It has felt like a never-ending monsoon season in the region. As the area wrapped up the month of May and headed into June, the rain just kept coming. Inconveniently, most of these rain events seemed to happen over the weekend.

Case in point, Saturday, June 14, was very wet in some areas. Weather stats from the National Weather Service’s weather station at Venango Regional Airport were sketchy with some missing data. However, the precipitation count for that weekend was around 1.34 inches. My parents reported nearly two inches of rain in their gauge through Saturday, June 14.
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According to Facebook posts, Route 8 from Kaneville to Rouseville was closed around 1 p.m. June 14 due to flooding. It reportedly opened later in the evening. There were also reports of Route 322 being closed for flooding near Meadville. 

​Not to be outdone, areas in mid and southern Venango County got drenched on June 17, 18 and 19.
Here in Pinegrove Township, Venango County, on June 17 there was at least 3 inches in my parents’ rain gauge for the day. Then there was approximately another 2 inches on June 18 and nearly three quarters of an inch from storms on June 19.

“Good morning! Unsurprisingly after the torrential downpours yesterday, the river is high and swift, so we are currently closed. We cannot predict how quickly it will recede, but we will provide an update, when possible,” the Pale Whale Canoe Fleet in Cook Forest State Park posted June 10 on its Facebook page. Other posts announced that the business was closed on June 14 and 15 due to swift water levels.
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The business posted, “You guessed it - we are closed,” on June 21. However, by June 22 the Clarion River had receded enough for them to resume operations.

The tailwater fishing access had been closed at the Kinzua Dam due to increased water releases. Nonetheless, by June 17 the operators were able to open fishing access again.
Meanwhile, for the month of April, Franklin was above the normal for precipitation. The total was 4.92 inches, which was higher than the average of 4.15 inches for the month. 

Early Monday morning the National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh posted to its Facebook page that at 1:56 a.m. Franklin's temperature was 75 degrees and Clarion's temperature was 77. 

While all the crazy weather locally seemed to be an inconvenience, the area appeared to have it better than southern areas that experienced dramatic flooding. ​

​However, 40 years ago during a tornado outbreak, the region was not so lucky.
A look back describes the devastation that took place on May 31, 1985. 

​Meanwhile, the local lady slipper patches thrived and then subsided just like the river levels. The patches seemed to be doing well and then the blooms faded by mid-June.

During several rain events, waterfalls could be seen in places where they weren’t normally present. The swelled creeks created hazardous crossing conditions.
​
The wet conditions provided sanctuary for tadpoles striving to survive in various vernal pools. 

Humidity and heat will undoubtedly stir up some more moisture as rain is forecast for the end of June. That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

Jeb also required several sittings. However, that was due to excessive energy and no cooperation. Finally, I settled for an indoor shot where the lively young bloodhound could be confined to a smaller area. 

Gus clearly showed a pained expression on his face as he endured the persecution prompted by the bunny ears. Another shot caught him in mid-chew as he devoured a treat that was used as a bribe.

 However, Ernie was clearly the winner of the most offended look. That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

​Life, like the recent weather, has its highs and lows. While we celebrated the arrival of warmer weather and new growth, we mourned the loss of two of our fur family members.

On Friday, she ate her food like normal and went on our walk. However, on Saturday and Sunday, she had no interest in eating and was lethargic. She went to the vet on Monday where she was cared for and kept for observation. However, she passed away that night at the veterinarian’s office.

She was our brown-eyed girl and matriarch of the pack. I wanted to write more about her life. However, it may be some time before I can find the right words.
​
To help life my spirits, I focused on our current fur family members and the abundant signs of spring.

Two recent weather outlooks created by the NOAA and the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, called for a 60 to 79 percent chance of the region seeing above normal temperatures in the coming weeks. 

Meanwhile, the rain and warmer temperatures brought forth some new plant growth.

Last year, my first sighting of a hummingbird was on April 27. However, in 2023, I had a hummingbird visitor on April 17.

According to the Spring Arrivals list posted on the Seneca Rocks Audubon Society’s website, the earliest recorded sighting of a hummingbird in our region was recorded as April 19.
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Various sites that track the hummingbird’s migration were showing sightings closer to our region. On April 13 and 14 there were sightings in Indiana, Pa. and Latrobe. 

​Meanwhile, more and more of the region’s summer residents were returning. An Eastern phoebe, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, a few chipping sparrows and a multitude of brown-headed cowbirds were just a few of the birds I spotted over the past few weeks. 

​This spring season reminded me that while we navigate the peaks and valleys of life, there are high and low points, death and life. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

After what seemed like an endless winter, the snowpack has melted, and signs of spring are appearing. The first day of spring or the vernal equinox was on Thursday, March 20. That date marked when day and night were equally long. From this point on, the region will see more daylight and less night. 

However, just because the calendar said it was spring doesn’t mean the weather will cooperate. 

The Farmers’ Almanac, the Old Farmers’ Almanac and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offered a few suggestions on what the coming spring season may bring.

The Farmers’ Almanac long range weather forecast says spring weather will take its time arriving, allowing winter conditions to linger, especially across the Midwest, Great Lakes, New England, and Northeast regions,” said a post on the almanac's website.

A graphic on the site depicts Pennsylvania as cool and wet for the spring season.
​
“Temperatures will run somewhat coolish for the northern and central regions…,” the post said.
However, it did predict pleasant weather for Easter. 

A graphic on The Old Farmer's Almanac website painted a slightly different picture for Pennsylvania’s spring. It depicted that our state would be warm and wet this spring.

“The U.S. spring outlook predicts warmer-than-normal temperatures for most of the country …,” the post said.
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However, the almanac also added the “best chances for some late-season snowflakes (outside of the mountains of the West) will be across the Lower Great Lakes, an area that may experience chillier weather during April.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s spring outlook predicted “above-average temperatures for the East and Gulf Coast regions…”

According to the administration, “The East Coast and much of the western U.S. have had below-average precipitation during the winter months, resulting in a low threat of significant spring flooding. However, heavy rainfall at any time can lead to flooding.”

The post also weighed in on the outlook for some areas experiencing drought.

“Moderate-to-exceptional drought conditions currently exist across more than 40% of the continental U.S.

