old

New River Gorge, West Virginia

The New River is one of the oldest rivers in the world. It was flowing before the Appalachians rose, so it cut through them as they were forming. Read more here.

eat enough to flutter

Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly
Papilio polyxenes asterias

The Swallowtails are all over, flitting from flower to flower. They are the size of birds—4 to 5 inches from wingtip to wingtip. This one was at New River Gorge National Park.

outdoor storage

West Virginia Backyard

I looked out my hotel window and thought, "Wow! Look at all those deer!" Then I looked through the non-screened part of the window and realized that these were target deer. And, there's a pig, too, with a broken back.

this spring

New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia

Today, I spent a bit of time here at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Really old river; older than the Appalachian Mountains through which it flows, cutting its path while the mountains rose then eroded away.

According to a story on NPR today, spring is showing up eight hours earlier each year. One day every three years. Since 1981, when this measuring started, spring is now nine days earlier. This is measured by the amount and kind of vegetation appearing at the same time each year. Or, another way: the same vegetation is at a particular stage earlier and earlier each year. All sorts of critters could get very confused.