Snow!

I shared some of these photos on my other blog, Leaf and Line, but I will add them here, too.

The weather conditions were just right this morning for beautiful types of snow crystals. According to a chart I found in Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes, our temperature and humidity were perfect.

This is a sectored plate:

And this is a stellar dendrite:

When I pushed the snow back to photograph these, I think I saw fernlike dendrites in the mix, but they broke apart and I could not tell for sure. Even with these photos, I was essentially photographing blind. I could not tell what the finished image would look like, because I was not using a DSLR. I probably took at least a hundred photos, and these are the best. Looking through them all, though, was like being on a treasure hunt.

HOT

100 degrees tomorrow. In June.

Everything seems to be wilting: I'm not seeing as many wildflowers this month as I did last year, except thistle. Nothing can defeat thistle.

This picture is from a previous year: it's too hot to venture out for wildflower photography. I'd prefer a closeup, but this was all I had in my files.

We did have a bit of rain last night, though, and waking to that sound was comforting. Next week looks better, temperature-wise. I'm hoping to add to my wildflower photo files then.

Turkey Tracks and an Expected Storm

We went walking last weekend, while the sun was shining. There were a lot of tracks visible in the snow, but these were big enough to photograph:

Turkeys! Interestingly, one of my fellow walkers observed that there is a passing resemblance to the dinosaur footprints we saw in Colorado.

My mind is slipping into hibernation mode this evening. A big storm is predicted to come through tonight and tomorrow. It is overcast, and my dog has not shown any interest in moving around this afternoon.

At least fresh snow will mean fresh tracks to identify.

Snow and sunshine

After four inches of snow last week, and a bit more yesterday, the sun coming out this afternoon was lovely.

I want to stand outside and soak up the rays, even though it is still very cold.

Until it warms up again, I am enjoying the play of sunlight across the walls inside the house.

Later this week looks better, at least to my Nebraska-adjusted vision. Back in Louisiana, 49 degrees is too cold to go outside! The humidity would make that temperature bitterly cold. Here, it sounds like a warmup!

Winter!

After dealing with a foot sprain for the better part of a month, I was finally able to get back outside this weekend. This is the kind of thing that entices me!

And this is the beautiful play of shadows on the snow that met me as I went a little way down the trail:

 This was at Schramm State Park. The lovely blue shadows remind me of Pissaro's snow paintings. He is still my favorite artist.





And this reminded me that spring will come soon.

Cicadas again

Just a few notes this evening: the cicadas are back. The temperature has climbed back into the upper 80s, and I hear them again in the maples. Summer has a couple of weeks to go, after all!

This morning, Venus shone very brightly in the Eastern sky. The Summer Triangle is still overhead.

Sunflowers and thistles are flowering on the roadsides. Their cheerful colors have been around for a couple of months now, so I find myself taking them for granted, until I think about how things will look in winter. That is incentive enough to delight in the intense yellows and purples.

Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

Weather changes

This morning, a definite chill was in the air. Orion has begun its climb in the Eastern sky. And this evening, something is missing.

The cicadas have gone silent.

I heard them again, briefly, this afternoon when the sun warmed the air. But it is strangely quiet this evening, with only the buzz of crickets in the air. For months now, we have heard a constant, loud chorus in the maple trees in the yard.

The seasons are changing again. I saw chrysanthemums at the garden center today, and pumpkins at the grocery store. Football dominates television. It seems too early for it all, but I miss the cicadas already.

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.

Stargazing and clouds....

It is cloudy again today. One of the things that I have enjoyed about Nebraska is the frequency of clear nights for stargazing. At least it is more frequently clear than in south Louisiana! I'm trying to watch the planets Venus and Jupiter appear to move closer together, but have not had enough of a break in the cloud cover to see it. 


I had to laugh when these astronomers mentioned the problem:


Stargazers episode


The next few days are supposed to be cloudy. Although that certainly cools things down, I am hoping for a break!

More rain

It has been raining for what seems like weeks. The sun is beginning to come back out, but the prediction for tomorrow is more rain and storms.


The grass is happy. The perennial flowers in our yard are happy. The trees are also happy. But I have cabin fever!


I found an owl pellet on the patio the other day. Inside, I could see fur and a tiny bone.


Baby squirrels are running around the yard, irritating my dog, who doesn't understand why I don't just let her round them up. The last time I (accidentally) let her out while they were too far away from a tree, she was bitten on the nose, and it resulted in a call to the vet. Sorry, pup, no, though I realize that you have cabin fever, too!


There are lots of robins, grackles, finches and sparrows. Wildflowers flowering include violets, mock strawberry, and dandelions. The dayflower is not yet large enough. When the rain lets up, I'm headed out to look for more.

