January 4 - Partial Solar Eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of northern Africa, Europe, and Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
March 20 - The March Equinox occurs at 23:21 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.
April 3 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.
April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 - 25. This year, the gibbous moon will hide most of the fainter meteors in its glare. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight, and be sure to find a dark viewing location far from city lights.
May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. A thin, crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what could be an good show. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight, far from city lights.
June 1 - Partial Solar Eclipse. The partial eclipse will be visible in most parts eastern Asia, Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
June 15 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
June 21 - The June solstice occurs at 17:16 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the southern hemisphere.
July 1 - Partial Solar Eclipse. This partial eclipse will only be visible off the coast of Antarctica. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
July 28, 29 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on July 28 & 29, but some meteors can also be seen from July 18 - August 18. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. This year the thin, crescent moon will be hanging around for the show, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.
August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The full moon will definitely be a problem this year, hiding the fainter meteors with its glare. But with up to 60 meteors per hour possible, it could still be a great show. Find a location far from city lights and look to the northeast after midnight.
August 22 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Neptune. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
September 23 - The September equinox occurs at 09:05 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the southern hemisphere.
September 25 - Uranus at Opposition.The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. The nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this year. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight. Be sure to find a dark location far from city lights.
October 29 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. The giant planet will be a big and bright as it gets in the night sky. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.
November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The shower usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors from November 13 - 20. The nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this year, but this should still be an excellent show. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.
November 25 - Partial Solar Eclipse. This partial eclipse will only be visible over Antarctica and parts of South Africa and Tasmania. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
December 10 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the North America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information)
December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. The gibbous moon will definitely interfere this year by hiding the faintest meteors, but with up to 60 meteors per hour possible, this should still be an excellent show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location.
December 21 - The December solstice occurs 05:30 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere.
This photo was taken during the fall of 2010 in the White Rock National Forest. This is not an uncommon caterpillar; however, the shape and color provides excellent camouflage from predators. Some people believe that the hairs covering the caterpillar will sting. That isn't quite true. There might be a few circumstances that a person might develop a very slight reaction, but nothing serious.
Orange Tube-Like Horn-Like Stinky Fungus aka. Stinkhorn
2 comments Posted by John Gardner at 12:23 PMI have often seen these stinky mushrooms popping out of recently mulched gardens; however, I've never taken the time to get to know them properly until now. 
This silly mushroom is a stinkhorn from the Mutinus genus. I did some research to discover the species and I've narrowed it down to M. caninus or M. elegans. The best way to differentiate between these two species is the position and length of the spore slime (the stuff that looks like poop). The problem is that my spore slime seems to have been disturbed. 
If you haven't noticed, I did get very close to these mushrooms. The smell is very thick and not very appetizing, at least to humans. I noticed many gnats and flies running around the sticky, brown slime. They do eat it, but they also get the slime stuck to their feet. For a mushroom, that's a pretty ingenious way to spread spores.
For more information on stickhorns check out MushroomExpert.com
Plant Sale & National Public Gardens Day at Compton Gardens, Bentonville, Arkansas
2 comments Posted by John Gardner at 7:20 PM
Hello all you plant enthusiasts! You will be happy to know that there is a native plant sale coming this weekend [ 05/08/2010 ] at Compton Gardens, located near downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. They will be offering great flowering and fruiting native trees, shrubs, and beautiful perennial flowers. Some of my favorites on the list will include Cladrastis kentukea, Ribes aureum, Euonymus americanus and many others. For more information about the plant sale and the National Public Gardens Day, just CLICK HERE.
If you want to know how to get to the garden, click here. Be sure and enter on Main Street. Sometimes that area can be a bit confusing.
I will be giving a short walk through the Bird Sanctuary, for the National Gardens Day on Friday. I'm very excited. Hope to see you there.
Arkansas Orchids: Lady Slipper, Showy Orchis, & Spring Coralroot
1 comments Posted by John Gardner at 2:35 PMIf you are a plant geek, you're going to love these rare beauties...
The Spring Coralroot is a very interesting orchid. It is a nonphotosynthesizing orchid. It is able to take up nutrition from mycorrhizal fungus. Pretty cool, huh? Also back in the good ol' days, this plant was used to assist in breaking high fever and used as a mild sedative. But do not go out looking for this plant for that reason. Corallorrhiza is a rare plant and its habitat should be left alone!
Are you a fan of Pawpaw trees? If not, you should be. These trees are not only aesthetically pleasing but also wonderful to eat. Many people compare the taste to banana. I admit, it does have a tropical essence; however, it has more of a Papaya and Mango combination with some banana mixed in. 
Add one of these trees to your landscape not only for your personal gain but also for the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. This is the only plant that the Zebra Swallowtail will use as a host.
Most Pawpaws are not well pollinated. This can be for several reasons. First pollinators like the flies, beetles and ants do not pick up the faint smell of the flowers. Some people can boost pollination by attracting the insects using rotten food or your neighbors dead "yip-yip" dog should work fine. If you are able to endure the smell, expect delicious fruits in the late summer. Second, cross pollination between trees will boost the yield. So be sure and plant several Pawpaw trees. These trees tend to form in thickets, so expect more to pop up as the years go by.
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