Yucky or Beautiful?

My son, the one with the millipede and the Alligator lizard, and I gave a presentation at an elementary school science fair the other night. We had an assortment of science and math activities - origami, home-made electronic devices, and nature photography - and our display board included the photo of Ryan with the millipede. Almost every visitor uttered, "Yuck" or "Isn't it poisonous?" The next day as we talked over the experience we agreed upon two things. One, virtually all the kids we encountered seemed hyperactive, and, two, they must spend little or no time in the woods. At what age does the division begin? That is, the division between those who think virtually every bug, amphibian and reptile is ugly and/or dangerous and those who feel affection and curiosity about these creatures. We agreed it must be pretty early and is taught. My own kids learned at a very early age that it is quite simple to tell a millipede from a centipede, that centipedes can sting and will if you handle them carelessly and that millipedes are not only harmless but it's fun to watch them crawl. In fact, it's fun to compare the wave pattern of a centipede's legs with a millipede's as they walk along. One exhibits a "standing" wave that the critter appears to flow through while the other produces a wave that moves forward slightly faster than the critter itself. Next time you encounter either of these, spend a little time watching rather than squishing. You'll find it fascinating.
As for alligator lizards, the kids learned from experience that they may bite when you attempt to catch them, but not seriously. Then they hand tame pretty readily, they feed readily in captivity, and are beautiful to watch. We usually keep them as guests for a while then return them to their original habitat. They will eat most any bug you provide as well as slugs, worms, and even tiny mice, although we haven't tried that. Some lay eggs and others are live-bearers. There are two species in this area, the northern and the southern alligator lizards. If you want to get more familiar with these magnificent lizards, be careful you don't grab the tail. It comes off easily and it takes a lot of energy and time to grow a new one. If you find one that hasn't yet lost a tail, its tail can be longer than its body, totaling over a foot.
If you're a parent, consider the consequences of raising a child that is aversive to most wild creatures versus one who develops a protective attitude toward the environment. Consider reading Richard Louv's great book, "Last Child in the Woods," and avoid passing on to your child what he calls 'nature deficit disorder.'

What's in a name? - LOTS!

Lots of text in my last couple of posts, so today it's back to pretty pictures. These were chosen because I love their names. Click on any photo for a larger image. They are fiddleneck, henbit dead nettle, and yerba santa.

I Believe in Miracles, Not....

I had to read a book of essays by Montaigne when I was an 18-year-old college freshman, much too young to appreciate the man. Now, having spent most of my life as an amateur naturalist, I keep stumbling across his wisdom. I think I'll go find a copy of "Montaigne's Essays" and read them again. I am incurably curious, especially about natural phenomena - is there any other kind? Yesterday, as I was musing about Groundhog Day [By the way, Happy Groundhog Day; according to the tame one in Punxsatawny, PA, we're in for 6 more weeks of winter.] I ran across this one by Montaigne: "Miracles arise from our ignorance of nature, not from nature itself." Amazing that he could have that insight before Darwin's and Wallace's findings. Over 200 years before them, in fact! In an era when Galileo could be punished for simply stating his observations, most people were afraid to even think such a thought, much less state it openly.

Getting "Psyched" about Groundhog Day

"Real" American style groundhogs (Marmota monax), AKA woodchucks, live "back East," and are the closest thing to the European hedgehog that German immigrants could find with which to carry on an ancient European tradition. There are many places on the world-wide-web to find out more than you want to know about the tradition. Here's a little California-style trivia. The infamous Punxsatawny Phil of Pennsylvania[ is the name of a series of captive groundhogs, much like the many Lassies] is pulled out of his comfortable habitat in order to see if he can see his shadow. If so, there will theoretically be another 6 weeks of winter. If not, there will be an early spring. Problem is, according to the US Weather Service, Phil is only about 40% accurate!
Here in California the closest relative we have to Phil is known as the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris). Since they usually live above 6,500' in elevation, and those heights are now under several feet of snow, I don't think we'll be seeing any tomorrow. So, I figure if I just step outside I'll either see my own shadow or not. Forecast, at this hour, is "mostly cloudy and 40% chance of rain." I'm sure that somewhere in its range the yellow-bellied marmot will have a sunny day and elsewhere it will be raining or snowing. So, where does that leave us?
I guess we just decide whether it's fun to play this game, vicariously if we don't live near Phil, or decide, like PETA, that it's cruel to use the groundhog in this manner and campaign to have the celebration stopped!
I'll leave you with a little more trivia - since I don't yet have a photo of a marmot. Marmots are rodents, in the squirrel family, Sciurridae, and they are one of three types of very large rodents we have in the USA, the other two being beavers and nutria, the latter being non-native. A story I've heard many times, but never verified, is that the person responsible for importing the first nutria to the USA was one E. I. McIlhenny of Tabasco(c) fame. He evidently imported them in order to start a fur business. However, they loved Louisiana so much they reproduced like crazy and have been a problem ever since. Just ask the native muskrats!
I've written in my journal "as soon as the snow melts this spring, go up to the top of Mt. Hough where marmots abound and take some pictures." Look for them here toward the end of May (pessimistic) or mid-June (optimistic) if we have a good snow pack.

