Crossing Tornado Alley

Heading dorsum to Colorado, I crossed Tornado Alley this forenoon in addition to afternoon, a wide swath of landscape from Texas to Nebraska in addition to Iowa that is specially susceptible to tornadic thunderstorms inwards throttle in addition to early on summer.

As i who has often driven across the Great Plains, I hereby offering a dyad of personal recommendations to beau travelers.  First of all, cross this share every bit early on inwards the twenty-four hr menses every bit possible since supercell thunderstorms (and the tornadoes that they spawn) virtually often prepare inwards belatedly afternoon or evening, fueled yesteryear daytime heating.  Secondly, melody into local radio stations to rest informed regarding unsafe storms; spell the terrain is relatively apartment in addition to many storms tin endure spotted at a distance, this is non ever the case, specially when heavy rains obscure your view.

Today, I managed to orbit Hays, Kansas, amongst no major problems, though I did skirt i severe thunderstorm simply W of Topeka.  After checking into a motel inwards Hays, however, a tornado alert was issued for this metropolis in addition to nosotros all gathered inwards the laundry room until the tempest passed simply to our east.  Meanwhile, tornadic thunderstorms convey begun to ignite all across eastern Kansas (not to cite an outbreak inwards Pennsylvania, stretching along the rim of a high pull per unit of measurement area dome that sits over the Southeastern U.S.).

Swallows To The Rescue

Yesterday, every bit I knifed through the hot, humid air on the Great Plains, I noticed many herds of cattle that had crammed together or taken to farm ponds to escape biting insects.  Just around other disturbing spectacle that mightiness encourage other observers to hand upward center consumption!

Fortunately, inwards around areas, squadrons of swallows arrived to feast on the insects that were tormenting the cattle; piece they were hard to pose from the highway, close appeared to live on barn swallows.  Though the agile fliers dive-bombed the herds, the cattle for certain appreciated their service.

Of course, herds of deer, elk, caribou together with other native herbivores are likewise tormented past times insects during the summertime months.  But cattle herds guide maintain been established past times humans, their members living only long plenty to furnish nutrient for people together with their domestic pets.  Their brief lives are far from idyllic! 

Olive-Sided Flycatcher

Of all those brown-olive-white flycatchers that migrate through the U.S., the olive-sided flycatcher is mayhap the easiest to identify.  Relatively large, amongst an over-sized head, long thick bill, brusk tail together with "vest-like" plume on his chest, this migrant prefers to hunt from a dead limb close the meridian of a tree; from that conspicuous perch, he flies out to snare a large insect together with and hence ordinarily returns to the same spot.

Breeding inwards coniferous forests across Alaska together with Canada together with southward through mount ranges of North America, close of these long-distance migrants wintertime inwards South America though to a greater extent than or less shorten their journey, staying inwards Central America.  Among the concluding migrant flycatchers to deed through the U.S.A. inwards spring, they are close frequently observed inwards belatedly May; evidently fond of their wintering grounds, close caput due south i time to a greater extent than yesteryear belatedly August.

Olive-sided flycatchers are to a greater extent than mutual inwards the Western U.S.A. (at to the lowest degree inwards my experience) together with I encountered 2 at South Platte Park this morning.  Seemingly certain of themselves, they are less skittish than their smaller cousins together with volition ordinarily pose at closed range, disturbed solely yesteryear a juicy insect that flies close their perch.

The Storms Of June

Following a catamenia of cool, rainy weather, temperatures are heating upwards along the Colorado Front Range together with and therefore is the severe weather.  Indeed, severe thunderstorms together with tornados by together with large pinnacle inward this part during the calendar month of June.

While belatedly afternoon thunderstorms are mutual from May to September, damaging hail together with air current coincide amongst rise mid-day temperatures together with a soundless unsettled jet stream.  Seemingly little thunderstorms, drifting eastward from the mountains, all of a abrupt explode into powerful monsters, ravaging all that lies beneath their path piece following areas, bathed inward sunshine, larn unscathed.

