If you like the weekly posts of Kaw Valley Almanac, you might be interested in purchasing a compilation of these kinds of posts that Ken Lassman has put together into a book, along with essays on the land and the ecosystems of the area. This book was designed not to be just another coffee table book full of pictures; rather it was designed to be used as a guide to accompany you when you take your treks outdoors to observe nature first hand. You can get this book at a number of local bookstores or order it here for $15 + $2 shipping (regular price: $20). Click here to purchase your copy via Paypal.
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 in Lawrence.
Yellow Flower Moon – August
Thoreau noticed how many of the flowers of August and September resemble the beaming sun. So did the Osage Indians of this area, who named the moon for this observation.
“Yellow is very definitely the color of August; even the bluestem seems gold-washed at a distance, especially when blooming. Thought thistles and other flowers are the pastel blue and lavender, the sunflowers and the prairie goldenrods are glowing yellow. Yellow butterflies predominate, and the brilliant yellow goldfinch comes to the ridges to tear at the thistle and to find something in the hear of the sunflower.” -The Osages, p. 109, by John Joseph Mathews
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Do you know the dialect preferences for firefly vs lightning bug? I think I used lightning bug when I was a kid and somehow have shifted to firefly.
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I’ve been lightning bug all along, being raised with that terminology, along with “crick” for those small tributaries and “Missoura” as the proper pronunciation for our neighboring state. “Osage orange” came long after “hedge apple” and “Kaw” was preferred over “Kansas River.” Bottom line, tho, is that it’s all good.
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