​Drought conditions are likely to persist in the Southwest and parts of the Rocky Mountains, while drought improvement is forecast for the Great Lakes region,” the administration said.

The highest temperature was 76 degrees on March 20. The record set for this date was 80 degrees in 1918. Franklin hit 75 on March 15 and it fell short of the record of 79 degrees set in 1990. 

In the yard, snowdrops, snowflakes and crocuses made an appearance above ground.

Facebook memories showed me that on March 19, 2024, there were daffodils out. However, they were covered in snow. This year the yellow flowers were budding, but only one had bloomed.
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A memory from there were crocuses out in early March, but again they snow-covered. This year my crocuses didn’t bloom until March 19. 

​In the woods, the skunk cabbage was seen blooming as early as March 2.

The plant’s ability to perform thermogenesis helps it grow in icy conditions by melting the snow around it.

The neighbor’s pond saw the return of Canada geese and a mallard couple.

However, no one sticks around when we make the rounds.I spotted a couple of bluebirds checking out the nesting box in my parents’ yard earlier this month. Otherwise, the turkey vultures, robins and red-winged blackbirds were back for the season. 

​Flitting about in the woods were several butterflies on warmer days. My first butterfly sighting was a gray comma butterfly on March 13. In the following days I was able to capture photos of some Eastern commas and a mourning cloak butterfly. 

On some of the balmier days the air was filled with the calls of wood frogs. I first heard their unique choruses of croaks on March 16.
 “Wood frogs are one of the first frogs to begin the breeding season, usually in early March. During the breeding season, males can be heard making quack-like calls day and night,” said a post on the frogs by the National Wildlife Federation. 
“These frogs have adapted to cold climates by freezing over the winter. During this time, they stop breathing and their hearts stop beating. Their bodies produce a special antifreeze substance that prevents ice from freezing within their cells, which would be deadly. Ice does form, however, in the spaces between the cells. When the weather warms, the frogs thaw and begin feeding and mating again,” the federation posted. 

​Wood frogs were the only things active in the water this month. Pond samples revealed a world of microscopic creatures who were still busy despite a layer of ice above them. Algae, microbes, diatoms and others created some greenery despite the gray skies above the water. 

​Tardigrades are quite hardy.
“They can survive punishing heat, freezing cold, ultraviolet radiation and even outer space. They do this by becoming dried-out little balls, called "tuns," and almost stopping their metabolism (the way they get energy from food), reviving only when conditions are better. In fact, these tough little water bears will probably survive long after humanity is gone, research has found,” Weisberger continued.

​Meanwhile, goats Milo and Otis survived the winter with the help of a doghouse heater in their goat shed. On some of the colder days they didn’t even venture out. However, warmer days have them feeling some spring fever. They were still waiting for some green leaves to appear.
Their woodland counter parts, the deer, dealt with the ups and downs of the weather. As spring approached, the bucks began to drop their antlers.  A photo captured on Feb. 23 showed that one buck had shed an antler. Another photo from March 1 showed a buck still hanging on to both horns. However, by mid-March there were no deer with antlers on camera. 

​The deer were also starting to move around more. Other forest critters like coyotes, raccoons, groundhogs, possums and more were traversing our trails more. This meant that canines, Clem, Sadie, Gus and Jeb, were hot on their trails. However, the animals were usually long gone or out of the dogs’ reach.
Jeb was growing fast and going fast.  He outgrew his fear of water and had even contemplated swimming on a few of the warmer days.
As the days grew longer and greener scenery appeared, it sure did seem that winter was over. However, as western Pennsylvanians we all know better. That there still could be a few cold days in store. We still have a few months until the threat of frost is out of the picture. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

Things were very different from his birthing place and there were new faces and smells. ​

To make things worse, his new human mom put a hat on him. 

However, Jeb took things in stride. It only took a couple of days to figure out the dog door. 

He finally settled down enough to enjoy his doggy pillow. 

Gus and Jeb hit things off. However, Gus had to be careful not to step on the diminutive bloodhound. 

 Jeb quickly grew fond of elder bloodhound, Clem. He shadowed every move Clem made. It was rare that Clem could venture anywhere without Jeb close behind. Clem in addition to being Jeb's adopted brother was actually blood related to Jeb's mother. Clem in fact may be Jeb's uncle. 

Sadie, like Mother Nature, originally gave Jeb the cold shoulder. However, like the weather she gradually warmed up to him, little by little. 

Then Jeb encountered feline Lil' Bit. There was biting, chasing and scratching. It was all in good fun until Jeb got too big and too rough. Lil' Bit steers clear of the puppy for now except for the occasional ambush. 

When Jeb greeted Otis, he was welcomed in goat-fashion with an attempted headbutt. 

It only took a little over a month for Jeb to join the big dogs on their walk. He soon had no problem going for the whole length of our daily journey. 

He's working to get the hang of crossing creeks. Mother Nature made things harder with ice formations on one day and rising waters on the next. Jeb was motivated by treats and soon started double- and triple- crossing the waterways to obtain more goodies.  

Over the past few weeks, Jeb grew by leaps and bounds. On his first vet visit he weighed in at 19 pounds and on his most recent visit he was up to 32 pounds. 

Jeb is still struggling with housetraining. Again, Mother Nature and her frigid temperatures and freezing rain did not help the situation. No one wanted to be outside for very long during any of these weather events. 

Jeb has a small issue with his eyes. He is so wrinkled that his folds push his eyelashes into his eyes. The vet gave him some drops to lubricate his eyes. He may grow out of this issue once he grows into his wrinkles. However, he may need surgery later on to tack his eyelids. Clem had this issue, and it was resolved with stitches. Time will tell if Jeb needs to take that route. 

I'm sure that Jeb will face challenges head on in the future. Just as the weather is growing slightly more comfortable, Jeb is definitely more comfortable with his fur-ever home. That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

​Meanwhile, a warmup on Jan. 30 prompted some concern about ice jams on area rivers.

” Expect a warmup over the next couple of days as our air will be coming out of the south rather than Canada. This warmup will continue the process of melting the snow on the ground and the ice on the rivers.

