Cricket Crawl DC Baltimore 2014

August 22nd, 2014, I participated in my first-ever citizen science project.  Cricket Crawl DC Baltimore 2014 is a project started by ANS* insect teacher Cathy Stragar for the Natural History Society of Maryland.  What follows recaps my adventures including the scope of the project which was simply this:

Pick a place to listen to crickets and katydids singing after 9 at night and in one minute record what you hear on the official Cricket Crawl data sheet. Submit your findings via email, twitter or instagram.  The study tracks 8 species whose calls are uploaded to SoundCloud and available for listening on the Cricket Crawl DC Baltimore 2014 Facebook page and website.  

Cricket Crawl was fun, and despite not following the instructions completely, I'm happy to report that I heard more than I thought I would. I don’t tweet and I don’t twitter so when I re-read the instructions the next day, I discovered too late that I needed to email my results immediately. I felt badly.  I emailed my teacher hoping for the best... the best being that my data was included in the study.  Like the insects I was listening to, all I wanted was to be counted.

I've stared long and hard at bugs before, whether I knew what I was looking at or not, because I find bugs interesting.  (Who doesn't when you consider that insects comprise 75% of the animal kingdom?)  Since taking Insect Life at ANS this summer, I've learned a little more about identifying insects, sorting them by class and have started paying closer attention to who's playing "summer's symphony" day and night.

When all the insects sing, it's difficult to distinguish individual calls and name each one properly. Oh the noise, noise, noise. But when I stepped out my front door to begin cricket crawling, I singled out the Lesser Anglewing immediately.  Amid the cacophony, this crisp sound came from across the street. In fact, it probably came from my neighbor’s towering oak trees. But my target study area was Ayrlawn Park at the end of the street; it was time for me to move on. 

When I reached the top of the park, I put down my paraphernalia which included two field guides, a clip board, flashlight, smart phone and a fancy-schmancy messenger bag to carry all this stuff and set up my chair.  I pulled out my smart phone, opened Facebook and began to listen for crickets.  But all I could hear was the “damn” sleigh bell ring of the tree crickets – sleigh bells drowned out all the other singers and they aren't on the Cricket Crawl SoundCloud survey.  So I grabbed my chair, packed my stuff and headed further into the open field where I set-up a new camp. That's when I really began to tune my ear and record my findings.

The first note I heard came from the Japanese Burrowing Cricket.  The second call was a Common True Katydid. As I trekked further into the 9-acre woods that flank Ayrlawn Park I heard the rest of the band play including a Jumping Bush Cricket and Fork-tailed Katydid.

However, I did not hear the common Field Cricket's classic chirp, nor the Greater Anglewing which sounds like a geiger counter, and neither did the Oblong-winged Katydid sing for me.  Its call is too high and out of my hearing range.  Like Goldilocks, I need everything "just right."

Since that night I have heard the Greater Anglewing sing in my neighbor's tree.  And last Saturday this Fork-tailed Katydid pictured below spent the evening with me.  I hoped it would tell me the story of how it lost a leg but instead it remained silent on the subject.

The good news is this: the crickets will continue to sing as long it's a dry night and the temperature doesn't drop below 60F.  If you want to tune your ear now for Cricket Crawl 2015 you can! Just follow this link to hear the species sing:  https://soundcloud.com/cricketcrawl2013

*ANS is short for Audubon Naturalist Society located at Woodend in Chevy Chase, MD.

THE LITTLE PERP

I didn’t know his name 

but the Perp was black,

and had six legs.

One set spread out

long and wide

                at his side.

And he used them like paddles, canoeing the tide pool at Ocean City, NJ where we were vacationing.

So I did what anyone would do...

I picked him up. 

I could tell the little bugger was uncomfortable in my hand because he went slack.  Not wanting him to get away so fast, I secured permission from Tommy and Anna to let the bugger swim in the moat they had built for their Hermit Crab collection.  By now they had amassed over 100 little crabs and created three warring states.  My guy swam among them, diving down every so often for what I don’t know but he seemed happy enough.

Then along came three little boys who wanted to see what we were up to.  The oldest was curious and liked the idea of holding my bug so I let him.  I told the kid I liked how he held the bug; that he was kind not to kill him.  Then I suggested he let the bug swim again.  He didn't, instead he said,

“I want to show him to my… OW!”

