Calls of Tufted Titmouse, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, and Great Crested Flycatcher in panorama along the leafy greens of the west lakeshore in steady rain, May 18

Calls of Song and House Sparrows, European Starlings, Cardinals, and Fish Crows as we walk along the westside shore on a foggy morning, May 20

In this month’s entry:

Birdsongs in Deep Greens: Our Cool Early Summer

Chapter III: Glorious Central Virginia Trees

Climate Log: The Texas Storm-Bourne Plague, and Florida Bans “Climate Change” as Insurers Flee

The May 2024 Photo/Video Gallery: Cool Cookin’ This Month, in So Many Ways

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Birdsongs in Deep Greens: Our Cool Early Summer

May has become the first month of summer in our warmer Northern Virginia, with the springy blossoms of March and April having fallen and the marvelous leafy varieties of green now dominating the glorious landscape of our fragile, yet robust, lake community.  To be sure, new blooms keep appearing, as they will through summer, like the creamy elderberry (above) and the Arrowwood Viburnum near it on the southeast shoreline (below). But for those of us always on the look-out for birds, the luxurious green canopy means lots of hiding spots for the clever avians, whose melodious calls announce the sunrise each morning and tempt us to keep looking all day until the night.

Better off are we to immerse ourselves in the concert, and just be happy when a bird or two or three show themselves on a tree top or nearby branch, or swoop across the lake (below) so that we can try to grab a snap or video clip. The more I come to recognize their calls, the more I can visualize the birds in my imagination, without needing always to scrutinize the greenness for an actual sighting, not to mention suffering the exquisite torture of setting up a clear shot! I receive plenty of visual gifts as it is.

We have yet to have a 90-degree day in this early summer, and most days have given us more clouds than sun. Rains, mostly gentle, have fed the trees, the wildflowers, and the animals. So much green energy, so many sparkling drops on the leaves, so much freshness in the cool air.

If you read the Climate Log below, you’ll understand why I feel that a month like our May here in Northern Virginia in 2024 is a moment to be celebrated, recorded, and cherished. We are very, very fortunate.

Three goldfinches flit within a young persimmon tree on a foggy May 6 at the north end of the lake

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Chapter III: Remarkable Trees of Central Virginia

Chapter III of our tree-hunting adventure took us a hundred miles southwest to Charlottesville and environs, famous for Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, the University of Virginia (which Jefferson designed in the 18-teens), excellent wineries, and breathtaking scenery in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Three of the majestic trees from Remarkable Trees of Virginia were among our goals for the two-day trip. Not only did we find these long-lived, well-cared-for beauties, but we found once again that when we begin looking closely at tall, spreading trees, we stop taking their grandeur for granted, and really begin appreciating. In short, we found many more remarkable trees than we intended to.

The Grounds of the University of Virginia are home to many imposing trees, perhaps none moreso than one of the trees on our list: the largest Ginkgo we have ever seen, which stands beside the iconic, domed Rotunda that epitomizes Jefferson’s architecture.

 

Fifteen miles west of the University and approaching the Blue Ridge resides an amazing collection of 30 carefully-tended Oaks at the Emmanuel Episcopal Churchyard near the town of Crozet. These trees are so remarkable for their height and health that we could not pick out the one that had been chosen for the book–which actually grows down the hill from the church parsonage and near the highway. All the more impressive for the setting is that the gravestones of the old and well-cared for cemetery are among most of the trees themselves.

 

The final of our three destination trees on this trip to Central Virginia has perhaps the most unique setting of all. While the other trees we sought are within groves of other majestic colleagues, this White Oak stands alone and so dominates the vista. That this tree has survived and thrives is testament to the extraordinary efforts of workers who made sure to preserve it in the midst of a construction site at the Charlottesville Municipal Airport in Earlysville, a site where many other trees had been taken down, and where this tree would have been a casualty also, save for the perseverance of those who appreciated its value and fought for it. Today it stands alone in a broad green field and draws the eyes of all who pass by.

Consider for a moment, if you will, all the broad lawns, fields, so called “developments,” and wastelands we pass by that used to be stands of equally magnificent trees, but which were all clear cut, with no monuments left.

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The Climate Log for May:

The Texas Storm-Bourne Plague, and Insurance Rates in Florida Through the Roof

The Texas Gulf Coast seems now to be suffering storm upon storm, the latest coming just last week, as hurricane-like winds of up to 125 MPH rocked skyscrapers and neighborhoods, while torrential rain caused even more flooding in this flood-prone region. As Gulf temps are setting heat records, the air above the Gulf becomes what meteorologists call “heat domes,” which in turn create conditions for the massive storms.

These heat domes are becoming more common as the Earth warms through fossil-fuel pollution, so storms of this magnitude are likely to increase, as high temps in the dome collide with cooler air from the north. Meanwhile, the same heat dome, as the map shows, has caused record high temps across Florida. More violent weather to come? The 2024 hurricane season has not yet even begun.

Mosquito Plague in the Wake of Record Texas Gulf Coast Storms

Another gift of the violent, soaking weather has been a plague of Mosquitoes, who thrive in the warming climate and germinate in the hundreds of pools of standing water throughout the area. Residents are saying that they’ve never seen anything like it:

“Before Linda Adams begins her morning walk with her dog, Tater Tot, she makes sure to douse herself in bug spray. ‘It has to be at least 40 percent DEET,’ Adams said. ‘It’s the only way I can get through the day.’” (Matt Keyser and Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, May 18)

Home Insurance in Florida? Good Luck with That!

The Florida legislature last week passed a bill, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, to ban the term “climate change”  from official documents. But banning two words does not make the reality disappear. Some 30 home insurance companies have already fled the state. Those companies that remain charge Floridians rates that are by far the highest in the country. The average rate by state is less than $2400 per year. Florida’s is almost $12,000. (Louisiana’s, also on the Gulf Coast, is over $6000.)

Pretending that climate change does not exist just makes everyone more vulnerable to its effects–and to its costs.

Oh, and by the way, here’s the latest from the Washington Post about another term, sea level rise, that DeSantis and friends don’t want to hear in connection to threats to Floridians from (shh!) climate change (there, I said it). This time the article concerns contamination of water by overflows from flooded septic tanks, not only in Florida, but also in other Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast states, as far north as Maryland.

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The May 2024 Photo/Video Gallery: Cool Cookin’ This Month, in So Many Ways

Two yellow swallowtails fly along northeast shore as jet roars overhead, hot muggy morning, May 8

Blue Heron flies toward camera from east bank to north end, foggy May 6

Colorful tulip on tree waves in breeze on the west bank, May 11

Baltimore Oriole, first sighting, calls in willow oak, east bank, foggy morning, May 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Room for another? Sixteen red-bellied cooters share log at the southeast shore, sunny PM, May 11

 

Female Cardinal in pine tree shakes off rain in the southeast cove, May 18

In the field below the north end dam, Eastern Kingbird carries nest material, sunny May 21

 

 

Mulberry and birdsong in rain along the southeast shore, May 18

Red-winged Blackbird, on dead willow oak 200 yards away, calls, foggy May 20

On to June…but watch for updates with a week left in this aMayzing month!