​ A slow and steady melting is what we need to prevent flooding issues. However, a storm system will move northeastward from the south-central US this afternoon and cross our area Friday evening.

​This system will bring widespread rain to the area beginning late tonight and continuing into early Saturday morning. ... At this time, no points on any of the rivers are forecasted to reach flood stage. But we also need to keep an eye on local streams as well.,” the National Weather Service’s office in Pittsburgh posted on Facebook on the morning of Jan. 30.

​Photos taken Jan. 31 in Oil City, showed no threat of an ice jam.

There appeared to be clear channels for the water to pass through.
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The water level gauge on the Allegheny River at West Hickory reported a steady river level at 3.3 feet until Jan. 21 when it climbed to and peaked at 7.75 feet on Jan. 23. It had slowly fallen to 6.35 feet as of Feb. 2.
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The gauge on Oil Creek at Rouseville was at 2.67 feet on Jan. 31 and had reached 3.67 feet by Feb. 1.
Meanwhile the Allegheny River gauge at Franklin was steadily growing from 3.65 feet on Jan. 31 to 4.8 feet on Feb. 2.
​
In drought news, Venango County has no current drought conditions. However, the western portion of Forest County was still labeled as abnormally dry by the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

​The freeze and thaw cycle created some interesting ice formations on the area streams.

​Meanwhile, the cold weather drove man birds to the feeder. Winter visitors included American tree sparrows, goldfinches, woodpeckers, dark-eyed juncos and more. 

​Meanwhile, the cold weather drove man birds to the feeder. Winter visitors included American tree sparrows, goldfinches, woodpeckers, dark-eyed juncos and more. Also at the feeders, there was a gray squirrel or two.

In the woods, bluebirds and other feathered friends were busy feeding on winterberries. 

That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

I can't recall many "Oh, sh*t," moments in my life. I do believe most of them came about during winter driving. However, my most recent "Oh, sh*t" moment happened Christmas Eve while walking in the woods with the dogs. 

When we first got Sadie, the Newfoundland, I kept having to remind myself that I had a black furry dog and I wasn't seeing a bear. However, on one walk, I saw something black ahead and thought, "What is Sadie doing up there? She was behind me." Upon further observation, I exclaimed, "Oops, not Sadie." It was a smaller bear fleeing from my rambunctious posse of pets.  

We've been pretty lucky as far as wildlife encounters over the years. Perhaps that may have been due more to some divine intervention than luck. While trail cameras picked up coyotes, foxes, fishers and more. We don't usually see them.

​To date, we have never run across a coyote even though their tracks often cross our paths. Recently I spotted some fisher tracks. However, tracks were the only thing we saw of the critter. We may have seen the tail end of a fox or two over the years as they hightailed it out of our way. 

Mostly we encounter deer. The dogs are not allowed to pursuit deer. I don't wish to have to travel to the next county to locate my wayward canines. They have been instructed to "stay" over the years.

Nonetheless, one year a small buck was bedded down right were we entered the woodline. Of course, instinctively the dogs were ready to go. I yelled, "No." Everybody stopped, including the buck. I told the dogs to "stay" and instructed the buck to slowly leave the area.

​Surprisingly he listened. He swished his tail and cautiously walk away.

I wished I could have said this would work for all wildlife situations. However, I am more of a realist than that. 

The moral of this story is to be alert and aware. One should also be very cautious. Most importantly, one shouldn't trust Gus.

​That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

She also grew bored with the candy-cane striped antlers. 

Gus Gus struck a serious Santa hat pose as well. He also had a cute reindeer antler shot. The latter was due to his chomping on a treat at the time of the photo. 

I managed to capture a photo of Otis, the goat, in reindeer horns. Thank goodness it was a Sunday closed to hunting. I could only affix the horn headband once he was nose-deep in the treat bag. 

Meanwhile, Milo escaped the clutches of the holiday hat fiasco. I can get him to eat out of my hand, but once I try to place a hand on him; he runs away. That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

They seemed quite fond of white pine boughs. However, I noticed their beards appeared to be greasy. I discovered that it was pine pitch. I had no idea how to get pitch out of a goat’s beard and had no intention of trying. ​

The trail camera also snapped a couple nighttime shots of swirling snow. ​

​Nonetheless in terms of snowfall totals, the snow event on Dec. 5-6 had more of the white stuff. According to the National Weather Service’s weather station at the Venango Regional Airport, there was a total of eight inches of snow over those two days.

​That early December snowfall surpassed the normal total of 6.2 inches for Dec. 1-18.  

​Meanwhile, December totally snowed in November’s numbers. The weather station reported that for November of this year there was only a trace of snow. That total was below the normal tally of 2.6 inches.
November was also lacking in the rain category. The total for November 2024 was 3 inches which was slightly below the average rainfall of 3.41 inches.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report released Dec. 12 still listed most of Venango County in the abnormally dry range. However, the year-to-date precipitation accumulation for Franklin was set at 46.97 inches on Dec. 7. This was still above the average of 44.82 inches for the same period, according to National Weather Service data.

​With the eight inches of snow melting and recent rainfalls, the Allegheny River started to fill its banks. The river at Franklin was forecasted to crest Dec. 17 at 9.17 feet. The river had ranged between 3.25 feet and 5.9 feet in late November and early December. The level started moving upward Dec. 9.
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Meanwhile, the river was open with no ice formations. The neighbor’s pond had ice and then it didn't. 

"Last year, the high temperature on Christmas Day was 60°," the office posted. ​ There may be folks that don’t want snow for Christmas, but I’m pretty sure that no one really wants freezing rain on that day either.
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This winter season we have already used the snow blower twice. That was the total number of times it was used all last winter. I wondered if that meant that we were done with the heavy snow this winter. If we aren’t done with the snowblower just yet, this winter will no doubt set the record on the number of times the device has been used over the past few years.  That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

Gray, dark, chilly and damp... that was all I was going to have to say about November. The title of this blog was slated to be "Not so much, November." The gray days and lack of sunlight was getting to me. 

