All posts by laurahinnj

Small truths, Wanderings

Small wonders

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“Maybe the idea of the world as flat isn’t a tribal memory or an archetypal memory, but something far older – a fox memory, a worm memory, a moss memory.

Memory of leaping or crawling or shrugging rootlet by rootlet forward, across the flatness of everything.

To perceive of the world as round needed something else – standing up! – that hadn’t yet happened.

What a wild family! Fox and giraffe and wart hog, of course. But these also: bodies like tiny strings, bodies like blades and blossoms! Cord grass, Christmas fern, soldier moss! And here comes grasshopper, all toes and knees and eyes, over the little mountains of dust.

When I see the black cricket in the woodpile, in autumn, I don’t frighten her. And when I see the moss grazing upon the rock, I touch her tenderly,

sweet cousin.” -Mary Oliver, Winter Hours

Not a moss, but a lichen, which I learned are composed of both fungi and algae growing together in a mutually beneficial relationship. The fungi provides the structure, as well as water and minerals. The algae, because of their chlorophyll, produce the food and the whole organism is happy.

😉

These are British Soldier Lichen, so named because their red fruiting bodies reminded some botanist of the Redcoats of the Revolutionary War. I wished I’d had my hand lens along to have a better look at these – they’re so tiny!

Watching the other naturalists during our walk the other day in the pinelands made me appreciate how different we nature-enthusiasts are from ordinary people who walk through the world without really seeing much. The *plant person* along spent most of her time trying to separate the various members of the heath family by their leaves alone. Would you know a blueberry, from a huckleberry, from a dangleberry without the flowers to give a clue? Would you taste a bit of teaberry leaf to confirm your ID by the spicy wintergreen flavor? We did! We oohed and aahed over the perched barred owl, even offered scope views to passersby – all of whom refused to even stop for a look. What’s up with that?

I wonder if it doesn’t simply come down to a lack of curiosity. Maybe I think of it that way because I seem to be curious about most anything. Also, I imagine that we place a value on these things that others do not. Why is it, do you think, that some people can sense wonder and others just wonder what all the fuss is about?

Snapshots, Wanderings

A few aerialists

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I won’t pretend to know what I’m talking about here, so take anything I say with a grain of salt! I find dragonflies and damselflies to be a nice distraction when there’s not much else to look at and an integral part of any streamside, pondside, or bog experience. Identifying them is quite a challenge, but I pay the most attention to their differing behaviors and flight styles.
I found this Blue Corporal dragonfly at Webb’s Mill early in the spring; in fact I think they are one of the first you might find flying in the Pine Barrens. They seem very territorial and like to perch on the ground.
I wouldn’t even atempt to ID this bluet; they’re so tiny that even seeing them clearly is a challenge! Bluets are damselflies; they rest with their wings closed and have very thin bodies.
This is a beauty of a damselfly from yesterday at Webb’s Mill Bog – I’m calling it an Ebony Jewelwing because I don’t know any better. Unlike a bluet, this damselfly was hard to miss as it flew butterfly-like along the path ahead of me. While its’ body looks mostly blue in this pic, it also looked green when the sunlight hit it at a different angle. Really stunning! I also saw a similar-looking brownish damselfly, which I assume is the female.

A great book I’ve recommended in the past is the Stokes’ Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies – it’s by no means extensive, but a beginner like me doesn’t need the added confusion of a complete guide.

I’ve also had the experience of dragonflies laying eggs in my backyard pond and often come across the nymphs when doing pond maintenance or cleaning out the skimmer. I wish I had pics to share with you because they are so interesting to look at. I’m not sure what exactly the nymphs find to eat out there, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they prey on goldfish fry.

Wanderings

Memorial walk

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There are more than a million acres of Pine Barrens in NJ and I’m determined to wander through them all! Today’s odyssey was to the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Burlington County. I tagged along on a memorial walk sponsored by NJ Audubon for a birding buddy who passed away this past winter. He loved the Pine Barrens and was very knowledgeable about the typical flora and fauna of the area.

My main focus today was on botany, but we also saw a few really great birds. It was a treat to be out in the woods with people who know wildflowers. I learned plenty and took enough photos to make your eyes roll in boredom for the next few weeks. Every trip there reveals some new treasure.

We spent an hour or two exploring the white cedar swamp and had a nice long look at a Barred Owl perched way back in the swamp. That was a first! I’ve heard their call a number of times, but have never actually seen a Barred Owl. Sweet!

