Resurrection Fern after 24 hours

Resurrection Fern after two hours

Resurrection Fern

Yesterday morning we poured a little tap water into a Petri dish containing a dormant resurrection fern, Polypodium polypodioides. We rehydrated the fern at 8:00 am on Wednesday, 26 August. These native ferns can remain dehydrated but alive for up to 50 years! After a good rain they will be green and lush in about 48 hours.

Bat Measurement Spreadsheet

Bat Identifications

Congratulations students! We have completed our bat species identifications. We seem to have (2) Big Brown Bats, Eptesicus fuscus and (1) Red Bat, Lasiurus borealis. Both species are within the family Vespertilionidae commonly found in our region. The bats will now be permanently maintained in our natural history collection for study by future classes.

The emphases in this exercise were on observation, measurement, and classification. We used measuring instruments including metric rulers and calipers. We used hand lenses, binocular dissecting microscopes, and digital cameras to collect our observations. Measurements were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and averaged across classes.

Scientific Method Review

All science students/grades will continue our review of the scientific method this week. Each student should study the PowerPoint entitled “How science works” that resides on our wiki space (http://zoowiki.wikispaces.com/ ). Students have probably seen this material at least once before at their lower grade levels.

The classroom exercise today will concentrate on skills required to apply the scientific method (observe, measure, and classify). We are classifying three bat specimens (order Chiroptera) that were collected in and around our school over the summer and preserved for study. Students will use the dichotomous key from Clair, et al. 1989 to identify our bats.

Natural History Notes: There are more than 850 species of bats worldwide. Oklahoma has 19 bat species representing two taxonomic families. This material corresponds to Oklahoma’s Science Process and Inquiry standards 1.1-3 and 2.1-2.

Reference:

Caire, W., J.D. Tyler, B.P. Glass, and M.A. Mares. 1989. Mammals of Oklahoma. University of Oklahoma, Norman. 567p.

Zooblog Etiquette Guidelines

Now that class enrollment has stabilized and we are returning to a routine, I wanted to post some basic guidelines for students using Zooblog.

1. Blogs are a platform designed to conduct on-line discussions concerning a specific topic(s); don’t stray from the central theme.

2. You are writing for a “global audience”. What you post is viewable by the public at large. When you post e-mails, blog comments, tweets, etc., these records come to reside permanently in cyberspace. Be courteous and respectful no matter what. Remember, many employers today conduct Internet searches on potential employees before hiring them. Your reputation and integrity is at stake here and what is done cannot be undone. Once you press the send/enter button, you cannot take it back.

3. Avoid plagiarism as you would in any form of media. It is not OK to copy and paste or use other people’s work without permission. If you refer to another author’s work, you should cite the reference. This applies to text/narrative, pictures, videos, and music.

4. It is OK to express your opinion, but you should try to be constructive and tactful. Again, remember that your reputation and the reputations of others are at stake here. If you offer a rebuttal try to make sure it is thoughtfully constructed and on topic. Avoid derogatory remarks and foul language.

5. Avoid SPAM. Do not unnecessarily advertise yourself or another website on someone else’s blog. If you want to post a link, you should contact the host 1st.

6. Stay current. If you are going to participate in a blog, try to keep up with the discussion and contribute. If you are managing a blog, give your readers something to look forward to. Reply to comments.

Bird's Nest Fungi

Here are some tiny fungi in our garden planter. These are called birds nest fungus because spores in the cup look like eggs in a nest. They wait there until a rain drop hits and propels them far from the cup. (photo by Joan Reynolds)

Birds in Northwest Arkansas

I want to introduce you to a new book a friend and colleague of mine recently published.

Joeseph C. Neal (BA History 1968, MS Zoology 1992) is a native of western Arkansas who has made his home in Fayetteville since coming to the University of Arkansas in 1964. He worked as a freelance journalist (The Grapevine) before joining with Dr. Douglas A. James to coauthor Arkansas Birds (University of Arkansas Press 1986). Subsequently, he wrote the academic portion of the History of Washington County Arkansas (Shiloh Museum 1989). Upon finishing his MS he joined the USDA Forest Service as a wildlife biologist on the Ouachita National Forest. His work there included a focus on recovery for Red-cockaded woodperchers (picoides borealis). Joe retired from the Forest Service in 2008. He is presently a visiting scholar in the UA-Fayetteville Department of Biological Sciences (joeneal@uark.edu). He serves as curator of bird records for Arkansas Audubon Society and as a field trip leader for the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society.

1st Day Back at School

Welcome back students and staff!

(left) Allan Johnson, Guest Presenter at this year's Wynona School District staff training.

Master Teacher Conference-FYI

In 2008 there were 114 participants in the northeast Master Teacher Conference.  There were 35 presentations, and 9 master teachers.   This conference is at Grove.

Those of you who are not involved in education, I promise to take you on some interesting field trips when I get out of here.

PASS Standards for Science

This afternoon's session was more thought provoking.  The science teachers had a chance to comment on the standards and make suggestions.  There were about 12-15 of us representing elementary, middle, and high schools from around the state.  The general consensus was that we should leave the PASS objectives alone.  There were suggestions that we need to have standards for "human health" and technology.

Master Teacher Conference

This week I am at the Master Teacher Conference hosted by Oklahoma State Department of Education.  Today the topics are: PASS (Priority Academic Student Skills), Bloom's Taxonomy, and curriculum mapping.

European Starlings

European Starlings were introduced into New York city's Central Park in 1890 by Eugene Schieffelin, a pharmacist who wanted to introduce all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Now starlings are a pest from coast to coast. More than 4,500 exotic species now occur in North America; doing perhaps billions of dollars of damage to native wildlife, timber, crops, and property. This is not to mention the ecological damage that science cannot undo. An excellent book that chronicles the natural history of exotic species in America is:

Todd, Kim. 2001. Tinkering with Eden: a natural history of exotics in America. WW Norton. 302 p.

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