Then he cried… really loud too.

Now I’m in trouble.

Who knew the bugger didn’t like being held so much?  (I guessed as much.)

Who knew the bugger could sting like a bee?  (I certainly didn’t; he never stung me!)

How was I going to explain this to the kid’s Mom?  The only thing I was certain of was that my bug was a True Bug, Order Hemiptera, Class Insecta, Phyllum, Arthropoda.  Beyond that, I wasn’t certain whether his sting was poisonous like a scorpion or spider, also both arthropods but not true bugs.

In the end, his Mom took it well; his Grandpa laughed.  When I got home, I looked the bugger up and discovered my paddler is a Water Boatman, Hesperocorixa vulgaris. 

How appropriate. 

And in the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, it says on page 116:  “These insects will deliver a stinging bite if handled carelessly.” Need I say more? J

A HUG FOR ONE ROCK

Can you imagine what it feels like to work at a place where everyone wants to hug you? I can and it's wonderful.

At the end of volunteering for Audubon Naturalist Society’s Unplug and Play Afterschool Program on Wednesday, the students swarmed me for wanting more pieces of me.  I swear.  And all because I had just given them a rock... or two as the case may be.  And then I told them a story that went like this:

“I got a rock…

That you can choose for your very own but please, when I see you next, tell me what you did with it.

In my family, rocks are special.  Not just because they come from deep beneath the earth but because when all else fails, it’s something to play with.

Sometimes, when we are walking along a river or creek, my kids will pick up a rock, skip it and count the rings.  But if their rock isn’t flat enough, they will simply throw it as far as they can and say “Look, Rock Fish!”

If we are walking along a wooded path, sometimes I’ll see monuments made out rocks that others before me stacked up.  In that moment, I will find my own rock and add it to the pile so everyone else knows I was there too. 

Sometimes my kids will paint their rock and add it to my garden. 

One thing they never do is throw it at another person.  It would be disrespectful to the rock.

So enjoy this river rock, and the next time I see you, whether it’s next week or after Spring Break, tell me what you did with it because I want to know.”

See.  Getting hugs is that easy.  So on the way home, I crafted this poem which reflects just how I feel right now…

I am playing the part of a naturalist

And the woods are my proscenium.

If you all be my audience

Then you’ll be my muse too

Because I need you.

“BITE YOUR HEAD OFF”

Until now “bite your head off” was just an expression.  No one does that really.  It is a metaphor for “stay out of my way.”  An expression of anger… at you… at me… at something…  The what doesn’t generally matter.  No “wrong-doing” need actually occur between biter and bitee.  To bite your head off is an act of displacement, transferring aggression between brother and sister because mom just scolded one of you.

Until now... when I yelled at my dog Rover to "COME HERE; BAD BOY!” The next dog (her name is Addie) to get in his way after being duly humiliated by me got more than just a show of teeth.  I was shocked.  Rover is usually so quiet.  I used to call him a beta dog until someone corrected me and said that isn't a term.  But alpha dog is a term and Addie is an alpha dog until Rover set her straight by barring his teeth and growling then lunging at her face to bite it off for simply sniffing and welcoming him to the dog walk.

Bite your head off.   I get it.  Even dogs pass it on.

THE MERITS OF SCOUTING

Camping

If Tommy wasn’t a Boy Scout, I might never learn to pitch a tent because my husband refuses to camp with me.  He fears I’ll make him do all the work.  In Boy Scouts, the boys have to do all the work so I’m good to go now!

Birding

Eric finds birding boring.  Tommy signed up for Bird Study two years ago and now he wants to finish it.  Since summer started we’ve gone biking and kayaking together and identified at least 10 birds.  He needs 20 birds for the badge.  You know what that means?  Tommy and I are going hiking soon.

Laundry

No Scout becomes an Eagle Scout without completing Family Life.  And no Scout earns Family Life without doing laundry.  Tommy earned Family Life; I made sure of it.

Lists

It’s come to my attention that making lists is a girl thing.  Not a boy thing.  However, making lists is an important life skill.  So when it was time to pack for Philmont, do you know the first thing Bobby did?  He made a list.  It’s a start and I’ll take it.

