Is this the future
We have had a very hot summer here in Lincoln, situated on the cusp between the Sacramento Valley and the Sierra Foothills. But we are now experiencing some unusual weather for this part of the country for August. Yesterday I believe the high was only 75 and today we awoke to a light rain. As I am writing this at 3 PM we are experiencing gentle thunder, which sounds very pleasant.
Thinking the rain this morning would causes some creatures to stir, I decided to take a walk through the fields east and west of the South Creek Trail between Twelve Bridges Drive and Wilson Park. I stayed in the grassy areas to see what I could see. Unfortunately, I saw very little. I flushed three grasshoppers and maybe a half dozen dragonflies. I saw a Black Phoebe as the only bird. And for the highlight of my venture I saw a snake, maybe six inches in length, which hurriedly slithered under a small rock. When I lifted the rock I found a hold about an inch in diameter - whether the snake knew the hole was there and fled back to the rock for protection, or whether it was just fortuitous I don't know. I did see some Turkey Mullein fried to a crisp. I flushed no sparrows nor Black-tailed Jackrabbits, no Ring-necked Pheasants, no Meadowlark or Doves. I saw no bees - maybe not surprising because of the rain and there were only a very few flowering plants. There were many Yellow-star Thistle and Bristly Oxtongue but these were burnt and had no flowers which I think would be productive for bees or butterflies to feed.
And as I walked I wondered if I was witnessing our 2 degrees C future.
