Monday, July 16, 2018

Summer Surprises!


A few blog posts ago--click here-- I showed some of the wildlife we are fortunate to see in our community in Colorado. Twin fawns were born in my next door neighbor's backyard and we watched them grow from their newborn wobbly legs stage until they were able to follow their mother around two weeks later.  Recently, I looked out my front window and saw their mother had left them in my front garden for the day! 
 I kept peeking out my window all day to take these photos, trying not to disturb them. Aren't they the cutest things? I am happy to see they are thriving!
Later that day mother doe came back and lead them through our backyard to open wild space near us for the night. It's a busy summer for her!
Another creature that has been busy this summer is this cinnamon-colored black bear! He has been spotted in our community quite a few times. He is coming down from the surrounding foothills very early in the morning and at night, to not only indulge in wild berries but also birdfeeders and garbage in garbage cans!  Our trails have bear-safe trash cans but most residents do not. We have been asked by our HOA to take down birdfeeders and to not put our garbage cans out until the morning of trash pick up, after 7AM.  There is a saying here that "A fed bear is a dead bear," as it is dangerous for a bear to associate humans with food sources. We are told to leave no food sources outside during the summer, and especially in the fall, when bears must consume 22,0000 calories a day in order to bulk up for winter hibernation. We are told if we see a bear to not run, and to make lots of loud noise to haze them away.  If a bear continues to search in an area where people are Colorado Parks and Wildlife rangers trap them, sedates them, tags their ear and then relocates them back to the wild. If they continue to come back to where civilization lives they are sadly euthanized. We obviously hope that does not have to happen! 


As you can see our community is snuggled up against the foothills. All around us is open space...


... lots of open space where wildlife lives.


We are also surrounded by many, many miles of wonderful trails, that are private only for use by residents. They are accessible to hiking, bicycle and horseback riders.

My husband and I love hiking our community trails year round, but in the summer we are always pleasantly surprised by...


...all the wonderful wildflowers we see!


I've taken many wildflower photos over the six summers that I've lived in Colorado--I never tire of seeing them and their variety.


I also try to grow my own flowers in my gardens in summer--not an easy task as the wildlife likes to eat them! In fact, those pretty pink lilies in the collage above were eaten by the twin fawns not long after they bloomed. I try to spray my flowers with a deer and rabbit repellant, but it doesn't always work so I enjoy them while I can. 
The very best flowers of all in my garden are my grandchildren! The photo of them in the collage above was taken during our July 4th celebration. They are all getting so big and I cherish all the time I am able to spend with them. It will be "back to school" time for them towards the end of August.


Summer passes quickly--
please make sure to take the time to enjoy it!


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I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Amaze Me MondayMosaic MondayAll SeasonsBlue Monday,  Through My Lens MondayInspiration Monday, Blogging GrandmothersYou Are the Star Blog HopGood Random FunNature NotesGrand SocialPhoto Tunes, Happiness Is HomemadeTuesday TreasuresPictorial TuesdayOur World TuesdayRuby TuesdayTuesdays With A TwistParty in Your PJ'sWordless WednesdayOh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful WednesdayOutdoor Wednesday, Whimsical WednesdayWednesday Around the WorldWonderful Wednesday,  Share Your CupLittle Things Thursday Travel Photo Thursday, Thankful ThursdayThursday Favorite ThingsFriendship FridaysFriday Photo JournalSkywatch FridaySweet InspirationWeekend Travel InspirationSaturday's Critters ,Pink SaturdayOver the MoonHappiness Is Homemade

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42 comments:

Mersad said...

First of all, wow what a wonderful surprise. Second, the lavander fields are stunning! Amazing photography to go with it as usual!

Gillena Cox said...

Happy Mosaic Monday. luv all the photos. The Lavender field my favourite today

much love...

italiafinlandia said...

You definitely live in deers' paradise!

Maggie said...

How amazing to be able to watch through your windows as the twin fawns grow and thrive, they are so beautiful Not so much the bear! He certainly looks at home in your neighbourhood, hopefully he will stop coming down once the food supply diminishes and he has to fend for himself in the wild outdoors. Your certainly live in a very scenic part of the world and I always enjoy seeing it through your lens.
Happy MM.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, I love the sweet fawns. They are adorable. I hope the bear, you and your neighbors stay safe. The flowers are gorgeous, your grandchildren are adorable. Enjoy your day and new week!

aspiritofsimplicity said...

What a beautiful spot you live in. Those fawns are so cute.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Those fawns were sweet! It is beautiful where you live. We had our feeder destroyed by a bear on Christmas Eve when he should have been hibernating. So we neve put one back up again. This spring he came back and destroyed a humming bird feeder, so we left that down as well.

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

Pat, your little fawns are darling. It is a shame when wildlife inhabits a residential area. You certainly have plenty of open spaces around for them to live. I'm glad your community is educating everyone on the dangers that can ensue. Your flowers are so pretty and I especially loved seeing the butterfly on them.
Your grandchildren are really growing up quickly. Such a cute photo of them! I know you are enjoying being close to soak in all the blessings. Have a wonderful week. ♥

Taken For Granted said...

How fine to have the fawns spend the day in your yard. You live in a beautiful place as your photos clearly show.

Tom said...

...wonderful natural surprises! Bears have been sighted at my mountain home. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your week.

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

It's amazing to me that mom left the fawns in your front yard. Unbelievable. Second, I sincerely hope the cinnamon bear goes back to the hills and stays as it would break my heart to see him put down. I hate to see animals get used to people feeding them. It can only end in their death.

Lady Fi said...

You live in a wonderful area! Those fawns are too adorable!

Linda W. said...

What a lovely surprise to have fawns in your flower bed. The bear, not so much....

jeannettestgermain said...