However, some much needed rain and a rainbow delighted me on November 20. Originally, I headed out on the drizzly evening without a camera. Rain showers ensued. Then the sun appeared creating a brilliant spectacle on an otherwise dreary day. I ran across two or more acres to retrieve my camera. Thank goodness, it was all downhill. The dogs excitedly ran with me, apparently thinking I was in hot pursuit of some prey. 

I'm sure I was quite the sight in a bright yellow rain slicker running in the rain. The rainbow was a gracious surprise and a delightful detour from the gray skies. 

Earlier in the month I was surprised by some other rainbow-colored phenomenon. 

"A sun dog is similar to a rainbow and more common," wrote author James J. Garriss in an article about sun dogs posted on www.almanac.com. He continued to explain that both rainbows and sun dogs are formed by moisture filtering the sunlight.

"A sun dog is seen about twenty-two degress (22°) to the left or right of the Sun. Sun dogs often form in pairs on either side of the Sun," Garriss wrote. 

One other interesting point was that to view a rainbow, one must look away from the sun, and, to view a sun dog, one would look toward the sun. 

Meanwhile as the days grew shorter, I found some solace in the flowers blooming in the basement. They basked in the artificial sun of some grow lights. The shortest day of the year will be Dec. 20 or Dec. 21 with only 9 hours, 13 minutes and 51 seconds of daylight. However, the earliest sunset is right around the corner on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 at 4:50:41 p.m. 

The flowers had been able to enjoy the real sun and protection from the frost on the front porch. Lil' Bit also soaked up the sun on his hammock. However, December temperatures quickly cooled and even the porch became too cold for both the flowers and the cat. 

The lack of light for our evening walks was not helpful as far as photography. However, the dogs provided some inspiration. They also discovered a rather morbid surprise in early November.

It was the heavily decomposed remains of an eight-point buck that I had captured on the game camera several times this year.

They had visited the area where he lay about a week earlier, but I paid no mind as no one seemed to be rolling in or eating anything. However, the pungent odor of decay led me to check out the area. The buck was such an awesome photo subject even though I technically never snapped the shutter.

​I decided to call the Pennsylvania Game Commission and get a salvage permit. The cost was $10 a point.

The deer was so far gone, I only obtained the head. While talking with the game wardens, I said I watched the buck on camera and never named him. One of them suggested "Louie," and the name stuck. I was able to show them some photos of Louie before his demise. Louie in some earlier photos had what appeared to be a wound on his left check that would heal and then open again.

The wardens surmised that this or possibly a bad shot led to his death. There wasn't much left of Louie to tell that story. So, while holding my breath, I attempted to clean Louie up as much as I could. However, I left most of that job to a local taxidermist and his skull-cleaning beetles. 

I planned on doing a European skull mount as there was really no flesh left to persevere. Louie's skull should be ready in a few months. In the meantime, I decided to gather photos of Louie from this year.

​I hope to mount them in an old window frame somewhere near the skull. Louie deserved to on display even if nature didn't necessarily have those plans for him. 

While I wait for the return of Louie, I'm still thankful for little surprises that help brighten my dreary days. My first snowfall with Milo and Otis was entertaining. Otis was willing to brave the weather and venture outside the pen. Milo, despite his longer coat, abhorred the snow and frantically called Otis to come back inside their shed. 

What kind of winter will it be? Here are three different opinions on the subject.

Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Farmer’s Almanac cited that La Niña would have an impact on this winter season.
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The Climate Prediction Center, a division of NOAA’s National Weather Service released its outlook for December 2024 to February 2025 on Oct. 17. 

​“This winter, NOAA predicts wetter-than-average conditions for the entire northern tier of the continental U.S., particularly in the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes region, along with northern and western Alaska.

Meanwhile, drier-than-average conditions are expected from the Four Corners region of the Southwest to the Southeast, Gulf Coast and lower mid-Atlantic states,” the center stated in the post. 
​
“This winter, an emerging La Niña  is anticipated to influence the upcoming winter patterns, especially our precipitation predictions,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch of the Climate Prediction Center. 

​“Unfortunately, after a brief period in the spring of 2024 with minimal drought conditions across the country, more than a quarter of the land mass in the continental U.S. is currently in at least a moderate drought,” said Brad Pugh, operational drought lead with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “And the winter precipitation outlook does not bode well for widespread relief.”

The report went on to forecast warmer-than-average temperatures for parts of the eastern Great Lakes and seaboard.
​
It also predicted wetter-than average conditions in the Great Lakes state. 

Meanwhile, a graphic on the almanac’s site depicted that western Pennsylvania is on the fringes of both white and wet and mild and wet.

​While not everyone enjoys snow, the region could benefit from some form of precipitation. Early rain showers in April had Franklin’s total precipitation-to-date at 41.58 inches which was slightly above the normal of 39.82 inches.

However, the drought monitor continued to expand its listing of abnormally dry for most of Venango
County. The report released Nov. 7 showed an expansion of dry conditions throughout most of the state. 

At the beginning of November, Pennsylvania’s Drought Task Force declared a drought watch for 33 counties. Two counties, Schuylkill and Berks, were declared to be under a drought warning. 

Venango and other northern counties were not included in the watch. However, much of the state faced the risk of brush fires.

On Nov. 4, the Venango County Commissioners issued a burning ban for the entire county. Despite one tenth of an inch of rain earlier this week, the ban appeared to still be in effect. 

“Much of the Commonwealth is at a high risk for fire danger as a result of dry conditions, and it is critical that Pennsylvanians use extreme caution when handling fire or avoid any burning as these conditions persist,” Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.
​
More rain could be on the way on Sunday if weather forecasts pan out. 

​Franklin finished out October with 1.71 inches of rain which was more than two inches short of the average of 3.76 inches, according to National Weather Service data.

​However, Franklin’s precipitation-to-date was still running slightly above the normal of 39.82 inches with an accumulation of 41.58 inches since January 2024. 

​Franklin also ended October with warmer than normal temperatures. The average high for October 2024 was 65 degrees compared to a normal high of 61.4 degrees.
​
Speaking of warmth, Franklin’s temperature for Nov. 5 reached 75.9 degrees, according to data from the National Weather Service station at the Venango Regional Airport. A later check of Franklin's monthly data listed 77 as the high for the day. It didn’t appear to be a record. The National Weather Services’ almanac showed that Franklin's highest temperature for Nov. 5 was 78 degrees in 1935. 

