Wednesday in Wyoming - October 8, 2025

 

Continuing our discussion of Dia de los Muertos, last year the Wyoming State Museum had this table which featured many of the elements that are included on altars commemorating those who died. 

Wednesday in Wyoming - October 1, 2025

 

How often do you see a scene like this at a botanic garden? A few years ago, the Shane Smith Grand Conservatory at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens had a special Dia de los Muertos display throughout the month of October. The brightly decorated skull and the marigolds are both important aspects of this early-November day. 

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 24, 2025

 

What's a duck doing in a yard with no pond or water feature? That's the question I ask each time I see a pair of mallards waddling through the grass. You won't be surprised to learn that they don't answer.

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 17, 2025

 

Here's another attractive bird, an American kestrel. I only saw it one year, but the contrast of the rust colored feathers against the gray appealed to me. 

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 10, 2025

 

This Northern Flicker is one of my favorite birds, mostly because of its unusual coloring. How often do you see a bird that's apparently wearing a bib? 

Wednesday in Wyoming - September 3, 2025

 

This month I thought I'd stay close to home, at least for my blog posts, and so I'm featuring Backyard Birds.

This Swainson's Hawk was a frequent visitor one summer, perhaps because there was a lot of food for him in the form of ground squirrels and baby bunnies. But one day instead of taking a bath in the birdbath, he washed his food. What was it? A slice of bread. You can imagine what happened when that went into the water.

Wednesday in Wyoming - August 27, 2025

 

Since the hero of "The Sagebrush Bride" is the post trader, more commonly called the sutler, I thought you might like to see the exterior of the sutler's store. It's hardly an architectural wonder, but the stone construction made it warmer than a log cabin.

This concludes this month's exploration of Fort Laramie. What's coming in September? I haven't decided, but I hope you'll return for another glimpse into the state I call home.