Yesterday was incredible. Just an amazing experience in the natural world. After an morning inside on a gorgeous sunny day, I decided to go outside. Lo and behold, Nick and Kate arrived at that very minute. So we took to the woods and I showed them my sit spot!
A note about the sit spot... it should be a secret :) I should not have shown them where it was, but I will soon be moving away from this spot. Thus, I felt like it was a nice opportunity for me to show them the sit spot which has sustained me for the past couple months. So we explored my sit spot and it took them no time at all to wander around the area examining all sorts of things.
I am not sure what they got into, but I re-explored a hollowed out snag with super fine wood shavings inside. I was curious if the material was dry or wet and if it had changed much. It felt like soft powder sand as I rubbed it between my forefinger and thumb. Then I sat down to listen to the birds.
Suddenly I found a millipede crawling on my thigh. It was really cool but I couldn't lean down to analyze my thigh with my hand-lens... I'm not that flexible! Carefully I shifted the 29-legged critter (per side) to a leaf and then held it up so I could count all of those legs! Then it wriggled back under some foliage and I went exploring trees and mosses.
That adventure continued on for another hour. I have great friends and we really seized the day.
Nick joined me for adventure number two. It was in search for a pair of sunglasses that I lost on November 10th as some kids were chasing me into the forest at Arroyo Park. It was mission impossible. I had the feeling that the search would give me a peace of mind though I also embraced that the sunglasses were probably lost forever. Nick led the charge up a steep muddy, boggy thicket of thorny shrubs and downed limbs of Bigleaf Maple. Not the easiest approach. I told him I would go around the other way and found it be less muddy... sorry Nick!
Eventually we made it to the spot where I hid from the boys... we then worked back toward the trail from my approach. We had been searching for 10 minutes, making our way slowly downhill. We lifted leaf matter, decomposing forest elements, and moved things around to get a better look. I got down to scout underneath a log and Nick asked me if I had found anything yet. I looked up and saw my sunglasses on his head! Over three months later and they had been found!!
The rubber arm-ends and bits of the nose piece had been chewed by a small rodent. The lenses are probably done for. But the treasure was found! Nick found black sunglasses by noticing small bits of the frame undersides and the arms. It was actually covered by leaves! Nick's powers of observation are incredible. It became mission possible!
Adventure number three began on our walk back to the car when Nick mentioned Post Point. It is a small spit of land south of Fairhaven on Bellingham Bay. After enjoying four hours outside on arguably the prettiest day of the year so far, we reveled in two more during our walk along the coast. Highlights include sticking my head into a sandstone hole and talking... it was like being in my own world. The sounds amplified all around in the near-perfect half-spherical hole. And when Nick did it, I only heard the muffled murmurs of his voice. That was cool.
Then we got into the tide pools. Good tidepooling is never boring. While unfortunately crushing countless barnacles and other shelled creatures, and probably popping some anemones, we saw so much life. Barnacles, limpets, clams, mussels, sea anemones, and HUGE PURPLE SEA STARS! They were suctioned into the cracks of rock close to the shoreline. The water lapped against rocks and sprayed salty mist into those fissures but the sea stars remained still. They remained royal purple with white speckles and lines that made the legs really stand out. We counted over 15 in one small crevice and well over 35 in total. I hadn't seen those in years but they really put a smile on my face.
We picked up trash nearly all day and cleaned up this small bit of coastline too. I laughed at the coincidence when thinking about the story of the man who threw washed-up sea stars back into the ocean to save their lives. When told he couldn't make a difference, the man threw one into the ocean, looked at the naysayer and said, "Made a difference to that one." I picked up another empty beer can and congratulated myself for making a difference. We can all make a difference every single day!
The day ended with sunset, walking in and around a rock labyrinth next to the railroad tracks. The temperature dropped and my hands were numb as we headed back to the car. Six hours outside. Making a difference in the world. Aware and alive to embrace and appreciate nature. We all have this opportunity to some extent in our lives to do this. Thank you, Nick, for your influence on this day. You made a difference in my world.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sounds of Silence
I was feeling "inside-y" today but finally forced myself out in the early evening for a sit. I felt the pussywillows again. My how they have grown in only three days. There is a little green leg sticking out of a couple of the bigger buds. Those must be the first shoots of spring.
