Wild About Utah: Bumblebees

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

When crocuses are pushing through the snow in your garden, you might see another sign of spring: the flights of bees. Other bees may fly in spring, but few are as early or as boisterous as bumble bees. Utah is home to more than a dozen species of bumble bees, all of who belong to the genus Bombus (which in Greek means buzzing). All have a combination of black and yellow markings on their bodies. Some also have orange bands. Unlike honey bees that pass the winter warmly clustered in hives, bumble bees overwinter as solitary queens, dormant under a few inches of loose soil or leaf litter. These queens are quiescent all winter until warming soil beckons their reawakening to start their colony.

From March to May, watch for a behavior called nest searching, when the big, burly queen bumble bees fly low over the ground, stopping often to investigate holes in the earth or in building foundations. Bumble bees nest in small, insulated cavities, such as abandoned rodent burrows or bird houses. Once the queen finds a suitable nest site, she is out and about, foraging for pollen and nectar to provision her offspring. After a few days she will have sufficient food to begin laying eggs. Like all bees, her offspring progress through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. In just under a month, her daughters develop into adults, each chewing free of its cocoon.

These daughters take over foraging and nest construction duties, leaving the queen to remain in her nest and continue to lay eggs and incubate her brood. Workers are often much smaller than their mother, so don’t expect to see many big bumble bees again until autumn, when next year’s queens start the cycle anew, searching for mates and a spot to spend the winter.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Photo: Courtesy & Copyright © 2008 Jim Cane

Text and Photo: Courtesy & Copyright © 2008 Jamie Strange, USU USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit

National Phenology Network

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) monitors the influence of climate on the phenology of plants, animals, and landscapes. They do this by encouraging people to observe phenological events like leaf out, flowering, migrations, and egg laying, and by providing a place for people to enter, store, and share their observations. They also work with researchers to develop tools and techniques to use these observations to support a wide range of decisions made routinely by citizens, managers, scientists and others, including decisions related to allergies, wildfires, water, and conservation.

And what exactly is phenology? Phenology is the study of the influence of climate on the recurrance of such annual phenomena of animal and plant life, such as budding and bird migrations.

Participation is easy! Step 1: Register yourself. Step 2: Register your site and describe the plants there. Step 3: Learn about those plants. Step 4: Report your findings!

This could be a great resource in the classroom, as well as in your own homes and backyards with kids of all ages. Visit the National Phenology Network today! Thanks to reader MJT for the tip to get this out there for formal and non-formal EE teachers alike!

Photo Credit

Wild About Utah: Cambrian Explosion

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

A remarkable period in Earth’s history took place about 525 to 545 million years ago. We know about it, because essentially all the basic body plans of all the major animal phyla suddenly appear in the fossil record. We see brachiopods, trilobites, mollusks, echinoderms, and many other hard shell creatures for the first time. We also see the appearance and diversification of different types of soft-bodied creatures. This bio-geologic period is called the "Cambrian Explosion."

Occurring over the course of 20 million years, it wasn’t exactly an explosion in the sense that the Big Bang was an explosion. But, never before, and never since, has there been such a dramatic emergence of animal diversity and diverse animal phyla. It’s the single most significant evolutionary transition period seen in the fossil record.

To pay homage to this early flowering of complex life forms, you can visit a site near Burgess Pass in British Columbia’s Yoho National Park. The rock here, known as Burgess Shale, contains one of the most diverse and well-preserved fossil records ever found of the Cambrian Period. The dominant fossils are arthropods but others are also found in great abundance such as worms, crinoids, sea cucumbers, and chordates. The Burgess shale contains fossils of soft bodied animals as well as those with hard parts. Soft bodied fossils are extremely rare. When an organism is completely soft, the body usually rots away before it can become fossilized. It is likely that the Burgess animals were buried quickly by a mudslide and their soft parts immediately preserved in oxygen-free conditions.

Another famous site where evidence of the Explosion is clearly seen is in the Yunning Province of China. The Chengjiang Fossils also provide stunning evidence of the Cambrian explosion. The hard and soft body fossils here are even 5 to 10 million years younger than the Burgess Shale.

In all, there are about 40 other sites around the world with fossils as well-preserved as the Burgess shale. And three of these sites are in Utah. In Millard County, Wheeler Shale and the overlying Marjum Formation, are exposed throughout the House Range and nearby mountain ranges west of the town of Delta, Utah. Certain layers of the Wheeler Shale contain abundant trilobites and other shelly fossils. The Wheeler Shale and Marjum Formation also contain a diverse collection of soft-bodied fossils, including many of the same taxa found in the famous Burgess Shale.

Other sites with Burgess shale type preservation include the Weeks formation also in the House Range and Spence Shale in the Wellsville Mountains west of Logan.

