard way. The tales Mark tells of the abuse many of these animals have suffered would break your heart.

The Foundation is open to the public by appointment for tours, and gladly accepts donations for the upkeep of these beautiful animals. You don't have to visit to help. You can go here, to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation website to learn more about how to be a part of the solution.

Excuse me? Uh.... What's the story with the boot?

LOL

Ladybug! Ladybug!

Fly away home.

Your house is on fire.

And your children all gone.

All except one,

And that's little Ann,

For she crept under

The frying pan.

Britain, c.1744

In Medieval England farmers would set torches to the old hop (used in
flavoring beer) vines after the harvest in order to clear the fields
for the next planting. This poem was sung as a warning to the ladybugs
that were still crawling on the vines in search of aphids. The
ladybugs' children (larvae) could get away from the flames, but the
pupae, referred to as "Nan" in some versions, were fastened to the
plants and thus could not escape.

From: Copyright © 2004 Sharon Birnbaum About Ladybugs

LADYBUG FACTS

Convergent Ladybugs, properly know as lady beetles, feed on aphids in the Colorado plains in the spring and summer, making them very popular with farmers and gardeners. In the fall, when there are no longer enough aphids to feed on, they migrate to the mountains by the millions and go into a condition called 'diapause', where they stop reproduction and slow their metabolism. There are more than 80 species of ladybugs in Colorado, but the convergent ladybug is the only one that 'heads for the hills' in the fall, where they burrow under leaves, and find hiding places in logs and such places to spend the winter. In the spring, they return to the lowlands and the cycle begins again. This year, a more than average abundance of ladybugs have been noted in Colorado and other states.

The proper name for ladybugs is ladybeetle, or, in Latin, coccinellid.

A ladybeetle's life span is one year.

A ladybeetle larvae can eat 150 aphids a day. Adults eat up to 50.

Photos taken in Mueller State Park, Colorado September 27, 2009