(July 2014) 4. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert
"Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions, when the diversity of life on earth suddenly and dramatically contracted. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth extinction, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs."
Field trip...not directly associated with BRDC
Join Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club on a Full Buck Moon Backpack on Brier Ridge. We will hike about 5 miles from Massie Gap on Saturday, July 12 to Brier Ridge and return on Sunday midday.
Blue Ridge Expeditions: Sullivan Swamp
On June 7th, a small group of us met at the Massie Gap parking area of Grayson Highlands State Park for our second local Blue Ridge Expeditions hike of the year. Roald Kirby led a 4 mile walk around the edges of Sullivan Swamp, sometimes taking us off the trail for a while. Bushwhacking, he said, can bring surprises.
The Summer Season Begins: Independence Farmer's Market
BRDC's commitment to the community extends to frequent participation in local events, such as the Independence Farmers Market. Passing through town on Fridays during the garden months, one cannot miss the festive array of multicolored tents and throngs of vendors and shoppers milling about. When the IFM asked BRDC to share a kids event tent on site, we willingly accepted.
(June 2014) 3. A Natural Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy
"The technology boom of recent years has given kids numerous reasons to stay inside and play, while parents' increasing safety concerns make it tempting to keep children close to home. But what is being lost as fewer kids spend their free time outdoors? Deprived of meaningful contact with nature, children often fail to develop a significant relationship with the natural world, much less a sense of reverence and respect for the world outside their doors."
Recent BRDC activities: Farm Days and the Carolina Raptor Center
On the 22nd and 23rd of May, busloads of grade-school kids flowed through a variety of activities at the Matthews Living History Farm Museum. They were treated to live music, story-telling, farm animals, historical farm equipment, a real vegetable garden and insect explorations. Blue Ridge Discovery Center provided kids with bug nets, capture boxes and magnifying lenses for closer viewing.
Lemon Plagodis
This morning I found three Lemon Plagodis and an Oak Besma perched on a Velcro strap that holds my moth sheet tight. Enjoy!
Cecropia
Hyalophora Cecropia isn't a moth that I expected to see at my moth light here in the mountains. I had a brief glimpse of one in Lake Waccamaw State Park in North Carolina fourteen years ago today (5/20/14). The only time I had one to examine up close and personal, I was a kid on the family farm in Delaware, 60+ years ago. Cecropias are the largest of our North American silkmoths and they are spectacular in their own right. Enjoy the pics!
Calico Pennant
Last Wednesday (5?14/14) my wife and I found a number of active dragonflies at Bass Lake on the outskirts of Blowing Rock, Watauga County, NC. We saw eastern pondhawks, common whitetails, Carolina saddlebags, and Calico pennants. The pennants sat still long enough for me to get a decent photo. Enjoy!
Ailanthus
In my neck of the woods, Ailanthus is an invasive alien that looks like a native, but isn't. One of the reasons that homeowners like it is the flowers. Moth enthusiasts know about it because Atteva aurea, the Ailanthus webworm, uses it as its host plant. Here's the photographic evidence.
40th Annual Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally
On May 9th, folks from at least four states began arriving at the Konnarock Community Center for their annual fix of nature and fellowship. Registration tables awaited the throng as Roald and Ellie Kirby scratched out some tunes for ambiance.
Blue Ridge Expeditions: Spring Foray, April 12, 2014
BRDC's first local Blue Ridge Expeditions field hike of 2014 was great; warm, sunny weather for the 16 eager hikers on the New River Trail below Fries. Guides Roald Kirby, Carol Broderson and Harrol Blevins led the participants, some of whom were from the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club and most others regulars.
Artichoke Plume Moth
The plume moths, Pterophoridae, include many species that can't be identified either in the field or from photos. Fortunately there are a few exceptions in our area. This moth is maybe an inch from wingtip to wingtip. Its name, Platyptilia carduidactylus, is longer than its wingspan. Its English name, Artichoke Plume Moth, indicates one of tis host plants, but the caterpillars also utilize thistles, much more common than the garden vegetable in my neck of the woods.
(May 2014) 2. The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time, Jonathan Weiner
"On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory. For among the finches of Daphne Major, natural selection is neither rare nor slow: it is taking place by the hour, and we can watch."
About BRDC
"Why I prefer the field of science over any other is this one single fact: there is no final decision, but a process of constant discovery, discussion and leaning into the evidence that shifts as well. The questions mature as the answers compete." - Scott Jackson-Ricketts
Hydriomena Something or Other
After I posted the message about digital photographs and IDs, I realized that I had erred because no one other than a dedicated moth-er would know what the genus Hydriomena is.
When a digital photo really helps
Identifying insects (and other critters) is a reasonable method most of the time, but sometimes is impossible. An example is the Geometer moth genus Hydriomena. There are probably several species in our area, but the color and patterns on the wings are highly variable and cannot be used safely to distinguish species.
(April 2014) 1. Hollows, Peepers, and Highlanders - An Appalachian Mountain Ecology, George Constantz
"In this revised and expanded edition of Hollows, Peepers, and Highlanders, author George Constantz, a biologist and naturalist, writes about the beauty and nature of the Appalachian landscape. While the information is scientific in nature, Constantz's accessible descriptions of the adaptation of various organisms to their environment enable the reader to enjoy learning about the Appalachian ecosystem."