Another place we visited had Red-headed Woodpeckers – another treat! I’ve only seen them once before and was impressed with the gorgeous pattern of their wings in flight. I wish they were more common.

There’s been a lot of talk in the local newspapers about this year’s gypsy moth invasion. I’d read that the spraying program had been stepped up because they were so bad, but wondered what all the fuss was about. Well, I got a sense for it today and it’s really dreadful. Whole areas of the forest are just decimated and the caterpillars cover everything – if you’re quiet enough you can hear them eating – honest! The immediate area surrounding the state forest headquarters was as black and leafless as if a fire had gone through. I suppose the cuckoos will be happy with so much to eat, but it was sad to see.

So… I’m off to sort through my pics from today and hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. There’ll be more to come from the Barrens.

Birds, Garden, Pond

Bath interrupted

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All the neighborhood birds, especially the robins, love the shallow end of our pond.
Have you noticed that one bathing bird seems to draw others? I focused on the robins, but there were a few house sparrows and a mourning dove waiting their turn on the sidelines.Raccoons or wading birds could have a feast with the *walk-in* design of our pond, but the fish have plenty of hiding places and like to tickle the bird’s toes in the shallows while they bathe.
My husband says we have the biggest and nicest birdbath in the neighborhood. I think the robins would agree.

Snapshots, Whatever

A tree’s prayer

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“To the Wayfarer-
Ye who pass by and would raise your hand against me
Harken ere you harm me!
I am the heat of your hearth on cold winter nights,
The friendly shade screening you from the summer sun
My fruits are refreshing draughts,
Quenching your thirst as you journey on,
I am the beam that holds your house,
The board of your table,
The bed on which you lie,
And the timber that builds your boat,
I am the handle of your hoe,
The door of your homestead,
The wood of your cradle,
And the shell of your coffin.
I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty.
Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer; harm me not.”

A notice originally found nailed to a tree in Seville, Spain and found by me reprinted at the local arboretum.

Snapshots, Wanderings

Huckleberry whine

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Is it just my aging eyes or is most of the type on this page suddenly very small and a different font than usual? Something wonky happened with my Blogger template yesterday, I think.

Anyway, I’ve been exhausted most of the week and haven’t done much of anything after work. The training for my new job has me all discombobulated – it’s amazing how tiring sitting on your butt for 8 hours straight can be! Thank goodness the classroom part of the training only lasts 3 weeks – I’m feeling like a caged animal when I get off work, yet when I get home, all I want to do is go to sleep.

Enough whining – sorry! The shrub pictured is Black Huckleberry, very common in the Pine Barrens, and a favorite of mine. I love the color of the flowers. There are a number of similar shrubs that grow in the Barrens, all in the heath family, and I’ve been trying to find most of them this spring. Some of the earliest bloomers are leatherleaf, which has little white flowers and which I saw most everywhere, bearberry which I didn’t find, but which has pretty white flowers edged with pink, and the highbush blueberry. In May and June the huckleberries bloom, as do staggerbush and fetterbush. All have the bell-shaped blooms that you associate with members of the heath family. Huckleberries produce edible fruit, but I’ve read that there are too many seeds for them to be enjoyable eating, yet I’m pretty sure I’ve heard mention of huckleberry jam and pie. Anyone know?

Bunnies

6/6/07 Mid-week bunny fix

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Sunshine (on top) and Boomer (down below) are still figuring out how to be friends. They started off really strongly, but then had a bit of a setback that made me separate them for a week or so. They’re just now getting back to spending the evenings together when I can supervise them. Sunshine goes back to her (Great Dane-sized) dog crate while I’m at work and overnight.

For some reason they had a fight one night and I woke up to find them chasing one another and fur flying everywhere. Boomer lost the most fur in that tussle and was scared of Sunshine for a few days. When he got over being afraid of her, all he wanted to do was mount her! I honestly didn’t think Boomer had it in him, as I never saw him act that way with Cricket. He seems recently to have gotten over his friskiness (ahem!) and is content to lie beside her and groom her ears. From what I’ve read, this is pretty typical behavior with bunnies who are bonding, as they have to work out who will be the boss and other important living arrangements like who will wash whose ears and who gets to eat the choicest bits of cilantro.

