...and under your feet, Earth!
05.12.2011
Hikers out to enjoy the cool shade in the woods this week will notice the effects of this May heat wave. Woodland Phlox and native Geranium have joined the Blue-eyed Mary and the May-Apples along the trails and will require some cooler weather to persist. The grasses and undergrowth are bolting skyward and dominate the forest floor. As the season of spring bloom winds down, the mighty oaks and hickories offer up a sheltering canopy.
If you get up early any morning for the next few weeks, you'll be treated to the sight of all the planets except Saturn arrayed along the ecliptic, the path of the sun through the sky. For the last two months, almost all the planets have been hiding behind the sun, but this week they all emerge and are arrayed in a grand line above the rising sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible with clear weather and an unobstructed view, and you can add Uranus and Neptune to your count if you have binoculars or a small telescope.
