CSU Extension

Summer is off to a great start for our Extension interns! 😎⬇️

👭 Lucia Baith (second from right) is interning with Larimer County Farmers' Market and Larimer County CSU Extension. Lucia and the Larimer County Master Gardeners are spreading knowledge in style to the market's attendees this summer!
🧑‍🌾 Madison Greves (left) and Rachael McDaniel (right) are Animal Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery interns. They attended the 2026 Colorado Livestock Association in Black Hawk, Colorado with mentors Dan Frazen, Colorado Department of Agriculture Emergency Coordinator, and Dr. Kathy Whitman, CSU Extension Veterinarian, representing the Colorado Department of Agriculture and talking to industry and production partners about disaster preparedness and New World Screwworm.
😷 Madison Greves (left) Rachael McDaniel (right) with the Colorado Department of Agriculture Foreign Animal Disease Strike Team reviewing proper PPE for animal disease cases and practicing donning and doffing!
☀️ Mya Kevil (left) and mentor Mark Uchanski take Zadoks development measurements for barley in the bifacial agrivoltaics plot at ARDEC South.
🐟 Madison Taylor (middle) is conducting exploratory sampling of the CSU Lagoon--lots of toad tadpoles, bullfrogs, and goldfish! Field work starts mid-June, so right now she's been processing last year’s urban pond macroinvertebrate samples.
🚜 Catherine Grant at her desk the CSU Extension office on campus. Catherine's internship focuses on agricultural contribution in Larimer County.
🤖 Shay Matthew Davis talks about AI in Colorado agritourism and agriculture at the Loveland Farmer's Market. Shay gathered feedback via surveys and interviews on the AI chatbot designed by CSU Extension and had some great discussions on AI's increasingly important role in agriculture.
🐝 Claudia Adamson works on bee identification at the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins. In the plant pictured, she was able to see a tiny dark bee, hairy leg bee, honey bee, and hairy belly bee.

"In a world that often feels increasingly divided, transactional, or technology-driven, I want people to know there is still tremendous value in curiosity, collaboration, mentorship, creativity, and community-centered leadership." - Mary Anderson, Director of Elbert County Extension.

Mary's career began in culinary arts and nutrition, moved into education and curriculum design, and led to building STEM/maker programs and even partnerships with NASA! 🧑‍🚀🌌 Mary says, "My path has never been linear, but I have come to see that as an advantage rather than a liability. The through-line has always been curiosity, relationship-building, and a deep belief that meaningful innovation happens when you bring together people, industries, and ideas that do not traditionally share the same table."

Mary was recently featured in Voyage Denver's Hidden Gems series! Read more here: https://voyagedenver.com/interview/hidden-gems-meet-mary-anderson-of-colorado-state-university/

Extension intern season is here!! 🙌 🎉 Throughout the summer, our students will be applying their education through hands-on projects across Colorado. Here's a glimpse into the first few weeks of their internships!👇

🧪 Grace Faulk (left) collects vials of macro invertebrates. Grace's internship focuses on fisheries restoration in a flow-regulated river on a private ranch. Warner College of Natural Resources
🪶 Avian health interns Grace Hufford and Daniela Montalvan Villatoro (left and second from left) with mentors Ben Amerman and Dr. Heather Reider. CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
🍎 Gráinne McCready (left) at Big B's apple orchard in Paonia. Gráinne is an entomology intern in Western Colorado. Warner College of Natural Resources
🪵 Saira Hafeez (far right) in the field for a community chipping day. Saira is focusing on wildfire preparedness in Grand County. CSU College of Liberal Arts
🐥 Daniela Montalvan Villatoro, avian health intern, draws blood from a chicken. Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences
🌲 Isabelle Wasserman (second from right) visits Borden Memorial Forest to evaluate potential locations for interpretive signage to enhance visitor understanding and engagement. Isabelle has an Applied Forest Science Communications internship. CSU College of Liberal Arts

Wrapping up our "Plants that thrive in Colorado" series with some stunners! ⬇️

🍫 Chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata). Height: 1-2'. Spread: 1-2'. Full sun. Regular, well-drained soil. Good tolerance for heat and drought.

🌬️ Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum). Height: 6-18". Spread: 6-12". Full sun. Dry to medium, well-drained soils. Deer resistant.

✂️ Cutleaf daisy (Erigeron compositus). Height: 6". Spread: 8-10". Full sun to part shade. Well-drained soil. Outstanding in low borders or rock gardens.

