Before I even entered the park, I found something that I wanted to look at closer.
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| The woodchips at the base of this Eastern Hemlock trunk are the result of Pileated Woodpeckers searching for ants and other insects within the trunk |
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Into the woods - A walk at Mission Creek (Part 1)
After spending much of the past four days inside listening to speakers, I am getting a little stir-crazy. So this morning, after completing two classroom presentations, I decided to head to the woods at Mission Creek Woodland Park for some needed "nature time". Because i took so many photos during this walk, I am going to break this down into two separate posts. Expect part two to be posted tomorrow (09 March 2016)
Before I even entered the park, I found something that I wanted to look at closer.
Before I even entered the park, I found something that I wanted to look at closer.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Wildflower Association of Michigan Annual Conference 2016.
It's conference time for me. On Friday, I attended the Michigan Science Teachers Association annual conference. On Saturday I was at the Quiet Water Symposium. Yesterday and today (06 and 07 March) I am attending the Wildflower Association of Michigan annual conference at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. This is my sixth year attending this conference. I first attended the WAM conference in 2011 when my wife was awarded a grant to install a garden at her school. You can find many pictures of this garden here on my blog. This garden started my work at installing native pollinator habitats. So far I have helped plan and install four of them around Isabella County.
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| Saginaw Chippewa Academy Native Pollinator Garden (June 2015) |
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| The garden in June 2014 |
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| The garden as it appeared in July 2013 |
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| The garden site as it appeared in 2011 before planting |
Every year the Wildflower Association of Michigan is able to give grants up to $1000 dollars to schools and other organizations across the state. This year WAM was able to give out 11 different grants. One of the grants was awarded the Little Forks Conservancy to expand demonstration gardens at their offices in Midland. Congratulations to the Little Forks Conservancy and all of the other awardees.
Make sure to check out the Little Forks Conservancy and learn more about their preserves and conservation activities.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Happy National Reading Month!
Quite often students ask me the question "How do you know so much?" I let them in on the secret - I read a lot. I read all of the time. Every year I keep track of the number of books that I read, including the number of pages in each book. In 2015, I read 68 books totaling more than 22,000 pages - this doesn't count magazine, newspapers, web journals, etc. My goal every year is to read at least one book a week over the course of the year - I usually meet that goal.
Many of the books that I read are about science and nature. I thought I would take the opportunity provided by National Reading Month to recommend a few of my favorites from the past few years.
Swampwalker's Journal: A Wetlands Year by David M. Carroll (ISBN 0-618-12737-2)
It is no big secret that I love wetlands (just type the word wetlands into the search box to the right) and I love this book about wetlands. In fact, this is one of my all time favorite books. It was originally published in 1999. I think that I first read it in 2001 or 2002 and have re-read it multiple times since then. The author takes you on a year-long journey to explore the wetlands of the northeastern United States. Even better, the text is interspersed with the author's illustrations of many of the plant and animal species encountered during his wanderings. Every time I read this book, I get inspired to go outside and explore - this book was part of the inspiration of my 2014 Wildflower Big Year. It has been several years since I last read this and it's on my list to read again this spring.
Hunting From Home: A Year Afield in the Blue Ridge Mountains by Christopher Camuto
(ISBN 0-393-04915-9)
This book is about hunting and fishing, but more importantly it is about close observation of nature and living a life close to nature. Hunting from Home was originally published in 2004 and I read a library copy soon after its publication. I have been searching bookstores for a copy ever since. This is such a good book that I wanted to own a copy. I finally broke down and bought a copy on the internet this winter. This book contains my all time favorite passage about hunting (and life).
One November the hunter will not be in the woods and neither the deer not the woods nor
the wind will know or mark the difference his absence makes. If you hunt, and if you have taken
your modest share of game---not as trophies but as food for your table--- then you will
understand the beauty in that unmarked difference in the woods. Folks who are on their way to
heaven or some other imagined paradise where the trus cost of living does not have to be paid
won't understand or accept this. But I am not trying to get to heaven. I am trying to get to earth.
