12-11-07 Observations

- Attached photo.....Recent rubs by a Whitetail Deer male (Odocoileus virginianus) on a group of Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). These rubs were made by a rutting buck (there were several others nearby). The rut, which is influenced by weather, has been off and on this fall.

- Unseasonably warm today.....yesterday was 77 degrees F, breaking the old record of 73. Today has been almost as warm...mid 70s. Even on the mountain developments (2,100'-2,200' above sea level), the temperature today was in the low 70s. The unpredictable and mostly brutal weather of 2007 continues....record cold/record heat/record drought...and now more record heat...and yes, the forecast is for possible snow showers this weekend!