Frigid KC

Happy Holidays from an ICY Blue river Glades and the Missouri River!

The glades, which I have not posted about for over a half-year, were an almost unbearable 4 degrees when I visited last. The river is also making record lows- less than 5.5 feet when I hit it up north the other day; low enough to expose the very bottom of Parkville's ramp! Until it dipped to it's lowest on the 22nd, 5.8ft was the lowest Ive ever seen the gage height measured here! The ice-lilies are out Click here for current conditions, or check out the glades for some cool icicles forming off of the bluffs!

house cleaning

pawpaw flower below blue-river glades

Ive been to the usual places in South KC- filled the memory crds over the past week or so and am emptying them in preparation for my coming trip with MO river relief.

in bloom:

strawberry

dewberry

paw-paw

pucoon

columbine

hyacinth

false garlic

mayapple

sweet cicely

sorrel

phlox

hemlock

alexander

verbena

Squaw weed

and something called a hispid buttercup I had to look up-

Owl-eyed click beetle HUGE- the beetle meausred about 1.25in and emerged from some wood I was splitting. ve found them on J smith and in Swope park before-we are on the very edge of their range.

HISPID buttercup- a new species for me- I found it near the river in Minor Park

COLUMBINE is in full bloom throughout Swope park... these flowers were all at Blue river glades this morning. they scale the limestone and need very little dirt. Bottom one is cool- columbine is ofen seen growing with Virginia creeper.

Blue River Glades

noonish- The ground is still soggy and I fear the trail will be slick. Ive come half to see what was in bloom and half to try my luck with the morels. Blue river road is a gorgeous display of redbuds, pears and even some service berry.
One of the first things I notice- at the base of the hill (the entrance of the trail)- is some kind of lavender-colored phlox. I knelt down to photograph the flower when I realized just how many there were. Amongst them was an odd one that I recognized, but could not identify- I examined one of the strange green plants- there were several around. At the bent top of one I discovered a yellow, droopy flower. It was bellwort!
I peaked over the bluff onto the glade. It is incredible green compared to two days ago, when the redbud was only budding and the service berry were in full bloom. I immediately identified some yellow-eyed grass and pucoons. There are only a few small redbud on the glade-they are on the rocky bluff and are each only a few feet tall. There are others that light-up the woods above the glade,- they are huge and impressive in full bloom.
Some cool little peewee-lookin birds flew over. There were three and they seemed to stick together. On the second glade, there is verbena blooming. I found four large plants and a skimpy one. I wondered below the glades, too. There are acres of mayapples- which were only just popping up the day before yesterday. The poison ivy and virginia creeper are greening up.

This colourful tiger beetle was one of a handful that zipped about the bald spots on the glade... It is of a species that Ive never seen before (big deal!)he only allowed me to get within about four feet of 'em to take the photo before he 'poofed' into invisibilityGarlic Mustard is flowering on the hills above and below the glades.

BlueRiverGlades Burn- Day II

I arrived at Rocky Point with my mother. I thought we were late, but we were not the last to arrive and the group had not even assembled to review any kind of a plan. John (jackson co.) needed a coupla hands to help his crew at Blue River Glades-

We had burned the 2nd and third glades yesterday- they went smokey and slower in most wooded spots. Today we were to complete the system by burning Glade # 1- the glade you pop up onto when you take the trail from Blue river rd.

It was warm and the humidity was lower than what it was when we started yesterday.

We started to burn about 2/3 onto the glades segment -along the back fire line at the crest of the hill. We striped the back line several times before my side (the side up against the draw between 2nd and 1st glades) wrapped around to ignite a head fire. We lit the base of the wooded hill and burnt the leaf-litter before we created a second, hotter, faster head fire from the main trail. The radiant heat was intense- at times unbearable! My goggles protected most of my face. I covered my lips, chin, and as much of my cheeks as I could with my left hand when I crouched to take a few pics. It was only a split second before the tiny spots of exposed skin grew too hot to let cook. I whipped my face around and found extreme relief when my front side faced from the huge flames. The back of my legs roasted where the jeans touched me. I turned and snapped another seconds worth of photos before I again turned away and rest the lens of the camera of my chin. The metal rim of the filter scorched my chin. I cant believe what I put that camera through!

Spiders swarmed on the ground in a massive spider-migration to flee the heat and smoke. A green stink-bug or moth could be seen in the air at anytime. A small bark-beetle crawled from a decaying log.

John gave me a torch and the opportunity to sling flames during a short mop-up above the bluffs. I think I would have had more fun if I was -maybe- 10yrs? younger. I had a blast as it was and learned some new things too.
We moved below the bluffs where smoke was already billowing from. I was sent back for a bladder pack. Forgot how heavy they are!

John immediately traded me a rake for the pack upon my return and we made our way along the underside of the first glade. Spent an hour or so putting out the heavier fuels from above the creek and below the bluffs before we called it quits. Everybody looked pretty exhausted- two days of that 'll wear you out!

BlueRiverGlades Burn

The burn was sucessful! In my opinion, anyway... Jackson co. and the city teamed up to make it happen.

The trails were muddy-very slick. Early on it was cold and all of the mud was frozen. The cool, brisk wind drove me to put on a jacket, though by 1pm it was too hot. The bases of many plants are becomeing green and most trees are starting to display small, velvet buds.

