Backbone - Walk There Again

The Fall colors are starting to show themselves at Backbone State Park and the two of us made sure to give ourselves an opportunity for front row seats this past weekend.  Well, actually, Tammy had the front row seat and I had the standing room only tickets.

Tammy has taken up kayaking this year.  She's always liked being on/in the water far more than I do and hiking is probably far less fun for her than it once was because of the Achilles and hip bothering her.  I, on the other hand, do like a good walk in the woods.  Admittedly, I prefer walking with Tammy - but this was a good second.  I knew she was enjoying the outdoors in the same area just as I was.  And, I finished my hike at about the same time she finished her float.

Next time, we might arrange it so Tammy can get a short walk as well.

There were clouds for all but a short ten minute period during this parallel walk/float.  Since I was under the tree canopy, Tammy got a bit more view of blue skies and sunshine than I did.  That means she was able to see the color blue, which was in shorter supply where I was.  

But that's ok, because there was plenty of color for me to enjoy and lots to explore.  There were leaves and birds and rocks and trees and...  Well, you get the idea.

The Pileated Woodpeckers (there were at least three of them) were laughing as they swooped from tree to tree.  It was probably funny to see the silly human trudging along on his two feet while they could just spread their wings and cover the territory much more quickly (and more thrillingly, I bet).  A large group of small birds that was mostly Golden-crowned Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows chattered with each other and decided that the human was ok to inspect since he had stopped moving to simply enjoy their presence.  

One Kinglet even decided to come close enough for me to try my hand at capturing an image.  It's golden mohawk can be seen a bit in this picture, though it was much more obvious when I was observing without a lens between me and the bird.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

And, of course, once I put the camera down, a Brown Treecreeper did its thing, creeping up a tree not more than three feet from my face.  When I reached for the camera it dove to another tree that was too far away for me to catch its image.  Creepers walk UP the trunks of trees looking for insects to eat.  Once they decide a tree has been inspected, they'll swoop to a lower spot on an adjacent tree and walk up that one.  I've only seen these little birds once before, so this was great fun for me - to have one walk up a tree right in front of my astonished face.

Meanwhile the Chickadees and Nuthatches were calling.  I am sure the Nuthatches were walking DOWN the trees they were on, because that's what they do.  But, oddly enough I didn't see any of these birds.  So, it was a happy "opposite" day.  The bird you usually only hear (the Creeper) was seen and not heard.  The Chickadees and Nuthatches were heard and not seen.  

Of course, when I see those birds I usually hear them too.  So, maybe it wasn't really "opposite" day.

I was also told by a rather large flock of Robins and Cedar Waxwings that I was a nuisance, and a Bald Eagle let Tammy know that she might have caused some unhappiness as well with a short, but heartfelt, complaint.  

Apparently, a Bald Eagle's scream is often described as "weak sounding."  In fact, movies often dub in the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk in the place of an eagle's scream.  However, Bald Eagles apparently can create a very complex set of sounds.  The video below can be found at the link I have provided here and is on the Raptor Resource Project Site.  Turn up the volume to hear the interesting morning conversation.

I was treated to a brief viewing of a Hermit Thrush and there were numerous other birds that I was able to hear, but not see.  And, as is normally the case, there were plenty of birds that did not feel like they needed to sit still so I could have even a remote chance of figuring out who they were.  I did ask a couple of them to let me look at them a bit more closely, but they typically declined the offer.

Anyway, I think it was a Hermit Thrush.  The Merlin app suggested that it was a Hermit Thrush, rather than a Wood Thrush or Swainson's Thrush (we saw one or the other of these last year at Backbone).  Once again, the bird did not come close enough for a photo and it did not want to sit still while I tried to figure out which one it was.  I think, as far as the birds are concerned, they have NO concern for the names we think we humans feel we must assign to them.  They know who they are and they know who their friends are.  

That's probably good enough.

Good Omen?

The time had come once again.  I had to go and get my insides scanned to look for any hint of the cancer that resulted in the removal of my left kidney two and a half years ago.  

So, I took the drive down to Waterloo and went through the process on Tuesday this past week.  It could be so easy to be grumpy and short because, frankly, this wasn't something I WANTED to do.  In fact, it really is something I would rather not be spending my time on.  Who would?  

But, I always remind myself that the people at the front desk who take my name, confirm my address and take photocopies of my identification, are simply doing the job they have been hired to do.  These people, the nurses, and the technicians see person after person.  Nearly every one of these people they see might rather be somewhere else than dealing with whatever it is that makes it necessary for them to visit this medical facility.

So, I put on my best self, even if I am not feeling it at the moment.  And, typically, the interaction is pleasant - because that is part of the job these people do that must certainly be difficult to fulfill at times.

I had to return on Friday to hear the verdict.  Would there be evidence of cancer or not?  Would there be a short, pleasant conversation and a quick discussion about the next time I would be scanned in the "distant future?"  Or would there be a longer, less pleasant conversation?

My lovely bride took some time off from her teaching to accompany me into the building, and after we sat down, I noticed movement in the entry way.  I pointed it out to Tammy and we both recognized the praying mantis.  After a quick discussion, I went and got the mantis and took him outside, placing him on a tree nearby.

It even let me take a couple of quick photos with the phone.

There are two types of praying mantids (mantids is the plural form of mantis) in Iowa.  Both prefer the southern part of the state.  This would be a Chinese Praying Mantis, which were introduced to the United States in the 1800s.  They are larger than the Carolina Mantis, with a body size that can reach 4+ inches.  

