What's an Amphibian?

"SHRIEK!"

~ Wildlife Camper upon putting her hand into a mystery box of ersatz frog eggs*

It was the last amphibian class/watch for this summer. By the time we've done four of them, the last two are easy. The timing was locked-in. Slides were added and others deleted. The presentation was re-ordered and mystery boxes prepared. The dollar store was emptied of pocket-sized notebooks.

And these final classes were as much fun as we could have hoped. The campers bravely reached into the boxes to determine exactly what amphibians swam in the depths (salamanders, frog eggs, frogs, and tadpoles). They made observations, took notes, worked in teams, and reported out their findings.

Of course we talked about leaving no trace. They knew about picking up after themselves (and their dogs!) and knew why we should all walk on the trails.** They knew about being careful with fire and bringing the correct gear.

And they impersonated (imfrogated?) cricket frogs and chorus frogs - performing loud choruses as we completed this part of their camp. Many had remembered my friend A.J.'s class on dabbling and diving ducks *** and being "citizen scientists." From what we experienced today we can tell that many are well on their way.

They listened and laughed and learned and thanked us when we finished. [I got a hug too!]

"Girl Power" - It's hard to document the campers without faces so we took a little power photo. It just happened that they were all girls.

Taking notes about our observations.

I was surprised at how many notes this group was taking.

"Frog, Lisarb"

This camper wanted to look at the slides again to get the "spelling right." Wow!

Helpers and counselors kept the campers "on time and on task." It couldn't be done without them.

What's in this box?

NOTES:

*I may not want to see tapioca for a good long while.

** "You can get hurt or you can damage the wildlife," one young man shared. One girl even said, "You can get a tick!" I had to confess that I did indeed "get a tick" in Ohio when I broke that rule and stepped off the trail for a photograph of a flower.

*** Say that 5 times fast...

It Was GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.

 ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rive of the Ancient Mariner

Our young scientists recorded their observations. [Yeah. 15 exclamation points]

Well, we changed the Amphibian class up a bit. I brought my best friend to model "nature nerd" attire and we had a short lesson on bullying (as in ignore them if they call you a "nerd." It's really a complement. All that means is that you are good at something or really love something. We are "nature nerds" and "frog nerds" and proud of it).

Amphibian Watch nature nerd.  He wore this gear and also carried a bucket.

We talked about making observations in the wild, taking notes, photographs, and recordings, and reporting observations. Then we SHARE our observations. Of course we had to practice so there were four mystery boxes.  Almost all of the kids were brave enough to test their sense of touch. [One young lady never tried it. I honor that.] Their notebooks were filled with comments. Each team came to a conclusion about exactly what they observed (wet or dry?/legs?/scales? That kind of thing.).

Tadpoles and salamanders...

...and frog eggs (tapioca) OH MY!

Even a couple of the camp counselors tried to identify the mysteries.

Every camper had a small notebook to jot down observations. The younger kids managed numbers and a few comments. The older campers were serious - some filled a page or more per item (and more than a few exclamation points). They were all amazing.

Some take neater notes than others.

But everyone took notes.*

I wish  I took notes like this - I often cannot read mine later.

This made me laugh. We provided wet-wipes for the kids to clean their hands. One volunteer had trouble with the "easy open" package. Guess which one!

We had frog choruses and frog races. It was sometimes raucous, but almost always fun. It was a game bunch - they participated, asked questions, and answered questions.

The camp staff were game too and the TMN** volunteers, well, there is no way to manage these things without a lot of help. JG, MAM, CM, and DH kept things rolling as we moved from activity to activity.

And we had a special moment midway through the afternoon. This camp is held in a home donated by the Saul family to the community. One of the Saul children arrived with her children. It must be wonderful to see how your family's gift is being used. 

One of the frog races.

One class closed with four frog races. The other ended with a loud frog chorus. We celebrated the frogs!

At least one youngster shared a desire to become a scientist, but I could tell there were several more scientific minds in this group.

And three insisted on thanking me with a quick "thanks" and a hug.


NOTES:

* When we handed out the notebooks the kids asked, "Can we keep these?" I figure that is a good sign... (For all you nature nerds - these are available at Dollar Tree. 3 for $1). The younger group is just learning to write and take notes. The older kids wrote a great deal. One youngster asked if he could have another notebook. "Sure, but don't tell anyone as I don't have enough to go around - again. Put it in your pocket." I'm such a pushover.

