Coastal Plain Habitat boardwalk in June
It was too hot for a walk but I had to get my summer picture for Karma’s “same location for all 4 seasons” photo hunt. And my coastal plain habitat boardwalk picture for June. I darted into the botanical garden, got them, and then took two quick pics on my way back out.
These Fevered Days — to take them to the Forest
Where Waters cool around the mosses crawl —
And shade is all that devastates the stillness
Seems it sometimes this would be all —
~ Emily Dickinson
(The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #1467)
The milkweed looks beautiful – I don’t think we have it Norway
So I googled it and found out that milkweed is not native to Europe and is considered invasive there. But it’s native to North America, and some species here are endangered. So sad things are out of balance.
The orange milkweed is pretty and cheerful just like the butterflies who like it. Lovely photos.
Thank you, Ally. The pretty milkweed caught my eye as I was hurrying back to the car so I had to stop and quickly take a picture. 🙂
Is that milkweed the plant that Monarchs love? And I love that boardwalk — such a lovely place for a stroll!
Much to my surprise I learned that there are at least 12 kinds of native milkweeds that monarchs love, and this fewflower milkweed (asclepias lanceolatais) is one of them. It’s not to be confused with the similar looking tropical milkweed (asclepias curassavica), which is not native. But I definitely wasn’t strolling, I was rushing to get out of the heat and humidity! I do love that boardwalk in other seasons, though.
Wow, that boardwalk looks lovely!
Thank you, Tracy! I’ve been photographing it once a month. If you click on the Coastal Plain Habitat tag below the post it will take you to other posts with the same scene in different months.
How true is this Emily Dickinson poem for the season! You were lucky to dash in and out and get beautiful milkweed and a butterfly to boot!
Summer was Emily’s favorite season but even she had to comment on one of those unbearably hot days! I have a feeling I’m missing a lot of blooms out there on these hot days. Too many heat advisory days and it’s not even July yet…
I think it will be a blistering Summer 2024. Thank goodness you got a few nice walks in for the initial blooms. My neighbor’s Magnolia tree is in bloom for the third time this year. This weather is not normal at all. This morning it was actually cold and I feel like it is a rare day when all the Summer elements are in sync for a perfect Summer day – either too hot, too humid, too windy or too rainy. Today we had a picturesque day, not hot nor humid, but the wind was really brisk and the gusts were not pleasant. Sigh.
The world is paying a terrible price for ignoring the threat of climate change. It seems like each summer is worse than the last one. It will be interesting to see what plants stop thriving in any area and what ones will move in to take their places. And the ocean, I was sad to learn how depleted the codfish I love to eat is, it used to be so abundant off the coast of New England. According to the National Geographic:
“Parts of the northwest Atlantic, especially the Gulf of Maine and the Labrador Sea, have been heating up faster than 99 percent of the world’s oceans.”
I feel such a sense of foreboding.
That is sad for the northwest Atlantic region and look at the dire predictions being made for Alaska … showing how ice formations and water levels have dropped and polar bears are starving. We should have been more careful for years and I, too, have a sense of foreboding with every new catastrophic weather event – the stats on Beryl have been just amazing.
It won’t be long before people start migrating off the smaller islands in the Caribbean and the rest of the world. Beryl is the strongest ever hurricane to occur in July. Very sobering. How hot will temperatures get? They recorded the hottest water temperature ever in the ocean. How strong will hurricanes get? I have a feeling a category 6 hurricane will happen in the not-too-distant future.
Very scary with Beryl and they now think the tail end of it as a category 1 hurricane may hit Texas. Just seeing the wind speeds … I cannot imagine. I agree – people cannot stay in places where they are going to encounter powerful hurricanes year after year … you’d live on edge six months out of the year. Scary and volatile weather worries me so much and I know I dwell on it, but climate change has put normal weather on steroids. We have possible severe weather tomorrow afternoon.
I’ll be thinking of TD if/when Beryl gets to Corpus Christi. It’s already broken lots of records, the strongest ever hurricane this early in the season. Next year maybe we’ll get a hurricane even before the season starts, like the fire season in California now seems to be year round. We’re under a heat advisory again today, and so it goes. I worry about the weather, too. What kind of a world will my grandchildren be living in when they get to be my age?
I also was thinking of TD as to Beryl reaching Corpus Christi. I can’t imagine the anticipation of such a volatile weather event, hoping that it weakens, while it marches ever closer. I know when potential tornado threats are predicted, my angst intensifies throughout the day as the temps rise and the “ingredients” are there for severe weather. Today it is so humid, you could cut it with a knife and earlier today it was reported that SE Michigan had the worst air quality in the nation. They blamed that stat on the humid day, early fog and too much firecracker smoke from last night. I assure you my City contributed to personal fireworks until nearly 1:00 a.m.
You and I understand how climate change has impacted our lives because we remember how defined the four seasons were back in the day. I have been dealing a good part of today with my handyman. I told him I didn’t want some cement work done because four different weather stations are calling for severe weather today. He waved me off and said “Michigan weather has always been unpredictable, especially in Summer and the weather people don’t know how to predict weather anymore as they only use technology now. I looked at the radar, we are not even getting rain.” Except we did … not heavy, but it was rain as he was doing the cement repair. If the job is ruined, he is not returning. On the other hand, I told him not to come this morning as storms were predicted in a 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. window and they didn’t happen.
As to the weather, how can people not see that our weather is not normal? I hope your grandchildren are not living on a planet so hot that they live their lives going from one air-conditioned place to another … house/car/office, etc. We are lucky for the years that we lived with more normal weather conditions, but now, when we have the time and freedom to enjoy our lives without time constraints, here we are, mired in weather volatility.
Yesterday we broke a record here, the temperature hit 106°F for the first time ever in the region’s history. Records kept since 1887. The weatherman said it has got to 105°F only four times before. The ‘feels like’ temperature was 118°F. I know there are higher temperatures in other states but I’m still impressed. We got our food shopping done early in the morning before it got to that point but it was already unbearable out there.
Thank you ladies, both Barbara and Linda, for thinking about us here in Corpus Christi, TX.
At the moment, Yorkie and I are fine. We have been continuing our usual routines while adding a few additional routines getting prepared during the watch for Hurricane Breyl. My grounds are secured. I have enough bottled water for 2-3 weeks. I have non-perishable food. I have bagged iced in freezer to convert into an ice cooler when our power goes out. Because it will go out, it always does. Yesterday picked up our meds and packed Yorkie’s travel roller bag with her necessary food, pop open canned chicken, meds, identification, guardian phone number, leash, PJs and her rubber ducky so she feels safe. Today I will pack my very small roller bag with my similar necessary items. Our travel bags are for Plan C if I become incapacitated and someone other than me decides to air lift us.
Our Plan A is to remain calm and hunkered down. I have survived so many natural disasters and a handful of hurricanes that I know the protocol. In today’s world, we have so much technology accessible in our hands that it makes it easier to take care of the controllable. Some things are not controllable like the weather.
Plan B is to take my anxiety medicine, cry I need, and most importantly remind myself of Plan A! This too shall pass.
Plan C most likely will not happen. That would be very rare.
Plan D is after the storm passes. Access damage and begin clean up. Connect with those people who care or in need of my help.
Again, thank you for thinking about us! 😳🤞❤️
It’s good to know you’ve got your hurricane plans in place and preparations completed. You’ve got this! Goodness knows you’ve certainly had a lot of practice! I’m thinking of you today and tomorrow and keeping my fingers crossed. Please let us know how you’re doing when you get back online. 💙
Yorkie and I woke up to being two lucky dogs! We only had one storm at 4 o’clock yesterday. Beryl changed its mind and took a different direction in the middle of the night. It made landfall more NE of us then headed towards my hometown of Houston.
Today we went on our bay front sea wall walk at noon which is usually late for us. It was 89 degrees with a nice breeze and a mix of sunshine and clouds. I’m still only able to walk one short lap, but Yorkie wanted to do a double. Perhaps I will improve with her encouragement.
Oh my, Barbara, 106 degrees as the high then add on my thoughts with the humidity! Hmmm, that would definitely feel unbearable!!!
That’s terrible – I had no idea it would ever get that hot in NC. We are headed into high heat and humidity, but not the likes of yours.
I never thought it would be a relief to get back to temperatures in the 90s!
I can’t imagine it being that hot – you must be sweltering from the time you get up in the morning.
I’ve never seen that type of milkweed – it looks much more vibrant than the milkweed around here. I had some in my yard in my previous residence that I was always careful to be sure to leave in place for the monarch butterflies.
According to the internet there are 73 species of native milkweeds in the United States and about 30 of them are visited by the monarch butterflies. Until I moved down here I assumed all milkweeds were white. Like you do, I hope more people are leaving them in place.