OUT!! #41: Trail Runner

It was raining today which meant the school program we were meant to teach at a local park was canceled. That didn't stop me from doing what I had to however. At about 2:30 this afternoon, I got up from my job searching chair (it's the same as my desk chair really. I just thought it sounded fancy) to go and run. Boy, was it worth it!

Treading down the path at a fair clip, I felt the small drops of rain as they fell behind me and faded from sight. The sky remained gray, but I felt better as the run continued. When I started from the house, I go to jogging immediately instead of walking as I usually do. I felt like if I wanted to get somewhere where I could run for a longer period, I would have to do it by running right from the start. As a result, I ran for four minutes and walked for one before starting over again. Alternating between short rest and long strides, I've built up my stamina and hopefully am giving myself a healthier, fitter outlook on life.

As I ran through the woods, past the main fire circle, and onto the restored meadow trail, I heard the cries of jays, woodpeckers, titmice, and chickadees echo along the way. Their busiest time was now with families scattering, flocks forming, and food slowly running out. Their race was beginning now as well. I ran on further towards the pond. I passed a lone Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and the local pair of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor). I ran through a short section of cedar trees before passing along the recently cleared trail ahead. I noted as I ran that I wasn't feeling as stuffy as I'd been earlier. In the past few days, I seemed to contracted a cold from somewhere. I was trying to drink plenty of fluids and keep up the picture of health. However, going for a run did something else for me.

Being able to feel like I was pushing myself a little further, a little harder made me feel as if I could surpass the cold. Even if the feeling lasted only a few minutes, I felt very good. As I headed back towards the house, I took a detour for my cool down walk. I headed towards the haiku station near the entry to the woods. After stretching my leg muscles, I looked up. Most times of the day, I'm acutely aware of my being aware. That is to say that I see myself as looking out of a vessel or shell. While I won't go into a philosophical search for my views and perceptions of the outside world, within that moment, I was at the very least, aware and focused on the world around me. In the past few days I've felt lost with worry over how the lessons for this week's school group or after school session might work or not work. I felt like time either dragged or slipped and my reliance on a watch further exacerbated this feeling.

However, when I exercised today, I felt focused and direct. My awareness for my own progress kept me going and as I walked back to the house at the end, I was calm and collected. I saw what was around me, heard what I could pick out, and ultimately had done my work and stepped back.

OUT!! #40: Book Review: The Forest Unseen

A forest is a forest is a forest right? Well that would be an extremely short sighted view of the amazing variety and changes that took place in Shakerag Hollow in Sewanee, Tennessee as it was watched over by David George Haskell. The book starts simply with a common teaching technique used by teacher naturalists called a spot sit. He elaborates upon it by relating it back to a sand mandala that was created at the university where he works and how it represents elements of change, beauty, interconnectedness, and impermanence. As the mandala is brushed up and is sprinkled bit by bit, to flow away along a stream, he brings us back to the section of forest that he is to keep vigil over for the year.

His quiet observations show the changes of the seasons as plants and animals prepare for the warmth of spring, the bounty of summer, the simmering fall, and the eventual quiet grip of winter. While his writing is a little difficult to grasp to begin with, his style of mixing scientific inquiry and observation with poetic musings about the environment around him proves to be an interesting blend. While the chapter headings direct the reader towards his subject matter, he is by no means specifically bound towards just that one subject. Playing off of the importance of interconnecting players within this ecological space, he illuminates his readers on the relationships of parasitism displayed by the tachnid fly and the horsehair worm, the perceived sexual deviancy of snails, the energy consumed by chickadees if seeds are eaten instead of insects, and how the ugliness of a golf ball isn't necessarily the ultimate polluting sin. Indeed, what many outdoor observers seem to miss is how interconnected the world is and how if one thing is altered, the balance of a whole ecosystem is dislodged.

I feel that his spot sit is something anyone can try even if it seems a little difficult at first. People these days have trouble sitting still, even for long periods. This seems counter intuitive because of all the jobs that involve sitting at computers these days. It's hard, especially for my generation, who wants things to be interactive and instantaneous and I can't imagine what it's going to be like for the up and coming generations as tech gets faster and more invasive. But you should really give it a try. Pick a spot where people are unlikely to disturb you and just sit. It's that easy. Some might be intimidated by all that's going on around them, but I urge you to at least try. If you do so with some regularity you'll see changes taking place. You might notice the changes in the plants first, before animals become accustomed to your presence. Take your time. If you make it your goal to learn everything about everything, you'll get frustrated quickly. Observe first and if you have any questions, note them down. Observe, then query. It's not only the most scientific way of learning, but it also leaves more room for paying attention to what's going on around you.

If there are any people in your life with an interest in nature or are naturalists themselves, I highly recommend this volume. Once a month, I'll be reviewing a book that centers on natural themes such as nature observation, outdoor exploration, or a general appreciation for the natural world. I hope I can share what I'm reading with people and in turn, people can inform me of what they like as well.

Have a lovely rest of your weekend.

OUT!! #39: It's a Paradigm

While Dilbert isn't well known for being outdoorsy, he shares some of my sentiment towards "projects". Now projects can vary from fun weekend hobbies to soul-crushing work related ventures (much like the ones Dilbert is often subjected to), but the one I want to refer to is the project I'm working on at my internship here at the Watershed. As expected of an internship, I'm expected to complete a project that shows off an area I'm interested in and will provide something that will be useful to the Watershed in the future.