Ga-Ga, Murder & Mafia

I still haven’t figured out what the rules of play are but one thing is for certain – when the boys are playing Ga-Ga, Murder & Mafia they are unplugged.

Stories

Boy Scouts leave their electronics behind when they go camping, including cameras.  And as much as I would like to see some of the places they go without me, the stories they come home with are even better.   

Beef Jerky

Personally, I won’t touch the stuff but at least I know Tommy won’t starve on the trail as long as he has a bag of beef jerky.

Less is More

When Tommy came home from Seabase with a bag full of laundry, I knew he didn’t over pack – he took only what he needed.  Isn’t that how traveling should be? 

Speaking of Scouting          

Boys Scouts speak all the time.  They speak at weekly meetings; they speak at Court of Honor; they speak to one another when they are camping.  In fact, you’d be surprised how much a boy has to say when you don’t ask them, “how was your day?”

Badges

Earning Merit Badges is fun and they look good too.  Even Tommy thinks his uniform looks better with 13 badges adorning it.  And I think the look of pride on his face every time he earns a new badge is beautiful.  But badge or no badge, the real merits of Scouting are the experiences gained every time the boys are camping, hiking, biking, skiing, rafting, caving, volunteering, orienteering or just plain cheering.  No one can take that away from them; they earned it.    

APPLES TO APPLES

Control has nothing to do with the hand you are dealt in life especially when you are playing cards. On this particular night I am playing Apples to Apples with 4 of my nieces and nephews and my 3 kids.  On my left is my nephew Ian and on my right is my son Tommy and we are having a great time betting our wits against each other.  What newbies don’t know is that Apples to Apples is really a Personality Test.  In other words, it doesn’t matter how many green cards you win throughout the game, it only matters what the cards say in the end.  

We must have played an hour or more by the time some mom said time for bed.  But before everyone scattered, we each took a turn reading our hand.  Tonight’s tally was especially fun:

My son Tommy won the game with the following cards:   Busy, Absurd, Wild, Boisterous, Cute and Emotional.  (I think he couldn’t have been happier with his sum total.)

I got POWERFUL, Dead and  Unreal (I was pumped when I won Powerful first; when I got Dead and Unreal, Ian told me that made me a Dictator. Hummmm.)

My husband got: Smart, Glorious, Meek, (Again, hummmmmmmmmmm.)          

                       

As it turns out, my daughter is Talented, Stunning, Perfect, TWISTED (BTW, she used to win cards like Sweet, Cute, Playful and Happy.)

And it didn’t matter that that my 18-year old son Bobby joined the game late; in short order he picked up: Fabulous and Sharp.  (You know, “every girl’s crazy about a sharp-dressed man” and how the cards new that, I don’t know.)

Angela won Creative.   If you are handed only one card in life, I would argue that CREATIVE is the best.

Little six-year Dominique picked up Frightening.  Even she laughed out loud.  And her brother Xavier won Fresh and Loud then squealed with delight I’m sure imagining what his mother would think of them apples.

And finally, Ian, the nephew on my left, got: FILTHY, Primitive, Idiotic.

Ian didn’t win but judging by the look on his FILTHY face, you wouldn’t know it.  Instead, you would have thought he won the grand prize.  Ian has a wry sense of humor and understands irony well as does the rest of this bunch.

I love Apples to Apples because in a world where we are constantly trying to find ourselves it really is written in the cards.  You just have to play it and read it for yourself.

I GOT A ROCK

What would you expect a bald Geology teacher to say when he walks into class holding a bag in his hands?

Well, forget about it.  This Charlie Brown moment only happened in my head.  Too bad though, I think Professor Marx missed his moment for stand-up comedy.

Half the time I am the only one who has a question and Professor Marx loves questions.  In fact, he starts out every class, “Does anyone have a question?”   Sometimes I ask one to mask the fact that I didn’t read the material but I still want to impress him that I’m interested in rocks.  Other times, I really am baffled.  But then I’m afraid that asking my question will hit Professor Marx’ re-set button at which point he will start at the very beginning again when the earth was a hot ball, cooling from the outside-in, over 4.5 billion years ago.  

So here’s what I’ve got so far:

The study of Geology is a crash course in sediments where information accumulates, layers, shifts, solidifies then makes me question the ground I stand (or sit) on.