Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Sunset
The horizon can be seen for many miles,
and what is in fact full of curves, appears a straight line...
Under our feet the magma flows and above our heads the moon pulls everything close
and we have learned how to take selfies
so we are never alone.
-Rebecca Cristante
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
mornings at mcdonalds
Once upon a time, I thought Mcdonald's was a fancy place. I remember the smell of sunrise dew mingled with sizzling salted pork, hot coffee in Styrofoam cups and the distinct aroma of imitation maple syrup. The spat of butter shaped like a corn cob melting onto a hotcake, and the orange juice that didn't quite taste like actual oranges, but we loved it anyway.
Now I pass a McDonald's almost every day while taking my kids to school by bicycle. Sometimes it is a a place to duck into out of the rain, our shelter from the storm.
As we sit dipping our fries into sweet and sour sauce, a man beside us pens onto a scrap piece of paper X's and O's in random patterns as if in some great effort to return a distant memory.
...
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Little Ocmulgee State Park, GA
These next few blog posts will be dedicated to a class I am currently taking at Georgia State University concerning the natural environments of Georgia.
We visited Little Ocmulgee State Park on November 4, 2016 to observe the ecology of the Georgia Coastal Plain. Conditions were very dry as Georgia has been experiencing an exceptional drought. The trails through Little Ocmulgee state park are an excellent example of Sandhill and River Dune Upland Forest community, which are ultra-xeric woodland communities found within deep sandy knolls and ridges within the Coastal Plain. Little Ocmulgee state park contains Little Ocmulgee Lake which was built from the Little Ocmulgee River during the Great Depression by the Army Corp of Engineers. This harsh sand covered environment is dominated by course sand cover, with an open canopy of Longleaf pines and an sub canopy dominated by Turkey oak. Other plant species include the Bluejack oak (Quercus incana), Sand post oak, poison oak, sparkleberry, southern sand-grass, and Gopher apple. The endangered and endemic gopher tortoise is a key stone species that can be found here, and we spotted at least one burrow. We also spotted a beautiful southern hognose snake which I respectfully let slither away without a photograph.
Prescribed fire is a necessary component to keeping this community healthy and without it, hardwoods may take the place of fire adapted trees such as the Longleaf pine. While hiking here we witnessed all three growth stages of the Longleaf pine (Pinus Palustris).
Turkey oak (Quercus laevis), Reindeer lichen (Cladonia) and Haircap moss (Polytrichum commune). Named after the fact that someone thought it's leaves are reminiscent of a turkey's foot, the Turkey Oak is one of the scrub-oak species that is often found alongside Longleaf pines.
Bald cypress, (Taxodium distichum) in all of its fall red pigmented glory.
Romantically named cypress knees, these modified roots, or pneumatophores, are created by various species in the the Taxodioideae family. Although their exact function is not known, they are believed to both help the tree exchange gases in anorexic environments (low oxygen) and stabilize the roots in muddy conditions such as the swampy areas they are commonly found in.
Arborglyph, boardwalk trail at Little Ocmulgee State Park.
The Longleaf pine (seen above) has the greatest longevity of any other pine species growing in the South, surviving 300 to 500 years. It has evolved in an environment of fire and has consequently developed a fascinating strategy to survive in such a climate, with 3 distinct stages of growth.
After germination the tree begins in the initial grass stage, where the tuffs of the needles resemble a shrub of grass. The tree then steadily stores carbon within it's roots and continues root growth underground. In the grass stage a low-intensity fire such as one mimicked during a prescribed burn does not harm the plant as it is protected by long tufts of needles. A long leaf can stay in this stage for 3 to 25 years, amazingly assuring the best possible chance of survival at all odds.