Utah’s Cambrian fossils can be found in museums around the world. For information on where to see them in Utah, check our website, wildaboututah.org.

Thanks to Paul Jamison and Val Gunther for providing expertise on Utah Cambrian fossils. And thanks to the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation for supporting the research and development for today’s program.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Photo: Courtesy & Copyright © 2008 Paul Jamison
Text: Stokes Nature Center: Holly Strand

Western Soundscape

The University of Utah and the J. Willard Marriott Library have compiled 1,000 sounds from animals, birds, and insects from around the Western United States onto a database called the Western Soundscape Archive (WSA) where people can listen to these sounds for free.

The WSA features sounds from 80% of the West's bird species and 90% of the region's frog and toad species. This project focuses on 11 contiguous states - Arizona, Colorado, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. WSA also features sounds from animals in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to incorporate 60 additional hours of sounds in nature.

There are 3 different types of audio hosted on the WSA site: "Individual "species cuts" are often relatively short recordings that are commonly used for species identification and call analysis. In most cases, the WSA focuses on terrestrial vertebrates, including amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. Ambient recordings, or "soundscapes" are usually longer recordings — up to an hour or more — that feature all of an area's sonic components together in concert. The National Park Service defines soundscape as 'the total acoustic environment of an area.' Interviews with scientists and other experts are included to give added context to the sounds, and will occasionally be heard on radio broadcasts and podcasts."

This is such a fabulous resource (and the website is very easy to use) for teachers and naturalists of all ages and I encourage you to spend some time on this site. For more background on the project, you can read this article that appeared in the U of U News Center: A Thousand Calls of the Wild Captured. Special thanks goes out to reader VD at the University of Utah who suggested a post about this subject.

Photo Credit: Jeff Rice

A Yellow Flash of Happy

There is a noisy bunch of birds that live, or at least seem to "hang out," in the Cottonwood tree across the street from my apartment. The tree is massive, easily dwarfing everything else around it, except for a few other Cottonwood trees in the area. These birds habitually inhabit that tree and make a racket in the process. Not that I mind, except nearly every single one of those birds are European Starlings...an invasive species that wreaks havoc on local bird populations. But earlier this week, as I was checking the mail, I heard a call I hadn't heard before rising above the usual chatter. There in the flowering plum tree in my neighbors yard was a brilliant bird I'd never seen before.

I stared at it for a while, watching and listening, trying to remember all of it's features so I could get online and figure out what it was. Turns out it is a Lesser Goldfinch, and it sure has a pretty call. I wonder if this guy lives around here, or if he's just passing?


"The lesser goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, occurs throughout the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America, as well as in portions of northern South America. In Utah, this bird can be found statewide at mid to low elevations, but most predictably in the southern half of the state. Utah breeding populations generally withdraw south in winter, with the exception of birds in the southwestern corner of the state, which are year-round residents of the same area. This bird prefers scrub woodlands, such as scrub oak and pinyon-juniper habitats."

Credits: Text and Photo from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Plant Anatomy 101: Carrots

I came across some interesting information about carrots over the weekend that I wanted to explore a little further. This post has more to do with the history of the carrot rather than its anatomy, but we'll go over the basics first:

The part that we traditionally eat of the carrot is the plant's taproot. A taproot is usually a long, somewhat tapering root that grows vertically downward. From the taproot, other small roots grow out horizontally. Taproots are used by the plant for storing sugars (which plays a large role in why carrots are so sweet). This allows the plant to survive through the winter, as the carrot is a biennial plant. For the first spring and summer, the carrot will grow some leaves, but is mostly using its energy for developing a strong taproot in which to store sugars. The carrot lives dormant throughout the winter and then in the following growing season will sprout a flowering stem that grows white flowers. Other common plants that have taproots are dandelions, radishes, parsnips, and turnips.

Carrots have been around in human history for thousands of years. It is thought that the wild ancestors of carrots originated in Afghanistan, but then were brought to other regions through trade. The carrots have been found in the tombs of Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs (thought by historians to be purple varieties) and were probably thought of as an aphrodisiac. Wild carrot roots had a very woody texture and a bitter taste and therefore weren't eaten until about the 16th century when the Romans ate both cooked and raw carrots. These were not the sweet orange carrots we are familiar with today. Before that, the leaves and stems were used by the Greeks for medicinal purposes. In the 13th century carrots started being cultivated in Europe, again as a medicinal plant. Carrots were more known back then for their aromatic seeds and leaves. Today, we still grow carrots for some of these aromatic purposes like parsley, fennel, dill, and cumin.

