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Category Archives: Earth Science
The Creek as Corridor: Wildlife
Stream valleys like the one that the Kanaranzi Creek occupies, provide natural corridors for the migration and movement of wildlife. The surrounding uplands are all planted in monoculture row-crops, so the pastures along the stream channels have diverse environmental mosaics … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Life Science
Tagged connectivity, core area, migration, stream valleys
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Red Grass and Rock Art
This is the season when many native prairie grasses take on a red or purple color along the stems and out onto the leaves. There are several species that turn red, but big bluestem and little bluestem are two of … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Life Science
Tagged autumn equinox, big bluestem, little bluestem, native prairie
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The Rock That Hides
The water level in the Creek after the rain last week was about 1 foot higher than a couple of days before that and 2 feet higher than several weeks ago. It hasn’t been this high since the spring of … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Family History
Tagged bank ersion, big boulder, flood, high water
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Surveying the Creek Channel
Yesterday we got almost one and a quarter inches of rain. It won’t exactly break the drought, but it’ll really help the crops. The Creek has come up, but the dry pond and wetland in the oxbow will probably stay … Continue reading
Oxbow Evolution
We had a rain event last week that gave us about one and three quarter inches over three days and it brought up water levels in the Creek. Although the water in the channel was about a foot and a … Continue reading
Cold Snap
This past week has been a week of holidays: Chinese New Year, Lincoln’s Birthday, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Margaret’s Birthday! We’re about half way between the fist day of winter and the first day of … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Life Science
Tagged daylight, soil health, tall grass, weather records
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Watching the Wind
Last week we had another ground blizzard similar to the one that we had back in mid-December. Both of these storms had lots of wind. The “dust of winter” made it possible to “see” the wind. What little snow there … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Family History
Tagged ground blizzard, loess, ventifacts, Weather Service
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Frost Fall
The New Year started out with several days that were a monochromatic fantasy world of white. Mysterious white-gray fog encased every exposed surface with pure white frost crystals. When the frost fell, the dirty snow and the brown grass got … Continue reading
Double Eagle Days
Earlier this month we had a string of eight or nine days that were mostly clear, sunny, and warm. And, almost every day we saw a mature bald eagle “parked” in the big cottonwood that we can see from our … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Life Science
Tagged eagles, Happy New Year, Nature's lessons, weather
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SEASONS CHANGE
Seasonal rounds are an intrinsic part of life on the prairie. They’re an experience shared by Ice Age animals and plants, by Native American hunters and farmers, and by homesteaders and people in agribusiness. But, 2020 has been different. COVID-19 … Continue reading
Posted in Earth Science, Family History, Farm History, Life Science
Tagged pandemic, precipitation, rural, urban
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Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek 