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NATURETALK

NRT'S FUN BLOG ABOUT ALL THINGS NATURE.
READ ON TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NATURE IN YOUR WORLD.

Nature Journal Notes

10/27/2020

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Fall is a time for change! The transition from hot, summer days to cold, winter nights is one that plants and animals prepare for all year round. One of the amazing parts of keeping consistent Nature Journals is being able to track change over time, also known as phenology, but seeing changes on a larger scale requires keeping journals for years, and, to be honest, sometimes that is just too long!

If you are in need of a nature journal change of pace, consider honing in your focus on something more specific than general observations. The landscape changes very quickly in the fall, but the pieces of the landscape: flowers, leaves, ground cover, etc., are changing even more rapidly! A satisfying nature journaling activity during the fall can be monitoring a single area in your yard, or even one branch or leaf over the span of a week or two. 

Create a chart in your nature journal with as many squares as you want to make daily observations. Be sure to leave room for notes underneath each day of observational drawings. Everyday, at around the same time, take a moment to sketch and record observations of whatever it is you are choosing to monitor change of. At the end of your designated observation time, you should see a dramatic change in the  first day of observations versus the last.

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Not only is this activity great for doing in the fall, but it's also one you can do right inside your house! Don't have a good place outside to make daily observations? Bring the outside in! Be it a flower, a leaf, or even a seed, bring it inside to monitor what changes start to occur with your nature journal change chart!
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​Another perfect opportunity to track daily change over time is with jack-o-lanterns! Once we decorate our steps with festive jack-o-lanterns, it is only a matter of time before these orange delights begin to rot right in front of our eyes. Each day, you can grab your nature journal and create an observational sketch of a scooped out pumpkin to see what kind of daily changes occur, where the changes to start to happen, and where they spread! Not only are the jack-o-lanterns themselves fun to observe, but so are their seeds!
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With a little bit of attention, pumpkin seeds provide a great opportunity to watch growth and change happen right in the comfort of our homes! All you need is one pumpkin seed, a damp paper towel, ziplock bag, tape, and a window that catches some sun. The first thing you need to do is cut the paper towel so that it will fit inside of your ziplock bag when folded in half. Then, moisten the paper towel and fold it over your pumpkin seed. You should be able to see your seed through the moistened paper towel. Place the paper towel surrounding the pumpkin seed inside of the ziplock bag and zip it shut. Find a window to hang your ziplock with masking tape so that it gets an ample amount of sunlight each day. Over the course of a couple of weeks, you should be able to see your seed start to change and eventually a sprout will appear! You can use a flashlight against the back of your seed to observe in anything is going on inside the seed that isn't visible from the outside.
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Pine Cones and Precipitation!

10/22/2020

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Clouds are not the only indication of what kind of weather we can expect. There are all sorts of other clues scattered within our natural surroundings that help us to predict the forecast. One of which is something we can find all over the place here in New England. Pine cones!

​Helping Predict Precipitation
Precipitation is any kind of water released from clouds. It can be in the form of rain, ice, or snow! Some of nature’s most reliable tools for telling us if there is going to be precipitation are pine cones. Pine cones are hard structures, which are usually cone shaped, that protect the reproductive parts of pine trees. Over time, pine cones become the outer casings of pine tree seeds, also known as pine nuts! Each scale of the pinecone has one seed growing near the center of the cone where they all connect!
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You're probably curious how a pine cone can tell us about the weather. Well, not only does the pine cone protect the pine nuts, but it is also responsible for the seed dispersal of the tree. When the cones are open, pine seeds can get blown away from the parent tree by the wind, but when the pine cones are closed, the seeds are trapped.

Seed Dispersal: The movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.

Because the pine cone wants to ensure that the majority of the seeds will get an opportunity to grow into their own pine trees, it is very selective about when it opens and closes. If there is moisture in the air, the pine cone will close to prevent the seeds from falling out and being drowned by too much water, and if the air is dry, the pine cone will open, allowing the seeds to be picked up by gusts of wind and even light breezes.