Read Your Own Stuff, Joe....

In my last post about the great meeting in Chico I paraphrased Galileo. Now, embarrassed to discover that I included the actual quote in my January 10 post. It's much more eloquent than my recent paraphrase. Please go back and read it. I am still angry over what happened to Galileo.

Making the World Safe for Atheists

Last Monday afternoon my 15-year-old son Ryan and I drove down the tremendous Feather River Canyon to Chico to see the great biologist/blogger PZ Myers at a small gathering arranged by the Skeptical Students Alliance. PZ is a professor at U Minn at Morris and his blog Pharyngula is an important [I believe] collection of science news, humor, and ammunition for people who believe in quality science education in the battle(s) to keep religion out of science classrooms and politics. It is embarrassing to me that only about 40% of Americans accept the fact of evolution. The great scientist Charles Darwin who developed the theory of natural selection as a giant step toward understanding evolution once said "all observation must be for or against some view if it is to be of any service." [ I got that quote off PZ's blog.] As a naturalist, I think virtually all my observations in nature support the fact of evolution.
PZ had been touring California for a week, speaking at a different college every day, by the time he arrived in Chico Monday afternoon. My son and I drove through the Canyon in a driving rain, and during one pee stop got this photo of a beautiful geologic phenomenon around 15 miles west of the Greenville Y. It was a reminder of the incredible dynamics going on beneath us all the time. Also, it provides habitat for all sorts of interesting microorganisms, extremophiles, conjuring up images of what the first life on Earth might have been like.
We arrived at the Graduate by 4:00. It was a noisy restaurant/pool hall/bar that many college students must love, but, for my tastes, not a great place to host a distinguished scholar. We enjoyed it anyway, straining to hear PZ's answers to the many questions posed by the group, all of whom were obviously quite familiar with his blog.
While PZ is an "out" atheist, and he has a book about atheism coming out soon, his crusade [probably not the best term here] has to do with fighting off the agressive attempts by religious fundamentalists to promote "alternative theories" to the modern theory of evolution when there aren't any. Manufacturing new terms - first creation science, then intelligent design - to masquerade religion as science and fighting for "equal time" in science classrooms has the intended effect of interrupting science education. Intelligent Design is not a theory, it is a religious belief. PZ believes science educators need to do a much better job of teaching students what a theory actually is, and that science is based on evidence. Scientific theories must be testable and capable of being proven wrong. It's a huge subject, and very important. For beginners, check out Pharyngula. Also, there's a blog called Halfway There written by a math professor who saw a couple of PZ's talks and posted transcripts.
I write about the event and the issue here because they greatly impact thesubject of natural history. Soon, I will be posting an essay I'm calling The History of Natural History. In a nutshell, most naturalists a couple of hundred years ago were creationists and used traps and shotguns to gather lots of specimens. Then, over time, Darwin's theory was accepted by virtually all biological scientists and naturalists and the shotgun gave way to the camera and field journal. Natural historians came to see themselves as an integral part of nature rather than as detached observers. Progress? I think so.
I'll finish this with my favorite quote from Galileo (paraphrased) "I cannot believe that a god would give us the faculty for thinking then forbid us to use it." Oh, the middle photo, taken by my son, shows PZ Myers on the right, eating a hamburger, and me on the left, eating a gardenburger, and the president of the students' club (didn't get his name) in the middle.

Happy Fellow at Oakland Feather River Camp

I hope I see him there again this spring.