Shenandoah River Walk

I love to walk along the Shenandoah River this time of year. The leaves and reflection in the water are stunning.

Of course I am still looking for spiders and I found this one from the genus Tetragnatha. There are 25 species in North America to choose from I think this one is Tetragnatha straminea. Also notice how long the legs are; they are about ten times the length of the carapace.

It is a long-jawed orb weaver and you can see the large chelicerae in this photo. They have long, slender abdomens as well. They make orb webs but I didn’t see its web. They catch prey using the web in the traditional sense but they also capture flies and other insects without the aid of a web.

They often can be seen stretched out on a twig or leaf and are almost impossible to see. The egg sac is a tightly woven sac sparsely covered with threads of beadlike, greenish silk attached to twigs and other objects. I looked but didn’t see anything like this nearby.

The walk along the river was really nice. Spice bushes are always good places to search for insects and it smell so nice as I turn over leaves.

To my surprise I found this fun looking colorful caterpillar out in the open. It is a Spicebush caterpillar (Papilio troilus) pretending to look like a snake. I think Disney should make a movie about caterpillars. This one could be one of the main characters. When it is in the early stages of growth it looks like bird poop so there could be a lot of fun teasing about that in the movie.

I have this whole cast of caterpillar characters in my head and maybe later this winter I will do a blog featuring them. For now I just want to show this one.

Here is a photo of two adults taken at an earlier time.

When I turned around to go back to my car I spotted a Praying Mantis eating a couple of bees.

Hello, do you want to join me? I have two bees.

They are very yummy.

 Most of the flowers were gone and I didn’t see any mushrooms but these three insects were great finds on such a beautiful day.

Be sure to visit Watery Wednesday at http://waterywednesday.blogspot.com/

the trutle and the snake

Here is the myth:
Mr. Snake approaches Mr. Turtle on a river bank and asks Mr. Turtle for a ride across the water since he can't swim the river himself. Mr. Turtle politely refuses to oblige, reasoning that if he were to give Mr. Snake a ride across the river, he would surely be bitten. Mr. Snake protests saying that it would be foolish for him to bite the one carrying him, since it would result in him perishing also. Mr. Turtle considers the argument, then agrees to ferry Mr. Snake over the broad river. When they are half-way across the river Mr. Turtle feels a sharp pain and realizes he has been bitten by Mr. Snake. As the venom is beginning to take effect, Mr. Turtle sadly and resolutely asks Mr. Snake why he bit him, since the biting will also result in Mr. Snake's demise. A wry smile came upon Mr. Snake's face. "I bit you because I am a snake Mr. Turtle; that is my nature."

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) and a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)

What a bunch of hooy! Snakes and other animals live sustainable lives and would never do such a thing. It is so amazing how nature is used to justify our agressive destructive natures.  These two are just sunning themselves because they are cold blooded reptiles, that is their true nature.  What is our true nature?

I've also heard the myth using a turtle and a scorpion and that version isn't any better. I have been watching David Attenborough's "Life In Cold Blood" a BBC documentary about reptiles and amphibians and it is very good in my opinion.
 
 

See more Watery Wednesday here.

Cacapon State Park in January

We drove down form the Blue Ridge Mts., over Sleepy Creek Mt. and stopped at the base of Sideling Ridge. We crossed through three watersheds; first the Shenandoah, then the Opequon and finally into Sleepy Creek Watershed. All three eventually run to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Trillium is discovering her ecological address and how the watershed is an important factor, so it was especially interesting and made the journey more personal. Cacapon State Park has two lakes – one for fishing and one for swimming. Our trail took us up to this fishing lake that was almost frozen over.

You can see the Oriskany sand mixed in with the grass. It looks like left over snow but it is really the sand deposits from the common sandstone in the area. It reminds me a little of the white sand in the Gulf of Mexico I used to play in when we vacationed in Panama City, Fla. But this sand is coarser.

We speculated how that branch came to rest on the ice.

And wondered how these interesting ice shapes were made. Our conclusion was that they were pretty to look at and they reminded us of all sorts of things.

I stopped for a moment to scoop up a small water sample with algae to examine later under my microscope.

I was having trouble getting the right white balance on my camera so the color is not quite right in some of these.

