Sunday, June 24, 2018

The Marsh Project Week #25

It's been a wild and crazy week with the Teenager- we were at college orientation, and she's now official, with student ID and schedule and residence hall assignment.  In about seven weeks she'll be moving onto campus, several hundred miles away from home, and launching into her adult life.  It was time for a much needed walk out to the marsh, for some peace, quiet and a few hours of solitude.



It was hot, hot, hot! And that was with cloud cover.  Summer just began, so there is a lot more heat to go.  The heat wasn't keeping the dragonflies down, however.  Dragonflies are beautiful, fascinating creatures and they are also vicious, cannibalistic little devils, but they come in an amazing variety and just when I think I might have found all the dragonflies in and around my marsh, I find something else.  This has been the weekend of  the cobra clubtail- for my area, this is not a dragonfly I see frequently, but both yesterday and today, they have been all over part of the trail.  Most of them were just flying, but this pair seemed to be locked in mortal combat.



As I was walking down the boardwalk yesterday, I also spied an Eastern mud turtle, sitting on a log, partially hidden by all the lily pads and other vegetation on the boardwalk.  I was able to get in a few good photos before I startled it and it slid off the log back into the marsh water. Pond sliders and red-eared sliders are far more common here, although it's hard to see any turtles right now with the lily pads essentially taking over the view.  When I happen to find these almost perfectly hidden critters, I always wonder what else I'm missing.

Some flowers are out, also, including this lovely hibiscus. I'm not a plant expert, but I think this is halberd-leaf rosemallow, and although it looks like it belongs on a tropical island somewhere, next to a sandy beach, palm trees and turquoise-colored water, if my ID is correct, it is native to the United States.



One of my favorite finds was this yellow-crowned night heron, partially hidden under a shrub in the middle of a pond. I almost didn't see it, because I was focused on a raccoon I'd seen skulking around the shoreline.  The raccoon didn't seem interested in sticking around for the likes of me, and right after I saw it take off, I caught sight of the yellow-crowned night heron.  Two species of night herons are found in the United States- the yellow crowned and the black crowned- and I have observed them both in this very pond.



Observed on the trails: Dragonflies- Eastern pondhawk, slaty skimmer, jade clubtail, cobra clubtail, great blue skimmer, flag-tailed spinyleg, Eastern ringtail, red saddlebags, black saddlebags.  Birds: yellow crowned night heron, northern cardinal, painted bunting, indigo bunting, Carolina chickadee, Eastern phoebe, osprey.  Butterflies and moths: sad underwing, variegated frittilary, viceroy.  Other stuff: Eastern mud turtle, garden spider, raccoon, armadillo.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

The Marsh Project Week #24

Graduation is over, so it's time to get back on schedule.  It's harder to see birds because of all the foliage; I'm hearing their chatter, but it's hard to locate the actual bird. Other critters, however, are making their presence known.  The early mornings and the later afternoons seem to be the busy times; the rest of the day, it's dragonflies and a few butterflies. The dragonflies are finally out in droves but I'm not seeing as many butterflies this year as I have in the past.  When I drive into the nature preserve, the gate attendant usually warns me about the heat and I reassure him or her that I have plenty of water.  Much of the trail is shaded, which makes it slightly cooler.


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Recently I've noticed that some of the vegetation in the Marsh has been trampled on.  I had my suspicions, but they remained unconfirmed for a few weeks.



Then, as I walked down the boardwalk the other day, I found the culprit: nutria/coypu.  The first time I saw a nutria, I thought it was an American beaver, and I went home all excited, immediately downloading my photos to my iNaturalist project.  As soon as I started looking at the photos, however,  I saw the long tail that meant that my creature was no beaver; it was a nutria. Well, darn.  I did eventually find a beaver, but it wasn't here.  The nutria don't seem skittish, but they also aren't interested in sticking around so I can stand there and watch them eat cattail roots.  When I enter my nutria observation into iNaturalist, I'm informed that this particular critter arrived in my area via anthropogenic means.