The project I've chosen to pursue is to make a series (and by series I mean about 70 or so) of wildlife information sheets that describes their appearance, diet, habitat, seasonal movements, and location on the Watershed property as well as a series of natural history facts about the given creature. I'd have an example to share, but I'd rather wait until I have a finished product or even a PDF of it so that people on here could get a feel for it. That's all for now.

OUT!! #38:A Healthy Outdoor Life

You see it frequently in advertising campaigns, movies, sitcoms, and other forms of media. Using the "great outdoors" as a means and a muse towards getting healthy. That's what ended up happening to me this summer. The combination of carrying a heavy bag, first aid kit, and herding groups of small children through the woods and fields of the Watershed property has left me thinner than I've ever been. As of Labor Day, I weigh 192 lbs and am adamant on keeping myself around that weight.

So what am I to do to mimic the stresses and at least the constant motion associated with active camp life? I've decided to take up running.

To my parents this is an abject bombshell as I have never displayed interest in running as a means of exercise let alone sport. It will be of no surprise to them however that I will be doing trail running as my access to a wide variety and length of trails is more or less guaranteed by my living on a nature preserve. Also it prevents the risk of road running which supposedly is harder on the feet and more dangerous due to traffic.

I've only done it for a week, but I'm adamant to keep it up as a regular habit. As long as I have somewhere to run, I figure it should do me some good in the long run (haha puns!).

OUT!! #37: Confessions of a Camp Counselor

As my fifth summer as a camp counselor draws to a close, I'm inclined (and encouraged greatly by close associates of mine) to write about my experiences as a camp counselor and what my overall opinion of such experiences was and now is. I'm eager to tell, but fear this may turn into a rant. To keep this from happening I've come up with seven observations I made this year at summer camp and I will describe each with a short paragraph or story. So without further adieu, here are the observations I've made.

#1: Your child isn't special. Period.

Whatever you've been told previously, whether you are a child yourself (and might I congratulate you on finding my blog so interesting) or a former child, or someone whose worked with children, they aren't. They just aren't! They're so much more than that flat and overused term. They embody so much emotion and talent and energy that it boggles my mind a little bit. Some are creative while others talk a lot. Some are aggressive and bossy, while others are kind and quiet. Most are goofy, some are funny, and others are just strange. They are human beings after all with all their wonderful and terrifying emotions, attitudes, and ideas. We tend to label something that takes a lot of time and work as an "obligation" or a "chore" and I can agree that that is a label I would apply to the kids I had this summer. But despite their struggles and age related worries (I had first and second graders all summer so I know what I'm talking about), they are really something else. I recommend everyone try a little harder to relate to kids the next time they see them and instead of snidely commenting of every little thing that annoys you about them, appreciate them for being them and remember that you used to be like that too.

#2: Your co-counselors make everything better.

By far this summer was excellent and made excellent by the cooperation, collaboration, and craziness that were my two co-counselors. While the kids would test our patience sometimes and quick thinking was required when certain activities didn't work out or weren't long enough, we pulled through with amazing flexibility and creativity. I've had other good counselors in the past, but these two were fabulous and while they probably already know, they have my eternal thanks and appreciation.

#3: Venting about problem children is a required end of day ritual.

Some kids you just want to scream at, while others you may wish to punt off of a cliff (metaphorically of course), so having a means to vent and complain about child behavior was a necessary end of day ritual. After we'd cleaned up and put away supplies, we'd gather round the picnic tables and discuss the day. Most kids were fine. Some had aggressive personalities that might not gel with the quieter kids or over competitive children dominating others in running games, but only once this summer did I experience a child so obnoxious that I was relieved the day he left. He not only acted like a gremlin (of movie fame you might imagine), but looked a little like one too. Towards the end of the second week he was there, he ran off during a game of Fishy, Fishy because he didn't want to run to the other side and risk getting tagged. I then had to follow him and coax him back into the game.

The second offense came on the last day. My co-counselors and I decided that going to the pond was a good way to finish the day so we headed there for lunch. Problem child didn't like this idea and loudly complained when we wouldn't sit under the trees for lunch as we'd done earlier that week. Instead he sat glumly below a paltry patch of shade near the pond's edge. While there, he found a stick insect and was sharing it with the other kids until the end of lunch. However, when we got up to leave, he tried to take the creature with him, stating that he was going to bring it home. When we told him, "No.", a tantrum ensued. He claimed that he couldn't put it back because we didn't know what species it was and other sorry excuses to try and keep it. My co-counselor and I calmly explained that this was the stick insects home and that it needed to go back to the wild. In response, he sulked. We asked him to get his bag, put it on, and get in line (as by this point, all the other children had done so and were waiting patiently for him to do so) In response, he picked up his bag, walked ten feet, deliberately dropped it, and kept going. Clearly he was going for the "I'm going to be the biggest little shit award", so we calmly asked him to pick up his dropped bag. He stomped over and sulked at the end of the line. Award achieved.

If you think that was horrible, I have other stories for other times. However, after writing that down, I really need a stiff drink before moving onto the next joy of camp. Bathrooms.

#4: Shitting in the woods is the scariest thing at camp.

