#Shiny Summer Challenge 2024

[lesparaversdemillina]

Nées jeunes filles au poing levé

Cette BD présente des portraits de jeunes femmes inspirantes comme Malala, Yusra Mardini, Greta Thunberg, et d'autres. Elles ont surmonté des défis. Un texte fort et inspirant!

[8fwd]

McLaren's 2024 Pumpkin Can't Be a Lemon

McLaren got the jump on everyone this year by being the first team to officially launch; while not a car, their 2024 livery. While not the most colorful F1 machinery McLaren has ever produced; I find myself missing their beautiful 2020 challenger, the new Papaya and Black scheme leads to a menacing almost Halloween vibe, while still being true to the modern McLaren brand of the Zak Brown Era. 

And speaking of the brand, I cannot help but feel this surprise mid-january reveal was down to the fact that all McLaren factory racing efforts this year look to be standardized in terms of livery, and getting that first bit of F1 news out for the new year, and with their new ‘Whatever it takes’ mantra seemed like a no brainer if the cat was already out of the bag with the start of the Formula E season in Mexico a few weeks ago. 

And on that new motto, I can’t help but feel this sense of confidence from every move McLaren is making right now. Compared to last year’s funeral of a car launch, where expectations were dashed and heads were hung low, the team feels excited and confident with every move they make. 

Despite a slow start last season, 2023 turned into a beautiful year for McLaren, becoming the second fastest team on the grid post-summer break. Lando Norris continued to show brutal speed and consistency across races, and rookie Oscar Piastri showed exactly why he was worth all that fuss in 2022, all while avoid pitfalls we’ve seen other rookies hit in their maiden seasons

Now, after a grueling start and spectacular end to last year’s campaign, the Woking outfit looks to carry that momentum forward to 2024. And they have shiny new toys to try to help, like their brand new wind tunnel, freeing them from using TMG’s excellent, but outdated facility in Cologne. Combine that with new simulators to better help correlation before hitting the track with new upgrades, and McLaren’s new technical team looks to have the right tools to fight at the front. 

While a shock Monza win in 2021 broke broke an almost decade long winless streak, and with a few close calls later that season, the 2022 ground effect regulations threw a wrench in the team’s recovery, and big promises came with reinvestment in the team that followed that disappointing first year of the new rules. And while 23 came good in the end, continued growth must be shown, even if the team isn’t immediately challenging for the title this year. 

McLaren now needs to deliver, and keep showing that any upward ticks in form aren’t just solely the result of other teams missing their mark. They cannot repeat last year, and they also cannot afford to slid backward throughout the season like Aston Martin did last time out. If any team is to escape the F1 midfield, McLaren needs to not just show they’re ready, but show that they are capable of capitalizing on the new, more equitable F1 landscape.  

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Happy 2024, y'all! It's a sunny day here on the SW Washington coast, and I'm off to a slow, sleepy start after managing to stay up until midnight in spite of myself. I hope you all are having a good start to the shiny new year.

I thought this would a good moment to reflect on the accomplishments of 2023, and look forward to what 2024 might hold.

Last year was, well, a lot of good stuff! Here are a few highlights:

--In addition to keeping my regular roster of online and in-person classes for various community colleges and libraries, I added a few new teaching venues. By far my favorite was the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, where I had a marvelous time teaching my two-day Nature Identification for the Everyday Naturalist class amid an incredible coastal forest (they're bringing me back this year, too!). I also got to teach in my hometown in Missouri, with a mushroom foraging class at Rolla Public Library and a lichen walk at the Ozark Rivers Audubon Nature Center, both of whom I hope to work with again in the future. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the series of classes I taught for Wildcraft Studio School in Portland--I'm looking forward to my next round of classes with them for 2024!

--I launched my guided nature tours business, offering ecologically-focused walks and hikes throughout the Pacific Northwest. This was very much a year of "throw things at the wall and see what sticks." Both scheduled hikes and private bookings were successful, though sometimes people thought I only did one or the other, so it was a bit of a challenge getting the word out that nope--I offer both! I'm hoping to expand the scheduled hikes to more locations, since I primarily offered them in the Long Beach, WA area, and I'm hoping to get some private bookings in places I haven't had a chance to explore yet. I do have to say I had a lot of fun taking people out onto some of my favorite trails, as well as some new places, exploring all the amazing flora, fauna, and fungi we met along the way. Here's to more excuses to get outside in 2024!