Hunting from Home is the next book on my list to re-read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in both great nature writing and great writing about hunting.
A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees (ISBN 978-1-250-07097-5) and A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm (ISBN 978-1-250-06588-9) by Dave Goulson
This pair of books by British biologist Dave Goulson were the best natural history books that I read in 2015. I read A Sting in the Tale and immediately bought A Buzz in the Meadow. Both of these books deal with the lives of insects. Although they are written from a European perspective, the message about insect conservation work equally well for an American audience - especially given the severe decline of many North American bee species. I highly recommend these books to anyone interested in learning more about insects, their natural history, and the impact that we have on them.
The Salamander Room by Ann Mazer (ISBN 0-679-86187-4)
Not every book on my list can be for adults. I love The Salamander Room. It is about a small boy that finds a salamander and wants to take him home as a pet. The book is basically a conversation about habitats between the small boy and his mother who has concerns about whether the boy's room would be the best place for the salamander. It is great introduction to studying the living requirements and habitats of any species. The story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher that turn the boy's bedroom into a woodland paradise fit for any salamander.
Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman (ISBN 978-0-618-13547-9)
The final book on my list is sort of a companion to Swampwalker's Journal. Song of the Waterboatman is a wonderful book of poetry written about wetland habitats and their resident plants and animals. Each poem is paired with a colorful woodcut illustration by artist Becky Prange. Additionally, each poem is accompanied by a short natural history paragraph highlighting the subject of the poem. While this book was written for children, the poetry and illustrations are equally enjoyable for adults. It deserves a place on everyone's natural history bookshelf.
I could easily add another dozen books (and more) to this list, but I am going to hold myself back. If you would like any specific recommendations please feel free to contact me.
Many of the books that I read are about science and nature. I thought I would take the opportunity provided by National Reading Month to recommend a few of my favorites from the past few years.
Swampwalker's Journal: A Wetlands Year by David M. Carroll (ISBN 0-618-12737-2)
It is no big secret that I love wetlands (just type the word wetlands into the search box to the right) and I love this book about wetlands. In fact, this is one of my all time favorite books. It was originally published in 1999. I think that I first read it in 2001 or 2002 and have re-read it multiple times since then. The author takes you on a year-long journey to explore the wetlands of the northeastern United States. Even better, the text is interspersed with the author's illustrations of many of the plant and animal species encountered during his wanderings. Every time I read this book, I get inspired to go outside and explore - this book was part of the inspiration of my 2014 Wildflower Big Year. It has been several years since I last read this and it's on my list to read again this spring.
Hunting From Home: A Year Afield in the Blue Ridge Mountains by Christopher Camuto
(ISBN 0-393-04915-9)
This book is about hunting and fishing, but more importantly it is about close observation of nature and living a life close to nature. Hunting from Home was originally published in 2004 and I read a library copy soon after its publication. I have been searching bookstores for a copy ever since. This is such a good book that I wanted to own a copy. I finally broke down and bought a copy on the internet this winter. This book contains my all time favorite passage about hunting (and life).
One November the hunter will not be in the woods and neither the deer not the woods nor
the wind will know or mark the difference his absence makes. If you hunt, and if you have taken
your modest share of game---not as trophies but as food for your table--- then you will
understand the beauty in that unmarked difference in the woods. Folks who are on their way to
heaven or some other imagined paradise where the trus cost of living does not have to be paid
won't understand or accept this. But I am not trying to get to heaven. I am trying to get to earth.
Hunting from Home is the next book on my list to re-read. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in both great nature writing and great writing about hunting.
A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures with Bumblebees (ISBN 978-1-250-07097-5) and A Buzz in the Meadow: The Natural History of a French Farm (ISBN 978-1-250-06588-9) by Dave Goulson
This pair of books by British biologist Dave Goulson were the best natural history books that I read in 2015. I read A Sting in the Tale and immediately bought A Buzz in the Meadow. Both of these books deal with the lives of insects. Although they are written from a European perspective, the message about insect conservation work equally well for an American audience - especially given the severe decline of many North American bee species. I highly recommend these books to anyone interested in learning more about insects, their natural history, and the impact that we have on them.