When I finally got to my spot there was a little bit of light left. And There I sat for 32 minutes. The light got dimmer and dimmer as darkness enveloped the forest. My eyes' rod cells took over as the cone cells no longer remained useful; the greens and browns all faded into a grey-scale spectrum based on light and dark. I felt acutely observant to movement and sound. As the colors all but disappeared I found that I was extremely alert and prepared, though relaxed and calm.
I heard scratchings on trees or maybe in the fallen leaves. I heard wings flap overhead and head north. Even the distant freeway seemed to peter off once the night started. I heard occasional cars pulling into driveways and garages. I heard my own breath until I slowed it down to silence.
It is slightly scary going out into the dark forest to simply "be" knowing that there are predators like cougars and bears that share the same places. But it is empowering too, because I am building my comfort and confidence outside. By no means to be arrogant or foolhardy in putting myself at risk intentionally but to raise my awareness to the levels I hope it to one day reach. Gotta start somewhere. And I did :)
When I finally got to my spot there was a little bit of light left. And There I sat for 32 minutes. The light got dimmer and dimmer as darkness enveloped the forest. My eyes' rod cells took over as the cone cells no longer remained useful; the greens and browns all faded into a grey-scale spectrum based on light and dark. I felt acutely observant to movement and sound. As the colors all but disappeared I found that I was extremely alert and prepared, though relaxed and calm.
I heard scratchings on trees or maybe in the fallen leaves. I heard wings flap overhead and head north. Even the distant freeway seemed to peter off once the night started. I heard occasional cars pulling into driveways and garages. I heard my own breath until I slowed it down to silence.
It is slightly scary going out into the dark forest to simply "be" knowing that there are predators like cougars and bears that share the same places. But it is empowering too, because I am building my comfort and confidence outside. By no means to be arrogant or foolhardy in putting myself at risk intentionally but to raise my awareness to the levels I hope it to one day reach. Gotta start somewhere. And I did :)
Friday, February 15, 2013
First Hummingbird of the season!
Today, I saw my first hummingbird. Not sure about the species but as far as Bellingham goes, this is the first one I have seen this spring... and this must mean it is spring.
I was feeling the pussywillows that have been opening for two weeks now. I really like the fuzzy buds and the fuzzy shells that seemingly fall into my hand. Then I heard a buzz, I looked up, and lo and behold, a green hummingbird. Perhaps an Anna's. Most likely a Rufous. It usually is.
So many small but enjoyable occasions to celebrate at my sit spot. I shared the hummingbird experience that happened on my walk home from my sit spot. Also notable on the walk home was one moment I stopped and waited. A mentor once mentioned how it is important to stop. Scan 360 degrees from the ground to the sky and see what you see. I did. It got very quiet. The Song Sparrow that had just let me watch it from 15 feet for a couple minutes also stopped its rustling in the underbrush. So did the Western Towhee.
I heard my friend the Woodpecker thumping away somewhere very close to me. Staring into the sun made it difficult, and I couldn't see from where the thunderous drumming was occurring. Then i saw a Bald Eagle high in the sky. Then another came and circled around the other as they kettled upwards and onwards in the mid-day thermals...
When we stand still, we can be witness to multi-layer living, beauty, and play. There is so much amazingness in the world. For one minute I forced myself to stop and stay put, BREAKING MY OWN HABITS, and pushed myself beyond my schedule (and hope to get home to type this up before going away for the weekend.)
From the ground to the shrubs to the trees to the sky. There is so much life and I am responsible to ensure that it goes on, in perpetuity. I have to dedicate part of my schedule to stewarding the world and to enjoying its rich bounty. Not "resources" to use, but as a way to reintegrate myself into the natural fabric that exists.
At my spot: The Pacific Wren got within THREE feet of me and I watched it eating on the moss on a stump. Then it fluttered off. I was so still for those thirty seconds. Then I explored the moss on which it had paused. And I used my hand-lens. There was a small pink arachnid crawling about the underside of the bryophyte. I didn't correctly identify the green plant as a moss or a liverwort, but in hindsight, it seemed very liverworty!
