Afleveringen
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Most everyone has heard the news of the tragic passing of two-time Academy Award winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife (Betsy Arakawa). His wife, you may recall, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantavirus exists in North Dakota, and a reminder of the virus and disease might be helpful and timely.
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I happened to notice that Dances with Wolves was running on one of the cable stations recently. That 1990 film starring Kevin Costner had some great scenes of bison herds and a bison hunt. I could not help but imagine what those immense herds of bison looked like before European settlement.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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If you have not seen any Canada geese yet this year, you should soon. The migration is on, and some stay in the state year-round — for example, along the Missouri River.
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Kelly’s Slough National Wildlife Refuge, near Grand Forks, is well-known to area bird enthusiasts as being a great place to do some bird watching, particularly during the spring and fall migrations. Depending upon weather, bird watching should be quite good from around the late March through May.
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Are you up for checking out the night sky? Whether you are familiar with the winter constellations, interested in learning a few, or just want to gaze up at the cosmos, the next few nights might be a great time to do so if the sky is clear. That is because there is a new moon coming up on February 28. And of course, it could also be good for several nights after the new moon as well.
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Occasionally we need to be reminded that before pharmacies, cultures had to rely on native plants and animals as sources of medicine. I was reminded recently when I was going through some papers and came across a copy of a manuscript titled “Lakota Medicinal and Culturally Important Plants,” authored by Wilbur Flying By, Sr. and Linda Different Cloud Jones, copyrighted by Sitting Bull College in 2003. The manuscript contains the scientific name, common name, Lakota name, and use of the plants.
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Most North Dakotans are familiar with some adaptations birds and mammals have to get through the winter. But what about the invertebrates — insects, for example — and the plants? They have adaptations as well.
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February is here! With January in the rearview mirror, the cycle of the seasons continues its inexorable change. Although the excitement of spring seems a long way away, there is probably more going on than most people realize.
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Have you been feeding the birds this winter? Setting out a few bird feeders with a variety of food items can provide for some good bird watching during those cold winter days. And it helps the birds, of course.
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What is the most abundant mammal in North America? I saw that question used in trivia recently. The answer was deer mouse. I am not so sure about that, in part because deer mouse is used to refer to a genus of mice as well one of the species of the genus. Either way, deer mice are certainly one of the contenders.
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Santa Claus is not the only thing that comes down a chimney. Some of you may have seen the recent story about the barred owl that came down the chimney of a home in Virginia and proceeded to perch atop the Christmas tree.
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I recently heard a sermon in which the preacher reflected on his observing a pileated woodpecker and the beauty of the natural world. For him, it was a spiritual experience. It led me to muse about the importance of experiencing nature in our spirituality and overall wellbeing.
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If you were to ask most older adults what was the most common butterfly when they were kids they would, almost to the person, say monarchs. But those days are gone. You may have missed it, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing federal protection for the monarch.
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Are you wishing the days were longer? If so, your wish will be answered. For people that live in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year — the winter solstice — falls on Saturday, December 21, this year. The days will then begin to lengthen until the summer solstice in June.
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There are not very many plant families that have milky sap. Milkweeds certainly come to mind, as well as some members of the aster family such as the dandelion and western salsify. The spurge family also produces milky sap and includes a few species native to North Dakota and some other noteworthy species.
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Have you been seeing more deer and road kills as you travel about over the last month or so? Most people probably attribute the visibility and accidents to the rut or deer’s breeding season. But there are several other factors that are also involved with the increase in deer visibility and accidents this time of year.
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The Geminids Meteor Shower is coming up soon, as is the Ursids Meteor Shower. Although we are coming up on a full moon on December 15, which will interfere with visibility of some of the weaker meteors, these meteor showers are still worth checking out.
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“Gobble, Gobble!” Thanksgiving is coming up next Thursday. The turkey, of course, will be center stage as Americans dive into this annual gustatory feast.
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I was perusing through Theodore Roosevelt’s book “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail” (1888) recently, and ran across his description of burning coal veins. He wrote that the burning coal veins were one of the more interesting features of the badlands.
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CBS Sunday Morning aired a story a couple weeks ago on people searching out larch trees in the western mountains during the fall to observe their golden colored needles. Although there are no larch native to North Dakota, an introduced species is grown as an ornamental in the state.
