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May 23 – 29, 2022 Kaw Valley Almanac
Wild Douglas County

Archive | December 2018

December 31, 2018 – Jan. 6, 2019 Kaw Valley Almanac

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This entry was posted on December 31, 2018, in December, January, Kansas, nature observation, phenology, Prairie and tagged coyote, eagle Bowersock Dam, freezing and thawing, ground squirrel, hibernation, insect, jumping mouse, mice, packrat, packrat nests, Quadrantid meteor shower, rabbit, shrew, spider, squirrel, waterfowl. 2 Comments

December 24 – 30, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

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This entry was posted on December 23, 2018, in December, Kansas, nature observation, phenology, Prairie and tagged animal track, cottontail rabbit, coyote, deer, eagle, mole, owl, pocket gopher, raptor, snow geese, squirrel, summer solstice, winter solstice, winter songbird flock. Leave a comment

December 17 – 23, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

Click here to download free .pdf of December 17, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

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This entry was posted on December 16, 2018, in December, Kansas, nature observation, phenology, Prairie and tagged Full Moon, hawks, oak leaves, prairie grasses, sycamore tree bark, wild turkeys, winter mushrooms, winter solstice, woody mushrooms. Leave a comment

December 10 – 16, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

Click here to download free .pdf of December 10, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

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This entry was posted on December 9, 2018, in December, Kansas, nature observation, phenology, Prairie and tagged Christmas bird count, freezing and thawing, Geminid meteor shower, osage orange, pack rat, squirrels, Winter hikes, winter mushrooms. Leave a comment

December 3 – 9, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

Click here to download free .pdf of December 3, 2018 Kaw Valley Almanac

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This entry was posted on December 3, 2018, in December, Kansas, nature observation, phenology, Prairie and tagged Audubon bird seed, Christmas bird count, leaves, mosses, sporulation, winter bird flock, winter solstice. Leave a comment

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Twelve Years of Wild Douglas County!

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.

Kaw Valley Almanac

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.

Little Flower Killing Moon: May

This month is so called by the Osage Indians of the area for the transition from the short statured flowers of April to the taller flowers that keep up with the growing prairie grasses. The shorter pre-vernal flowers like prairie violets, star-eyed grass, buttercups and lousewort on the prairie finish up and go to seed, being replaced by taller flowers such as yarrow, daisy fleabane and larkspur. In the woodland, the “killing” is even more dramatic, as early spring beauties, dutchman’s breeches, cutleaf toothwort, rue anemone and the like finish up and pretty much disappear under the closed canopy of tree leaves and thick shrubbery, with virtually no woodland flowers replacing them until mid-late summer composites make their way back into the woods.

Part of our annual seasonal progression this month is increasing severe weather as the warming, moist air flows in from the south, pushed violently up and out of the way by waves of colder air from the north and west. Also, in addition to plentiful plants and many young animals of all stripes this time of year, people living here have been planting their gardens this time of year for at least 4,000 years. Tap into this wonderful tradition as a way to connect with the incredible fertility of this land.

Click below for Kaw Valley in Photos

Almanac Over Time

Kaw Valley Links

Kansas Area Watershed Council
Kansas Birding Listserv
University of Kansas Student Farm
Sustainability Action Network
Planet Drum Foundation
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg Poet Laureate blog
Kansas Land Trust
Alliance for Wild Ethics
Heartland All Species Foundation
Stan Slaughter, Eco-Troubadour
Community Mercantile Educational Foundation
National Academies of Science information about climate change
Earth Observatory Feature: The Carbon Cycle
Rolling Prairie Alliance

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