In the wild, carrots come in a variety of colors from white and yellow to purple and black, but ironically, not orange! By the 16th century, carrots were a well known plant in Europe. In France, carrots traditionally came in red and purple and in England there were red and yellow varieties. It wasn't until the 17th century that orange carrots appeared. The Dutch crossbred red carrots with yellow carrots to make orange carrots for the royal family and The House of Orange. After that, orange carrots gained popularity quickly and were further developed to be the sweet, crunchy vegetable we know and love today.

Credits:

History
Wild Carrots photo
Flowering Carrot photo
Colorful Carrots photo

Birdhouse Competition

The Ogden Nature Center is calling for entries for their annual birdhouse competition:

Let you creativity take flight! Ogden Nature Center's 16th Annual Birdhouse Contest and Exhibit is "For the Birds."

Start building! Nature lovers, craftspeople, builders, artists, designers, and others who give a hoot about birds are invited to enter their hard crafted birdhouses in the 16th Annual Birdhouse Competition and Exhibit. Entries will be received Monday, March 30 through Saturday, April 4 at the Ogden Nature Center. All ages are encouraged to enter up to two creations, and there is no entry fee.

Stoke your creativity and bring in your finest birdhouse be it whimsical, beautiful, practical, functional, artistic, or magical. Please be sure your birdhouse can last through the summer weather. The exhibit will be on display outdoors April 18 through August 31, 2009, so visitors to the Nature Center can be inspired by these backyard habitats.

All birdhouses must be on a post and ready to "plant." Entries must be original works and will be judged by an interdisciplinary jury. Winners will receive awards at a reception and awards presentation on Thursday, April 16 at 5:30 pm.

Registration forms and full contest detail are available online at www.ogdennaturecenter.org, or at the Ogden Nature Center's Visitor Center:

966 West 12th Street
Ogden, UT 84404

For more information, please call the nature center at 801-621-7595. The exhibit's main sponsors are the Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A Sense of Wonder

Yesterday I was fortunate to be asked to be involved with a panel discussion about instilling "A Sense of Wonder" in children at the Ogden Nature Center. We had a lovely time talking about our experiences, why we choose to get into the field of Environmental Education, and our backgrounds working with children and adults. It was very inspiring and motivating to be with so many other people who value nature and nature experiences and the enthusiasm was contagious.


Kathi Stopher of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge was also on the panel and shared a great article by Rachel Carson called "Help Your Child to Wonder" which was published in the Ladies Home Companion in 1956. Click here to access the article.

Also, if you are interested in other activities coming up pertaining to "A Sense of Wonder", keep reading to see what's planned for The Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge this weekend!

On Saturday, March 21, 10:30-3:00, Bear River Refuge will celebrating Women's History Month with an event titled, "A Sense of Wonder". The day honors Rachel Carson and her work, writings, and teaching about our natural world. It will be a day featuring activities for the family and culminating in a screening of her biographical film of the same title.

A Day of Activities to Instill the Sense of Wonder in Children: Saturday, March 21, 10:30-3:00

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
“Engaging Kids in Nature”
Join DeAnn Lester, Naturalist/Educator and other staff for an exploration of the wetland landscape and making organic art - Explore the out-of-doors with spring scavenger hunts and MORE!

1:00 pm – 1:30 p.m.
“Meet Des-Ta-Te”
Meet “Des-ta-te, the Live Eagle” and DaLyn Erickson from Ogden Nature Center, as she tells the story of Bald Eagles and their journey back from the threat of extinction.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
“Sense of Wonder Film”
Special Sneak Preview - Based on the life and writings of Rachel Carson, this moving film tells the story of a woman’s love for the natural world and her fight to defend it.

For more info contact Kathi at kathi_stopher@fws.gov.

Wild About Utah: Snow Fleas

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Now, in the waning days of winter, you can see Nature’s winter flea circus perform. Look for warm snow surfaces that are peppered by tiny black flecks that resemble a parenthesis on your 1040 form. Bend down to regard these flecks carefully, or scoop some up. If they move, then you are likely eye to eye with snow fleas.

Fear not, for they aren’t really fleas at all. They aren’t even insects! Snowfleas belong to the order Collembola, the springtails, closest relatives to the insects. Springtails are so named for a fork-shaped appendage, the furcula, folded beneath the abdomen. The animal can snap its furcula open like a barrette clasp, catapulting the wee creature several inches forward through the air.

Springtails are rarely noticed, but it’s worth seeing their miniscule acrobatics. It helps to have something white against which to view them. The white warmed surface of the late-winter snowpack provides one opportunity. Or you can often see springtails by placing a white card on the needle duff of a conifer forest floor, where springtails help decompose fallen needles.

Atop the snow, snowfleas apparently graze for algae and fungal spores, but really, how would anyone know? In turn, are there wee predators from which snowfleas must, well, “flee” in this chilly habitat?