 However, the Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service posted on its Facebook page some climate site that either tied or broke their record high temperature for Nov. 5.
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They included Pittsburgh: 81 degrees so far (previous record 80 degrees in 1948); Zanesville, Ohio: 82 degrees (79 degrees in 2022); New Philadelphia, Ohio: 80 degrees (79 degrees in 2022) and Dubois: 79 degrees (76 degrees in 2022).

​While the fall so far has been warm and dry, it remains to be seen what winter will bring.

I did spot a reportedly winter prognostication wooly bear caterpillar. It was predominantly light brown in color which supposedly meant a mild winter. It wasn’t wet, but it wasn’t raining. So, I couldn’t tell if there were any predictions on winter precipitation.

​That’s just the nature of things ‘round here.

​She wasn't pleased. I thought she was the saddest spider I had ever seen. ​

 I confess I did have to check the hat's tag to see if it was supposed to be a llama or an alpaca. It was weird that llama Otis had four ears and a whole other face. 

I didn't try to outfit Milo with any adornments. He's still pretty spooked by getting touched. In fact, while he was being subdued for a vet checkup, he may have dislocated a vet tech's finger. Although, I must admit that he would make an awesome Santa goat around Christmastime.

​I'll have to decide if I wish to chance bodily harm or not. That's just the nature of things 'round here. 

Autumn colors arrived. However, so did colder weather. The region will see its best autumn colors beginning today according to the In the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Oct. 17 fall foliage report.

​The DCNR graphic listed Venango County as at peak color. 

​“Consistently cold nights and cool days have spurred a very colorful change in Penn’s Woods. Bright color can be found from the southern Poconos though the middle and southern Appalachians. The Allegheny Plateau is gorgeous from northwestern Pennsylvania to the southwestern reaches of the Commonwealth,” said the report.
​
“Leaves are falling, but there is still plenty of color to enjoy in the northwestern woodlands of Pennsylvania,” reported the district manager in Cornplanter State Forest.

​In the Oct. 10 report the manager said that at stormfront earlier this month brought some leaves down.

The manager said the front also ushered in cooler night temperatures, which has encouraged the development of fall colors in northwestern Pennsylvania.  
​
I agreed with the assessment that the region was at peak color. On my drive home, colorful maple trees and others lined Bredinsburg, East State, Tippery and Old State roads. Of course, a rain cleared pond meant that colorful reflections of autumn were easily captured daily. 

​I observed that a lot of leaves had already fallen. There were quite a few bare trees. However, the oaks along the Allegheny River in Franklin had only started to get a touch of gold added to their greenness.
Of course, the goats Milo and Otis didn’t mind the fact that there were multitudes of leaves on the ground. They quicky commenced cleanup from the leaves that had already fallen in the yard. 

​Sadly, the leaves would soon be the only things of color. As colder temperatures meant the end of the growing season. Frost and freeze warnings for the region were posted over the past week. The Old Farmer’s Almanac said Franklins median first frost date Oct. 17 on its website. However, the post noted that frost dates are only an estimate based on historical climate data and are not set in stone. 

A search of National Weather Service data listed a mean of Oct. 5 for Franklin reaching 32 degrees in the fall. Last year, Franklin reached 32 degrees on Oct. 23. In 2021, it was Nov. 4 before Franklin saw its temperature drop to 32 degrees.

Garden.org had a cool frost dates chart on its website.
​
“Your risk of frost really begins around October 5, and by October 25 you're almost certain to have received at least one frost event,” the post said about the region.

​National Weather Service data for Franklin showed that the coldest temperature so far this month, 33 degrees, was recorded early in the morning on Oct. 17.  A check of the data from a Clarion County weather station reported that on Oct. 11 the temperature fell to 32 degrees. 

The additional moisture from September brought forth some interesting fungi to the woodlands.

 I discovered some bear’s head tooth fungus while mushroom hunting. The fungus was listed as a choice edible in my field guides.

​I thought I had found the mushroom on several other timbered treetops. After some research I discovered that this was not the case.

A post on www.fungusfactfriday.com that was published by Thomas Roehl on Feb. 22, set me straight. It turned out that the fungus was not even from North America which is why I couldn’t find it in my guidebooks.
​
“R. copelandii is a distinctive fungus that produces a mat of whitish teeth along the surface of recently dead broadleaf trees, usually oaks.  The mushroom recently arrived on the continent from Asia, which gives the mushroom its common name, ‘Asian Beauty.’  The Japanese names for the mushroom are “Sagari haritaki” and “hanging needle mushroom.”  R. copelandii is currently spreading in eastern North America and is quickly becoming one of the most common mushrooms within its range” Roehl wrote. 

“Given its prevalence and Asian origin, R. copelandii is likely an invasive species.  For something to be considered invasive it must meet two criteria: 1) it is not native to a region and 2) it causes harm.  R. copelandii is definitely not native to North America.  However, nobody has ascertained whether the species is causing harm somehow.  Since it is now one of the most common mushrooms within its North American range, it seems likely that R. copelandii is outcompeting native species,” Roehl cautioned in the post. ​

While the added precipitation was a boon to area mushrooms, the downpours created a walking hazard in some parts of the forest. As the rain brought down the leaves, it also felled many, many acorns. The nuts were turned into flying projectiles propelled by gravity and wind. I felt as though I would need to take my hard hat home with me to safely traverse the woodlands.

​Acorns were down everywhere. At points, it was like walking on marbles.

​Many different critters were active including a bear that the trail camera captured in late September. ​
​
The neighborhood deer herd was often seen out in full force grazing.

I transitioned the hummingbird camera over to a regular bird feeder.

For several days not one bird appeared.

Then one chickadee showed up. He was featured in several videos. While 20 seconds isn’t a very long time, it only took about five seconds for the chickadee to grab a seed and fly away. Within a week I had another visitor, a male cardinal.

​He seemed very content to fill time with videos of him cracking open sunflower seeds. 

​Cold and colorful could have been used to describe the region over the past few weeks.

