Flora/Fauna

…And I’m Back

I spent last week in Salt Lake City at Outdoor Retailer (photos and words to come), and from Utah, I went to New Jersey/Pennsylvania for a three day canoeing adventure down the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (photos and words also to come). I have brown skin, a Chaco tan like you wouldn’t believe and a black pinky toe on my right foot that I have no recollection of breaking.

One of the most exciting parts of the canoe trip – which doubled as a bachelor party for a guy who used to, way back, write a post here and there for Cold Splinters – was watching bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) fly over our heads while sipping on warm beer. While the one pictured above hails from Alaska, there are quite a few living on the Delaware River, and when you don’t see them that often, it’s hard to remember that they’re real and not unicorns.

That is one hell of an animal to see on the trail.

MP3: Red Shadow Singers – Eagle Song **

Posted: August 9th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 5

NO-SEE-UMS

Ceratopogonidae, or biting midges (including what are called, in the United States, no-see-ums, midgies, sand flies, punks, and others), are a family of small flies (1–4 mm long) in the order Diptera. They are closely related to the Chironomidae, Simuliidae (or black flies), and Thaumaleidae.

What a horrible, little pest of a fly. I’ve never felt rage for another living thing like I did for the no-see-ums on Cape Sable in Everglades National Park.

Posted: July 29th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 2

Lampyridae

The next time you’re treated to a firefly/lightning bug show this summer, impress/bore the two gals/guys who are sharing your campsite with a little bit of science/common knowledge….

Fireflies are actually beetles who are nocturnal members of the family Lampyridae. There are about 2,000 firefly species who live in a variety of warm environments. Fireflies love moisture and often live in humid regions of Asia and the Americas, and in drier areas, they are found around wet or damp areas that retain moisture.

Fireflies have dedicated light organs that are located under their abdomens. They take in oxygen and, inside special cells, combine it with a substance called luciferin to produce light with almost no heat. (Say it a few times so you won’t forget it. Luciferin. Luciferin.)

Firefly light is usually intermittent, and flashes in patterns that are unique to each species. Each blinking pattern is an optical signal that helps fireflies find potential mates. Scientists are not sure how the insects regulate this process to turn their lights on and off.

And there you have it. Bring a jar and go the movies.

MP3: Dolly Parton – Fire That Keeps You Warm

Posted: July 6th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 1

Lupins/Lupines

Despite all the thrift/antique stores, miles of pristine coastline, and widow’s walks that Maine has to offer, the stars of the show last weekend were the roadside lupins, which kept us ooooohin’ and ahhhhhin’ for hours. If you’re going to be on up in Deer Isle, ME in a few weeks, check out the 9th Annual Lupine Festival from June 18-20th. You can stay with Dennis at the Deer Isle Hostel. More to come on that magical place in the next few days..

Posted: June 2nd, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 1

Cattails

It’s spring y’all, and that means lots of edible things along the trail. One of the more common (aka easy to identify) is the cattail. Peal back a few layers of the shoot, cut em up and you’ll have yourself a damn fine addition to your pasta/instant mashed potatoes/rice/etc etc. Watch an “expert” show you how here.

Posted: May 13th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna, Food.
Comments: none

Devils Hole Pupfish

The Devils Hole Pupfish’s only natural habitat is in the 93 degree waters of Devils Hole, located within the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nye County, Nevada, a detached unit of Death Valley National Park. Although the cavern is over 400 feet deep, the pupfish, a 22-thousand-year-old species, is believed to spawn exclusively on a shallow rock shelf just under the waters surface. By the fall of 2006, an estimated 38 fish remained in the wild. Since 2007, the population estimates have started to swing upward. The fall 2008 count was estimated at 127 fish; the first time triple digits have been estimated since 2004, and the first three year upward trend since 1996.

Watch: PBS’ Life In Death Valley

Posted: April 19th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 1

Ghost Deer

The albino deer, or “ghost deer,” of northern Wisconsin are documented on a Wisconsin Public Television episode that you can watch in full here. The deer are protected from hunting by Wisconsin law and are somewhat of a mythical creature around those parts. Rightfully so.

Thank you Mr. Alvarez of Backpacker’s Daily Dirt.

Posted: April 9th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna.
Comments: 5

The Color Of Dinosaurs

Until last week, paleontologists could offer no clear-cut evidence for the color of dinosaurs. Thanks to melanosomes, researchers have provided evidence that a dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx had a white-and-ginger striped tail. Melanosomes are pigment -loaded sacs that survive for millions of years in fossil bird feathers. The shape and arrangement of melanosomes help produce the color of feathers, so scientists are now able to get clues about the color of fossil feathers from their melanosomes alone. The discovery, which the researchers reported last week in Nature, supports research showing that birds are dinosaurs, having descended from a group of bipedal dinosaurs called theropods. More at the NYT.

Posted: February 5th, 2010 under Flora/Fauna, History.
Comments: none