As I drove a friend to the airdrome this afternoon, a few showers obscured portions of the Front Range. By the fourth dimension I headed home, roughly 20 minutes later, nearly had dissipated; one, however, sitting over western Arapahoe County, had fed on their energy.  Characterized past times intense rain, high winds together with large hail, it was drifting eastward (per the radio warning) together with I changed my cast to avoid its wrath.  One would live on foolish to travail into that atmospheric maelstrom! 

The Calendar Month Without Migrants

Avid birders facial expression frontward to the jump together with autumn migration seasons, when seasonal residents together with migrants mingle alongside permanent residents, greatly increasing the multifariousness of avian species inwards whatever given area.  By June (in the Northern Hemisphere), jump migration is commonly consummate together with the "autumn migration" volition non laid about until July; i mightiness thence propose that June is the to the lowest degree interesting calendar month for birders, specially alongside reckon to unexpected sightings.

By mid July, shorebirds laid about to migrate southward together with volition expire on to produce together with so for several months.  Waterfowl, songbird together with closed to raptor migrations are underway yesteryear belatedly summer, continuing into Dec for sure species of geese.  Some mightiness combat that Jan is likewise devoid of migrants merely vertical together with irruptive migrations reach throughout the winter.  By February, geese, sandhill cranes, American white pelicans together with other select species laid about to caput northward together with the jump avian migration volition expire on through May.

That brings us dorsum to June, a fourth dimension when summertime residents choose settled inwards and, inwards many cases, already choose a brood to raise.  June tin for certain endure a pleasant calendar month to scour the fields, forests together with wetlands for additions to one's personal life listing merely migrants (except for a straggler or two) volition non probable grace the scene.

A Shower Of Larvae

Reading outdoors early on this afternoon, I had placed my chair inwards the shade of a large Siberian elm that overhangs our driveway.  Off to the west, a thunderstorm had begun to bird together with I hurried to complete a chapter earlier I was forced inside.

Just earlier my destination was realized, something struck the chair that sounded similar a drib of rain; several other impacts presently followed equally a breeze picked upwards from the approaching storm.  As it turned out, the "raindrops" were tiny, yellowish slugs, a fact that was made clear when i struck the book.  Looking approximately my chair, I flora dozens of the larvae on the asphalt, writhing almost inwards search of vegetation.  Before I was forced indoors yesteryear rain, a robin turned upwards to feast on the misfortunate invertebrates, efficiently picking them off the driveway.

I suspect the tiny victims were the larvae of elm-leaf beetles, known to favor Siberian together with Chinese elms together with to lay ii broods of eggs, i inwards belatedly saltation together with the other inwards belatedly summer.  After falling from or traveling downwardly the tree, the tiny, translucent larvae uncovering a rubber spot to pupate into the adult stage.  Of course, an asphalt driveway is non an ideal landing spot together with the robin certainly enjoyed the windfall. Since nosotros create non purpose insecticides on the farm, at that spot should hold upwards enough to a greater extent than larvae for our resident insectivores.

Matted Pilus Inwards The Brush Pile

Now that summertime has develop inward as well as the plane population on our farm has stabilized for the season, I am to a greater extent than inclined to roam the property, looking for odd insects as well as plants.  This morning, spell exploring our "wild corner," I came across a clump of matted pilus inward the brush pile.

Initially assuming it was the remnants of a mouse or pocket-sized cottontail, I used a stick to investigate farther but constitute no bones or other cloth to confirm my suspicion.  I hence concluded it was a type of fungus and, later about investigation, settled on a species of Phycomyces; these fungi hit long, hair-like sporangia which flame inward tiny spheres that incorporate the spores.  Feasting on (and recycling) a broad form of rotting organic matter, the fungal flower was probable triggered past times our recent heavy rains.

My identification may or may non last right but, inward to a greater extent than than threescore years of exploring natural ecosystems, it was the cause down fourth dimension I encountered such a fungus; only the latest confirmation that nature's multifariousness is endless, fifty-fifty for a life-long naturalist.

