Thistle Heat

Hot again today - not quite as bad as yesterday, but walking through a nature preserve before the Burrowing Owl video "sneak preview" I felt the heat.

It seemed as if everything else was feeling it as well. Ground squirrels and local birds all hunkered down in the shade. As I turned a corner I saw this patch of dried out thistle bulbs. Their seeds are ready for the wind to disperse them around for spring. These seeds will land in a patch of soil, usually quite a distance from their origin, and lay dormant through fall and winter. When spring comes they will sprout up and start the cycle all over again.

This was the image I chose for the day as it just looks hot and dried out. Much like me before I got a cool drink of water and watched the Burrowing Owl video our foundation helped to fund. There was also a showing of a film titled "The Ghost Bird." It tells the story of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and a small town in Arkansas that would really like to find one in a near-by wooded habitat. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been listed as extinct for several decades. People keep looking for this bird in hopes of bringing attention and needed revenue to this town of less than 4,000. More of the story here.

Finding a cooler place today!

Enjoy!