Namibia - Land of Conservation

This summer, I traveled with Project Dragonfly (https://www.projectdragonfly.org/) to Namibia. Why Namibia, you ask? I asked myself the same thing. Although I did not really have the answer to that question before I went, I was happy to travel to a place that I never expected to see in my life. So, I packed my bags and off I went.

My first view of Namibia was from the plane, as we flew past my destination to the Johannesburg Airport.

On the plane, I met some researchers who were traveling to Namibia to gather some data in support of the theory known as Snowball Earth; which theorizes that at one point, the entire earth was iced over, looking like a snowball. There are areas in northern Namibia where some very old rock is exposed, allowing for them to be extracted and studied. For more information on this theory, check out the website http://www.snowballearth.org/.

The morning of July 3, I gathered with a group of 20 or so strangers, with whom I would explore Namibia. Our destination: the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

The Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), founded and directed by Dr. Laurie Marker, works tirelessly to preserve the natural populations of Cheetahs in Namibia. They do this through education, research and more education. The drive, collaboration, insight and experience of the CCF team is truly impressive and inspirational.

Feeding cheetahs.

Vet staff conducing a physical.

Analyzing sperm.

Discussing genetics.

Cheetah tracking data.

Cheetah radio-collar.

You can see more pictures of CCF at my website http://ageorgianaturalist.weebly.com/ or at the CCF website http://cheetah.org/. Of course the strangers of July 3rd became close friends and fellow explorers.

Although I have always known education to be key for successful conservation, I have never seen it done in such a real way as I did at CCF. The CCF staff works directly with local cattle farmers, who sometimes trap and kill cheetahs, to educate them on how to protect their cattle while also allowing the cheetahs to live alongside them. When you have half a day, ask me to tell you about it. You will be impressed. I promise.

The efforts of Dr. Laurie Marker and the incredible conservation biologists that work alongside her are making great strides in conserving not only cheetahs, but native ecosystems, which benefit all.

Thank you, Dr. Marker! And thank you, Project Dragonfly!

Migration and Monoliths

WARNING: This post contains pictures of dead birds. The last picture in this post is especially gruesome.

Songbirds migrate under cover of night. They slip by hiding from predators and taking advantage of cooler temperatures. As they make their way across the continent, they encounter lots of things that stand in their way. One example is the towering skyscrapers that populate our cities. 

These monoliths can stand in the way of these little birds that have been flying for hours and hours. Window reflections can disorient these weary travelers and before they know what happened, their journey ends.

This is a Hooded Warbler. These tiny things cross the Gulf of Mexico to nest in southeastern forests.

This is a second Hooded Warbler with an Ovenbird.

And this beauty is a Kentucky Warbler.

Of course dead birds littered about is a bit gruesome. So, the landscape crew swept them up. But, oddly enough, the trash is where they ended up. This is not where this Hooded Warbler had hoped to end up after his cross Gulf flight.

There is a lot of information out there about how to avoid these collisions. I have some links below. There are things like netting or strings that can be hung in front of the window. Cornell also offers other tips on how to cut down on these collisions. Migration is hard. Getting stopped by a window doesn't help.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1184

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/faq/attracting/challenges/window_collisions

Now to wash off those sad pictures, enjoy this Atamasco Lily in full bloom that seemed to be relished the warm spring rain we have been having.

Small Change, Big Effect

According to Duke University, the average person generates a little more than 4 pounds of waste per day. This got me thinking about all the things that I throw away that I can replace with reusable items.

Something that I have tried doing and really like is bringing containers with me when I go out to eat. It is so easy and then the leftovers are conveniently packed in my favorite containers. I admit that I have gotten a few odd looks. But, restaurant owners and waitstaff love it!

As with most people these days, I also bring my own bags to the grocery store. (Side note - How cool is that? That so many people do this!) I am also very lucky as my mother-in-law made me a bunch of awesome bags years ago for just this purpose. She is awesome. Thank you, Kathy!