Considering we studied them yesterday in lichens and moss class, I should have known more. But those tiny worlds are hard! I have more work to do in studying them.
The some Stellar's Jays were calling like Robins... Boy, are they good with their voices!
Gotta love when the sun comes out in February. Wishing you a nice President's Day weekend and Happy Spring... It really IS coming soon.
I was feeling the pussywillows that have been opening for two weeks now. I really like the fuzzy buds and the fuzzy shells that seemingly fall into my hand. Then I heard a buzz, I looked up, and lo and behold, a green hummingbird. Perhaps an Anna's. Most likely a Rufous. It usually is.
So many small but enjoyable occasions to celebrate at my sit spot. I shared the hummingbird experience that happened on my walk home from my sit spot. Also notable on the walk home was one moment I stopped and waited. A mentor once mentioned how it is important to stop. Scan 360 degrees from the ground to the sky and see what you see. I did. It got very quiet. The Song Sparrow that had just let me watch it from 15 feet for a couple minutes also stopped its rustling in the underbrush. So did the Western Towhee.
I heard my friend the Woodpecker thumping away somewhere very close to me. Staring into the sun made it difficult, and I couldn't see from where the thunderous drumming was occurring. Then i saw a Bald Eagle high in the sky. Then another came and circled around the other as they kettled upwards and onwards in the mid-day thermals...
When we stand still, we can be witness to multi-layer living, beauty, and play. There is so much amazingness in the world. For one minute I forced myself to stop and stay put, BREAKING MY OWN HABITS, and pushed myself beyond my schedule (and hope to get home to type this up before going away for the weekend.)
From the ground to the shrubs to the trees to the sky. There is so much life and I am responsible to ensure that it goes on, in perpetuity. I have to dedicate part of my schedule to stewarding the world and to enjoying its rich bounty. Not "resources" to use, but as a way to reintegrate myself into the natural fabric that exists.
At my spot: The Pacific Wren got within THREE feet of me and I watched it eating on the moss on a stump. Then it fluttered off. I was so still for those thirty seconds. Then I explored the moss on which it had paused. And I used my hand-lens. There was a small pink arachnid crawling about the underside of the bryophyte. I didn't correctly identify the green plant as a moss or a liverwort, but in hindsight, it seemed very liverworty!
Considering we studied them yesterday in lichens and moss class, I should have known more. But those tiny worlds are hard! I have more work to do in studying them.
The some Stellar's Jays were calling like Robins... Boy, are they good with their voices!
Gotta love when the sun comes out in February. Wishing you a nice President's Day weekend and Happy Spring... It really IS coming soon.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
California (January 31~February 4)
No real posting or sit spots, but highlights from this time include:
- Teaching about Sit Spots at a local conference called Storming the Sound, North.
- Having a short sit in La Conner as part of the workshop and considering the rain, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Pacific Wrens
- Hiking with Michelle in Torrey Pines State Beach and Natural Reserve. Getting up close to Red-tailed Hawks as they perches and during a fly-over.
- Seeing a Peregrine Falcon from the beach.
- Sandpipers
- Over 50 dolphins in various pods swimming north along the coast while we hiked the bluff. Great vista point.
- Lizards!
- Prickly-pear Cactus
- Sunshine and warm weather in winter!
- Coyotes yipping as dusk settled in Bommer Canyon. Despite the construction and development, they have not been displaced but rather stay healthy and active
- Coastal Sagebrush... mmmm!
- Teaching about Sit Spots at a local conference called Storming the Sound, North.
- Having a short sit in La Conner as part of the workshop and considering the rain, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Pacific Wrens
- Hiking with Michelle in Torrey Pines State Beach and Natural Reserve. Getting up close to Red-tailed Hawks as they perches and during a fly-over.
- Seeing a Peregrine Falcon from the beach.
- Sandpipers
- Over 50 dolphins in various pods swimming north along the coast while we hiked the bluff. Great vista point.
- Lizards!
