Well, I haven't posted in a while, and that is just wrong. For those following, sorry!
Just going over my e-mail, and it looks like the Miami Blue Butterfly is going to be added to the Endangered Species List, and it will affect the Cassius Blue and others, as they look so similar. I sent a notice to the list where I received this telling members they better add this one to their collection before they're all gone. I hope to cause a firefight, as, you see, I have no use for collections of insects, and feel the collectors are just plain wrong. I feel the same way about trophy hunting.
Not that I have anything against hunting, just trophy hunting; you are killing off your breeding stock. No farmer in this world would kill off his prize herd bull, but we do it every season by killing off "record breaking" deer, elk, moose, and what have you. And they wonder why there are so few record breakers in modern times. When you kill bucks with big antlers, you select against that trait, and select for smaller antlers (bucks with smaller antlers live, where the big boys get killed - smaller antlers live to get their genes to the next generation, while the big boys don't. Any other argument has little validity, and is just an excuse for trophy hunting.). Ask any Biologist. Oh, I am a Biologist! People who hunt for food, on the other hand, are hunting for the smaller, younger (and therefore less tough) specimens, and are leaving the bigger ones alone to breed and make healthy youngsters.
Back to collecting. Same thing here. All the arguments with the notable exception of scientific research have little validity. One prominent group on the Internet (Yahoo Groups) has the motto "We cannot Protect What We Do Not Know". Another argument for collecting of moths and butterflies, and I say "horse apples" With modern photography and the ability to take close up photos of even genitalia, that argument ends in the scrap heap along with oology (collecting of bird's eggs) and plume hunting. And, yes, there are collectors who hunt butterflies commercially, to provide specimens to people who want to "fill out" their collections.
Now, I figure that some of these folks would be just like the fellows in the early days of our country who collected birds and their eggs, and if it were legal, would happily collect them without a single thought or prick of conscience, and would argue loudly (and these butterfly and moth collectors do, flaming me mightily when I post my views on collecting) if we were to talk about outlawing it, but, alas, birds are protected for the most part by the North American Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the hunting of game birds and waterfowl are tightly controlled. You see, market hunting (sort of like commercial butterfly and moth collectors) and egg collecting and specimen collection for people's drawing rooms, or even study skins (sort of like people's drawers full of butterflies) had cut many bird populations to almost nothing, forcing the US government in 1918 to step in and stop all of this, forming a treaty with Canada and (later) Mexico. Nothing, however, was ever done about collecting butterflies and their cousins the moths, which goes rolling along without a glitch, and these "responsible" collectors go out and teach young people how to do it, how to set up this once living stamp collection, and how to do it most effectively.
Now, you see, what bothers me most is that these creatures are living, breathing entities, and people are killing them wantonly to make a pretty collection, in most cases before they even have a chance to breed, as they want "fresh" specimens. Older "worn" ones don't look so pretty, and thus hold less appeal. Of course, if you are good at collection, you will never have to see a worn one, as they won't have a chance to get that way.
I hope this gives people a reason to think, and I hope they will think a little before attacking me. I do not see why we can't simply enjoy a living creature without the desire to catch it and add it to a collection.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Spring on the Parkway
I finally managed a small trip North up the Parkway from Asheville. It was spur of the moment after visiting my mom at her temporary residence at a nursing facility. If you start out from US 25 from Biltmore Forest, you might see a few Birdfoot Violet, Viola pedata L. on the east road bank. From 70 north, I was able to see a number of wildflowers, including a few Flame Azalea, Rhododendron calendulaceum (Mich.) Torr. (called Wild Honeysuckle by the natives). A few white blooming shrubs can be seen on the rock face near the Haw Creek overlook, which look like Old Man's Beard, or White Fringe Tree, Chionanthus virginicus L. On the way up, it is easy to see little coves with Trillium carpeting the ground. I didn't get out to see what species, but suspect T. erectum L. or T. catesbaei Ell. Will try to get a better look later this week.
Notice that I use scientific names, and give the author of the name. The name is in italic, and the author of that plant's scientific name is after the italicized name, and is not italicized. When you see "L." as an author, it means that the person who named this plant is Carolus Linnaeus, the fellow who developed this naming system, called "binomial nomenclature", a way to classify living things which mostly avoids the confusion inherent in common names. "Michx." stands for Andre Michaux, a prominent French Botanist who did a lot of exploring around here, and "Torr." is for John Torrey, an American Botanist. Note that these are links, to articles on Wikipedia.
Also along this drive, I saw the Giant Chickweed, Stellaria pubera Michx., also called the Star Chickweed along the roadside and in the woods, and a the tiny Phacelia dubia (L.) Trel. all over the road verge, and seeming to grow right into the road. A look at the rock faces all over here reveals a number of other stress selected plants which I will have to go back to identify, along with a field notebook to keep notes; my 60 yo brain is not so absorptive as in former years.
