I’m a day late with posting the third and final installment in my “Month of Macro” series, but I figured it was better late than never. The last two posts focused on trees and wildflowers – two groups of organisms that probably don’t require a macro lens to be appreciated, but whose details can certainly be enhanced by using one. This post, however, will focus on two types of organisms that are relatively small and easily overlooked, and which get…
After a few days in the Pittsburg, NH area (see the previous blog post for Pittsburg area photos: Part 1) we moved onto Bethel, ME. Since arriving on Friday evening, we’ve done a ton of hiking, including trails in Grafton Notch State Park and Evans Notch in the White Mountain National Forest. Some brief photo highlights from the last few days are below.
Yesterday, March 20th, was the first day of spring. And with the warm temperatures and bountiful sunshine, it actually felt like spring this weekend (not always the case for the first few days of spring in New England). The black-capped chickadees have been loudly singing “spring’s here” all day. The plants in my yard seem to have gotten the memo too: the crocuses, snowdrops, and dandelions are blooming, and the hyacinths, daffodils, irises and day lilies are pushing out new…
2020 has been hard for everyone. From canceled activities to isolation from friends and family, to record setting hurricane and fire seasons across the country. Despite all of this year’s COVID-, environmental- and political-craziness, there are still many things I am thankful for. In addition to the Thanksgiving toad I came across on my rainy walk this morning (see cover photo above), below are just ten of the nature-related things I’m grateful for this year. 1. Abundant and beautiful local…
I hope you had an opportunity to get out and enjoy the mild temperatures we had this weekend. During my typical winter walks, I tend to walk rather quickly in an effort to build up some heat and keep warm. But this weekend’s weather afforded me the opportunity to slow down (without fear of freezing) and explore the tiny winter world of lichens, mosses and galls. One abandoned fence post I came across seemed to have an entire miniature world…
This week marked our 3rd snowfall of the season, and winter technically doesn’t even start for another week (December 21st). The cold weather, snowy trails, and depressingly early sunsets have most people going from home to work (or school) and back again with little to no time spent outside in nature. But with a little planning and a slightly different approach spending time outside, even on cold winter days, it can still be enjoyable. Below I’ve compiled a list of…
Each type of lichen is actually a composite of two different organisms: a fungus and an alga (or less commonly a fungus and a yeast or a cyanobacterium). The fungal partner within each species of lichen is unique, but a single species of algae can be found in many different lichens. It is therefore the fungal partner, also known as the mycobiont, from which the lichen’s name is derived. To help differentiate lichens from each other, it’s helpful to consider…
If you look up into the branches of a stand of oak trees on Cape Cod, especially in the winter when the leaves are absent, you’ll likely notice that the tree is still essentially green. The branches are covered with something light green and fluffy. That “fluffy stuff” is a type of lichen called Usnea, or old man’s beard. Usnea is a genus of fruticose lichen that grows anchored to twigs and branches of trees and shrubs using a holdfast….