--With the help of my amazing agent, Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC, I landed a contract with Ten Speed Press (a division of Penguin Random House) for my book The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals, Plants, and Fungi Wherever You Go. This is an opportunity well beyond anything I had imagined, and I am super excited for the book to be released in Summer 2025. I've already gotten some excellent editorial feedback to help me make this book the best it can be, and I'm looking forward to this continued journey as I kick off the new year with a big writing session.

--I kept up on my quarterly chapbook schedule, producing four new chapbooks in 2023. It's a lot of work, but people really seem to enjoy them, and I relish the opportunity to dive deeper into topics than I can do in a single article. Speaking of articles, I didn't quite keep up with writing one weekly on my website, but I did alright. And I also kept up a good roster of articles in my Rainy Rambles column for the Coast Weekend paper.

And that's really what I'd love to see in 2024:

--More opportunities to teach and reach new audiences who are interested in learning more about nature identification, foraging, and other natural history topics. Since I do a lot of online teaching, I have plenty of options outside of my local area. And as I make my twice-a-year peregrinations to Missouri, I'm planning to do some teaching along the way.

--More tours, please! 2023 was a really great start, and I had such a great time that I just want to increase the number of days I'm out on the trails with folks. I need to do more promotion, especially outside the Columbia-Pacific region, and really work on getting the word out. Some of that will be online, but there will also be some time spent out in the world, too. It can be a very time-consuming thing, but here's to those efforts paying off.

--I already need to have the manuscript for The Everyday Naturalist turned in this April (I'm going to aim for getting it done early, but we'll see.) A lot of the process beyond that will be out of my hands, other than edits and feedback. Still, this will be another thing that I want to make more people aware of, so you can expect me to keep chatting about book stuff all year. And, of course, I'll keep those article sand chapbooks coming for those of you who can't wait for 2025 to read my work.

--I have some other projects behind the scenes that I'm planning--keep your eyes peeled here for updates! (Or you can join my monthly email newsletter here.)

Wishing you all an excellent 2024!

[creationsbyjesska]

Final Summer 2024 Tera Raid Event and Mass Outbreak

Final Summer 2024 Tera Raid and Mass Outbreak Events Now Live in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The Pokémon Company has kicked off the final special events of the summer for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, running from now until September 1st, 2024. Trainers have the chance to participate in the Mightiest Mark Dragonite Tera Raid event, as well as a series of Mass Outbreak events featuring rare Pokémon with increased Shiny chances and the Charismatic Mark. Mighty Dragonite Tera Raid Event In this challenging raid, players will face a Normal Tera-Type Dragonite with the Mightiest Mark, known for its incredible stats and formidable moveset. This Dragonite is particularly tough, but with the right strategy, you can take it down. Best Pokémon to Use: - Iron Hands: With its Electric and Fighting-type moves, Iron Hands can effectively counter Dragonite’s Flying and Normal-type attacks. - Azumarill: Its Fairy typing and access to moves like Play Rough make it a solid choice against Dragonite, especially considering its immunity to Dragon-type moves. - Tinkaton: This Steel/Fairy Pokémon can resist Dragonite’s attacks while hitting back with Fairy-type moves. Mass Outbreak Events The Mass Outbreak events are happening simultaneously across various regions, offering players a higher chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon and those with the Charismatic Mark. - Paldea: Larvitar and Bagon are the featured Pokémon. Both of these Pokémon are powerful, but using Ice or Fairy-type Pokémon like Mamoswine or Sylveon can help you clear these outbreaks with ease. - Kitakami: Goomy and Hisuian Sliggoo are making appearances. Fairy-type Pokémon such as Florges or Mimikyu will be your best bet against these Dragon-types. - Blueberry Academy: Beldum is the featured Pokémon. Steel/Psychic types like Beldum are weak to Ghost, Fire, and Dark-type moves, so bringing Chandelure or Hydreigon to the fight will give you a significant advantage. Don’t miss this opportunity to catch some rare and powerful Pokémon while participating in these final summer events. With the right preparation and strategy, you can add some impressive new members to your team! Read the full article

