Ryan Bartlett Naturalist

I had a great time presenting Moth Pests of Trees at the Spring Training last week. CALCP does a great job putting on an excellent conference.
A big thank you to Korey Lofy from for the photos!

Come see me this week at the ProGreen EXPO! This Wednesday, Feb 4th 2026, I will be giving a talk on Weevils. Presentation is at 10:15am -11am on the Expo Floor over at the Arborist Corner.
Here is a code to register for free: SANCTUARYTREESO

A huge thank you to for their generous donation to the Arborist Apprenticeship Program at Front Range Community College! They’ve donated three amazing battery-powered chainsaws—a top handle, medium saw, and large dual-battery saw—that are making a real difference in our classes.

One of our students was so excited during a tree removal class, they shouted, "This saw rips!" We couldn’t agree more. Thanks again, Milwaukee Tool!

Ryan Bartlett, author of Native Bees of the Western United States will be presenting about bees at the Butterfly Pavilion this Saturday (July 20th) at 10am.
Come learn about the great diversity of bees that the Rocky Mountain Region offers!

Calendar - Butterfly Pavilion Online (In-person tickets are $1 more) Adult $15.95 Child (2-12) $10.95 Senior (65+) $13.95 Child Under 2: Free Members: Free & Unlimited Open daily from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. with last admission at 4:15 p.m.

It's Valentine's week! Looking for something to do this coming weekend (February 17, 6pm) with your sweetheart?
Come to Sylvan Dale Ranch near Loveland, CO for a dinner lecture series about the diversity of pollinators within the Rocky Mountain Region.
I will talk about their diversity, importance and plants to promote their continued success.
The ranch has hiking trails, horses, and cabins.
Visit their website to book the evening! https://www.sylvandale.com/specials/saturday-winter-dinner-series
Or call the ranch at (970) 667-3915

I will be with some colleagues discussing:

Landscaping in the Front Range Panel Discussion

1p-2:30p on Sat 10/14/2023 at:

Majestic View Nature Center Nature Center
7030 Garrison St Arvada, CO 80004
720-898-7405

Register at:
https://secure.rec1.com/CO/arvada-co/catalog/item/15868/205868/2720696

Did you know that there are approximately 3200 species of cicadas worldwide? With 29 of those species occuring in the State of Colorado?
Cicadas develop slowly in the immature stage and feed off of plant fluids by sucking on the roots. These large bugs, in the order Hemiptera, do very little damage as it takes multiple years for them to develop. Skins like this one are often seen attached to trees, fences, and plants. They are left behind as the nymph crawls out of the soil to molt one last time into it's adult stage, where the males will spend hours making the familiar call for a mate.

I do love teaching Tree Identification!
Don't let your crew make mistakes in the field because they are unsure of a tree/plant identification. Bring your crew to new heights with advanced id skills.
Custom classes brought to your base of operations. Message me for more information.
Ryan

Lathrop State Park has always been a favorite park of my family with it's beautiful scenery and diverse ecosystems. Designated as a state park in 1962, Lathrop opened as Colorado's first official State Park. It was named after the first director of state parks, Harold Lathrop. Lathrop is located in Huerfano County north of the Spanish Peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. If you are interested in looking for wildlife, you can find a huge array of diversity between the two lakes and the semi arid environment surrounding the area.
During our five day visit during the middle of June we were able to spot mule deer, jackrabbits, and signs of other large mammal wildlife such as the the scraping of bear claws on trees to the s**t and mud tracks of coyote and raccoons.
As a naturalist, I love seeing the diversity of both flora and fauna. Birds like the Magpies, Brewer's blackbird, Spotted towhee, American robin and Turkey vultures are common sights throughout the park. We even had several sightings of Yellow-breasted chats, Osprey, Killdeer and Wild turkeys.
Some of my favorite plants, reptiles and bug life can be found in Lathrop. Of those, multiple species of bees, cicadas and butterflies were abundant during our trip. Within the junipers and pinyon pines you can find Juniper hairstreaks nectaring from native milkweeds, fleabanes and scarlet gaura. Meanwhile lizards and bull snakes can be found amongst the sandstone rocks of the Hogback trail directly behind the campgrounds.

Until recently, only humans, four species of apes, bottle-nose dolphins and Asian elephants have passed the "mirror test," an indication of self-awareness. Enter the Magpie, which despite its tiny brain, seems to also possess self-recognition.

Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14552-mirror-test-shows-magpies-arent-so-bird-brained/

The Amazing Chickadee | The Outside Story Black-capped chickadees are one of the most frequent visitors to our bird feeders in winter, but do we really know them? This common bird exhibits some remarkable behaviors an