I terminated my drive at Tanbark Ridge tunnel at BRP mile 374.4 where the Park Service has thoughtfully made some rough parking pullouts, and grabbed my stick from the back of the truck, and started to walk, west across the road and up the little creek there, flowing full and vigorous after all the rain we have had this spring. I was struck first by the Dwarf Crested Iris, Iris cristata Aiton, which lines this trail and stream as far as I could see. A few photos with my cell phone was all I could do, as I left my camera at home. First is a bed of Iris on the trail next to the stream:
And finally, the stream itself, which I promise, you dear reader and myself, to get a better photo in the future:
The time for these spring flowers is no later than this weekend. I have seen people call these flowers "spring ephemerals", and this is exactly right; in no more than a week they are gone, not to be seen for another year. In fact, the whole cadre of spring flowers is like that, from the Bloodroot, which is one of the first, to the Mayapple, which is one of the last. In a couple of weeks, the hills will be a lush green with just a few things flowering, and you will have to look hard for them.
I will give a further report on this drive, as I hope to have more time and a few nice days. Keep looking, and come back and see us!
Notice that I use scientific names, and give the author of the name. The name is in italic, and the author of that plant's scientific name is after the italicized name, and is not italicized. When you see "L." as an author, it means that the person who named this plant is Carolus Linnaeus, the fellow who developed this naming system, called "binomial nomenclature", a way to classify living things which mostly avoids the confusion inherent in common names. "Michx." stands for Andre Michaux, a prominent French Botanist who did a lot of exploring around here, and "Torr." is for John Torrey, an American Botanist. Note that these are links, to articles on Wikipedia.
Also along this drive, I saw the Giant Chickweed, Stellaria pubera Michx., also called the Star Chickweed along the roadside and in the woods, and a the tiny Phacelia dubia (L.) Trel. all over the road verge, and seeming to grow right into the road. A look at the rock faces all over here reveals a number of other stress selected plants which I will have to go back to identify, along with a field notebook to keep notes; my 60 yo brain is not so absorptive as in former years.
I terminated my drive at Tanbark Ridge tunnel at BRP mile 374.4 where the Park Service has thoughtfully made some rough parking pullouts, and grabbed my stick from the back of the truck, and started to walk, west across the road and up the little creek there, flowing full and vigorous after all the rain we have had this spring. I was struck first by the Dwarf Crested Iris, Iris cristata Aiton, which lines this trail and stream as far as I could see. A few photos with my cell phone was all I could do, as I left my camera at home. First is a bed of Iris on the trail next to the stream:
Next is a photo of a violet near a fallen log. This one looks like the common violet that is in everybody's lawn, but I think it is another species; will have to take a book next time:
The time for these spring flowers is no later than this weekend. I have seen people call these flowers "spring ephemerals", and this is exactly right; in no more than a week they are gone, not to be seen for another year. In fact, the whole cadre of spring flowers is like that, from the Bloodroot, which is one of the first, to the Mayapple, which is one of the last. In a couple of weeks, the hills will be a lush green with just a few things flowering, and you will have to look hard for them.
I will give a further report on this drive, as I hope to have more time and a few nice days. Keep looking, and come back and see us!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Red Maple, or, The Tree that Lives Everywhere.
The Red Maple isn't my favorite native North Carolina tree, I guess; that distinction is reserved for trees like the Sarvice (Appalachian Serviceberry), the Fraser Magnolia, and the lovely cousin of the mysterious and achingly beautiful "Lost Gordonia" or Franklin's Tree, the Loblolly Bay, which is lovely in its own right. No, the Red Maple might not be my favorite, but it has to be in the top five, since it is the first harbinger of Spring in my home land of the Southern Appalachians, lives throughout this state of my home, North Carolina, and puts on a color show from around St. Valentine's day throughout around May, and then puts on the earliest color of all the trees in the forest, except for the Sourwood and Black Gum, though it is not far behind them at all.
Now, if you look at the year as most of us do, we see the year starting in winter time; here in the West we see it starting shortly after Winter Solstice at New Year; some of us attuned to the Natural World see it as starting at Solstice itself. At any rate, the Red Maple starts its year when most other trees are still asleep, and just after the Groundhog has looked out at his shadowy world, and gone back to sleep. No matter. The Red Maple has a schedule, and no furry rodent with narcolepsy is going to deter it. She starts out with tiny red flowers around February 14 (the "real" Groundhog day according to some "Old Timers", or is the "real" St. Valentine's day on February 2? Ah well...), a tiny pulse of life heralding Spring in an otherwise drab world, a tiny show of color that though lost in the gray of Winter, is still sweet points of ruby light in the sombre surroundings.