What else? Where else can I trade disposable items for reusable ones? Well, I do like to eat out for lunch once in a while when working in the office. There is a tasty spot across the street from my office where I like to grab a bite to eat from time to time. When I do, I use disposable utensils and napkins. I would bring the utensils back to my desk, instead of throwing them away. But, they began to pile up.

So, I thought, why not bring utensils with me? That seems easy enough. Well, I tried to remember to bring utensils with me when I set out to eat. But, I would forget. So, I decided to bring real utensils from home, wrapped in a cloth napkin. My hope was that by making it special, I would remember. 

It took some practice, but after a few successful trips, the habit has set. Not only do I bring silverware with me to lunch, my coworkers are in on the gig! We all walked to lunch today, silverware in hand.

Such a simple thing! But, with little changes, big impacts may follow! One less consumable, disposable item going in the landfill.

Backyard Biodiversity

Spring is a great time to make your yard a little more friendly for wildlife. This year, I am focusing on plants and pollinators. Thankfully, the Georgia Native Plant Society made it easy by holding an excellent native plant sale. I was like a kid in a candy store.

If only all of the local growers could convene in a nearby park for my convenience every weekend! After careful consideration of every plant there, I ruthlessly made my decisions and I slung my loot over my shoulder.

All plants had informational signs, describing preferred habitat, flowering season and color. This is the sign for my favorite flower, Georgia aster (Symphiatrichum georgianum).

Georgia aster is a state-protected plant that was proposed for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Collaboration between state and federal agencies allowed this plant to receive the support it needed without being listed. This is a great success story species.

Here is my haul. It looks like such a small group of plants altogether. But, these species will hopefully pack a punch for biodoversity.

I carefully chose a variety of flowering plants, some of which will bloom in the spring and early summer and others that will bloom in late summer and early fall. These plants will provide nectar for the pollinators that I hope to attract.

From top left, going clockwise: Whorled sunflower (Helianthus verticilatus), Eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernae montana), Georgia aster (Symphiatrichum georgianum), Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans), Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), Prairie coneflower (Echinacea simulata), Orange coneflower, (Rudbekia fulgida), and Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).

In addition to the nectar plants, I am including parsley, milkweed and dill. These plants are the primary food source for certain caterpillar species, namely swallowtails (parsely, dill) and monarchs (milkweed).

Parsley, Milkweed, Dill

So many of our native trees and shrubs serve as caterpillar host plants as well, such as tulip tree, black cherry,  cottonwood, dogwood, and hackberry, to name but a few. With the preponderance of native trees and shrubs in the area, I decided to focus on adding more nectar plants to help support adult butterflies. By including food for both caterpillars and adult butterflies, I hope to support some native pollinators.

One of these is not like the others!

Among the flock of Canada Geese was  Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)! It was hard to miss.

Snow geese gather in enormous flocks. You can see thousands of them feeding together on wide open farms in the northeast. Every once in a while, a rebel finds itself among Canada geese, like this one.

Snow goose (Chen caerulescens) with Canada geese (Branta canadensis)

Admittedly, this is not a beautiful picture. It was taken with my smartphone through my binoculars, which for me, is no easy feat. These birds nest in the northern reaches of Canada. So, hopefully this bird will not linger here long!

This is why it is important to go birding EVERYDAY! You never know what surprises may pop up!

The Sky is Falling!! No wait, that's frass.

Turn the volume way up, like as loud as it will go. I promise you will not blow your speaker. Listen for the sound of rain.

Did you hear it? Did you hear rain? Well, that is not rain. Not the water kind. That is frass. What is frass, you ask? Frass is poop; caterpillar poop. Here is some of the fallen frass on a piece of bark on the ground.

Here is some frass collecting on Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) leaves.

 

 

I could not see the caterpillars, as they are having lunch way up in the tree tops. With most of the leaves decimated, the tasty tree is hard to identify. But, I think this is a American Basswood (Tilia americana), based on the location (I know this tree to grow right here) and the few leaves that are left.

