What I do all day

Upon hearing the term "packrat" many people think of humans that are unable to throw anything away. But real packrats are large rodents in the genus Neotoma, fascinating and surprisingly beautiful animals that nest in sandstone cliffs in Wyoming's high desert. In this episode, Kathy talks about some of the habits and characteristics of the bushy-tailed wood rat, Neotoma cinerea,  the native species of packrat with which she shares her land. 

North America's smallest falcon is the colorful American Kestrel. Once known as Sparrow Hawks, these tiny raptors are experts at catching grasshoppers and lizards as well as small mammals and birds. Their acceptance of a nesting box, when offered, makes them relatively easy to photograph and observe.

Llamas are fascinating animals that are still considered exotic creatures by many in North America. In this episode Kathy talks about her almost thirty years of interacting with llamas, raising them and using them as pack animals and companions in the backcountry.

Thirty-five miles east or west of my house as the crow flies sits the border of a large swath of land managed by the National Park Service. To the west is Yellowstone National Park - possibly one of the most recognized pieces of property in the country. To the east lies Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area - a much less well known yet, I would argue, just as beautiful and impressive expanse of land in its own right. 

Plains bison (Bison bison) are an iconic symbol of the American West and yet the species came close to being wiped out by the early 20th century. European settlers managed to decimate the herds containing tens of millions of animals that covered the plains and sustained many Native American tribes. In the early 1900's a small group of a couple dozen animals were discovered tucked away in Yellowstone Park and careful management in the years since has allowed that number to grow to approximately 5000 animals, some of which are now being relocated to tribal lands in Wyoming and Montana.

One of the longest lasting love stories in nature is also one of the most unique. Not only is this tale about two separate species, the main characters are not even in the same kingdom. One is a plant, the other an animal. Soapweed yucca and the yucca moth have a relationship known as "obligate mutualism" in which one species cannot survive without the other. Over millions of years they have come to an arrangement that allows both to thrive with certain sacrifices from each.

It has been ten years since the raven pair I call Billy and Betsy moved into our yard and began building the nest which they have occupied every spring since. For the last decade we have witnessed their joys and sorrows of raising young in the wild including this year when they had their most successful brood ever.  Four healthy offspring  fledged in early June and have been entertaining us ever since.

In this episode, Kathy introduces her favorite Wyoming wildflower, Kelseya uniflora. A little known member of the rose family, Kelseya is a delicate bloom that grows in incredibly unique and harsh conditions; a wildflower endemic to the Central Rocky Mountains that most people have never heard of and even fewer have seen. 

In many cities across the country, the term "Opening Day" means the first home game of the season played by their local baseball team. But in Wyoming, the words refer to the long anticipated opening of Yellowstone Park entrances to general traffic for the summer season. For locals, it is an annual tradition to visit the Park on a day before the roads become clogged with tourists and a chance to reconnect to the landscape that is revered by so many.

The opportunity to get up at 3 am and make your way across bumpy two tracks just for the chance to see some funny looking birds dancing for a mate is one of the best reasons to live in Wyoming. Almost 40% of the entire population of greater sage grouse live in the state. With numbers of the birds declining at a precipitous rate, it is also an opportunity that may disappear in my lifetime.