A Chilly Forenoon Inward June

Following a calendar week of hot, stormy weather, a mutual frigidity front end dipped across the Front Range overnight, bringing cool, cloudy conditions to the portion this morning.  Down along the South Platte, insectivores had 1 time over again gathered to feast on their prey to a higher house in addition to along the fast moving waters of that relatively warm stream.

Dominating the scene were hundreds of violet-green swallow, forced downwards from the foothills to bring together their rough-winged, barn in addition to cliff cousins; the latter choose been nesting beneath the Bowles Avenue distich since early on May.  Other insectivores along the river were Say's phoebes, cedar waxwings, American robins, red-winged blackbirds, Bullock's orioles, mutual yellowthroats in addition to xanthous warblers.  By this belatedly appointment inwards spring, mallards in addition to a few mutual mergansers were the alone waterfowl on the South Platte though double-crested cormorants choose drib dead increasingly common.

Once the intense Colorado Sun breaks through the overcast, afternoon temperatures volition rising to almost 60 (F) in addition to a steady recovery toward to a greater extent than seasonable conditions is forecast for the coming week.  On the positive side, the cool air should stabilize the atmosphere for a few days, temporarily suppressing the evolution of severe afternoon in addition to eve thunderstorms.

The Nature Of Menage Unit Of Measurement Reunions

Since I depart for my wife's household unit of measurement reunion inward northern Ohio today, I select been thinking most the nature of such events.  Of course, families are really express inward nature since, inward most species, the immature disperse early on inward life to preclude inbreeding; indeed, with few exceptions, unicellular organisms, invertebrates, fish, amphibians as well as most reptiles never fifty-fifty reckon their parents.

Families, equally nosotros know them, exclusively be inward sure as shooting birds as well as mammals as well as humans are with the few species to retain long-term familial relationships.  Throughout most of our history, a nomadic lifestyle broke upwardly extended families and, fifty-fifty today, a global economic scheme has encouraged (if non required) the spatial separation of household unit of measurement members.  One mightiness fighting that household unit of measurement reunions select driblet dead peculiarly of import inward modern human society.

On the other hand, whatever interpersonal tensions existed during childhood tend to persist, as well as reunions may reignite those emotions.  Then at that spot is the additional influence (positive or negative) that spouses as well as children select had on household unit of measurement dynamics as well as directly "bring to the table."  It is no wonder that household unit of measurement reunions select been provender for then many novels as well as movies (some dramatic, others comedic); I human face a niggling of both over the coming week.

Flooding As Well As Our Future

Driving dorsum from Northeast Ohio, where heavy rains had brought Sandy Lake, southeast of Kent, to a tape score too closed local roadways, nosotros passed through flooded terrain from key Ohio to eastern Missouri.  Every creek too river was bank-full or had spilled across its floodplain too pelting was notwithstanding falling inwards most areas; across the water-logged fields, crops were unplanted or good behind schedule.

Of course, extensive flooding inwards the Missouri, Arkansas too Mississippi Valleys has been inwards the tidings for months, including structural harm inwards towns too cities too disruption of agriculture too transportation inwards those massive watersheds.  Meanwhile, hurricane flavor is underway too the get-go tropical organisation of the twelvemonth brought torrential rains to the western Gulf Coast.  Even if they dodge tropical storms too hurricanes, coastal cities are threatened past times ascension sea levels, a work that volition solely worsen over the coming decades.

Mention global warming too most humans (assuming they bring the science) worry nigh drought too H2O shortages.  Those problems volition for certain hold upward severe inwards unopen to regions merely warmer air tin carry larger quantities of H2O from oceans too lakes, providing to a greater extent than fuel for thunderstorms, snowstorms, tropical storms too hurricanes.  Combined amongst coastal flooding from ascension seas, which is already displacing human settlements across the globe, excessive atmospheric precipitation may hold upward the principal threat unleashed past times climate change.