[picsfrommyblogs]

pal shiny summer challenge 2024

[jcmarchi]

The MIT Edgerton Center’s third annual showcase dazzles onlookers

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-mit-edgerton-centers-third-annual-showcase-dazzles-onlookers/

The MIT Edgerton Center’s third annual showcase dazzles onlookers

On April 9, a trailer with the words “Born by Fire” emblazoned on the back pulled down MIT’s North Corridor (a.k.a. the Outfinite). Students, clad in orange construction vests, maneuvered their futuristic creation out of the trailer, eliciting a surge of curious bystanders. The aerodynamic shell is covered by 5 square meters of solar panels. This multi-occupancy solar car, Gemini, designed and built by the Solar Electric Vehicle Team (SEVT), is slated to race in the 2024 American Solar Challenge. Positioned just outside Building 13, Gemini made its inaugural public appearance at this year’s Edgerton Center Student Teams Showcase. The team’s first-place trophy from an earlier competition sat atop, glistening in the sunlight.

Next, MIT Motorsports arrived with their shiny red electric race car, MY24. SEVT, embodying MIT’s spirit of collaboration, paused their own installation to assist the Motorsports team in transporting MY24 into Lobby 13. Such camaraderie is commonplace among Edgerton teams. MY24 is slated to compete in two upcoming events: the FSAE Hybrid event in Loudon, New Hampshire on May 1, followed by the FSAE Motorsports event in Michigan, later in June.

At the Third Annual Edgerton Center Showcase, Lobby 13 was abuzz with students, faculty, and visitors drawn in by the passion and excitement of members of 14 Edgerton Center student teams. Team members excitedly unveiled a wide range of technologies, including autonomous waterborne craft, rockets, wind turbines, assistive devices, and hydrogen-powered turbine engines. “Seeing the culmination of what MIT students can build in so many different forms was inspiring. It was great to see everyone’s passion and creativity thriving in each of the team’s projects,” says junior Anhad Sawhney, president of the MIT Electronics Research Society (MITERS) and captain of the Combat Robotics Club.

In one corner, children congregated around the Combat Robotics table, captivated by clips of the team competing on the Discovery channel’s Battlebots series. Nearby, towering rockets almost brushing the ceiling captured the gaze of onlookers. Suddenly, a symphony of electrical crackles filled the air. Visitors quickly discovered the source was not an AV malfunction, but a Tesla coil created by MITERS, where lightning danced to the pitch input using a computer keyboard. Established in 1973, MITERS — a member-run project space and machine shop — continues to give students the chance to tinker and create quirky inventions such as the motorized shopping cart, DOOMsled.

Adjacent to MITERS, students on the Spokes team dished ice cream into a bike-powered blender. A quick ride down the street created milkshakes for many to enjoy. Spokes is an Edgerton team of students who will bike across the country this summer, teaching STEM outreach classes along the way. Their curriculum is inspired by MIT’s hands-on approach to education.

One of the newest Edgerton Center teams, The Assistive Technology Club, showed an array of innovations poised to revolutionize lives. Their blind assistance team is designing an app that uses machine learning to describe the most relevant features of the environment to visually impaired users. Their adaptive game controller team is designing a one-handed game controller for a user who is paralyzed on one side of her body due to a stroke. Junior Ben Lou, from the robotic self-feeding device team, has a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy. He shares, “Eating is a basic necessity, but current devices that help people like me eat are not versatile with different foods, unaccommodating to users with different positional needs, generally difficult to set up, and extremely expensive. The self-feeding team is completely re-imagining the way a self-feeding device can work. Instead of operating with a spoon, which cannot handle a wide range of foods and is prone to spillage (among other issues), our device operates with an entirely new utensil.”