Birds

Little gifts

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The chickadees from the box in the front yard magnolia chose today to fledge and my special birthday treat was the chance to *rescue* this little one from my neighbor’s steps. Getting out of my car from work, my neighbor was almost frantic at the baby bird who had taken up residence just outside his front door. He said it had been sitting there for a few hours and every so often another little one would come along and try to help it. Bird whisperer that I am (lol!) I was able to pick up the little chickadee and place it in a bush without so much as a cheep in protest. The parent scolded me from above, but we both felt the baby would be safer off the ground. A few minutes later when I returned with my camera, I watched it make a very deliberate flight to the pear tree where it perched for its’ first photo. I often poke fun at my neighbor because any sort of wildlife encounter makes him very nervous. He’d have left the baby bird alone, but worried over it endlessly. I’m glad he knew enough to leave it alone. So often, well-meaning people *kidnap* perfectly healthy baby critters in an effort to help them. I’m wondering now where the other five babies are. I haven’t seen them, but consider that to be a good sign. I’m sure they’ll show up in a few days at my feeders with their parents. Baby birds are the sweetest things and the chance to hold one, even for just a second, is a nice little gift on my birthday.

Snapshots, Whatever

Moving on

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Training for the new job starts tomorrow! My friends at work gave me quite a send-off this past week; there were multiple parties and lots of baked goods and gifts, leaving me to think maybe they’re glad to see me go.

😉

Really, I’m not going far. I’ve been assigned to another office for a while, but I’m not sure where I’ll end up after the training period. You know how it is; with certain people you’ll be close regardless of the distance that separates you.

At day’s end today I boxed up my few things and tried to get my pending cases in some sort of order for my coworkers who will have to pick up where I left off. There’s no one to replace me right away, so everyone’s caseload will increase in my absence. I ought to be glad they weren’t throwing things at me as I left, for that reason alone.

Meaningful words of encouragement have come to me from surprising places. The reaction of some others to my promotion is not so surprising. I’ve been making the joke that I’m going over to the dark side by transferring to a social work position; among many caseworkers, social workers are often viewed as too softhearted and enabling. As a caseworker, my job was to know and to follow the rules – there wasn’t much room for leeway or kind-heartedness. It was also my job, I think, to know the loopholes in the law, or at least to know how to make the laws work for my clients. A lot of caseworkers don’t do that; everything is done by the book.

One of the awful questions I was asked during the interview process was to define a *good* social worker. Gosh! How could I answer that question without knowing much about the job? I mumbled some foolishness that must have been close enough to the *right* answer so as to not immediately flag me as inadequate, but really, I don’t know.

A clerical worker that I’ve known and respected since I first started at this job congratulated me today on the promotion and admonished me to be a *good* social worker, “Don’t be like most of ‘em,” she said. I hope tomorrow I’ll begin to learn just what that means.

Wanderings, Wildflowers

Back to bluebells

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I know we’re way past bluebells in terms of seasonal progression, but I’m still looking over the many wildflower photos I took earlier this spring with the idea of finally identifying some of the unknowns.
One of the earliest that stumped me were Virginia Bluebells. I couldn’t ID them from any of my wildflower guides because the buds were still tightly closed when I first found them. Despite what you all said here, I found it hard to imagine that the flowers would change form that much, but sure enough they did.
When I returned two weeks or so later, the plants looked like the bluebells that are in my field guides. So for all of my early confusion with this common wildflower, I don’t think I’ll ever mistake it again, now that I’ve had the chance to watch it as it progresses through its bloom period.
Bluebells go dormant during the heat of summer and I’m watching that happen right out in my own little woodland garden in the backyard; the plants I purchased at the beginning of May are slowly deteriorating as the days grow hot.

Anyway, I found some interesting info about bluebells that you plant geeks might also enjoy:

“Virginia bluebells have two interesting properties that contribute to their success as ephemeral wild flowers. Virginia bluebells form buds that are pink in color due to the anthocyanin (from the Greek anthos meaning flower and kyanos meaning blue) or colored cell sap that they contain. When the flower is ready for pollination, it increases its alkalinity to change the red pigmentation into blue pigmentation, a color that is much more attractive to pollinators. When the flower is pollinated and seed formation begins, it falls to the ground so that subsequent pollinators will only find those that still require their ministrations. The ubiquity of bluebells in their preferred riparian habitat… is testimony to the success of their adaptations to attract insects.”

from the Hiker’s Notebook which looks like a good source of info about things commonly found in the woods. If you look at my photos you can see that progression from pink to pollination-ready blue, as well as the way some of the flowers have already fallen away from the plant.