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The steppe is a vast, treeless plain. A seemingly endless horizon interrupted only by the faint jagged line of mountains in the distance. In summer, the grasses dance in the warm breeze. In the winter

July is a busy time for botanists – so many flowers to see and never enough time! One trip I always make time for, though, is guiding hikes for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival . Crested Butte is

I began researching rare alpine plants of Colorado a few years ago, progressing from understanding basic germination requirements to studying seed longevity in storage to examining the effects of

Every spring the City Nature Challenge provides city-dwelling naturalists with the opportunity to observe and document the wildlife around us. For three days from the end of April into early May

We have a goal at the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants to have a collection with a representative specimen of every species of vascular plant occurring in the state of Colorado. This

I have been working with some old rose plants recently. Roughly 80 years old, we think, and last week I saw them bloom for the first time . The plants grow in the concrete rubble of a bunk house at

The geographic distributions of plants that we see today provide a glimpse of the past. They are snapshots in a much longer story driven by major events such as the formation of mountain ranges

Among the building blocks that form a regenerative system at Chatfield Farms, soil is the foundation. Perhaps the most important measurement of a “regenerative soil” is carbon sequestration, or how

We cordially invite you to participate in this year’s City Nature Challenge, April 29 – May 2. It’s an opportunity to take a closer look at the life that’s all around us – and make some introductions

Conservation of rare species involves knowing where they are found and how many individuals are in a population. If a species can only survive in certain habitats, then any changes to that habitat can

The digital age gave us a new dimension that infiltrates nearly all aspects of our existence. But, as we navigate this decade, the bearing that nature holds on our everyday lives has reestablished

Coloradoans know a thing or two about seeking out shade on a hot day. But unless up in the mountains, trees in Colorado only persist near water bodies or with some help from people via irrigation. Our