White-lined hovering moth

Sphinx moth caterpillars wield an eruptive defense

Aug. 29, 2024

Sphinx months have an array of identifiers, one being an unusual defense mechanism.

Single mountain ball cactus blooming with pink flowers

Mountain ball cactus has variation in floral color and scent

July 3, 2024

Lingering question: Do variations in scent correspond to variations in color?

Rumex crispus, or curly dock

Curly dock has all the traits of a super weed

May 28, 2024

With high levels of oxalic acid, like that in Brussels sprouts, and with a proliferation of seed dispersal, the plant easily establishes itself everywhere except Greenland.

White mountain dryas growing on Hasley Pass

Mountain dryad is adapted to high elevation, cold and windy sites

March 6, 2024

Surprisingly, subspecies with different growth forms can be within a few feet of one another.

Comb Ridge

Grooves in a sandstone cliff reveal ancient tool sharpening

Feb. 21, 2024

By rubbing a spear head against stone to form or sharpen it, a groove is gouged very similar to the grooves beside the Procession Panel.

Bell's twinpod

Twinpods have many species adapted to harsh soils

Jan. 18, 2024

Of the genus Physaria, pretty wildflowers, 24 species grow in Colorado. Ten of 24 species are endemic to Colorado, meaning they live nowhere else.

Anthophora pueblo bee in sandstone

A new bee species gnaws its nest holes into stone

Dec. 20, 2023

Full confirmation of this hardy species took five decades of scientific study.

Coyote

Why do coyotes leave poop in conspicuous places?

Dec. 5, 2023

Like other animals, they are marking their territory, and being subtle about it would not serve their purposes.

landscape

Rosy paintbrush hybridizes, producing a range of bright colors

Nov. 28, 2023

The stunning flower, seen in Colorado’s high country, might be a distinct species or not; regardless, this is science at work.

purple western aster

Western aster gives hope for managing cheatgrass

Nov. 14, 2023

In Rabbit Valley near the Colorado-Utah border, some signs indicate that aster could stymie the dominance of the invasive species.

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