Beyond showcasing projects, the event served as a forum for idea exchange and collaboration. The MIT Wind team brought their first working prototype of their model wind turbine, which they will use as a baseline for competing in the Collegiate Wind Competition next year. “We hope to continue working on rotor optimization and blade fabrication, power conversion, and offshore foundation design to be competitive with the other CWC teams next year,” says team captain Kirby Heck. “As a new Edgerton Center team, the showcase was an amazing opportunity for our team members to engage with industry partners, interact with the MIT community, and explore how we fit within the broader constellation of teams within Edgerton at MIT. We also received helpful feedback on our current design and have plenty of new ideas on how we can innovate for our next design iteration.” 

The event included a short program, where SEVT captain Adrienne Wing Suen Lai and first-year Rachel Mohommed of the Electric Vehicle Team gave a shout-out to all the teams. A special tribute was also paid to Peggy Eysenbach, the event’s organizer and the development officer at the Edgerton Center, with a bouquet of flowers. Edgerton Center Director and Professor Kim Vandiver welcomed the MIT community to the event and gave a brief review of the 30-year history of engineering teams sponsored by the Edgerton Center.

Vandiver believes that through all the fun and creativity, strong careers emerge. “Participation in an engineering team is great professional preparation. Upon graduation, these leaders are unafraid of hard problems, and rapidly rise in project management roles,” Vandiver says.

[papersak]

I like the idea of New Year's Resolutions. They're kinda sentimental to me. But this year I can't come up with a single goal, a single bar that I should try to meet this year...

... so I'll just type out all of them and check back in a year to see which one sticks.

Read 6+ novels

Pass Valkyrie Dimension

Finally learn conversational Japanese (bonus points if I can read a doujin)

Enter a Pokemon VGC regional again

Make another animation

As for how and why...

Read 6 novels: this starts all the way back mid-2020 where y'know, boredom and anxiety had me seeking healthier hobbies than doomscrolling. I actually got 4 for Christmas 😮I think they're all romance novels. When the library was close to work, I could power through 4 ez, so let's aim for those and finding 2 more.

Pass Valkyrie Dimension: It's a DDR song. 😅 This might be the hardest, if not second to 3, because of how much consistent work it would require. Before lockdowns, I was able to pass light 16s and POSSESSION. It was the peak of my DDR ability and it was a huge rush. But gah... I've fallen so far that I'm shaky at 15s now, and 14s are exhausting. It's always been a goal of mine to pass VD, and my true "DDR retirement" goal is to pass Paranoia Revolution. They're just the coolest boss songs to me. On Expert, not Challenge... experts know that chart is better. 😆

The problem here is my home pad is giving out, and playing in the arcade is not only expensive but... time consuming? I've actually grown to dislike going in a group because of how much waiting is involved. 😓

Japanese: The last time I was in Japan I had told someone I've been studying for 8 years. He seemed shocked; I was shocked for a different reason. Like, I started 8 years ago and I still can't hold a conversation??? What's up with that? I absolutely love going to doujin events, and I have quite a pile of (all-ages) comics from artists. But even when it was two artists I was a huge fan of, it frustrated me that I could never really befriend them. Even though Yanada remembered me after multiple visits, even though I spent all that time talking to Yato, and participated in all those DDR prompts...

I'm getting too old to still have "a second language" on my todo list. And sure, Japanese is at the top because I'm a weeb at my core. I know it's sort of a selfish reason. I just also have a really wonderful time when I do visit for vacation. I want a better understanding of the people I talk with when I go back. And uh... there's seemingly credible companies that let you work remote for the US while in Tokyo, particularly for IT jobs, and I have at least one of those tools in my belt already...

Pokemon VGC: I'm only 70% sure I wanna do this again. Which is still pretty sure. But I'm worried it won't be quite as fun as before. I participated in Reg C and it was AMAZING. Unfair how much fun people can have for an event hosted by such a scummy company. 😆I can't stress enough how much the other players made it so memorable, maybe even more so than some indie events. People were so helpful and so passionate, it's contagious. Team building was stressful, but I really did have fun showing off an Oricorio team with my random shiny Revavroom, and taking even the few wins I did had me over the moon.

