Out commercial fishing on the water in the inter Kotzebue Sound the weather was calm and there were miles and miles of a strange floating orange layer on the surface.

Cathy Pope, a berry picker from Norman Wells, N.W.T., said there has been an abundance of blueberries this year, and that she's "never seen it like this." Despite the ample availability of fruit, thick wildfire smoke — some of the worst in the country, at times — has made it hard for Pope to go out and pick.

Is the abundance of insects unusual? Updates from around the state with picking and weather impacts.

"We usually pick salmon berries in early July."

A 24-hour, 245 mile survey of fireweed plants from Anchorage to Seldovia revealed an almost complete absence of flowering.

Scientists with the U.S. Forest Service believe that the blackheaded budworm, whose numbers surged over the past three years, is now in decline.

Frost exposure and poor pollination are behind expectations for a less than ideal season, according to research institute Luke. Bilberry patches at particular risk are in the regions of South Karelia, Kainuu, Keminmaa, Ylitornio, as well as certain areas of Central and South Ostrobothnia.

Foam or saliva-looking substance on seen on flowering plants like fireweed and yarrow.

Alaska is one of the only places in the world where peony flowers grow in the summer months. But the unusually cold, wet weather this year is delaying the blooms by weeks.

Factors like reduced summer precipitation, extreme heat events, and ponderosa pine's superior drought resilience highlight the need to adapt reforestation practices to species more suited to changing environmental conditions.

“We spent the weekend outdoors camping on the peninsula and notices shoreline grasses has dried and shriveled.”

Twenty-three of the 25 fires so far this year were ignited by human activity. While this year’s heavy snowpack and cold spring pushed back the start to fire season in many parts of the state, climate change is generally causing an earlier snowmelt, said climatologist Rick Thoman.

Elodea was first observed in Harding Lake in 2020 growing in isolated patches and has since been assessed and managed by the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District and its partners.

Alf Åge Teigmo heard a huge crash: "First came a river, then forest and large boulders.

A landslide has closed busy highway 80 between Fauske and Bodø. The Nordland Line has also been affected. The weather has been very bad with large amounts of rainfall in Nordland today. There have been snow and slush avalanches in several places in the county, and a number of road and train sections have been closed due to avalanches.

Blue sap was found on a spruce tree.

Kale is sprouting even though it's mid-November.  Eucalyptus, rock rose, and Lenten roses don’t seem to be in the mood for winter, as they still wear their summer colors of green and red. It has been warm over almost all of the country, and never in the history of the capital has been a hotter November than this year. 

In an interview with RÚV, a seasoned exterminator has stated that Iceland is currently experiencing a mouse infestation the likes of which he’s never seen. He encourages people to take the necessary precautions. A 43-year career in extermination Despite their small stature, mice can be an outsized pest for homeowners.

We typically see them blooming in June and most of them have been without blooms for months.

Over the past five years, there has been a steady increase in the number of dandelions spread throughout the surrounding area of Iqaluit.