Ken Lassman has been keeping this almanac for over a decade, He invites you to share your observations and photos in the comments section. You can find his book Wild Douglas County at The Raven Bookstore and The Community Mercantile in Lawrence.
Frost on the Inside of Lodge Moon – January
January is a Roman reference to the god Janus, the god of gates. This god has two faces, one looking forward and the other looking back, as we do at the beginning of a new year. While this sets the tone for this season, the vivid image of frost on the inside of the lodge is equally appropriate, particularly if you notice frost on the inside of your car or house windows on a cold morning. The Osage also called this month Moon that Stands Alone, which speaks for itself if you decide to take a brisk walk in the countryside this time of year.
This is the month when you can see bald eagles flying in the Kaw Valley as well as deer and other wildlife more easily due to the lack of leaves. Listen to the rustle of wind through the drought-shortened tallgrass prairie grasses, and look for rodent trails in the thatch, which become tunnels when it snows. A dry year means that water has become a wildlife concentrator, with more species taking visibility risks to grab a drink in drought-lowered ponds, creeks and rivers that are made even more inaccessible by the presence of ice. Putting out water next to the bird feeders is more important this winter than most for this reason.
Enjoy the deep blues of the sky this time of year, whether it is duplicated in the subtle blues found in freshly fallen snow or not. While admiring the sky and looking for eagles and migratory waterfowl, keep an eye out for sun dogs and other daytime optical treats caused by the presence of ice crystals in the sky that refract and reflect the sun (and moon) light into circles, spots and other geometric forms. After dark, bundle up and enjoy the striking winter star constellations that can take your breath away especially if you know where to look with a pair of binoculars or a telescope.
Kaw Valley Almanac 
Thank you so much for doing this. I have learned so much from your almanac. I live in Overland Park, so not quite Kaw Valley, but I figured I could still get away with signing up and hopefully a lot of your information would be relevant to me, and it is! Just this weekend during a jog on the trails, we noticed “there are a lot of those purple flowers this year, I wonder what those are?” and then today you let us know they are woodland phlox! What a nice surprise, and your blog has been full of so many of them. Never realized turkey vultures aren’t here year round until you mentioned it, have really learned a lot from you and appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Really enjoy your blog, thanks again!
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Thanks, Debbie, and yes, the landscapes of OP are very much the same and share the natural goings-on of the lower reaches of the Kaw Valley because even tho where you are is not technically in the same watershed, it’s in the same ecoregion as the environs of Douglas County. Indeed, the Kaw Valley drains all the way out to around Limon Colorado, the entire northern half of Kansas and south of the Platte River valley in Nebraska, so the watershed isn’t exactly the best indicator of a common plant and animal association! I think of ecoregions and watersheds as being like the warp and weft of a fabric where the ecoregion may go one direction and the watershed may go another, binding this place into the fabric of life that covers our beloved planet. Feel free to share any observations you might have along the way, and keep walking the lands!
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