Once the seedlings emerge from grass stage they quickly bolt into what is called rocket stage, using the carbon carefully stored within the roots for a rapid growth of 4 to 5 feet in a single growing season. After this rapid growth and from about the height of at least three feet tall they are in sapling stage, where they are once again most likely to withstand the flames of a forest fire, Perhaps this is why they do it so quickly.
pictured above is a Longleaf pine seen in both grass and rocket stage
This beautiful and fragrant Eastern red cedar, (Juniperus virginiana) is an example of a species that can thrive in this type of community only if fire suppression has not been utilized. Without fire, these trees might soon out-compete those adapted to fire, such as the scrub oaks and pines.
Usnea strigosa lichen ,
growing on a branch of a small Turkey oak tree. Lichens are a true wonderment of nature, and I am still grasping how to understand them. "A lichen is a symbiosis. That means that it is two or more organisms living together such that both are more successful within the partnership than they would have been if they were living on their own.All lichens are made up of a fungal partner and either/or an algal partner or a cyanobacterium partner, or both". As of late we are also learning that lichens are very sensitive to air pollution and may be able to serve as a bioindicator of air quality.
The fast growing Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) as pictured above and below, was planted in place of Longleafs for timber once all the old-growth Longleafs were deforested in Georgia. It is native to South Georgia and Florida. On a personal note, my great- grandfather was once among the many field workers who tapped Longleaf pines for the turpentine industry and remembers when the Slash pine was being hailed as superior to the slower growing Longleaf.
Sand Post Oak (Quercus margaretta)
this lichen is unknown to me. if anyone has an idea of what it may be please comment below!
Monday, November 28, 2016
Wormsloe Historic site and the Georgia coastal marsh, Savannah, Georgia
These next few blog posts will be dedicated to a class I am currently taking at Georgia State University concerning the natural environments of Georgia.
Southern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana var) covered with Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) at Jones Marsh Creek along the public trail of Wormsloe Historic Site. Spanish moss is a native, perennial, epiphyte herb which is in fact neither a moss or lichen, It is a flowing plant, which anchors onto a host plant without taking any water or nutrients from the host. It derives water from humidity and rainfall, and nutrients from the air. Often also called an air-plant or old-man's beard, it was once commonly used by native Americans to weave bedding, rugs, and rope. I have also heard it referred to as witch's hair. Spanish moss is common throughout the Deep South.
This, to me, is what home looks like. A Magnolia grandifora, Southern Live oak (Quercus virginiana, and Spanish moss trio.
Magnolia grandiflora in bloom during the summer a little south of Wormsloe Historic Site at Jekyll Island. Magnolia's bloom throughout the summer, so none were in bloom during this November visit.
skink spotted on the maritime forest floor.
We visited the managed forest preserve, Wormsloe Historic Site and Tybee Island in Savannah, Georgia on the weekend of November 4, 2016 to experience a taste of Georgia's Maritime Ecoregion. The Maritime Ecoregion of Georgia is a small but incredibly vital one, containing the largest area of the protected maritime forest of any state on the East Coast, as well as one-third of the remaining salt marsh habitat on the entire East-Coast. This is largely due to the protection of Georgia's barrier islands thru Federal, State, and private ownership.
The distribution of Maritime forest along the coast is often interrupted by bays and inlets, or by narrower barrier islands that are not large enough to support forest growth. Although protections are under place, urban development continues to encroach upon these communities at a much higher rate than ever before as land that once was considered inhabitable or of little value is converted into golf courses and luxury resorts. It also becomes much more difficult to prescribe fire to forests who benefit from the use of fire management in places where roads intersect and housing is near by.
The Maritime Ecoregion is also characterized by Salt Marshes and Brackish Tidal Marshes, Maritime Dunes, Interdunal Wetlands, Tidal Swamps, Intertidal Beaches and Sand Bars and Mud Flats, and Freshwater Tidal Marshes.
The Wormsloe Historic Site and property is and managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and is open to the public as a state park. It is located on the southern end of the Isle of Hope and is bordered by Jones Creek and Jones Marsh on the East and Moon River and surrounding marsh to the West. Approximately 60% of the Isle of Marsh has been preserved in it's natural state, which includes Maritime Forest, Intertidal Marsh, and limited Freshwater Wetland habitat.
