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Snow in June? - UPDATE June 7, 2019

No, but it looked like it. Gobs of fluffy Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) seeds fell for two days, turning bare patches of ground white. CrowsCrowsThis morning, with dew on the seeds, it looked even more like snow. Not every year is there a shower of seeds like this. Each tiny seed is attached to many filaments that catch the wind. That is one reason that the forest came up aspen after near removal of the big white pines a century ago. Once they grow, they become clones by sending up shoots from the spreading roots to become the largest living organism in the world. The record is a quaking aspen clone that covers 106 acres in Utah and weighs over 13 million pounds.

I know a flock of crows is properly called a murder of crows, but I would have called this group a chorus of crows.

Aspen seedsAspen seeds Aspen seeds fallingAspen seeds falling Aspen seeds detailAspen seeds detail


Red squirrels were taking heat breaks today when the temperature reached 90°F.

The woodchuck was just looking in the window by my desk.

Red Squirrel and SiskinRed squirrel   WoodchuckWoodchuck


Valentine paid a visit, but I didn’t see her two brown cubs. It was windy, though, and she was nervous and could have left them up a tree.

Tomorrow is a big day of fun. Donna and I will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary with a look back to places we or I lived during the much earlier years of the research. There’s also a spot she wants to listen and look for birds at dawn. I don’t know if we’ll make it back tomorrow night or not. Our anniversary is actually on Sunday, but we thought more places would be open tomorrow if we got down by the North Shore, and the weather looks ideal. I hope I find a store open tonight to buy a nice card.

Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center


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