I worry that with whatever the hell regulation it is in summer 2024 (like, wow, they are so awful with rule sets), it'll make it near impossible for someone like me to make a team that's viable, let alone a team that I'm happy to show to others. But with how swiss works, maybe I'll run into other people like me and just have fun. Or, y'know, maybe I'll find out that VGC truly does suck when Inceneroar and Landorus are legal, and I'll never have FOMO again. Either way, it'll work out! Now I've talked myself into going...

Another animation: I've been trying to figure out... why I keep making characters teary-eyed every time I make a non-parody animation. I never make sad characters in comics or art... animation just opens up my power or something. And yet, I still have parodies I want to do. I guess if you read this far, I'll go ahead and confess that the two I want to do are smooooch and the Madoka Magica (first) opening with DDR characters. I also started brainstorming a DDR parody to Mephisto from Oshi no Ko. But I don't have a lot more story ideas in my head. I'd like to do a humorous one just to prove I can. I honestly felt to powerful making the Silver and Lance one earlier, and that sort of "I'm doing it because it needed to exist" principle is why I make all the art I do, I think.

So maybe that's why I never improve, because all I care about is bringing an idea into existence. There's definitely part of me that cares that others can see what I'm thinking clearly, and without any polished skill I am certain the internet won't care. I'm uh... grateful? Surprised? Honored? that while I have plenty of flaws in art, I've improved enough to convey something I was emotionally attached to and share that feeling through animation. I think I can stop saying "I'm not good enough to do this idea" whenever I get an idea for a large project like that. So I meeeean... yes, I do remember my beginner methods making some of those scenes a nightmare, and if I was truly skilled then I could've got it done not only in better quality but with less stress. But maybe this year is the start of just going for an art project instead of saying I'm not ready.

Anyway. Happy year of the dragon. It's not my zodiac sign, but I kind of feel lucky in 2024 because my old persona was a dragon and dragons are adorable. May we all go into this year with extra ambition.

🐉

[kansascityhappenings]

Natural events to take place in Missouri this August

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Step away from the office and go outside this August. This helps renew the mind and inspires creativity. Late summer provides a great deal of activity for wildlife, plants, and even space. This August you’ll need to be on the lookout for young skunks in the fields, turtles slowly crossing roads, and snakes hidden on trails.

The annual late-summer songs of the cicadas have already picked up at night in Kansas City. Expect to see squirrels in your neighborhood; they’ll gorge on food to puff up for winter. Deer will rub their antlers on trees to remove materials they no longer need and then they’ll lose their antlers in the colder months.

Also, certain plants fall prey to summer temperatures and pests and need extra attention. Berries will ripen and wild black cherries make for a sour ingredient for rum, jam, or syrup.

Read below to learn more about the schedules of animals, plants, and events in the sky coming up this month.

  Snapping turtle eggs | Wikipedia

Time of Year to See Baby Turtles

Snapping turtle eggs begin hatching this month. The common snapping turtle lives in habitats throughout Missouri. The turtles live anywhere near permanent water bodies such as farm ponds, marshes, swamps, sluices, and rivers. This reptile rarely causes damage to humans, but the snappers occasionally swallow up small ducks and goslings. They also enjoy chomping down insects, crayfish, snakes, and worms. Snapping turtles eating habits help keep aquatic animal populations in check.

Hatchlings emerge from their soft shells 55 to 125 days after the mama snapping turtle lays her eggs. Incubation lasts about 75 to 95 days, and hatchlings emerge between August and October. Sometimes they don’t emerge from their eggs until the following spring. Baby snapping turtles are only about an inch long when they crack through their shells.

The snapping turtle has a big pointed head, a long thick tail, and a small lower shell. These turtles have tan, brown, or somewhat black shells. They have strong jaws and long necks. If you need to move a large snapper – call a wildlife professional first. It’s not easy to handle these little dudes. Their bite can live behind a memorable scar or worse.

The alligator snapping turtle is a protected species. It only occurs in the state in small numbers. Hunters are not allowed to shoot or trap these turtles under Missouri law. The Missouri Department of Conservation urges hunters to identify common snapping turtles correctly before taking control action. The rare turtle’s upper shell has three prominent ridges, one along the center line and one on either side.

