Hey! "s" is not bad. A little "s" is nice.owlice wrote:I just heard the bad "s" word uttered on the weather report. C'mon! It's October 2! WAY too early for that, even in the mountains!!
PhewChris Peterson wrote:
Both of these shots were made from horseback...
That's a relief. 
Yeah, that's why I mentioned it. I was afraid somebody (you in particular) might come up with such an interpretation...neufer wrote:Phew :!: :!: That's a relief. :p:
Based on the shadow I thought you might be some kind of E.T. (... a Triffid, perhaps).
The Yogi and The Yeti.
orin stepanek wrote:
My Ash turned yellow. It is always my first tree to shed all its leaves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Borer wrote: <<The Ash Borer (Podosesia syringae), aka Lilac Borer, is a clearwing moth in the family Sesiidae. It is found throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The ash borer is an example of Batesian mimicry, and is a serious pest of various trees of the olive family.
The black and yellow bands, prominent antennae and hind legs, and overall body shape of the Ash Borer resemble those of the paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus). When a potential predator encounters the Ash Borer, it may refrain from conflict mistakenly thinking that it may be stung. Thus the Ash Borer benefits from the similarity of its appearance to a more dangerous foe, making it a Batesian mimic of the wasp.
The Ash Borer is distinguished from the wasp in that it is somewhat larger, growing to a length of ¾ to 1½ inches, is amber-colored in addition to black and yellow, and lacks a stinger.
Ash Borer larvae feed on European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), lilac, privet and mountain ash. The larvae destroy the tree's phloem, cutting off the supply of nutrients to the roots, weakening and possibly killing the tree. The tunnels dug by the larvae appear as dark wormholes in lumber harvested from infected trees, reducing its value.>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Ash_Borer wrote:<<The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis or Agrilus marcopoli and EAB) is a green beetle native to Asia. In North America the borer is an invasive species, highly destructive to ash trees in its introduced range. The potential damage of this insect rivals that of Chestnut blight and Dutch Elm Disease. Since its accidental introduction into the United States and Canada in the 1990s, and its subsequent detection in 2002, it has spread to 14 states and adjacent parts of Canada. It has killed at least 50 to 100 million ash trees so far and threatens to kill most of the 7.5 billion ash trees throughout North America. The emerald ash borer is now one of the most destructive non-native insects in the United States; it and other wood-boring pests cause an estimated $3.5 billion in annual damages in the U.S.
A green ash killed by emerald ash borers
The insect threatens the entire North American Fraxinus genus, unlike past invasive tree pests, which have only threatened a single species within a genus. The green ash and the black ash trees are preferred. White ash is also killed rapidly, but usually only after green and black ash trees are eliminated. Blue ash displays some resistance to the emerald ash borer by forming callous tissue around EAB galleries; however, they are usually killed eventually as well.
The adult beetle is dark metallic green, bullet-shaped and about 8.5 millimetres long and 1.6 mm wide. The body is narrow and elongated, and the head is flat with black eyes. Adults lay eggs in crevasses in the bark. Larvae burrow into the bark after hatching and consume the cambium and phloem, effectively girdling the tree and causing death within two years. The average emerging season for the emerald ash borer is early spring to late summer. Females lay around 75 eggs, but up to 300 from early May to mid-July. The borer's life cycle is estimated to be one year in southern Michigan but may be up to two years in colder regions.
The natural range of the emerald ash borer is eastern Russia, northern China, Japan, and Korea. Its first confirmed North American detection was in June 2002 in Canton, Michigan. It is suspected, that it was introduced by overseas shipping containers being delivered to Yazaki North America. It has since been found in several other parts of the United States and Canada. Ohio, Minnesota, and Ontario have experienced emerald ash borer migration from Michigan. Additionally, Maryland and Virginia received shipments of contaminated trees from a Michigan nursery. The emerald ash borer was confirmed in Indiana in April 2004, in Central Kentucky in the Spring of 2009 and in Northeast Iowa in May 2010.