The Salamander Room by Ann Mazer (ISBN 0-679-86187-4)
Not every book on my list can be for adults. I love The Salamander Room. It is about a small boy that finds a salamander and wants to take him home as a pet. The book is basically a conversation about habitats between the small boy and his mother who has concerns about whether the boy's room would be the best place for the salamander. It is great introduction to studying the living requirements and habitats of any species. The story is accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher that turn the boy's bedroom into a woodland paradise fit for any salamander.
Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman (ISBN 978-0-618-13547-9)
The final book on my list is sort of a companion to Swampwalker's Journal. Song of the Waterboatman is a wonderful book of poetry written about wetland habitats and their resident plants and animals. Each poem is paired with a colorful woodcut illustration by artist Becky Prange. Additionally, each poem is accompanied by a short natural history paragraph highlighting the subject of the poem. While this book was written for children, the poetry and illustrations are equally enjoyable for adults. It deserves a place on everyone's natural history bookshelf.
I could easily add another dozen books (and more) to this list, but I am going to hold myself back. If you would like any specific recommendations please feel free to contact me.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Woodworking for bees
Over the weekend I built a pair of nesting blocks for native bees. Many species of native bees (such as leafcutter bees, mason bees, and small carpenter bees) are solitary cavity nesters. Individual female bees will seek out abandoned beetle tunnels in wood, hollow plant stems, and other cavities in which to deposit their eggs. It is easy to help these species by providing nesting sites in the garden. Our home garden has a nest site that has been used for several years and I have recently begun placing nesting sites in school gardens.
Nesting blocks for bees can be incredibly simple. The ones that I constructed over the weekend consist of a block of untreated lumber with holes drilled in it, a backboard for attacking to a post or other structure, and an overhanging roof. The blocks of wood that I used are more than six inchhes deep - many species of bees will not nest in short tunnels.
I'm not sure where these nest blocks will go as of yet, but I plan to build several more before spring. With luck, next winter the drilled holes will be filled with overwintering bee larvae and pupae. The picture below shows several leafcutter bee larvae in a bamboo stem that I recently pulled from from the nest site in our garden.
Next up on my woodworking projects list is nesting box for bumble bees.
Nesting blocks for bees can be incredibly simple. The ones that I constructed over the weekend consist of a block of untreated lumber with holes drilled in it, a backboard for attacking to a post or other structure, and an overhanging roof. The blocks of wood that I used are more than six inchhes deep - many species of bees will not nest in short tunnels.
I'm not sure where these nest blocks will go as of yet, but I plan to build several more before spring. With luck, next winter the drilled holes will be filled with overwintering bee larvae and pupae. The picture below shows several leafcutter bee larvae in a bamboo stem that I recently pulled from from the nest site in our garden.
Next up on my woodworking projects list is nesting box for bumble bees.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Happy Leap Day!
Happy Leap Day!
What is Leap Day?
February 29th is Leap Day.
But, doesn't February only have 28 days?
Most of the time, but every four years an extra day is added to the calendar.
Why?
It has do do with the difference between a calendar year and a solar year.
I know that a calendar year has 365 days. What is a solar year?
A solar year is the time it takes for the earth to make one complete orbit around the sun. This is not exactly 365 days. In fact it is close to 365 and 1/4 days. Because it is difficult to add 1/4 day to the calendar, every four years an extra day (February 29th) is added to the calendar year to make the two equal out.
What would happen if we didn't add the extra day?
Over time the calendar would start to shift and seasons would no longer begin on the same dates. The would become later and later each year. Could you imagine Spring not beginning until June or July? If the calendar were not adjusted, this would eventually happen.
So every four years we can expect the calendar to have an extra day?
Yes and no. A solar year is not exactly 365 and 1/4 days. It is actually 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 45 seconds. This means that when a leap day is added to the calendar, it is actually adding back too much time. Over the course of 400 years this adds up to about 3 days too many.
So what happens to the extra days?