Drive slow if you see adult sized turtles or hatchlings this time of year. It takes several years for turtles to reach sexual maturity, making it challenging for snapping turtles to reproduce and survive.

The Annual Serenades of the Cicadas

At night when trying to go to sleep, you may have noticed the distinct, raspy calls of the cicadas. The bugs usually start their choir rehearsals during the hottest days of summer. Both female and male cicadas have membranous structures to detect sounds, but only males produce those distinctive calls. The winged insects have a variety of songs: for courtship, distress, calling songs, and songs to set up boundaries. Male cicadas can produce very loud calls that can damage human hearing.

You can find the insects in forests, wilderness, parks, and brush. For a fishing trip, cicadas make for excellent fishing bait.

The largest Missouri brood of cicadas is expected to come to Missouri in 2024. The last time this happened was in 2015. Cicadas have a life cycle average of two to five years.

Thirteen Lined ground squirrel | Wikipedia

Thirteen-Lined and Franklin’s Ground Squirrels Enter Gorge Fest Season

Time to fatten up for the colder months. Squirrels will appear in large numbers in neighborhoods and forests to scrounge for tasty treats. They forage for both plant and animals foods, including grains, cicadas, crickets, and grasshoppers. They eat until their body weight doubles with stored fat.

The Thirteen-Lined ground squirrel hangs out mostly in northwest Missouri; the species also lives throughout central United States. Franklin’s ground squirrels live in a smaller region. They also live in northwest Missouri. The animal lives north of our region and in northern Kansas.

Thirteen-Lined squirrels only appear above ground for about 3-4 months out of the year. Spring is mating season. The young are born in May. The young nest for about 5 to 6 weeks after birth, then they venture out of their home burrows to start their adult careers.

The squirrels will enter their nests in October. The rodent goes from the hyper-caffeinated creatures we see in the spring and summer months to a slower-than-sloth hibernator. During winter, squirrels breathe about every five minutes and have about 5 heartbeats every minute. They roll into stiff balls to assume their hibernation position.

  Eastern Copperhead Newborns Emerge

Watch your step outside. Eastern copperhead females give birth to their babies in August. Enjoy watching the slithery critters from a safe distance. Copperhead venom is mild compared to other venoms, but anyone who ends up with a snake bite needs to seek medical attention immediately. The odds of dying from a snake bite are low as long as people go to a doctor.

Missouri has two subspecies of eastern copperhead: the Osage copperhead, found in the northern two-thirds of the state; and the southern copperhead found in the southern third.

These snakes have a healthy diet of mice, lizards, frogs, small birds, and insects. Young copperheads use their yellow tail to attract small frogs, toads, and lizards into their mouths.

The snake is pretty common to the state, so it’s possible that if you’re out in the wild you’ll come face to face with a copperhead. All snakes native to Missouri have laws that protect them.

Copperheads bask on warm sunny days; they especially like morning sunlight. In the hottest months, they become nocturnal avoiding the sauna like conditions. In fall, they congregate at south-facing rocky ledges.

Kingsnakes are immune to copperhead venom and will eat them.

Skunks Ready to Party Like Its 1999

Smell something strange? In August, young striped skunks ready to show off their fur will head out into the open. At birth young skunks appear naked looking. They possess the beginning of the adult’s black and white markings. As it gets colder, skunks spend more time in dens. When it’s near freezing, skunks go into a drowsy mode, and they sleep randomly… but they do not truly hibernate like squirrels.

The cat-sized mammal prefers to live along forests, in brush field corners, along fencerows, and open grassy fields broken by wooded ravines and rocky outcrops. The skunk has several real estate options for dens including: stumps, caves, rock piles, cliff crevices, farming sheds, wood piles, and haystacks.

The disagreeable musk they wear protects them from intruders. They can aim their weaponized-tail and spray it at will. Prior to blasting off the stench, skunks warn intruders by stamping their feet and holding their tail high in the air.

Skunks travel all around Missouri. They are least likely to be found in the Bootheel where there isn’t enough high land for dens.