- Prickly-pear Cactus
- Sunshine and warm weather in winter!
- Coyotes yipping as dusk settled in Bommer Canyon. Despite the construction and development, they have not been displaced but rather stay healthy and active
- Coastal Sagebrush... mmmm!
Raptor Census (from February 9th)
I woke up before dawn to meet a bunch of folks after dawn about an hour south of here. I participated in the annual Raptor Census, during which regular people with some interest in birds meet and count what species they see. Truth be told it is organized by region and team leaders are not slouches; some of these folks are leading biologists and raptor researchers. But I am just a thirty-something with a bird addiction... specifically a raptor one!
I worked with Gerry and we walked around the Port Susan Bay reserve looking for raptors. We counted a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), dozens of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), some Northern Harriers aka Marsh Hawks (Circus cyaneas), a female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). We heard a tremendous commotion from a nearby flock of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) too. Some Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) also made a cameo during our two-hour excursion.
We reported the data to the team leader and we all high-tailed (:)) it to Padilla Bay for a discussion about birds with beak deformities. Mostly this involves a disorder in which birds' beaks grow (like a cancer, really) and eventually prevent the bird from using its beak for anything. They can't eat or function properly because their beaks are inefficient and of course this leads to mortality.
Caroline Van Hemert spoke to us for a while about her work with Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska who suffer from this problem. Research didn't quite have any concrete conclusions but I will make a personal venture to say that perhaps cellular radiation or other environmental pollution is the culprit... HUMAN-created, so I must take some personal responsibility in contributing to the cause even though I do not yet know how. More info here!
It seems to me like a "beak cancer" as they simply grow out of control... I wonder if there is a gene in birds that tells the beak when to stop growing. All cancer research is related to humans, but perhaps there is work to be done with birds too.... maybe we can learn something from our flying friends.
It was nice to get out in the tidal flats early in the morning and contribute to a 23+ year project. I got to see my friend who is in charge of the whole program. You can find out more information about the Falcon Research Group here!
I worked with Gerry and we walked around the Port Susan Bay reserve looking for raptors. We counted a Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), dozens of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), some Northern Harriers aka Marsh Hawks (Circus cyaneas), a female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). We heard a tremendous commotion from a nearby flock of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) too. Some Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) also made a cameo during our two-hour excursion.
We reported the data to the team leader and we all high-tailed (:)) it to Padilla Bay for a discussion about birds with beak deformities. Mostly this involves a disorder in which birds' beaks grow (like a cancer, really) and eventually prevent the bird from using its beak for anything. They can't eat or function properly because their beaks are inefficient and of course this leads to mortality.
Caroline Van Hemert spoke to us for a while about her work with Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in Alaska who suffer from this problem. Research didn't quite have any concrete conclusions but I will make a personal venture to say that perhaps cellular radiation or other environmental pollution is the culprit... HUMAN-created, so I must take some personal responsibility in contributing to the cause even though I do not yet know how. More info here!
It seems to me like a "beak cancer" as they simply grow out of control... I wonder if there is a gene in birds that tells the beak when to stop growing. All cancer research is related to humans, but perhaps there is work to be done with birds too.... maybe we can learn something from our flying friends.
It was nice to get out in the tidal flats early in the morning and contribute to a 23+ year project. I got to see my friend who is in charge of the whole program. You can find out more information about the Falcon Research Group here!
Ducks not frightened (from February 8th)
I don't remember much about my sit spot from last Thursday afternoon; I think I was distracted by a job interview for later in the day. But the one thing that stuck out was on my walk back. I saw a male and female Mallard (Anus platyrhynchos) in the water very close to the trail i would have to take to return home. I certainly didn't mean to disturb them, as I know that they need all the resources they can muster in this cold winter.
Part of my deduces that they are setting up shop nearby to lay eggs and raise young too. And I definitely want to observe some of that. So I chose to walk slowly, albeit focused, to where I had to go. The male made a move to take flight but I reassured him through ESP or quietly with my voice that I meant no harm. He definitely stood guard but chose to stay put as I veered away from the couple and toward my house.