Apparently the very idea of going to the bathroom in the woods is a terrifying thought to some people. Boys have it easy. Step 1. Find a tree. Step 2. Pee. Step 3. Skip step one if you have no qualms about being seen whatsoever. However, the act of defecating in the woods raises the hackles a bit. Not only are you exposing your bum to nature, but you are also at your most vulnerable making for a tense situation for all involved. One week, we had a girl at the Hobbit Tree (a large, wide spreading branched tree near the Stony Brook used for fairy house building and camouflage) who needed to use the bathroom. She'd more or less refused to use the port-a-johns the first week she was there, so it was amazing to me that she knew (even if she didn't want to) she had to go in the woods. So I grabbed the supplies needed for #2: a shovel and toilet paper. We headed down the trail a little bit and I dug the hole and instructed her on proper pooping procedure (P.P.P). For those of you who are curious, they are as follows: Step 1: Dig a hole. Step 2: Poop. Step 3: Wipe thine bum with toilet paper. Step 4: Put toilet paper in hole. Step 5: Cover hole.

Pretty easy right? Well, this little girl proved me so wrong that after it happened all I could do was laugh with disbelief. After explaining the P.P.P, I asked if she understood and she mumbled a disgruntled, "Yes.". I waited further down the trail, looking off into the brush. It was so quiet and peaceful. A cardinal sang nearby and a Black Swallowtail (Papilo polyxenes) flew past my eyes. Eventually, I heard footsteps behind me and turned around. I asked if she was finished and she nodded. I noticed that she didn't have either the shovel or the toilet paper and briefly feared that she'd tossed both into the bushes out of contempt for what I'd just put her through. I asked that she go back and get them and she did so begrudgingly. I gave her hand sanitizer and headed back. An inkling told me to go back and check that she'd done it properly. When I arrived upon the scene, my thoughts about what I might find came to a screeching halt. Not only had she missed the hole, but the size of the shit stunned me even more. For how small a child she was, that was a massive shit. She'd also put the toilet paper around it and it looked slightly shredded too. I poked it into the hole with a stick and covered the whole mess. While this was the only poorly executed poo I had to deal with this summer, there were plenty others that either wet or shat themselves. I would go into greater detail, but I would probably do better to forget such experiences.

#5: Fairy houses are the bomb.

Nuff said!

#6: CITs can make or break group dynamic.

Most of the CITs (Counselors In Training) I had this summer were great. For the most part they interacted with the kids, played the games, kept them in order, and were helpful members of the group. However, the last two we had with our group were terrible for different reasons. The second to last CIT that we had seemed to have leadership complex where he envisioned himself as a counselor more than a CIT and tried to emulate that role. He even tried disciplining one of our kids when it clearly wasn't his job to do so. However, his antics whilst well intentioned were nothing compared to our last CIT. He clearly didn't want to be at camp. From some reports we got, he was more like a problem camper last year and hadn't changed much since then. He didn't participate in any activity unless you told him to. He didn't get excited about anything. He didn't like being outside. He was the very epitome of a "Debby downer" and it showed. One of my co-counselors noted that we'd have been better off without him like we'd been the prior week (he was with 3rd and 4th beforehand). So CITs take note! You're allowed to not want to be somewhere, but instead of sulking, make your situation better. Fake it till you make it if necessary, but at least try. Who knows? The outdoors might be just the antidote you're looking for.

#7: Nature camp is a great idea.

It allows the kids to explore the natural world in a semi-controlled setting while providing time to explore, learn, and experience the world around them. I had kids who were afraid of bugs and mud at the start of the week crashing through it by the end and catching all the critters they could grab. Along with exploration, certain lessons such as predation, migration, camouflage etc. get engrained in various games, songs, and other educational activities get them excited about nature as well. I could go on, but I covered my feelings on the matter in OUT!! #8 and it would be redundant to repeat myself.

That's all there is to it I guess. If you'd like to know more, leave a comment below and I'll try to be as helpful as possible. Have a great rest of the week and thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

OUT!! #36: Summer Doldrums

It's the middle of the summer camp season officially today. After this only three weeks remain and I'm waiting for it. This week has been the usual interesting medley of triumph and trouble, but the last two days have felt like a mental stress test. I understand that working with 6 and 7 year old children has it's own challenges and joys, but I really started to feel like this week was harder than the prior two. The past two days I have been feeling lousy for two reasons. One is that we've been having some listening issues in our group and as a result, when you attempt to explain an activity to the kids, half of them have no clue what's going on and ask all the way through what we are doing and how to do it. Also they take way, waaay too long to get ready to go places. Individually they might be good kids, or even great kids, but you put the wrong mixture of kids together, then something bad might pop out of it.

The second thing is loneliness. This weekend I finally get to see the love of my life when she returns from Ohio. After three weeks apart, I'm going crazy. I pine for her and love her so deeply that when I'm sitting alone in my room in the evening, I can't even stand the silence. But she'll be here Sunday and when she is, all the animosity I've felt this week will melt away. I hope she likes the present I got her at the nature store yesterday too. Bird-themed of course!

Well. Another Friday has come and with only three more to experience this summer, I can only hope to cheer up by next week because next Friday will mark a month at camp. I'm sick of feeling sad because I'm pretty happy with how my group is running, how well (this week is hopefully an outlier in terribleness) all our activities are going, and with the camp in general. It's a big space to explore and while I can wait to see what happens next week, I'm more hopeful for a less stressful one.

OUT!! #35: Are You a "Naturalist"?

"Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt is one of those non fiction books that I can pick up over and over again, read a specific section, and get transported back to the wonder and intrigue that attracted me to it in the first place. What drew me in particular was a section on the modern definition of what a "naturalist" is. She writes the following on pages 41-42:

"Developing as a naturalist, a knower of nature, is arguably one of the most critical task for modern humans on the planet Earth, yet naturalist is a word and a role that has, in the last century, lost its core meaning. Not that the tern isn't used. After about a half a millennium during which the title was deemed archaic and dropped out of common parlance, naturalist is suddenly the word of the moment. It seems everyone calls herself a naturalist these days. The counselors who watch over my daughter at day camp? Naturalists. "Why are they called naturalists?" I inquired of the camp director. Well, because of all the nature activities of course. And it's true that my daughter did bring home a mosaic fashioned of leaves and sticks glued onto a paper plate. Claire and the other fifty children also pillaged the native plants around a nearby pond and stuffed them into ill-fated mayonnaise-jar terrariums that sat on kitchen counters for two weeks, all fogged up, before dying. The high school student at the city aquarium who, bless her, memorized all twelve species in the "touch-tank" and spends her summer helping children identify them is distinguished as a naturalist. It seems anyone connected with any sort of job that can be construed as having something to do with nature becomes, on their resume, a naturalist..."

Now most of you are thinking, "G. Perkins, that's a lot of words and while I can agree that certain words are used too often to describe something they aren't like chiropractors being "medical professionals" or Donald Trump being a "businessman", but what are you trying to get across?" I suppose what I found most interesting was my reaction to this section and what it really means to be considered a "naturalist". Haupt goes on to discuss the history of what a naturalist was and how she defines it. She describes the position as being a medley of different disciplines that all offer an appreciation for the natural world. Subjects and practices such as art, philosophy, cookery, field craft, observation, and scientific inquiry all have provided roles in the enjoyment and learning process concerning nature and her cohorts.

I don't describe myself as a naturalist or even a "nature-lover". I see myself mainly as an appreciator and an observer. While other thoughts might chime in, noting my drawings and characters locked away in an abandoned sketchbook somewhere as having been inspired by the natural world, as well as, my appreciation for literature, both fantasy and realistic, that contains visions of that world as well. Instead I hesitate to specifically link this with a "naturalist" mentality or identity. I suppose what keeps me from identifying with it most, is my presumption that a naturalist has spent many years within a given area and garnered a certain knowledge of that given area. Back home in the Sudbury River Valley, it would have to be here that I could comfortably called myself a naturalist as I know its different habitats very well and know what creatures and other natural phenomena to expect there as well. 

This summer I am at camp once more and I've been wondering about that passage more lately. I wonder if my fellow counselors feel the same. I probably think about these things more than other people, but I really want to know what people's opinions of the title is. Of the two camps I've ever worked at, the title of "teacher-naturalist" has always remained consistent, when really we're all counselors with a varying knowledge and interest in the natural world. Some more than others just need a summer job and a chance to get outside, while others like myself love teaching kids about nature and getting the chance to show off our knowledge to the younger generation is a wonderful and humbling experience. When I get the chance to ask that question, I'd love to follow up on it with another post. Maybe even this week too. I would love to see what others think of this question.

Have a good week and stay cool. It's supposed to be a scorcher "they" say.

OUT!! #34: New Directions

So since my computer failure/rebirth (for more information see my blog posting on my other blog, On the wing), I've been busy with preparing for camp and while I'm excited, I'm also pretty nervous. Not only is it a completely new environment with new regulations and rules to follow but also new people, surroundings, and ways of going about things. In other ways, I want to branch out a bit on this blog. While not getting too personal, I feel like I have more to talk about than just my opinion of the natural world. I'm interested in public perception of wildlife, people's attitudes towards to outside world, books, media presentations, and actions that we ourselves are all more involved in than many of us care to admit.

While it will be a shorter post this week, I wanted to give you all a heads up. For those than read On the Wing, the content will remain the same. I really want to give my opinion (what else is a blog for eh?) and yet not be so in people's face about my diet, habits, sports preferences, yada yada yada. But again. That's not what this blog is about. It's about my opinions about the natural world and how it is perceived by not only myself, but also by the world in general. We have one planet to live on and the sooner we recognize that when we use up all the dirt so we only have magma to stand on, hoping and praying for a better future will get us nowhere.

See you soon.

OUT!! #33: A Tribute to the Awe-Inspiring Horror that are Wolf Spiders

When you first gaze upon this image, the first thoughts that might come to mind are fear, disgust, and yet, a certain level of reverence. I had an interesting problem this evening involving the lightning fast speed of this particular spider.

Before I get ahead of myself, I should introduce my nemesis. This fine, yet terrifying fellow to my left is a wolf spider (Lycosidae) which is a medium sized (my measurement of "medium" is any spider capable of growing over an inch long) spider that hunts down its prey by chasing it and delivering a venomous bite. Occasionally they are also sit and wait hunters that wait for prey to walk by before pouncing. Their main identification feature are their eight eyes (four large and four small) and are found in three rows on the head. This gives them an excellent field of vision and makes them harder to squish as they are more aware of movement and therefore more aware of errant Welshmen that wish harm upon them.