They get taken away. Every year that is divisible by 4 (like 2016) is a leap year, unless that date is also divided by 100. Years that are divisible by 100 do not get a leap day added.
But, wait a minute! I remember the year 2000 and it had a leap day!
There is one other quirk to the system. Because the addition of a leap year only adds up to 3 extra day over the course of 400 year, if the year is divisible by 400 it still gets a leap day added. This means that the year 2000 had a leap day, as did the year 1600. The year 2400 will also get one, but the years 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not.
So I guess it is important to look before you leap?
Very punny...
What is Leap Day?
February 29th is Leap Day.
But, doesn't February only have 28 days?
Most of the time, but every four years an extra day is added to the calendar.
Why?
It has do do with the difference between a calendar year and a solar year.
I know that a calendar year has 365 days. What is a solar year?
A solar year is the time it takes for the earth to make one complete orbit around the sun. This is not exactly 365 days. In fact it is close to 365 and 1/4 days. Because it is difficult to add 1/4 day to the calendar, every four years an extra day (February 29th) is added to the calendar year to make the two equal out.
What would happen if we didn't add the extra day?
Over time the calendar would start to shift and seasons would no longer begin on the same dates. The would become later and later each year. Could you imagine Spring not beginning until June or July? If the calendar were not adjusted, this would eventually happen.
So every four years we can expect the calendar to have an extra day?
Yes and no. A solar year is not exactly 365 and 1/4 days. It is actually 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 45 seconds. This means that when a leap day is added to the calendar, it is actually adding back too much time. Over the course of 400 years this adds up to about 3 days too many.
So what happens to the extra days?
They get taken away. Every year that is divisible by 4 (like 2016) is a leap year, unless that date is also divided by 100. Years that are divisible by 100 do not get a leap day added.
But, wait a minute! I remember the year 2000 and it had a leap day!
There is one other quirk to the system. Because the addition of a leap year only adds up to 3 extra day over the course of 400 year, if the year is divisible by 400 it still gets a leap day added. This means that the year 2000 had a leap day, as did the year 1600. The year 2400 will also get one, but the years 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not.
So I guess it is important to look before you leap?
Very punny...
Thursday, February 25, 2016
After the storm (25 FEB 2016)
Yesterday I was thinking about spring. Today it looks like this outside. All of the local schools were closed so I stayed home today. Time will tell if schools are open tomorrow - the city streets are mostly clear, but there are miles and miles of country roads to plow.
It was difficult to judge, but it looked like we had about 8 inches of snow at our house in Alma. Yesterday morning our yard was completely bare and a few plants were showing green leaves in the garden. Now everything is buried under a new blanket.
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| I paused during shoveling to take a few photographs. |
It was difficult to judge, but it looked like we had about 8 inches of snow at our house in Alma. Yesterday morning our yard was completely bare and a few plants were showing green leaves in the garden. Now everything is buried under a new blanket.
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| One of the bee nesting structures with a frosty new cap |
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| The snow was heavy enough that branches on our ornamental crabapple tree were drooping to the ground |
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| The birdbath looked like some sort of bizarre white-capped mushroom |
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| One of your Pine Siskins is very unafraid and continued to feed while I photographed it from less than 10 feet away |
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| The sun trying to break through the clouds this morning. |
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Upcoming Event - Butterflies in Bloom 2016 (04 March - 17 APRIL)
Every year I look forward to the transition between winter and spring. One event that helps me mark the transition is the annual Butterflies in Bloom exhibit in the conservatory at Dow Gardens. This exhibit features thousands of butterflies and moths from around the world.
Butterflies in Bloom begins next Friday March 4th and continues until Sunday April 17th. The exhibit is open from 10:00AM to 4:00PM daily, with extended hours on Wednesday beginning March 16th.
Admission to Butterflies in Bloom is included with the admission cost to Dow Gardens. A daily admission costs $5.00 for adults, $1.00 for children ages 6-17, and and is free for children age 5 and under. I recommend purchasing the annual pass at only $10.00!
If you go, be prepared for crowds (especially on weekends). The butterflies are most active on warm sunny days, but they sit still for photographs best on overcast days.
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