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Kaw Valley Almanac for Jan. 1-7, 2024

Around dusk, many flocks of blackbirds find a safe place to alight in the upper reaches of cottonwoods, oaks, elms and other tall trees. You can see this dynamic play itself out across the state every year just past the winter solstice.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Dec. 25-31, 2023

This immature hawk perched on a cedar limb is looking for an
rodent or stray bird for a quick meal. Judging from the number
of hawks on power line poles, fences and trees this time of
year, there is enough to live on.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Dec. 11-17, 2023

Cedar (actually juniper) boughs are easily harvested as a fragrant and popular indoor decoration to festoon a mantle, window sill, or even as an alternative Christmas tree. The blue berries are a favored food of many an overwintering bird, too.

Kaw Valley Almanac for Nov. 20-26, 2023

Trees and animals depend on each other for their mutual survival. Acorns, pictured here, have a protective package on the outside, allowing them to be safely transported, some eaten, some buried to sprout elsewhere.