Back to the main story though. The past few nights I've had a short, but terrifying dream involving a spider and my bedside table. Thinking I could just blow the spider off the edge, I did so, but each time I did, the spider returned and covered double the distance that I'd just blown it backwards. Simply put, if I blew it back two inches, it advanced four. I did this a few times until it was nearly at the edge and gave out one big final gust. However, this blew the spider to about the edge of the table and, as expected, it flew right at my face causing me to awaken in terror.

So as I lounged in my bed this evening, I noticed a blur on the floor with my peripheral vision. I looked down and froze. It was a wolf spider. The very same kind that had terrified me in my dream. I did not want them to come true so I tried to crush it with my tea cup. I only succeeded in sloshing tea on my computer cord as it scarpered away under my bed. Now I was paranoid that it wouldn't come back out. I tried to convince myself it had fled to safety and wouldn't venture out after that. However, about two minutes later, I saw it had returned. I saw it for about two seconds and, as if seeming to sense that something was wrong, it scuttled back under the bed.

Determined not to spend a paranoia ridden night with a wolf spider under my bed, I got off the bed and moved it away from the wall (it's only a twin so it was easy). However, there was nothing underneath it. The speedy little ninja had gotten away. Now I was really paranoid. I scanned the room, but could see nothing. I pushed the bed back against the wall and scanned again. Nothing under the chair. Nothing near the fireplace, Nothing near the- AH HA!!

In the corner, near the bedside table was the spider. It had spread itself up into the corner and remained still. As stealthily as I could I picked up my tin box of colored pencils and was ready to do battle with the eight-eyed speed demon. I moved closer and it came inching towards me. I stopped. It stopped. I moved. It moved. I lunged. It dashed along the wall towards the chair and I tried to attack it there. But it doubled back and headed towards the corner again. Another lunge and it headed back towards the chair. Once more, it doubled back and tried to escape under the table. I didn't even try to aim. I brought down the edge of the tin box to where I last saw the spider. It slammed into the ground and ground a few centimeters into the nearby wall. I paused. Was it dead?

I lifted the tin box and looked at the side. Three pairs of mangled legs and a body section were all that remained. I let out a maniacal laugh. One that could only be associated with pure dumb luck at the joy of having killed a miniscule threat and yet how hard it had seemed at the time to have done so. With the threat neutralized, I scraped the remains into my trash and settled back down. And that's my exciting story for the week. And to think I'd thought I would have had to scrape something interesting together to put on here. Well, that's one blog down for the week...

OUT!! #32: Eastern Box Turtle

While on a program the other day, I had the great fortune to have one of the participants spot a female Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) digging near the side of the trail. By the looks of it, she'd either just finished the job, just started, or was making a false nest (designed to throw off predators from where the real nest might be). Seeing one of these creatures is a wonderful sight to behold as they are woefully endangered largely by human influence.

The Eastern Box Turtle is one of six subspecies spread across the eastern and south central United States and is the state reptile (at least the nominate species is) of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri. A pretty high distinction for a very cool reptile. They are called box turtles because of their ability to shut their shells completely to prevent predators from securing a limb or their heads in order to incapacitate them. Their domed shells are also intricately patterned meaning that individual box turtles can be identified by the unique patterns on the carapace of the shell. Adding to the individuality are the scales on the back of the shell itself which have rings allowing one to be able to determine the age of the turtle as well. This is a pretty good tool, but it might be harder than it looks as these turtles can live to be 50 to 75 years old.

While they can live to such ages, they are vulnerable to human-related injury. They are often hit by cars, crushed by agricultural equipment, or taken in for the pet trade. As a result they are regarded by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as a vulnerable species.

Despite this, they are still a fairly common sight in the East being seen most often in fields, open woods, and yards bordering wild areas. Despite being portrayed in many internet videos as aggressive maulers of strawberries, they are actually omnivores that eat a wide variety of plant and animal matter. There is even a current theory that suggests that the young are more likely to be carnivores when they first start out before gradually moving on to eat the often slower and easier to catch plants and fungi. Why then don't they just start off with plants you may wonder? My thoughts are that it's a theory supported mainly by anecdotal evidence and might instead be an interesting hypothesis instead of a working theory.

Having never seen a box turtle in the wild before, I would have spent more time looking and observing, but with a program to burn and time running out, I had to move on. If on my own time however, I see one, I'll be sure to check it out and let you know about it too.

OUT!! #31: Roadkill Redux

On my way back from spending a lovely weekend in Ohio with my girlfriend (she is a songbird nest technician for the summer), I couldn't help but notice the high numbers of roadkill lining the sides of the highway. Well...not lining like a procession, but more like a body every couple of miles or so. The most common sight was of what I assumed were female White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in varying states of pulverization. Some were intact but resembled burly, bloated flour sacks with legs splayed in different directions. Others had the calling cards of traumatic injury such as broken or even severed limbs and still others, having been hit in the middle of the road, had been ground into the pavement by the repeated and monotonous hum of vehicular traffic.

It must be a regular sight for the seasoned traveler to find animals that once were alive, but now often lay plastered across the pavement in great streaks of flesh and entrails. One becomes desensitized to the idea of death being so prevalent on our roads and often people don't even glance back at the lifeless form that sits before them. If possible, I prefer to get close and covet what is left of the creature. It may look weird to others, but I feel that it is one of the best ways to appreciate the body of an animal, even a recently deceased one.