Recent trends of sea level rise are documented at 3 to 6 mm per year. (https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/slrmap.htm)
The island core is currently 3 to 5 meters above mean sea level. Early 19th century records indicate that the hydraulic heads of artisan wells located on the property were once well above the surface, although they are now 40 feet below earth surface.
At least one well on the property showed evidence of saltwater intrusion on 11/6/2016.
On the Beach of Tybee Island we observed an example of the Maritime dune system. The texture of the beach sand is much more thick and muddy than one might expect of a natural beach, due to the course sands being dredged from the ocean floor to widen shipping lanes for cargo ships headed to the port of Savannah. You can read a little more about the $706 million project here.
We observed the ecology of the dune formation with several species of flower still in bloom. Plants of Maritime dunes may include some trees that are salt tolerate such as the Southern Red cedar and Live oak, but are mostly characterized by small shrubs and vining plants that helps to hold the sands together. We observed pennywort, Beach morning-glory, Dune hairgrass, Dune prickly-pear, Wax-myrtle, Peppervine, Saw palmetto, and Railroad vine. Other common plants of this ecosystem include Spanish dagger, Creeping frogfruit, and Groundsel tree.
These dunes are a critical nesting habitat for five of the seven known species of endangered sea turtles, with the majority of nests belonging to loggerheads and leatherbacks.
The distribution of Maritime forest along the coast is often interrupted by bays and inlets, or by narrower barrier islands that are not large enough to support forest growth. Although protections are under place, urban development continues to encroach upon these communities at a much higher rate than ever before as land that once was considered inhabitable or of little value is converted into golf courses and luxury resorts. It also becomes much more difficult to prescribe fire to forests who benefit from the use of fire management in places where roads intersect and housing is near by.
The Maritime Ecoregion is also characterized by Salt Marshes and Brackish Tidal Marshes, Maritime Dunes, Interdunal Wetlands, Tidal Swamps, Intertidal Beaches and Sand Bars and Mud Flats, and Freshwater Tidal Marshes.
The Wormsloe Historic Site and property is and managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and is open to the public as a state park. It is located on the southern end of the Isle of Hope and is bordered by Jones Creek and Jones Marsh on the East and Moon River and surrounding marsh to the West. Approximately 60% of the Isle of Marsh has been preserved in it's natural state, which includes Maritime Forest, Intertidal Marsh, and limited Freshwater Wetland habitat.
Recent trends of sea level rise are documented at 3 to 6 mm per year. (https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/slrmap.htm)
The island core is currently 3 to 5 meters above mean sea level. Early 19th century records indicate that the hydraulic heads of artisan wells located on the property were once well above the surface, although they are now 40 feet below earth surface.
At least one well on the property showed evidence of saltwater intrusion on 11/6/2016.
On the Beach of Tybee Island we observed an example of the Maritime dune system. The texture of the beach sand is much more thick and muddy than one might expect of a natural beach, due to the course sands being dredged from the ocean floor to widen shipping lanes for cargo ships headed to the port of Savannah. You can read a little more about the $706 million project here.
We observed the ecology of the dune formation with several species of flower still in bloom. Plants of Maritime dunes may include some trees that are salt tolerate such as the Southern Red cedar and Live oak, but are mostly characterized by small shrubs and vining plants that helps to hold the sands together. We observed pennywort, Beach morning-glory, Dune hairgrass, Dune prickly-pear, Wax-myrtle, Peppervine, Saw palmetto, and Railroad vine. Other common plants of this ecosystem include Spanish dagger, Creeping frogfruit, and Groundsel tree.
These dunes are a critical nesting habitat for five of the seven known species of endangered sea turtles, with the majority of nests belonging to loggerheads and leatherbacks.
