Now and Then #3
Today’s photo1: Supplemental heat – January 3, 2018. With the cold of the last several days, we’ve been lighting a fire in the morning to supplement the heat pump which can’t quite keep up.
Photo Favorite2: Mature desert bighorn sheep ram, Colorado National Monument, Colorado
This photo is from our second visit to Colorado National Monument. We probably saw about half of the bighorn sheep population in the park.
“Desert bighorn sheep are among the most intriguing mammals of canyon country. They are wary of human contact and blend so well into the terrain they inhabit that sightings are a special event. Once in danger of becoming extinct, the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) have made a comeback in parts of western Colorado. A small population was reintroduced to Colorado National Monument in 1979. While more than 230 sheep have been sighted and monitored across the public lands of the Grand Valley, about 40 bighorn thrive in and around Colorado National Monument (2010).”
“Unlike their Rocky Mountain cousins, desert bighorn have adapted to hot, dry climates, and have longer legs, lighter coats, and smaller bodies. They can live without water for days. Their diet of bluegrass, brome, fescue, clover phlox, and cinquefoil supplies a good portion of their water needs.3”
Colorado National Monument
“Colorado National Monument (locally referred to as The Monument) is a National Park Service unit near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinion and juniper forests on the plateau. The park hosts a wide range of wildlife, including red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, ravens, jays, desert bighorn sheep, and coyotes. Activities include hiking, horseback riding, road bicycling, and scenic drives; a visitor center on the west side contains a natural history museum and gift shop. There are scenic views from trails, Rim Rock Drive, which winds along the plateau, and the campground.4”
- Today’s Photo is a photo that is almost always taken the day of the blog post. In some instances, posts may be backdated if internet access is not available on the day of the photo or other reasons prevent posting Now and Then.
- Photo Favorite is a randomly selected older photograph from a batch of photos specifically “curated” for Now and Then.
- Desert Bighorn Sheep – Colorado National Monument website
- Colorado National Monument – Wikipedia
Note: Online references were accessed 1/3/2018
