The Rivanna Rambler

 

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December 18, 2008

Learning to identify trees is the business of the amateur naturalist — and these days, one that includes learning about and spreading the word about invasive pests that are threatening whole species, such as the Emerald Ash Borer.

Last weekend I took a short walk along the scrubby and thinly buffered banks of the Rivanna near Free Bridge with some fellow Master Naturalists.  We were out to hone our tree identification skills – best done, I’ve found, after the fall of leaves when one is forced to use the most reliable tools of branching, bark, and leaf scar shape to confirm the ID.

Land disturbance and compaction at this site along the river has been pretty much uninterrupted with a succession of fords and bridges dating back to the 1700s – making the area vulnerable to a host of invasive species, such as Siberian elm, callery pear, and Oriental bittersweet.  But we also found plenty of natives: box elders, sycamores, and green and white ash.  I’ve learned over the short time I’ve practiced my naturalist skills that it is best to focus on one or two species in any given walk, lest I become overwhelmed and loose everything in the resulting confusion.  On this day, I’d chosen the ash tree, genus Fraxinus, a tree whose wood is strong and straight-grained for use in hardwood flooring, but tough and elastic when used in baseball bats, canoe paddles, and oars. 

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August 28, 2008

 

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Photo of cranefly orchid, Tipularia discolor, courtesy of Rose Brown.

This show originally aired in August 28, 2008 on “The Rivanna Rambler,” a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net

When Teddy Roosevelt, known to be both big game hunter and amateur botanical collector, was asked to give an account of his interest and experience as an amateur naturalist, he replied, “The former has always been very real; and the latter, unfortunately, very limited.” I imagine most of us amateur naturalists feel pretty much the same way: it’s nigh impossible to imagine knowing very many organisms to the species level with the latest count around 2 million named and millions more suspected.

So we amateurs fall somewhere on the spectrum between curious and crazed, seeking to manage the acquisition of knowledge in ways that personally give pleasure. Birders pursue life lists

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June 12, 2008

 

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This show originally aired on June 12, 2008 on “The Rivanna Rambler,” a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net

It could be any spring day on the river. True, the weather is especially cooperative: May morning temperature just rising from the low 60’s as we approached the water. Cumulus and blue above, the green fully leafed out over the river. You might say that it was as scenic as a perfect Virginia morn, as you put your boat in the water amongst cattails and the fresh mist from the sheets of water tumbling over the dam at the South Fork Rivanna River Reservoir.

Or, you might, as we were, be launching your kayaks and canoes for a trip with the specific task

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Environmental educators are pushing legislation called “No Child Left Inisde” to promote outdoor, experiential time in nature to help combat what is now being called “Nature Deficit Disorder.” But it does not take just special programs in school to help get kids outside and enjoying the wonders of nature: simply inviting a young friend to the woods or the stream will yield great rewards for both of you.

 

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This show originally aired on April 3, 2008 on “The Rivanna Rambler,” a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net.

I have promised my six-year old friend that our time together this afternoon will involve “water,” so Aibek arrives at my house with boots that reach almost to his knees, a change of clothes, drinking water, and a snack. We are ready!

We walk through the neighborhood, where many of the backyards lean down towards small creeks that are headed, like us, towards Greenleaf Park.

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March 21, 2008

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Photo by Dudley Rochester

Most landscapes are filled with textures, the complex interweaving of habitat edges, vegetative cover, seasonal changes, all illuminated and made unique by the time of day and season, the weather, the degree of human disturbance or succession into its next natural phase.

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