(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. This time around, the cataclysm is us. In The Sixth Extinction, two-time winner of the National Magazine Award and New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert draws on the work of scores of researchers in half a dozen disciplines, accompanying many of them into the field: geologists who study deep ocean cores, botanists who follow the tree line as it climbs up the Andes, marine biologists who dive off the Great Barrier Reef. She introduces us to a dozen species, some already gone, others facing extinction, including the Panamian golden frog, staghorn coral, the great auk, and the Sumatran rhino. Through these stories, Kolbert provides a moving account of the disappearances occurring all around us and traces the evolution of extinction as concept, from its first articulation by Georges Cuvier in revolutionary Paris up through the present day. The sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy; as Kolbert observes, it compels us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human."

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. This is a good beginner backpack, but you need to be fully equipped: tent, sleeping bag, water filter, stove, rain gear, and supplies. You must contact hike leader Carol Broderson to participate. Email carol@ls.net or call 276 773-3513 (before 7 P.M.) The backpack will be cancelled if the weather is bad.

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.

Out in the open fields, grazed by the the park's famous (or infamous) ponies the Catawbas grow to shrub height and no taller.  But in the woods, competing for the precious light source, they become more the size of small trees.

These observations and many others were shared by Roald with our inquisitive group.  Roald worked as interpreter at this state park for a number of years, and has a strong historical perspective he willingly ties into the natural.  The combination makes for a most informative and fun expedition.  Stay tuned for upcoming BRE hikes.

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. 

On both May 30th and June 6th, BRDC set up shop and waited for the kids...who did not disappoint.  Kids love critters, so at our first display, we brought an assortment of herps:  two turtles, a salamander, one frog, and a snake.  Heartmoss Farm considered our menagerie lacking so loaned out a silkie chicken for the morning.  This assortment gave the kids choices for our sketching program, which is often a part of our demos and field excursions. 

With the younger crowd, questions are non-stop, so it is our main job to keep up as best we can, and tie the questions to the natural history of the Blue Ridge whenever possible.  For instance, we had one box turtle and one snapping turtle, obviously very different species with habitat preferences exhibited by contrasting shells, shape, color, feet and so on.  This gave us plenty to discuss with a captive audience.

At our second market day, BRDC brought three cages of moths caught around the porch light.  With nearly fifty different moths, kids were able to grasp the idea of diversity...shape, size, coloration, gaudy and cryptic were all represented.  Many kids wanted to see moths under the microscope, which elicited the expected 'wow's.  Meanwhile, a name the snake contest was in play...no official results in yet.

(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.

A Natural Sense of Wonder is one father's attempt to seek alternatives to the "flickering waves of TV and the electrifying boing of video games" and get kids outside and into nature. In the spirit of Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder, Rick Van Noy journeys out of his suburban home with his children and describes the pleasures of walking in a creek, digging for salamanders, and learning to appreciate vultures. Through these and other "walks to school," the Van Noys discover what lives nearby, what nature has to teach, and why this matters.

From the backyard to the hiking trail, in a tide pool and a tree house, in the wild and in town, these narrative essays explore the terrain of childhood threatened by the lure of computers and television, by fear and the loss of play habitat, showing how kids thrive in their special places. In chronicling one parent's determination (and at times frustration) to get his kids outside, A Natural Sense of Wonder suggests ways kids both young and old can experience the wonder found only in the natural world."

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.

We fanned out across a couple of open fields, swept the nets willy-nilly and then inspected our catch.

A variety of spiders, true bugs, beetles, small wasps and bees, grasshoppers, moths and other catches kept us all quite busy.

On hand were a few field guides and one expert, Dr. Robert Perkins.

Without a doubt, the kids enjoyed this exploration…if screams and squeals are any indication of excitement.

We would like to thank the Farm Museum for the invite to share in this event, and a special thanks goes to our able assistants Deborah Shell, Isaac and Dalton Edwards along with their friend Dylan…who helped us keep the nets inspected and the captured bugs contained.

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As a grand finale to BRDC’s Avian Adventures Bird Sleuth program, most of the students who participated were treated to a field trip to the Carolina Raptor Center on May 27

th

.

Sarah Osborne, Carol Broderson, William Roberts and myself were extras in the mix, along with the teachers and the illustrious Ken Ogle, bus driver.

It was a great pleasure to see so many of our AA participants get the chance to view the variety of raptors on the center’s grounds.

The CRC combines education and rehabilitation.

Most of the birds that end up at the CRC are eventually released, and those whose injuries prevent their return to the wild, (but are not terminal), remain on site in habitat cages for the public to see and learn about.

Significant to the educational component is an emphasis on how humans impact the raptor world.

Injuries are mostly either directly or indirectly the result of habitat alteration by people (think cars and power lines).

Owls are well represented as are many hawks and falcons.

We saw vultures, crows and ravens (not raptors)…Northern harrier, osprey, golden and bald eagles, peregrine falcon (the fastest animal in the world), and many more species.

This was a nice wind-up to our winter bird study.

After the initial presentation and before we took our walk about the grounds, many of the students asked questions…always a good sign that someone is paying attention!

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

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!

Io

The Io, Automeris io, is a Saturnid moth that has two adult forms. The dark morph is female and the yellow morph is male. The caterpillar, amply supplied with spurs for defense, feeds on an assortment of deciduous trees and plants including birches, elms, maples, oaks, and willows.

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.

While people caught up on a year’s news, the Community Center kitchen staff was putting their final work into the traditional chicken dinner, filling the center with inspiring smells.

Dinner commenced at 5:30, with announcements soon following.

Field trip leaders, all 20 of them, each delivered a brief description of their guided outings to take place the next day.

These outings are all led by professional, well-informed men and women whose commitment to the Rally has a long history.

For instance, such field topics covered run the gamut from geology, cultural history, salamanders, small mammals, native mussels, fly tying, to kid focused programming, birding, wildflowers, mushrooms, fishing and all day hikes.

In short, there is something for everyone.

At 7:30, as has been our practice, the evening is given over to a special guest speaker.

This year Nancy Lee Adamson PhD, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society, gave an informative talk on native pollinators, with a strong focus on bees.

With a slide show and a table of resource materials, Nancy was able to fully illustrate her narrative as well as offer educational take-home pamphlets and identification cards.

Many Rally participants choose to camp for the weekend, and Grindstone typically fills up late Friday night.

Some head straight to bed, while others hang out around a good old campfire, further catching up and planning Saturday trips.

Early Saturday morning, the Community Center is unlocked and ready for further registrations.

Field trip leaders collect their groups as car-pooling strategies emerge.

By 8am, most everyone is off for their morning outing, while a few stay behind at the center for indoor programming and general management.

The Friends of Mount Rogers has a merchandise table, as well as membership sign-up opportunities.

Blue Ridge Discovery Center, the management team for the MRNR, also shares that stage, and this year, the New River Land Trust was given a table to describe their work and display their maps.

This sharing helps illustrate the cooperative nature of the MRNR.

Many chapters of Virginia Master Naturalists are represented, as well as a few from other state Master Naturalist organizations.

Field trip leaders hail from universities, colleges, MN orgs and various state agencies.

Participants range from 3 years old well into the 90s.

Between the morning and afternoon field trips, a hot dog lunch is offered for the hungry hikers.

This is not a fund raising effort, just a volunteered measure to keep stomachs full.

During lunch, folks talk about their morning discoveries and make final decisions on what afternoon trip they will take.

By 5pm, most field trips are over and people disperse to their campsites or home.

The Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally always takes place the Friday and Saturday on Mother’s Day weekend.

Stay tuned for announcements of next year’s rally and remember, this is a great local resource for family fun and outdoor learning.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

Chair, Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

Executive Director, Blue Ridge Discovery Center

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. 