This particular Chinese Praying Mantis was on the upper end of their size range and the legs and wings made it appear even larger.  The legs are serrated and very strong and I was a bit surprised by how it could lift itself up with only 1 leg have clear purchase to start a climb.

Praying mantids are amazing predators, but they are very opportunistic and they do not discriminate.  They're a bit like dragonflies, they'll eat what they can catch.  In fact, a praying mantis youngster may well eat some of its siblings.  They'll eat pest insects and they'll eat beneficial insects.  So, for those who might feel like adding Praying Mantids to their gardens for pest control, they might find the end result is not quite the perfect solution they were hoping for.

Still, the presence of a larger insect predator is exciting and interesting.  And I certainly would not find their presence on our farm to be a bad thing.

And as far as Friday was concerned, I chose to see this encounter as a good omen.  And it was.  We got the all clear.  Of course, we get to go through it all again next October - our new "distant future."  But, for now, it's all good.

And I got to say hello to a Praying Mantis.

Linking Fossil Fuels and Pesticides to Greenhouse Gases

Someone asked me, a couple of weeks ago, if "all I did" for Pesticide Action Network, was write a blog under my name once a month and an occasional Iowa newsletter.  The answer was "of course not," but it can sometimes be difficult to explain everything a person does as a part of any given job.  It was easy, however, to point out that there is some writing that does not have my name on it that is still, nonetheless, something I had a hand in doing.  So, today, I thought I would share an example that can be found here on PAN's website.  I have done some reformatting to fit the GFF blog.  

Take a gander, you might learn something new.  

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Did you know that the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, transportation, and application of pesticides are strongly linked to fossil fuels? In fact, 99% of all synthetic chemicals, which include pesticides, are derived from fossil fuels.  And it isn’t surprising that several oil and gas companies (like Chevron, Shell and ExxonMobil) play major roles in developing pesticide ingredients and profiting from their use.

Pesticide manufacturing and greenhouse gases

Researchers have calculated the energy use associated with the production of specific pesticides, which can then be used to estimate carbon dioxide emissions. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the manufacture of glyphosate, the world’s most popular herbicide, produces 31.29 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per kilogram of product (Audsley, et al).  Several pesticides produce amounts greater than 40 kilograms of CO2e per kilogram. To put this in perspective, the energy used to produce the amount of glyphosate used globally in 2014 was equal to the energy needed to fuel about 6.25 million cars for a single year.

While it would be useful to have more recent research, the data still paint a picture that is relevant today.  On average:

• Herbicide production creates 18.22 to 26.63 kg of CO2e per kg
• Insecticide production creates 14.79 to 18.91 kg of CO2e per kg
• Fungicide production creates 11.94 to 29.19 kg of CO2e per kg

These numbers result in a significant contribution to the total greenhouse gas emissions that have played a role in a changing climate.

Hydrocarbons to pesticides

A pesticide consists of both active and inert ingredients. The active ingredients kill the pests (weeds, insects, fungi) and the inert ingredients make it easier to apply the product, coat the target plant and extend the effectiveness of the product.  Many pesticides are also coated in microplastics, which are classified as an inert and derived from fossil fuels, to ensure more controlled release of the product.

Most active ingredients are synthesized from hydrocarbons derived from petroleum, known as hydrocarbon feedstocks. These feedstocks are combined with other elements, such as chlorine, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, nitrogen and bromide to create chemical intermediates.  This process is responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the creation of pesticides.

Various inert ingredients are then added to formulate the final pesticide product.  Some of these inert ingredients are recognized as active ingredients in other pesticides and some inert ingredients are biologically active and are potentially, or are verified to be, toxic.

Research doesn’t account for the entire story

The calculations provided in the study of greenhouse gas emissions by pesticides only factor in the energy used to produce the active ingredients.  A true estimate would also include other stages of a pesticide’s lifecycle.  Transportation, pesticide application and post-application effects are all omitted from the calculated emission levels.   These numbers also fail to include the energy needed to formulate the final pesticide products and manufacture the inert ingredients, which typically account for most of the volume of a pesticide. For instance, inert ingredients make up as much as 50–75% of glyphosate products.

More than 500 of these so-called inert ingredients have been or are currently used as active ingredients, yet due to proprietary protections, the identification and volume of these ingredients are kept secret from the public (Cox and Surgan). This makes it impossible to calculate energy requirements for the manufacture of pesticide products in their entirety.

Fossil fuel and pesticide industries pouring out the carbon

Fossil fuel corporations like Chevron have been advertising their pesticide products to farmers for decades – like this 1972 featured in the publication No Till Farmer.  Paraquat is an herbicide with links to Parkinson’s Disease.

 

Since World War II, pesticides have typically been synthesized from petroleum or petroleum by-products and petroleum industry giants ExxonMobil, ChevronPhillips Chemical and Shell, all produce pesticides or their chemical precursors. Multiple pesticide corporations self-report high CO2e emissions related to their operations. For instance, 9.8 million tonnes of CO2e directly or indirectly resulted from Syngenta’s operations in 2021 – the rough equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of more than 2 million passenger vehicles.

Would you like to learn more?

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. Scientific evidence indicates that pesticides contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions while also making our agricultural systems more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. You can view our full report if you would like to learn more.

But we’re not just talking about the problem.  You can view each of our webinars.  The first summarizes our report and the second focuses on the solutions available to us if we adopt the principles of agroecology.  We can make a difference, and that difference can start by moving away from reliance on pesticides.

Print bibliography:

Audsley, E., Stacey, K. F., Parsons, D. J., & Williams, A. G. (2009). Estimation of the greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural pesticide manufacture and use. Cranfield University.

