Wordless Wednesday: Crab apple flowers

I've had this on-going relationship with crab apple trees since my childhood.  In the front yard of my paternal grandparent's house was a crab apple tree.  It was tall and thin and I would often wrap my arms around it when I was a little girl (and I'm drawing memories that go way back to the age of 3 or so).  I remember fat, round crab apple fruits, about the size of a jack ball that hung heavy on the limbs.  The fruits would litter the front yard, which interferred with my grandfather cutting the grass or my boy cousins playing touch football.

That tree was the focal part of the front yard.  I would guess that others thought warmly of the tree, too. I remember for my grandparents 50th anniversay there was a special framed portrait/clock that included individual photos of my grandparents flanking a photo of that crab apple tree in the middle, with the thin gold clock hands originating at the branching part of the tree. Tiny little tics encircled the tree, which represented each of the 12 hours of the day.

A few years later, late 1980's/early 1990's the tree was struck by lightning, bring down the front portion of the limbs and leaving a very bad scar.  It was large and quite dark.  I remember being sad about it. Without its full rounded crown of leaves in the spring and autumn, it just seemed to droop on one-side. It looked like it was slumped over, like a family-member in declining health, feeling sad and awaiting death.  Eventually, the decision was made to cut it down, because it was bad off afterall. I gasped with shock and lost when I saw missing one day.

Sigh....but in all of that, I never really paid attention to the tree in spring, so the memory of flowers isn't as salient for me. And in my fuzzy memory, I don't remember the flowers of that tree in my grandparents' yard being this pink or this colorful.  For some reason, I recall the flowers being white or blush. But now that it's gone, I can't confirm it.

Do you have any nostalgic memories of trees from your childhood?  Do you hold some wild spaces or things as special friends?

Wordless Wednesday: Red buds bloom

Red buds are by far my most favorite flowering tree.  I think I've dedicated more blog posts to blooming red buds than to any other species.  Here are photos I took recently, in St. Louis between the bouts of cold.  Our spring is starting in spurts and fits, but the flowers are still blooming.

I love to photograph young red buds against the bright blue sky.  The contrasts is just aaaah-mazing to me.

Check out my previous posts about red buds, including more pretty photos.

Urban Wildlife Watch - Redbuds (from April 2008)

Wordless Wednesday: Red Buds Blooming (from April 2009)

Have you spotted any red buds blooming in your backyard? What is your favorite flowering treet in your urban nature habitat?

Urban Wildlife Watch: How to Find Signs of Animals in City Parks (Guest Post)

Today's post was contributed by an Urban Science Adventures! © reader, Ashley Warner.  Ashley is an astute animal observer and has always been interested in the ways that animals get around human habitation. Ashley asked to write a guest post for outlining tips for finding signs of wild animals in city parks.  I am very glad to host her first contribution.  Please be sure to leave comments.

"Living in the Northwest I get a lot of chances to see animals in and out of the city."

A city park does not need to be just for taking a casual stroll. Instead, it can be a learning opportunity for anyone that wishes to discover more about the animals that may be residing in an area. While finding animals in your local park may sound challenging, the truth is that you don’t need to have an online biology degree or even an encyclopedic knowledge of animals to do so. In fact, you can find wildlife almost anywhere by simply knowing how to look for their nests, dens or other areas that they may inhabit.

Undoubtedly, there are some animals that are going to be found no matter where you go. For example, squirrels are a common animal that can be found in most national parks, city parks, and even some back yards. Yet when paying a visit to your local park you are also likely to come across some less common animals as well, such as owls, ducks, geese and maybe even swans. These animals will especially be present in parks where visitors frequently put out food for wildlife or there is an abundance of open water.

The best way to spot a squirrel is to look very hard. These animals blend in with their surroundings very well. In fact, you might want to look for their nest first, which is about the size of a football and comprised of twigs, grass and bark. Many times these nests will be in between the branches of trees or sometimes in a hole inside the tree. Keep in mind that these nests are going to be more dominant in areas where there are many trees.

Squirrel Nest. Photo by Rodd Dierker.

Another resident of city parks that may be difficult to find are owls. Since these birds prefer to be out in the dark, it is unlikely that you will see them unless you visit the park at night. However, during the daytime you can search for their nests. Look for a hole inside a tree, where the tree is in the shade. Owls generally prefer this location since light does not come into the hole. In addition, you can also determine if owls are in the area by looking for small pellets that consist of decayed bones on the ground, which are the remnants of whatever the owl had for dinner.

