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.

Rebecca Safran

Barn swallows and humans reflect challenges of coexistence in a changing world

Jan. 24, 2024

In her Distinguished Research Lecture March 12, CU Boulder Professor Rebecca Safran will explore the recent and precipitous decrease in the population of barn swallows.

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.

wolf

How wolves in Colorado will affect prey and plants

Jan. 10, 2024

After an 80-year absence, gray wolves have returned to Colorado; CU Boulder expert Joanna Lambert talks about the implications.

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.

field of rice grass

A close look at Indian rice grass

Sept. 18, 2023

Native Americans used the staple for many foods for thousands of years, and it is now recognized as the state grass in Nevada and Utah.

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