Cox, C., & Surgan, M. (2006). Unidentified inert ingredients in pesticides: implications for human and environmental health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(12), 1803-1806.

Spotty

If you have taken any amount of time to read posts in either our Genuinely Faux farm blog or the GFF Postal History blog, you just might have come to an opinion or two about me as a writer.  Some of those opinions could possibly be something like "how does he know so much about that particular thing?"  Other thoughts regarding me and my writing might be "how is it that he doesn't seem to know much about this other thing?"

Well, first of all, because I have offered up so much of myself, writing and publishing almost daily, it means I am giving anyone who reads this material ample opportunity to form opinions about me.  Some of them might be accurate, others might simply be the wrong conclusion based on the evidence given.  And, since the farm blog has been going since 2009, you might also want to consider that your opinion might have to be revised for whatever version of me happens to be in your sights at the time.  

After all, I do try to learn and improve - which means I am not a stationary target.

At one point in time, I had extensive knowledge about heirloom tomato varieties and characteristics.  This was partly because we were actively attempting to discover the best varieties for our farm and our growing practices.  So, I dove deep into that topic.

Now, I still have a decent amount of knowledge about heirlooms and heirloom tomatoes.  But, like most of us, some of that expertise has not been exercised in the same way.  So, I don't have everything on automatic recall anymore.  At least I have notes and writing from years before that I can reference and refresh my memory!

As I was thinking about this topic, I remembered the bafflement one of my Computer Science professors at Luther College had regarding my test results in his classes.  You see, I had this tendency to answer some of the questions with extensive and accurate details, including examples.... and then I left other questions blank.

Perhaps it was partly a time management thing, I'll grant you that possibility.  And it is something I've worked on over the years.  But, the truth of the matter is that my knowledge was spotty because it illustrated how I like to learn.  And it shows my dislike of trying to speak/write about something where I don't have acceptable (according to my standards) competence.

If I'm going to learn about it, I really want to do my best to understand it.  I want to be able to explain what I understand so others can understand it too.  And that's where the time management issue came into play.  

There simply isn't enough time to build skill and knowledge for that level of competence on everything that comprises any reasonably complex topic.  There never was.  There never will be.

As a result, I would run into a question that I hadn't really dug into.  Rather than writing an answer that I felt was not a good one (and waste the professor's time), I would just make sure I made it clear how well I understood the material I had gotten to.

Of course, this strategy didn't apply to foundational topics that you needed to learn in order to get to the really neat stuff.  I understood that I had to get a handle on those things.  But once I began to get exposure to a wider expanse of topics I would become enthralled with some of it and dive right in.  To some extent, this is still me.  I'll have those basics down just fine.  Then there will be a whole bunch of topics that I am comfortable with, while some "next-door" topics might not get much of a look.

Be patient.  I'll get there someday - I hope.  But until then, you'll just have to deal with a person who is not perfect and whose knowledge can be spotty at times.  The difference is that I usually have some idea of what those areas are and I try not to pretend that I do know that stuff.  I'd rather maintain my integrity and talk about things I feel I can represent fairly well.  All the while knowing that there is so much more to learn.

Mistaken ID

When we first arrived at the Genuine Faux Farm, we had some grand plans as to how we would turn the somewhat barren landscape into something wonderful.  We had good soil, we had the desire and we had the energy to give it a good go.  And, among our earliest projects was an attempt to establish some nice, flowering bushes and perennial natives on the southwest borders of the property.

We put in several small lilacs (each no more than a foot tall) on the corner.  And, to top it off, we added some coneflowers and other natives that we hoped would add some color in front of the lilacs throughout the season.  Now, several years later, the area in front of the lilacs (now ten to fifteen feet tall) is some grasses and three plants that have flowered happily and faithfully every year after their first in this location.

We purchased a variety of native perennial forbs from Ion Exchange and used selected locations for each different kind of plant.  Two or three types of plants went out by the lilacs and we kept track of what we put where.

Or at least we thought we did.

Somehow we have perpetuated our own mythology that these plants are Silky Asters.  Is it possible that we got plants with the wrong tags?  I suppose that's possible.  But it is more likely that we simply just mixed things up, no matter how carefully we tried to keep track.  My hypothesis is that we planted Silky Asters out by the lilacs along with these plants.  These have continued to thrive, and the Silky Asters did not.

I always thought these plants did not really look all that much like an aster - and unlike most asters, it blooms beautifully in the month of May.  Regardless, they seem to grow in nice clumps and hold their own just fine in an area where we do no weeding and no cultivation.  They're just simply given their opportunity to live, bloom and exist in their corner of the world.

Sometimes that's exactly what a plant needs.

I finally managed to get myself out to these plants with a camera during their bloom season.  Every year I have told myself to make sure I get the picture taking done, but I always seem to miss it.  It's not that I don't get to enjoy the flowers every year, it's the fact that the camera doesn't always make the trip at the same time.  You see, I had this idea that I might want to consider getting more "Silky Asters" for the farm - and I wanted to be sure I had identified them correctly before I followed through.

Well, it's a good thing I didn't fully trust the name I have assigned to these fine plant denizens at the Genuine Faux Farm.  I would have been very disappointed if I had ordered Silky Asters and not gotten the same results.

These plants are Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) and we could very well have gotten them from Prairie Moon Nursery in Winona at about the same time we picked up other plugs from Ion Exchange.  These are great plants for hummingbirds and butterflies.  Apparently, they taste pretty bad (and is also known as Blue Dogbane), so deer will leave them alone too (if that's a thing for you).