If there is some form of water in your park or if people frequently feed the wildlife there, there is a good chance ducks and geese will be at hand. One sign people can use to determine if there are indeed waterfowl in the area is the presence of a nest. These nests will usually be along the path of water or sometimes in the middle of a cluster of weeds. Most of the time the animal is hid from view among all the weeds so people may actually be stepping over them and not even realizing that they are there. The same can also be said for swans. However these birds usually prefer to have their nest right on the water and hardly ever venture far from their home.

Overall, a city park can be a great place to find wildlife. Squirrels, owls and waterfowl are just a few of the animals you can expect to find in your local park. Better yet, if the area was once home to wilderness, you may even encounter foxes, raccoons, ground squirrels or even coyotes.

That ws a fantastic post about spotting animals and animal signs in your backyard.  Also check out Urban Wildlife Watch: Squirrels and Dreys.  Thanks Ashley for sharing your own Urban Science Adventures!  ©. I hope more of you feel excited about sharing your own stories of urban science exploration.

Happy Valentine's Day, from my backyard to yours.

See how much urban nature loves you. It blooms with heart-shaped leaves for you.

From my heart to yours.



big hearts



little hearts

many hearts

jagged hearts

smooth hearts

I took all of these pictures last summer 2010, at various parks in St. Louis, Missouri.  I flashed away because I loved the unique shape of the leaves. Some are from Catalpa trees, others from weedy vines.  But aren't they all grand?

Spring will soon be here.  Keep your eyes open for heart-shaped leaves in your backyard and share the discovery with me here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

DNLee

demystifying nature, letting everyone experience

Wordless Wednesday: Simply Red

 

Wordless Wednesday: Golden Life

The golden hues of autumn leaves make me smile.

Living my life like it's golden.

Urban Wildlife Watch: Chinese Chestnut Tree

Looking back on my life and surveying my memories from my present vantage point - as an adult and a biologist with several years of school under my belt - I sometimes realize that I knew I would be a biologist. 

As I stroll along walkways or drive down the street, I sometimes find myself completely entranced by the subtle plots of nature happening before me.  These surreal pauses seem to hit me especially hard when I encounter a tree or flower that for some reason is bookmarked in my mind, but I don't know it until that very moment.

I was literally walking down the street, headed to my car and saw this.

 It is the spiky fruit pod of the Chestnut tree, the Sweet or Chinese Chestnut it is sometimes called.

We had a rather large Sweet Chestnut tree in my front yard back home in Memphis.  These spike pods were the bane of my younger siblings and wandering animals.

Bumping into this young tree was like running into an old friend while on vacation.  You never expected to see them but you stop and visit a while and you feel good for having taken the time to catch up.

I first learned about Chestnut trees at Natural Resources Career Camp.  The American Chestnut is especially rare because it is susceptible to a tree disease, known as blight.  Even if you are lucky enough to see/grow one, it's not likely to grow very long or tall.  Because no one in my family knew what kind of tree this was, I took some of the fallen nuts to the Forestry professor at my university (while I was studying for my Master's).  He seemed surprised to see the nut and kept asking me where I found it.  He seemed to have a hard time believing me when I told him from my yard, from a large tree.  Obviously, foreign Chestnut trees are special as well.

Have you come across a chestnut tree?  If so which kind?

Wordless Wednesday: Urban Nature Scapes (France)

Tree-lined avenues, well-manicured lawns, and beds of cultivated flowers are the parts of nature many urbanite come to know and love.  This is our green space, our comfortable wild oasis.  And oasis is really the best way to describe it - a little hint of happiness from the surrounding sea of other. 

Here are some nearly forgot-I-had-those-uploaded- pictures from my visit to France last year.

Sycamore trees along the Paris Avenue.

Cultivated and very well-landscaped lawns of Rennes.

More pretty scenes in Rennes. (This park reminded me so much of Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, the part by the Palm House.)

More cultivated and manicured lawns of Rennes

Wordless Wednesday: Wild Morning Glories

I was stopped at the westbound I-70 exit of Kingshighway (in St. Louis, Mo) and I noticed these wild morning glories growing from the crack of the sidewalk. These wild flowers, sometimes called hedge bindweed, tend to be white or white and pink (like these). The flower is near the ground and doesn't grow tall but it is viney so it spreads across lawns easily.  Here in the city, I often find them growing out of concrete or asphalt and near buildings.

This patch of wild morning glories was thriving in the urban area.

