Jeff Mitton

From the branch above me, a male red-winged blackbird took a deep breath, hunched up his shoulders, flared the feathers on his epaulets and let out a loud threat directed at his neighbors and nonterritorial males looking for an opportunity.

Natural Selections: Conflict and vigilance among red-winged blackbirds

May 12, 2020 at 3:03 p.m.

From the branch above me, a male red-winged blackbird took a deep breath, hunched up his shoulders, flared the feathers on his epaulets and let out a loud threat directed...

American elms, Ulmus americana, are native to North America from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia and from Texas to Florida. They grow 60 to 80 feet tall, with a thick trunk, the shape of a vase and a domed crown 40 to 50 feet wide. In fall, the leaves on a single tree can take on a range of colors, including yellow, russet, orange and bronze.

Natural Selections: Elm leaf beetles are just one of the introduced species that suppress American elms

April 28, 2020 at 5:37 p.m.

American elms, Ulmus americana, are native to North America from Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia and from Texas to Florida. They grow 60 to 80 feet tall, with a thick trunk,...

In March and April of each year I get anxious for the arrival of spring. I watch the days get longer and visit a variety of sites in Colorado and on the Colorado Plateau to see what is up and blooming.

Natural Selections: Salt and pepper adds spice to spring

April 14, 2020 at 4:57 p.m.

In March and April of each year I get anxious for the arrival of spring. I watch the days get longer and visit a variety of sites in Colorado and...

A long, slender lizard moved among trees in a pinyon-juniper woodland on the Colorado Plateau, searching the accumulated debris beneath the trees for grubs, spiders, beetles or any other insects. It stopped when it saw a grasshopper, then dashed to get it, but the grasshopper escaped into the air. But when it landed, the lizard closed in and grabbed it.

Natural Selections: Tiger whiptail lizards come in many forms

March 31, 2020 at 2:54 p.m.

A long, slender lizard moved among trees in a pinyon-juniper woodland on the Colorado Plateau, searching the accumulated debris beneath the trees for grubs, spiders, beetles or any other insects....

I camped at Teal Lake in the Park Range to photograph fall colors, but I also enjoyed the ospreys that were hunting trout and the numerous leopard frogs at the lakeshore. Teal Lake is like many other lakes, ponds and marshes in that the leopard frogs, Rana pipiens (or Lithobates pipiens), come in two colors, brown or green.

Natural Selections: Why do leopard frogs come in two colors?

February 18, 2020 at 3:47 p.m.

I camped at Teal Lake in the Park Range to photograph fall colors, but I also enjoyed the ospreys that were hunting trout and the numerous leopard frogs at the...

Given their vast geographic and elevational ranges, mountain roses are quite variable. Consequently, about five subspecies are recognized, but these are currently being revised and a consensus has not been reached.

Mitton: Wild roses boast nutritional, medicinal value as well as beauty

December 10, 2019 at 1:12 p.m.

Given their vast geographic and elevational ranges, mountain roses are quite variable. Consequently, about five subspecies are recognized, but these are currently being revised and a consensus has not been...

Mitton: Wild roses boast nutritional, medicinal value and beauty

December 10, 2019 at 1:12 p.m.

This summer I have enjoyed a profusion of flowering green gentians on the Uncompahgre Plateau and also in the area around Crested Butte. To my astonishment, many flowering stalks reach over my head. I thought I had found the tallest green gentian in Cement Creek, but David Inouye, at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gunnison […]

Mitton: Green gentians live for decades, but only flower once

August 12, 2019 at 4:30 p.m.

This summer I have enjoyed a profusion of flowering green gentians on the Uncompahgre Plateau and also in the area around Crested Butte. To my astonishment, many flowering stalks reach...

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