There were a few bracts of flowers that had yet to open, so I managed to hit the Eastern Bluestar at or near their peak flower cycle.  And I got the information I needed to correct a mistaken identity.

Tools in the Farmer's Toolbox: Crop Rotation

 

Perhaps the most well-known tool a farmer can use to introduce diversity into their growing system is the crop rotation.  A simple crop rotation used widely in the midwestern United States is the two-year, soybean and corn rotation implemented by many large-scale farmers.  Each farm is different and may benefit from a crop rotation designed specifically to fit the needs of the land and the stewards who tend it.

Our farm has produced a wide-range of food crops for nearly twenty years, and we continue to make adjustments to our rotation plan.  We believe that our growing system becomes more resilient as we introduce more, rather than less, complexity and diversity onto our farm’s landscape.

What is crop rotation?

Crop rotation is a technique that is typically used with annual crops (plants that grow for only one season), though some plans can include perennial crops.  In the simplest terms, the grower changes the crop each season so that plants from the same family are not grown in the same location each year.  On our farm, we create multi-year growing plans that prevent us from growing vine crops (squash, melons and cucumbers) in the same plot.  We might arrange to grow other crops, like broccoli and beans, in the intervening years.

A crop rotation plan can be very simple, like the corn-soybean rotation, or very complex, like our seven-year rotation.  A common five-year rotation used by many organic row-crop growers in Iowa might include corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats – alfalfa is a perennial and often occupies two years of this growing plan.

What does a crop rotation do for the grower?

A carefully developed crop rotation is one of many useful tools that can be a part of a healthy growing plan based on the principles of agroecology.  The benefits are numerous and the explanations can be complex, but here are some simple arguments to encourage the use of crop rotation practices.

Pest and disease control
Perhaps the easiest benefit to recognize is that crop rotation makes it more difficult for pests and diseases to persist from one season to the next.  For example, the disease called black rot infects plants in the cabbage family and can persist on the residue (old leaves and other plant material) left behind by the prior year’s crop.  Planting more of the same crop in that location the following year simply makes it likely that black rot will infect those plants again during the new season. 

Weed control
Each crop type has different cultivation preferences and required growing conditions. This diversity makes it more difficult for weeds to become established and persist from year to year.  The introduction of alfalfa provides cover for the soil for more than one year, which can suppress many problem weeds for annual crops that would follow.  On our farm, we might use buckwheat as a cover crop to choke out Canadian Thistle, one of our problem weeds.

Soil health
Different crops interact with the soil in different ways.  Some crops are known to be greedy for nutrients while others, like those in the legume family, can actually return nutrients to the soil.  For example, beans, peas and lentils can collect nitrogen and improve future fertility.

Improved crop yields
Research continues to show that the introduction of diversity through crop rotations results in better production in individual crops.  Corn yield can be increased by 28%, regardless of the growing conditions for the year.  The improvement is even greater during poor growing seasons, such as those experienced during drought.

Diversified crop income
One of the benefits I have seen on our own farm over time is the home grown “crop insurance” that comes with diversification in our growing system.  More diversity makes it likely that at least some of our cash crops will provide sufficient income for our farm to keep doing what it does from year to year. 

More ways to add diversity in crop rotations

It is easy to simply assign one year to each annual crop in a rotation.  While this is certainly better than growing the same crop in the same place year after year, a farm can do better than this.

Part of a crop rotation could include a perennial crop that is foraged for two to three years by animals.  Our farm has included poultry on some of our production fields as part of our rotation.  This makes perfect sense because we can ask our laying hens to spread their own manure for fertility in future years; it saves some labor and provides necessary nutrients.

Many farms also include cover crops in their rotations.  These are crops that are introduced to cover the soil, but are not intended to be harvested.  For example, we have planted tillage radish in the fall to help loosen the soil for the following season.  The radish crop is terminated by the cold weather and we don’t need to do any additional work other than adjust our rotation so we don’t grow other crops from that family in the same location. 

Why is this important?

The simplest crop rotation is no rotation at all.  Many row crop farms in the United States grow the same crop in the same location year after year.  The only way this can happen is to rely heavily on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to prop up soils that are being abused by this approach and to keep diseases and pests at bay.

The introduction of diversity through methods such as crop rotation and intercropping helps us to break this cycle of dependence.  Diversity and complexity in our growing systems are natural ways to maintain the health of our soils and increase the resilience of our crops.  These are techniques that require the ingenuity of those who would be stewards of the land, and they do not require purchased inputs from the pesticide industry.

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This blog was initially published as part of Pesticide Action Network's Ground Truth blog.

Land of the Living

I knew something was there because my eyes were reporting movement in my peripheral vision.  But, by the time I focused on the spot, I saw nothing but a sandy beach.  Happily, I have learned over time that when this occurs I should stop moving and just watch because there was probably something to see.  I just needed to wait a bit.

There were several small holes just above the water line on Pakala Beach, which told me we might have some creatures using them for shelter.  So, I watched for a while and saw these little crabs slowly climbing back out of the holes they had scurried into as I walked by.  And, at about that moment, someone else walked by - and they dived back into their respective holes.

The crab shown above shall heretofore be known as Claude (or Clawed).  Claude was a crab that decided it was okay to go about business even though a human was insisting on pointing a camera in its direction.  Claude is a Pallid Ghost Crab or ohiki (Hawaiian) and its body was just around one inch in diameter - not a very big critter at all!