Southern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana var) covered with Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) at Jones Marsh Creek along the public trail of Wormsloe Historic Site. Spanish moss is a native, perennial, epiphyte herb which is in fact neither a moss or lichen, It is a flowing plant, which anchors onto a host plant without taking any water or nutrients from the host. It derives water from humidity and rainfall, and nutrients from the air. Often also called an air-plant or old-man's beard, it was once commonly used by native Americans to weave bedding, rugs, and rope. I have also heard it referred to as witch's hair. Spanish moss is common throughout the Deep South.
This, to me, is what home looks like. A Magnolia grandifora, Southern Live oak (Quercus virginiana, and Spanish moss trio.
Magnolia grandiflora in bloom during the summer a little south of Wormsloe Historic Site at Jekyll Island. Magnolia's bloom throughout the summer, so none were in bloom during this November visit.
skink spotted on the maritime forest floor.
Fiddler crab hiding in a deer print.
The southern portion of Jones Marsh, where these sands lie, has been impacted by the large-scale dredging of soils moved to construct the Diamond Causeway (1968-1972).
Saw palmetto is a groundcover found in Maritime forests and most closely associated with Longleaf pine forests. It's medicinal uses that have been known to native Americans for centuries are currently being explored, and Saw palmetto supplements can be bought in capsule form at your local grocer as a treatment for many ailments, most notably enlarged prostate in men and hormonal imbalances in women.
an unknown fungus or lichen with a pretty pastel hue
Beach morning-glory (Ipomoea imperati) found on the Maritime dune of Tybee Island.
Sunset over Jones Marsh from Wormsloe
Jones Marsh and Jones Creek at Wormsloe Historic Site
Ghost shrimp found in its hole on the forebeach of Tybee Island. (as soon as this picture was taken we sent it back home)
This lichen is my absolute favorite species. It is called Cryptothecia rubrocincta, or more commonly Christmas wreath lichen. Growing up I always heard it referred to as bubble gum lichen and that's what I still like to call it.
Hericium erinaceus,
also known as Lion's mane mushroom or bearded tooth mushroom, is often found growing on hardwoods and is both edible and medicinal and is widely consumed in Asia where is it also native. (There are some look a-likes, though, so please do not ingest any wild mushrooms unless you have done more research than just my blog post ;)
Atlantic ghost crab on a primary dune.
Saw palmetto block print I carved in 2013
Live oak (Quercus virginiana) a true stand-out species of the Maritime forest, with leaves that stay green all year.
Maritime forest seen along Jones Marsh. To the right, Sabal palmetto,( or cabbage palmetto) and to the left, Cedar.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Springer Mountain and Three Forks Creek on Appalachian Trail
These next few blog posts will be dedicated to a class I am currently taking at Georgia State University concerning the natural environments of Georgia.
We hiked the start of the Appalachian trail up to Springer Mountain and then down to Three Forks trail on September 30,2016. From the top of Springer Mountain one can see an example of an Montane Oak forest community and then make their way down the mountain and continue along as the Appalachian Trail changes into an Acidic Cove community.
The AT stretches 2,189 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Main. The trail was proposed by regional planner Benton Mackaye in October of 1921,who originally envisioned the trail as an escape from urban-ism complete with recreational and farming camps that would create jobs as well as promote conservation. He rallied other city planners and officials in support of the trail until the first meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conference of 1925. The decisions of the Appalachian Trail Conference ultimately led for the volunteer based trail system to be protected from development. In 1937 the trail was completed, but World War as well as natural disasters took a toll and and would be hikers and volunteers were sent to war. The first thru-hike was completed in 1948 by Earl Shaffer who aimed to walk the "Army out of is system". Emma Gatewood, a mother of 11 and grandmother to 23, became the first woman to complete a thru-hike in 1955 at the age of 67. The Today, an estimated 2 to 3 million people hike the AT every year, with a few hundred of those completing a "thru-hike". Today the trail is almost entirely protected and managed by the Appalachian Trail Land trust, who continue to monitor the trail from development to keep it a natural and serene refuge, free of commercial developments.