If you see closed pine cones on a tree, you should expect precipitation in the future, but if you see that the pine cones on a tree are all open, you can anticipate dry weather in the forecast!
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Closed pine cone indicating rain or precipitation in the forecast
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Open pine cone indicating dry weather in the future
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What's with the weather?

10/15/2020

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Fall is a great time to get outside and explore the strange weather that comes with the changing of the season. If you are anything like me, you've been completely flummoxed by the cold snaps and warm spells we've been having over the past few weeks. I know, nothing should surprise me when it comes to weather in New England, but part of me still expects that on the first official day of fall, the cold air will move in and we can all start layering up and drinking hot apple cider. Of course, this is never the case.

With confusing changes in temperature, comes an awesome opportunity to step outside and explore some of the signs we can find in nature to help us predict what the weather might be! Before weather people, the news, and weather.com, it was up to people to read the landscape to determine any kind of changes that might be happening in the forecast! Being able to examine your surroundings to make predictions about the weather is a wonderful skill to have and below are just some of the things you can observe to help you know what to expect from the day. 

Prediction: a guess about what will happen in the future based on current observations
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Explore the Clouds
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The clouds can tell us an incredible amount about what we can expect from the weather! When we look at the sky, it's hard to believe that all of the clouds we see are essentially giant balls of condensed water that will inevitably become too heavy and make their way back to earth's surface in some form of precipitation. Looking at the clouds through a scientific lens can actually help us to know what the different cloud types mean!

The four major cloud types are:

Condensation:
The conversion of water from vapor to a liquid. When this happens in the Earth's atmosphere, water vapor condenses onto dust particles in the sky to form clouds!

Precipitation:
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The action of water being released from clouds in the form of rain, snow, or ice. When the clouds become too heavy with water, earth's gravity will cause the water to fall as some form of precipitation. 

​Cirrus Clouds look like someone took a paintbrush of white paint and started adding delicate brush strokes to the blue sky. These wispy strands are created by wind in the atmosphere stretching the clouds apart and are usually seen very high in the sky. 
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Seeing cirrus clouds usually indicates that there will be change of weather within 24 hours. Because they are formed by strong winds, and sometimes wind that we can't feel on the surface of the Earth, it means that new weather patterns are moving in.

​Cumulus Clouds remind a lot of people of giant cotton balls floating in the sky. These clouds are the picture of a beautiful day, and that's exactly what they mean! Often times the base of these clouds is very flat and then their cotton-like texture extends high into the sky.
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If you are seeing cumulus clouds in the sky, it means that it is sunny outside and you can expect the weather to stay the same ​until the clouds change.


Cumulonimbus Clouds are Cumulus Clouds' dramatic cousins. These huge, gray clouds are heavy with condensed water and are ready to fall back to Earth! The clouds often take the shape of an anvil with the lighter part of the clouds rising higher in the atmosphere and the heavier part of the clouds being closer to earth. The lighter clouds, higher in the atmosphere are more easily moved by high winds in the sky and can indicate which direction the clouds are moving in!
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Seeing Cumulonimbus Clouds indicates that there is snow, rain, hail, lightning and possible thunderstorms approaching.


Stratus Clouds are a common fall sight and are what we call the blanket of gray clouds that coat the sky. They are the typical indicator of a dreary day ahead. In my opinion, nothing is cozier that staying inside bundled up when Stratus Clouds are in the sky. 
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If you are seeing Stratus Clouds, you can expect an occasional drizzle or dampness in the air along with light rain, but mostly it is a sign of a day without sun.

Next week, we will look into other aspects of our environments that can help us make even more predictions about how the weather may change, including: plant behavior, animal behavior, and wind movement!
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Nature Journal Notes

10/6/2020

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Columbus day is right around the corner and for many of us this means packing up the car and taking a short trip somewhere to enjoy the long weekend. With this change of scenery brings an opportunity to make new observations in our nature journals. Sometimes, a new perspective is exactly what we need to revitalize how we look at our surroundings.

Not going anywhere this Columbus Day? Don't despair, use the below prompts as an excuse to find somewhere local that you haven't explored yet! This can be as simple as turning down a new street on a walk, or perusing google maps for a conveniently located green space. Regardless of where you end up, hopefully you'll take away some tips and tricks from this post that you can use in your next journal entry!