Forecasts show a warmup. As the temperatures climbed, the leaves came down. My fur-coated friends sure enjoyed the cooler temperatures. However, I'm pretty sure that the higher temps won't necessarily slow them down too much. As for me, I’m not sure if I will need a winter jacket or no jacket at all. Nonetheless, I will make sure, jacket or not, that I check for ticks after being outside. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 
​
Below is a slideshow with about a month's worth of photos due to the fact that I am a procrastination pro. That's my true nature. 

​On a past Friday, I thought I could beat the rain, but I didn’t. We needed the good downpour. However, I was a little uncomfortable being soaking wet and a few acres from the comforts of a dry home. The dogs didn’t mind, they had already been swimming in the neighbor’s pond. 

​I thought I could keep the dogs dry during the following Saturday’s walk. I didn’t.
I decided that it was cool enough that Sadie, Clem and Gus didn’t need to swim in the neighbor’s pond.
Sadie, a Newfoundland, was always the hardest to keep out of the water. I kept repeating “Drinks only, no swim.” Unfortunately, sly Sadie would often pretend to get a drink and then lay down in the water. 

​I thought it would be easy to dry off the dogs when we got home.

 ​However, Milo and Otis got a decent walk around the pond trail circuit. We did not attempt any water crossing during this outing.

I thought I knew what the goats would like to eat.

I didn’t. 

​It turned out that Milo and Otis have slightly different tastes than Kyle and Kennedy had. Kyle and Kennedy were never impressed with any of the apples in our yard but loved crab apples. Milo and Otis discovered the apple tree and make a beeline for it whenever they can. Kyle and Kennedy voraciously trimmed the overgrown forsythia plants in the area. Milo and Otis could care less. 

​I thought I had enough bird seed in the feeder, but I didn’t.
​
A trail camera placed in the front yard revealed that the birds weren’t necessarily the reason why I was filling the feeders every day.

​A large buck and a doe were draining the bigger bird feeder at night. 

​I thought had cooperative dogs, but I didn’t.

Clem was cooperative for the sunflower photoshoot. He has learned if he just puts up with the nonsense for five minutes, he will get a treat. Photos of a costumed Sadie(top of this article) had to be captured within the 10-second window of her flinging off the yellow headdress.

​Gus just kept heading toward me with a shameful and painful look. It was as if he was pleading with me to take off the stuffed yellow torture device. 

However, my trusty feeder camera was on the job capturing some of the last of the tiny, winged ones before they headed south. As of Sept. 16, no hummingbirds were visiting that feeder.

​I thought the still blooming Mexican sunflowers would bring in some butterflies. They didn’t.

​While the hummingbirds would feed on the bright orange blooms, I didn’t observe any butterflies. There were a few fritillaries floating around elsewhere. Near the pond, several tiny pearl crescent butterflies were sighted. 

With the start of meteorological fall Sept. 1, two Pennsylvania centered blogs have already issued their fall foliage forecasts. However, the Pennsylvania DCNR won’t start releasing its popular Fall Foliage Reports  on www.dcnr.pa.gov until the end of this month.

PaBucketlist.com which is authored by Rusty Glessner posted a graphic that predicts Forest and Elk counties’ foliage will peak the week of Oct. 8 to 14 with Venango and Clarion sporting their brightest colors the following week from Oct. 15 to 21.
Meanwhile, Uncovering PA by Jim Cheney predicted that Venango, Clarion, Forest and Elk counties would all reach their most colorful foliage during the second week in October. 
​Commenters on both blog’s Facebook pages wondered if the leaves would even last until October due to the drier summer in some parts of the state. 

​Meanwhile, I moved forward with my plans to fill the empty goat pen. After months of staring at an unoccupied shed, I finally made a move.  ​

Milo and Otis came to live with us at the beginning of August. They were still trying to get used to the dogs. They adjusted to their new home within a week. They are both around three years old. Milos is a long-haired buck, and Otis is a short-haired wether. 

​Otis has wattles. Wattles are skin appendages found on some goats. Internet reports claimed they were evolutionary remnants of a gland that common day goats no longer needed. They serve no purpose and aren’t unhealthy. However, some breeders for appearance purposes will remove the skin tags when the animals are young. 

​A vet visit for shots revealed that Otis and Milo may in fact be a little chunky and will have to cut back on the grain.

We were starting the process of walking without the dogs who get overly excited. The goats were still adjusting and didn’t venture far from their shed. Hopefully in time everyone will get along.

​Even if we try to remain oblivious to the seasons changing, nature will surely remind us. Fall foliage and fall migrations will move us forward whether the weather cooperates or not. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

​All I did was write about drought, hot days and lack of various mushrooms. Mother Nature made a fibber out of me. However, the U.S. Drought Monitor map released this past Thursday, Aug. 15, still showed portions of the northern two-thirds of Venango County in the abnormally dry category.

​Despite only a trace of precipitation from the remnants of Debby, Franklin received 1.93 inches on Aug. 7, according to National Weather Service data. The rainfall total so far for August 2024 is 4.18 inches which is above the normal of 2.49 inches for August. Franklin’s precipitation-to-date for Aug. 17 came in at 33.23 inches which was above the average of 30.11 inches.

​The U.S. Drought Monitor’s Aug. 15 report removed several counites in the middle of the state from drought designations. Although, the western half of Elk County was still listed as abnormally dry despite some rain from Debby. Several posts on the Friends of Benezette Facebook group showed muddy water inundating several places. A video revealed that the driveway for the Elk Country Visitor Center turned into a raging downhill river.  A PennDOT news release from Aug. 9 announced that “a section of Route 555 in Elk and Cameron counties has been closed due to flooding."
 
“As of 11 a.m. Route 555 is closed from the intersection of Rock Hill Road in Benezette Township, Elk County, to the intersection of Route 120 in Driftwood Borough, Cameron County,” the release stated. The road was later opened after flood waters receded.

The precipitation-to-date at DuBois Regional airport was reported at 31.87 inches for Aug. 17. That total is above the normal level of 27.27 inches.
 
Meanwhile the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s six-to10-day outlook valid for Aug. 17 to 21 called for near normal temperatures and a slightly above average chance of precipitation.
 