I took these photos some time last fall or winter near Walden Pond in Concord, MA. Just by the side of the road being passed by car after car after car was a doe, recently killed by a motorist and lying prone by the side of the road. What struck me about the doe's presence in that place was the obvious nature of her being there. Even in death, people were passing her by without really acknowledging her. They might have tutted or sighed with the loss of a "beautiful wild creature" but without closer inspection, I feel like their sympathy for the loss of the deer was not so heartfelt.

Judging by her splayed legs she, like so many of the dead deer I saw along the highway, was probably shocked after being hit broadside by a vehicle and probably died of a combination of internal trauma and shock. The life had since faded from her eyes leaving only the glazed over cornea that can be seen in the head shots above. The complete opacity of the cornea indicates that the deer had probably been dead longer than 24 hours by that point and probably died within the last day or so.

What does this mean ultimately? And why do I have such a morbid (haha, bad pun) fascination with death and roadkill? I think what holds the greatest interest for me is what has captured the attention of biologists, naturalists, and anyone who's been alive on this planet since ever! It is the "spark" of life that seems to move us while we're alive and seems to exhale out of us when we die. To become nothing but inanimate flesh and bone after death seems so foreign and unpleasant, I can see why some people are bothered by the sight of dead animals by the side of the highway. But after such a traumatic death, they are not what they once were. Their still forms dot the roadsides, reminding us of the life that surrounds us, but unfortunately and all too often meets its end by colliding with man's wheeled convenience machines. While I've seen plenty of roadkill in my life and even handled (with gloves!) some creatures out of curious observation, I can't help but wonder if there is more to the death of some creatures than others. Not just the process, but the act of dying itself is what I find most compelling.

There is a book by Bernd Heinrich called "Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death" which focuses on how death is equal to life in that it's role is just as important for maintaining the lives of the many species that live upon this planet. He discusses the roles of scavengers and predators, as well as the importance of understanding the role that death plays in all of our lives. I look forward to reading it as Heinrich is one of my favorite authors with his succinct, yet rich writing detailing the lives of the animals he observes around him. I'll talk about my thoughts on it another time (I have thought about turning this blog into a nature book review blog, but I'll have to experiment with that first) and hopefully I will come back with a glowing review. Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day and enjoy the rest of your week.

OUT!! #30: The Humble Spittlebug

For those of you wanderers of field and meadow, you've probably noticed the globs of "spit" that are attached to the stem of certain plants. Rather than being the random oral ejections of some passing human, they are instead the unique protection device of the spittlebug nymph. The spittlebug produces this by feeding on the sap of the plant that is hosting it, while simultaneously releasing the waste product as a foaming mass of liquid.

They are most notable in the month of May after the young hatches out and begin to feed on the young stems of tall perennials and other herbaceous vegetation. After they morph into adulthood however, they shed their dribbling habits and hop at breakneck speed across their leafy habitat.

I'll be doing a series of these easy insect guides to help identify some of the commoner late spring and early summer insect life. This allows me to present good and simple info to my audience and promote awareness for these species in general. Have a great week everyone.

OUT!! #29: Urban Dictionary Describes Bugs and Other Internet Maladies

Over the past few days, I have been doing insect programs at work and I wanted to know what people's perceptions of insects are in general. And what better way to find that out by doing two basic tests: The Urban Dictionary Test and the "What Does the Internet Think?"Scale.

The five test words are the following:

1. Bee
2. Wasp
3. Spider
4. Stink Bug
5. Insect

First up, the Urban Dictionary Test revealed the following:

1. Bee

 

 2. Wasp

3. Spider

 

4. Stink Bug

5. Insect

A series of mixed results indeed. The stronger, "What Does the Internet Think?" scale should be able to determine the people's thoughts about their invertebrate counterparts.

1. Bee

2. Wasp

3. Spider

 4. Stink Bug
 








5. Insect

Mostly negative with the stink bug being inconclusive. Clearly this tells me two things: 1. the people hate bugs and 2. I didn't have a good topic for this week and wanted to squeeze a subpar blog posting. I promise I'll have something better next week!

Enjoy your weekend all!

OUT!! #28: You Put the Lyme in the Coconut

It's official. I have Lyme disease, I'm being treated for it. After a month of having a swollen knee that wasn't being healed by rest, ice, and elevation, the diagnosis came as a shock, but being able to treat it calms me down quite a bit. I'll have to avoid the sun and drink lots of water however, but it'll be worth it in the long run to be able to bend my knee again.

But for those of you wondering what Lyme disease is, you've come to the right place. Lyme disease was first discovered in Old Lyme, Connecticut in the 1970s and has since spread to much of the Eastern seaboard with the majority of the cases coming from the mid Atlantic states and southern New England. A key indicator of Lyme's presence can often be tied to the number of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) living in the area. Around Pennington, NJ, it can be said that there is an overabundance of deer with people being able to spot them almost nightly basis. Everywhere you go, their sign can be found ranging from scat, tracks, trails, and even their carcasses from a bad winter or coyote attack in the past. The deer themselves don't spread Lyme disease, but a parasite that targets them does.

