Category Archives: Life Science

Mother Trees on the Prairie

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

There’s a growing body of scientific evidence that trees share information, warning their neighbors about danger and nurturing nearby small trees. If you Google “trees communicating” you can get some notion of the traction that this idea is getting. Trees … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Oxbow Mystery

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

OXBOW MYSTERY When a channel cuts through the steep bank in a meander loop there’s a distinctive landform produced called an “oxbow”. This blog has a number of posts describing our oxbow because it’s a cool complex of unique small … Continue reading →

Posted in Earth Science, Life Science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Weeds and Feed: Learning from a Prairie Hill

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

About ten years ago, a part of a west-facing hill was fenced off (“exclusion”) from the rest of the pasture because it had a remnant prairie with lots of native plants. This year the exclusion was added back into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Animals in the Oxbow

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

Last week I saw this turtle in the Creek. Usually we see snapping turtles (and have had some exciting family adventures with them!), but this one is different. I don’t think that I’ve ever seen one like this before. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Rural Fall

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

We had about two inches of snow the other night, but it blew into drifts. Several weeks ago, we had our first accumulating snow that stayed on the level. I had forgotten how much traffic is recorded in a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Earth Science, Life Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Picking Wild Plums

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

Several weeks ago, I waded across the Creek and picked twelve pounds of wild plums. That’s not so easy to do this week because the channel is back to running full after the latest “rain bomb”. Most of the major … Continue reading →

Posted in Farm History, Life Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fall on the Farm

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

Our currant pop culture recognizes Labor Day as the last weekend of summer. Some schools started in August, but most started this past week. The astronomical end of summer and beginning of fall is still several weeks away (September 22-23), … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Ice Age Animals

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

Last week we left the Farm on a quick, nostalgic trip to the Black Hills. We did all the “touristy” things that we haven’t done for decades, including the Mammoth Site at Hot Springs. My bright wife suggested that we … Continue reading →

Posted in Earth Science, Farm History, Life Science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Two Layers of Bones

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

This tooth was found several years ago on a sand bar along Kanaranzi Creek. It probably eroded out from the layer of gravel that’s buried beneath the Creek bed. And, it’s probably a tooth from a wooly mammoth. That suggests … Continue reading →

Posted in Earth Science, Life Science | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wild Cucumber Hanging Around

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Lone Tree Farm on Kanaranzi Creek

Have you seen any of this stuff lately? It’s prime time for the wild cucumber vines and they’re climbing everywhere! Here’s one stretched up on the lilac bushes north of the old house. The other one nearby is headed up … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Science | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment