Today is opening day for firearms deers season in Michigan. Good luck to all the hunters!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Deer Season
Today is opening day for firearms deers season in Michigan. Good luck to all the hunters!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Waterproof Fur
One of my programs for Third Grade classrooms is called "Fur, Feathers, Skins, and Scales". It is a comparison of different types of body coverings found on Michigan's native animals. Different types of body coverings have evolved to perform different jobs. One of the things that we talk about is the idea that aquatic mammals often have "waterproof" fur that keeps the animals warm and keeps their skin dry even when swimming in ice cold water. For example, this Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) climbed onto a shelf of ice after swimming in a partially frozen river, shook like a dog and looked almost completely dry within seconds.
On this Muskrat (below) you can see the water beading up on its fur.
Besides the Muskrat, two of the animals that I use to demonstrate this are the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) and the North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis).
Both the Beaver and River Otter (and the Muskrat) have two layers of fur: an outer layer of long straight guard hairs and a dense interwoven inner layer. The hair of both animals is oily and this combination of dense oily fur prevents most water from reaching through to their skin. Both the Beaver and Otter groom often to keep their fur clean of debris and to spread oil (from glands located near their tail) evenly over their fur.
Looking closely at the fur, the beaver's fur is nearly twice as long as that of the otter. Many of the outer guard hairs on the beaver pelt are more than an inch long.
None of the otter hairs measure more than a half an inch long, but the otter has many more hairs per square inch of skin than the beaver. Both furs are equally good at repelling water.
In addition to the oil that the animals rub on their fur, the secret to waterproofing lies in the structure of the fur. Looking at the hairs under a microscope, the hair of the beaver and otter look remarkably similar. The guard hairs are straight and relatively thick. The underfur is thinner than the guard furs and is wavy. These wavy hairs interlock easily with each other and form a dense interwoven mat. It is this dense matted layer, combined with the oil rubbed into the fur, that forms the waterproof barrier that allows these animals to swim in near-freezing water without becoming cold.
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| Muskrat looking completely dry seconds after emerging from a partially frozen river |
On this Muskrat (below) you can see the water beading up on its fur.
.JPG) |
| A Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) with water beading up on its fur |
Besides the Muskrat, two of the animals that I use to demonstrate this are the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) and the North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis).
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| Beaver pelt |
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| Otter Pelt |
Both the Beaver and River Otter (and the Muskrat) have two layers of fur: an outer layer of long straight guard hairs and a dense interwoven inner layer. The hair of both animals is oily and this combination of dense oily fur prevents most water from reaching through to their skin. Both the Beaver and Otter groom often to keep their fur clean of debris and to spread oil (from glands located near their tail) evenly over their fur.
Looking closely at the fur, the beaver's fur is nearly twice as long as that of the otter. Many of the outer guard hairs on the beaver pelt are more than an inch long.
None of the otter hairs measure more than a half an inch long, but the otter has many more hairs per square inch of skin than the beaver. Both furs are equally good at repelling water.
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| Beaver fur (above) & otter fur (below) |
In addition to the oil that the animals rub on their fur, the secret to waterproofing lies in the structure of the fur. Looking at the hairs under a microscope, the hair of the beaver and otter look remarkably similar. The guard hairs are straight and relatively thick. The underfur is thinner than the guard furs and is wavy. These wavy hairs interlock easily with each other and form a dense interwoven mat. It is this dense matted layer, combined with the oil rubbed into the fur, that forms the waterproof barrier that allows these animals to swim in near-freezing water without becoming cold.
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| Beaver fur (magnified 2Xs) - the straight hairs are the outer guard hairs, the wavy hairs form the underfur |
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| Beaver fur - another closeup at 2X magnification |
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| Otter fur (2X magnification) - thick straight guard hairs and wavy underfur |
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| Otter fur (2X magnification) - notice how the wavy underfur interlocks forming a matted layer |
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
November in Northwest Michigan
November comes,
And November goes
With the last red berries
And the first white snows,
With night coming early
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
-Elizabeth Coatsworth
And November goes
With the last red berries
And the first white snows,
With night coming early
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
-Elizabeth Coatsworth
"November"
This past weekend offered us one last time to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the rest of northwest Michigan before winter sets in. While many of the facilities Sleeping Bear Dunes are closed down for the season, the park is just as beautiful as it is during the Spring and Summer. The big advantage to visiting in the "off-season" is that you will have the park almost to yourself - many of the places that we stopped at in the park were completely deserted. This was a nice contrast to Summer when there is no place to park and other visitors always at hand.