Storm season

Years ago, when we lived in Tennessee, we were on the edge of tornado territory. I went through a class to become a National Weather Service volunteer storm spotter. My spotting skills were not useful in the next couple of states we lived in, so I've let the training slide.

I'm thinking of taking another class here. I still have my programmable weather radio, and it was going off a lot last night. But in between cloudbursts, we saw this through the window:

I love rainbows. They are always a surprise when you see one, and they have such an ephemeral beauty. The colors are vivid, but not glaring- more like a diluted pure watercolor, which, of course, makes sense.

After last night's storm, the street and our deck are covered in maple seeds. These always find their way into my sketchbooks. When I was a kid, we used to toss red maple seeds high into the air, and watch them spiral down, spinning like helicopter blades. These are silver maple seeds, and they are larger than the red maple ones.

I love the texture and the muted colors in this photo. I think I have always been in love with the camera's macro lens, too.

The rest of the week's forecast looks rainy. It is also finally getting warm enough to switch over to short sleeves. The first wave of spring flowers- the Japanese magnolias, cherry blossoms, and forsythia, are finishing. Lilacs are still flowering. Wildflower season should be upon us soon, and I cannot wait.

Warmer?

Is the warmer weather here to stay?

The 20th is the date of the last average freeze in my area. An average, of course, means it could still freeze. Gardeners tend to be gamblers, and will try to plant things out anyhow, and keep the row covers handy.

Tulips are coming up, cherry trees are flowering, and the dandelions are popping up everywhere. The color yellow is so welcome. I stopped to take a photo of one yesterday. A guy who was passing by must have thought I was a little off my rocker, stooping to take a picture of a dandelion. Later in the season, they definitely wear out their welcome. But right now, if you look closely enough, they are actually pretty.

The juncos are not as numerous in my yard. I'm seeing more robins and blackbirds.

And the morning's cup is spilling over with birdsong. It must be spring.

Wooly Bears

Yesterday, a wooly bear caterpillar was crawling very fast down our driveway.

It was too fast for me- by the time I went back with a camera, it was gone. I have not seen a wooly bear in years. They become the Isabella Tiger Moth, which is such a lyrical name.

There's a lot of fun folklore associated with the size of the bands, and whether the winter will be harsh. If I took it seriously, I would think this year is going to be harsh based on the size of the black bands on the one I saw.

NOAA has a page on the folklore:

 Wooly Bear

I hope to see another one and post a picture!

Sunrise

A couple of days ago, I was treated to this beautiful sunrise.

 It is warm again. Today's high is supposed to be 80 degrees, but it feels much warmer.

Summer's Close

We took a brief walk on a local trail to soak in the last of summer.

The only sounds were the insects: cicadas and grasshoppers. I didn't hear any birds.

I noted fat milkweed pods ripening. One had dried and split open, spilling fluffy seeds out. One was full of red and black milkweed bugs.

Some grasses were drying, and turning a beautiful shade of umber. And the Asters have appeared. These have always been harbingers of fall for me.

Sunflowers were still flowering, but I saw many seedheads.

Just a few more days until the official start of fall!!!

A chill in the air

How can it be the middle of September already? Somehow, August slipped by.

We have been very cool- the lows last week were not record-breaking, but low enough to cause my basil to break out in black, unhappy spots. The birds are now few and far between in the yard. Gone are the mixed-species flocks that fought over the small birdbath. It is very quiet now, except for the insistent calling of a blue jay.

And it is chilly. Layering a sweater or jacket is now a must. There is the smell of fall in the air: crispness and peat-scented humus. Fall has always been my favorite season.

The grass is still green, but some trees are showing a speck of color in the leaves. I am looking forward to the fall colors, especially in the maples.

Thunderstorms

Last night's storm was spectacular.

I've lived in areas that experience severe weather. Tornadoes, hail storms, and hurricanes are not pleasant to deal with. I remember one tornado in particular that skipped over our home, and touched down a few blocks over, while we crouched in a tiny closet. It made the freight train sound that you always hear people mention when they are interviewed afterward.

But I do like to see a powerful thunderstorm from the safety of my house. Last night, there was so much lightning that I could walk around without turning on a single light. The flashes played out through the windows over the ceiling and walls. I had a forestry professor in college who impressed on us the importance of lightning safety, so I know to stay away from the windows. I didn't need to get close.

I can't remember the last time I saw that much lightning. There was a tremendous amount of energy in that storm.


This morning, all is quiet. I found a nest on my porch, which had fallen from one of the trees in the high wind. I don't think it was in use, anyway. I have seen the baby robins following the parents closely over the past week.

Nebraska thunderstorms... very impressive.