Saturday, September 06, 2008

Kelleys Island Collective Naturalizing

Rico G. and I are back from our last botanizing trip to Kelleys Island State Park. A few pics from the island. If you'd like to offer an interpretation, please pick a number and go at it. There are some things that we are going to need help with here, especially those two strange cans. These things are all over the island, and the strangest thing is that they don't have any easy way of being opened, and many of them appear to never have been opened. What are these things?

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This weekend, I'm participating for the first time in the "Camera Critters" meme. Welcome new readers.

Tom






22 comments:

  1. I love the caterpillar pic- isn't that for a monarch? Looks like a great place to camp.

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  2. 17...do they have something to do with fishing? floats? markers? What are they made of?

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  3. 4. pig bones?
    5. I just showed those same bugs on a mildweed pod here! Milkweed beetles of some sort?

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  4. Mary- Hmm, that is a good idea, considering they never have holes typically and they don't look like they were meant to be open.

    4. I'm not sure about the bones.... they are kind of short and squatty.

    5. I believe these are milkweed bug adults and nymphs, but I'm merely speculating. Thanks for playing,

    Tom

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  5. Tom: I go to Triangle lake to get a whitefaced dragonfly and you get one in red, amazing.
    Thanks for your advice on the camera.

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  6. Hey Botany Guy-

    Those sure look like white-faced meadow hawk dragonflies! Better check to see if they are a state record in Erie County! Very nice.

    Double check - but the cans could be floats for commercial fishing nets...
    Weedpicker Cheryl

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  7. Tom- Pretty cool little guy, isn't it? I bet you can find these in Portage County. Meadowhawks are pretty common and very tame, making them easy to photograph.

    Cheryl- Larry has Erie marked for white faces. I've looked at several shots of whitefaces with whiter faces and rubies with faces just as white as this. I took pictures of this one because I suspected it could be a whiteface, but after reading more things, it seems like Sympetrum is somewhat messy, with several species hybridizing, according to Larry's book. This one sure does have a light colored face though!

    And you and Mary I think are on to something about those cans. That completely makes sense.

    Tom

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  8. #6 looks like a sumac tree of some sort.

    #2 I agree with Megan, a monarch caterpillar.

    The rest??? I'll stay tuned!

    Thanks so much for identifying my weed today, I really appreciate it!!!
    Chris

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  9. Chris, yes, #6 is a sumac. It is a staghorn sumac.

    And yes, #2 is a monarch caterpillar. This one was munching on swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata.

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  10. 5 My Asclepias tuberosa pods are cover with orange insects as well - but it looks like mine are aphids and yours are milkweed bugs.

    11 is a sedge - one of the ones that reminds me of a medieval weapon.

    13 Wow, Tom - that's a great picture! I love how the light reflects off the wings.

    15 I don't know what this spider is, but there were a lot of them in the woods last summer and quite a few this summer. They seem to make their webs just at face height so you walk right into them and end up with the spider on your face/hat/shirt.

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  11. I'm not expert on anything like this, but I do love the monarch caterpillar, and the dragonfly is absolutely beautiful.
    Very strange and very pretty orange bugs, whatever they are.
    Welcome to Critters. Hope you come back every week.

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  12. Tom, what SUPER nature photographs and a great post!!! You find the most interesting subjects. I am head scratching while looking at many of them.

    Jeff thinks the cans are actually net floats...they keep the nets open.

    I am EXCITED taking the photography course. You are right. I have learned tons already and haven't even sent in the first assignment.

    Blessings, JJ

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  13. What a fabulous never ending collection.

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  14. Kathleen- Yep, I believe this one was common milkweed. I brought back some tuberosa seeds though and hopefully I'll get them established. Do you have them at your condo?

    The sedge is Carex lupulina. Good call. It does look like a mace. And over the past two weeks, I've taken dozens of these things right to the face. It is not fun.

    Thank Bobbie- I will try to make it.

    JJ- enjoy, can't wait to see the photos you create.

    Thank you Babooshka. I like to these types of posts with lots of natural history "eye candy"

    Tom

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  15. I'm waiting for more comments on number 15...what is that spider carrying?? Thanks for the grass identification on my blog. You are always so helpful! We may be in Ohio this weekend...I would like to do the Urbana quilt barn tour if we get that far north before heading back home.

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  16. The dragon flies are really nice, Tom and some of the others are beautiful to see. I have no clues as to what the ribbed containers might be.

    I don't know if you have seen any Pileated Woodpeckers lately but one was in our neighborhood and landed in my neighbor's tree and then flew directly over my head. I have the photos posted on My Birds Blog. I would be interested in knowing where is the best place to see these birds as this was the first male I have seen here in 46 years.

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  17. wow, these photos looks fantastic! the spider ones are creeping me out though...

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  18. Yeah, I planted tuberosa at my condo last year and they're doing great. You're welcome to the seeds if you want them. I bought them at "A Proper Garden" but they couldn't tell me where their seeds were from.

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  19. These are some absolutely fantastic photos! My favorite is the red dragonfly, but that's only because I tend to be a dragonfly addict ;-)

    I'm so glad you decided to share these photos with us on Camera-Critters. It really means a lot to me, and I hope to see more of your critter photos each week! (even if I am late getting around to all the posts this week hehe)

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  20. Tom, the cans are older gill net floats. When i was working on some boats in the 1970's the floats were made of plastic, so these go back a ways.

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  21. Oh WOW those insect pictures are... magnificent! It's not just that they are beautiful, it's also great to see some American bugs (I'm in the UK)

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  22. John P- Thanks very much. The floats are all over the island, and were a mystery to us. Thanks very much for your help.

    Bird- Glad you enjoyed the bug pictures!

    Tom

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