The scurs topped off their forecast last week with some much needed rainfall. Will we be treated to another rain before next week or will the blast furnace return? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s. Partly sunny with a better chance of showers and thunderstorms on Thursday. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the lower 50s. Mostly sunny for Friday and Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Sunday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s. Mostly cloudy Monday with a chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Mostly cloudy with a continued chance for rain on Tuesday. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 30s. The normal high for September 22nd, the first official day of autumn is 70 and the normal low is 47. The scurs will be getting sticky fingers from making s’mores around the roaring fire on these cool nights.
The Full Moon for the month is on the 19th and it is the Full Harvest Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Rice Moon as the wild rice was ready for harvesting. The Sioux were also keeping an eye on potential foodstuffs as they called this the Moon When Plums are Scarlet. At the ranch it is known as the Moon Where Garden Produce Abounds, at least most years. While the season was not perhaps as kind to us this time, we still have much to eat and are grateful for it.
Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer made another visit and left some information about what’s going on in the sky for the start of the fall season. Look for the Big Dipper in the northwestern sky after sunset. As legend has it, this time of year the Big Dipper is right side up and holding its water, signifying the drier fall weather we generally expect. This as opposed to the spring when it appears to be dumping its water and giving us the rains we need. Notable among the planets in the sky this September is extremely bright Venus in the western sky. From the 15th – 19th Saturn will be slightly above Venus at dusk. When the noted Swedish astronomer leaves, one can only pause and ask himself, who was that masked man?
The welcome rains on September 14th and 15th weren’t of a lot of help to the crop in the field, but they will help make fall tillage easier as well as put some moisture back in the profile we have used up. It should also help hayfields, prevented plant acres and pastures. Corn that was planted in the mid-May planting should be closing in on blacklayer or physiological maturity. Soybeans are turning on a more widespread basis with some of those 2.3–2.5 varieties even starting to show some color. Speaking of color, some have asked what the reddish tinge is on some of the prevented plant acres seeded to oats. It is primarily crown rust, common especially as oats are seeded later in the season. The spores that infect the oats are produced from pustules on buckthorn, the alternate host. The spores are transported from the southern states on wind currents. Infection can also come from spores produced locally on infected populations of buckthorn. Oat varieties vary in their susceptibility/resistance to the disease.
Autumn is a wonderful time to observe the flora and fauna out of doors. Salamanders were crossing the roads following the recent rains looking for a place to burrow in before freeze up. The zucchini appears to have borne its last for the season, although it appears it had some help. Examining the undersides of the leaves, there were loads of aphids on the newer leaves, although the small parasitic wasps had been doing their part to control them, judging by the mummified aphid carcasses. A 5-spotted hawkmoth was seen working the 4 o’clocks the other night at the ranch, about 2 or 3 times the size of the white-lined sphinx moths it was sharing the flowers with. Betsy’s Dad recently spotted night hawks on their migration through the area. More were noted Monday night in our own neighborhood as I checked the electric fence at the kindly neighbors. Bur oak acorns have been especially plentiful this fall, so much so that the squirrels haven’t touched the corn from their feeder. The sheep also have been enjoying them and by November when we bring them home from pasture, there will be few acorns left on the ground under the trees.
Fudgie survived what is likely her last brushing of the season. She’s shed off nicely and looks about 5 years younger. Am starting to think there may actually be a dog under all that fur after all. Both dogs have been busy keeping tabs on the road construction project as it nears completion. It has involved a lot of barking and growling, especially after our phone and Internet service were interrupted. And then the dogs got into the act!
Seriously though, those of us in the neighborhood are just glad to have the road paved again. One was starting to wonder who hadn’t paid their taxes. The pavement had deteriorated to the point where hunks were missing. The only positive was those who love to drive well over the speed limit took a different route. The workers on the construction project have been extremely courteous, especially when we’ve been stopped by the flag persons. One night Mrs. Cheviot was attempting to get to our driveway when she was stopped until one of the operations could be completed. The young lady running the stop sign asked where she was going and Mrs. Cheviot explained that we were the second place down, the place with the sheep. The young lady exclaimed, “Oh, we love the sheep!” Apparently the flag crew had set up in our driveway earlier and watching the critters had provided a brief diversion from what is likely a dull, thankless job at times. Glad the sheep could brighten someone’s day. Wonder how many they’d like to take home?
See you next week.