Chuck Lura

Consider making an effort this summer to spend more time observing the nighttime sky.

Seeing the first robin of the year is perhaps the most widely recognized harbinger of spring.

Next time you see a spider web, you might want to look at it a bit more closely: The spider silk is generating considerable interest and research into the production and applicability of a synthetic spider silk.

You might want to monitor the night sky over the next few weeks: The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower is on now, and will continue through much of May. There are nine meteor showers each year, and this one is among the better shows.

In the absence of burning, grazing, or other active management, native prairie can quickly deteriorate. Historically, bison grazed the prairie, wildfires occurred, and Native Americans set the grasslands on fire for a variety of reasons. They learned early on, for example, that burned over grasslands attracted bison because the regrowth was more accessible, palatable, and nutritious. Today, prescribed burning has become a widely accepted management tool for natural resource managers.

People have been known to be badly injured in the desert by getting tangled up with cactus, particularly a species of cholla commonly known as “jumping cholla.” There is no cholla cactus in North Dakota, but the state does have a native cactus, commonly known as fragile prickly pear or brittle pricklypear, that could be accused of “jumping.”

This time of year, there is not a lot of color on the landscape. But there is a red stemmed shrub that may catch your attention. If so, it is probably red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea ).

On Friday, March 20, at 9:46 a.m., the sun crossed the celestial equator — marking the spring equinox. As the term “equinox” indicates, there is roughly equal time between sunrise and sunset around the globe.

Most North Dakotans know that the Red River Valley is a portion of the former lakebed of glacial Lake Agassiz, but there are other glacial lake plains in the state that are less well known.

I read an article in the February issue of National Geographic about horned lizards in Texas. Their populations are being decimated, largely due to habitat loss and invasive predators. Most people probably think if horned lizards as species of the desert southwest. However, there is a species of horned lizard native to North Dakota, as are a couple other close relatives.