Bird’s Nest Fungus

As I hurried back to the car to meet my husband after his walk at Centennial Park I spotted some tiny birds nest fungus in the mulch of a raised bed beside the path near the canoe and paddle boat rentals. Photographing them took a few just minutes.These fungi are only a little larger than a pencil eraser. I noticed their color first

Then some dimples

And finally some ‘eggs’ where the covering had torn away to reveal them in the ‘nest.’ Notice the one at the top middle of the image below that still had part of the covering.

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 13, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

18 beautiful houses for tiny people - Photographs of doll’s houses …inhabitants and furnishings too.

How past Native-American settlement modified Western New York forests - Larger nut-bearing trees were more abundant near settlements!

Rebuilding Sandbars in the Grand Canyon - I had learned about the attempts to rebuild sandbars in the recent Coursera offer on Water in the Western US…so this acted to remind me of the class, probably locking in what I learned through a surprise repetition.

Ultrasound is making new waves throughout medicine - Ultrasound is being used for more and more imaging these days….and is more portable than a lot of the other imagining technologies.

10 Ways to Save Pollinators - This is not just about honey bees….it’s about all pollinators.

Multi-tasking: Benefits on exercise - So doing something else while you exercise may not be such a bad thing!

Beyond Automation - Five paths toward employability is an automated…augmented world of the future.

Sewage Pollution: The Next Great Threat for Coral Reefs - 96% of places that have both people and coral reefs have a sewage pollution problem (85% of the waterwater entering the sea in the Caribbean is untreated). Sewage that reaches corals includes: fresh water, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, pathogens, toxins. Ewww! Not good for human health either.

The Shifting Sands of the Sahara Are a Lesson in Dune Dynamics - Illustrations of dune patterns (seen from above)

5 Ways to Make Environmentally Conscious Food Choices - I had thought of all 5…but this is post is a good summary to: support good companies, buy local, storing your food, growing your own, and choose less packaging.

CSA Week 2

The week 1 produce I got from the Gorman Farm CSA was almost used up by the end of the week. A few garlic scapes and part of the lettuce was all that was left by the time I went to pick up the week 2 veggies! I have become a huge fan of spinach salads (so much so that I didn’t cook any of the spinach in last week’s share). I like it with fruit and marmalade/olive oil dressing. This past week I combined spinach with:

• Strawberries and carrots
• Apple and peanuts and savoy cabbage
• Apple and almonds

Now for week 2 - Yum! The medium share this week included: Chard, Kale, Lettuce, Scallions and Spinach. I see salads, kale chips, and stir fries in my future! I used most of the kale for chips ---- made right after I picked up the new share to help clear the crisper a little.

A Story Derived from Feathers

As I neared the boat ramp near Centennial Lake I noticed a relatively large feather on the sidewalk.

I noticed other feathers caught in the grooves of the ramp

And in the grass.

Then I noticed there were a lot more feathers near the parking area.

The breeze was already separating them so I must have just barely missed the action.

What do you think happened?

The feathers are all dark and quite large. There were enough of them on the ground that it was obvious that they belonged to a bird that did not survive. The bird that attacked must have been large as well….and carried the prey away from the area.

Nature and History Hiking

There are lots of ‘stories’ that we create for ourselves while hiking. Hiking is active and invites narrative. The theme can be about interaction with an animal or plants or a hiking partner. There could be an activity done with hiking that becomes part of the story: photography, bird watching, climbing, camping, etc. Recently - I’ve been creating stories using the history theme.

The longest timeframe history is in rocks - in layers. It is easy for this narrative to emerge when hiking the Grand Canyon…..the feeling of the vast amounts of time for water to wear away the rock is part of the place.

Sometimes rocks tell history with a shorter timeframe. For example, rocks along trails in areas that are near developments show up in buildings; the Master Naturalist hike along the Trolley Trail early this year was an example for me of rocks linking to history of the past few hundred years. A building not far from the trail was built of Ellicott City Granite with bits of amphibole for contrast.