Any outdoors lover will have heard of and interacted with ticks at some point. The most likely way people get Lyme disease is by being bitten by a deer tick (Ixodes scapularis). The best way to prevent this is to be vigilant and cautious. If you really don't want to be marauded by ticks, don't walk through tall grass or in areas with high deer numbers. However since most of the eastern seaboard has an overabundance of deer brought on by a lack of apex predators, an unwilling generation of children wanting to become hunters, and the continued "Bambification" of the American mindset towards wildlife (I've exaggerated the last one, but you hear it enough when you talk to city folk), the tactics change up a bit. The best way to avoid getting bitten is to give yourself regular tick checks after going through tick country. This will ensure that you find them crawling rather than imbedded and give you more time to remove them before they become a problem. While small, they are generally distinguished from freckles by the fact that they move and possess eight legs (they are arachnids after all). If you find them crawling, flicking them back into the grass is the best policy. However, if you feel the need to cripple them by removing the head with pliers or taking off their legs, be my guest.

The ecological part of me recognizes the importance of ticks in the environment. They provide food for other animals and spread disease that helps to manage populations of large ungulates. However, as an annoyed sufferer of Lyme, I instead wish them a harsh death and while I'm willing to compromise in that I'll put them back, they might not go back in one piece.

I realize this is more of a rant than a coherent argument put forth to protect oneself from Lyme disease, but to be honest, I'm annoyed that I wasn't able to get this over with quicker and be able to run at 100% again. I can at least feel thankful that I now have the meds to fight the bacterium spread by the biting freckles of the grass and woods. I'm just about done with it though and hope that things clear up for the better and I can get back to business as usual.

Have a great week everyone and enjoy the sunshine if you can. And if not sun, then rainshine will do just as well.

OUT!! #27: Phone Scoping and Other Technical Mishaps

Phone scoping refers to the practice of using one's camera phone and a scope/binocular in order to get a closer shot. This can produce varying results and is best done with a steady hand and extreme patience. This is a good way to get acquainted with digi-scoping as well. It differs in the sense that a digital camera is specially mounted onto a spotting scope in order to take distant pictures of birds, animals, ships, or any other object of interest.

This was taken on 1x zoom or regular

This one was taken using 3.5 to 4x zoom

The first photos show a Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) seen at the pond last week. For the most part, the phone takes a good picture, but gets overexposed in the noon day sun and causes most of the lighter lines and shades to look as if they're glowing radioactively. Having the bird close by makes the shots a little clearer however and they are fair for identification purposes.

Another selection of pictures shows a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) I saw preening near the dock today. While the top picture shows a clear image, the bottom one reveals the effects of shaky hands that are to be expected when holding up a heavy pair of binos and balancing a camera phone against one of the lenses in order to snap a picture. Did I mention I have finite patience? So far the only clear image I got out of five photos was the top shot, so you can't win them all can you?

Aren't you just a little darling?!

Lastly, this lovely little Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) was found by a coworker and of course, I had to get a picture. As we can see, there has been no photo manipulation or use of a scope to enhance the image. Just a creature in hand as a simple photo subject (and yes, they are that small when they hatch). It was such a little cutie, but we had to return it to the wild.

Overall, camera phones are useful pieces of technology that are so simple to use and can make for some interesting wildlife shots. So even if you don't have a proper camera, if you have a steady hand or at least some patience (binoculars help if you need zoom too), you'll be able to take some fantastic shots.

Have a lovely weekend and I'll be back next week.

OUT!! #26: Just a Pond?

As it starts to get warmer and sunnier, many of us start to look outside with growing anticipation. Summer is coming and soon there will be warm temperatures, buzzing cicadas, ice cream vans, swimming children, sweating grandparents, and millions of mosquitoes waiting to sample the populous for their yearly blood tax.

But as the days get warmer, only one thing's on my mind. Ponding. What's ponding you say? I learned the fine art of ponding as a first year counselor at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, MA and ever since then, it has stuck with me as the ideal nature exploration activity. Oh sure, you could go into the field and catch insects...you could even look for tracks and scat along the trails. But for up close and personal experiences, I would pick ponding any day! Simply put, ponding is the art of exploring the biodiversity of a pond with any tools at hand. Got some fish nets? Excellent! Got a sieve? Even better!

Yep, you heard me! Item number one on any ponders list is a sieve. They have finer holes than nets and are more rigid making for tougher mudders when you're trying to power through algae to test the waters for crayfish and other aquatic invertebrates.

Afraid to get your feet wet? Well it defeats the purpose of ponding if you don't get a little wet. But if you're adamant about staying dry, birding is another good way of taking nature into account. Water bodies of all sizes have some form of bird life inhabiting them from loons and diving ducks on reservoirs to Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Marsh Wrens (Cistothorus palustris) in cattail (Typha spp.) marshes to the gulls and terns of our coasts. Where ever there's water, you're bound to find a huge variety of bird life abounding just a few feet away.

Curious about the finned inhabitants of your local pond? Go fishing! It's one of the easiest ways to get in contact with members of a food web as well as seeing the variety of forms that fish have evolved into in order to survive. Using baitfish to catch Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides), one can notice that the bigger fish tend to take bigger meals and will attack a wide variety of lures. Catching sunfish off the nest can illuminate the tenacity of these disc-shaped fish as well as reveal their intriguing breeding style. Rather than spawn in riffles of a river like trout, sunfish (Largemouth Bass included) carve a nest out of the muddy bottom using their fins and tails as fans. After the females have laid their eggs in the nest, the males defend their clutch with amazing ferocity, attacking anything that seems like a threat including a fisherman's lure.

There are more ways to explore ponds and other waterways! Kayaking and canoeing put you right on the waters film where all the action takes place, while swimming and diving allow you to see the world as a fish sees it. One can also look for frogs in the shallows and try to catch them too or watch turtles basking on logs and rocks along the shore.

