Wednesday, August 28, 2013

From the Field: Cicada!

Posted by Kirk

This is a dog day cicada, not the periodic cicada we hear about that emerges only every 12, 17, or some large number of years. 

I found it hanging out on my back door this morning. The begin to call in late July and then continue on until September.

The usually hide out in the tops if trees so it is fun to see one up close. The are part of the order Hemiptera which means half-wing. You can clearly see that the wings do not cover the entire back, they leave a triangular patch exposed. This is an easy characteristic to look for on Hemiptera. 

This one was about two inches long. Their call is over 100 decibels which always impresses me. Keep your eyes open for cicadas. They are fascinating. 
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

And so it begins...

Posted by Kirk 2 Comments
Believe it it not, this week and next week are when we start to see our first fall colors. Some of the maple trees in the bog at work are starting to change into their fall colors.
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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

From the Field: Goldenrod Blooming

Posted by Kirk 3 Comments
Summer is drawing to a close when the goldenrod begins to bloom. 



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