May 28th, 2012

Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to get posted over the past couple of weeks…

Grade 4 Saginaw student shows no fear of a leech (bloodsucker) during pond study!!

Franklin P.S. staff member needs new boots, discovers Blair Creek is indeed a cold-water stream!!

Poison Ivy

Here’s a plant you want to avoid as it’s oils are a skin irritant causing discomfort ranging from a minor rash to major blistering and burning.  While my reaction to it is minimal, my wife may break out just reading this.  PI grows in only one or two locations at Blair – I spent some time this morning pushing it back through cracks in the boardwalk where “pedestrian” traffic is heavy.  This photo shows the characteristic blunt-toothed, three-leaf arrangement.

Grammatical Butterflies

These two butterflies seen in the forest at Blair this morning can be identified by the silvery “punctuation marks” on the underside of their hind wings.  They are the “Question Mark” and the “Eastern Comma”.  They are members of the Anglewing family,  named for the irregular outline of their wings.  Camouflaged at rest with their wings folded, they look  remarkably like dead leaves in the forest.  However the uppersides, as though a Jeckyll and Hyde personality,   are boldy coloured in orange and black.

Click on either photo to open in a new window, then click to zoom up for a good look at the punctuation marks.