Snowfleas aren’t social, but they sure can be numerous. Last March, the manager of Bridgerland Audubon’s Barrens Sanctuary estimated a population of some 8 billion snowfleas springing about just within the confines of their 140 acre reserve.

With those kinds of numbers, pets and Utahns everywhere can be grateful that snowfleas really aren’t true fleas, leaving us to enjoy the pleasure of tromping around on a sunny winter’s day.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:
Photo: Courtesy & Copyright © 2008 Jim Cane

Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Project Budburst

Boxelder (Acer negundo) Steve Baskauf, Vanderbilt University, bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

Join thousands of others in gathering valuable environmental and climate change information from across the country. Project BudBurst engages students, teachers and the public in making careful observations of the phenophases such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in their local area. 

The new BudBurst website has been launched today at www.budburst.org! It is time to choose a species (or several) to monitor from the Budburst list in your region and head outdoors to document the progress of spring.  The website has lots of information, complete with photos, to help you identify Budburst species and enter your observations.  And don't forget to post photos of your BudBurst plants on their Facebook site too.

ebird

For all of those folks out there who like to count and identify birds in your neighborhood and yard, ebird might be for you.

Bird sightings from your own yard can now be added to the database created by a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. These combined data are creating the foundation for a better understanding of bird distribution across the Western Hemisphere and beyond.

Wild About Utah: Boxelder Bug Poetry

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Bill Holm, author, poet and essayist from Minnesota, died last week. He wrote and taught in the English department at Southwest Minnesota State University for 27 years. Why do I mention this on a program about Utah nature? Because through his writing, he helped me come to terms with one aspect of Utah nature that I found troublesome at first —the ubiquitous and abundant boxelder bug.

"My boxelder bugs have odd preferences," Holm wrote "They love radio dials, phonograph speakers, amplifiers, pianos, and harpsichords. Some would argue that this is because of the warmth and vibrations, but I prefer to think it is because of their taste for Bach and Vivaldi."

The red and white bugs are essentially harmless. They might stain walls or carpets if you squish them. However, they are annoying primarily because they enter homes and other buildings in large numbers. Once in, they’ll find their way into your personal effects. Like your hair or your toothbrush or the glass of water you keep on the bedside table.

After hearing me go on a boxelder bug rant, a friend gave me Holm’s book Boxelder Bug Variations: A meditation of an idea in language and music. It changed my attitude toward with household invaders, as now I think of them as poetic. Maybe if I read a few verses, you will feel the same: First, a boxelder bug prayer:

I want so little
For so little time
A south window,
A wall to climb,
The smell of coffee,
A radio knob,
Nothing to eat,
Nothing to rob,
Not love, not power,
Not even a penny,
Forgive me only
For being so many.

In this one, Holm describes a method for disposing boxelder bugs:

Take two bricks.
Creep deliberately up
Behind the boxelder bug,
Being careful not to sing—
This will alert him.
In a graceful flowing gesture,
Something like a golf swing
Or reaching for your lover in the dark,
Gather up the boxelder bug
On the surface of the left brick
Bringing the right brick
At the same time firmly down
Together with the left brick.
There will be a loud crashing,
Like broken cymbals,
Maybe a breaking of brick, and
If you are not careful,
Your own voice rising.
When the brick dust has settled
And you have examined your own hands,
Carefully,
You will not see the boxelder bug,
There is a small hole in the brick
And he is exploring it,
Calmly, like a millionaire
In an antique shop.

And finally, three boxelder bug haiku:

(1) Careful if you kill him!
There may be an afterlife
For both of you.

(2) Those black spots in your lamp?
Only bugs who didn’t make it
Into the next world.

And finally…

(3) The piano string stops trembling
But boxelder bugs
Keep dancing.

Thanks to Jen Levy for introducing me to boxelder bug poetry, and to Milkweed Editions for permission to reproduce Bill Holm’s work.

The Rocky Mountain Power Foundation supports research and development of Wild About Utah topics.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Photo: Courtesy of Michigan Department of Agriculture
Text: Stokes Nature Center, Holly Strand

Backyard Composting

Many people that I know have a lot of questions about composting. Does it stink? How do you do it? How much space do you need? etc., etc. Spring is in the air and it's the perfect time to set up a backyard composting pile as the gardening season begins. If you're thinking about starting a compost pile, there are some basics you should know before getting started.

Here are some tips from Utah State University Extension:

"Composting is the aerobic, or oxygen-requiring, decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms under controlled conditions. Bacteria start the process and are responsible for much of the decomposition work. Their metabolism creates the heat of the compost pile. Fungi, protozoans, earthworms, centipedes, beetles, and millipedes assist the bacteria in breaking down plant tissues."