White Tailed Deer | Wikipedia

White-Tailed Deer Rub off their Velvet

Time to rub the velvet off the antlers. Male white-tailed deer will head into the woods to rub off the material.

Small buds form on the buck’s ears around April or May. As the antlers develop, a nourishing coat of blood vessels, skin, and short hair known as velvet covers and protects them. This material supplies nutrients and minerals to grow and strengthen bone.

The antlers reach full size in late August or September. The buck ritualistically rubs his antlers against trees to get the left over velvet off. This leaves the deer with clean, shiny bone antlers. The antlers loosen and come off during winter, which coincides with the end of mating season.

Rabbits and mice will gnaw on the fallen antlers to absorb the minerals contained in the bones. Age, nutrition, and genetics determine the size of the antlers. Check out the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield to see a large collection of antlers with detailed explanations on how the antlers formed along with rare finds. The resident Boone and Crockett Heads and Horns exhibit details the ways in which record-setting game animals came out of conservation and wildlife management systems.

Badger | Wikipedia

Badger, Badger, Badger

August is the season of love… for badgers. Badgers are not super common in Missouri, but they hang out throughout the state. They live primarily in the Central Dissected Till Plains in northern Missouri. They also have a thing for the Osage Plains in western Missouri. They also build homes near the Missouri River. They don’t like living in the Ozarks.

Badgers eat up mice, squirrels, lizards, snakes, birds, and turtles. An extensive poisoning campaign for burrowing rodents reduced the food supply for hungry badgers, which is one reason why their numbers have dwindled. Despite this, their conservation status is of least concern.

Badgers also enjoy munching on mushrooms. They eat different varieties of Funghi, as well as pig-nut tubers and insects — like dung and bark beetles.

They dig up series of dens across their home range. Badgers party at night and hit the snooze button in the daytime. During the winter, they occasionally leave their burrows unprotected to hunt for grub. They dig impressively fast to capture their prey. Badgers can move up to 15 miles per hour. They also are ferocious swimmers. They mate in late summer and give birth in early spring. The young stay with their mothers through the summer months.

Bats Take Flight for the First Time

Baby bats will soon take to the bat signal. They’ll learn to fly this month. You might spot them at dusk as they hunt for insects.

Eight of our 14 types of bats are Missouri Species of Conservation Concern, ranging from vulnerable in the state, to globally endangered, to extinction. Bats struggle to survive as they lose habitat territory, deal with cave disturbances, and die from pesticides. Another problem for bats: wind turbines. Wind powered energy unfortunately kills bats and birds. White-nose syndrome is also creating problems. The fungus likely came over to North America from Eurasia. The fungus infects the skin of cave-dwelling bats, disrupting hibernation and ending in death. The first fully developed case of white-nose syndrome was confirmed in Missouri in March 2012.

The bats usually mate in late summer or fall. During a cold winter in Missouri, some bat species may hibernate.

Bats are one of the few animals to regularly move in and out of caves. After eating insects outside their caves, they fly back and excrete organic nutrients into the cave ecosystem.

Shorebirds Migrate South

Shorebirds start traveling south in August. Many follow a path called a flyway. Some birds may travel a long distance each season. Shorebirds in Missouri include: American white pelicans, American woodcocks, lesser yellowlegs, and upland sandpipers.

The white pelicans fly with their heads back on their body, not with their necks extended. They hang out in western Missouri. The woodcocks live in open forests, they prefer young woodlands near water, moist pastures, and forested floodplains. Lesser yellowlegs have bright-colored feet. The females tend to leave their chicks early, leaving the male birds to defend the young before they’re ready for flight. The upland sandpipers spend their summers mostly in the United States and Canada. They pass through Missouri on their way to South America during the winter months.

Purple martins will group together this month to fly to their preferred South American resorts away from home.

Wild Cherries Ripen

The wild black cherry, or rum cherry, makes for an excellent additive to rum or crushes down into a delicious red jelly. The fruit is found in the woods along streams. It has leaves with rounded teeth, fruit in grape-like bunches, and turns dark when ripe. Nature lovers will find the cherries statewide. The cherries turn from white or greenish to red before reaching the dark purple or black hue. The cherries are about the size of a pea and are rather sour to eat raw.