Two kinds of algae were present and some interesting diatoms.

When we left the lake side Trillium noticed the partially eaten pine cones. Our conclusion was deer browse since they were on the lower limbs and there was deer scat nearby.

She also noticed pine cones on the ground that had been eaten like fresh Eastern Shore sweet corn. Nothing but the cobs were left. There were several on the ground and it looked like the beginnings of a red or flying squirrel midden. Gray squirrels don’t eat that far down to the core.

Our other interesting sighting was Fall Cankerworm Moths (Alsophila pometeria) flying around the oak trees. They are part of the Inchworm Family (Geometridae).

Visit other interesting blogs featuring water at Watery Wednesday.

Ice formations

I haven't been out hiking since the last blog so I thought I would upload some photos from January 22, 2007 from a trip I took to Rolling Ridge Foundation, WV.  Basically I followed this run until I came to the water fall. It was slippery and rough going at times but well worth it. I don't recall that winter being as cold as this one but there was plenty of ice.

I've always loved this photo of the reflection of the ice in the water. I don't have any scientific explanation for this but I sure do enjoy seeing the way the ice forms itself in interesting shapes and patterns.

Visit more soggy blogs at Watery Wednesday.

Foggy Minds

We were up early to see the ducks on the river, to name them, to swoon over their delicate colors. But the fog was thick and we could not see what was before us. So we stood and quietly admired the fog and how it softens the edges and diffuses the light. Someone remarked,  that soon the sun will burn off the fog and we will be able to see the much anticipated migrating waterfowl.

I wondered what burns off the fog in our minds.

Knowledge?

But you know, some times ignorance is blissful and calm,
just not all the time.

See more and learn more about water by visiting Watery Wednesday.

Snow, snow and more snow

I have been reading about snow and wanted to share a couple of things. When you read what I have to say you will probably say, “well, that makes sense” but the thing is, did you ever really think about it before? I never have.

The first snow we had of the season had really big snowflakes and I neglected to take photos of them. This most recent storm slowed me down and I took photos. The flakes were much smaller but the air was colder so they lasted longer. Still snowflakes have a very short life span and begin their destruction almost the minute they form. I learned that they can go through three stages of metamorphism. The first one is “destructive metamorphism” when the flake begins to melt ever so slightly and form rounded grains that eventually all become the same size in a snow pack. The space between each one become smaller and the density of the pack increases. I can see that happening as the snow on my deck begins to sink lower and lower. What was once 24 inches is now 17, after one day.

The second phase is “constructive metamorphism”. The snow closest to the ground begins to melt because the ground is warmer than the snow. As it melts the vapor moves up and comes in contact with the cold snow and freezes again, this time in the form of ice crystals known as “depth hoar”. As this happens more free space is made under the snow pack and small mammals can move about under the snow. So from the critter point of view as they walk on the ground their ceiling is made up of tiny ice crystals and what we see from above is snow on the ground. This is great for them on a small scale but on a big scale it causes avalanches because the snow is just sort of floating above the ground and is very unstable.

The third stage is “melt metamorphism” and I can hear that happening as the water begins to drip off my roof.

Have you ever wondered why there is no snow next to trees or the snow looks like it is receding away from trees? I never did but when I read about it, I was like, “go figure, who knew”.

The explanation is in the tree or I should say the color of the tree. The tree absorbs incoming solar radiation, the temperature of their surfaces is raised, and the tree then emits more energy at longer wavelengths and melts the snow closest to them. And viola! A ring around the tree.

So there you have it. But you know the best part about snow is playing in it. Sledding, skiing, and making snow angels and snowmen.

Have a jolly holiday.

Vist more blogs featuring water at Watery Wednesday.

Frozen Puddles

Walking along the fire road through the woods I begin to take notice of the frozen puddles and the patterns formed by the frozen ice. I was curious how those contour looking lines were formed. When I returned home I did some research and found that water freezes at 32 degrees. When the water gets colder the molecules slow down and stick to each other and form ice crystals. They also begin to move apart causing the ice to expand as much as 9%. I was also reminded that ice “feels cold” because it has lost energy as heat and that ice floats. The floating part is especially good news to fish and frogs in the water that might otherwise be crushed.

