A Ridge of Summer

A northward shift of the jet stream has allowed a ridge of summer heat to invade the central and eastern U.S. over the past 24 hours and is ...

On the Safe Side

After raking the Plains, Midwest and Mississippi Valley with severe thunderstorms, deadly tornadoes and torrential rains for the past week, ...

A Delayed Chorus

In light of an exceptionally large brood in 1998, this spring's emergence of 13-year periodical cicadas in central Missouri was forecast...

The End is Near

After wrongly predicting that human life would end this past weekend, an evangelical preacher has become the target of jokes by comedians an...

The Noise Industry

As a naturalist, I enjoy walking on the beach to the sound of crashing surf and frantic gulls. I relish tranquil bays, cathedral forests, t...

A Parade of Supercells

Heading east in central Kansas last evening, I witnessed a parade of supercells, spaced across the eastern horizon; each half-again as tall ...

Colorado Mountain Goats

There are few better symbols of alpine wilderness than the mountain goat; besides, their kids are downright adorable. For these reasons, th...

Formation of the Great Lakes

Looking at a map of North America, one's attention is immediately drawn to the Great Lakes, the most conspicuous geographic feature of t...

Spring Snow

Along the Colorado Front Range, the mountains affect our weather in many ways and, at times, offer an escape from shallow upslope rain and f...

A Rare Visitor

Working on our Littleton, Colorado, farm this week, I have enjoyed the company of our usual avian neighbors, including house wrens, American...

The Falklands & South Africa

When geologists first explored the Falkland Islands, 250 miles off the coast of southern Argentina, they found rock strata that did not corr...

Spain's Earthquake

On May 11, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck southeastern Spain, near the town of Lorca, some 30 miles southwest of Murcia. Lying near the ...

March in Mid May

I left Columbia this morning in a chilly mist; a steady northwest wind and low, gray clouds made the temperature feel even colder than the o...

A Chilly Fetch

Thursday afternoon, low pressure sat over north-central Kansas and its associated cold front stretched from the Great Lakes to West Texas. ...

Our Conspicuous Kingfisher

While they have numerous cousins across the globe, belted kingfishers have laid claim to North America and anyone who visits our streams, la...

The Pine Ridge Escarpment

Curving through northwestern Nebraska and into the southwest corner of South Dakota, the Pine Ridge Escarpment, rising to 5000 feet, divides...

An Inland Surge

The flow through Midwest rivers generally peaks in April as snowmelt from the Appalachian Plateau and northern States combines with the copi...

The Secretive Sora

Two days ago, on a summer-like evening, my wife and I visited the Forum Nature Area in Columbia. As expected, that wetland preserve was ali...

Homage to Mother Nature

On this day, when we honor our human mothers, it is appropriate to pay homage to Mother Nature as well. She, after all, gave birth to life ...

Plate Accretion

The present geography of Planet Earth is just the latest snapshot in its 4.6 billion year evolution. The relative size and position of cont...

River Otters

Before white settlers and trappers reached North American, river otters inhabited most of the Continent; only the High Arctic and Southwest ...

Sexual Reproduction & Evolution

Current scientific evidence suggests that life first appeared in Earth's oceans about 3.6 billion years ago. These initial organisms we...

Appeasing the Masses

Throughout human history, kings, generals and religious leaders have attempted to appease the masses. Roman Emperors used the Coliseum to e...

The Nature of Yard Work

Despised as just another chore during our teen years, yard work is a favorite activity for many adults. After all, it gets us outdoors, aff...

Death in the Spring

While we speak of spring as the season of renewal and rebirth, it, like all seasons, brings its share of death. Indeed, newborn animals are...