USU Extension recommends 7 steps to consider when starting and maintaining your compost pile:

"Step 1 - Select Composting Site: A good location is helpful for a successful compost pile. The compost pile should be exposed to at least six hours of sunlight each day. The location should not detract from the landscape. Water should be readily available. Good drainage is important; otherwise, standing water could impede the decomposition process.

Step 2 - Select Compost Container: Many containers are suitable provided they are accessible, resist decay, and allow air flow. How do you decide which container will work best for you? Consider the amount of time and space you have, and the quantity of materials you will be composting. For fast, hot compost, the ideal pile size is one cubic yard (3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet). This volume effectively retains the heat generated by the bacteria. The volume of a single pile should not exceed two cubic yards in order to maintain proper ventilation of the pile. If space is a limiting factor, the pile sides can be insulated so that higher temperatures can be maintained in a smaller volume.

Heap It (no cost, good if you have ample space) Simply pile your materials in heaps, ideally at least one cubic yard in volume. If well constructed, heaps are good for “no turn” composting. Just leave the pile for several months or more.

Hoop It (low cost, tidier than heaps) Woven wire mesh or fencing make good enclosures and keep the pile tidy. If you secure it with hooks or twists of wire, you can undo the hoop, set it up next to the pile, and turn the pile back into the hoop in its new location.

Box It (looks good, easy to cover, low to moderate cost)
You can use almost any type of scrap or new lumber, bricks, or cinderblocks to build an attractive and functional bin for compost. Make sure to leave spaces in the sides for air to get through, and make the front removable for easy access to turn or retrieve the compost. Construct several bins side-by-side to facilitate turning of the compost.

Barrel It (good for limited space, easy turning, moderate to high cost) If you don’t have enough space for piles or elaborate bins, a modified 55-gallon drum can work very well. By perforating the drum with air holes and cutting an access hatch on the side you can create a system which will compost small amounts of material quickly. Usually these systems are equipped with a stand and rollers to facilitate turning, although some people just roll their barrel around the yard to achieve the same effect.

Step 3 - Select Raw Materials: Almost all natural, organic material will compost, but not everything belongs in the compost pile. Some wastes attract pests; others contain pathogens that can survive the compost process. Acceptable raw materials would be: Grass clippings, Leaves and weeds, Manures, Coffee Grounds, Wood chips and sawdust, bark, stems, stalks, gardening and canning waste, fruits and vegetables. Do not put the following items in your compost: Meats, bones, large branches, dairy products, synthetic products, plastics, and pet wastes.

Step 4 - Aerating the Pile: Aerobic composting consumes large amounts of oxygen, particularly during the initial stages. If the supply of oxygen is limited, the composting process may turn anaerobic, which is a much slower and more odorous process. Oxygen levels within the windrows or piles may be replenished by lifting and turning the materials with a pitch-fork or by means of a mechanical turner. Try to put the outside, drier materials in the center of newly-turned piles. Turning a pile weekly can produce compost in one to two months with the right combination of materials and moisture level; monthly turning will produce compost in four to six months. Without turning, composting may take six months to two years. Aeration is generally the main factor affecting the time necessary to produce finished compost.

Step 5 - Keeping the Pile Moist: Moisture is necessary to support the metabolic processes of microorganisms. Composting materials should be maintained within a range of 40% to 65% moisture. As a rule of thumb, the materials are too wet if water can be squeezed out of a handful of compost and too dry if the handful does not feel moist to the touch. If the compost pile is too dry, the process slows down. If the compost pile is too wet water will displace much of the air in the pore spaces of the composting materials which limits air movement and leads to anaerobic conditions. Moisture content generally decreases as composting proceeds; therefore, you may need to periodically add water to the compost.

Step 6 - Keeping the Pile at the Proper Temperature: Composting will essentially take place within two temperature ranges known as mesophilic (50-105 degrees F) and thermophilic (over 105 degrees F). Keeping temperatures between 110o and 150o destroys more pathogens, weed seeds, and fly larvae in the composting materials. If the temperature of your compost pile is in the mesophilic range, try mixing the pile. If the temperature still does not reach the thermophilic range, review the steps described above to determine whether one or more of the essential factors is limiting the composting process. If you are still unable to increase the compost’s temperature, the active stage of composting is complete.

Step 7 - Curing: Finished compost is dark, crumbly, and has an earthy and non-offensive odor. Pile temperature in finished compost may still be slightly higher than ambient air temperature. Most finished composts will benefit from an additional curing phase. Curing refers to leaving finished compost in a pile undisturbed for up to one month to allow any final chemical and decomposition reactions to occur and stabilize the compost. Improperly or incompletely composted materials may release ammonia and other gases, or continue to heat upon application to soil, damaging plants. Curing ensures that the composting process is indeed complete and that these potential problems are minimized. View the curing phase as extra insurance against problems arising from using compost." (For more information and other USU Extension Composting tips, visit their Composting in Utah page.)

