August 3, 2009 | Ladybugs were out in force in July, covering this tree on Green Mountain in the Flatirons. The bugs often congregate around Boulder’s higher elevations, but this year’s swarm is unusually strong and about two months ahead of the typical peak. Ladybugs feed on aphids and other insects that thrived in this year’s moist, temperate spring. April, May, and June brought 11.66 inches of precipitation, almost 50% above average.

April 7, 2009 | UCAR photographer Carlye Calvin snapped this photo of dramatic ice on the Arctic Ocean near Barrow, Alaska, in March during OASIS (Ocean–Atmosphere–Sea Ice–Snowpack). The field project, which is part of International Polar Year, is the most detailed study to date of the chemical and physical exchange processes between the ocean, atmosphere, and cryosphere (Earth’s frozen realms). Researchers are studying how these processes impact atmospheric chemistry, climate, and Earth’s ecosystems.

December 10, 2008 | There's a tradition that says retiring pilots should be doused with water upon completion of the final flights of their careers. On November 19, NCAR pilot Lowell Genzlinger completed his last flight for NCAR, departing from the VOCALS field project in Chile and landing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (Jeffco). Lowell is retiring after nearly two decades in the cockpits of different NCAR research aircraft.