They were certainly watchful, but I am glad that they decided I wasn't a threat. I have seen them three times in the past weeks and suspect that they'll be here through the spring. Looking forward to any chance I can observe them.
Part of my deduces that they are setting up shop nearby to lay eggs and raise young too. And I definitely want to observe some of that. So I chose to walk slowly, albeit focused, to where I had to go. The male made a move to take flight but I reassured him through ESP or quietly with my voice that I meant no harm. He definitely stood guard but chose to stay put as I veered away from the couple and toward my house.
They were certainly watchful, but I am glad that they decided I wasn't a threat. I have seen them three times in the past weeks and suspect that they'll be here through the spring. Looking forward to any chance I can observe them.
Moss Class (from February 7th)
Here is a make-up post. I took a Moss Class on Thursday, February 7th. I was exposed to a lot of new material with which I was not familiar. The woman next to me talked me through the different parts and talked to me like she was a high school Biology teacher (which she was).
The other woman sitting next to me is a friend and we laughed at both having signed up for a 10am class... that is for the retired or fun-employed! Actually, we both have jobs... for the same non-profit in town; I work with the boys while she works with the girls and we actually worked together last fall at an after-school program too. Small world, huh? (This is a perfect realization for someone studying bryophytes and lichens.)
A crucial part of the day was buying a hand-lens with a built-in light... super helpful for studying mosses and lichens! I'm so glad I paid the extra $2! This was a good introduction into a world of Ecology about which I knew nothing. I still have a LONG way to go, but I feel good learning the basics and have two more weeks to learn. I will miss the field trip, but look forward to another chance to get outside with the instructor.
The other woman sitting next to me is a friend and we laughed at both having signed up for a 10am class... that is for the retired or fun-employed! Actually, we both have jobs... for the same non-profit in town; I work with the boys while she works with the girls and we actually worked together last fall at an after-school program too. Small world, huh? (This is a perfect realization for someone studying bryophytes and lichens.)
A crucial part of the day was buying a hand-lens with a built-in light... super helpful for studying mosses and lichens! I'm so glad I paid the extra $2! This was a good introduction into a world of Ecology about which I knew nothing. I still have a LONG way to go, but I feel good learning the basics and have two more weeks to learn. I will miss the field trip, but look forward to another chance to get outside with the instructor.
Deer walking with Nick
Instead of going to my spot like normal, Nick and I went into the woods for a walk. We had no expectations, but let our curiosity guide the way. I had the hankering to look at mosses and lichens while he was exploring plants. We found our respective tasks challenging and we certainly learned a lot through the struggles of "unclarity." I do think we found and properly identified the Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) [p176] along the edge of the trail. The three leaflets were lobed and toothed, as described in Pojar and MacKinnon's Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Suddenly a game trail appeared and we felt the urge to follow it. Nick first wanted to look at a Bigleaf Maple (Acer Macrophyllum) while I went to the ground to sift through the mossy base of a Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera). And after an interlude of tasting and subsequently identifying and a not-so-licorice-tasting Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) rhizome, we embraced the Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus colombianus) which we assume made the path.
Sure enough... deer sign on the ground in the form of a pile of "Raisinettes!" And then another and another as we tracked its path for about a quarter mile. Though we may have strayed from the exact steps, hand it to us to look like deer and think like deer:
What is the path of least resistance? Where is a good place to take a break under shelter? What is there to eat right here? Where is the potable water?
We tracked it around a small patch of forest littered with tightly knit groves of Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and tons of mosses. We explored the medicinal uses of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) while observing its new buds just breaking the surface of the branches.
Nick analyzed an approach of how one might climb a particularly huge Bigleaf Maple while i got back into the tiny moss forest world. In the end, I saw more capsules, operculum and peristomes... correctly noticing subtle differences between species. I made a go at trying to identify one and think I got it right: Fan Moss or Large Leafy Moss (Rhizomnium glabrescens).
Then we headed home because I was getting cold and we were both a little hungry. We tracked out using a path we found and picked up a lot of OLD trash along the way... One Mountain Dew can must have been sitting there since the 80's; it had logos I've never seen. We filled up a paint container (that we found in a clearing) with debris and brought it to the trailhead.
