A Wordsworth day

I went in search of a particular wildflower today. More on that, later. Sometimes it can be a mistake to look for a very specific thing, because you may not find it! I did not find my flower. But I did find so much more.

It was hot and humid... there was a misty rain earlier today. It left behind heat and steam: just like Louisiana, where I am from. It felt familiar.

Walking along one of my favorite paths, I was serenaded by meadowlarks and robins. Swallows were swooping though the air around me, almost hitting my head. There was a strong smell of honey in the air, and I found the source:

Basswood. It made me think of forestry class, and one of my favorite professors. Good memories, there.

There were flowers, bees, and butterflies everywhere. What a joy, if you stop to look.

Although it was overcast, the scenes around me reminded me of the famous Wordsworth poem, "I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud." I wasn't looking at daffodils, of course, but the joy was the same.

In another post, I'll try to catalog all I saw in list form. For today, though, I'm just basking in the joy.

Venus and Jupiter!

Thanks to a cold front, the clouds moved through and the night is supposed to be clear- for a while.

Venus and Jupiter were very plainly visible just after sunset... and they looked exactly like the star charts said they would! What a thrill!

This is looking to the west at sunset:

To the right of the moon is Jupiter and then Venus. They are difficult to see in the fading sunlight in this photo.

Here is another:

In this photo, Venus is the sphere in the middle. Jupiter is all the way to the left of the photo.

I am going to try to get another photo after night falls, but even if the clouds move back in, I am happy. The photos do not do this justice. Step outside and look to the west!

Added later:

The moon, Jupiter and Venus. Snapped with an older cell phone's camera, just to show that astronomy is still fun without any fancy equipment. You can see the crescent of light on Venus. I'm very happy.

Another interesting thing: it was very evident after dark that we were not looking at stars. Regulus was twinkling between Jupiter and the moon (it's not visible in the photos), and the contrast between it and the steady reflected light of the planets was obvious. Another fun astronomy night!

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!

Ft. Atkinson, Arbor Lodge, and Catalpa

Having guests in town sometimes nudges me to find something new and interesting to do. This week, we traveled on Hwy. 75 to see Ft. Atkinson and then Arbor Lodge.

Ft. Atkinson was interesting. It was a beautiful day, but we lacked hiking shoes and tick spray, so we stuck to the paved walkway. I would like to go back, and take the 1.2 mile nature trail. As it was, we saw some very interesting displays of medical tools and punishment methods for prisoners.

The next day, we headed in the other direction on Hwy. 75, and visited Arbor Lodge. The home of the founder of Arbor Day was not a disappointment. The woodwork in the older part of the house was stunning, and featured intricate carving. I think my favorite room was the library. I love books, and there were many beautiful old books in glass library cases.

I was surprised to see Catalpa trees. I had forgotten that this is not just a southern genera. The flowers are really beautiful.

My guests seemed to enjoy our trips to both of these parks, too. Nebraska has so much to offer. I feel as though we have barely scratched the surface, and when my guests return (hopefully!), we will have even more interesting places to visit.

Lewis and Clark

This week, my family and I went to the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trail & Visitor Center (or the MRB L&C Center, as printed on my receipt, whew!). This little jaunt out to Nebraska City, NE, reawakened an old fascination I have with these explorers. There is something for everyone in the Lewis and Clark exploration story. I love the adventure, the natural history, and the detailed journal keeping.

The Visitor Center was well worth the time. I especially enjoyed seeing the example of a medical kit that would have been used back in the 1800s. The interpretive display also discussed the fish the explorers caught, and the hooks they would have used, which is something I have not seen anywhere else.

Outside, the trail was muddy, but the view of the Missouri River was beautiful.The woods were quite like the Eastern Deciduous Forest I know from my time in Tennessee.

While there, I bought a copy of H. Wayne Phillips' Plants of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. And I found myself wanting to reread Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage and Lewis & Clark: Voyage of Discovery.

 An old love is reawakened. I'm already thinking about how to interpret some of this in a contemporary way. Their story never gets old. And I hope that an appreciation for the natural world, the value of wild places, and the importance of a person's recorded thoughts is never lost. 

Birding Reference

I found a book this weekend that has the migration dates I needed. Paul Johnsgard's The Birds of Nebraska has that information, along with an extensive bibliography, which I always like to see. The dates are so important for me, though, because "spring" can mean March or June, depending upon where you live in the U.S. The highs are still in the 50s in the Sawtooth mountains this week, and it will be above 90 degrees in south Louisiana later this week.


I also think any book that mentions both watercolors (in reference to Cedar Waxwings), and Beethoven's Third Symphony (in reference to Song Sparrows) is a book that I am going to enjoy.


I have not heard the wren again today, and did not hear it yesterday, either.

Winter Wren

I think I've just identified a winter wren! It flew down onto my patio to pick around in a potted plant's soil. I've been trying to identify the song for a week now. It then gave a trill and flew off. It was so small, and such a good shade of tree-bark- brown, it's no wonder I have not been able to see it before today.


My NE bird guide says it's an uncommon spring migrant, but prefers riparian habitat. We are fairly close to a river here.


The song matched the one on the Cornell Lab website.


Another bird to add to the list! I just wish I had been quick enough to get a photo.


Edited to add: because my training is in the sciences, I am naturally suspicious of any uncommon bird sightings, including my own. However, this particular bird has been recorded in my county, according to the NOU. I would like to know in what months it has been seen here. It looks like it has bred at Lake McConaughy, too. Any NE birders who might read this, would you let me know your thoughts? I am certainly open to being wrong.