UPDATE: CHP in Redding posted on Facebook that there is currently no estimated time for Interstate 5 to reopen, reiterating that the agency understands the importance of the roadway but public safety is its No. 1 priority. “At this time, we do not have an estimated time of opening. There are several debris in the […]
Science
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HumBug: Honeybees are Loveable and Love Plums
Honeybees are everyone’s favorite. After all, they pollinate our crops, make wax and honey, their language is a dance and they are the perfect model of a socialist society. They toil tirelessly gathering nectar and pollen, cleaning and building their home, and tending to the needs of the queen, who in turn produces eggs which […]
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North Coast Night Lights: Beach Bonfire, Meteor and Milky Way
The Perseid meteor shower has come and gone, peaking last weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12. On the night of the 11th, my brother and I set out to Tepona Point, along Scenic Drive south of Trinidad, hopeful of capturing some of the terrestrial beauty of the North Coast beneath Perseid meteors […]
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HumBug: A Day for Beetles
Yesterday was a day for beetles. Moving some large pepperwood planks to my garage for curing, I noted several small beetles on the freshly sawn surfaces. One was actively chewing its way into the surface. There are quite a few species of small cylindrical wood boring beetles, many choose a single species of host tree. […]
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Report Finds Firefighter Killed in Carr Fire Tornado; Smoke Impacts Continue
With wildfires continuing to scorch the West, the resulting smoke is continuing to have an impact on air quality in Humboldt County that ranges from good to unhealthy depending on the area. The deadly Carr Fire to the east has burned nearly 215,000 acres and killed at least eight people, including a Redding firefighter who […]
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HumBug: A Mixed Bag of Beauties
It’s getting late in the season, the time when all the insects that overwintered as eggs have hatched, grown through their larval stages and are now wearing their adult colors. There were quite a few of one my favorite late season butterflies out today. A fritillary (genus Speyeria) was nectaring on thistle blossoms. I looked […]
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Trump’s Fire Tweets Decried as Congressional Delegation Urges Disaster Declaration
With the Mendocino Fire Complex — an explosive combination of the River and Ranch fires — now officially ranked as the largest in California’s history at nearly 300,000 acres, a congressional delegation sent a letter today urging President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster in Mendocino, Lake and Napa counties. The move would free […]
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HumBug: Beetles and Weevils and Dragonflies
A recent walk along the Van Duzen River yielded a couple of interesting things. The only dragonfly I saw was a flame skimmer (Libellula saturata). This is the brightest orange dragonfly I know. I rarely see this species; I suspect they travel through my area just stopping to catch a quick bite. I felt something […]
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HumBug: Underfoot
On a recent walk through a local redwood grove, my young companion, knowing I’m interested in bugs, pointed out a beetle on the path. It was dead and, although it was in the middle of a footprint, externally undamaged. So I collected it. Hey, it was dead when I got there. Interestingly enough, it was […]
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Drafting Along with Whirligig Beetles
The other day I was talking on the phone with my fiance when I saw a large flying insect investigate a tree in my back yard. I made my excuses, set down the phone and got my camera. The critter in question was a Blue Eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) dragonfly. Thankfully, they were both quite […]
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What Are You Doing This Weekend?
Editor’s note: With a weekend forecast of a balmy 70 degrees along the coast while hitting close to 100 inland, now seems like a good time to dust off our look at perfect summer trips from the spring 2014 Insider magazine. Weather aside: The National Weather Service Office in Eureka reports there is a slight […]
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Humbug: That’s One Big Moth
Coming home late from the Fortuna fireworks display on July 3, on a whim, I stopped at the Carlotta Fire hall. To my surprise I got to see a species of moth I photographed for the first time last year. Near the light was a Polyphemus Moth. At 6 inches it has the largest wingspan […]