Wolf Creek Pass is a high-mountain route that’s notoriously difficult to navigate in winter, with steep drops in elevation as the road descends from the peak. While these trees were damaged by wildfire—always a threat here in the Rockies—trees in the surrounding forest have been ravaged by a different menace—the spruce beetle. The tiny but deadly beetles have infested up to 90 percent of the Englemann spruce trees in Colorado’s high elevations, including around Wolf Creek Pass, laying waste to large swaths of the forest.
Fire-damaged forest near Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado
Today in History
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Go Fly a Kite Day
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National Bird Day
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Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana
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Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
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An impactful day
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The birthplace of Cinco de Mayo
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Giant kelp in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
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National Bison Month
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Tassili n’Ajjer, Sahara, Algeria
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A circular celebration
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World Dolphin Day
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Ahh-tumn
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World Olive Tree Day
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International Day of Peace
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Tom Turkey takes Manhattan
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World Reef Day
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There’s a dog in there somewhere
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Morocco in bloom
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Green is the new black
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Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal
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Christmas Bird Count
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A dramatic view of Sicily
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Yosemite National Park anniversary
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It s Slovenia s Independence and Unity Day
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Pups of the prairie
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Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
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Castle Day in Japan
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Dolomites
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Pollinator Week
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Diving into World Oceans Day