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Posts Tagged "California"

Monarch Butterfly

Posted on Nov 30, 2016

Monarch Butterfly

This is obviously a bit of a throwback to earlier this summer and yet another gorgeous Monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly enjoying some nectar in a garden. Have you seen any more Monarchs hurrying their way south in November? Considering how warm it has been in some areas there is still a chance to spot one or two here or there after having emerged recently, trying to elude the snow. Most of the Monarch butterfly population has already made their way to the wintering grounds in Mexico. Some of the species does overwinter in California, and counts will be conducted once again at many of...

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Lightning Strike

Posted on Jun 15, 2015

Lightning Strike

There has been a lot of inclement weather lately! One good thing about all of the heavy rain and thunderstorms is that our waterways will be filled for reptiles, amphibians, odonates, and many other creatures. It may not make our work easier – for example, the Spiny Softshell Turtles are going to be a tough study for now – but it is certainly a far better fate than the droughts of places like California. Thankfully for them we have signs of a strengthening El Niño, the periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures, that may already be giving them slight...

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Record Shattering Cold & Historic Snow

Posted on Mar 16, 2015

Record Shattering Cold & Historic Snow

To be entirely honest I meant to write this blog entry a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I have been busy during that time with meetings, gearing up for spring and summer projects, surveying, and much more. Nevertheless, I could not get myself too excited to write about the unbelievably and astonishingly historic cold we have had this winter, especially in February, or the feet of snow dumped on the region, rewriting more records for some locations. After feeling the first signs of spring in the past week I feel renewed, ready for the thaw and once again energized about our weather and climate....

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Drought Monitor Improving

Posted on Dec 10, 2014

Drought Monitor Improving

Here’s the U.S. Drought Monitor as of last week, still showing a frightening and sad situation for many people in the West. However, even since that time there has been more rain for California and slowly but surely (very slowly) the three-year drought seems to be improving. They will need a lot of consistent rain to make up for such an enormous deficit. For us in the East there is very little to mention apart from some patchy long-term moderate drought in Rhode Island, Connecticut and part of New York. That took a hit, thankfully, due to the Nor’easter that ripped through the...

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Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)

Posted on Nov 27, 2014

Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)

Happy Thanksgiving! Many Thanksgivings ago I was watching my bird feeders at my parent’s house in Connecticut while waiting for family to arrive and dinner to begin on a cool, rainy day. While looking out the window I spotted, naked eye, an oddly shaped and surprisingly brightly colored bird on a tree branch. I grabbed my binoculars very quickly and had a good look at a warbler inspecting the feeding area and all of the bird commotion below it. It had a yellow body, dark green on the back and wings, a gray hood and very bright white eye rings. It was a Nashville Warbler! Their...

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