Boulder on the Edge

One of the inspiring things about Boulder Colorado is the view as you descend into the Valley from the east. I’ve lived here for a little over four years now and I still savor this vista…

In a distance of less than 50 miles the earth changes from prairie at 5,400 feet to tundra at 14,000 feet. This gives rise to sweeping views and it provides a rich and diverse environment where plants and animals mingle in what would otherwise be  different worlds. A place where two or more environments come together is known as an “ecotone“. Some ecotones are gradual (e.g., gentle mountain slopes) and some like Boulder’s Front Range have a sharp boundary giving rise to an “edge effect“.  Here on the edge you can find Desert Yucca and Mountain Columbines living side by side in harmony. You can also find Cougars and habitat expanding Humans sometimes not in harmony.

Where southern yucca meets western columbine