These are all things I learned in grade school but it is good to be reminded of the wonders of the universe every now and then. But I still didn’t find out how those circles came about. I have my own theories but not the facts.

I resolved that it is OK. I don’t need to know everything about ice to take pleasure in these sculpted frozen puddles. Besides it’s just plain fun to stomp on them and hear that “crack” as the ice breaks under your feet, to be a kid again. You might say I was cracking my way down the road. So go ahead, stomp on those frozen puddles, no one will notice that you are doing it deliberately... unless they see your smile.

See more at Watery Wednesday.

Greenbriar Lake shore

Continuing our walk around Greenbrier State Park we eventually came to the far shore and the sandy beach that you can see in the distance. It is that white stretch. One of the first things I noticed was all the Canada Geese tracks in the sand. The are about 4 inches long and often you can see the nail prints at the tips. Dogs also have nail prints in their tracks. Look in the photo below and you will see a good example with the nail in the bottom track. See the middle claw with the point, that is the nail.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) belong to the genus Branta. Canadensis means “of Canada”.  They are 30-43 inches long with a wingspan of 50-71 inches. I am five feet nine inches tall so if I laid down a Canada Goose could sit on me and almost cover me up completely with its wings spread out. But I am not going to try that because my experience with these birds is a history of stepping in a lot of goose poop and I don’t want to lay in it just to demonstrate how big they are. If you are from the Mid-Atlantic Region of the US you know what I mean.

The females are a little lighter than the males and a little smaller. They also have a different honk. Next time you see a pair together listen to them calling back and forth and you will hear the difference. At first you think it is just one calling because the calls are so close together like a “honkhonk” pause then “honkhonk” instead of a “honk” pause “honk” pause “honk” pause “honk”.

In the wild they can live between 10-24 years during which time they mate for life or until death do them part. The female lay 3-8 eggs and both parents defend and incubate the eggs. During this time they lose their flight feathers until the eggs hatch. I guess the adaptation process figures that those feathers wouldn’t be used anyway so why not replace them during that short period.

There were no geese to be seen in the park while I was there so I guess they were in the surrounding fields feeding and would return in the evening to sit out the night on the water. Often I see them flying in that familiar “V” formation heading for their favorite roosting site. From the look of all the tracks in the sand this spot looks like the favorite for a great many.

More Watery Wednesday.

Waiting

Great Blue Heron waiting for fish to fall over the dam along the Shenandoah River.

Still waiting.

See more water adventures at Watery Wednesday.

Water Beads

I’m not sure why it is but I am endlessly fascinated with beaded water, especially on flowers and leaves. It is like miniature magic show the way the water magnifies and rolls around in a ball. After the rain stopped on Sunday, I took a walk and found super sized drop on a tall leaf of grass.

I love the way the lines of the leaf are magnified on this one.

But why does it bead up on some species of leaves and not others? I found some scientific reasons I could not understand and one called the “Lotus Effect” or “superhydrophobicity” which made sense to me. It turns out that the microscopic bumps on the leaf surface of Lotus and other leaves trap air which enables the water to float on top as a bead. When the water rolls off it can also take dust with it keeping the leaf clean and ready to receive the benefits of the sun. This is so useful that engineers and scientist involved with Biomimicry are developing ways to treat plastics and metals to have the same effect. Imagine never having to wash your car or the siding of your house ever again. Now that’s what I call big top magic. I love learning about and from nature, don’t you?

Be sure to visit other blogs who have participated in Watery Wednesday.

Autumn flowers

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

~Albert Camus

See more from Watery Wednesday.

Water Striders

I found these little guys while on a hike last weekend. They are living on the surface film of a slow moving stream in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia. Their water repellent hairs and the surface tension of the water keep them from sinking and give them that ability to skate over the water. For food they feed on small aquatic insects by stabbing them with their proboscis plus eating the land insects that landed on the water by mistake and became trapped. I’m sure you have seen a moth or two in this predicament. Water Striders are in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as True Bugs, and have piercing and sucking mouth parts like a Stink Bug. They were fun to watch but difficult for me to photograph. Here is my best shot so far.

Enjoy other Watery Wednesday photos and musings here.

Reflective

I love the way water both sustains and reflects.

See more Watery Wednesday photos here.