After weeks of cloudy, cool, wet weather, an intense morning sun lit the Front Range today. Lasting through mid afternoon, the brilliant sunshine bathed the soggy landscape, lavishing its heat and light on a grateful assortment of plants and animals (humans included).
Unable to resist the reprieve, I spent much of the morning wandering our farm, checking the fences, trimming shrubs and surveying the vegetation, some of which is still suffering from the prolonged chilly upslope. Yellow rose shrubs glowed in the bright sunshine and our usual mix of summer and permanent songbirds reveled in the welcome warmth; joining the latter was a Swainson's thrush, scouring the leaf litter for insects before heading off to the mountains. Overhead, a lone white pelican soared in the clear blue sky while a great blue heron stroked his way toward a neighborhood pond.
The prodigal sun ruled the scene for much of the day, finally yielding to late afternoon thunderstorms that rose above the mountains. More heat and sunshine is forecast for the coming days as westerly winds take charge. Finally, it feels like May.
