Located near Centura Health in Avon right off of I-70. An innovative natural science learning campus for residents and visitors of the Eagle Valley. Free and open to the public.

318 Walking Mountains Lane, Avon, CO 81620

Located at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola on Vail Mountain out of Lionshead Village, Vail. All visitors must have a pass to ride the gondola. Free and open to the public with valid gondola pass.
Nestled along Gore Creek near the Betty Ford Alpine Garden and Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail Village.
601 Vail Valley Drive, Vail, CO 81657

Curious Nature

Mud on Everything: It Must be Spring

Posted by Walking Mountains on Apr 18, 2016 2:20:21 AM
Walking Mountains

Spring is like a scavenger hunt for the senses. Each spring I find once again my nose being tickled by sweet smells, my ears filled with melodies I haven’t heard in months, and I revel in the warming temperatures by swapping out my ski boots for hiking boots. Nature stimulates our minds with the return of fragrant tree buds, melodious feathered friends, and mud that seems to coat everything which was once before covered in snow. These signs of spring (and many more) are often welcomed, for their presence beckons the summer season just around the corner.

Want These Articles Delivered To Your Inbox?

One of the first signs of spring we as humans might notice is an urge to prepare for the upcoming summer months. This urge manifests itself in many forms. Some channel it into bouts of spring cleaning sprees while others are out skiing in spring powder up to their knees. But no matter how you enjoy spring, before nature begins its rapid transition into the summer season, there’s one thing no one can avoid and that’s the mud. It accumulates on the sides of our cars, on the bottoms of our boots, and is pretty inevitable this time of year in Colorado. The mud can either be seen as a burden or as a welcomed guest as we anticipate the oncoming summer months. Because along with the mud comes the return of lush green shoots, and the wildlife that depends on them.

Many animals that hibernate or lay low through the winter emerge once again in the spring, and often appear with their fresh new littler of offspring. It’s not uncommon in this area between April and May to see a bear with two to three cubs, a fox family (also called a leash) with two to seven young kits, or a female moose with her single calf. Animal babies are as exciting as they are vulnerable, and it’s important we give these new members of our natural community, and their new parents, plenty of space. As these young animals learn and grow, so do the lush plants, from the valley floor to the top of the mountains, everything seems to be budding with new growth and possibility.

Coniferous trees, like the Colorado blue spruce and lodgepole pines, don’t lose their needles, but they still grow tremendously and produce pungent signs of spring growth like their deciduous counterparts. This new growth comes with generous amounts of pollen, which is what produces the sweet smells we associate with this time of year. Spring temperatures and longer days awaken trees and other plants from their dormant winter cycle and with the onslaught of spring run-off from melting snow, they grow rapidly in a relatively short period of time. Newly budding trees, shrubs, and wildflowers are some of the most visible and well known signs of spring that we look forward to year after year.

What is That? Ask a Naturalist!

Whether you are pulling out your bike to ride to work, walking along Vail’s Gore Creek, or finally driving with the windows down, the signs of spring will be all around. The mud might keep us off our favorite trails for a little while (because nobody wants to add to trail erosion, right?), but there’s still plenty to enjoy in the sights, sounds, and smells of springtime in the mountains.

Brooke Friesen is a Naturalist at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon who has already started with spring allergies! Even so, she spends all of her time outside, hiking and hoping to see a bear from afar! Come join her on a nature walk at the center, offered free every day at 2pm!

Topics: Curious Nature

Walking Mountains

Written by Walking Mountains

Our mission is to awaken a sense of wonder and inspire environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education.