Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, Mani the purebred border collie, filling in for the guy I live with, and here today to bring you a weather update.
You may remember me from such posts as “Practically Nothing”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
It’s easy to see what happened here last night. We received 0.99 inches (2.5cm) of water from snow.
I hardly need to say that this is totally excellent, and, for now, as they guy I live with said, we’re out of the endless loop of dry weather and wind.
(The title of my post indicates that this won’t last; it’s supposed to be 87 degrees F –30.5C–next week.)
Earlier this week, I had to go to the doctor’s for a flu booster shot. We purebred border collies can get the flu just like humans do.
I saw a goat.
I’d never seen a goat, though I knew there was something behind that fence.
The guy I live with had to drag me back to the car. I wanted to look at the goat more.
Then a couple of days ago the guy I live with posted pictures on Facebook of Papilio multicaudata, the western two-tailed swallowtail, visiting Fendlera rupicola.
Here they are.
All sorts of flying things visit the fendlera. (We have other plants of this in the garden but they aren’t old enough to flower. It can take quite a while for that to happen.)
We also have mice in the house again. The guy I live with assigned me the new job of Mouse Trap Inspector, because I can see the mice better than he can. He baits the traps with pieces of sour cream and onion potato chips.
This is before the guy I live with let the mouse go, out into the garden.
So that’s our news for today. Even though we’re going back to the endless loop next week, they say we may have an active monsoon season this year, and a wetter than usual summer. That would be nice.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
This moisture is glorious. We got .90” out of 4.8 of snow. I hope they are right about a wetter than usual summer! What with the goat and the mouse, you have had an eventful week, Mani, and it is only Wednesday.
Also, that fendlerbush looks beautiful. I have not seen it at the garden center I frequent so will have to keep looking.
The guy I live with said he got the fendleras at Evergreen Nursery, a long time ago. The nursery is gone now, but maybe other places have it.
He got other plants at the now-gone Timberline Gardens.
“Gone” seems to be the operating word here, huh.
Yes, the guy I live with says the snow comes as a big relief. The mice, not so much, though I wonder if he’s luring them into the house with the potato chips. (We had an invasion a few years ago and the guy I live with claims that every possible entrance was sealed, back then.)
Rain this summer would be very nice.
This storm was ever so welcome. Wilson & I took our usual walk along the Ralston Creek Trail this morning and everything was totally transformed. Sadly several of the cottonwood trees were also transformed and not in a good way. Lots of limb damage. Guess we have to take the bad along with the good (momentary drought respite). Let’s just hope predictions of more moisture over the summer become reality.
The guy I live with says yes it was welcome. Cottonwoods tend to shed branches regularly anyway, a process called cladoptosis, but they’re also very vulnerable to wet, heavy snow. The willows in the green belt seemed to be okay this morning.
There’s this article: https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/14/colorado-super-el-nino-monsoon-summer-forecast/
Thanks. I had read that article-it gave me hope.
Love the Colorado Sun link! Ever since that terrible business in 2018 of the Denver Post being basically striped for parts by venture capitalists, I’ve been a reader of the Colorado Sun. Have I digressed here? Sorry, Mani!
That’s okay. The guy I live with has told me about newspapers, telephone books, and all sorts of things like that. (We still have a wall phone in the kitchen.)
What absolutely spectacular photos of the swallowtail butterfly! Thank you for the update about the “Elvis impersonator” Fendlera rupicola and how strongly the wildlife are responding to it. Because of its common name ‘cliffbush’ I thought of Jamesia americana and wonder what your thoughts are on the 2 native shrubs?
Thanks. The guy I live with said there still may be some jamesias in the shade garden on the north side of the house. He’ll have to look.
The jamesia has very nice autumn foliage; fendleras don’t, but they need less water.
He also said that if you take the cog railway up to Pikes Peak you can see lots of Jamesia americana in their native habitat. Not at the summit of course.
Thank you! I will now have to plan a cog railway trip to Pikes Peak! I appreciate your info about the relative water needs of the two bushes. I was under the impression that Jamesia americana needed afternoon shade too, and wondered if Fendlera rupicola did as well, or if it was fine in full sun? I don’t have much shade or water, for that matter, in my space.
You’re welcome. The guy I live with says the jamesia is more of a montane species.
The fendlera is more of a semi-desert species. It grows in full sun here, or morning sun for the plant in the post.
Take a look here: https://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/White%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/fendlera%20rupicola.htm
Also good precipitation news here in NE NC… .90 inches, about 23mm today. We have been in a moderate drought situation all of this year. A normal year to date would be 15 inches but we have only had 10 inches. Local farmers are happy. Now, if only diesel and fertilizer prices would go down.
We had about twenty raindrops on my evening walk.
The drought here is bad, but they do measure from the beginning of the water year, in October, instead of the beginning of the year, and we’re only maybe a half an inch below normal, counting from the first of January.
The main problem here has been the incredible heat. 88 this coming Monday.
Such a a fickle weather year but very glad you have received some moisture. The hell of ‘fire season’ always looms over us at this time of year. Beautiful shots of the swallowtail. A real gift to see all the varying creatures emerging. Currently we have a deranged robin determined to battle his image in all of our windows. Nothing seems to deter him. Secretly I’m hoping he doesn’t contribute to the gene pool. Who would have thought something so small could keep you hostage in your own home.
Thanks.
The guy I live with is hoping for a more “normal” summer this year because they’re already talking thunderstorms, which have been quite rare in the last few years. Thunderstorms almost every every used to be typical for summer in Denver.
We have these butterfly decals stuck on the sliding glass door to keep birds from flying into the glass, but I don’t about reflections.
Birds can be scary, if you ask me.
We have tried everything to move this bird along. Windows are papered up and stickers added on the outside, blinds are closed, perching areas eliminated and the darn bird just moves to another window. Gives new meaning to the phrase ‘bird brain’.
The guy I live with said he might try to catch it in a butterfly net (we have two, that his wife made), and try to relocate the bird.
He said he knew people could go nuts, but not birds.
EEEEKKKKKK!!! Youss’ ad snow inn May Mani an Guy?? This iss cray-cray! Butt wee nsoe youss’ need mosture or else… butt still… Mani you saw a REEL live GOAT?? Furabuluss!!! An those Butterfly’ss are gorgeeuss! Wunder if wee willsee a Tygurr Butterfly up heer??? Purr usual, yore fotoss are lovelee…yore so fotogenick. Happy Spring…NO! REELLY!!
Mew mew mew BellaDharma an **giggellss** BellaSita Mum Pee S: Wee still gettin Frost up heer!
Thanks. I did see a real goat.
It’s not unusual at all for us to get snow in May. It didn’t freeze or anything; the snow was mostly gone the next day.
So toe-tally kewl seein a Goat! Ter innterestin creeturess fore sure. Wee nose youss’ can get snow inn May….butt still it ISS May an wee wuud rather have flowerss than snow 😉
(Butt wee nose you need THE moisture!)
Nothing bad happened from the snow.
The guy I live with said that Slipper, a purebred border collie who lived here before me, grew up on a farm, surrounded by goats. I mean Slipper was surrounded by goats, not the farm.
The goat didn’t seem interested in me at all.