Human impacts. Sometimes the changes caused by humans are evident along a hiking trail. Trash is always unwelcome and we may not hike that trail again - or help in a clean up project. It is a sad story. In fact - lots of the impacts are sad: eroded stream banks from changes in runoff patterns from housing developments and invasive plants. Many of the impacts happen quickly.

Other examples of human impacts take a longer period. The view of the forests on the east coast has changed dramatically now that the American Chestnuts are gone (almost all of them succumbed to the Chestnut Blight in the 1900s); they were the dominate (most numerous) tree in the forest. That history is harder to realize because it is about something missing. As I look into the forest behind my house - the most numerous trees are the tulip poplars. They are tall - but they don’t produce the large and reliable crop of nuts that the chestnuts did (for animals and people).

What about organisms that are not usually noticed? If you take a walk shortly after a rain - there might be earthworms on the forest path. Did you know that they are not ‘native’ to North America but brought in ballast from Europe during colonization? How did they change the forest? The leaf mulch was not cycled as quickly by the native organisms which means that the forest floor in precolonial times was cooler and wetter than it is now. How different did those forests look?

Summer Wardrobe

I’m putting the last of my cool weather clothes away for the season! The warm days are welcome and I am enjoying the roominess of my closest. Summer clothes take up less space that the winter ones. As I made the transition a few clothes went into the 'give away' pile.

My favorite clothes for the summer are skirts and tops…flip flops for shoes. That’s what I’ll be wearing at least half the time! If I buy anything new this summer it will probably be another skirt or two from the thrift store.

If I am working outside in the yard, I have long pants, a light weight long sleeved shirt, and an old pair of hiking boots….and a hat. That minimizes sunscreen, bug bites (including ticks) and plant based skin irritations (poison ivy is the worst). Of course - sometimes it will be too hot for my preferred yard work clothes - so I’ll revert to shorts and a t-shirt supplemented with sunscreen, bug spray and gloves that some up as far as possible on my forearm! I’ll have to make sure I am not in an area with poison ivy too.

For hiking and the days I’ll be with elementary school aged day campers - my plan is to wear light weight pants and T-shirts with hiking boots/Keen sandals and a hat. I’ll have to remember the sunscreen (replenished during the day).

That leaves some things in my closet that I probably won’t wear very much:

Capris and shorts

So many T-shirts that I will never wear them out.

I’ve gotten rid of some that have collected over the years already. More may go into the 'give away' pile at the end of this summer.

Now I am ready for summer - at least from a clothes perspective.

Woodland Gardening

Last week I attended at session on Woodland Gardening at the Maryland Master Naturalist Annual Conference….which influenced my observations during a walk at Centennial Lake this past weekend.

The idea of woodland gardening is to create outdoor spaces that mimic woodlands. My planting the sassafras and spice bush in the back of my yard - moving the forest further into my ‘yard’ by another 3 feet - was my first attempt at it but I’m already thinking about my next project and looking at woodlands for ideas.

The talk presented some principles of woodland gardening and I noticed examples of these in my walk:

Distill the essence of the forest. One ‘essence’ that I find awe inspiring is the view upward. It would take a long time to create such a few in a garden. I will be content with the wall of green where the forest begins toward the back of my yard.

Celebrate light. I noticed light that filtered through the trees to the woodland floor

And highlighted leaves of the trees from above.

Sculpt with layers…which means mimicking or allowing succession to take place.I noticed that the park maintenance was not cutting as much of the grassy area around the lake - letting a meadow develop. There was a lot more milkweed in the park than in previous years which bodes well for any Monarch Butterflies in the area.

Integrate woodland textures. There are redbuds planned along some of the walkways at the edge of the forest. Their heart shaped leaves and bean-like seed pods are like a gateway to the larger trees in the forest.

