Aquatic Adventures

If it is flying, flapping or swimming, it is worth chasing, studying and sharing with friends.

Spatterdock Darner

Today we were harassing dragonflies at the Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, Ohio. For a little pond, the list was amazingly varied!   Eastern Amberwings, Eastern Pondhawks, Dot-tailed White-face, Comet and Green Darners, Slaty and Twelve-spotted Skimmers, and many others- including this amazing Spatterdock Darner! It was a feast for the eyes.

Judy Semroc and Larry Rosche

Two of my favorite guides and dragonfly experts Judy and Larry gave an excellent program and led the field trips.

They do professional outreach for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The are also the authors of one of the best dragonfly and damselfly guides written in the Eastern U.S.  If you don't have it, you can buy it on-line: just click here.

The bridge at Gorman Nature Center's pond.

If you are interested in learning about Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies), the pond behind Gorman Nature Center is a well-stocked location. You can spend an afternoon and see up to fifteen species!

Our field trip to the pond.

We did plenty of milling around, catching the adult fliers and netting some aquatic life in the form of immature Odonates, water bugs and frog tadpoles galore!

 Judy waded right out into the water to get the best specimens, while Larry identified all the goodies we brought to him on shore.  If you have never ventured into the field with these exceptional leaders, you have been missing out on a lot of fun!

They will be leading part of the Aquatic Adventures for Flora-Quest, Aug. 27-29, 2015  in the Mohican Area.  For those of you in the Cleveland area, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History  is offering a sign-up on line to drive down in the bus from CMNH. Just go to this link to sign up from the CMNH calendar.

Or go directly to the Flora-Quest website to see all our offerings.  If you are interested in plants or natural history, this is the conference for you.  Hotel rooms are limited, so contact me if you need help finding a room.

Hope to see you there, chasing Dragon Hunter dragonflies and Hellbenders!

What's the Buzz...

Forgive the obvious title. It seems a forgone conclusion to name pollinator programs for the bee.  But bees are not the only pollinators, and many of the sexual surrogates for plant reproduction don't buzz at all.  Take moths and birds for an example.  

If you haven't thought much about this before, I hope you will join us this Saturday at 7:00 pm at Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield, Ohio.  Prepare to have your mind blown.

It is my honor to be the keynote for this first (annual) event, so come out and help me kick this thing off right!  I have just put the final touches on my program and I am happy to share some new information (at least it was news to me!)  I am no neophyte regarding pollinators, so prepare to be edu-tained!  We will talk about all kinds of pollinators!

Our native bees hold a special spot in my heart and these work horses haven't been given the credit they deserve.  They definitely need an Emmy for "Best Supporting Actor."

Sure honeybees are great, but we have a lot of interesting things with wings getting in on the pollination act.

Moths and butterflies are also pollinators.  There is a direct correlation between botanic diversity and pollinator diversity.  Don't believe me?  Ask Darwin.  He suggested the basis of this a very long time ago.

So why all the interest in pollinators?  You might have heard of a little thing called Colony Collapse Disorder.  This is has had a major impact on bees, bee-keepers and farmers all across the country. But it is not only the Honeybees that are having a rough time of it.

Come on out and will discuss some very cool local pollinators and learn more about their preservation and protection.  

Love to mulch your landscape with wood chips?  We'll discuss why that could be bad news for your bees. 

Hope to see you there!

Birding with Greg

If you are a birder, I imagine you have heard about this terrific book...

A highly entertaining, true-to-life story was written about three obsessed birders and a competition to see the most birds in one year. And it features an Ohio birder, who is a heck of a nice guy, and a pretty good friend of mine. Last night Greg Miller gave a presentation at Shawnee Nature Club in Portsmouth, Ohio and had them all in stitches.



Greg (on the right) told his tales, signed some books, shook hands like a politician and helped them celebrate their Annual Potluck Banquet. Having some compelling business in Southern Ohio, I tagged along to enjoy the show.




And in case you have not yet heard, that book is the basis for this fictional story- about three similar birders. It should be released this summer and is creating quite a stir in our birding community.

If you missed the event at Portsmouth, don't worry.

Greater Mohican Audubon Society will be hosting Greg as a speaker on Saturday January 8th at 2:00 pm at Gorman Nature Center in Mansfield. Put it on your calendar now, 'cause you'll want to join in the fun!


And although it was a snowy, gray day for travel, we scored a total of 5 Bald Eagles and a pleasant stop at a natural area off Route 23, just north of Waverly, Ohio offered a few special highlights.



Keep this place in mind next spring, as Scioto Trail State Forest and Park is like a mini- Shawnee Forest. Greg says it produces some excellent warbler-watching in late April. Even today, the lovely wooded roads with steep embankments and ambling stream beds offered a sprinkling of Juncos, Northern Cardinals and a Carolina Wren.




This old bald hornet's nest was being raided by a Tufted Titmouse- he flew out from that hole in the center. I was a second too late on the shutter, or I would have had the photo of the year!

This dilapidated cabin proved less troublesome for me, and I was able to capture the image before it moved. Honestly, it could have fallen in before our very eyes!

It was a great day of watching the birds glean seeds along the roadside and enjoying our first snow of the season. I hope you enjoyed the day too!

Pond Life

Pickerel-weed, Pontederia cordata at the Gorman Nature Center pond. (click for full size)

Pickerel-weed can be purchased at many garden stores, and purchasing native plants for your water features is a good way to protect the environment from some of the nastiest invasives to be found- the wicked witches of the wetlands! Promote the use of these gorgeous purple flowers on the edge of your pond, and watch your friends go frog green with envy.

Gorman Nature Center has one of the coolest ponds around, too bad we can't use it to take a little dip on a hot day like today, as it does look refreshing!

Schedules have been crazy- so I am posting while at work in the nature center. So, let me take this opportunity to remind folks to support their local park districts, especially during tough economic times! Nature is a great healer and helps us put everything in perspective. Who can be depressed for long when there is so much beauty and wonder around us? Take a walk, look around you and develop your sense of: Why? Could this flowering mass of Pickerel-weed a possible host plant for dragonfly eggs? Is that why we see so many dragonflies here?

Visit the website and calendar page at Gorman Nature Center and see our diverse habitats in the landscape and the many interesting programs we have to offer! Hope you make it to our pond sometime soon!