Wednesday, April 30, 2025

One of our neighbors, a White Tailed Prairie Dog

Yesterday I traveled into Vernal for miscellaneous errands and a few groceries. No cycling as it rained in the afternoon here in the Monument, something a bit unusual when it happens, high desert and all, but nice when it does. 

We're surrounding here in our block of apartments by White Tailed Prairie Dogs. They are cool neighbors and we've enjoyed sitting out back of our apartments watching them feed and the pups play.

The white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) is a burrowing rodent native to the western United States, primarily found in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Montana. They live in colonies called "towns" and prefer sagebrush-grassland habitats. These prairie dogs are herbivores, feeding on grasses, forbs, and shrubs. They hibernate in winter and are active above ground during warmer months. Unlike other prairie dog species, white-tailed prairie dogs are less social and more solitary. They play a key ecological role by aerating soil and serving as prey for various predators, including hawks, badgers, and coyotes.
After a gestation period of about 30 days, females give birth to a litter of typically 3 to 8 pups in an underground burrow. The pups are born blind, hairless, and completely dependent on their mother. They remain underground for several weeks before emerging. ChatGPT

I finished preparing our dinner for this evening earlier, a dinner I made on Tuesday a few days ago, but promptly dropped on the floor of the apartment as I was preparing to serve it. It was a real mess. We enjoyed the potatoes and salad that were to accompany the meatloaf. 

​Not sure I've ruined a dinner in that fashion before, but it took a few minutes for that one to get off me. Anyway, tonight we try again.

It's another beautiful Spring day here and I'm about to get out and cycle a bit. 

My turn around point so far on Cub Creek Road when cycling

Part of the scenic Cub Creek Drainage

Sitting on a bench in Green River Campground

Current weather at my location in DINO