We decided to leave it there, perhaps as a small trash recepticle for others who might want to contribute to cleaning up our forest... In fact, we left it right next to the crap that some "Hippier-than-thou" Bellinghamster "didn't see" while s/he was riding a bike as his/her righteous dog deposited it so neatly. Yes, I have coined this phrase and will accordingly pursue putting the phrase onto bumper stickers.
Suddenly a game trail appeared and we felt the urge to follow it. Nick first wanted to look at a Bigleaf Maple (Acer Macrophyllum) while I went to the ground to sift through the mossy base of a Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera). And after an interlude of tasting and subsequently identifying and a not-so-licorice-tasting Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) rhizome, we embraced the Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus colombianus) which we assume made the path.
Sure enough... deer sign on the ground in the form of a pile of "Raisinettes!" And then another and another as we tracked its path for about a quarter mile. Though we may have strayed from the exact steps, hand it to us to look like deer and think like deer:
What is the path of least resistance? Where is a good place to take a break under shelter? What is there to eat right here? Where is the potable water?
We tracked it around a small patch of forest littered with tightly knit groves of Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and tons of mosses. We explored the medicinal uses of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) while observing its new buds just breaking the surface of the branches.
Nick analyzed an approach of how one might climb a particularly huge Bigleaf Maple while i got back into the tiny moss forest world. In the end, I saw more capsules, operculum and peristomes... correctly noticing subtle differences between species. I made a go at trying to identify one and think I got it right: Fan Moss or Large Leafy Moss (Rhizomnium glabrescens).
Then we headed home because I was getting cold and we were both a little hungry. We tracked out using a path we found and picked up a lot of OLD trash along the way... One Mountain Dew can must have been sitting there since the 80's; it had logos I've never seen. We filled up a paint container (that we found in a clearing) with debris and brought it to the trailhead.
We decided to leave it there, perhaps as a small trash recepticle for others who might want to contribute to cleaning up our forest... In fact, we left it right next to the crap that some "Hippier-than-thou" Bellinghamster "didn't see" while s/he was riding a bike as his/her righteous dog deposited it so neatly. Yes, I have coined this phrase and will accordingly pursue putting the phrase onto bumper stickers.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Mosses
So, last week I took a class on Mosses and Bryophytes. I bought a hand-lens with a built-in light... it's really cool... and helpful! More on that class in another post.
Though I am a novice on mosses, I decided to look at them anyways while at my sit spot. I ended up looking at what I have determined to be Feather Moss (Hylocomium splendens) though I am definitely not sure! In the process of looking at the moss, I found four different lichens too (plural is lichens, not lichen).
We are going to discuss lichens in class on Thursday, but for now it was fun to look at them with a lens and see how extraordinarily different they are. Perhaps two of them were the same, one of them bigger and in a much later state of decomposition. Perhaps not.
That led to concentrated observations and I should probably draw them. But for now I will just let it be as a fun chance to look. I'll get in there with a pencil and paper another time... I have much more observing to do before I can draw them.
I was about to get up and my friend the Wren came back. it fluttered about as usual, about ten feet at the closest point and it seemed to be picking at sticks and logs. I wonder if it is eating and if so what it is eating. Bugs on the lichens? on the mosses?
I forgot to mention the tiny brown spider I saw too. While moss hunting, I saw this spider appear and then burrow itself into the leaf litter. I tried to flash my light on it (it was getting dark around 4:30 pm when I was out there!) in order to get some observations. It was not a brown recluse nor a black widow. that much is for certain. it had really pretty wavy lines, zebra-esque in two shades of brown on its thorax. Then it burrowed in again and I left it alone.
Almost didn't go outside today for my spot. I am so happy that I did. The process put me in a better mood and let me play for a little bit too.
Oh, and another living thing. A small mushroom had broken through a dead leaf and was beginning its growth upward. I found it really cool to see that the mushroom had decisively punctured through a leaf. I still don't like mushrooms, but they get cooler as I look at them. This one, under the hand-lens, was very fibery and stringy. A beige-ish conglomeration of woven threads that had somehow taken the shape of a mushroom.