The insect is unusually difficult to kill. More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk. Nearly 114 million board feet of ash saw timber with a value of US$25.1 billion is grown in the eastern United States each year. Over forty million ash trees have died or are dying in the United States at this time. The full time it takes for a tree to die due to the EAB is generally two or three years. Losses are estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. The National Ash Seed Collection Initiative collects and stores ash seeds in cryogenic vaults at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, CO. If the population of American ash trees is destroyed, the stored seeds will be the genetic base to re-establish ash.
As part of the campaign against the emerald ash borer (EAB), American scientists in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Forestry searched since 2003 for its natural enemies in the wild leading to the discovery of several parasitoid wasps including Tetrastichus planipennisi. These tiny stingless wasps can sense beetles underneath the bark and then lay their eggs in the larvae or egg, thus killing them. Initial results have shown promise and it is now being released along with Beauveria bassiana, a fungal pathogen with known insecticidal properties.>>
In this case, I much prefer the top one with the wonderful autumn colors, but the bottom one is certainly interesting, too, as a contrast. And imagine, that much snow in early October! 
We traditionally have considered Halloween (October 31) to be the day for a first heavy, winter snow. But in most years, we would have had two or three light snowfalls by this time, but without hard freezes.BMAONE23 wrote:What day of the year do you traditionally begin receiving snow in your area? Is this storm on time or early? (nice area to live in)
But we have over 300 sunny days every year. Tomorrow, most of the snow will be gone, the Sun will be shining, and the autumn color will still be there... but possibly with some snow still present on the peaks. For me, that means still more photo opportunities over the next days!Ann wrote:Chris, thank you for the delightful photos that you post here! :D In this case, I much prefer the top one with the wonderful autumn colors, but the bottom one is certainly interesting, too, as a contrast. And imagine, that much snow in early October!
That seems like a waste of time in this day of powerful math programs. Understanding the concept is critical, of course, but even before Mathematica, people just looked up derivative and integral solutions.rstevenson wrote:But now that I've used up my excuses, I must go back to studying Physics and memorizing dreivative equations for Math.
A sister in Idaho reported snow also. I coudn't agree more. My math professor couldn't agree less.Chris Peterson wrote:That seems like a waste of time in this day of powerful math programs. Understanding the concept is critical, of course, but even before Mathematica, people just looked up derivative and integral solutions.rstevenson wrote:But now that I've used up my excuses, I must go back to studying Physics and memorizing derivative equations for Math.
Well, you should know those things without looking them up. I thought you were memorizing lists of specific derivative solutions, which IMO would be a waste of time. Knowing the rules is a help even when using computerized math tools... as is the norm in physics.rstevenson wrote:[I was too busy memorizing them to remember to call them by their correct name. They are differentiation rules: Product Rule, Quotient Rule, and so on. Freshman Calculus.]
48 is cold? Has Oklahoma switched to measuring temperature in Kelvins?bystander wrote:It's COLD! High Monday was 80, Tues 64, low last night 41. It's now 48, not supposed to get out of the 50s, and freeze warning for tonight.
Not all of us are mountain men. It's cold when you've been used to highs in the 80s and lows, at the least, in the high 50s. House temperature has fallen into the 60s, which isn't bad when you are active or sleeping, but a little cool for being lazy and doing nothing. I'm resisting turning on the heat in the house, but if the inside temps fall much more, I may be forced.Chris Peterson wrote:48 is cold? Has Oklahoma switched to measuring temperature in Kelvins?
Wimp!bystander wrote:Not all of us are mountain men. It's cold when you've been used to highs in the 80s and lows, at the least, in the high 50s. House temperature has fallen into the 60s, which isn't bad when you are active or sleeping, but a little cool for being lazy and doing nothing. I'm resisting turning on the heat in the house, but if the inside temps fall much more, I may be forced.