Sunday was cold and windy, with beautiful cloud formations during the entire day.
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| Poplar trees with Glen Lake in the background |
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| Bare poplar trees |
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| Dune Climb - Sleeping Bear Dunes |
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| Red, White & Blue - Highbush Cranberry (red), Red Osier Dogwood (white) and Riverbank Grape (blue) |
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| "the last red berries" |
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| Beach rocks and clouds - the view west at Glen Haven |
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| The view east at Glen Haven |
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| Waves crashing on the seawall at the "Open Space" in Traverse City |
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| "and the first white snows" |
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Native Species Profile - Great Blue Lobelia
Our flowering season is mostly done for the year here in Mid-Michigan. Here and there, if I look really hard, I can still find a few flowers (mainly asters). Just a few weeks ago I could have found a dozen species easily. Two months ago, I could have found 40 species. Late-Summer and Fall wildflowers tend to be larger and showier than the flowers. They want to be noticed.
One of my favorite showy fall wildflowers is the Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). This plant is commonly found in wet woodlands, floodplain forests, emergent marshes, wet meadows, and swamps throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
Great Blue Lobelia plants can reach a height of up to four feet. The upper half of the plant is commonly covered in lavender-blue to dark-blue flowers. The flowers of the Great Blue Lobelia are densely packed on a spike rising above large (2 inch wide x 5 inch long) leaves that are arranged alternately on the lower half of the stem. These blooms can be found from August to October in Mid-Michigan.
The individual flowers are tube-shaped and may be 1 to 1.5 inches long. Each mature flower has two extending "lips" on the lower side of the tube's opening - these lips provide an inviting landing zone for pollinators. The flower is mainly visited by long-tongued bumble bees. The bees force their way into the flower's tubes and use their long tongues to reach nectar deep in the flower. The flower is occasionally visited by hummingbirds, large butterflies, and short-tongued bumble bees. However, the short-tongued bumble bees often become nectar robbers- cutting a slit near the base of the flower to take nectar without pollinating the plant.
.JPG)
Basic Information
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Height: 1-4’ tall
Habitat: wet woodlands, wet meadows, shorelines,
swamps
Flower
Color: blue
Bloom
Time: August – October
One of my favorite showy fall wildflowers is the Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). This plant is commonly found in wet woodlands, floodplain forests, emergent marshes, wet meadows, and swamps throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
Great Blue Lobelia plants can reach a height of up to four feet. The upper half of the plant is commonly covered in lavender-blue to dark-blue flowers. The flowers of the Great Blue Lobelia are densely packed on a spike rising above large (2 inch wide x 5 inch long) leaves that are arranged alternately on the lower half of the stem. These blooms can be found from August to October in Mid-Michigan.
The individual flowers are tube-shaped and may be 1 to 1.5 inches long. Each mature flower has two extending "lips" on the lower side of the tube's opening - these lips provide an inviting landing zone for pollinators. The flower is mainly visited by long-tongued bumble bees. The bees force their way into the flower's tubes and use their long tongues to reach nectar deep in the flower. The flower is occasionally visited by hummingbirds, large butterflies, and short-tongued bumble bees. However, the short-tongued bumble bees often become nectar robbers- cutting a slit near the base of the flower to take nectar without pollinating the plant.
.JPG)
Basic Information
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
Saturday, November 9, 2013
The Edmund Fitzgerald - 10 November 1975
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| ...the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee." |
On the evening of 10 November 1975, the freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was approaching Whitefish Point, MI with a full load of taconite (iron ore) in a Lake Superior storm. Despite the hurricane force winds, the ship did not appear to be under distress before it sank suddenly at 7:10 PM. All twenty-nine men aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald perished aboard the ship. To this day, the exact cause of the ship's sinking is unknown.
The ship was commemorated by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in his 1976 song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fizgerald".
The wreck site was visited by dive teams in 1989, 1995, and 1995 to survey the site and collect artifacts. The ship's bell was recovered during the 1995 dive. The bell was restored and now rests at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, MI.
For more information on the Edmund Fitzgerald visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum website.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Five Science Things - Nature in Clay
Among other things, my wife and I collect pottery. Some of our pottery collection is old, some of it is new. Many of pieces have images of nature on them. Here are a few of those pieces.