On my walk out I came across more moss. I got whipped in the face by a devil's club branch but held fast to my space at the base of a huge big leaf maple. There, two, maybe three VERY distinct species were growing in and around each other.
I studied some gametophytes (female ones were the only ones I remembered!) and the sporophytes too. I forgot the name of all these terms and am referring to my notes in hindsight, but I DID remember to look at the seta and the capsules on the sporophytes too! Those are distinguishing characteristics for mosses, especially comparatively. Some were purple, others more green.
And it was cool to compare the same species of moss- one of the sporophytes' capsules had the operculum attached and the other one didn't. (An operculum is the little cap on the end of the seta.) I got to observe an operculum and see how it is designed. And directly next to it, I saw a capsule without the operculum and thus I saw the peristome, which are wavy finger-like structures that release germinating spores into the world...
I think I am saying all of this right. Boy, I am thankful for this blog. I would have forgotten the subtle details of my sit spot today (and the associated transportation too) had I not a chance to report my observations. This is a good habit for me indeed. And I got to learn a bunch about mosses as I look over my notes from last week!
Though I am a novice on mosses, I decided to look at them anyways while at my sit spot. I ended up looking at what I have determined to be Feather Moss (Hylocomium splendens) though I am definitely not sure! In the process of looking at the moss, I found four different lichens too (plural is lichens, not lichen).
We are going to discuss lichens in class on Thursday, but for now it was fun to look at them with a lens and see how extraordinarily different they are. Perhaps two of them were the same, one of them bigger and in a much later state of decomposition. Perhaps not.
That led to concentrated observations and I should probably draw them. But for now I will just let it be as a fun chance to look. I'll get in there with a pencil and paper another time... I have much more observing to do before I can draw them.
I was about to get up and my friend the Wren came back. it fluttered about as usual, about ten feet at the closest point and it seemed to be picking at sticks and logs. I wonder if it is eating and if so what it is eating. Bugs on the lichens? on the mosses?
I forgot to mention the tiny brown spider I saw too. While moss hunting, I saw this spider appear and then burrow itself into the leaf litter. I tried to flash my light on it (it was getting dark around 4:30 pm when I was out there!) in order to get some observations. It was not a brown recluse nor a black widow. that much is for certain. it had really pretty wavy lines, zebra-esque in two shades of brown on its thorax. Then it burrowed in again and I left it alone.
Almost didn't go outside today for my spot. I am so happy that I did. The process put me in a better mood and let me play for a little bit too.
Oh, and another living thing. A small mushroom had broken through a dead leaf and was beginning its growth upward. I found it really cool to see that the mushroom had decisively punctured through a leaf. I still don't like mushrooms, but they get cooler as I look at them. This one, under the hand-lens, was very fibery and stringy. A beige-ish conglomeration of woven threads that had somehow taken the shape of a mushroom.
On my walk out I came across more moss. I got whipped in the face by a devil's club branch but held fast to my space at the base of a huge big leaf maple. There, two, maybe three VERY distinct species were growing in and around each other.
I studied some gametophytes (female ones were the only ones I remembered!) and the sporophytes too. I forgot the name of all these terms and am referring to my notes in hindsight, but I DID remember to look at the seta and the capsules on the sporophytes too! Those are distinguishing characteristics for mosses, especially comparatively. Some were purple, others more green.
And it was cool to compare the same species of moss- one of the sporophytes' capsules had the operculum attached and the other one didn't. (An operculum is the little cap on the end of the seta.) I got to observe an operculum and see how it is designed. And directly next to it, I saw a capsule without the operculum and thus I saw the peristome, which are wavy finger-like structures that release germinating spores into the world...
I think I am saying all of this right. Boy, I am thankful for this blog. I would have forgotten the subtle details of my sit spot today (and the associated transportation too) had I not a chance to report my observations. This is a good habit for me indeed. And I got to learn a bunch about mosses as I look over my notes from last week!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Crisp but sunny afternoon sit
I crept into my Sit Spot from a new angle today. There were many people about so I quickly ducked off the trail and into a swampy watery thicket of thorny brambles. Don't worry, I wasn't too harmed... but I suspect that no one would want to follow me into the forest from the approach I took. Thus, it was perfect.