The eye stalks were actually fun to watch.  Claude would sometimes turn them sideways, and they did NOT have to go in the same direction.  The crab's coloration was very close to the color of the golden colored sand on this beach and I read somewhere that these crabs may have different coloring depending on the color of the sand on which they live.  It's also interesting to note that one claw is significantly bigger than the other.  This appeared to be true for all of the other Ghost Crabs we watched over a period of a few days, though I admit that I did not check to see if the larger claw was always on the same side (right or left).

That sounds like a worthwhile project some day.  Go sit on a beach and make detailed observations about ghost crabs....  Why?  Well, why not?!? 

Claude was not the only critter we found on, or near, Pakala Beach.  We found ourselves a beautiful looking "Shelob" in the bushes not far from the beach.  And for those of you who do not know, we often call orb-weaver or other showy spiders "Shelobs" in reference to Tolkien's great spider in Lord of the Rings. 

This particular Shelob is known as a Hawaiian Garden Spider and she does not look terribly different from some of the orb weavers or garden spiders we have in Iowa.  Perhaps it is a bit more colorful, but the shape and size are quite similar.  The web has a similar stitch mark towards the center and they seem to like the same sorts of locations to set up a web for the day.

In the process of looking up information, I found this great science packet for elementary school aged kids (though I thought it was fun myself).  This particular resource focuses on Nananana (spiders) and it includes some identification information for spiders in Hawaii.

As for the Hawaiian name for spider - once again it is nananana - I really can't think of a better name.  When a spider walks you can almost hear "nananana" in your head.

Not everything we found on Pakala Beach was a happy, and living, organism.  We took note of a very colorful lobster carcass and determined it must have been a type of Spiny Lobster or ula (in Hawaiian).  The exoskeleton was rather colorful, even though the animal was no longer living.  This particular specimen was about a foot long because...

Well, it was about as long as my foot.  There you have it. 

Now for those of you who think I'm being facetious, we have long known that my foot is actually, and in fact, one foot - as in the English unit - long.  So there.

On one of our Mahaulepu walks, we noticed a bunch of little lizards on the rocks and they were kind enough to pose for a photo or two.  They were clearly sunning themselves happily during the early to mid-morning hours - a point in time when the sun was warm, but not too warm.  

After doing some searching, we discovered that these were PROBABLY Mottled Snake-eyed Skinks.   We do have to admit our shortcomings when it comes to determine fine differences.  It turns out there are a whole bunch of snake-eyed skinks in the world.  However, we are saved some of the struggle since that list is smaller for the island of Kauai.

While these critters didn't seem too concerned with us, it was clear they could really get moving if they wanted to.  But, since they were camped next to a popular hiking trail, I suspect they were pretty secure with the fact that the klutzy humans were an unlikely threat on the uneven rocks they preferred to sit on.

We were even able to discover some "wildlife" in human habitat.  The Gold-dust Geckos were loving an orchid shop in Kapa'a town.   These little critters are fairly common on the island and are diurnal in nature. They are not native to Kauai, but there are numerous ways they could have infiltrated the island - including the fact that people like to keep them as pets. 

Clearly, they are not terribly worried about humans either.  They are frequently found in houses and will periodically make little chirping noises to let you know they are around.  One restaurant we visited even left a treat out for a Gold-dust Gecko friend and they would go out of their way to ask patrons if they were okay with sharing a table with a gecko.

We did enjoy watching it eat a cherry, but it did not have an Australian accent, nor did it try to sell us insurance.  I only say that because I know a couple of you were just desperate to ask, and I wanted to help you to have an even better day than you are already having!

There you are!  A chance to learn a few new things and an opportunity for me to share some of the neat critters we met on our excursions on the island of Kauai.

Have a great day everyone - even if you weren't one of the one's curious about the gecko's professional exploits and global accent!

Trail Treasure Hunt

 

Back in September, I threw down the gauntlet - challenging myself and anyone who happens to read the GFF blog - to get people to use their phones and cameras to take different pictures of nature.  The hope was that, by doing this, we would all take a bit more time to look around us and find new textures and new perspectives.  Then perhaps we could take a moment or three and learn some new things about what we had captured in those images.

Since I do not want to be the sort of person who proposes something for other people to do without my also participating, I've tried to take up my own challenge.

Shown above is an interesting bark pattern from the base of a Shagbark Hickory tree.  I have to admit that I haven't really given this particular tree much thought over the years.  For one, most people would tend to not plant these trees in an urban setting because they are deemed to be "messy."  The bark of mature trees tends to curl off of the trunk and fall and they do produce edible nuts (that also fall to the ground).  I'm not sure when we got it into our head that natural shedding from a tree is "messy."  Probably about the point in time when we all collectively decided to keep our lawns mowed short AND when we decided we had to have a turf lawn everywhere...

On the other hand, Shagbark Hickory trees can be excellent, long-lived and sturdy shade trees.  They are native to the Midwest (including Iowa) and, unlike many trees, they seem to to like to be intermixed with other trees, like oaks, maples and pines.  And, of course, that's where we found this one and others like it.  They are frequently found in Northeast Iowa woodlands, so a trip to the Yellow River Forest or Backbone State Park will give you a chance to see them in person.

According to this site, the name "hickory" is from pawcohiccora, an Algonquian word for the oily food removed from pounded kernels steeped in boiling water and a yellow dye can be created from the inner bark of a Shagbark Hickory.

We also discovered that it is not just plants that attract the six-legged critters.  Apparently rock outcroppings at Backbone State Park provide habitat for different insects in October.  The East Lake Trail has a couple of rock benches you can use for a quick rest if you need (or want) it.  While Tammy availed herself of that opportunity, I couldn't help by take note of the Paper Wasps that were walking and buzzing around the rock face.  Then, I also noticed a few Box Elder bugs and a Lady Beetle.