This decorative tile bears the image of a Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). The tile was made by Sporck Tile Art in Suttons Bay, MI.
The actual Red-backed Salamander is a small amphibian that is found in deciduous woods throughout Michigan. Red-backed Salamanders are among the smaller salamanders in the state and only reach an adult size of 2.5 to 5 inches. Unlike most salamanders, it spends its entire life cycle on land - even its eggs are laid on land in moist dark places under logs and rocks.
The second piece of pottery is another tile from Sporck Tile Art. This one shows a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on a Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca).
This photo of a Monarch on a Common Milkweed is from 2009. Monarch populations have declined severely over the last three years. There are several campaigns underway to help restore Monarch Butterfly habitats and populations (Monarch Waystations, Bring Back the Monarchs, and Wild for Monarchs)
The third piece of pottery is a small vase made by Odawa Indian artist Shirley K. Brauker (Moon Bear Pottery) from Coldwater, MI. This vase is decorated with a design of Wild Strawberries (Fragaria virginiana).
Wild Strawberry is a low growing perennial wildflower that is found in nearly every county in Michigan, every state except Hawaii, and every Canadian province. To Anishinaabe people in Michigan the Strawberry is known as ode' imin (heartberry) and the month of June is known as Ode' imin Giizis (Strawberry Moon).
The fourth piece of pottery is by the Roseville Pottery Company. This small bowl (as it was called by the company) was made between 1943 and 1954 and depicts a White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)
The White Water Lily is a floating wetland plant found throughout most of North America. It a characteristic plant of emergent marshes throughout the state of Michigan.
The fifth and final pottery piece is a small decorative tile by Pewabic Pottery. Pewabic Pottery is a Detroit, MI company established in 1903. Since 1907 it has operated out of the same registered historic building. This tile is decorated with a design of a small turtle - probably a Painted Turtle.
This small Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) was photographed on a lily pad sometime between 2002 and 2005 in Mt. Pleasant, MI. This very common turtle will grow to a size of 4 to 10 inches as an adult and may live for more than 25 years.
This decorative tile bears the image of a Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). The tile was made by Sporck Tile Art in Suttons Bay, MI.
The actual Red-backed Salamander is a small amphibian that is found in deciduous woods throughout Michigan. Red-backed Salamanders are among the smaller salamanders in the state and only reach an adult size of 2.5 to 5 inches. Unlike most salamanders, it spends its entire life cycle on land - even its eggs are laid on land in moist dark places under logs and rocks.
The second piece of pottery is another tile from Sporck Tile Art. This one shows a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on a Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca).
This photo of a Monarch on a Common Milkweed is from 2009. Monarch populations have declined severely over the last three years. There are several campaigns underway to help restore Monarch Butterfly habitats and populations (Monarch Waystations, Bring Back the Monarchs, and Wild for Monarchs)
The third piece of pottery is a small vase made by Odawa Indian artist Shirley K. Brauker (Moon Bear Pottery) from Coldwater, MI. This vase is decorated with a design of Wild Strawberries (Fragaria virginiana).
Wild Strawberry is a low growing perennial wildflower that is found in nearly every county in Michigan, every state except Hawaii, and every Canadian province. To Anishinaabe people in Michigan the Strawberry is known as ode' imin (heartberry) and the month of June is known as Ode' imin Giizis (Strawberry Moon).
The fourth piece of pottery is by the Roseville Pottery Company. This small bowl (as it was called by the company) was made between 1943 and 1954 and depicts a White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)
The White Water Lily is a floating wetland plant found throughout most of North America. It a characteristic plant of emergent marshes throughout the state of Michigan.
The fifth and final pottery piece is a small decorative tile by Pewabic Pottery. Pewabic Pottery is a Detroit, MI company established in 1903. Since 1907 it has operated out of the same registered historic building. This tile is decorated with a design of a small turtle - probably a Painted Turtle.
This small Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) was photographed on a lily pad sometime between 2002 and 2005 in Mt. Pleasant, MI. This very common turtle will grow to a size of 4 to 10 inches as an adult and may live for more than 25 years.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Busy as a...
Right now I am busy as a bee.
Or, if you prefer, as busy as a beaver...
In October, I did 38 classroom programs. By the time November is over I will have given 115 presentations since school began on September 3rd.
Or, if you prefer, as busy as a beaver...
In October, I did 38 classroom programs. By the time November is over I will have given 115 presentations since school began on September 3rd.
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