**Texas Master Naturalists, Good Water Chapter


FINAL NOTE:

We planned all along to eat at the town cafe. The Texan Cafe and Pie Shop is good. Everything is made from scratch. Some things are pretty unique. We'll go back. [We also ran into our neighbor - BT is one of DH's former commanders who came to visit the owner. We never see him in town, but a 45 minute drive away - there he is.]

Good queso and chips...really more than we could eat with our dinners.

I love these old buildings - my ancestors wandered this old downtown. We had planned to stop at the town cemetery, but decided against it...too hot...we will be back for that too.

Leave No Trace

Amphibians are dying out like crazy, 

and frogs and salamanders may be largely extinct 

by the end of the twenty-first century. 

Imagine an animal that begins its life in the water, 

but ends it on land 

- already, that's pretty weird. 

But, also, a lot of them are incredibly tiny and look wildly improbable. 

They have funny little toes, 

they stretch their throats into weird bubble shapes when they croak, 

and some of them are poisonous to the touch. 

I think kids from the twenty-second century 

might mythologize amphibians 

the way kids today mythologize dinosaurs.

~Annalee Newitz

Hands of some of the campers today. I had to blur the faces of two boys who are "that age."* [The perfect gift today]

I rolled my suitcase into the community center and began to organize the materials on a table before the volunteers showed up. This gig requires planning and flexibility - and volunteers, lots of volunteers.** The audience constantly changes so there is an ebb and flow of cliques. They are at a distracted age...in a distracted age.

My bag was packed. I love rolling suitcases.

Some of the "budding scientists" from two weeks ago were long gone. Still, the early group was marvelously cooperative and I had one young man*** in the second group who walked up to me at the end of class to see how he might be able to join us in our next amphibian watch (on Saturday). I gave him my card and asked him to have his parents email me.

The coral snake looks pretty real! (Photo by Mary Ann Melton)

The presentation includes the frogs (and one toad) most commonly seen and heard here. As we played the call of the Gulf Coast Toad, one young lady reacted -"I see those all over the place and I have heard that call!" 

One. All it takes is to capture the imagination of one - and I think we got two.

We had a fairly successful frog chorus (cricket frog rock clickers, Leopard frog trillers, bullfrog thrummers, and chorus frog card & comb players). It sounded pretty good, but there was user error with the audio recorder. I have another chance on Thursday and two more on Monday (with the little ones - possibly a more cooperative group). 

Frogs, snakes, insects, and such were captured, identified, and recorded. And we identified two snakes on iNaturalist.**** That was amazing, considering everything was rubber or plastic. Yikes!

Examining the Red-eared Slider.

I could not have managed without the amazing volunteers from our group (Good Water Master Naturalists). They called the group to order, introduced our topic and activities, handed out materials, organized the specimens, ran the audio/visual equipment, kept track of the nets, cleaned up, and took care of many things I am sure I missed. [A big round of applause and a "Hurrah!" for the indispensable "helpers!"]

American Bullfrog...and a pig? I don't think I have ever seen a pig on an Amphibian Watch. Feral hog evidence, but never a pig...donkeys at Berry Springs...no pigs.

My neatly packed suitcase is a wreck (it was easiest to just throw everything in and zip it up), but I have time to sort it all out before Thursday...different town and audience. [Shhh! Don't tell, but I have a plan for frog races.]*****

And I plan to start Thursday with a visit to the family. Stay tuned.

NOTES:

* How many photos do I have where one or both of my brothers managed to sneak in? I love them now, but I was not amused then. I loved it today.

**I have already taught it once. And the audience today is not exactly there because they want to be there...a little entertainment helps.

***He was a Scout. He had already had "Leave No Trace" training and so he was going to know many of the answers. He agreed to let others have a chance to answer. I do hope he comes to catch frogs on Saturday.

Leave No Trace Principles:

• Plan ahead and prepare.                                       
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces.                 
• Dispose of waste properly.                                                                         
• Leave what you find.                                            
• Minimize campfire impacts (be careful with fire).
• Respect wildlife.  
• Be considerate of other visitors.

****iNaturalist recognized the coral snake and decided the black snake was a North American Racer (I gotta write that down so I remember it - 3 more classes, you know).

I need to research North American Racer.

 *****I like to change things up. It's not like I will have repeaters at any of the sites (although camp counselors may hear the same stories and jokes too many times). Maybe I just do it for the repeat helpers and MAM, the woman who runs the projector (and helps to focus me...by the time this summer is over we will have heard it six times. I don't know about her, but I am easily bored). Changes are under way.

