Chuck Lura

The northern lights were making national news a few weeks ago. Reports of the displays came streaming in from as far south as Florida. Seeing them always seems to elicit a sense of wonder and awe, and there may well be more shows to come this winter.

I recently ran across the description of a white-breasted nuthatch in Arthur Cleveland Bent’s book collection, “Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds.” Even if you do not know this bird, you may well be somewhat familiar with it once you hear Bent’s description:

I recently watched the PBS show Giants Rising, which features "the secrets of the redwoods — the tallest and among the oldest living beings.” Part of the program dealt with the sense of awe and wonder that the trees often elicit in us, and how spending time observing the redwoods (and, by extension, nature and wild places) can relieve stress and provide several other benefits.

While driving down the country roads during winter, you may see a flock of sparrow-sized birds get up and fly away. Most people probably dismiss them as sparrows, but the next time you see the birds, look for flashes of white in the wings — they may be snow buntings. These interesting and attractive winter visitors are from the far north.

The November issue of National Geographic had an article about a garden in England that contains some of the most poisonous plants in the world. A visitor cannot enter the garden without supervision.

I recently watched an episode of the PBS series NATURE titled Woodpeckers: The Hole Story. Narrated by Paul Giamatti, the documentary explores what makes woodpeckers special. It had me thinking about the species of woodpeckers found in North Dakota and their importance to our ecosystem.

In the absence of burning, grazing, or other active management, native prairie can quickly deteriorate. Historically, bison grazed the prairie, wildfires occurred, and Native Americans set the grasslands on fire for a variety of reasons. They learned early on, for example, that burned over grasslands attracted bison because the regrowth was more accessible, palatable, and nutritious. Today, prescribed burning has become a widely accepted management tool for natural resource managers.

Are you getting excited for those warm summer nights? There are bound to be many with clear skies, which will make for some good night sky watching. It seems like there is always something interesting to see up there, such as constellations, meteors, and full moons, to name a few. So, consider making a concerted effort this summer to spend more time observing the nighttime sky.

Have you been noticing a 2-3 foot tall wildflower sporting a terminal cluster of conspicuous purple flowers? If so, it is probably Dame’s rocket ( Hesperis matronalis ). That is not a native plant. It might look pretty, but as they say, looks can be deceiving.

Two noteworthy celestial shows are coming up on August 12. The Perseids meteor shower is expected to peak that evening, and a partial solar eclipse is expected to be visible in parts of the state. So, get ready and hope for clear skies.