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It鈥檚 Thursday, August 10. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 on deck:
- Weekend meteor shower
- A year鈥檚 worth of phosphorus in a week
- Half of a cross-state rail trail reopens
But first,
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Twice as many mosquitoes as normal
We鈥檝e been living in our bug nets this summer, and it鈥檚 not just in our heads 鈥� mosquito numbers are way higher than normal. What gives?
- 馃搱Before July floods, state scientists were already documenting more mosquitoes than usual 鈥� about twice the average they鈥檝e counted in traps across the state since 2009.
- 馃挧Since the flooding, mosquito numbers have gone up even more. It might be that they鈥檙e taking advantage of newly formed puddles to lay their eggs. The more flooding we get, the more mosquitoes have a chance to breed in new places.
- 馃彞The good news? There hasn鈥檛 been an increase in reports of mosquito-borne diseases.
- 馃West Nile virus has been in Grand Isle and Addison Counties, but this isn鈥檛 unusual.
- 鈥淲e鈥檝e been finding West Nile virus for many years in all counties of Vermont,鈥� says Patti Casey, who leads Vermont鈥檚 .
- 馃憱Keep yourself safe: wear long sleeves and pants, use insect repellent, avoid being out at dawn and dusk, you can treat your clothes ahead of time with Permethrin (it lasts several washes).
In other news
鈽勶笍Wish upon a shooting star: The next few days are the peak of this year鈥檚 Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids occur every summer when Earth passes through a dense patch of space ice and rocks left behind by comets. Sky gazers can expect to see anywhere from 60 to 100 meteors per hour. For the best viewing, go out in the early morning, stay away from lights and look straight up. Fun fact: these meteors are smaller than a garden pea.
馃寠It鈥檚 been a wet summer and all of that water has to go somewhere. A lot of it has been flowing to Lake Champlain along with dirt, debris, sewage and other toxins. Experts with the Lake Champlain Sea Grant say, in some cases, rivers dumped more than a year鈥檚 worth of phosphorus into the lake over the course of a week.
- Phosphorus runoff can contribute to cyanobacteria blooms (aka 鈥渂lue-green algae鈥�), which can produce toxins that are bad for both people and pets. .
馃毃 Never thought about a dam before July鈥檚 floods? You鈥檙e not alone. Vermont has around 1,000. Many are old, and not in great shape. Federal data from before the floods show 63 dams in Vermont were in poor condition and posed 鈥渉igh鈥� or 鈥渟ignificant hazards.鈥� That means if they failed, the water released would likely threaten lives or property. We know that some small dams failed or were washed away during the floods but officials are still gathering information about how the structures fared.
馃毑 50 miles reopened, 40 still to go: About half of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail is open for business 鈥� the ~30-mile section from Swanton to Cambridge Junction, and the ~20 miles from St. Johnsbury to Walden. The middle of the trail, from Cambridge and Walden, remains closed and might not reopen until next year.
In your backyard
Get out there
馃 Peregrine falcon chicks have learned to fly 鈥� which means many cliffside trails in Vermont have reopened to hikers and climbers including trails at Bolton Notch, Snake Mountain in Addison, Fairlee Palisades, Mount Horrid in Rochester and Red Rocks Park in South Burlington. This season, biologists and volunteers found peregrine falcon pairs at .
馃惁Casual birding: For the rest of the month, the folks at North Branch Nature Center are leading every Friday morning for all experience levels. This week, they鈥檙e meeting at Berlin Pond. They鈥檒l cover about a quarter mile on a hard-packed dirt road with several benches along the route.
馃 Catch some butterflies: Help collect data for the Vermont Butterfly Atlas with biologists at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies along the river . The outing will end at a nearby brewery.
馃帲 Fish with the experts 鈥� The state invites people who already have their own fishing equipment and some experience to next Thursday evening, or head out for a introduction to fishing clinic at .
One last thing
Still time to plant for a fall harvest
Whether your garden was ruined by flooding or not, certain plants make great candidates for a second home garden crop: leafy greens, arugula, swiss chard, kale and root crops like beets and carrots will have time to mature by October.
- Check for space in your garden (maybe empty spots where cucumber plants didn鈥檛 thrive or where lettuces used to be)
- Look for short-season varieties of root crops like Mokum and Napoli carrot
- Some nurseries and garden centers have transplants that can give you a head start.
- To plant, put down a fresh layer of compost, then add in transplants or seeds.
- Keep them covered with micromesh to keep insects and animals out, but lets water and sunshine in.
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开云体育's biweekly dose of all things environment.
Thanks for reading! If you have ideas for events we should feature, critters, fungi or plants you want to learn more about, or other feedback, we'd love to hear from you! Just email us.
Credits: This week鈥檚 edition was put together by Lexi Krupp and Brittany Patterson with lots of help from the 开云体育 team, including graphics by Laura Nakasaka.