At 11, the humidity had dropped below 50% and the winds were blowing from the SW at 5mph. The breeze was cold, but it was weak and became overpowered by the sunlight when it struck my face and was warm. It felt as if the sun was melting winter off of my skin and warmed my shirt so that it became hot to touch. We lit under these conditions and where the wind could reach- on the crest of each hill and in the open spaces of the area- the fire was able to burn. Dave did strips along the back fireline until about 50ft of black(ish) was had. From there, bill wraped the glade and tied in with the other group to send a head-fire over the hill. Where the grass was tall and thick enough, the flames could reach maybe 6ft, though it was only on the close corner of the 2nd glade. The fire blackened groundlitter to the edge of the bluffs ( and in a few spots, where it found a crack or hanging debris, over the bluff and below it) and up the glade and savannah until the fuel was only wet leaves. We did a quick mop up and I split. The crew was to eat lunch and return once more to make sure the area was safe.

The fire was very smokey and it just about chokes you to look at the photos. My lungs are sore and my eyes burn- what a great day!

BlueRiverGlades sunset

I spent the last 30min of daylight at the glades. The southern horizon was dark and there was a heavy blanket of cloud weighing down the sky. The sun has peaked in and out of the clouds all day. At times it was nothing but clear, blue skies. Other times it was dark and gloomy and snow flurries fell.

The sun fell lower and lower. soon it was nothing but shadows and silhouettes. A small woodpecker flipped through the sky- From one side of the glade to the other with the deep blue to its back. A pair of barred owls started up. I never saw them, but their duet seemed to be rising from the creek bed below the glade and off the hill across the way.

The moon was bright and almost full- it sat craddeled in any tree i wished it to- as long as I was willing to do some moving around. Wednesday it will be eclipsed and made dark and red by the earths shadow- In the evening from 9:01 - 9:52 pm-- It will be fully eclipsed for only a moment around 9:30.. good luck if you choose to watch!

Snow

Things have only just melted from the bout of ice a few days ago, and weve had our 3rd wintry blast. We got about 2.5 in. (much less than the 8 that was expected)--

The snow fell Friday night and Sat., but the roads were fairly clear this morning. It was 12 degrees when I woke and 20 when I arrived at the glades near noon. It was gorgeous!!! Because it was a dry snow and had not been above freezing since it had fallen, the glades glittered with the tiny flakes and crystals. The grasses were coated and the bluffs held a display of ice sickles.

At the top of trail, just before I entered onto the glade I found fresh tracks. They were of a bobcat and I followed them around the bend to catch a glimpse of the little guy. I only saw his butt end, but I know it was a bobcat. I tried to catch up with him, but the rocks were slippery and by the time I rounded the next corner he had disappeared. I continued over the first and second glades and doubled back to crawl down the stream bed that divided the two. When I got below I found myself looking away from the shadows and did not find too many photos. . that is, until I got past the glades and into the forest and stream below. I found, on the hill a few strange prints that ascended a large sycamore seemingly without any problem. they were in pairs and about 8 inches from each other-- long and skinny like a woodpecker?
I snapped the last of my pictures before returning to the truck.

It was beautiful and very cool to see all of the nights activities in the tracks that were left behind. The shadows and silhouettes were in perfect contrast with the snow and ice and I only had trouble making a decent light measurement for an exposure.

I strongly suggest that you get out this winter season in the snow or ice, as I have done. If the roads are not too dangerous it will be well worth the beauty that you will behold in the sun. Both days that I have gone out, it was the first sun that we'd seen since the precip and the ice was gone in the matter of hours, so I suggest that you keep an eye on the forecast after the next storm and get out before it all melts. another suggestion that I would stress would be to start with an area that you know well- for safety and for the photo opportunities (take backways as to not ruin a scene with footprints, and go into the sun, to take advantage of the shadows and contrast)
This has been the first winter in KC that I have been able to get out into our natural areas- Ive been in school and without a vehicle. Its a whole new experience and one that is just as beautiful, if not more so than any other season. In my opinion, this winter has been significantly better to explore our city and county properties than any other time Ive ever seen them!!!! Nothing will ever beat being on the glade, or better- a prairie- in a major thunderstorm, but this comes damn close !!!

THIS GUY WAS ON THE FEEDER EARLY THIS MORN.- PURPLE FINCH??

BlueRiver Glades

My parents and I took a walk on the glades this early afternoon; by 2pm it had become ~60F and the winds were still calm.

On our way down blue river road, near the glade entrance, a huge read-crested woodpecker flew above the car. the bird had large white spots on the undersides of each wing- My guess is pileated.

Other than the woodpecker we found nothing out of the ordinary on the area- almost all of the vegitation has gone dormant. there were a few elm-leaved goldenrod that still had a flower or stem of red leaves, and the columbine has greened up again, but the best phtoto opportunities were found in the colours of the grasses, oak leaves and sumac.

The loss of leaves has left the outcroppings bald and bare- the slabs of limestone made an interesting view through the woods.

RockyPoint & Blue River Glades

Rock Point Glades of swope park, Oct 19 ... Contact Lakeside Nature Center for access.

Again, Though I am just now posting, I was over there on the 19th; exactly one week ago. The glades were lookin nice- not much in bloom, but the grasses and oaks were all changing colors. The fall migration of birds had just started; didnt see anything too exciting. enjoy the pics, or get out there yourself!, For directions to almost any Kansas City wild area, visit kcwildlands.org

(left) a cluster of blue sage flower welcomes me on Blue River Glade.













(right) Big Blue stem, this one on RPG, will change colors in the fall. These seedheads went from green to this purple and brown.

AN OAK LEAF basks in the morning sun. thought the image was kinda cool because of the shadow on the leaf. RPG, near the fire break past the first streambed.