August 2023

Sagebrush is native to Colorado, and much of the mountain west. There was once so much sagebrush (and not much else visible), that the area stretching from northwestern Colorado up to Canada, across to Washington, and south/west to California, was sometimes called the "Sagebrush Sea." Sagebrush is not related to the herb sage. Instead, it's a woody shrub (like the rubber rabbitbrush) in the same family as the sunflower. But unlike sunflowers, sagebrush is evergreen or perinneal, returning year after year--some individual sagebrush plants live to be 100 years or older!

Big Sagebrush grows between 1-10 feet tall. Beneath the surface, the plant sends down a taproot that can grow to 13 feet deep. The taproot allows the sagebrush plant to pull water from below the surface, while the many leaves help funnel what little precipitation that falls down to the plant's roots. Plants with shallower roots take advantage of the Sagebrush's shade, as well as some of the water from its taproot. Big Sagebrush is a keystone species, which means that it is a key to the health and survival of other species and the whole ecosystem. Like the milkweed to the monarch (July 2023 ), species like the sage grouse struggle without Sagebrush. Sagebrush provides these fancy birds (picture below) cover to protect them from predators, as well as a spot to hunt insects. 

Sagebrush has also supported many people since it evolved in the area 2.5 million years ago. The Navajo, Paiute, and Ute people use Sagebrush tea to treat headaches, body aches, athlete's foot and other conditions. Sagebrush is an important part of restoration efforts, as it helps hold soil together after mining or over-grazing has occurred. Enjoy the little yellow flowers and distinctive scent of this important plant at Bluff Lake, and the Sand Creek trail. 

Our August local animal of the month is a reptile who is a deadly predator, but whose bite is not actually deadly to humans. It's the bull snake! 

Bull snakes grow to an average of 4-6 feet long, and have been recorded up to 8 feet long. Bull snakes weigh 2-10 pounds. They live to be about 12 years in the wild (30 in captivity), and eat a variety of foods, most notably small rodents. Like other reptiles, bull snakes are cold-blooded, meaning that they cannot generate their own body heat. They must move into the sun to warm up. Or, to cool down, they might slither underground, to the water, or to the shade of our August Local Plant of the Month. Bull snakes are year-round residents of Colorado, laying dormant (not exactly hibernating, but like it) between October - April when it is too cold to be out and food is more scarce. Bull snakes like to rest inside of old gopher or prairie dog burrows.

Bull snakes mimic rattlesnakes, meaning that bull snakes have evolved to look like and even act like the dangerous rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes, as you may know, are venomous snakes, which means that their teeth inject venom when they bite.  Perhaps because their venom is so dangerous, rattlesnakes have very few predators. Only a few tough creatures, like hawks or coyotes, will hunt young rattlers. Other snake species, like the garter snake, which is eaten by many other creatures, including raccoons and crows. Bull snakes look almost identical to rattlesnakes (see the prairie rattlesnake photo, below). 

But bull snakes' tails taper off, while the rattlesnake's tail ends with a rattle made of special hollow scales that make a rattling noise when the snake vibrates or shakes its tail (did you know that all snake scales are made of the same substance that our fingernails and hair are made of? Keratin!). Bull snakes also push air through their mouths to mimic the sound of rattling, as you can see in this cool video from Jungle Explorer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmkKW3g7m6I

Bull snakes get their name because they also bellow when threatened, sounding to some people like bulls. It is important to keep your distance from any snake; but we can admire snakes like the bull snake for helping keep mouse and rat populations in balance. 

Vegetarian Dinner of the Month: Taco Night!