A mature black cherry tree is easily identifiable in a forest. The tree has broken, dark grey to black bark. It looks like burnt cornflakes. During the first decade of the tree’s life the bark will appear thin, smooth, and banded, resembling a birch tree.

The seeds of black cherries, apricots, and apples contain cyanogenic glycosides. Those compounds under the right circumstances convert into cyanide.  The flesh of cherries also has these compounds, but it does not contain the enzymes needed to produce cyanide, so the flesh is safe to eat.

A fallen cherry tree with wilted leaves needs to be cleared up so animals don’t eat the leaves and get poisoned. Black cherry is a leading cause of livestock illness, and grazing animals access to it should be limited.

Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers

For gardeners and farmers, taking care of certain activities this month will ascertain you have the best flowers, fruit, and vegetables.

Here are some tips to follow for gardeners:

Protect ripening fruit from birds by covering plants with netting.

Spray ripening fruits and roses to prevent brown rot fungus.

Roses do not need anymore nitrogen fertilizer after August 15th.

Thornless blackberries, red raspberries, sumac fruits, hawthorn fruit, wild grapes, and elderberries ripen now.

Cultivate strawberries. If using weed prevention, apply it immediately after fertilizing.

Spray peaches to protect against peach tree borers.

Sow seeds of beans, beets, spinach, and turnips now for the fall garden.

Cure onions in a warm, dry place for 2 weeks before storing.

Set out broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower transplants for the fall garden.

Plant lettuce and radishes now.

Feed mums, asters, and other fall-blooming perennials for the last time.

Do not be alarmed if lilacs have powdery mildew. It causes no harm. Common rose fungicides will work on it.

Divide and replant madonnas, bearded irises, lilies, bleeding hearts, and bloodroots.

Prune to shape hedges for the last time this season.

Order bulbs for fall planting.

August Pests & Problems

Fescue lawns struggle to stay in shape this time of year. Dead spots result from disease and summer heat. Patches need to be reseeded to overcome this. The Missouri Botanical Garden website suggests reseeding between September 1 and mid-October. If this also involves killing existing grass, start killing these areas in mid-August with glyphosate. Read herbicide labels closely for instructions and caution.

Tomatoes Struggle in August

Tomatoes decide to go haywire in late summer. Blossom-end rot is exceptionally common. As well as septoria leaf spot, fusarium wilt, late blight, stink bug, and spider mite damage. Some tomatoes will crack from water fluctuations or get invaded with bacteria. Tomatoes also get harmed by too much sun exposure. And hornworms will feed on the fruit. Place cages around tomato plants to shield them from hungry animals. Read up on tomato strategies ahead of time to protect the crops.

Another tip for tomato care: raised beds that are 18 inches high or higher are difficult for rabbits and other smaller animals to enter. It is also a good idea to have 6 inches or more of wood planks below the soil level. This prevents small animals from burrowing underneath the raised beds.

Plants Need Extra Water and Attention

Scorch is a common problem in hot, dry weather. Make sure to regularly water plants during droughts. Stressed plants are more susceptible to attack by insects and disease. Many plants will wilt or turn yellow without enough water.

Star trails captured during the Perseids Meteor Shower, Aug. 12, 2014 (Credit: Paul Tashlykov)

Perseids Meteor Shower

Keep your eyes on the sky. The Perseids meteor shower is visible starting in mid-July each year, with the peak activity between August 9-14. During the peak, viewers could see as many as 60 meteors at once. The Perseids associate with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are called the Perseids because they show up in the constellation Perseus.

Some Catholics refer to the Perseids as the “tears of Saint Lawrence.” The saint was burned alive on a gridiron on August 10. The canonical date of the saint’s martyrdom is 258 AD. The story goes that the shooting stars are sparks of fire and that during the night of August 9-10 — its cooled embers appear in the ground under plants, which are known as the “coal of Saint Lawrence.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/08/01/natural-events-to-take-place-in-missouri-this-august/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/natural-events-to-take-place-in-missouri-this-august/

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Suggestion pour le Shiny Summer Challenge 2024