Another situation which has recently been clarified: the red bellied woodpecker evidently has a nest in a tree.  Both yesterday and today, I spied a red-bellied woodpecker delivering a meal - it looked like it was an insect of some kind- to the hole, and it perched there for a few seconds before entering the hole and disappearing from view.


Seen on the trail: Raccoons  (lots of raccoons; they are venturing out in the late afternoon hours), armadillo, red-bellied woodpecker, coypu/nutria, green tree frog, red eared slider, western ribbon snake, diamondback water snake, broad banded water snake, cottonmouth, painted bunting, indigo bunting, Carolina chickadee, little blue heron, yellow crowned night heron, great egret, snowy egret, great blue egret, lots of dragonflies (Eastern pondhawk, slaty skimmer, smoky shadowdragon, neon skimmer, red saddlebags, spot-winged glider, variegated glider, some butterflies (queen, viceroy, one funereal duskywing).  



Saturday, June 16, 2018

Things that Make Me Sad

The other day, I was out at the trail, enjoying a few minutes of post-graduation relaxation and peace. I was standing at the railing of the blind, looking out into the distance, and I spied something that looked odd; something that didn't seem like it belonged.  I peered at it through my binoculars to discover that the mysterious looking not-belonging item was, in fact, a deflated balloon that had somehow found its way over to the marsh and was now stuck in some vegetation.



It wasn't logistically possible for me to retrieve it, or I would have.  I wondered what the balloons were for- were they meant to celebrate a birth, a birthday, a wedding shower, a graduation?  Whatever their original purpose was, they were now in a place where they didn't belong.  All I could do was to cross my fingers and hope that some wildlife didn't get tangled up in them.  This isn't the first time I've seen balloons out on the trails- along with other manmade detritus like empty sports drink bottles, wrappers, and once, a Styrofoam football.  I just don't understand this- if you brought it in, how hard can it be to bring it out?

Graduation had gone off without almost a hitch; the celebrations were festive. The Teenager, who is about to become the College Student after we go to orientation next week, was relieved that senior year- and all the decision making- was finally over.  We were able to share the day with family and friends, and that made me happy.  What didn't make me happy was the fight that we got to witness as we awaited the beginning of the graduation ceremony.  Two grown people got into a verbal fight over saving seats that resulted in the police being called.

My opinion on this is that if there are 1,100 high school graduates and 9000 seats in the stadium, you don't get to save seats for 20 people.  If Grandma and Grandpa are on their way and Grandma can't find her hearing aid so they're running late, that's understandable.  But to get belligerent (and greedy) enough so that the cops have to be called at a high school graduation and then to sit there and make snarky comments- well, this was our family's special day too, and while those individuals certainly didn't destroy it, they definitely detracted from the celebration.

I was proud of the Son of Never Stops Eating, however- he sat, cheered for his sister when it was her turn, and didn't complain.

The Grandpa and Grandma of No were unable to come  for the festivities because the Grandma of No's Alzheimer's has now progressed to the point where it is not possible for her to travel.  I remembered how the Grandma of No would snuggle with her firstborn grandchild in the rocking chair, and play endless games of peekaboo.  She would have loved seeing that peekaboo-loving infant walk across the stage to graduate high school.  Alzheimer's sucks.

Then there are the reports coming from the border with Mexico about children being separated from their parents and taken away- far away.  I've heard the response that if they don't want their children taken away from them, they shouldn't come.  Taking children away from their parents is cruel. When I hear this I remember how the Teenager, at birth, had to stay at the hospital while I was discharged to go home, and my arms physically ached from not having my newborn in them. Cruelty does not make America great.

I know, this is a meandering, random post. I have quite a bit to be happy, or at least not-sad, about.  But it is also hard, and frustrating, to see cruelty, to see hate, to see greed in action at a celebratory event, to witness the slow disintegration of a loved one, to find a bird strangled by the string of a balloon.