However, the outlook for Aug. 22 to 26, called for a slight chance of below normal temperatures and a 40 to 50 percent chance of below average precipitation.
 
While the weekend was a little wet, the upcoming forecast called for things to dry up after that.  l did not see a chance of rain until Thursday, Aug. 29. 

The moisture from last week's rain aided in a boom of mushroom growth. The tables have turned. I am not seeing any jack-o-lantern mushrooms. Other varieties were popping up every day.

After the rain, I couldn't believe my eyes. At the amount of Oyster mushrooms appearing on dead trees. While there were several lookalikes for the fungus, I was able to confirm my identification by smell.
​
Author Walter E. Sturgeon wrote that the " odor (was) fragrant at times... anise-like or fruity. "
It was a very nice smell for a mushroom.  Although I had to admit that I never sniffed a fungus before.  

​American parasol mushrooms also decorated our trails in the woods.
Sturgeon described the cap as a choice edible, but the stem should be discarded.
 "The true Macrolepiota procera is a species known from Europe. Our species differs but in most guides it can be found under this name. … Our Parasol Mushroom will someday have a new name",  Sturgeon added in his explanation of the mushroom.  As I kid, I would find these and give them to my Grandfather Weckerly who liked to eat them fried in butter.  However, at the time we knew the mushrooms by a different name. 

Various Bolete mushrooms were scattered about the forest floor. Identification for me was tricky.  For a proper identification, a spore print and dissection were needed

 The Western PA mushroom club has a great guide Boletes on their website at Boletes | The Bolete Filter (wpamushroomclub.org).
​
Some boletes were edible, some were not. Nonetheless, a few boletes in my area were consumed and I was fairly sure that it wasn’t by humans. 

​Meanwhile, other plants benefitted from the rainfall. Jewelweed blooms were observed as well as hawthorn berries.  The sunflowers went crazy and were attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.  Despite my previous observation of short stalks, quite a few rose the occasion and were towering over the rest.  

While the hummingbirds had many flowers to eat from, they still chose to squabble over the feeders.  I believe at last count; we were up to eight or nine fighting over the two front feeders
 That total didn’t include the feeder in the backyard. 

​I had read a post on Facebook that stated that the male hummingbirds would start their departure by the end of August. Local birder Gary Edwards in his book” Birds of Venango County” listed the hummers latest departure date as October 9. 

​As the rain helped green up the garden, it washed the color out of the neighbor's pond. I felt confident enough to let the dogs back in to swim.as the water had cleared from signs of an algal bloom.

 However, my relief was short-lived. After four or five days the pond returned to being green. I took a few water samples and turned to my microscope to deduce a culprit. 

My samples and some random research led me to some little … critters called Euglena.
​
"Euglena is a genus of single cell flagellate eukaryotes. ... Species of Euglena are found in fresh water and salt water. They are often abundant in quiet inland waters where they may bloom in numbers sufficient to color the surface of ponds and ditches green (E. viridis) or red (E. sanguinea), " a post on Wikipedia said. 

Further exploration led me to confirm the Wikipedia entry that euglena viridis was responsible for green blooms while Euglena sanguinea was responsible for the red ones. The red blooms were often referred to as red tides. The blooms are deadly to fish as they obstruct the fish’s breathing.

Since the bloom in the pond was green, I focused my efforts on euglena viridis.

An overview of the flagellate on microbenotes.com provided some useful information. 

 "It is a solitary and free-living freshwater flagellate. It is found in great numbers in stagnant freshwater ponds, pools, ditches, and slowly-running streams, etc., containing a considerable amount of vegetation,” the post stated. “Ponds in well-maintained gardens, containing decaying nitrogenous organic matter, such as feces of animals, leaves, twigs, etc., are a good source of this organism.  It multiplies rapidly and forms green scum on the water surface (like algal blooms) under favorable conditions.”

While flies can be pests, they do serve as a meal for other creatures like spiders and birds. 

The prediction center also posted a graphic on drought status that provided some hopeful information. Most areas of Pennsylvania currently listed in drought status were in the category to potentially have the drought status removed. Further south into the Virginias in areas that were listed in severe to moderate drought, it was predicted that the drought would remain, but that conditions would improve. ​

While the rain may return, it didn’t seem like the warm weather was going anywhere fast.  
“Cooler weather may not arrive until November, as the nation battles an oppressive record-toppling heatwave,” said an article on msn.com. 
​
 The climate prediction center’s 3-to-4-week outlook called for above average temperatures, as well. 

​In the flower garden, my calla lilies were doing better than they had in other years. This was the first time in two years that the yellow one flowered. The cone flowers were thriving as well. Two begonia plants that I wasn’t sure were going to survive surprised me. They appeared dead when I put them in the basement for the winter. This summer they were bursting with blooms.  

​This year however will be a bust for photos of Turk’s cap lilies. Photos on Facebook from earlier years showed robust orange blooms. There were at least three to five blossoms on each plant. This year I only saw one tiny one that was growing by my house. The others had been chopped off when the electric company cleared their right-of-way. They will grow back, but there was a lack of photo opportunities for the year. 

Growing in a safe place away from the electric company’s right-of-way, was some milkwort. The tiny purple flower appeared to be weathering the weather and putting out more blooms than I had seen before.
According to a post on paenflowered.org, field milkwort blooms from June to October. 
​
“On close examination the individual flowers are fairly complex in structure. Two large sepals, three small sepals and three small petals combine to form a tubular flower with wings,” the post said.
The post added that the plant’s common name comes from the old belief that eating this herb would increase milk production in cows or for nursing mothers.

When crushed, the root gives off a wintergreen odor. It is sometimes called purple milkwort, blood milkwort or candy root, the post continued. 

“The light produced is a pale greenish yellow, similar to a firefly’s glow, but the glow is easy to miss except on a very dark night with little other light interference,” the post added.
​
I surmised that I didn’t let my eyes adjust and was possibly viewing the mushrooms from an angle that their gills were not visible.
The post also went on to explain why the mushrooms glow.
It stated that “the mushrooms glow to attract insects, which in turn act as ‘pollinators’ to help spread the mushroom spores. This phenomenon is known as foxfire.”
However, even the “jacks” were affected by the dry weather. While their numbers boomed, the dry heat severely impacted their longevity. 