This is a close up of the flower. This one was growing on the lawn of Forest Park.

Have you ever noticed this flower before in your neighborhood?

Happy International Beaver Day

Happy International Beaver Day!

photo credit: Gainesville State College Tumbling Creek Woods Beaver Pond web page

Today, Tuesday, April 7th is International Beaver Day!

The Beavers, Wetlands and Wildlife Organization is trying to show people how important beavers really are, and the group has produced an educational DVD and sent 1,000 copies to teachers all over the state of New York.

One member says the beaver is one of the most important wild animals for a number of reasons. First, because they build dams and prevent flooding. And second, because beavers protect us from greenhouse gas emissions.

"Beaver wetlands, like all wetlands, are the best ecosystem for storing carbon," said Sharon Brown, of Beavers, Wetlands, and Wildlife. "And if they are destroyed, carbon dioxide goes into the air and that's a dangerous greenhouse gas."

April 7 was chosen as International Beaver Day because it is the birthday of the late Dorothy Richards of Little Falls, who studied beavers for 50 years.

Beavers, scientific name Castor canadensis, are the largest rodent in North America, and the second largest rodent in the world. Beavers are important animal ecologically and historically. In fact, Missouri (the state where I live now) and the westward expansion of the United States can credit the humble beaver for its place in history. Why? Beaver fur was the number one commodity in the new world and the many systems of rivers and wetlands in the western half of North American proved to be very successful trapping grounds in the 1700 and 1800s. Even today, Beaver are still very important fur species. Though I am no fan of fur, I recognize the important roles trapping, hunting, and fishing have in wildlife species management plans. Because we value our current and urban lifestyles, it is important that we take the time to appreciate wildlife and understand more about their behavior and ecology so that they will be around for centuries to come.

In fact, I know a fellow scientist who researches on beavers. I found one of his scientific papers online that you could read for yourself and learn more about Beavers and why they are important.

Understanding North American Beaver Behavior as an Aid to Management
by Bruce Schulte and Dietland Mueller-Schwarze

The next question you may be wondering is, "Do beavers live in or near cities? Or do they only live out in the forest or country?" The answer is a big YES, to both questions. Beavers do live in and near urban areas if the habitat is right. What's the right habitat? Flowing water like rivers (large or small) or streams and creeks. Beavers live right here in St. Louis along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. I've see their dams under the bridges - the MLK near downtown, the I-270 and the Old Chain of Rocks Bridges. Huge, big, towering dams. Sorry, I don't have any photos (another reason I wish I had bigger, better camera equipment. I love to show real pictures and proof to you.) But they look like this:

photo credit: Skip Mackey Fishing Stories webpage

If you've ever notice a huge pile of sticks and branches in the water, then you can best believe you have come across a beaver dam. Another sign of beaver activity is this:

This chewed off stump, often near a river or stream means you have active, healthy beavers near by. Beavers are important wetland species, because they are engineers, literally. They create habitat for other animals - like fish, insects, birds, other mammals. Create pools of water for land animals to drink from, and bridges for land animals to cross from one side of the habitat to another. This exposes them to new resources like shelter, mates, food, and places to hide from predators. So, think fondly of the beaver and keep your eyes open for these amazing creatures.

More info: http://www.wktv.com/news/local/42613472.html

photo credit: Heywoods Meadow Blog

Travelog San Francisco: Blooms from The Bay

I visited the Bay area (San Francisco and Berkeley, California) for the first time year. I LOVED the Bay. I could so live there.

Spring time blooms in Union Square, San Francisco

The color of San Francisco is violet. These blue-violet colored flowers seemed to be everywhere. This picture was taken at Golden Gate Park.

This plant reminds me of the water pickerels in Missouri. Are they related? I'm asking my botany friends.

A very pretty in pink cultivar. Notice the bee?

Berekely

Daisy-type flowers, you know Asteriidae were my favorite flowers. Isn't the purple color just lovely. The bright California sunshine really made the color pop!

Berekely

I just loved this flower when I saw it. Warm tones like dark oranges, yellows and reds are my favorite colors.

Berekely

Staring down the center I seemed to be carried away. I loved low the uniformly yellow-orange flower had a deeper hue in the middle near the anthers and filament. The anthers and petals are the exact same hue. Lovely.
My friend Rue, of Outdoor Afro, later told me this is the California Poppy, the state flower of California.

California Love

Thanks for supporting Urban Science Adventures! © now and into the future.

Thank you very much,
DNLee