Box Elder Bugs are considered to be a "nuisance bug" by many people as they like to find a warm place to over-winter - and that often means a house or other building.  Otherwise, they don't really spread disease, they don't really bite or sting, and they don't destroy desired plants.  Generally, it is simply the fact that they can find their way into small cracks to get to a place where they can survive the cold months.

The Ladybug, on the other hand, is generally appreciated... until the Asian Lady Beetle got introduced and it decided it ALSO liked to be a nuisance bug, taking a page from the Box Elder Bug's book. Based on the characteristic "M" shaped marking on the back of the head of this specimen, this is an Asian Lady Beetle.

These, and the Seven-spotted Ladybug, have very strong populations in the United States largely because vegetable farmers began purchasing ladybug populations to control aphids.  I have to admit that we considered this option at one point in time until we read how it would impact the native ladybug populations.  As a result, we accepted the slower approach and let the populations come to us.  You see, the Asian Lady Beetle and the Seven-spotted Ladybug DO eat aphids.  But, they also out-compete native populations, which means those populations are declining.

It also explains why we have so many Asian Lady Beetles on the sides of buildings (and rock faces) in the Fall.  Regardless, this is another insect population I am fine with having.  I would rather have the natives, of course.  But, I'll take the non-natives over the aphids too.

As a last offering, here's another way to look at things.  Sometimes the play of light and shadows is worth spending the time observing what goes on there.  I am not entirely sure what I was trying to capture this time around - but maybe I'll figure it out with future attempts.

It doesn't matter, because I was enjoying looking at things in different ways.  And now, I feel good that I learned some new things to supplement things I already was aware of.  Maybe you came away learning something new too?  Or, perhaps, you were mildly entertained for a few moments of your day.

I'll take that as a positive thing too.

Natural Texture

I like to remind myself to look at things from different angles and with different purposes.  That's true if I am considering solutions for a problem on the farm and it is true if it has to do with an issue I deal with for my job with Pesticide Action Network.  I believe that I need to exercise my ability to consider alternative viewpoints and creative options continually so that when I need that ability most, it is well practiced.

I also encourage myself to look at things in different ways when I am out in the natural world.  I think it is important to explore the world even when you are standing still.  Look up.  Look down.  Look to your left and right.  Kneel in the grass to see things from a different height.  Turn slowly in place.  Look at things that are far away and things that are close to you.  See things that are small and things that are big.

And always look for the texture of the world that surrounds you.

It is possible that some folks might find me to be a little annoying at times if everyone else wants to get from here to there.  Suddenly, I'm not there and they look back to find me squatting down to look at a beetle... or a puddle.

Actually, I don't really cause that sort of problem because when I am walking with others and there is a purpose, I do my best to be a good member of the group.  And, you all probably would guess (and be accurate) that I don't like to be a problem to others.  So, I do a good job of suppressing my curiosity when I need to.

On the other hand, Tammy might sometimes want to roll her eyes when we're taking a hike and I get into meandering mode. 

Still, look at all of the cool things I got to observe and enjoy by looking around me and showing a little curiosity.

How and why does a leaf change color from green to red?  Does it just start to blush until all of the green disappears?  Or does it get kind of blotchy like this Pin Oak leaf?  I am guessing the answer is "it depends."

However, I did take the time to refresh my learning on Fall leaf colors.  Apparently, there are three types of pigments involved: carotenoids (yellow, orange and brown), anthocyanin (reds and purples) and chlorophyll (greens).

I suspect most of us remember chlorophyll and that it has a role in photosynthesis. In the autumn, chlorophyll production slows down - eventually stopping.  As the chlorophyll is removed from the leaf, the other pigments remain.  The green is removed, unmasking the other colors.

Can a small frond of moss dangling into a stream cause ripples?  Why yes, yes it can!  And the patterns in the water, what do they look like?  Well, you and I have some idea now because the first picture in the blog shows us.

How quickly can the sky change from fully overcast to partly sunny?  Well, it didn't take long on this particular day.  But, it was the process of clearing that provided a textured backdrop in the sky for the trees.

The forest floor is a treasure trove of textures.  The fallen leaves on the path were more broken than those found nearby - where people weren't grinding them into smaller pieces as they walked through.  And the exposed tree roots on the path showed smooth surfaces where hundreds of feet drug their soles over its surface.

The water plants create a completely different texture.  This looks likes a big batch of Coontail (assuming I identified this water plant correctly) at the Richmond Springs source in Backbone State Park.  The surface of the water showed barely a ripple, yet the plants showed the evidence of a prevailing current.  The plants themselves looked soft while they were in the water - but I wasn't feeling much like observing while I, myself, was also in the water.

Of course, the trees provide us with plenty of texture, with all sorts of different types of bark.  But, every once in a while you can get surprised.  Like this particular moment when I found that I could look through the trunk of a very tall tree.

Apparently, this tree had been struck by lightning years ago the tree was hollow, with a large hole on the other side.  The tree continues to touch the sky with green branches, so it is clearly a survivor - adding to the texture of the surrounding forest with its experience and its imperfection.

And, like any other living forest, there were trees that were no longer living. But they also provided opportunities for different kinds of life - and different sorts of textures.

 So, I present this challenge to all who read this and are able to get themselves outside.  Take a look around and discover something interesting and new for yourself.  If you like to take pictures with a smartphone or a camera, do so.  

Find a wildflower or a flower you planted.  Find the bark of a tree, or some changing leaves.  Look up and view some interesting clouds or the stars.  Watch an insect crawl up and down a blade of grass.

