Nature

Saturday, June 10, 10:30 – 2:00 PM

Yesterday was World Turtle Day!

This idyllic waterway is located in a most unexpected place.

Please note! Through Wild Eyes begins at 3 pm on Saturday, May 13th. 

A trio of experts will lead a guided walk to visit one or more the Black Gum Swamps in Vernon’s J. Maynard Miller Town Forest on Friday, April 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Ir appears that Spring is trying to come in for a landing today.

I was watching a pair of blue jays go after a small pile of peanuts left for squirrels.

We may be experiencing unusual temperatures at unusual times of the year, but March’s famed “In Like A Lion…” is holding true today, right on schedule. High winds are blowing about everything that is untethered in Brattleboro and southern Vermont.

This morning Brattleboro is being treated to a very nice snow storm. It’s a heavy, constant snow, covering up all the dirt and grime of the previous storm. For a moment, it looks like a calendar, or snow globe.

We’ve had four or five inches so far, and more is falling. Is the snow falling to the ground, or the ground rushing up to meet it?

When I first looked out this morning, I saw flakes that were hovering in mid-air over the street, just bouncing along at a height of about 8 feet with no intention of dropping. Others were choosing to drop, but a certain class of flakes would have nothing of it.

Last night between 3 and 4:30 AM or so I counted 13 breaking branches or falling trees.  There were other sounds, too, that I couldn’t identify but might well have been other trees.  Does anyone have photos of the damage?  I was a bit surprised to wake at 7 and find the grid still up.

Has anyone told you, you have beautiful eyes today? No? Why don’t you try on hazel eyes for a day and let me be the first?

The beauty of hazel eyes adds a bit of a mystery on the human eye-color chart. Less than 7% of the world’s population has hazel eyes, which make hazel eyes rather rare.

The science of the observable characteristics of hazel eyes is, like all eye colors, determined by genetic traits “influenced by up to sixteen known genes, passed to you that you inherit.” Science no longer thinks that your hazel eyes “(or any other eye color) happened because of a dominant gene.”

Brattleboro is getting a first dose of real winter weather, and conditions for walking, biking, and driving are poor. Take your time, go a bit slower, and get to your destination safely.

Just this morning I was walking near Western Ave and Cedar and BANG – two cars collided. (Another guy and I were close enough to check on everyone. We also directed traffic for a moment until the police arrived.) Both drivers were safe, but they are both looking at lots of car repair.

If you don’t need to go out, by all means stay in. And watch the forecasts. More snow and rain is expected this week, along with cold temperatures.

Earth’s moon is the largest planetary satellite relative to the size of its planet. Throughout its orbit it always shows the same face and this weekend it will shine down on us in one of its rare closest approach. The forecast indicates that this Saturday and Sunday will be sunny and clear, so hopefully viewing the Moon will be unimpeded at night.

The face of the Moon is arguably the most visual motif for countless subjects represented in the arts, literature and culture throughout all civilizations. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Algonquin tribes and American colonists called the November full moon the Beaver Moon because it was the time to “set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs.”

My sister-in-law told me that when she was menstrual and having babies she had little to no interest in sex. It was more obligatory to please my brother than necessary for her.Yet, after her divorce, and when she reached menopause, she said that she was really horny all the time, but because she was older and in her opinion, less attractive and post mid-forty, her opportunities to meet men to satisfy the newly acquired sexual urges were diminished. She complained that the sexual frustration was difficult to bear. I found her candor fascinating and I immediately understood that she was not alone.

12:30p.m. immature Golden Eagle spotted making wide unflapping circles from Conn. River to over Elliot Street. New yard bird! 

robyn

I’ve been living here for several decades and it was my first close encounter of this kind. But what was it? I was riding my bicycle in West Brattleboro, past the cemetary where headstones are splayed on both sides of a dirt road. An animal darted in front of me, something dead, just killed, in its jaw. The prey, a hedgehog, I guess. The predator, what was it? At first I thought it was a German Shepard. A big one. It had a reddish coloring. Then almost immediately I second guessed that. There was no collar, there was something feral.

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had the final day of our monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Wednesday, August 31st. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams throughout the summer. This year, we had sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

The huge sampling effort that SeVWA undertakes this year and every year would simply not be possible without all of our wonderful volunteers. They wake up early every other Wednesday morning to take time out of their busy lives to collect samples rain or shine. Many of our sites can be difficult to access but the results provide our community with valuable information about the state of our rivers. Volunteers also get to know their particular portion of the river and help us identify possible pollution sources and alert us to any changes that might indicate a change in water quality. Thank you volunteers, for all that you do. SeVWA really appreciates it!

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had the penultimate day of our monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Wednesday, August 17th. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams and will conclude monitoring on August 31st. This year, we have sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

The drought continues in our area with our entire sampling area remaining under moderate drought conditions and parts of eastern New Hampshire and Massachusetts being upgraded to extreme drought conditions. It’s hard to imagine the contrast in weather to our south in Louisiana where historic floods are devastating the southeastern part of the state. They received over two feet of rain with the most recent storm; it is the second rain event this year that received over 20 inches of rain. Many rivers have shattered previous flood stage records by 4-6 feet. If you are interested in donating to help flood victims in Louisiana, you can visit the United Way of Southeast Louisiana (). Unfortunately, as our climate continues to change, we can expect more extreme weather events throughout the world like the drought in New England and the flooding on the Gulf Coast.