July brings the heat of summer, endless meadows of blooming flowers, and hazy skies from Western fires. Anglers fish the Snake River. Wildlife are most visible at dawn and dusk as afternoon temperatures reach the high eighties. Life pulses in our valley with playtime in the mountains, cocktails on the deck, evening music, the annual fair, summer markets, and peak visitation to the parks. With so … [Read more...]
June Nature News: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem thrives in June with blooming plants and playful young animals
The month of June was wetter than normal. During the middle of the month, over one inch of rain fell in different parts of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Melting snow keeps the meadows green and the flowers blooming but the occasional shower is the icing on the cake. Moisture at the right time and at the right amount makes nature thrive. NOAA reports moisture is above average in … [Read more...]
December: Solstice, Christmas Bird Count, Elk on the move
The month of December begins with white peaks and a brown valley. The warm temperatures in November melted the valley snowpack so the month starts with biking and hiking at 6400 feet. By the third week, the Solstice brought winter back to Jackson Hole and over a foot of snow fell in the mountains and the valley landscape changed. Due to the low snow pack, elk are active and moving. Outside … [Read more...]
September: local earthquakes, smoky valley, RAY of change- fall arrives
The month of September brings seasonal change, smoke in the air, local earthquakes and snow in the high country. September begins smoky with reduced air quality. No big fires burn near Jackson Hole but the western United States is experiencing the worst fire season ever. 74 major wildfires burn in eight western states. Oregon has fires burning the size of Rhode Island. The local smoke is … [Read more...]
June- high water, Grizzly in the news, RAY of summer, young everywhere
The rhythm of nature around the solstice, June 20, is hard to describe. Nature peaks at the start of summer in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Flowers fill the meadows. Young animals and birds abound. Rivers pulse. Life is busy, busy, busy. This month a baby raven came into my life. I thought it was fledging or learning to fly. Out my bedroom window, I heard raven’s squawking so looked … [Read more...]
April- winter 2017 record snowfall, spring travel to Bhutan, RAY of adventure
Variable weather with additional snow sums up the month of April. The Tetons are a snowy white as old man winter blankets the upper peaks. At 9500 feet, 600 inches of total snowfall was reported mid-month and snow depth is around 12 feet so who knows when the trails will be snow free? Fortunately, the valley is green so animals are migrating and herbivores are taking advantage of fresh green … [Read more...]
December: Stormy weather makes Jackson Hole skiers happy
The month of December began and winter arrived. The 60 degree November temperatures felt like a distant past. The month started with a punch and the winter weather closed roads, caused avalanches, accumulated feet of snow and made happy skiers and winter recreationists. You can see by my record below in the “what’s in the woods” section that stormy weather dominated the month. We shoveled, … [Read more...]
Nature News: October
The month of October started and ended wet and is characterized by rapid cooling temperatures as summer gives way to fall. On average, the start of the month has highs in the upper fifties and ends with highs in the forties. October daylight decreases by 1.25 hours over the month. On October 31, sunrise was 7:58 AM, sunset 6:15 PM. This October was a bit warmer than average. Monthly … [Read more...]