And while you do these things, ask yourself at least one question that you will try to answer.

What is this water plant called?  What makes a leaf change color?  What sort of fungus is this?  Does this type of dragonfly EVER land?

Look at the natural textures of this world and then give yourself permission to learn something about them.  You'll be glad you did.

Wasps Get a Bad Rap

Common Thread-wasted Wasp

 

Some Northern Paper Wasps built a nest in the open metal pipe that is part of the door entry to Valhalla (one of our high tunnels).  For the most part, I was able to enter and depart the high tunnel without an issue and I was hoping that we could make it through their normal cycle without my taking any actions against them. 

Northern Paper Wasps on Goldenrod

That might seem strange to many of you... In fact, it seems a little strange to me.  Why in the world would I WANT to tolerate an insect that could sting me (and others) multiple times if it felt I was threatening its nest?  I can tell you, from experience, that those stings hurt.  And, in prior years, when we had more people on the farm that could get stung, I would be more aggressive to remove a nest in a location like this.

Most of us are raised to fear (and aggressively remove) anything that is wasp-like from our surroundings.  I know my first reaction has been, for most of my life, to want to do that very same thing.  Yet, I am here to tell you that we all need to adjust that attitude.

First of all, I can tell you, also from experience, that most Paper Wasps tolerate quite a bit before they get aggressive - though some nests seem to feature more and less aggressive tendencies.  And, there are things I could have done this year to prevent them from deciding the entry way of the high tunnel was a good place to make a home.  Unfortunately, the cap I put on this particular pipe had degraded over time and the opening presented itself to them.  So, there I was - having to decide what to do about it.

I also know that many wasps are excellent beneficial predators.  In particular Northern Paper Wasps are known to predate on various caterpillars that can make growing certain crops difficult if they are not controlled.

But, did you know that the wasps, including the Northern Paper Wasp, are also beneficial pollinators in our landscape?

I didn't.  Until Tammy and I noticed them on some Goldenrod during a recent escape from the farm.  These wasps were clearly on the Goldenrod for the Goldenrod.  They were not hunting and they were very intent on the plant itself.

Another Common Thread-wasted Wasp

These were not the only wasps we saw on the Goldenrod.  We also noticed some very thin wasps that we later found to be named Common Thread-waisted Wasps.  Thread-wasted wasps (there are several types) are solitary, predators and their young are often parasitic.  A Common Thread-wasted Wasp will paralyze prey and bring it back so their larvae can feed until they mature. Adults will predate on smaller insects and they will also feed on pollen.  So, the critters we saw on the Goldenrod could possibly have the opportunity to hunt AND take a drink of pollen!

Thread-wasted wasps have stingers, so if you decided you wanted to force it to do so, it could sting you.  Step on one with bare feet, you'll get stung.  Try to hold one and prevent it from leaving, you could get stung.  But, otherwise, they aren't interested in you and they don't really see you as a threat (or food).  And that's true for most wasps (believe it or not).

Surprisingly Cool Pollinators

I have already linked an article by Hooks and Espindola titled "Wasps, Surprisingly Cool Pollinators."  But, it is an excellent article that can give you a fairly quick introduction to what wasps do in our world.  According to the authors there exist hundreds of thousands of wasp species in the world.  Of them, nearly 850 species are social wasps - meaning they form colony or family units, like the Northern Paper Wasp.  Others are classified as solitary wasps, which are featured on this University of Minnesota page (which we'll mention again later).

"[W]asps are interested in flower blossoms mostly as a nectar source, and not as a source of proteins (from pollen). Nevertheless, some wasp species are able pollen vectors, and many play a crucial role as specialist pollinators. Some may be classified as excellent pollinators and in certain systems are much more efficient at pollination than their fuzzy-haired bee cousins." from Hooks & Espindola

Wasps tend to favor white and yellow colored flowers that have shallow flowers with readily accessible nectar because they typically don't have the mouth parts to reach the nectar in deeper flowers.  That certainly describes the Goldenrod plant.  Some wasps have become specialized pollinators that are critical for the survival of certain wild plants.  In fact, some orchids mimic the scent and appearance of the female wasp of certain species, attracting the males - and thus promoting their own pollination as the male wasp visits multiple flowers.

Not Every Wasp is a Yellowjacket

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people are both unable and unwilling to differentiate between one wasp-like insect and another.  Most people will be exposed to the Yellowjacket simply because it is a generalist when it comes to diet.  To put it bluntly, it will eat many of the things we like to eat.  Fruit, ice cream...   And Yellowjackets, another social insect, will aggressively protect their nests and they are more likely to sting partly because they cross paths more often with humans.

Even so, Yellowjackets, being generalists, can also be useful pollinators and predators.  But, there are a few problems here.  First, most people, as I said, think every wasp is the same thing as a Yellowjacket.  In fact, many folks incorrectly identify these as bees, making it worse.  If you do a search on Yellowjackets, you will find the sites that appear first are all for pest control companies. 

It isn't easy to identify different flying insects, especially if you don't take time to learn and practice.  I am, by no means, an expert myself.  But, here is a decent resource to see the difference between Yellowjacks, Paper Wasps and Bald-faced Hornets (all social wasps).  I am a bit conflicted by this particular article because, while it tries to remind us that these are all beneficial insects, much of it spends time on how to "control" them.

Why?  Well, that's because most people are scared to death of them.  And maybe it's because the Yellowjacket hasn't exactly taken on the role of the spokeswasp that it should?

On the other hand, some recent research is showing that Paper Wasps can actually recognize the face of other Paper Wasps, differentiating members of a social group (and those that might not fall within that group).  How cool is that?

