When we talk about the Rocky Mountains, Colorado generally gets all the publicity. Maybe that’s for good reason, after all some of the most dramatic parts of that range lie within its perfectly boxed borders and it does host the Rocky Mountain National Park. If there’s a single state with a legitimate claim to the Rockies, Colorado is it. But mountain connoisseurs no doubt know that the mountains don’t just lose their drama and beauty once they cross that northern border. In fact you could make a strong argument that once loosed from Colorado’s grips they become more wild, more untamed, more nature…y.
Moraine Lake, Banff NP, Canada; photo from wikipedia
Fortunately the blogging doesn’t stop either. And while many a fine blog can be found in Colorado and Utah, parts north boast their share of great nature writing too. So we’ll continue on our quest along the spine of North America, to see what else waits for us.
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- Idaho, for its relative isolation and low population, has some great nature blogs, perhaps the increase in nature is directly proportional to the increase in fine nature blogging. In any case, Rob’s Idaho Perspective is an excellent one.
- The city of Boise has a pair of Peregrine Falcons nesting in a box downtown. Flight of the Peregrine Falcon is the blog set up to monitor and share their nesting success
- I’ve gone on record as encouraging non-profit organizations to get into the blogging game to stay in contact with their members and donors. The Nature Conservancy of Idaho agrees, and keeps folks posted on Idaho Nature Notes.
- Robert Mortensen’s Idaho Birding Blog is definitely one of the best blogs in the area. His ongoing series on Idaho birders and his successful attempts to bring people into eBird through friendly competition are especially notable.
- For such a big state, Montana doesn’t have nearly as many bloggers as it’s neighbor to the west. but Montana Wildlife Gardener more than makes up for it with a fabulous garden of native flowers and grasses.
- Alberta is largely a prairie province but the Rockies run along its western edge, so from north of the border comes the fantastic photo-blog of Roberta Murray, Uncommon Depth.
- Also from Alberta, but focusing on growing wild plants, Gardening Zone 3b hails from the prairies of around Edmonton, where the Rockies are a influence on every part of that unique ecosystem.
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Enjoy the northern reaches of the Rocky Mountains through the words and photos of these great blogs.
Til next time!
