The Backyard Science group regularly features the Daily Bucket . Anyone can note any observations you have made of the world around you. Insects, weather, meteorites, climate, birds, flowers and anything natural or unusual are worthy additions to the Bucket and its comments. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
Here are pictures of my larger backyard pond. I took the first picture in the middle of February, and the second picture yesterday, March 17. Continue reading below the swirling orange mist for more dicta.
The tree frog chorus is back, having survived the snow. The water irises (left of photo) are greening up, and so are the rushes, (center of photo) which I moved in last year.
I can spot signs the heron's been around the other pond. I imagine the heron creeping up to water's edge, steady, steady, fish in the sights, get closer .... G---D it! That rock slipped into the water and the fish escaped!
Those green pointy plants are pseudo irises (aka yellow flag) coming in strong. I leave them be for some early color.
Last year I pulled up almost all my invasive pickerel, and put in the rushes and also cattails. A few days ago, I spotted a hummingbird tearing all the fluff off of the cattail. Another good reason to plant native plants. Here's what's left.
Now it's your turn for a comment on the goings-on in your corner of the earth.
"Green Diary Rescue" is Back!
After a hiatus of over 1 1/2 years, Meteor Blades has revived his excellent series. As MB explained, this weekly diary is a "round-up with excerpts and links... of the hard work so many Kossacks put into bringing matters of environmental concern to the community... I'll be starting out with some commentary of my own on an issue related to the environment, a word I take in its broadest meaning."
"Green Diary Rescue" will be posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time on the Daily Kos front page. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.
1:51 PM PT: 1:49 PST