Some other things to consider: Do compost piles stink? No. A well-maintained compost pile will smell earthy and rich, but should not stink. If it does, something is wrong and the materials may not be breaking down properly. Also, if you don't have a large yard or perhaps live in an apartment or have organic waste in the office, one this to consider would be using a worm-bin, otherwise known as vermicomposting. For more information and ideas for composting, visit Wasatch Community Garden's blog.

Credits:

Heap Compost
Hoop Compost
Box Compost
Barrel Compost

Wild About Utah: Men's Hair and the Male House Finch

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

A man's vanity is nowhere more apparent than for the hair atop his head. As men age, their hair may whiten, thin or disappear. As a remedy, some men use dyes or hair growth potions.

But imagine this: What if the right food alone could restore the virile dark hair of youth?

There is a common songbird at your birdfeeder this winter that can do just this. It is the male house finch.

As with many songbirds, the female house finch is drab compared to the brightly colored male. He sports a showy brow and bib in colors that range from tomato red to orange to straw yellow. Like the tomato and carrot, these colors come from pigments called carotenoids. All birds with red feathers get these carotenoid pigments from their diet, ultimately from the plants that can produce them.

What does the red feather color mean for the house finch?
The ornithologist Geoff Hill of Auburn University experimentally altered head feather colors of male house finches. To make red-headed males into carrot tops, Jeff used peroxide. Red hair die achieved the opposite transformation. He then let the guys compete for the attentions of females.

Jeff's experiments demonstrated that plumage does make the male. The redder the male's head, the higher his place in the pecking order. And the more females that he could attract. Conversely, redheads lost rank after bleaching. Among male house finches, blondes really don't have more fun.

So now you can predict the likely winners and losers in the mating game from just a glance at the male house finches at your seed feeder. As is common in science, this discovery leads to new questions: What food makes the male's head feathers red? Is it some red fruit or berry? Why do some males manage to get more carotenoid pigments than others? Do they instinctively know the right seed or fruit to eat? We humans must get our carotenoids from plant sources too, such as the carotine that we transform into Vitamin A for night vision. The produce aisle at the grocery store might be a much different place though if the right fruit or vegetable could transform our hair color too.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:
Photo: Courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Text: Jim Cane and Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Be Safe and Have Fun: The Importance of Being Prepard in the Wilderness

Being prepared in the wilderness is something that comes up frequently, whether it's posted on a trail head sign, being touted by forest rangers, or on the news when Search and Rescue had to pull someone off the mountain. Being prepared when hiking, camping, or doing other activities in the back country is not only a safety issue, but it also determines how the experience unfolds.

A few weeks ago Jason, Mark (Chair of the USEE Programs Advisory Council), and I went down to Cedar City to do some outreach and for a Focus Group meeting we had in the area. Our meeting got out early and we had some extra time, so we decided that it would be great to do a little exploration in Color Country. Little did we know, we were (or at least especially I was) extremely unprepared. We had plenty of water and warm clothes, but in Cedar City it was a beautifully sunny day. There sky was free of clouds and the weather was the warmest I've felt since September.

We decided to try Kolob Canyons. The scenery is picturesque and classically Southern Utah. What we didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of snow there would be on the trails. Cedar City was so gorgeously warm, with no snow to be found, but as we ascended the road to the trail head, the snow kept getting deeper. Mark was smart enough to bring along some gaiters to cover his shoes and pants and had a fine time. Jason had some boots that went up pretty high on his ankles, and seemed to do okay in the deep snow. I, on the other hand, had my hiking boots (which are really more like shoes rather than boots) and not-warm-enough socks. I am also considerably shorter than Mark and Jason.

Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The snow was 3 feet or more deep. There had been a snowshoer on the trail recently before us, so we opted to follow in his tracks. The scenery was beautiful. There's nothing quite like snow gracing the steep walls of the red rock canyons. I had a hard time following the guys as the snow was from my knees to almost my hips every step of the way. We trudged along, laughing at our unpreparedness, telling stories of similar times when we'd been unprepared, and listening to Mark tell us of his encounters with mountain lions. Inevitably, my shoe got stuck deep in the snow. I stood there on one foot bending, flailing, and reaching into the hole where my shoe was lodged, my face mashed against the melting snow as I stretched down, all the while the snow packing into my empty boot. My socks, shoes, and pants were soaked and we were all tired from wading through the crunchy, sinking snow. We decided to head back. I gather that the whole excursion was barely longer than a mile, if even that.

