It is like , grassland low spots ,even tundra , every low valley , much like a greater part of Western Canada , all contain a lake ,
Artic Humidity is very high , even as wind will dry freeze you in minutes ,

What that does not say , the number of them that are marshes and swamps , Mostly gone from high populated , and the about a third that are frozen all but two months ,

When Washington DC became populated , and the Capital was being built , At that time , info says several thousand lakes , but as the story is redundant , All were Swamp ,,
1,000's of Marsh lakes have disappeared as population grew ( you all know the story

Seems like there's a little trend in bringing back wetlands, swamps and lakes to filter water run-off before it hits creeks and rivers. ACE is big on that. I did see a documentary on an area in SW Indiana where they're bringing back wetlands as a bird habitat. Reversing the trend of draining everything for farming purposes.

Cindy that is a nice Website ACE has also , Water conservation, as deserts grow is a big concern , , I'm not complaining about anything , only following with some interest ,

Temperature was up to 8 degrees last I looked sun is shining , I started to put some jugs outside at sunrise ,I turned around and came right back in ,, cold came through like holding ice on my skin ,, too , too . much ,,
Would that last sentence be a you know your from the Midwest when (adding , you know that winter has arrived when you turned around and walked right back in ..?

Jim - Good one! I'm trying to work up the motivation to go outside and uncover the cold frame too let some sun in. My carrots and kale have been sun-deprived.

Gene,
Trivia so early in the morning?
Not a clue and most people I know live by a pond or a river, lol!
Wow, no grip on that her either.

Cindy,
They absolutely need to bring back marshes and swamps. They are a natural filtering system. I cheer for every man made pond I see these days. It's not much, but better than nothing.

Jim,
That would be a good Midwest saying about going right back in!

You know you're from the Midwest when you have heated water dishes for the outdoor animals and break the ice in the birdbaths you left out to refill with warmish water, for the birds.

I'm all for bringing back wetlands, etc but when it's done near populated areas, mosquito control also needs to be addressed. A once-a-summer spraying does nothing.

Make sure those wetlands have lots of Dragonflies in them. Gene

Gene - we had lots of dragonflies last year but not nearly as many this past season. Big difference in the weather I guess. DH even stuck long poles in the ground for the dragonflies to perch on (it does work).

I like anything that eats mosquitoes. I also have lots of Eastern Phoebes here. Gene

DH throws out Bti mosquito dunks into the wetlands, trying to do some control closest to our house.

Most people say that BTi mosquito dunks do not work well.

I wonder what the reason is for the dunks not doing the job.

Cindy,
True. Spraying once a summer is NOT enough!

Good point Gene,
Build them and they will come, lol! Seriously tho, they will. I have them perch in the flower beds.
Toads, wrens and bats do a pretty good job here.

Cindy,
I imagine people don't throw out enough dunks to cover the entire surface of water.

You know you live in the Midwest when you are ready for the storm before it gets here.

Sally - you're right about getting ready for the storm!
As for the mosquito dunks, they don't do a knock-down of existing mosquito populations. Bti is supposed to inhibit the maturing of new larvae. And it does need to be reapplied throughout the mosquito-growing season. I know we don't throw down nearly enough in the wetlands but hope that treating nearby areas will limit the population closest to us.

You know you are in the Midwest (in the wintertime) when the wind speeds are higher than the temp. Gene

Cindy,
Been snowing for a little while now. It's tapered to flurries, but we have more to come.

Good one Gene!

Gene -
No snow/freezing rain here yet. That southern system is maybe an hour away if it hits us. Otherwise it'll be a while before that big system comes close. DH took another pass at the driveway now that the deicer has softened up some of the packed snow. Bird feeders and bird bath are filled so we're ready for the nasty stuff.

21 degrees this morning ,temperatures falling steady through the day to about to 10 degrees .
2 degrees forecast for tonight ,

Snowed lightly here , Mostly frozen ice , Chance of light snow mostly this morning ,

Having coffee , some toast ,
Planted about 20 poppy plugs yesterday , Covered now they are , presses the seeds in good for me ,

one of a few last year


You can tell it's early .. wrong thread , I will try again later

Jim,
Laughing. I always open Weather first and if I mistakenly get this one I get confused too, lol!
Gorgeous flower!

You know when you're from the Midwest when you're good friends with strangers on the internet, lol!

Sally ,, That or when talking about the weather on the internet with those friends is actually interesting and entertaining , :

I think I would like the spring peas and Greens conversation at the table better at the moment though