The Daily Bucket is a place where we post and exchange our observations about what is happening in the natural world in our neighborhood. Each note about the bugs, buds, and birds around us is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns of nature that are quietly unwinding around us. Add your notes. Tell us where you see these things.
My backyard includes the skies above me. I view and record as much there as I do in the trees, grass, waters, and meadows around me. There are cycles and patterns that persist from season to season. The seasons are not always matching those of the Earth where we live.
In the coming two weeks, please cast your gaze to the evening skies and watch Jupiter and Venus pass by one another. On the 25th and the 26th, the relatively new Moon will join in the dance. I am hoping for some photo opportunities, weather permitting. If you get a chance, take some pictures to share. If you have a camera allowing manual control, put it on a tripod. Use the timer to trip the shutter. Focus on infinity. Use a shutter speed of about 1/4 of a second. Also, try one slower and one faster. I hope you get clear skies to see one of the best of nature's shows.
As an added challenge, note how far Venus and Jupiter are to the east of the setting Sun. Go out in the early to mid-afternoon with clear skies and look for them in broad daylight. If you find them, move so the corner of a roof line, or a tree branch will help you maintain your alignment. Get someone else to see them with you. You will be one of the very few people in the world to have seen them in the middle of the day. I am happy to say I have done that several times. I include Saturn on my list. Yes, I'm boasting. Humor me. ☺
What is going on in your backyard today? Tell us where. How is the weather? Is there anything interesting to share? I suspect there is. The stump is yours. Step over the orange birdnest.
Hop on and give us a report.