Category Archives: Nature

God’s amazing paintbrush: Woman captures stunning Texas storm photo

Posted on May 19, 2021 by | 4 comments

This photo made the rounds on social media on Monday after a storm blew through Texas on Sunday. A gal by the name of Laura Rowe tweeted the following:

She’s now selling prints of this amazing picture. Here’s how she was in the right place at the right time to capture this image, via her Smugmug page:

“Hey y’all! I was out for a Sunday drive with my boyfriend. Small town, nothing else to do. We were over in Muleshoe checking out the salt lakes in the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refugee when we saw a small tornado touchdown close to Earth, Texas.

We looked at each other and knew we had to check out this crazy storm. We followed it for about three hours down county dirt roads until we set up in the spot where I took this shot that has now gone viral. 

I knew that God’s creation was beautiful to witness, but I had no idea that it would explode like this on social media. I was just a girl with an iPhone and nothing else to do on a Sunday afternoon, in the right place at the right time.

Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy your purchases! As a broke college kid, everything goes a long way!”

If you desire a print, order one here.

DCG

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Would you eat “sustainable” Cicadas?

Posted on May 16, 2021 by | 7 comments

Wired came out recently with an article entitled, “The Cicadas Are Coming. Let’s Eat Them!”

Never heard of a Cicada? Here’s what this insect looks like:

And YES, they can be that BIG. Trust me, I’ve seen ’em in Oklahoma. And I’ve heard them. This is what Cicadas sound like when they emerge from the ground to terrorize us for a few weeks in the summer:

From the Wire article: “They’re like crickets with musical-theater degrees—dramatic, loud, committed to a splashy outfit change. And while some people will delight in their natural spectacle, others will just want to be rid of them. There is, however, another reaction: Grab a fork and knife.“

You want to “dig in” to this?

The Wired article claims that Cicadas are “a source of free-range, no-cost, eco-friendly protein.”

Well, that may be true but there’s NO WAY I’m eating these creatures. My cats have captured and released Cicadas. Even the feline predators wont eat ’em! 

If my cats are smart enough to not eat these creatures, there’s no way I’m eating them!

DCG

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A trip to the refuge to try and spot a “red dog”

Posted on May 10, 2021 by | 2 comments

Yesterday we went to our local Oklahoma refuge to try and get a glimpse of a “red dog.”

“Red dog” is a reference to a baby bison. This is due to their “red” (more like orange) color when they are born. Some folk refer to baby bison as “cinny babies” due to their cinnamon-like color.

When baby bison are born, they are red/orange in color and their dark brown coloring develops after a few months. Their “humps” and horns also grow at that time. Read more about the bison here.

Since the babies tend to be born from late March through May, we headed out to the refuge to see if we could spot any “red dog.”

Alas, we did not spot any. We also didn’t spot many prairie dogs as about 50+ Longhorn were passing through prairie dog town.

Texas Longhorns passing through prairie dog town.

Lone prairie dog keeping an eye on the Longhorns.

But here’s some cute videos of red dogs:

We’ll try again next year and hopefully be able to see some “red dogs!”

DCG

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Bear attacks are rare…yet be prepared!

Posted on May 5, 2021 by | 11 comments

Earlier this week I read a story about a woman in Colorado who was attacked and partially eaten by a bear. She had taken her dogs out for a walk and not returned home. The woman’s boyfriend found the dogs at home and not his girlfriend so he started to search for her. He found her dead from an apparent bear attack. Tragic.

Bear attacks are rare in America yet they do occur. And you should always be prepared if you live in bear country.

Soon I’ll be visiting my father in northeast Washington where bears are not uncommon. Many years ago he did have an encounter with a mama bear and her cubs while he was fishing. He had a firearm , remained calm, and was able to retreat from the river to his vehicle with no interaction with the mama.

Since then, he always carries bear spray and has it at hand.  When I’m visiting him and we go for hikes in the mountains or stop off at a rest area we carry bear spray:

Me and dad (above) walking his doggies at a rest stop. I’m carrying bear spray in my left hand. You never know when you might need it. Better to be safe than sorry!

Here‘s some tips for carrying/using bear spray from the National Park
Service. Also, watch this video:

Know the basics of what to do during a bear encounter and how to survive one. Remain calm, don’t approach bears for a “photo op,” and leave them their space (and yours) to retreat.

And always, be prepared!

DCG

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Donkeys and horses dig wells that help life thrive in the desert

Posted on May 3, 2021 by | 5 comments

I had no idea these animals did this!

Science News reports that donkeys and horses “dig into the dusty sediment to reach cool, crystal clear groundwater to quench their thirst. New research shows this equid ingenuity has far reaching benefits for the ecosystem.”

This provides a major source of water during dry times in the American southwest, benefiting many desert animals. Read their whole report here or watch below:

https://youtu.be/KvoKJJWTNdw

Here’s some video footage that shows many species using the wells:

https://youtu.be/BGG97nLljhk

So fascinating how God’s animals adapt to survive their environments!

DCG

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Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

Posted on April 29, 2021 by | 13 comments

This week in my Oklahoma town we had a tornado warning the other night. We’ve been in this state for over seven years and have yet to see one. I never saw one when I lived in Georgia either, even though we’d go outside when the tornado siren went off!