You Know You Are A Naturalist (Because You Are Not a Mad Dog or Englishman*) - A Family Story Of Sorts

"But why not sit and rest?" said one of the escort. 

"Only the devils and the English walk to and fro without reason." 

~ Rudyard Kipling, Kim

[Patience...the whining stops fairly quickly.]

It's July and it's hot.

I know I am repeating myself, but I cannot help it. It is miserable.

This is the time of year that people hustle to do all their chores before 9:00 a.m. because after that you cannot survive the walk from the parking lot into the store/business you're visiting.

These are the days you use half a bottle of sunscreen just to pick up your morning newspaper.

It feels more like August.

It feels more like hell.

I do not get out in this heat anymore - from July through early September.

I don't have to.

The corn is dry in the fields and the sorghum is brown-topped. The cotton is blooming and begging for just a little rain. Hell, we are all begging for just a little rain.

Getting close to harvest time for this corn.

And I am driving through the countryside to help out with a wildlife class or two (today we are talking about ducks). This one is in Hutto. [What is wrong with me?]

My people once lived in Hutto and so I think about them as I drive down these crazy roads. It's a wonder anyone survives driving some of these windy (winding?) roads. Some of my people - my daddy's people - are buried in the Old Hutto City Cemetery. I used to be able to see it from the old downtown area. It was just over the railroad tracks and surrounded by farms. It's now hidden among housing developments.

Hutto looks nothing like it did not all that long ago.

I thought I might visit the cemetery after the classes, but by then I was too tired (we stood most of 3 hours) and it was too hot (99 degrees whether we like it or not) so I headed off to Taylor in search of materials for my amphibian classes in just over a week (glutton for punishment? amphibian fan?).

Oh...naturalist...but wait, there's more...

As I drove more crazy roads I saw milkweed blooming in the ditches. "There's a place to stop," I thought. And I did.

Green Antelope Horns

I love these plants...

Cutting through a neighborhood I spied a dead Fox Squirrel and pulled over to take a photograph (There was a dead white-tailed deer about halfway back to the house - safe u-turn and photo there too. I'll save you from these sights.).

After finding necessary supplies (30 plastic jumping frogs! Hurrah!) I decided to drive by the egret rookery in Taylor's Murphy Park. It is fabulous. Pick an egret...any egret...and a cormorant or five. Yeah, I got outta the car. All the shady parking places were taken, but I wasn't planning to stay long.

The small swampy-looking island is covered by birds...the smell is pretty strong.

The rookery from the baseball field side of the pond.

Everyone is there...Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, cormorants, assorted ducks and what-have-you (that is southern for it is too hot to dawdle - I'm getting back in the air conditioning).

I headed home thinking about the differences in my parents' upbringing. Mom's people left town in the summer. There were stories of Lake Louise** and photos of donkey rides in the Rocky Mountains. [Even now - in this day of air conditioning - I have friends who spend the summer elsewhere and return only after the summer is done.]

Dad's people were farmers.*** They had to work the fields all summer. There was plowing and planting and hoeing and picking. It's hot just thinking about it. Escape was a quick swim in river or tank and maybe a Nehi Red in a shady place.

Neither Daddy nor any of his brothers grew up to be farmers**** (although his sister married a farmer). My brothers worked for that uncle on his family farm (not ours) many summers. How did any of them do it (neither of my brothers grew up to farm, although one continued to work/help out with friends on their farms in his "spare" time).

All of a sudden my drive changed and I had to pay attention.  I'd run up under one of those scattered summer showers. The sky darkened just a bit and the smell was powerful. I don't know if it is the rain on the dust or on the hot pavement, but it is the smell of the country - the smell of summer.

There were a number of spot showers across the fields. This one followed me home, but we only heard thunder - we got no rain.

Ghosts of summers past rode home with me today as I turned away from the fields and took shelter in my cool, dark home. The ghosts stayed outside - waiting for the next drive.

Oops! I almost forgot these - for all my sisters. "Pick a color. Pick a number...."

NOTES:

*"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun"...https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1&ei=wb5AW-LiBsGusAWn2YuAAQ&q=mad+dogs+and+englishmen+lyrics&oq=mad+dogs+and+englishmen+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i67k1l7j0l2j0i67k1.1898.1898.0.4341.1.1.0.0.0.0.78.78.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.77....0.UfTIkG4Sdro

Noel Coward got it from Kipling - https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/56/messages/121.html
 Also -- "Air and water are good, and the people are devout enough, but the food is very bad," Kim growled; "and we walk as though we were mad—or English...." (dialogue of Kim from Kim, Rudyard Kipling).