Today, on the trail, I ran across a fellow hiker/photographer.  He told me his backpack was full of empty plastic bottles.  He was picking them up to throw them in a trash can.  I don't think he was looking for recognition. He was just doing it because it needed to be done.  We had nature chat for a few minutes and went our separate ways down the trail.

For every balloon in the tree, perhaps there is someone picking up bottles. That gives me hope.

Friday, June 1, 2018

It's Complicated

The graduation festivities are in full swing.  This past week, I saw videos of The Teenager walk through the hallways of her elementary and middle schools, dressed in her full graduation regalia, and my allergies started to bug me.  My eyes got a little weepy.  Here was my baby, all grown up and about to leave home.  Also, seeing her in her cap and gown reminded me that I need to start writing some big checks soon.  It was an emotional experience, even witnessed remotely on my mobile device. Honestly, I'm probably going to be a wreck on Graduation Day. It's probably for the best that I don't wear makeup. 

At this milestone, it's expected that people will start offering advice, encouragement and words of motivation. A lot of it is optimistic- these kids (ok, young adults) are ready to jump right in and conquer the world.  They are intelligent, full of youthful energy and idealism, ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century, and there exists no mountain so high that the summit is beyond reach.  

However, newly minted young high school graduates and fledgling adults, here is the unvarnished truth:  At this moment, young whippersnappers, as you sit there in your cap and gown waiting for your name to be called, your life is the most uncomplicated it will likely ever be.  From this moment onward, life starts getting complicated, confusing, full of unclear and unpredictable choices. You will be faced with roads that have not two forks, but four or five or six.  Sometimes you may find yourself having to choose between choices that are all good- and sometimes all your options will be bad.  At some point along the way, you may make a disastrous choice- or three- and have to dig yourself out of a deep hole. You'll really start knowing what I'm talking about the day you have to buy your own auto insurance policy. 

Your life will be full of choices: what field of study to pursue? Do I even want to go to college now?  Where should I look for my first job? Should I start my own business? Should I get married? Is it time to buy a house? Am I ready to have kids? (there's a real game changer right there). And finally, the most befuddling question of all: What should I make for dinner that the kids will eat from ingredients I already have in the kitchen that will be ready in time to make it to soccer practice? 

When I was a little kid, I thought being an adult meant getting dressed up and going to parties, and eating little hors'd oeuvres (although I thought it was spelled orderves) and drinking fabulously colored and mysterious adults-only drinks out of fancy glassware.  It was glamorous stuff.  In real life, adulthood is like that maybe .01% of the time, unless you're famous/wealthy.  The rest of adulthood, with the exceptions of big events like getting married, having a baby, buying a house, starting a new job, or going on a dream vacation, is really rather mundane.  You wake up, go to work, cook dinner, get the oil changed in your car, pay bills, clean your house, do your laundry, take the dog to the veterinarian.  On weekends you hang out with friends, go to your kid's softball games, do the grocery shopping. 

Wow, you're saying.  This does not really sound that exciting.  You might be thinking that your senior year was stressful, and deciding what to do next was complicated, and I'm definitely not denying that it wasn't. However, standing still is not an option.  When the Teenager was in first grade, she wanted desperately to go back to kindergarten because she missed her kindergarten teacher.  I had to explain to her that there was no going back; kindergarten was over. 

The good news is that most of the complications are still ahead of you. You still have time and opportunity to avoid the bad choices and make the good ones (although you'll make a doozy or two eventually; almost everyone does).  So finish school (or learn a trade, or join the military....do something!).  Save money.  Start contributing to a retirement account (trust me, that day will come). Don't buy a lot of stuff you don't need. Travel if you can.  Read a lot of books.  Start figuring out what is important to you. Find a cause that has meaning for you. Find mentors. Develop a circle of people you trust, and be trustworthy in return.  Do what you say you are going to do.  Remember the P6 rule: Proper prior planning prevents poor performance.

Finally, own at least one nice outfit, for those glamorous parties with the orderves and the fancy drinks.  You never know what lies ahead on the roads you'll choose to take.