Tornadoes happen frequently in the south during this time of year. Check out a tornado compilation here:

The US has the most tornadoes than any other country each year.

How are tornadoes formed? From Popular Mechanics:

“Tornadoes are usually born from thunderstorms. High intensity tornadoes form from supercell thunderstorms, a storm that has a “deep rotating mesocyclone.” Supercell thunderstorms are usually when you’ll hear a tornado warning. A regular thunderstorm will hit before a supercell and for this to occur, a specific set of ‘ingredients’ need to come together.

Humid air, which rises, collides with cold air in the atmosphere above it. This creates wind shears, rolling columns of wind that spin above the space where the hot and cold air meet. The warmer air creates an updraft that takes one of the horizontal wind shears and moves it into a vertical position.

The peak of the updraft has two spinning columns on either side of it—the larger of the two columns overtakes the smaller one and becomes the thunderstorm. From here, the storm is able to expand due to the warm air being sucked into the spinning column.”

Read the whole Popular Mechanics article here.

Read more tornado formation/characteristics here or watch below:

Have you ever seen a tornado?

DCG

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How to attract hummingbirds to your yard

Posted on March 15, 2021 by | 3 comments

Spring is on the way!

Last month I wrote about how to attract butterflies to your yard. Now let’s take a look at how to bring hummingbirds to your yard.

Hummingbirds apparently can remember feeding locations and will return to the best feeders. The food is a simple recipe: refined sugar and water (don’t add the red dye!). See easy recipes here or here.

Some fun facts about these birds:

  • There are more than 325 unique hummingbird species in the world. Only eight species regularly breed in the United States, though up to two dozen species may visit the country.
  • Hummingbirds do not suck nectar through their long bills, instead they lick it with fringed, forked tongues.
  • Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.
  • A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight, the purpose of their flight, and the surrounding air conditions.

Carol from the “Hummingbird Spot” has a great YouTube channel with tons of videos that are all things hummingbirds. Check out how many hummingbirds she attracts to her patio:

See all of the Hummingbird Spot videos here for more tricks and their amazing videos of hummingbirds!

DCG

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Where the Atlantic meets the Pacific Ocean

Posted on March 10, 2021 by | 4 comments

Did you know that where the waters of the Atlantic Ocean meet the Pacific Ocean, there actually is a visible border?

Below is a video showing the border between the Atlantic Ocean (light green color) and the Pacific Ocean (darker blue color).

https://youtu.be/bK7PBIOn2Rc

Rickie Anderson writes for Healthy Water Guide, November 27, 2020:

The Pacific and the Atlantic are the vastest oceans in the world. In a nutshell, the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean border goes from Cape Horn, the tip of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in South America, to Antarctica’s shores.

This border space is where the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean meet. The area of sea is the Drake Strait or passage, named as such for Sir Francis Drake. Drake was an explorer during the Elizabethan era (the 16th century)….

The water of the Atlantic Ocean is denser than that of the Pacific as it contains more salt. The Atlantic is also much colder than the Pacific, which also makes its waters more condensed. The two different currents run into each other at Cape Horn….

Sometimes, yes, the oceans do appear to be different colors. This distinction happens when events like silt and sediment from melting glaciers or rivers washing down into the oceans occur.

For a while, the oceans will appear to be different hues until they blend. The appearance of varying shades of the sea does not last, however. Eventually, the waters of the two different oceans do merge.

Here’s another explanatory video, showing 15 other borders between two waters:

https://youtu.be/U93QRMcQU5Y

~E

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Did ‘ya know? Goats climb trees!

Posted on March 1, 2021 by | 4 comments

I came upon this video over the weekend…goats hanging out in a tree! This actually isn’t surprising given their rock climbing abilities.

According to Treehugger.com, many goats climb trees to seek food. This is apparently common in Morocco, where food can be scarce and argan trees produce a fruit that is particularly appealing to goats. The video below is from Morocco.

This climbing ability is great for goats to find food, evade predators and move quickly. Their unique sense of balance and design of their hooves help them maneuver the most precarious spots. Watch:

Read more about goats and their climbing abilities here or here.

DCG

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Bison and Prairie Dogs: Visiting God’s Creations!

Posted on February 28, 2021 by | 8 comments

Now that winter is over (hopefully) and spring weather is knocking on our door, it’s time to get out and visit nature and all of God’s creations!

Here in Oklahoma we have a wild refuge that is home to many creatures: American bison, deer, Texas longhorns, otter (that surprised me!), and of course prairie dogs. Here’s some photos from our last visit:

American bison: Big, furry creatures!

Some people exited their vehicles to take pictures of the bison. We did not!

Watching the Texas longhorn cross the road.

Prairie dogs coming up real close to us!

The prairie dogs were not shy around humans at all and were so cute! Did you know that the largest-ever prairie colony in the US covered over 25,000 square miles in the Texas Panhandle? It was home to more than 400 million prairie dogs in the early 1900s! Read about that “dog town” here.

Here’s a video from the American Prairie Reserve that highlights how prairie dogs are an important part of the ecosystem:

DCG

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