Upon arriving at my spot I immediately noticed the hair on the ground! It was definitely from a mammal. The questions came at me like a raging river, then some observations:
- What animal?
- How long ago?
- Was this a kill site?
- Did something bed down here and scratch the hair off itself?
- Why is there only white hair?
- What lives around here? Deer, coyote, cougar, bear, mouse, shrew...
- The hair is longer
- Are there any tracks?
- How did this animal approach this spot?
- Did I lead an animal here?
- Did I find an animal's sit spot?!
The quiet in the forest eventually soothed my brain chatter and questioning as I nodded off while leaning against my cedar tree. I found the strength to keep my eyes open for a bit and noticed new destruction at a "floating log." This was a tree that died and became a snag which eventually lost grip with the group and fell. It remains at an angle, however, because a different stump caught it's fall.
I explored the new wood chips and the newly created holes. Was this a bear? More likely to be the Hairy (or Downy) Woodpecker that I have so often seen in this patch of wood. Remember the Northern Flicker that has eluded me? Could be sign from her also. There was some dry material, leading me to believe that it happened very recently... even earlier today. Truth be told, I haven't been to my spot in three whole days, so I can't know exactly when this occurred.
I looked from different angles (using this word a lot in this post) and eventually found the perfect nest. A tucked away nook that is protected and seemingly dry. There was collected moss there and some bark and fine wood chips too. Is this the work of a rodent who nests in the nook or perhaps from one of the birds who frequents the area?
Then looked to another snag, also with recent work done. Tremendous amounts of debris was ripped out of the base on the snag, more than I remember seeing before. And from three different angles. I immediately thought this was the work of a black bear. I found a hole that I attribute to a possible claw. Being that these two sites are only 20 feet from one another was it the same critter? It's warmed up recently... could be a bear... deer hair near here too?
No conclusions for sure, but most likely not a bear. I want to go back to the second snag though and collect some of the very fine wood powder that still remains inside. I think it was dry... maybe it will make for good fire starter.
Upon arriving at my spot I immediately noticed the hair on the ground! It was definitely from a mammal. The questions came at me like a raging river, then some observations:
- What animal?
- How long ago?
- Was this a kill site?
- Did something bed down here and scratch the hair off itself?
- Why is there only white hair?
- What lives around here? Deer, coyote, cougar, bear, mouse, shrew...
- The hair is longer
- Are there any tracks?
- How did this animal approach this spot?
- Did I lead an animal here?
- Did I find an animal's sit spot?!
The quiet in the forest eventually soothed my brain chatter and questioning as I nodded off while leaning against my cedar tree. I found the strength to keep my eyes open for a bit and noticed new destruction at a "floating log." This was a tree that died and became a snag which eventually lost grip with the group and fell. It remains at an angle, however, because a different stump caught it's fall.
I explored the new wood chips and the newly created holes. Was this a bear? More likely to be the Hairy (or Downy) Woodpecker that I have so often seen in this patch of wood. Remember the Northern Flicker that has eluded me? Could be sign from her also. There was some dry material, leading me to believe that it happened very recently... even earlier today. Truth be told, I haven't been to my spot in three whole days, so I can't know exactly when this occurred.
I looked from different angles (using this word a lot in this post) and eventually found the perfect nest. A tucked away nook that is protected and seemingly dry. There was collected moss there and some bark and fine wood chips too. Is this the work of a rodent who nests in the nook or perhaps from one of the birds who frequents the area?
Then looked to another snag, also with recent work done. Tremendous amounts of debris was ripped out of the base on the snag, more than I remember seeing before. And from three different angles. I immediately thought this was the work of a black bear. I found a hole that I attribute to a possible claw. Being that these two sites are only 20 feet from one another was it the same critter? It's warmed up recently... could be a bear... deer hair near here too?
No conclusions for sure, but most likely not a bear. I want to go back to the second snag though and collect some of the very fine wood powder that still remains inside. I think it was dry... maybe it will make for good fire starter.
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