Cicada Killer Wasp

I was having a very nice chat with my neighbor this weekend when something buzzed by us. I saw clear wings and a large insect, and thought of a hummingbird moth, which was common in other places I've lived. My neighbor, though, knew it was a cicada killer wasp.

A few minutes later, it flew by again, buzzing by his head like a dirigible that was speeding out of control toward the ground. It had a cicada in its legs and proceeded to drag it under ground. This is where it went.

How the wasp was able to fly while carrying a cicada is beyond me. It surely didn't seem to fly well with such a heavy load.

The cicadas have been very loud the past few days. The summer insect symphony continues.

Gumbo Weather

Did you feel the hint of fall earlier this week?

Fall stirs such mixed emotions in me. As a Louisiana native, I feel a vague sense of panic, living this far north, and realizing that winter is coming. I love cold weather, but here in Nebraska, winter itself is something to endure.

At the same time, fall is my favorite season. I love the colors, the crispness of the air, the sweetness of freshly picked apples. I love Thanksgiving. And pumpkins! We will not mention football. It all depends on how our favorite team is doing.

Also, as a Louisiana native, that first cool snap gets me thinking about making the first gumbo. Had the cool weather hung on a few more days, I definitely would have honored this urge, and made a huge, steaming pot of gumbo. It is in my blood.

That first gumbo day is coming. I can see it in the browning of the seeds of my wildflowers. Fall stars are peeking over the horizon at dawn. Birds are migrating. Days are getting shorter. And the weather is changing. I am not ready for it, yet, but it is almost here.

Fireball

Light pollution has new meaning for me! I hadn't realized how spoiled I have been in the past couple of places we've lived, which were rural. It was difficult to see the meteors last night.

But... I saw a pretty substantial fireball last night! Wow. I need to learn more about astrophotography. I did record it in my astronomy journal, though. I'll post some pages from that book on my other blog.

Although last night was the peak, you should still be able to see some meteors tonight, so if you missed it, go outside tonight and look up!

Tree time: the Ginkgo

Yesterday, we went to the Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. The geology and paleontology exhibits were wonderful, and well worth the trip. Down the walk from the Morrill building was a familiar, beautiful tree: a ginkgo!

I love the fan-shaped leaves. And it was a female tree. You don't often see the female trees, because some people object to the strong smell of the seeds after they drop. In fact, my old forestry textbook (Textbook of Dendrology, by Harlow, Harrar, and White) refers to the fleshy seed coating as being "exceedingly malodorous." It then describes the smell as being like rancid butter, and recommends only planting male trees.  But I love the big clusters of seeds that look a little like the wild plums I saw at Fontenelle last week, and I guess I inherited my grandfather's sense of smell. It's legendary in our family that Limburger cheese didn't bother him, and the ripe, fallen seeds of this tree do not bother me.

Many trees had signs to identify them, so I guess this was part of an on-campus arboretum.

All in all, it was a wonderful day.

Meteor Shower

Just a reminder that the Perseid Meteor Shower is about to peak! Get extra sleep tonight, if you can, and check the sky Wednesday night. The meteor shower occurs as the Earth passes through the debris trail of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

This page has a good explanation of the meteor shower, and where and when to look:

NASA's Perseid info page

The best time to see the most meteors is, apparently, 4am. However, I have been much lazier and looked up around midnight in years past, and still saw quite a few. This is my favorite meteor shower. You're almost guaranteed to see at least one, and are likely to see a lot more- this year's estimate is around 100/hour. Also in this year's favor: we have a new moon, so viewing will be easier, without competing moonlight.

Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.

                              -Longfellow,  Evangeline