Crows Recognize People

Here is an interesting NPR podcast about the ability for American Crows to recognize individual people's faces and apparently they sometimes hold a grudge. Crows tell their buddies who you are. Check it out!

http://tinyurl.com/m2pk7p

High School Physical Science

As a participant in the Conoco-Phillips Summer Institute at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics this summer, I was given a copy of The Story of Science: Einstein adds a new Dimension by Joy Hakim. I read the book soon after our workshop. Then, I remembered seeing a VHS copy of Carl Sagan's series Cosmos in my science closet. I also remembered watching some of Sagan's film on PBS when I was a high school student 20+ years ago. I remeber doing this on my own by myself at home. I did not atke physics or astronomy in high school or college.

Upon returning to my classroom last week, I dug out Sagan's videos and I have been watching them over the past few days. I had forgotten what a good production this was, or maybe I just appreciate it more now. Even though I am an "intellectual larvae" when it comes to physics and astronomy, this stuff seems to makes more sense to me now. I wonder how I can translate all this into a captivating lecture/exercises series for my students this year? I am hopeful, but uncertain. At the same time I am afraid (based on previous experiences) that most students don't really care to know their universe. I hope I am wrong, otherwise it will be a long year for my kids since I am determined to expose them as I was not.

I intend to incorperate some of these materials into 8th Grade Science and Earth Science (grades 9-12) this year.

Jimson Weed

I found this Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium) plant growing from a pile of old concrete in Osage County, Oklahoma. This plant was introduced from the American tropics and first collected near Jamestown, Virginia in the early 1800s. Jimson Weed is well known for its poison and weedy habits.

Collecting Specimens

I spent all morning out collecting specimens near Birch Lake in Osage County, Oklahoma. Even though temperatures are cooler than last week, not many animals are moving. I saw one ribbon snake (Thamnophis) and caught a yearling snapping turtle (Chelidra serpentina). I will add the turtle along with a few small crayfish to the classroom aquarium. Saw a few more interesting plants including this milkweed and compass plant in bloom. The areas I saw burned along the roadside this spring are now a diverse assemblage of grasses and flowers blooming in succession. Each week there is something new emerging as another nearby species completes its annual lifecycle.

Tall Grass Prairie

Spent the day at The Nature Conservancy's Tall Grass Prairie preserve north of Pawhuska Oklahoma. There were a variety of wildflowers including this Liatris (gayfeather). Also saw Silphium (compass plant), and Asclepias (milkweed).

Rain

We received a little rain at the farm last night. Nice and cool this morning. Maggie (my dog) and I just drove back roads from west of Lahoma to Enid this morning. It will be a hot humid day; maybe the worst so far.

This is Prickly Poppy (Argemone polyanthemos) taken in eastern Major County.

Flower Photography

Just out shooting some flowers in western Oklahoma this morning.  It is gonna be a hot one today.  The wheat harvest is over here and the red dirt is a blowin.  There is still life here in spite of the fact that it is 110 degrees and the wind is gusting 30+ MPH.  I saw over 50 Wild turkeys this morning along with a large covey of Bobwhite Quail.  My quarry today however, are thistles.  There are several species in flower here right now.

Sampling for Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

We have been doing some specimen collecting around northwest Arkansas in spite of the HOT weather.  One interesting spot we visited yesterday is an old "springbox" along the roadside just outside Rogers on state highway 12.  I have spent many years poking around places like this and almost always find Plethodontid salamanders of one species or another among the leaf litter and cobblestones.  This time however, we found none.  In spite of the abundance of clear, cool water and seemingly perfect habitat.  What we did find were an abundance of isopods (aquatic "pill bugs") and amphipods.  In diet studies I have conducted on salamanders in the Ouachita Mountains aquatic crustaceans like these were always among the top prey items.

Gardening

We have tomatoes and peppers set on!  Last year our plantings more or less failed and the raccoons stole what few tomatoes did make it.  Our little balcony garden here at Joan's home in NW Arkansas pales in comparison to my folks' masterpiece on a sandhill in eastern Major Co., Oklahoma.  I have gardened all my life, but have never been able to grow fruits and vegetables like mom and dad.  I think gardening must take a lifetime of practice.  I mean, just take a look at these onions dad grew this year.

Reading John Muir

I just started reading John Muir's 1st journal/book, A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf.  Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, walked from Indiana to Cedar Key, Florida in 1867 in order to "botanize".  I am just through the introduction and chapter 1 where Muir is visiting Mammoth Cave and crossing the Cumberland Mountains.  A good read and relatively short (211 pp).  An excellent book for the beginner naturalist or conservation enthusiast.

Hobbs State Park, Arkansas

Yesterday we toured the new visitor center at Hobbs State Park on the shores of Beaver Lake in Benton County, Arkansas.  The park is more than 12,000 acres of pine-oak woodland underlain by karst features (caves, sinkholes, and loosing streams).  We also walked the VanWinkle Trail off State Highway 12 east of Rogers.  You can learn more about the fauna and flora at Hobbs at: http://tinyurl.com/lpflby