Canyon Overlook
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Mark Larese-Casanova

The canyon was breathtaking, and the event itself was even fun, but mostly the whole situation was quite comical. What's the lesson I learned that day? Just because it's warm in the valley and Zions National Park is in the "desert" doesn't mean that it will be snow-free and dry. A little preparation and planning would have changed the whole experience. Snowshoes, anyone?

Mark, doing fine with his gaiters, and Nicole struggling to keep her balance in the snow.
Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park
Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor

1st Photo: Pinyon Pines and Snowshoe Hare Tracks, Kolob Canyons, Zion National Park. Photo Courtesy of Jason Taylor.

Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology: Volume 6

The 6th Volume of the Ecolgoical Society of America's Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE) is now available. This is a great resource for undergraduate educators but can also be modified for high-school teachers. Here's the table of contents:

EDITORIAL

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Ecology

• Charlene D'Avanzo

RESEARCH

Enhancing science teachers’ understanding of ecosystem interactions with qualitative conceptual models

• Marion Dresner and Monica Elser

Assessment of the teaching of evolution by natural selection through a hands-on simulation

• Lori H. Spindler and Jennifer H. Doherty

Evaluating a Multi-Component Assessment Framework for Biodiversity Education

• Hagenbuch, Brian E., Nora Bynum, Eleanor Sterling, Anne H. Bower, John A. Cigliano, Barbara J. Abraham, Christine Engels, John F. Mull, John D. Pierce, Michelle L. Zjhra, Jennifer M. Rhode, Stuart R. Ketcham, and Margaret-Ann Mayer

Practitioner Research Improved My Students’ Understanding of Evolution by Natural Selection in an Introductory Biology Course • Bruce W. Grant

PRACTICE

Experiments

Rapid Adaptation of Bean Beetles to a Novel Host

• Christopher W. Beck and Lawrence S. Blumer

Decomposition and Soil CO2 Emission

• Jeffrey A. Simmons

Marine Reserve Design: Simulating stakeholder options

• Bonnie J. Becker and Peter A. Selkin

Biodiversity Responses across a Gradient of Human Influence

• Christopher A. Lepczyk

An Assessment of Assemblage Nestedness in Habitat Fragments

• Roarke Donnelly

Figure Sets

What does agriculture have to do with climate change?

• Brook J. Wilke and Justin Kunkle

Of wolves, elk and willows: how predation structures ecosystems

• Cynthia Dott

When Biocontrol Isn’t Effective: Making Predictions and Understanding Consequences

• Michele R. Schutzenhofer and Tiffany M. Knight

REVIEWS

The 2008 AIBS/AAAS Biology Education Summit

• Susan Musante

Wild About Utah: A Tribute to Birders

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

According to Chris Leahy, in his encyclopedic book, Birdwatcher’s Companion, birdwatching refers to “the regular, somewhat methodical seeking out and observation of birds, whether for pure aesthetic pleasure or recreation, or for a more serious, quasi-scientific motive.“

If you are in America, the term birdwatcher is most often applied to people with a passing interest in birds, perhaps as backyard bird aficionados. In contrast, birders are people who seek out birds “in a more serious and energetic manner, either to hone field-identification skills, or to amass an impressive life list.” A life list is simply a record of all the species of birds that one has seen during his or her life. An impressive list in North America may consist of 600-700 birds. A person who travels to see birds may have a list of 4000+ .

The demographics of birders are interesting. A 2001 study estimates that there are 46 million birders or birdwatchers 16 years of age or older in the US. Within this collective group, the average person is 49 years old , has a better than average income and education, and is more likely to be female, white, and married. Among Utah residents, 27% of the population qualify as birdwatchers. Utah ranks 18th among states according to the percentage of residents who watch birds. Montana is first at 44%, followed by Vermont at 43%.

However, 88% of the birders considered by this study were categorized as casual or backyard birdwatchers. If you consider only avid birders with carefully-honed identification skills and people who keep life lists, the gender balance shifts dramatically. That’s why most sources consider birding a strongly male-dominated activity. In fact, birdwatching has been described to be an expression of the male hunting instinct as well as linked with the male tendency for "systematizing" which has to do with organizing, categorizing, listing, and counting.

A subset of the avid birder group is formed by twitchers. A twitcher is devoted to ticking off as many birds as possible for his or her life-list. I am told that in the UK twitchers will appear suddenly as a 'flock' in some remote corner of the country (or someone's backyard) whenever a very rare bird has been spotted—usually a migrant blowing in from Europe or North America. Twitchers use the latest in communication media --hotlines, mailing lists, eforums, bulletin-boards, and web-based databases to find out when a rare bird is in the vicinity. Then they will use whatever means available –perhaps a helicopter!—to get there as fast possible. Here in Utah, a twitcher might use the hotline on Utahbirds.org as one source of information.