🕓 Colorado four o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora). Height: 3'. Spread: 3'. Sun and part shade. Dry, rocky soils. Drought tolerant and useful as ground cover. Pollinator friendly.

🌼 Sulpher-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum). Height: 6-12". Spread: 1-3'. Full sun. Dry to medium, well-drained soils. Drought tolerant. Pollinator friendly.

🏋️ Leadplant (Amorpha canescens). Height: 2-3'. Spread: 2-2.5'. Sun, Part Shade. Well-drained, sandy or rocky soils. Pollinator friendly.

🐰 Rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). Height: 4-7'. Spread: 4-7'. Full sun. Dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. Best grown in groups or massed in areas where colonial spread is not a concern.

🥛 Two-grooved milkvetch (Astragalus bisulcatus). Height: 6-32". Spread: 12-18". Full Sun. Clay, Loam, Rocky, Variable soil type. Drought and deer tolerant. Pollinator friendly.

Photos from Allisa Zurbuchen, El Paso County- Colorado State University Extension

Celebrate Colorado State University's Aggie roots on Sept. 12 for our annual Nutrien Ag Day BBQ, where the state’s agricultural growers and producers serve up premium local fare to support scholarships for AgSci students. Then head to Canvas Stadium to cheer on the Rams as they take on the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds! Everyone is welcome to come celebrate tradition, community, and Colorado agriculture at Ag Day 🏈🍗🧡

Live, Laugh, Love: Plant Edition 🌱✨ Here are even MORE plants that thrive in Colorado! 👇

🌀 Solitary clematis (Clematis intergrifolia). Height 18-36", spread 24-36". Blooms May-September, full sun to part shade.

🧔‍♂️ Red Jupiter's Beard (Centranthus ruber). Height 18-36", spread 12-24". Blooms in May. Full sun to part shade.

🍊Totally Tangerine Geum (Geum chiloense). Height 18-30", spread 12-18". Blooms May-July. Full sun or part sun.

🏙️ Salvia 'Mystic Spires.' Height 24-30", spread 24-30". Blooms May-October. Full sun to part shade.

😻 Catmint (Nepeta species). Height 12-24", spread 24-48". Blooms May-September. Full sun to part shade.

❣️ Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis). Height 24-36", spread 18-30". Blooms May-June. Shade.

🌺 Peony (Paeonia species). Height 30-36", spread 24-36". Blooms May-June. Full sun.

Do you have any of these plants in your garden? Let us know in the comments!

Plants that thrive in Colorado pt. 2! ⬇️

🟣 Allium (pictured: Allium giganteum (giant ornamental onion)). Blooms in the summer and produces softball size clusters of bright lilac flowers, with stalks up to 5’ tall. Fall is the best time to plant these bulbs. Plant 2-4" deep in a well-drained soil. https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/annuals-perennials/1006-bulbs-alliums/

💛 Angelina sedum (Sedum rupestre 'Angelina'). Drought-tolerant groundcover. Bright yellow star-like flowers bloom in summer and foliage turns golden-orange in autumn. A great pick for rock gardens, dry borders, and large expanses of ground that need planting. https://www.highcountrygardens.com/products/perennial-sedum-angelina?srsltid=AfmBOooC2-TWzIxEXyckqZuXwJoSHjtjiTUEP7aGq7O4xWUwV3QsvAH1

🌳 Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). Hardiness Zones 4-6. Full sun tree that is somewhat tolerant of alkaline soils (only a handful of oaks will tolerate Colorado’s clay alkaline soils). https://www.coloradotrees.org/find/oakchinkapin

⚒️ Ironwort (Sideritis syriaca). Full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil. Hardiness Zone 6. Great for nutrient poor, dry areas, alpine gardens. https://plants.theflowerbin.net/12120039/Plant/34518/Ironwort/

🐦 Partridge feather (Tanacetum densum ssp. Amani). 4-6" tall x 18-24" wide. Sun, Part Sun. Moderate to xeric. Hardiness Zones 4-9. Loam, Sandy soil. Deer Resistant. https://plantselect.org/plant/tanacetum-densum-ssp-amani/

🕯️ Golden Candles Themopsis (Thermopsis lanceolata). 24-36" tall x 20-30" wide. Sun, Part Sun. Moderate to xeric. Hardiness Zones 3-8. Clay, Loam, Sandy soil types. Good for pollinators. https://plantselect.org/plant/thermopsis-lanceolata-syn-thermopsis-lupinoides/