Colorado Art Studio

Skeletonweed

Starvation Prickly Pear Cactus

My husband and dog climbing the dunes

Prairie Sunflower

Sand Verbena

“Eyelash Grass” (I don’t know the real name)

Although it was not our first visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve, I felt like we were seeing it for the first time. This is partly due to my 8 yr. old daughter being along and being able to view the park with a very fresh perspective through a child’s eyes. Her enthusiasm was contagious. We were in such awe and had such a good time that we have decided to return in the fall to spend a long weekend there camping and hiking. We were only there 1 night and only explored the dunes, but the park consists of so much more, including riparian grass lands, wet lands and the preserve hosts a large herd of bison and elk as well (though we didn’t see any ourselves). And, did I mention the mountains?

On another note, my husband and I have been landscaping our barren yard this summer to include amending the soil with a peat/compost/manure blend (4 yards), mulching, planting water thrifty plants and installing a sprinkler system. When we left for our camping trip, we crossed our fingers that everything would survive, absent our coddling.

We saw a ton of different types of plants in the mountains including incredible displays of wild-flowers. Imagine my surprise, however, when we entered the Sand Dunes preserve and saw quite a variety of plants growing out of the sand. Harsh conditions, terrible soil and sporadic irrigation. I couldn’t resist snapping a few photographs of some of the plants. Granted, there was quite a bit of sage brush too, but even that had beauty in the landscape.

My daughter remarked, “Mom, I don’t know why you didn’t just throw sand in the yard, plants would have grown just fine.” Sometimes, I think kids are wiser than we give them credit for. I, as well as a host of other Denverites, are trying to change the natural landscape by our gardening and flower preferences. Denver sits on the high plains in a semi-arid climate and I’m attempting to grow all my garden favorites in a climate not suited for these plants. Anyway, just an observation.

I also brought my paints and sketch book with me on our trip but didn’t even pull them out. Somehow, the real thing seemed so much better than anything I could have rendered. I may try painting some from my photographs and memories…but in the meantime, I’m enjoying sharing our experiences and oberservations with you.