Red Potato Harvest

Last February some small red potatoes sprouted before we could eat them. I decided to cut them into pieces and root them in a shallow tray in front of a kitchen window along with the stubs of celery stalks. In February - any green plants were welcome relief from the white snow on the ground outside the window!

The potatoes did very well; their roots formed a dense mat in the tray and I planted them in some pots on our deck in late April. The plants grew rapidly - making large leaves and stems. Last week when I was watering all the pots (before the rains came), I noticed that one of the pots had what looked like a good sized potato peeking through the soil. Yesterday I ‘harvested’ the potatoes from the pot. There were 4 of them - a small serving. That's a pretty good crop considering they have only been in the dirt for about 6 weeks. The potatoes were all very close to the surface. None of the other plants have visible potatoes yet so I will let them continue growing…and next time I’ll plant the potatoes in bigger pots! 

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 06, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Everything We've Learned about Mummies Using 21st Century Technology - Mummies fascinate just because we know they are often from the distant past…new technology adds elements to that fascination.

It’s Time to End the Gar Wars - Learn something new about native fish….and the history of conservation.

Why Kids Need to Dig in the Dirt Again - Play in the outdoors….not such a common thing for children as it used to be. Sad.

What Dose of Nature Do We Need to Feel Better? - Evidently there is a lot of research right now about the health benefits of spending time in nature….not just for children either.

New U.S. Water Rule is Crucial for Clean Drinking Water and Resilience to Droughts and Floods - As water supplies shift (too much and too little), the clarification will become more important. I was surprised that prior to the clarification, drinking water for 1 in 3 Americans came from streams without clear protection from pollution and degradation. Sustaining or improving the quality of water supplies is a key component to a sustainable planet.

Monarch Butterfly Conservation Series - I’m putting these videos on my ‘to do’ list.

Watching the Simultaneous Release of 11,000 Marbles - Mesmerizing.

Why you want Google Photos - Something new I am looking into.

16 Photographs of Animals Caught in the Rain - My favorites are the tricolor heron and monarch butterfly chrysalis photos.

These Maps Show Just How Screwed China Will Be After Sea Levels Rise - This is if all the ice melts….which may be a possibility if the world continues on current trends….and even if the ice does not melt completely, there are a lot of people living in coastal areas that are very close to sea level.

Parks and Gardens Day Trips

I am enjoying day trips to parks and gardens this spring - both old favorites and new ones. The places on my old favorites list are below - with the ones I’ve done in past few months in italics (does not mean that I might not see them again soon!):

Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum

Brookside Nature Center

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

Longwood Gardens

National Arboretum

US Botanic Garden

Patapsco Valley State Park

There are new ones on my list too. I’ve started putting pink post-it notes around the calendar on the refrigerator when I read about new places I want to see. The ones in italics on the list below are the two we’ve done already recently (and I want to do both of them again):

Adkins Arboretum

Conowingo Dam and Susquehanna State Park

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area

Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area

I’m sure I’ll be adding to the 'new' list soon after buying Barbara Glickman’s new book: Maryland’s Public Gardens & Parks yesterday at the annual Master Naturalist conference!

CSA Week 1

Hurray for the first week of the Gorman Farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) yesterday! We had ‘special’ distributions of strawberries and lettuce the past few weeks but this was the first week of the normal variety of veggies. I have a medium share this year just as I did in 2014 and am looking forward to the fresh veggies every week.

This time of year - there are lots of shades of green except for the strawberries! I put them in the middle in the picture below. Going clockwise from just above the strawberries, there is 1/2 pound of spinach stuffed into a plastic bag, collard greens held together with a rubber band, lettuce, 1/2 pound of garlic scapes, tatsoi and pac choi. I already had a wonderful stir fry seasoned with garlic scapes and some of the other veggies.

A few days ago I was talking to my daughter about what we would miss the most if we moved from where we live now (she in Arizona and me in Maryland) and we agreed that our CSAs would be high on the list. 

Zentangle® - May 2015

May was my fourth month of ‘a Zentangle a day’ - sometimes more than one each day!

