Quote of the Week, Perhaps a Bit Longer

"The biological community is a vast and complicated system for sharing and distributing the energy of the sun among a diversity of life forms." ~Martson Bates

10/20/09

Ch Ch Cha Changes

Dusty enjoying the lonely beach, the changing of the season

Since I've been back from Romania there has been major changes in the weather here in Northern Nevada. It has become cold - not everyday, but many days and the days that are warm tend to have a hint of chill in them, like a little reminder of what is coming with the winter months. It has been raining quite a bit too. Last Tuesday it rained all day, resulting in the first snow for the Sierras and the canceling of our ultimate Frisbee game. It has also been quite windy and on days like yesterday we have had a weird mixture of rain and wind, not necessarily occurring at the same time.

Dan and Bodie playing in the first snow of the season

Over the weekend we went for a hike at the Tahoe Meadows, it was windy and cold at the summit. We were shocked because it was warm and sunny down in Reno, perhaps the reason we were shocked was because we were still holding onto the belief that the weather hadn't really turned, but the cold pins and needles on our faces made us believers. After our hike we stopped by the lake, Tahoe that is. Crazily enough it was the first time we had been to the lake since being back in Nevada. I can't believe that we've been back almost a year and hadn't been back to the lake, especially during the summer months, although being at the ranch made it a little more difficult to head up on a whim.

Bodie's first glimpse of Lake Tahoe

On the rocks please

Bodie with a cloudy, rough Tahoe in the background

Speaking of change, on our drive up to the lake we had nice views of the changing leaves. Mainly, the golden rivers of the quakies. I love seeing the gold rivers cascading down the mountain sides. In northern Nevada we don't have a lot of native trees that change colors with the seasons, chiefly it is the bright gold of the quaking aspen and poplars.

The main cause of color change in leaves is day length or inversely the night length. The night getting longer and cooler is the trigger that signals the leaves to change. During the growing season or warm season, chlorophyll (which is the pigment that causes leaves to appear green) is continually being produced and broken down keeping the leaves green. When the day length shortens, the chlorophyll in the leaves is destroyed allowing the other pigments (carotenoid-yellow and orange and anthocyanins-red) in the leaves to show through.

Leaves turning color at Tahoe

It the time of year for some reds and yellows

Got leaves?

The last change I'll discuss is that I have decided to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 am instead of on Mondays and Wednesdays. I tend to play on Sundays making it difficult to have a post ready by Monday morning. Sorry for any inconvenience.

And just for good measure, another picture of the cutest baby goat in the world.

Resources:
Why Leaves Change Color, (n.d.), Retrieved October 19, 2009 from: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/Spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Another change, you're back to posting on things not-Romanian. I for one am really looking forward to the winter (snowshoeing, relaxing in a warm cozy house, bundling up).

Margery said...

Beautiful pictures of the Lake and Bodie and Dan too. The Lake is such a wonder we should all experience it more. Love, Mom