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Louise,_Alberta

***I have letters from one of my great uncles about farming in Williamson County and San Patricio Counties. First two letters here: http://jack0204.tripod.com/gen/flinn/John_E_Flinn_Letters.htm

****They were a pilot, an engineer, and an insurance man and a lawyer. All served in the military and all graduated from college.

Final Note: It just came to me - despite carrying this Irish name for over 60 years, my DNA says Great Britain (I can hardly type it without shaking my head). Whatever... it seems I'm embracing my inner Englishwoman...

Cocooning on the 4th

I have no clue if it's true 

and I don't much want to look, 

but I bet a war happens inside the cocoon. 

~ Darnell Lamont Walker

Good morning!

A larger group than our normal crowd met early and at a different park (the better to avoid the chaos of the parade downtown - we have all done our time over the years and will celebrate the day without attending and fighting the crowds and heat downtown).

So we took a walk round and round the paved paths. The squirrels showed up as did a few other walkers.

Isn't this an odd group?

Where did that squirrel go?

And this giant cocoon watched over everything.

I wonder what kind of butterfly will break outta this cocoon!?! [It's the wonderful old river bridge getting a face lift. This type of bridge is becoming so rare.]

Final Note:
It poured rain a few times over the afternoon.

We mostly stayed put and snuggled with the animals as fireworks sounded all around. The rain provided some protection from wayward bottle-rockets and sparking gunpowder so it was safer than most dry years, but I wish people would not set off fireworks in the city limits. It is generally not a safe situation for children and it frightens the animals. [There is a reason for those ordinances people - many fires are started each year by fireworks and the property damage astronomical - and completely avoidable] Okay. Sermon over. Fourth over.  Thank heavens. Animals breathe a heavy sigh as do I.

[Oh, I forgot about our failed attempt to support some of my former students. We headed out to the park to buy hamburgers at their fundraiser only to find that people were lining up to get in for the fireworks that would begin in a few hours. The roads were all blocked. We beat a hasty retreat and ate chicken from the grocery store - mesquite baked, mind you. The road to hell, after all. We will start out earlier next year unless we get a better offer...]

Feed the Birds (Don't Forget the Cats)

Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag

Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman, Feed the Birds *

The woman loved by all the creatures made an appearance. And she moves fast.

Have I shared that it is hot and humid? The weather reports say we are about 10 degrees above normal and I do not doubt it. So we are walking earlier and earlier each day - as early as we can manage to drag ourselves out of bed (drink a couple of gulps of coffee, find the leash, pocket the dog bags, and lure the pup out of the house and into the car). VM always has a smile on her face. I hope I do too...but sometimes, I fear, it's a "not enough coffee" sleepy face for me.

Even though we were arriving early, we had not seen the bird/cat lady in weeks. Until today.

As we rounded the corner from the north parking, we spied her under the trees.** Her arms were full of bags and gallon containers - cracked corn and cat food. I exclaimed, "There you are! We have missed seeing you!" She replied, "Oh, I am usually much earlier than this! I'm late today." Then she busied herself with making sure the creatures ate. She called the cats - each has a name. I'll have to ask her again as was so pleased to see her that the names just flew out of my head like the pigeons fleeing before the puppies. And the grey cat we have not seen in weeks was back today as well. She's an older cat so maybe

We saw herons, a cardinal, and other birds, but nothing brought us more joy, on this day, than seeing our friend at her self-appointed task.

Tomorrow will bring crowds, bands, traffic, and noise.** We've chosen a different park for our walk as we suspect the birds will have flown off to a quieter spot on the creek until the festivities are through. Certainly the cat lady will finish her tasks early so her charges can shelter away from the chaos. We will return on Thursday.

Other things in the park/creek today:

Waning moon and crows...

This Great Blue Heron more than performed today. It flew downstream and then moved to two more spots for photo opportunities.

In addition to this GBH there was one Yellow-crowned Night Heron and one Green Heron.

I love the echo of the red in the Cardinal and the jogger's shirt.

NOTES:

*Feed the Birds lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

**To be honest, we saw the cats running towards her and the birds gathered. Follow the critters...

It's time for the carnival. I always think of the kids when I see a carnival setting up. They loved carnivals and their dad would take them...after overheating at one in Lampasas my carnival days were over.