Haze

The title of the photo is "Haze."  There just happens to be an airplane in it.  I like to watch the airplanes coms and go as I wait to pick up my son from work.  When I look at the same mountain every day (Claremont), I become more aware of details, like visibility toward the East (Reno) and the West (Spanish Peak), and estimate visibility based on known landmarks.  The amount of haze from the Yosemite and Redding fires, and maybe sometimes from Mendocino County, has been so intense that I've given up my afternoon hikes up Boyle Ravine for the time being.  Today is a "Red Alert" for even more intense haze today in Reno where I'm planning to be.  I can't help but wonder of the animals, from mammals on down to the lowest invertebrates, are similarly affected.  Do the deer move more slowly or graze less?  Are the earthworms bothered by it?  Does it affect how the airplane breathes?  Sad that I have to contemplate these things.  I think I'll make time in this day for a rain dance.