"The east facing wooded slopes adjacent to the trail were carpeted with some of the best displays of spring wildflowers that I have ever seen--- blood root,  Dutchman's Britches and Spring Beauty were the most spectacular. We also saw some uncommon ones:  wild bleeding heart and round leafed hepatica. The flowers had just opened; Carol said there was hardly anything a few days earlier. Birds were fewer but Harrol helped us spot a number, including yellow-throated warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher and mallards, wood ducks and geese. Everyone felt that we were out on the first truly spring day!"  (From Roald)

"It was still early spring on the New River Trail and the purple trillium that blanket the hillsides was not quite ready to open. The combination of a below zero winter and a cold March made trillium blooms three weeks later than the last year. We saw plenty of the earlier Dutchmans breeches and decided to extend our walk across the bridge to see another family member BLEEDING HEART.

EARLY SAXIFRAGE (saxigfrage means rock breaker) colonized all the rocky places.

Having birder Harrol Blevins along was a special treat for all the wildflower enthusiasts. He pointed out the masses of yellow warblers (more than he had seen in one place) and the double-crested cormorants on river rocks.

A partial list of wildflowers:

MUSTARDS creasy, toothwort, (early) bittercresses, garlic mustard

MINTS ground ivy, dead nettle

bluets

ASTERS golden ragwort, dandelion

SAXAFRAGE early

RANUNCULUS buttercups, COLUMBINE

hepatica

trailing arbutus

mayapple

FUMATORY Dutchmen's breeches, bleeding heart

chickweed

violets

bloodroot

spring beauty

blue cohosh

fire pink"  (from Carol)

Below are two pictures taken by Harrol:  

Bloodroot: 

Dutchman's Britches:

Stay tuned for more announcements of future expeditions.  Take a look at our Ridge and Valley Blogpost from the same day, for a review of our Radford edition of BRE:  http://ridgeandvalley.blogspot.com/2014/04/shutterbug-explorations.html

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.

In this dramatic story of groundbreaking scientific research, Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself. The Beak of the Finch is an elegantly written and compelling masterpiece of theory and explication in the tradition of Stephen Jay Gould."

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

Collage © Devin Floyd. 2011

This blog shares discoveries, observations, and questions that result from outdoor explorations in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Blue Ridge Discovery Center inspires creativity, discovery, and critical thinking through interest-driven and hands-on activities focused on the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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. The scientific grouping is Geometridae: Larentiinae: Hydriomenini: Hydriomena. The individuals that I see in Carroll County, VA are an inch or nearly an inch in total length. They have good camouflage for sitting on bark and they vary in color and pattern both between species and within species. The variations overlap, making photographic identification of species impossible. Here is a selection of Hydriomena images from 2011 through 2013, taken in March, April, and early May.

Crane Fly

Fortunately not everything that comes to lights is a moth. I get lots of beetles every spring and crane flies most of the here . Here is an interesting one from yesterday.

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. Last July I photographed a Zale that I was unable to identify at the time. This morning (April 23), I was recording the appearance of two species of Zale when I noticed an "unidentified" folder and took a peak. The moth was very dark at normal exposure/brighness and the pattern didn't show.

The above photo is a reduced version of the original. You can see a bit of the pattern in the wings but not much. So, I adjusted the brightness of the photo until the patter appeared. The result was a confirmed ID of

Zale aeruginosa

, Green-dusted Zale.

I spotted an

Orthosia rubescens

recently. The general color pattern was correct for the species, but the field guides indicate that the pattern on the wings is useless because it's so variable. In other words, pretty but useless.

However, unlike other similar Orthosia species, males of O. rubescens have bipectinate antennae (bristles on both sides). As you can see in the photo below, the antenna is clearly bipectinate and therefore the ID is proven.

(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. The book is divided into three sections: "Stage and Theater," "The Players," and "Seasonal Act." Each section sets the scene and describes the events occurring in nature. "Stage and Theatre" is comprised of chapters that describe the origins of the Appalachia region. "The Players" is an interesting and in-depth look into the ecology of animals, such as the mating rituals of different species, and the evolutionary explanation for the adaptation of Appalachian wildlife. The last section, "Seasonal Act," makes note of the changes in Appalachian weather each season and its effect on the inhabitants."