Oh my, a bear on the street in plain sight during the day! Still got to see that here! Maybe mother deer went out to look for food! Great to see every day life in your neighborhood with all these interesting details! Many thanks for sharing it with All Seasons! By the way, did some of your grands see these bambi's? Have a lovely week, Pat!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Love your Colorado summer~~ the wildlife are wonderful (wishing luck for the fawns and for the bear to stay where he belongs -- although how neat to see it!).... Colorado wildflowers are the best -- but of course BEST of all is being close to your sweet grands. And they really are growing up!! (They do that -- our oldest grandchild is on summer vacation from teaching -- we had a lunch with him the other day when he happened to be in town for an appointment ... and of course his younger sister is mother of two boys who are older than some of your grands ;>). Time marches on -- enjoy every minute with them~~

NCSue said...

All these are grand photos, but I fell in love with the photos of the fawns.
Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-bit-of-avian-whimsey.html

Forest Dream Weaver said...

Love the blue wildflowers....lupins? Wonderful place where you live.

A Colorful World said...

What precious fawns! How exciting to have them so close. Very scary about that bear though...scary for him as well as for the residents! Great photos of all the lovely things in your community, especially those grandchildren!

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Fawns in your yard -- I love it. Hope the bear finds nothing and goes back into the wilds.

Fun60 said...

What an honour to be left in charge of the fawns for a day. I wouldn't be able to take my eyes of them. For different reasons I wouldn't be able to take my eyes of that bear.Scary!!

Christie Hawkes said...

You live in a lovely area, and your photos are stunning. Thank you for sharing them on the GRAND Social, which is where I came upon them. Enjoy your summer!

~Christie

diane b said...

You live in a super place with all those walking trails and open space. The wildlife is cute and scary. A nice bunch of grandkids.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Glorious photos! Happy Blue Monday to you!

Sally Wessely said...

Your photos are always spectacular. I love seeing your wildlife shots. I see similar scenes from my window each day. By the time I am out of the door to take a photo, the fawn and mama have scampered away. We do live in a magical State.

Karren Haller-WW said...

What an amazing place to live,nearly in the mountains. The bear is surely a threat, maybe he should be moved now. The little fawns are so sweet, mom must feel safe in your yard!!
Thank you for sharing om OMHGWW this week.O appreciate it.

Have a wonderful-safe week!

Peabea Scribbles said...

Love seeing your blog photos of the little does. I've on a few occasions seen deer run in our area, but not plentiful and never babies. Did not know that about bears. Have never really seen one, and awesome that you see so much wildlife. Thanks for sharing at Pictorial Tuesday.

Peabea from Peabea Scribbles

Angie said...

Pat - fabulous post! We had a black bear sow and two cubs in our 'neighborhood' earlier in the spring, and now it appears the cubs are on their own as I saw one by itself on our driveway a couple of weeks ago. Our neighbor had one of the cubs in her paddock with her horses, so the department of wildlife placed a (safe) trap there with no success.

I share your love of wildflowers - it's the gift that keeps on giving as different plants bloom at different points during the summer. "Summertime, and the living is easy …" Enjoy!

Karen RA said...

What a beautiful area to live in! The fawns are adorable!!

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

What great photos to celebrate summer! I love where you live.....I would want to go over and hug those sweet deer but not so much the bear!

A Bit of the Blarney said...

As always, you have made my day. You have some very special photos. Thank you! We won't get to visit Home until the Fall this year. I'm so looking forward to it.

Al said...

Those little ones are so adorable! We've got an overload of rabbits this year, they're everywhere. I've even had to rescue a couple from window wells.

podso said...

Your grandchildren have grown so much--mine too. They just keep doing that don't they! I savor these years while they are still young. We too have had fawns in our yard and are surprised at how fast they grow. I saw some yesterday that were bigger but still had their spots on them. I sometimes think they live in our woods.

EricaSta said...

A lovely Post for WATW.

Joyful said...

Fantastic scenery and wildlife as well as flowers. You live in a beautiful area and I can see you certainly do live in an area where wildlife would be all around you. Your grandchildren are adorable too. Enjoy the few weeks left with them before school starts.

Rambling Woods said...

Adorable grandchildren and they are the best counter to today's world...I love that you get to see so much wildlife..I was sad as a black was shot by police here..It was just passing through..Second time they did it.. Makes me angry..Michelle

Snap said...

Always fun to visit and see what you've discovered. I enjoyed seeing your "livestock"!!!!! :) The wildflowers are amazing. Cute kids!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

The twin fawns are super-cute, but that bear might steal the show! Great photos and post!!

Ida said...

The deer (fawns) are so cute! - Wow great shots of the bear. I've never seen one in the wild (just in a zoo). Such pretty flowers.

Lowcarb team member said...

Wonderful mosaics you've shared.
I loved seeing the deer.

I do agree with you …
Grandchildren are so special, and they grow so quickly. Time spent with them and photographs taken are just magic … and so very special.

My good wishes

All the best Jan

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the deer are beautiful animals. I love the sweet babies. I would be thrilled to see a bear walk through the neighborhood, as long as it was not too close and kept moving. Cute photos of your grandchildren. Thanks so much for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Sunday, enjoy your day and new week ahead! PS, thanks for leaving a comment on my post.

Anonymous said...

Pat, I've made these adorable fawns a feature at the Whimsical Wednesdays Link Party this week. Thanks so much for linking up!!!

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson said...

There is so much beauty out there to be seen. Hubby and I love hiking and seeing wildlife. I'm not able to for a while and it's killing me. Colorado is beautiful and we've hiked there a bit. I'm like a little kid when it comes to spotting any animal. I get so excited! Thanks for sharing with SYC. You will be one of the features at tomorrows party.
hugs,
Jann