As always, the prompts below are inspired by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth's Keeping a Nature Journal or Clare Walker Leslie's The Nature Connection.

1. Prepare a Vacation Nature Kit!
Bring a designated container or box with you on your adventure that is completely dedicated to collecting awesome nature finds. Pack it with anything collectable that catches your eye so you have some intriguing finds to show your friends when you get home. 
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​With your collected objects, you can create a curio cabinet. A curio cabinet is a cabinet filled with curiosities! Before having public museums, individual collectors would invite guests over to their homes to tour their curio cabinets that were filled with interesting finds from all across the world. You, too, can create your own display for guests to look at when they visit your home.

As you are looking through and curating your collection, jot down notes and observations about your objects. What caught your eye? Is there anything you notice? What does this object feel like? Be sure to note where and when you found your item as well. A large part of creating a valuable collection is giving your valuables provenance. When you show your "loot" to friends and family, you want to be able to give them as much background information as possible about your fascinating finds. 

Curation: The action or process of selecting, organizing, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibit.

Provenance: The beginning of something's existence; something's origin. In the case of a cabinet of curiosities, where your object came from and how it came to be a part of your collection. 
2. Explore Different Forms of Expression
Do you have a particular style that you stick to when writing in your nature journal? Why not use your vacation as an excuse to try something new! This vacation doesn't just have to be for you, it can also be for your journal. Give yourself a break and experiment with expressing your observations and feelings in new ways!

Rather than sticking to what you know, challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone. If you are a nature journalist who prefers detailed sketches of what you are looking at, consider making written observations instead and vice versa! Never drawn a cloud before? Now is the time to do it! Who knows, you may stumble across a new technique that perfectly captures what you are trying to portray in your journal. 
Have fun with your observations!
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3. Replace Your Photos!
Challenge yourself to put away the camera and capture your vacation with your journal instead. You may find that using your journal to record your surrounding wildlife and even personal moments, will help you to remember specific details and note what's important about your experiences.

Do your best to describe in detail your surroundings, where you are, and what has been happening. Imagine that someone is going to find your journal in 100 years and it's the only way to know what your experiences and observations were during this vacation. By replacing photographs with journaling, you may be forced to document things that you haven't had much practice with. Possibly family members, different types of animals, or new perspectives of the natural world. Seize the moment and use the opportunity to grow your skillset!
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If you are traveling with friends or family members, ask them to contribute to your documentation as well! You can keep a group journal in which everyone can record their observations in their own unique styles. Children can also participate! Encourage younger travelers to keep journal pages of activities that they participate in or things they observe. At the end of the vacation, have journalers share their pages with the rest of the family/group.
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Bug survival mode

10/1/2020

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Yesterday, the NRT went on an awesome bug hunt to find all sorts of little critters creeping along the ground. As we walked around the trails, we were surrounded by the hustle and bustle of animals preparing for the winter. Squirrels and chipmunks were running around with acorns and hickory nuts, and flocks of birds were gathering in large groups for their long journeys south. This made me think, "what will all the bugs do?" Surely these ectothermic invertebrates ​need some kind of defense against the harsh cold temperatures. If they can't survive the winter, how do populations continue year after year?

After a little bit of digging, I became amazed at the different ways that bugs are able to survive extreme temperatures. Some of their adaptations were ones that I am familiar with, such as migration, but I was shocked to learn about insect antifreeze and even group cooperation to make it to the following spring. Below are a few of the different ways insects are able to make it through the winter!
Ectothermic:
An animal that is not able to produce its own body heat. They use heat energy from the sun to power their bodies.
Invertebrates:
Animals that lack backbones

