Mapping Out Our Site

We went to our site for the last time before our presentation to clean up and check our critter cams one last time. We were surprised to find a lot of red efts, and the small creatures were all over the porcupine scat pile, their insides visible through their pulsating sheer orange skin. Nothing new on the cameras, but having captured our bear friend, we feel we got a good sense of a the night activity. No one had seen bears in the headwaters in a while, so it felt good to make that discovery. I have been producing some graphic maps of our finding and I think they will help to represent the flora and fauna of the black gum habitat.

This graphic map shows the all the animal activity surrounding the black gum.

 

 I have designed maps of our plots, this one shows all plant life.

 

One of several red efts we found at our site today.

The red efts seems to enjoy the scat pile at the base of the tree with safe, moist hiding places.

Look at those ears!

Kim uploaded the cameras today and we found this picture from Sunday. I am amazed that this little bear is looking right into the camera. It is so remarkable to be walking in our plot during the day while knowing that this bear and lots of other creatures are active in the same area at night.

New Discoveries, Old Friends

 Today was another eventful day at our black gum plot as we began to look for physical evidence of the bear we caught on camera yesterday. Just slightly outside the southeastern entrance to our plot, we found the following three items in some shallow mud. We are working on identifying the butterflies or moth species that these wings belong to, and the fur is a bit of a mystery. After spending some time looking through the university's physical catalog of animal specimens, it would appear that the fur is the undercoat of a black bear. This fur clearly came from the bear that wandered through our plot on Sunday night. The last photo gives you a close up of the bear's rump as he was walking towards the black gum. The fur in the photo is course and thick, much like the clump we found. It was really wonderful to feel such a strong attachment to the site today and know that a bear has been through, keen only to pursue his own agenda.

WE FOUND A BEAR!

When we were initially setting up our wildlife cameras, I kept jokingly saying that we were going to capture a bear on film. I baited all the cameras using cat food, which of course I managed to get ALL OVER MYSELF. Cat food is smelly and viscous and generally reminds of carpet that hasn't been cleaned in a very long while, so I was really hoping that the camera set up would be worth it. We checked the cameras today, and when we uploaded our photos, we saw that a bear had, in fact, wandered through our little plot. If I had to name him, which of course I shouldn't because he is a wild being, I would name him Henry. After Thoreau obviously, because he seems like a wise and noble bear who appreciates the solitude of the forest. What a wonderful day to be a naturalist.

A Living Classroom

 I had these photos developed this weekend, and they are all of our black gum tree research plot. They were taken this past Wednesday and Thursday. We have really begun to familiarize ourselves with the site, and it has taken on the feeling of a living room or space. I usually just pass through a forest or wild space, and for the most part, I don't get to really closely examine one plot of land. As we continue this project over the next two weeks, I look forwards to getting to know this plot even better and to making more and more discoveries.

 

Where Oh Where is the black gum tree?

Today we got lost in the woods. It was more of a funny lost than a scary lost, and I blame our GPS entirely. My group of four had settled on our topic for our summer field project, and we set off ready to map and document the habitat surrounding a particular black gum tree in the Barrington Headwaters. Not surprisingly, finding one tree out of entire forest is quite the challenge. Betsy, Mary, Kim and I were so proud of our system of flagging, but it was clear we were going in circle. Kim set off and we marcoed and poloed our way to her, very happy to find the black gum. What sets this tree apart is that there is a marvelous porcupine home inside, and the scat falls out the entrance making very rich soil. We set up our square survey plot, so we could intensely study a small surrounding area and set off to go back to the trailhead. On the way out we quickly found a more direct route and while it had taken us an hour to get in, it was about ten minutes to get out. Just goes to show that technology will never be able to outsmart mother nature.

Betsy getting her bearings.

 Our lovely flagging system.

 Our tupelo black gum tree.

 Setting up our survey plot.

 Going through the dense brush to make our square plot.

 A salamander we found near the black gum.

A "witch's broom" occurs from disease that shoots out little clusters of young trees.

A Letter for Rhode Island, Fondly

I took this picture several years ago with my friend Julia on a rainy walk in West Greenwich, RI. We were both teacher naturalists at the W. Alton Jones Campus at the time and decided to head to a point known as "turtle haven" on Saturday, going further together than we could go with 10 students trailing us. The rain didn't deter us, and I took pictures of Julia as she explored ahead of me. In fact, I have spent the past three years photographing Rhode Island, a state that I have explored endlessly and a place I consider home. Rhode Island was the first place I ever chose to live, and if I'm driving back into Providence from any other state, the familiar curves of the skyline make me feel as though I'm pulling into the driveway of my family's home. 

It has been a week now since I entered graduate school in New Hampshire. My program brings me greater joy than have felt in a long time, and knowing I will be teaching about the outdoors for the rest of my days is an assurance I would gladly pay tuition for. So much of what I have been focusing on in my program is how Environmental Education encourages a sense of place and stewardship for a particular area or region, and I feel both grateful and nostalgic for how much Rhode Island has become my place. 

Rhode Island is affectionately known as "The Biggest Little State In The Union." This is especially reflected in the diversity of landscapes that make up the state. From the rocky shores of Narragansett, to the quiet forests of West Greenwich, to the port cities of Northern Rhode Island, "The Biggest Little" has been where I have embraced nature for three years. As wonderful as discovering New Hampshire is, I feel that I am still getting my bearings, trying to figure out where to place myself on the map. The landscape of New England carries up from Rhode Island, through Massachusetts where I was born, and up to the Granite State. It is not unfamiliar to stand in a shaded glen here, but it has not yet become my place. I feel so profoundly lucky to have a state and a city that I hold so dear, and my love for Little Rhody only solidifies my desire to teach place-based learning. Being an educator is always an adventure, but for now I write this letter to Rhode Island, fondly.

Invasives

Today we went on an invasive walk with Tom Lee, one of the wonderful ecologists that teaches at UNH. He gave us several key definitions to apply to plants in the area:

Native Species: The species have been around since before Europeans arrived.

Non-Native Species: These species were brought to this region from somewhere else; synonymous with exotic, meaning from somewhere else.

Finally, we have invasive species, meaning that it is a non-native species that affects the surrounding habitat in a negative way. This negative effect can be environmental or even economic.

Ginkgo, non-native/exotic

Bittersweet, non-native/invasive

Low-Bush Blueberry, native

Bayberry, native

Red Canary Grass, non-native/invasive

Wild Carrot, non-native

Multiflora Rose, non-native/invasive

Burning Bush, non-native/invasive

Norway Maple, non-native/invasive

Norway vs. Sugar maple leaves. Norway Maple leaves have more pronounced bottom lobes.

Japanese Barberry, non-native/invasive

Glossy Buckthorn up close.

Norway Maple bark up close, showing the lattice-like pattern.

Extensive Glossy Buckthorn, clay soil.

No Glossy Buckthorn on opposite of path, loamy soil.

Jewelweed, non-native/invasive