April 11, 1965 is still remembered by many: that day a brutal string of tornados hit the states of Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan with wind gusts as high as 318 miles per hour, killing 250 people and injuring some 1500 others. The first funnel cloud hit the ground at 1 p.m. with others following at varying intervals, up to 5:30 pm. The storms intensified as they day progressed. An F4 storm hit Koontz Lake, Indiana and 2 other twisters hit Wakarusa, and Goshen, doing massive damage to homes, and local infrastructure.
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It is not very likely that the majority of us will ever experience what it is like to live through a powerful tsunami like those poor souls who did back in 2004. This is one of the most powerful tsunamis ever recorded in history and it destroyed so many lives as well as left millions homeless with no where to go. This horrible hazard delivered by Mother Nature has to be one of the worst disasters that the modern world has ever seen and what we did see was absolutely unbelievable.
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Late fall is a perfect time to photograph wild birds. Leaves are falling off the trees, opening the view and birds are eager to feed. And if you're participating in one of the several organized bird counts taking place between now and mid-February, a photographic record can be invaluable in identifying the counted birds.
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People are finding ways to save money. At the same time, they would like to have multiple benefits from one single act. With gas and oil prices skyrocketing, people are turning to use solar power to help them get the electricity bill down. Before you consider whether solar power is the way to go, there are a couple of things you need to consider, namely the benefits and costs.
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Wind can strong and dangerous sometimes and damages to many things can happen because of it. The wind can be filled with debris that can be flying through the air and causing destruction to whatever it hits. Strong storm winds can reach up to 200 miles an hour or more. At that speed it can cause serious damage to homes, other building, and the landscape. It can blow off roofs, toss vehicles around, and snap power lines. Winds this strong can be associated with hurricanes and tornadoes, or just straight line winds.
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Fire is one of the most destructive forces of nature. It knows no limits when it is raging out of control and it mindlessly destroys almost anything in its path. Homes, people, businesses, forests, and wildlife are all at risk if they are any where near a fire that is raging out of control. As humans we always try to contain fires so that the damage they cause is kept to a bare minimum when possible, but throughout history there have been numerous fires that could not be controlled and destroyed entire cities.
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If you've not done so already, it's time to clean out and refill your hummingbird feeders, because the Ruby-throated hummingbird - the king of nature's frequent flyers - is on its way back to the eastern U.S. Reportedly, they are about a week ahead of last year.
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The word mosquito means "little fly" in Spanish and this little, irritating insect is a source of many deadly diseases throughout the world. There are about 3,000 breeds of mosquitoes with a population of about 100 trillion all over the globe. Although mosquitoes larvae are a chief source of food for some fish and the adults are food for birds and some other animals, they are a fatal hazard to the human population.
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It is hurricane season again and as much as those who live along our coastlines enjoy having their homes near the water, they must also have a very real fear that they must face realistically about this time every year. Hurricanes in recent years have caused some terrible destruction to so many homes, businesses, and to the lives of the people who had to endure them. It can make you wonder if the risk involved in living so close to the water is really worth the danger it can entail.
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It's easy enough to put flower beds along the front walk, next to the house, or by the door, but what do you do when you have a large garden area where you don't want to put sod and yet don't want to have the maintenance work associated with putting in yet another flower garden? There are some great ways to incorporate an awkward area like this into your overall landscaping: here are some innovative ways to make that area look great.
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