BCAS Articles
April Nature Almanac: False Flowers Fool Pollinators
It looks like a flower. To insects, it smells and tastes like a flower. But actually, it’s a rust fungus!
URGENT ACTION ALERT - Boulder’s Dedicated Open Space Sales Tax is Under Threat!
Boulder’s dedicated Open Space Sales Tax is being threatened by an attempt to combine it with other sales taxes. Read on for details and how you can help protect Boulder’s Open Space legacy and keep the sales tax dedicated to Open Space, as Boulder voters have approved over decades.
March Nature Almanac: Cavity-nesting Ducks Court and Dance
For some of us who have seen colorful Wood Ducks flying into tree cavities or their downy young leaping from woodpecker holes, cavity nesting may seem like an anomaly among waterfowl. Surprisingly, six of Colorado’s nesting ducks lay their eggs in tree cavities or cliff hollows.
Teen Naturalists Tour the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
In February 2026, the Teen Naturalists from the Boulder County Audubon Society had their second outing of the year to learn more about birds of prey in Ft. Collins at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program.
Teen Naturalists Delve Into DMNS Collections
… Some teens got to peek into a large bin with beetles cleaning bones by eating flesh off then. Other teens didn’t like bugs or the odor produced and hung back….
Conservation Corner - February 2026
See what BCAS’s Conservation Committee has been working on, and read about upcoming opportunities to help protect the wildlife and habitats we all care about, by lending your voice to upcoming projects and issues
Winter Ducks in Warm Weather: Teen Naturalist January 2026
The Boulder County Audubon Teen Naturalists program kicked off 2026 with a photography-focused outing to Prospect Park in Wheat Ridge, CO to observe and photograph wintering ducks.
February Nature Almanac: Wollemi Pines Give Us Hope For The Future
Wollemi pines were abundant during the Cretaceous Period and may have been browsed on by dinosaurs. Known only from leaf fossils they were thought to have gone extinct two million years ago until, in 1994, park ranger David Noble rappelled into a remote Australian canyon and found a small grove of Wollemi pines!
2025 Boulder Christmas Bird Count Results
The 84th Boulder CBC was held on a mercifully calm 14 December 2025. Our count day total of 110 species ties our best tally in the last 10 years, with 5 more count-week species coming in to reach 115 total for our 2025 count window. Our participation was outstanding, with 184 folks contributing their talents in the field and watching feeders.
January Nature Almanac: Warm Early Winter Offers Unique Views of Diving Ducks
This year’s December 22 high of 76° F in Boulder and Denver came close to that record, and temperatures remained warm enough this fall to keep local ponds and lakes ice-free throughout December and into January.
December Nature Almanac: A Least Bittern Pays a Rare Late Fall Visit to Sawhill Ponds
It was tiny, cute, and furtive. And it should have been along the Gulf Coast or in Central or South America. Instead, this Least Bittern was skulking in and out of the cattails at Sawhill Ponds.
November Nature Almanac: “Où sont les neiges d'antan?”
“Où sont les neiges d'antan?” “Where are the snows of bygone years?” Well, I haven’t heard that exact question from local friends and colleagues, but I have heard, “I remember when it used to always snow before Halloween,” or “What happened to the early fall snows that we used to get?”
October Nature Almanac: Don’t Underrate the Understory
Golden aspens steal the show in September, and then in October they decay into spicy-smelling brown humus. But when the aspen show fades, you can revel in the often-overlooked understory plants.
Conservation Corner - September 2025
Conservation voices are needed for the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) update! Learn how to get involved in the BVCP and read other current conservation news.
September Nature Almanac: Songbirds of Eastern Deciduous Forests Finding New Nesting Sites in Boulder County
Have you noticed an increase locallly in some of your favorite eastern U.S. songbirds? Species with an affinity for deciduous woodlands have been increasing in Colorado, including Boulder County.
August Nature Almanac: All Hail To The Emperor
Did you know that Colorado has a state mushroom? Commonly known as “The Prince” or “The Emperor,” Agaricus julius became our state mushroom on March 31, 2025, when Governor Polis signed a bill that had been in the works for four years.
July Nature Almanac: Milkweeds Flourish after Wet Spring
With frequent showers and mild conditions, Boulder County’s spring was one of the greenest in recent memory. Moisture-dependent wildflowers emerged early and burst into bloom by the time our first hot summer days arrived in late June. Boulder County supports at least seven native milkweed species.
June Nature Almanac: NCAR Sycamore Soared to the Moon and Back
The American sycamore on the north side of the Fleischmann Building at the National Center for Atmospheric Research is a descendant of one of the original moon trees.
May Nature Almanac: Snake, Awake!
Snakes that have snoozed away the winter in underground hibernacula or, possibly in your crawl space, awake and emerge in April or May.
Conservation Corner - April 2025
Conservation voices are needed for the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (BVCP) update! Learn how to get involved in the BVCP, and read updates from NoCo Places about the State of the Rockies Report, the COTREX app, and unauthorized trails inventory.