Connecticut
It Appears to Be a Great Year for Eastern Chipmunk in Connecticut
I know they may be a pest in gardens, but I love chipmunks. Some years I haven’t seen any chippys at all, but not this one. 2024 appears to be a great year to be a chipmunk living in Connecticut.
The Eastern Chipmunk is the only chipmunk found in Connecticut. They’re reddish brown, and have prominent black and white stripes down the length of their back. Oh those cheeks, I find that feature most adorable. Chipmunk can grow to 8-10 inches long, including their tail, and can weigh up to just over a quarter pound. According to ct.gov, chipmunk are omnivores, and their diet consists primarily of bugs, worms, bird eggs, frogs, snails, seeds, nuts, fruits, and mushrooms. July is mating season for chipmunks, which is good news/bad news for them. The good news is the mating, the bad news is that chipmunks are food for the hawks, owls, snakes, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, and house cats of Connecticut. Do you remember the horror of finding a chipmunk wiggling away in your cat’s mouth? That’s an image that you can’t shake.
Connecticut saw an explosion of the chipmunk population in 2016 according to cbsnews.com. At the time a biologist at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection pointed towards a mild Winter, an abundance of Maple seeds and acorns, and comfortable temperatures. Winter 23/24 was relatively mild, the temperatures between April and now have been moderate, and I do remember seeing a whole lot of acorns this Spring. Has the perfect storm of chipmunk weather and food happened in 2024?
Grey striped Chipmunk on the stone
The birdfeeders around my condo seem to be the best place to see Chip n Dale scurrying about.
The Beautiful Bovines at Arethusa Farms in Litchfield
Three Places in Connecticut Where The Smell Almost Knocks You Out
As the Summer heats up, so do the unexpected smells as you drive along with your windows open. I know of three areas in Connecticut where if you’re not expecting it, the smell in the air will almost knock you out.
Gallery Credit: Google
Five Connecticut Grocery Stores Serving Superior Prepared Meals
Most supermarkets and grocery stores serve prepared foods, some have pizza ovens, sushi bars, even their own coffeehouse. When I don’t feel like cooking, these are the five grocery stores around here that I feel make superior to-go meals
Gallery Credit: Google
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) — Aaliyah Edwards came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Portland Fire, 90-87, during Camp Day on Tuesday morning at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Thousands of kids were in attendance to watch the Sun hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as the Fire attempted to rally. Connecticut led by 10 at halftime and saw its lead cut to one in the final period.
Brittney Griner added 20 points for the Sun, who ended their three-game homestand with a victory. Olivia Nelson-Ododa went 8-for-8 from the foul line en route to 16 points and Leila Lacan chipped in 14.
Carla Leite led the Fire with 18 points.
The Sun visit Phoenix on Friday for the first of two games with the Mercury.
Florida’s tallest flag pole raises new Stars and Stripes on Independence Day
Florida’s tallest free-standing American flagpole now stands 250 feet tall at Bernice Braden Park in Cape Coral
You might have seen Connecticut’s state flag in government buildings and schools and wondered what the meaning was behind its design.
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1897, the Flag of Connecticut features a navy blue background with a white shield. Three grapevines with purple grapes are on the shield and oak leaves and acorns can be found on the shield’s edge.
Below the shield is a banner which features the phrase “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” written in Latin. According to ConnecticutHistory.org, that phrase translates to “He who transplanted still sustains,” which honors the colonists who moved to the state from England.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the three grapevines have two competing interpretations: they represent either the three oldest settlements in the state (Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor) or the three colonies that merged to form Connecticut (Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony and New Haven Colony).
Why is the Connecticut flag blue?
According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the blue comes from Connecticut’s Civil War military flags. During the Civil War, Connecticut regiments had flags featuring blue backgrounds. ConnecticutHistory.org reports that when the legislature adopted an official flag in 1897, they kept the color that military tradition had already established.
Origins of Connecticut’s state flag
Per ConnecticutHistory.org, Connecticut did not have an official state flag until 1897. The site reports that in 1895, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Groton pushed for an official flag to display in their new meeting room.
Governor Owen Vincent Coffin introduced a bill on May 29, 1895, which ConnecticutHistory.org says caused the legislature to subsequently form a committee. After several designs were submitted, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the flag in 1897.
Connecticut’s coat of arms, which includes the shield, grapevines and banner featured on the state flag, was not formally standardized until 1931, according to USASymbol.com. The website also says color standards for the flag came in 1956, when the Secretary of the State’s office developed uniform specifications.
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