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Diapause​
This was a new one for me, but I was happy to learn about it. Diapause is an extended period of no growth or development and it is essentially the ability to freeze in place and then unfreeze again in response to environmental cues. Interestingly, the state of diapause is triggered by day length and not actually by the cooler weather that comes with the winter. As the days get shorter and there is less sunlight, a bugs body will tell it to start slowing down. The invasive Emerald  Ash Borer will enter a state of diapause during the winter and will remain completely inactive without moving and even eating under tree bark for many months at a time. Once the days begin to get long enough indicating spring is approaching, the extended amounts of sunlight will trigger the beetles to exit this state of dormancy.
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Antifreeze
Yes, you read that correctly, some animals have natural antifreeze in their bodies! It's not exactly like the antifreeze that we put in our windshield wiper fluid, but it certainly serves the same purpose. The antifreeze that is found throughout some insects is a variety of different compounds that are also known as cryoprotectants. Cryo- meaning involving or producing cold and -protectants meaning providing protection, so cold protection or protection from the cold. 

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One of New England's fall favorites, the Woolley Bear Caterpillar, uses cryoprotectants to shield it from the cold winters. These caterpillars can stay active into the fall, when many other insects begin to slow down. Because of their ability to produce antifreeze, these caterpillars don't need to find somewhere to overwinter and will usually stay hidden under leaf litter. They do become essentially immobile, but their bodies are not harmed by the extreme cooling temperatures. Woolley Bear caterpillars are able to stay unfrozen in temperatures as low as -8 degrees Celsius, or 17 degrees Fahrenheit!
Migration
Just like many other animals, billions of insects take to the sky during the changing of the seasons to travel to warmer climates and follow their food! One of the more well-known insect migrators is the Monarch butterfly, who can fly up to 3,000 miles each fall to their overwintering grounds of central Mexico. Monarch migration is currently in full swing, and if you come by Sheep Pasture in the next couple of weeks, be sure to explore the garden in front of our offices! The few butterfly bushes we have left have been a welcome stop-over site for these autumn travelers.
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Monarchs are not the only insects that participate in cyclical migrations, many flies and even lady beetles have similar habits. Because of their small size and ability to go unnoticed most of the time, it can be difficult to track insect migration. Even so, scientists have observed a couple of interesting anomalies in the past few years indicating that insect migration may be more common than we think.

One of these anomalies was a cloud reported by the National Weather Service in San Diego, CA last year. The weather station was confused by what looked like a giant rain cloud on their radars but with no rain in sight. The radar was picking up on millions of "droplets" 5,000 feet in the air. Aside from this strange radar image, the area where the cloud was being seen seemed to have nothing out of the ordinary going on. That being said, a couple of people investigating the area did notice an uptick in lady bug activity and although it was never confirmed, much research has gone into whether or not millions of lady bugs might be migrating all at once 5,000 miles in the sky. Even if it wasn't lady bugs, it was certainly something of similar size moving in a uniform pattern across the night sky and opens the eyes to something that needs to be explored more - mass insect migration!
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... And more!
Bugs are by far the most diverse animals on the planet and can be found on every single continent including Antarctica! This means that they have to have some incredible adaptations to defeat the cold weather. We talked about some of them above, but there are many more ways these little critters escape and even thrive in the cold weather. Some of these other methods include huddling together for warmth, digging below the frost line, laying eggs that can survive the cold weather before dying, and finding shelter in man-made buildings and structures.  
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Natural Resources Trust of Easton 
PO Box 188
307 Main Street
 N.Easton, MA 02356
Info@nrtofeaston.org
508-238-6049

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  • Home
    • About >
      • Sheep Pasture Property Use Information
      • Publications & Brochures
      • NRT's Elise Ames Parker Award >
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2018
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2019
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2020
      • A Life Well Lived: Lyn White
      • A Champion of Conservation: Ginny Reusch
      • NRT's Sheep Pasture >
        • Seasonal Visitor Updates and Information
        • Sheep Pasture Trail Map
      • NRT Land Stewardship
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Directions
      • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Education
    • NRT School Programs >
      • On-Site Programs
      • In-School Programs
      • Programs for Young Children
      • Virtual School Programs
    • Private Group Programs >
      • Adult Programs
      • Pre-K Programs
    • Summer Camp & Leadership Youth Programs >
      • SPNC Extended Day Program
    • Sheep Pasture Vacation Programs
    • Birthday Party Programs
  • Events
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    • Sheep Pasture SPOOKTACULAR
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