And then, there are all of the website out there that perpetuate myths and misinformation.  I found one site, that I left before I thought to collect the web address, that showed a Northern Paper Wasp and identified it as a Yellowjacket.  Even the University of Minnesota page I cited earlier shows what I think is a Northern Paper Wasp as a "typical solitary wasp."   If you were paying attention earlier, you might remember that the Northern Paper Wasp is a social wasp.

I can only hope everything I write in this blog is accurate.  If I miss on something, please let me know and I'll do my best to verify and make it right.

So, who is this? 

I am not too proud to ask for help either.  I caught this cool picture of another insect that appears (to me) to be a wasp, hovering over a leaf.  At bottom left is a bumble bee.  Can anyone help me identify who this flying insect is?  Am I correct that it is a wasp?

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed learning something new and I also hope you might consider giving our wasp friends a chance to show you that they aren't quite as scary as we've built them up to be.

A Touch of QWERTY

I have had a week full of busy office days after taking a week off from my Pesticide Action Network job.  Now, don't get me wrong.  This wasn't exactly a full week long vacation because we only spent a couple of nights away from the farm.  Part of the deal was we both needed to step away from jobs so we could spend some time actually doing things on the farm.  So, yeah, it was a vacation from the salary earning jobs, if you will - and it was wonderful.

Upon returning to the PAN job, I found I had a bit more energy for it - something I had been lacking for a while.  But, I also found my email inboxes full (both for the farm and PAN) and there were a host of things I needed to do and LOTS and LOTS of correspondence that needed me to reply.

So, I've doing a significant amount of typing.  After a flurry of email responses and a stint editing someone else's document I started to realize exactly how fast I was typing.  And, I gave myself a minute to feel grateful that my Mom taught me how to be a touch typist at a young age.

We had a manual typewriter at home that also doubled as an exercise machine for your hands and fingers.  Each key would cause a metal arm to swing towards the paper.  As it approached, the typewriter would raise the ink ribbon up so that it was between the top of that arm and the paper.  The trick was to strike each key sharply enough that it would impress some ink onto the paper.

The innards of our typewriter would have looked a bit like the one shown below.
 

Of course, Mom wanted each of us to learn how to be a "touch typist."  In other words, we learned where the "home row" was and we taught our hands to know where all of the keys on the keyboard were without looking down (other than to check at the beginning that we had placed our hands correctly over that home row).

Over time, I got to be pretty good with typing.  But, our typewriter had a few issues.  One of them was the fact that we didn't get a new ribbon very often so I sometimes had to stop and wind the ribbon forward past sections that didn't have much left to them.  The other was that if you got going too fast, you could end up with a tangle of those arms all jumbled up part way between their resting place and the paper.  Then you would have to spend time UNjumbling the mess before you could start again.

And, let's not talk about what you had to do if you DID make a mistake.

But, hey!  It was motivation to get really, REALLY good at typing.

At the time I was attending junior high they were still teaching typing classes and everyone had to take it.  The typewriters were newer and were (gasp) electric.  That meant you didn't have to muscle each key to the paper.  It also meant you got fewer ...er... jumblings of the keys.  Which meant you could type faster.  And, of course, they measured your progress by giving you tests to determine the words per minute you could type.

After the teacher reminded me that I did not have to pound the daylight out of the keys as I selected them, I started hitting speeds in the 80 words per minute range and made it to the 90s before class was over.  I was curious, so I took a typing test at this site just to see where I would land now.  And, that's when I remembered that typing tests require that you translate something from another source to your brain and then to the paper (or screen) as you type.

I'm um... not used to that.  After all, most of my typing starts with stuff in my brain that I put onto the screen.

My first attempt was miserable because I didn't realize a couple things.  First, single spaces after periods (that's a case where my training failed me).  Second, once you are off by one character with this typing test, everything that follows will be an ERROR.  Ooops.

Armed with that knowledge, I gave it another try and landed at 71 words per minute and 98% accuracy.  Ok.  I can handle that.

A Dvorak typewriter keyboard layout - from this NPR page viewed 8/25/22

I remember the confusion my siblings and I had when we were introduced to the QWERTY keyboard that was the boon for all well-trained touch typists and the bane of everyone else.  Why in the world were the letters OUT OF ORDER?  Who decided that asdfghjkl; should be the "home row?"  I mean, at least the darned numbers were in order - but what was with the rest of them?  Speaking of jumbled messes!

This interesting article on the NPR website actually talks about some of the alternative keyboard layouts that some have argued would be better.  For example, the Dvorak keyboard layout shown above places the letters that comprise 70% of the most commonly used letters on that home row, rather than asdfghjkl;. 

It is clear to me that the proponents for the Dvorak keyboard have never typed on a typewriter where you had to slam each key with enough force to make the floor shake.  I gotta tell you.  If you have to use your pinky finger as often as you would on the Dvorak keyboard, you'd be crying to go back to QWERTY as soon as you possibly could.

Or you'd just join the group of people who use your two index fingers and "hunt and peck" your way through life. 

Well, all right.  I'll grant you that the "a" is in the same place.  It's that darned "s" that would have gotten me.  And, why in the world would you put the "x" where your strongest fingers would be and the "v" and "l" where the weakest ones are?  

The article shows another alternative called the Colemak design... and I might concede on that one except for one thing. I'm already a touch typist on the QWERTY keyboard, why would I even entertain the idea of a different keyboard design?  

Um.  I wouldn't.  But, I might consider celebrating National Typewriter Day - it's on June 23 next year.

And now you know.  Have a great rest of your day!