With so much to explore out in the pond, it's a wonder more people haven't tried it! So get out there and find somewhere wet to investigate. It needn't be a wilderness lake for it to be an amazing experience. Just so long as you have the spark of discovery and the curiosity to pursue it, the natural world will provide like a well thumbed book. It may be old, moth-eaten, and sometimes downright dirty, but it's often the best place to start.

Have a lovely week.

OUT!! #25: Herbarium

Recently in my quest to become the best naturalist ever (well that's not strictly true. I'm trying to learn other things natural that don't have feathers, fly, and possess the terminal velocity necessary to carry a coconut.), I've decided to start a herbarium. For those unfamiliar with the practice, it involved collecting, pressing, and preserving plant specimens for personal or scientific consumption. I'm making one so that I can sharpen my pressing skills (in case I get crafty and bedazzle a lampshade one of these days) and to increase my plant identification skills. Below, I've included a few photos of plants and wildflowers I've found so far.

Red Maple (Acer rubrum) buds sprouting in the late evening at Bombay Hook NWR. The flowers are bunched together

Lesser Celadine (Ranunculus ficaria) carpets the ground in many places. They are an alien species that originally comes from Europe and Asia.

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) just starting to sprout in the moist woods on the SBMWA property. These pictures were taken along the Stony Brook Trails.

Magnolia spp. Probably a cultivar or some sort. Very pretty blooms that only last about a week unfortunately

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is another alien species that is familiar to most people as the nemesis weed. The weed that people despise to have upon their monotonous greenscapes.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia spp.) is a common springtime bloom to be found on the quiet lawns and field edges of New Jersey.

Onion Grass (Allium spp.) is also a common springtime plant that can be distinguished from regular lawn grass by their tubular structure, their tall green stems, and strong onion smell when crushed in hand.

Puffballs aren't plants, but they are cool to find. These spherical fungi can be poked or prodded slightly. When you do you will notice that "smoke" appears to billow out of them. These are spores and when released from the body of the fungi will settle nearby and sprout during the next growing season.

With such a variety out there, it makes one wonder what other amazing plants there are to find out in the woods and fields in the months to come. I can't wait to see what I can find.

OUT!! #24: Fishing Once More

It's amazing how one activity can make one calm down and reflect on the day. After work today, I fly-fished on the small pond near where I do my internship and it was lovely. While the wind played tricks with the fly line, I still managed to cast my line in looping arcs and swirls over the mud stained water below.

Despite only catching Bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus), having the ability to go fishing so close to "home" and being able to relax after a lovely spring day just makes it feel all worthwhile. They may not have been big ones, but they were pleasurable for the purpose they served.

A good time had by all. Well...maybe not the fish. Have a lovely week all!

OUT!! #23: Turtle Crossing

After my visit to Bombay Hook NWR in Delaware, I got to see Eastern Mud Turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum) for the first time ^_^.

Here's a sample of the photos I took during my afternoon there.

My guess is that they were migrating to breeding areas or maybe to better feeding areas. Very cool to see though. Sorry about not posting yesterday. I was really beat from two hours of driving, along with all the sun I got to experience after a long winter/spring's cold. When you've felt nothing but chills for a few weeks and then suddenly it's warm, it takes some adjustment. Hope you all have a lovely week. ^_^

OUT!! #22: That's not a Penny!

After returning from doing laundry this evening (having neglected it this weekend), I stopped for a bit to listen to the Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) outside the house. The chorus of chirrups and peeps can be heard for quite a distance and I'm certain there were hundreds of them chorusing for mates in the wet patches in the darkness beyond. As I walked inside I pondered what I was going to do for a blog posting here for this week. Being midweek, I wanted something easy to do that would pertain to the message of the blog, but substantive enough that it would be worth reading. I actually considered using the peepers as my inspiration for this week's blog posting, but what I experienced next would provide the basis for it instead.

As I entered the house and headed to my room, nothing unusual occurred. The same can be said when I opened my top drawer to open my coin/keepsake box that had my loose change rolling around in it. I had a large collection of quarters in my sweater pouch that I'd exchanged while at the laundromat and was eager to deposit them in their rightful place in the box at bottom of the drawer. However, as I lifted the lid, disaster struck. Having not been secured properly the last time I had closed it, the lid flew open sending a tide of pennies and nickels to the bottom corner of the drawer. I cursed as about 30 or so accumulated there and frustrated at this problem, began to hastily clear them up.

Out of the corner of my eye however, I noticed something orange and fast moving away from the drawer and towards my desk. At first I thought it was an errant penny I had missed, but after a second or two I realized it was something different all together. The mystery orange streak fled under my desk and paused for a moment. I rushed over to my bedside table and picked up my head lamp. Heading back to the desk I focused the light beam on the mystery object. Several wispy legs and a mottled orange and brown body froze in the corner. I then realized what I'd seen.

Come closer my dear...

Closer....

That's close enough!

The mystery streak was a House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata), a species that had colonized much of the human settlements of the world. They originate from the Mediterranean region and are generally seen speeding across open ground looking for cover. Like most invertebrates that live among us, they mean us no harm and only want to care for themselves and their young. It was a cool thing to see, but as long as they leave me alone, I'm more than content to leave these creepy crawly floor walkers alone too.

Have a great week y'all!