phenology
khannula | April 16, 2009Last night, we were having another one of those incredible dust storms that have been blowing in this spring (and which may be decimating the spring snowpack).
This morning, I woke up to this:
I was happy to see it - it will melt by the end of the day, and will keep the soil from being so incredibly dry.
I'm not sure this guy is so happy, though:
khannula | April 3, 2009I've been watching an aspen in my front yard this spring, and sending data to the National Phenology Network. (That's phenology, the study of recurring plant and animals phases, not phrenology.) We've had warm weather, cold weather, and windy weather, and blooming violets, crocuses, and dwarf irises, but the aspens haven't done much.
Until now. My aspen is blooming. Kind of.
There aren't any leaves yet, but this morning I noticed some things that reminded me of the fuzz on pussy willows back in Maine. So this afternoon, I took a closer look, and picked one. And... I think that must be the…
khannula | March 10, 2009Spring has sprung in the geoblogosphere! In Virginia, Callan has been hiking on the Billy Goat Trail. In Colorado, Geology Happens has crocuses. And spring fever has even hit the New York Times - Andy Revkin is posting Youtube videos of Pete Seeger singing about maple syrup.
Hey, I can play, too. Look - I've got violets (pictures under the fold):
Actually, I took that photo on Sunday. If I go out this morning, maybe I'll be able to pick 148 more, and then I'll be able to start making that yummy-sounding violet custard pie that Janet made for pi day.
Oops.
sb admin | March 3, 2009I know it doesn't feel like spring on the East Coast of the US, what with the big snow day yesterday. But it's been in the 60's here for the past three days, and in the 50's before that. At my elevation (6800 feet), the snow is gone except in the shade and on north-facing slopes. It's nice, but worrisome: my mountains are the headwaters of the Rio Grande and part of the Colorado, and our snow is the water supply for cities and farms from Texas to California. March is supposed to be the big snow month here. We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm watching spring arrive. And this year, I'm going to try…
khannula | March 3, 2009I know it doesn't feel like spring on the East Coast of the US, what with the big snow day yesterday. But it's been in the 60's here for the past three days, and in the 50's before that. At my elevation (6800 feet), the snow is gone except in the shade and on north-facing slopes. It's nice, but worrisome: my mountains are the headwaters of the Rio Grande and part of the Colorado, and our snow is the water supply for cities and farms from Texas to California. March is supposed to be the big snow month here. We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm watching spring arrive. And this year, I'm going to try…