May 6: First Dandelion Bloom and Well,...Other Effects

(Photo courtesy of assortedscribbles.org) This looking straight up around noon was what I saw.

I had four in my yard, the plant, which I promptly dug up.  The first dandelion I saw this year (is this spring, or summer, or even still winter?) was at school, and then on an adjacent property, which was blanketed with the sunny yellow blooms.

I know foragers would tell you dandelions are good for us.  I have tried them and found them bitter.  I'll stick with chard, beets, and spinach thank you.

I also saw for the first time rings around the sun.  I have seen rings around the moon and knew they were caused by ice crystals, but I had no idea it could happen with the sun, too.  Some who also saw this phenomena said it was a sun dog, but I have seen those and knew this was not that, although it appears sun dogs can accompany these rings and are caused by the same atmospheric conditions and have something in common with parhelic effects, which were not present as this appeared more like a complete and perfect halo.  Sun dogs are more like imperfect image copies and I have frequently seen them in August through October.

(Photo courtesy of nhm.ac.uk)

When I think sun dogs I think of this sort of image as I have seen maybe 6 or 7 times in my life, usually around sunset.

Somehow, the rings around the sun I saw around noon seemed much more ominous given our strange weather pattern this year.

So just a word, look up... and down!

NOTE: I also saw a white crowned sparrow in my yard, which is only migratory, not a regular resident, but cool, none the less!