That is one tasty tree!

Southern Nodding Trillium

Trillium breaking ground is a such fire sign of spring! These native wildflowers push out of the ground before any trees get a chance to leaf out and shade them. They grow amongst the trees in the forest.

One of the native, but less common species, in my area is Southern Nodding Trillium (Trillium rugelii). I took this picture about three weeks ago, when it just started to peak out from under a log.

The pictures below were taken yesterday! This fantastic wildflower has beautiful broad leaves.

It stands about a foot tall, on what looks to me like a scrawny little stem.

This particular specimen is a little unusual, as the flower typically hangs below the leaves, or nods, as its name suggests. This plant's flower must have gotten caught up on something when blooming. It seems to be catching some frass and seeds at the moment, as well!

Southern Adder's Tongue Fern

When I think of a fern, my mind pictures a large dissected leaf (frond). But, as with most plant or animal groups, ferns come in many forms.

The Southern Adder's Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum pycnostichum) is an unusual looking fern. It was given the name adder because of the resemblance of the spore stalk to a snakes tongue. Breaking down the scienitfic name, Ophio- refers to snake and -glossum. tongue.The Field Guide to the Ferns explains that pyncnostichum translates to crowded rows of 'sporangia'" (Snyder & Bruce, 1986), referring to the premature stalk in the picture below.

Southern Adder's Tongue Fern (Ophioglossum pycnostichum)

What I find most striking about this plant is the super smooth leaf. It is not often that you find a leaf with no apparent venation. There are two other species of Adder's tongue that grow in Georgia with that smooth leaf. Dwarf Adder's Tongue, which grows in south Georgia. The leaves and stalk of that species are, no surprise, much smaller. Bulbous Adder's Tongue, is also smaller, but also has almost round leaves (fronds).

So, if you find yourself in Georgia, north of the Fall Line, you can confidently identify this unusual little fern as Southern Adder's Tongue.

Frogs are Freaking Out!

What? I can't hear you! Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) and Upland Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris feriarum) are howling! Okay, you might have to turn the volume up, way up. But, I promise these frogs were deafening. I could hear them from home, with windows closed!

Spring is a party!

And then the Sun came out!

Spring has hit Atlanta! And this weekend was the first time the sun peeked out. People were smiling all across the city. (I don't know that for sure. But, I like to think it is true.)

The first surprise that I came across while out in the woods today was this Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). This camouflaged individual was half covered with leaves; which I expect is a successful way to hunt for frogs, toads or other tasty tidbits. Garter snakes will hunt all year long. But, this is the first I have seen in quite some time.

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

As I made my way out from under the trees, a Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) flitted by high overhead (as they like to do). These butterflies spend the entire winter as adults, so it is possible to see them on warm, sunny winter days. But, like the Garter Snake, this is the first one I have seen in many months!

Question Mark Butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)

Then, finally, I came across a little energetic bugger that has just emerged as an adult. The Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon) spends the winter months as pupa, emerging as a adult at the first signs of spring!

Spring Azure Butterfly (Celastrina ladon)

I was amazed when this individual stopped long enough for me to get this shot. They flutter constantly, almost never stopping to nectar. Today, I was lucky!

Okefenokee Swamp

When planning a visit, there is a sweet spot between the end of winter (when the nights are not bitter cold) and early spring (before the mosquitoes take hold).

You have to leave early, if you want to get on the water in time.

 The water barely moves. So, if you want to move, you better paddle!

 There are not many people, but there are other sights and sounds.

The Barred Owls (Strix varia)sang every day we were there!

Even the view from the 'bathroom' is cool!

Water Lily leaves (Nymphaea odorata) slowly bounce after paddles push the water past them.

This little frog was scooped up next to the platform at Canal Run. I still need to identify this one to species.

Golden Club (Orontium aquaticum) was everywhere!

No motors allowed!

 

The reddish sticks are all Yellow-eyed Grass (Xyris sp.).

 

 This is a view I can get lost in.