(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - What a Difference a Summer Makes [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-23 This last weekend, I took my husband’s family who were visiting from Montana to Yosemite to see the beautiful valley and the spectacular waterfalls. In June, had taken my friends visiting from the Philippines to see these incredible waterfalls. I thought we would still have good waterfalls because of all the snow we had last winter. Boy was I wrong. Yosemite Valley — June 2023. Note the size of Bridalveil compared to the title shot. The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow. The waterfalls all were shadows of themselves. Cascade Creek Falls — June 2023 Cascade Creek Falls — October 2023 Yosemite Falls — June 2023. Note the flooded meadow in the foreground. Yosemite Falls — October 2023. I had to zoom in to even see the water falling down the cliff. During my June visit, I was unable to visit Glacier Point because it was buried in snow. They didn’t open the area until mid-July. Here is a photo from my last visit up on Glacier Point. Nevada Falls (top) and Vernal Falls (bottom) — June 2019 Nevada Falls (top) and Vernal Falls (bottom) — October 2023 Some falls disappeared completely. Ribbon Falls — June 2023. Nothing but dry rock — October 2023 While the waterfalls were a bit of a disappointment, we did see a lot of lovely fall color. Vegetation along a creek sport their autumn wear. The green pine forest is accented with red fall color undergrowth. A small bush changes color protected by granite boulders at Glacier Point. Yosemite Valley meadow now yellow after a warm summer. This meadow was underwater when I visited in June. Yes, I did see a few birds. A pair of Brown-Headed Cowbirds scrounge for cookie crumbs on the sidewalk at Tunnel View vista point. A Stellar’s Jay bursts out of a pine tree and quickly disappeared from view. A Raven boldly stands on a rock at the edge of the granite cliff at Glacier Point. I was working on my photos for a potential post later this week when I realized we needed a bucket today. So here it is. Sacramento received its first decent rain yesterday and temps are expected to stay below normal the rest of the week with another chance of shows in a few days. Fall is definitely here and winter is coming! What’s up in your neck of the woods? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/23/2201167/-Daily-Bucket-What-a-Difference-a-Summer-Makes?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/