I was able to find some chicken of the woods or sulfur shelf mushrooms. They were not as plentiful as in other years.
​
Unlike the toxic jack-o-lantern the chicken of the woods is edible by most people. However, some people could have adverse reactions to the fungus. 

Some things like the "jacks" have thrived in this current weather. Other things are just trying to survive this current weather.  I wondered if the region and other areas would receive enough rain to end the "flash drought" conditions. I hoped that the dogs could return to swimming in a pond with flowing water. I questioned if the warm weather continuing into the fall meant that my pepper plants might have a second chance at life.

​That's just the nature of things 'round here.  

“Vorticella … are tiny, single-cellular, animal-like microorganisms. Vorticella is known for its bell-shaped head with a conspicuous ring of cilia (hair-like processes). … Vorticella can live in a variety of freshwater habitats, including ponds, pools, and ditches. They wave their cilia to bring food into their mouths,” said a post on rsscience.com titled "Vorticella – The Miniature Tulip Bouquet in the Microscopic World."

The organism belongs to a genus of ciliates, according to a Wikipedia entry.
“Ciliates are an important group of protists, common almost anywhere there is water—in lakes, ponds, oceans, rivers, and soils, including anoxic and oxygen-depleted habitat,” said Wikipedia post. 

In fact, water samples taken from both the neighbor’s pond and a vernal pool both contained vorticella.
 There are over 150 different species of Vorticella, according to the rsscienc.com post. 

​Sometimes it has felt like I needed persistence, perseverance and patience to accomplish some of my goals.

Moreover, I believed that nature has demonstrated to me each one of these concepts.
​
However, a photo of a frog I took over the past few weeks had me wondering which concept nature was trying to show me. There were several flies sitting on the frog’s head.

“Was it a case of a very patient frog waiting for the right moment to act?,” I pondered.
​
Perhaps it was just some very persistent flies providing proof that bugs do indeed bug everyone. 

​Photographing butterflies provided lessons as well.
Patience was waiting for the butterfly to open its wings and persistence was trying to chase it down once it took flight.

Flowers additionally provided illustrations of persistence and perseverance.

There were quite a few spotted wintergreen plants that appeared to be thriving this year. In early July, parts of the forest floor were dotted with these small, perennial, evergreen herbs that are native to eastern North America.

​Most of the wintergreen plants that I have observed have persevered on land that was a former strip mine. ​

In other spots, daisies flourished in soil that was devoid of other plants.

In the garden, I was delighted by the blooms of flowers that overwintered in the basement.

​Begonias that had been reduced to roots produced lots of leaves and blooms. 

I was unsure of their survival. I asked the internet search engine Bing what happens if the vernal pool dries up before the tadpoles reach maturity.

“They all die,” was the answer presented in very large letters.

My heart sank, but I still had a little hope that the tadpoles may have matured.
Wood frog tadpoles take from 6 to 12 weeks to develop from tadpoles to frogs even though it takes years for them to mature as frogs.

My first photo of eggs was taken March 29th and I hoped that some of the tadpoles reached froghood before the pool dried up. Next year if the rain doesn’t persist, I vowed to make the choice to relocate them to the neighbor’s pond.

​There were already some wood frogs breeding there this past spring. While the water levels fluctuate, the tadpoles should be able to persevere. 

​While I was away, the region had persevered during a string of very hot and humid days. According to National Weather Service data, June 2024 finished out with Franklin seeing five 92-degree days during the period from June 18 to June 24.
​
The average temperature for the month was 82 degrees which was slightly above the normal average of 78.7 degrees. The month was short on rain with 2.66 inches compared to the normal of 4.86 inches.
Even though it was warmer, those high temps didn’t break any records.

​According to data, June 18’s record high was 95 in 1994; June21’s record high was 98 in 1933; June 22’s record high was 100 in 1933; June 23’s record high was 96 in 1923; and June 24’s record was 95 in 1923.
Meanwhile the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center’s 8-to-14-day outlook issued on July 5 called for above average temperatures. The graphic for precipitation called for a slightly above average chance of precipitation. 

​Data also showed that for Franklin, July was the month with the highest temperatures. The normal high was 82.7 degrees with an average low of 59.6 degrees. While I don’t have any official data,

​I have observed that our nightly lows recently haven’t dipped down into the lower 60s let alone the upper 50s. Forecasted lows for July were predicted to be in the upper 60s for the next week. 

​Will the area have to preserve through yet another heat wave this summer? That was something only nature knows and another lesson we might have to learn. That’s just the nature of things ‘round here. 

During my tenure at the paper, it wasn't too uncommon for you to hear an editor to tell you to find a stand-alone photo. That usually meant the stories for the front page didn't have photos to accompany them. I would then type in the term "stand alone" into the Associated Press search site. Up would pop hundreds of gorgeous pictures from the day that didn't necessarily have articles attached. 
​
That memory seemed appropriate for my latest blog as I didn't have much but a bunch of unrelated photos.
 
The one photo that exemplified the term stand-alone art was a picture of a cinnamon fern in a shaft of sunlight. It happens a lot when walking, that the right lighting will just highlight something under the dark canopy of the forest. I received some favorable compliments when I posted it to a Pennsylvania native plants Facebook group. Despite the fact that it really wasn't a good photo for identification purposes, the picture was well-liked. 

I saw a broken branch lying on the edge of the pond water. My first thought was to pick it up, but then thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool if a frog sat on that?." Low and behold, a few months later, my request was granted. ​

I found a snail shell along our daily walks. I moved it slightly into the sunlight for a better photo.

​To my surprise, it was actually inhabited. I was generally amazed, because I usually only discover the shells after the occupants were gone. ​

Meanwhile back at the neighbor's pond, several dragonflies provided photo opportunities. I observed that one day there were only three or four flying around. The next day many more had hatched and there were too many to count.

​I noted that I generally see chalk-fronted corporal dragonflies during the first week in June. This year it seemed their appearance was approximately two weeks early. 

In the woodlands, the lady slipper blooms were starting to fade. Without any goats to distract, I was able to get a few more close-ups of the native orchids.