The last of the colored card stock in the house was used up in May.

And I moved on to experiments with different sizes of tiles.

Sometimes I use a pattern from the Tangle Patterns site and sometimes I start with a prompt from a botanical print or pottery design or an abstract painting or a carpet…..it seems like I see opportunities for new patterns in so many places.

I found several sets of colored pencils (one of which is probably over 30 years old) and have started experimenting with added color. More to come with that experimentation in June - I’m sure.

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The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com.

Violets and Rattlesnake Fern

Violets and rattlesnake fern have been ‘finds’ over the past few weeks. Violets were not new to me - I notice them when they bloom every spring. What I had not noticed previously was the seed pods that are produced afterward. This year they seem to be everywhere - or I am just recognizing them for what they are.

The rattlesnake fern is new to me. It is a very different kind of fern. I saw it first in the Patapsco Valley State Park near Belmont and then noticed many more plants at the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. I’ve added arrows to this picture ---- everywhere I noticed one there seemed to be other growing nearby! It looks different than many ferns in that the fronds come from a central stalk and

The spore producing frond is almost like a ‘flower’ above the leaves. I found myself wanting to photograph the variations of that spore producing frond!

Middle Patuxent Environmental Area

Last weekend, we hiked the Wildlife Loop Trail in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. It was an outing that had been on my list for this spring and it finally was at the top. It is less than 15 minutes from our house!

The trails are rustic. There are two documented trails that have different entry points. The Wildlife Loop (the one we chose to do in this first trip to MPEA) was the trail originating from the parking lot at the Trotter Road parking area. We walked along old farm roads or mowed paths. The vegetation was lush with vines - sometimes with obvious invasive plants like honeysuckle and multiflora rose...and then there was the native grapevine too. Some areas along the road had been turned into meadow and the milkweed was getting ready to bloom.

Some of the trees were kept cleared of vines and were doing very well. I always enjoy seeing the heart shaped leaves and seed pods of redbud this time of year.

One of the maples was growing very fast and this branch must have been tall enough to be above browsing by deer.

The trail meanders downhill toward the river and then back up. Close to the end - I noticed leaves with droplets of water accumulated around their edges. It was a nice finale.

I’m already planning another hike to MPEA. I want to hike the other trail…spend more time at the river’s edge…go as early as possible while it is still cool…and remember bug spray!

Bigleaf Magnolia

One of the trails we sometimes take from Belmont into Patapsco Valley State Park has quite a stand of Bigleaf Magnolias. They look like a tropical plant in the understory of the forest. The leaves live up to the name of the plant! In this stand, most of the trees have long slender trunks - sometimes with only one ‘umbrella’ of leaves at the top. The deer population around Belmont is quite high so their growth pattern could be influenced by deer browsing on their buds and leaves. There were quite a few plants that were a clump of 2 or 3 spindly trunks. The canopy over the plants may be getting too thick as well; they are understory trees but they evidently need sunlight too.

When I hiked in the area last week, a few of the trees were blooming! Unfortunately - the blooms were high in the trees. I captured several using the zoom on my camera.

Then we found one that appeared to be lower than the rest. One of the leaves under the flower showed evidence of how easily the big leaves can be damaged by wind. These trees grow in a sheltered area of forest and would not do well as landscaping trees surrounded by yard.

We carefully used a walking stick to pull the branch down for some photographs of the inside of the large flower. More confirmation that it is indeed a magnolia!

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 30, 2015

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Quiz: Can you tell these 16 cities by their skylines? -  I got 12 of the 16!

The Great Tuskers of Matusadona - Matusadona National Park in northern Zimbabwe….with lots of elephants and an organized anti-poaching group that (so far) appears to be sustaining the park wildlife.

Supreme Crispy Quinoa Vegetable Burgers - I don’t think I would actually eat this on a bun - since I general decide that I don’t like buns well enough to justify the calories. But I am always on the lookout for other ways to use quinoa since its nutritional profile is so terrific (and it tastes food too)…definitely worth the calories.

