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Chinese Praying Mantis in the Garden
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I can't seem to stem the march of time...so much has happened in our family's life as well as here on the acreage. We still have the constant of nature here surprising us, and having us scratch our heads. An example would be the Chinese Praying Mantis that showed up in September on a Sedum plant in our Kitchen Garden. We have never seen Mantis this far north, and sorry it wasn't a NA native. These are big enough to catch Hummingbirds! Kind of cool up close but still a bit daunting! I'll be watching for these next year - not really thinking I want them hunting around the pasture or acreage to tell the truth.
Have you ever heard of "Blue Tongue"? It's actually a disease that affects Deer -
"Bluetongue
is a noncontagious, infectious, arthropod-borne viral disease primarily
of domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue (the disease caused by BTV) is usually
considered to be a disease of improved breeds of sheep, although it has also been recorded in
cattle and some wild ruminant species, including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North America."
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White-tailed Deer are experiencing a harsh Fall from BTV
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I may be the last on the block here to learn about Blue Tongue Virus (BTV), we're hearing more this Fall for sure...we'd been wondering why we just are not seeing the "normal" numbers of deer out here; not really complaining mind-you, but pretty noticeable. Just had a neighbor mention he found 5 deer along the creek to our north laying dead along the water or banks of the creek. A characteristic (from what I was told and have since read) is the dying animal seeks water. I was told just yesterday by another individual, that farms about 30 miles NE of us, of friends with a small acreage of timber having found over 30 dead Deer just in the past few weeks. Since this is an insect vectored virus from midges and other small biting insects, the infestation and disease has abated from the frigid weather change now.
At first I thought the neighbor was talking about CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease)...It is primarily in the eastern half of Iowa now, but there are now reports of it in Plymouth and Woodbury counties, much closer by. CWD is not insect borne but neurological and has a longer incubation period. Always something!
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| Green Ash succumbed to Emerald Ash Bore |
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Yes, always something...we have a small handful of Ash trees left on the acreage...the one in the photo was completely dead from incursions of the Emerald Ash Bore, and threatening to fall on our internet service receiver/pole! We can't have that!!! And no, we didn't chop it down with the Axe in the photo! I love my Echo chain saw!Unfortunately there are 2 or 3 Ashes that do threaten the house and our parking shed...the trees behind our shed are on the neighbor's ground so I am at their mercy I guess.
But it doesn't always have to be a disease or pathogen...I nearly met my own demise when walking back to the house one afternoon in October - an extremely windy day. I was just entering the sidewalk arbor and there was a loud "explosion". I've worked this scenario over and over in my mind through the years when walking under or near our old Silver Maples. I've always thought to myself that when under these trees, if there's ever a loud "crack" or "bang" - do not look up - RUN!!!
Well there wasn't a crack or a bang - it was a virtual BOOM!!! I instantly knew what was going on and turned and ran as fast as a 74 year old can run and CRASH!!! I turned and saw just how close it was. It missed the house but crushed the fences and our beautiful old arbor that we build 20 years ago. But it didn't crush the house or me...so fortunate I'd say!
Again - grateful for my Echo chainsaw...even had to buy a larger one...my old 20" bar saw was fine for the high branches but too short for this monster's trunks!
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20 Truck loads to haul this "half" a tree to the north pasture burn pile!!!
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A 28" bar saw takes these thick trunks bit by bit (too heavy to move otherwise)!
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| I'm 5' 10" (used to be taller - honest) - see how thick this puppy was! |
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OK, that last part was easy!!!
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After 4 weeks work...Georgie and I are not super human - the local harvesting was finished and the neighbor came by with his huge end-loader and plucked the last 15 feet off the ground and drove it away! Thanks Mark!!!
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Northern Lights above the Little Sioux River Valley
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October was good for other things as well (not that the last "thing" was actually "good")...we had 3 days of Northern Lights...well, nights...these even put those last May to shame...just magnificent.On the 3rd night Georgie and I ran down to the Prairie Heritage Center (where I thought I'd have to fight a crowd - but was the only one there!), and I climbed up to the small tower platform and waited...it was worth it! The shot above was actually about 4 pictures stitched together for a panoramic view of the lights. (You need to click on this image to really see how cool it was!)
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| Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS-10-15-2024 - from the acreage lane. |
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| Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS-10-15-2024 - with a 500mm telephoto lens |
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But we haven't finished the great wonders in the sky for this Fall - Comet-Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was making it's last pass at Earth for, well now I don't remember how many thousand years, but the last time it visited Earth was when the Neanderthals were here to watch!
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November burn to the south pasture bottom
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It had been incredibly dry since late June's floods here...its nuts how this climate seems to be acting. We've been under a burn ban since August or September. But come early November we got lucky and it rained a couple days - a good soaking, and the ban was lifted.We decided to burn the "bottom" of the south pasture...it's nearly solid brome, always has been. I'd been collecting seed in the north pasture since September and used it in the bottom area after more rain knocked all the burnt debris down over the next couple weeks.
Mixing everything with wet sand to scarify the seed hulls and break off parachutes, and to easily broadcast by hand, randomly around the base of the hill. This was all done just ahead of a wet front that promised great rain amounts...we got 3 inches over that next couple days...good downpours helping tamp down the seed for good contact with the ground. I still did not have enough seed to completely cover the bottom half of the south pasture but I knew that going in...it would take about 3 - 4 times as much seed as we'd been able to collect...but progress is progress, and we'll take what we can get.
Now the temps are down into the single digits and teens, a fresh snow cover and more cold weather ahead into this month of December. I think the only winter chore I have yet to perform is to attach the plow to the truck...I'll watch the forecasts and try and beat old man winter when he decides to test us!
Have a good winter, and please remember to be good to one another!
