Black Hills, September 2020

My September trip to Spearfish Canyon and some of the nearby areas finds the beginnings of fall colors. I have finally made my way to the Devils Bathtub, which is a beautiful place in the early morning.

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Stick Insects at Chadron State Park, July 2020

Stick insect on a tripod leg at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Before this summer, I hadn't come across stick insects outside of museums. Perhaps they've passed over my shoes on previous occasions when I've been crouched in odd positions trying to photograph flowers against rock faces. These little fellows look awkward and beautiful. It's great to see them up close, and a reminder to carry that 105mm closeup lens more often.

Stick insect at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Stick insect on a tripod leg at Chadron State Park, July 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Wildfire South of Chadron, Nebraska, August 28, 2020

A firefighting helicopter passes over the Aristocrat Fire as a crew watches from below, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A couple years late, but here is the next wildfire in the near-Chadron series. After the Dawes and Sioux County Complex in 2006 and the Region 23 Complex in 2012, I figured we were on a six-year cycle, and wondered how crazy 2018 would be. Turns out the weather was biding its time, and here we are in 2020 with dry conditions and lightning. The Aristocrat Fire (I will fix incorrect information as I find correct information), named for Aristocrat Peak in the Nebraska National Forest, apparently got started from one of the many lightning strikes from the evening of August 27. On August 28, we were treated to smoke over C-Hill, but so far not as much smoke as in 2006. The wind was more from the north and west on August 28, keeping the fire away from Chadron, but threatening any number of homes and structures that are dotted through the national forest.

Sunset and dust over Dawes County, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smoke from the Aristocrat Fire south of Chadron, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Clouds pass by the moon, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Crow Butte, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over Chadron, Nebraska, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

A firefighting plane, part of the response to the Aristocrat Fire south of Chadron, Nebraska, passes by the moon and Jupiter, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Small fires and burnt areas dot a portion of the hills south of Chadron, Nebraska. This is part of the area affected by the Aristocrat Fire, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Chadron, Nebraska, just after sunset, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Remembering Wildfires in Northwest Nebraska

Sunset over the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smoke from wildfires in Colorado has drifted across western Nebraska the past several days. It's been hot, and the red flag warnings are up. The Douthit Wildfire came through this area in 2012, and the skeletal trees across the landscape show the aftermath. You get the sense of a wasteland on a day like this, far more so than on a warm June day when the grass is still green. As I left the area, lightning flashed regularly. The Spotted Tail Wildfire of 2006 started from a lightning strike.

Sunset over the Nebraska National Forest, August 2011. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Late afternoon over the Black Hills Overlook in Chadron State Park, April 2011. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aftermath of the Douthit Wildfire at the Nebraska National Forest, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aftermath of the Douthit Wildfire at the Nebraska National Forest, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Aftermath of the Douthit Wildfire at the Nebraska National Forest, September 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Security and photographers clear C-Hill the as the Spotted Tail Wildfire approaches Chadron, Nebraska. The fire crested C-Hill July 28, 2006. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

C-Hill the day after the Spotted Tail Wildfire burned to the edge of Chadron, Nebraska, July 29, 2006. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

C-Hill the day after the Spotted Tail Wildfire burned through, July 29, 2006. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View through the smoky haze from the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. The nearby trees burned during the Douthit Wildfire in 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Looking through smoky haze toward Crow Butte from the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. The nearby trees burned during the Douthit Wildfire in 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

View through the smoky haze from the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. The nearby trees burned during the Douthit Wildfire in 2012. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset over the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Smoke from the Wildfires

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

The wildfires in the western part of the United States are sending a haze of smoke across the country. These photos are from the Nebraska National Forest and Fort Robinson State Park. The sun sets as a far dimmer disc than normal in these situations.

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at the Nebraska National Forest, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)

Sunset at Fort Robinson State Park, August 2020. (Photo by Daniel Binkard)