An El Nino connection to the floods in Oklahoma and Texas? - Map and narrative about El Nino and its impact on US weather patterns (using recent weather as an example).

These Are the Most Distinctive Popular Foods in Every State - Does it make sense for your state? Crab Cakes is listed for Maryland and that sounds about right.

See This Baby Flamingo Take Its First Few Steps - I knew that baby flamingoes were white (had picked up that bit of trivia somewhere along the line) but I hadn’t ever seen one. I was surprised at how big its legs were. The adult flamingoes seem very attentive to the baby too.

Insane Solar Jobs Boom About To Get $32 Million More Insane - Renewable energy stretching toward the goal of becoming competitive with fossil fuels.

There are No Shortcuts to Birding Nirvana - I was surprised that the Merlin app (from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology) was not mentioned. Maybe because it only includes 400 North American birds. It has the advantage that it is very easy to use even for new birders. I like it.

Designed for the Future: Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World - Take a look at the gallery (link below the picture). These are structures that exist - not drawings or plans.

Hidden Lead in Your Home - It isn’t just old lead pain on walls…there are more sources. 

Backyard View - May 2015

The wall of green filled our backyard view in May. At the beginning of the month the maple tree (to the rightside) still held all the season’s samaras. They whirled away with the wind at mid-month as can be send by the image series below taken about a week apart.

The scar from the large branch that fell from the tulip poplar is visible. There is a hole in the green wall high in the tree. It will take several years for the tree to fill the gap.

Last but not least - the sycamore is at its most beautiful this time of year - with unscathed leaves that seem edged with white and seed balls dangling on their long stems.

Chives

I always have chives in my garden. They come back every year even though a use quite a few in salads while the flowers and leaves are still tender. This year I have started looking more closely at the round flowers on top.

The pink-purple color contrasts nicely with the green of the garden. The teardrop shaped buds burst open and it is almost immediately apparent that the bud includes multiple flowers.

As the small flowers open, the shape transforms from tear drop to round. The flowers are positioned to all face outward.

The petals continue to elongate and appear to thin. Soon they will past the stage for including in salads.

Mt. Pleasant Farm - May 2015

I’ve been at the Howard County Conservancy’s Mt. Pleasant Farm quite a lot this month; it is the peak of the spring field trip season for elementary schools. In the quiet before the buses arrive I capture a bit of the scene:

The flower pot people dressed for summer,

The plantings in bloom on the way to the Honors Garden, and

The wood frogs in the small pool just inside the Honors Garden.

One morning I arrived early enough to walk around one of the short loops and saw a rabbit…that was long gone by the time the children arrived…

And tree swallows at the nesting boxes. Surprisingly - one morning a pair of tree swallows was so intent on building their nest that my hiking group of second graders watched them carrying sticks into the box and chasing away other tree swallows!

May 2015 turned out to be an excellent month for field trips to Mt. Pleasant Farm!

Birds at Conowingo Dam

My husband had read about the Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam - particularly in the early winter - so we decided to reconnoiter the location last weekend and then plan to go back late in the year. The location is only an hour from where we live. Wow! We were surprised when we got there and saw the number of birds fishing at the base of the dam.

There were mature and immature bald eagles - sometimes in groups

Sometimes interacting with smaller birds -

Soaring up high to the top of the dam -

Surveying the river from a dam abutment

Or the rocks to the side.

There were quite a few great blue heron as well. Both my husband and I tried to catch them in flight.

This heron had just landed on the water and looks startled that the cormorant is so close!

Here is a series my husband took that show the way the heron’s wings look as the bird flies very low over the water.

There were quite a few cormorants and it seemed like there was always one wrangling a fish.

We also saw quite a few black vultures and tree swallows….but the Bald Eagles were the big draw for us. Both of us want to go back with slightly different equipment and a little bit earlier in the morning.