The highlight of this hike was seeing a mighty Eastern Hemlock about half a mile off the Appalachian trail that has still survived in spite of logging in the past and the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) of the present. HWA has devastated millions of hemlock trees since it was first discovered in the USA in the 1950's and continues to spread. Once infected, a tree can die within 2-4 years. Currently, strategies to control the parasitic incest include both insecticides and introduction of the Sasajiscynus tsugae beetle which eats HWA.
We hiked the start of the Appalachian trail up to Springer Mountain and then down to Three Forks trail on September 30,2016. From the top of Springer Mountain one can see an example of an Montane Oak forest community and then make their way down the mountain and continue along as the Appalachian Trail changes into an Acidic Cove community.
The AT stretches 2,189 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Main. The trail was proposed by regional planner Benton Mackaye in October of 1921,who originally envisioned the trail as an escape from urban-ism complete with recreational and farming camps that would create jobs as well as promote conservation. He rallied other city planners and officials in support of the trail until the first meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conference of 1925. The decisions of the Appalachian Trail Conference ultimately led for the volunteer based trail system to be protected from development. In 1937 the trail was completed, but World War as well as natural disasters took a toll and and would be hikers and volunteers were sent to war. The first thru-hike was completed in 1948 by Earl Shaffer who aimed to walk the "Army out of is system". Emma Gatewood, a mother of 11 and grandmother to 23, became the first woman to complete a thru-hike in 1955 at the age of 67. The Today, an estimated 2 to 3 million people hike the AT every year, with a few hundred of those completing a "thru-hike". Today the trail is almost entirely protected and managed by the Appalachian Trail Land trust, who continue to monitor the trail from development to keep it a natural and serene refuge, free of commercial developments.
The highlight of this hike was seeing a mighty Eastern Hemlock about half a mile off the Appalachian trail that has still survived in spite of logging in the past and the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) of the present. HWA has devastated millions of hemlock trees since it was first discovered in the USA in the 1950's and continues to spread. Once infected, a tree can die within 2-4 years. Currently, strategies to control the parasitic incest include both insecticides and introduction of the Sasajiscynus tsugae beetle which eats HWA.
Appalachian Trail Marker at the summit of Springer Mountain.
views from trail marker at summit of Springer Mountain
(Quercus alba) This old growth gnarly white oak at the top of Springer Mountain has been shaped by many years of facing harsh winds and freezing temps which as one can see have snapped off several branches in the past. Many of the old growth oaks at this elevation share these same features which is also why it is thought that they were over looked by loggers in the early century and left to survive.
The same white oak as pictured above, with an "arborglyph"
hiking up the Springer Mountain trail
moss and lichen
red maple leaf (Acer pensylvanicum) is a common tree found in the Montane oak forest community. ferns and goldenrod wildflowers scatter on the forest floor.
an endemic Georgia Aster ( Symphyotrichum georgianum) which was nominated by the Georgia Native Plant Society as the 2015 plant of the year,
classmates passing thru a canopy of rhododendron in the lower elevation Acidic cove forest near Three Forks Creek
Acidic cove forest on Appalachian Trail
The ground is damp and the trees and forest floor are covered with moss and lichen.
Hair cap moss (Polytrichum commune)
moss and lichens on tree bark
the base of this hemlock tree
this Galax urceolata covering the ground along a stand of hemlocks is now a protected plant in many places due to illegal harvesting because the evergreen leaves are popular in the floral industry.
A group of mighty hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) which have died from being infested with Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA)
dead hemlock bark
living hemlock bark. this is just a close up of a tree we measured that may classify as a new state champion. the bark is home to a healthy community of moss and lichen and the holes are evidence of woodpecker foraging
Battus philenor
we spotted a Pipe vine swallowtail, on the trail (although I am using an image instead of one that I took from my neighbor's garden) It is a poisonous species whose pattern and colors are mimicked by many, including the black variation of the female Eastern swallowtail butterfly.
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