Mighty Outdoors

You think you’ve got cicadas…

Rusty Dennen — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:35:46 +0000

Carolyn O’Leary and her daughter got this cicadas.video during a walk yesterday in Ferry Farms, a subdivision off State Route 3 in south Stafford. A friend of O’Leary’s at the newspaper passed it along to me. I’ve gotten lots of emails from people about their “infestations”; this one shows just how many can emerge in a morning or two. Here’s my most recent story on the emergence of the Brood II periodical cicadas.

Aftershock or earthquake, part II

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:51:40 +0000

OK. Now I’m a little confused. Here’s this latest update from USGS about the quake this morning in Louisa, saying it was an aftershock from the August 23, 2011 5.8-magnitude quake. From the press release: ”Since the 2011 earthquake, more than 450 aftershocks have been recorded. These events were catalogued by the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), using data from portable seismographs that were deployed by several organizations immediately after the earthquake. More than 50 of these aftershocks were large enough to be felt, and 38 were the size of today’s earthquake, or larger. Scientists expect that these aftershocks will continue for many months.”

Aftershock or earthquake?

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:26:55 +0000

Some of you raised an interesting question about whether this morning’s seismic event in Louisa was an aftershock from the August 2011 earthquake, or a tremor unrelated to that event. Turns out, the 2.3-magnitude shake that hit Louisa just after 7 this morning could be either one, says Don Blakeman, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo. Parts of Central Virginia are in an active seismic zone. So, “There is a little bit of a problem as time goes by and there are fewer and fewer aftershocks” and the terminology gets blurred, he said. Eventually, an area hit by a large earthquake, such as the magnitude 5.8 tremor that hit on Aug. 23, 2011, he says, “gets back to a normal level of seismicity. Whether it’s an aftershock or normal seismicity, there’s no way to know.” One clue would be to compare seismic activity in the general area for some time leading up the the earthquake, and compare that to patterns now. As I’d mentioned in my post earlier today, 2.0-magnitude quakes (aftershocks?) were recorded in January, and last July. Keep track of them here.

Another aftershock rattles Louisa

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:08:20 +0000

Aftershock or earthquake (Take 1)

Aftershock or earthquake (Take 2)

That’s right, though aftershocks from the magnitude-5.8 earthquake under Mineral in Louisa County on Aug. 23, 2011 are mostly a distant memory, they’re still popping up now and then. USGS reports that a magnitude 2.3 shock hit 5.5 miles south-southwest of Louisa around 7:01 Wednesday morning. That was large enough that 35 people reported feeling the jolt. It’s been months since there’s been one over magnitude 2.0, according to the website. The last 2.0 aftershock was in January, and before that, in July of last year. There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the earthquake, and geologists say, that while they generally taper off within a few months, they can last for much longer.

Cicadas go where they will

Rusty Dennen — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:47:51 +0000

Angela Martin of Falmouth sent on this photo of Brood II cicadas on a tree in her yard, noting my story said that, based on an emergence map provided by Virginia Tech, parts of Stafford would not be seeing any of the creatures. It appears that the cicadas have maps of their own that they follow. Read my latest story here on this unfolding nature extravaganza.

Cicadas emerging; `song’ not far behind

Rusty Dennen — Fri, 10 May 2013 14:57:44 +0000

I’ve been looking for them in my yard for a couple weeks now. Earlier this week, I found a couple empty shells of the molted nymphs attached to oak trees in the woods. This morning, there were about half a dozen shells, with the newly formed cicadas–black body, brown wings and red eyes–clinging next to them. Soon, according to Eric Day, a Virginia Tech entomologist I talked in in March for a story about this latest chapter in a 17-year phenomenon, the males will begin their shrill `song’ seeking females. If past emergences of the Brood II periodical cicada are any indication, it will be the talk of the town for several weeks. Then they’ll be gone. Read more in Saturday’s Free Lance-Star.

The empty shell of an emerged cicada this morning in Spotsylvania.

Virginia bear cubs star on `critter cam’

Rusty Dennen — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:56:09 +0000

The Wildlife Center of Virginia has rescued eight black bear cubs–including one from Fauquier County–from around the state in recent months. While they’re being rehabilitated to return to the wild, you can watch their progress online. The cubs were orphaned or abandoned and will be at the center in Waynesboro for several months.

Rappahannock on the rise

Rusty Dennen — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:54:51 +0000

The National Weather Services says the river should crest today at City Dock at about 12.5 feet. Flood stage there is 18 feet. Check river levels at City Dock in the tidal section, at the USGS gauge above the city and for the Rappahannock at Remington, here. At nine feet, water reaches the waterfront at City Dock. At 14 feet, water approaches several homes in the flood plain on Sophia Street and begins to reach River Road on the east side of the river in Stafford. At 18 feet, water covers some parking lots near the river, and two homes on Sophia Street are flooded. The University of Mary Washington weather station recorded 1.74 inches of rain on Tuesday, with 0.2 inches so far today.

Get out to see Crow’s Nest

Rusty Dennen — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:37:29 +0000

There are still spots left for Saturday’s guided tour and natural history interpretation of Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve in Stafford County. The tour of the 2,872-acre peninsula, between Accokeek and Potomac Creeks, runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will go on rain or shine. Call 804 786-7951 for reservations. The trip is limited to 80 people. Owned by Stafford County and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Crow’s Nest is considered an environmental jewel.

After storms, Westmoreland nature preserve trails reopen

Rusty Dennen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:14:15 +0000

Hurricane Irene in August 2011 wreaked havoc on parts of the Northern Neck, including the Voorhees Nature Preserve along the Rappahannock River in Westmoreland County. That, and several successive storms, made the 729-acre tract nearly impassible. But thanks to a number of groups and volunteers, the preserve, donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1994 by Alan and Nathalie Voorhees, has reopened. A gathering on the land earlier today marked the milestone. Read more in my story in Tuesday’s Free Lance-Star. My colleague, photographer Bob Martin, shot this picture.

Visitors walk along a trail at Voorhees Nature Preserve.