Monthly Archives: March 2010

Kalamazoo County Spring 2010, Second Installment

I wrote the following last night.  Today, temperatures jumped into the 70s–77 as I write this at 6 PM.  The forecast is for highs in the 70s and 80s for the next three days.  So much for stretching out the spring. A stretch of chilly weather, especially some cool nights below freezing, has kept spring [...]

Posted in Michigan (including Kalamazoo), Plants and Plant Communities | Leave a comment

Signs of Spring

Spring began in southwest Michigan in the past few days.   One sign has been the Sandhill Cranes overhead, giving their loud rattle.  They could be on their way north or they could be local birds; several pairs now nest in Kalamazoo County. Because snow cover was so continuous, and thick, some birds that are usually [...]

Posted in Birds, Michigan (including Kalamazoo), Plants and Plant Communities | 1 Comment

Costa Rica in the Dry Season, February 2010

Katy and I just returned from two weeks in Costa Rica.  As part of an Elderhostel–though the program is now called Exploritas–we visited five sites ranging from mangrove forest along the Pacific Coast to the rather chaparral-like vegetation called paramo around 11,000 feet above sea level on Cerro de la Muerte.  Included were visits to [...]

Posted in Birds, Conservation, Land Trusts (& other private land conservation), Plants and Plant Communities | Leave a comment