Those of you who associate with birders will probably agree that they are as fascinating as the birds themselves. Here’s to you, my avian-loving friends.

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation for supporting research and development of Wild About Utah topics.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Photo: Courtesy of Stephen Peterson, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Text: Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center

Community Food Co-Op

My favorite day of every month is known quite affectionately as Distribution Day. I am a member of the Community Food Co-Op of Utah and on the last Saturday of the month I walk to my local distribution center (about 2 or 3 blocks from my home) and pick up a wonderful array of food. On these special Saturdays I can expect to pick up a healthy assortment of fresh fruits and veggies along with some grains, too. Through the power of cooperative purchasing and volunteer power, all of this food is very affordable (usually $5-10 below retail).

I have been ordering food from my local Co-Op for almost three years now, and though I love the fresh vegetables and fruits that I receive every month, the main reason I order from them is the affordability and community aspects the Co-Op provides. However, last summer I participated in USEE's Menu for the Future discussion course and learned all about healthy food choices.

In one of the chapters of Menu for the Future, we learned not only about the importance of healthy nutrition, but also about how additives and processed foods can effect your health so negatively. High fructose corn syrup is ubiquitous and is even in things you might not expect (unless you're paying attention) from yogurt to whole wheat bread, from ketchup to fruit juice. One sure way to avoid high fructose corn syrup is to eat fewer processed foods, and I do this by being involved with the Co-Op. The Co-Op provides a bounty of food for relatively little cost and the monthly supply is a parade of balanced fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and meat.

The Co-op is for anybody and everybody. The catch? Each month you must volunteer 2 hours of your time. These 2 hours can be spent volunteering anywhere, be it at the Co-Op, your friendly USEE, or any organization that you are passionate about. It just has to be 2 hours of your time volunteered for a cause or group of people other than the members of your family and for these 2 hours you can purchase this wonderful food well below retail value.

One of my favorite things about the Co-Op is that I don't just get apples, oranges, and bananas every month. I get different things, depending on the season. Tomatoes, corn, squash, and peaches come in the late summer and fall from local growers. This month I received artichokes, which proved to be an exciting adventure as I have never even thought of buying and cooking an entire artichoke. (Which is delicious, by the way.) Sometimes we even get eggplant. Participating in the Co-Op has definitely expanded my taste buds' appetite and cooking abilities over the years.

If you live in Utah, the Co-Op has team sites all over the Wasatch Front where you can pick up your orders. So, if you want to purchase a healthy balance of foods for the next month (and embark upon a peregrination of the palate), I suggest you print out an order form, find a pick-up near you, and enjoy!

If you don't live along the Wasatch Front in Utah, I would encourage you to find an organization in your area that provides similar services. Or another option could be participating in a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Right now is the time to join CSA's as they are starting to plan (and plant) their crops for the growing season and often wont accept orders after March or April. Either of these options are great ways to be involved in your community, maintain balanced nutrition by eating fresh produce, and to save a little money on your grocery bill.

Credits:

• Peppers
  
• Leafy Greens
  

Utah Project for Excellence in EE Update

The Utah Project for Excellence in Environmental Education is going strong and headed toward completion. Jason and I just got back from Brigham City where we met with K-12 teachers from the Northern and Northeastern regions of Utah. The week before that we were down in Cedar City meeting with teachers in the Southern and Southeastern regions and before that we held a meeting with teachers in the Central region, here, at the USEE office.

The point of these meetings was to talk with teachers directly and get some of their feedback on what their needs are for teaching and using EE in the classroom as well as to get them thinking about ways these needs could be met. We received a lot of excellent feed back! The next step is to analyze this information and make a plan for involving all EE stakeholders to get EE into the school system.

Some background on the Project:

The first part of this project was to conduct a survey to uncover the capacity for EE in the state. This was done in two steps. The first step was a mass, blanket email sent to everyone on our lists to fill out a quick survey. This survey was basically used to list every EE organization participants could think of. For the second step, USEE contacted these organizations directly and asked them to fill out a more detailed survey that contained organization and program specific questions.

The second part was to conduct a Teacher Needs Assessment to find out who is using EE, where, why, or why not, etc. This step was very exciting as we had over 1,000 teachers complete the survey.

The third part was to hold several regional focus groups to talk directly with teachers. (Which we just completed on Friday.) Through this step we were able to brainstorm ways in which teachers thought that EE could be implemented into Utah classrooms more than it is now.

Two reports have been written. The first outlines the results of the organizational surveys. The second report outlines the results from the Teacher Needs Assessment. To learn more about this project and it's future or to view and download these reports, please visit the USEE website.