This photo of a male flower by Elaine Haug @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database and is used with permission.
This is a tree getting on into April, and the show has begun with all the other trees now too, so a Red Maple might not stand out, what with the Redbud, Serviceberry and Dogwood, but they hold their own, and in some years, like this one, can really put on a show as can be seen here along the Swannanoa River on the opening day of trout season, a day which should be a National holiday!
As you can see, the one in the foreground is joined by many of her sisters on the other side of the river.
Once the leaves come out, the tree then sheds its seeds, these tiny little helicopters that are wonderfully aerodynamic, floating everywhere, and begin to grow leaves in a big hurry, The leaves are typical Maple leaves, usually with three lobes, but often with five. There is so much variation in the species that it was often described by Botanists as a new species, and many subspecies are described that are probably just representative of great variation in the species. In the Autumn, however, is when the Red Maple gets radical. I don't have a great many ohotos of the colors of Red Maple in Autumn, but I will put them up when I find them.
Now, as for why I say it lives everywhere. This little tree is not a big component of any forest type here in North Carolina, or anywhere, for that matter. You will hear of a typical Southeastern Oak - Hickory forest, a Beech - Maple (Sugar Maple), a Spruce - Fir Forest, a Bottomland Hardwood forest, and all types of forests, but none are specifically Red Maple, but I will just about guarantee that the Red Maple is in all of them. Start out at the coast, with the Maritime forest, with the Live Oak, Bluejack Oak, Yaupon Holly and Wax Myrtle, and somewhere in there is Red Maple. Move inland, to the great Pine Savannahs and their attendant Pocosins. In the middle of both you will find the Red Maple, growing right next to the Longleaf Pine, in the savannahs, and with the Loblolly Bay in the pocosin. Check out the Cypress and Tupelo Gum Swamp. Right there, growing with the great Bald Cypress, with fluted and buttressed trunks, just like the Cypress, you will find the Red Maple, with its feet in the water, just like the Cypress and the Tupelo; I would not be in the least surprised if it made "knees" like the Cypress! Moving on in, to the Piedmont, the great pine forests maintained by the pulp producers, and the Red Maple is there growing amidst the Loblolly Pines, and in the forests that are left to be the typical Piedmont Hardwood forest, they are everywhere, right along with the great White, Red, Post and Black Oaks.
Now for the fun part. Much of our Mountain forest are simply an upland form of the Southern Hardwood forest, and of course, Red Maple is there. In the north facing coves, we have the Cove Association, with a host of different trees, particularly the Fraser and Cucumber Magnolias, Yellow Birch, Buckeye, and of course, Red Maple. Move on up, into the Beech Gaps which can be seen around Craggy Gardens, and you will find Red Maple. Go to the "Flag Forests", forests on the ridges of the Blue Ridge Parkway, as in Craggy Gardens, where the trees, such as Yellow Birch, Mountain Ash and others are flag formed from the pounding of the wind, and there, flag formed with the best of them are the Red Maple. Find yourself a Hemlock grove, something that will become rare in the future due to the Adelgid, and right in there with the understory of Spicebush, Ironwood, and with the occasional TulipTree in the grove is certain to be a Red Maple. And finally, go up to the tallest of our peaks, the more than mile high ones like Clingman's Dome, Mount Mitchell and Waterrock Knob. There you will find the Spruce and Fir association for which these mountains are famous. You will also find the Fire Cherry, maybe a Yellow Birch or two, and of course, the Red Maple.
So, you see, whereever you go in North Carolina, you are likely to see a Red Maple. If you look at a county distribution map for Red Maple in North Carolina, you will see very few counties which do NOT have it, and I would almost bet that if you pokes around in those counties long enough, you could almost certainly find it. It, at least in North Carolina (and I suspect in South Carolina) is truly ubiquitous, thus earning my name of "The Tree That Grows Everywhere (at least in North Carolina)!
Now, if you look at the year as most of us do, we see the year starting in winter time; here in the West we see it starting shortly after Winter Solstice at New Year; some of us attuned to the Natural World see it as starting at Solstice itself. At any rate, the Red Maple starts its year when most other trees are still asleep, and just after the Groundhog has looked out at his shadowy world, and gone back to sleep. No matter. The Red Maple has a schedule, and no furry rodent with narcolepsy is going to deter it. She starts out with tiny red flowers around February 14 (the "real" Groundhog day according to some "Old Timers", or is the "real" St. Valentine's day on February 2? Ah well...), a tiny pulse of life heralding Spring in an otherwise drab world, a tiny show of color that though lost in the gray of Winter, is still sweet points of ruby light in the sombre surroundings.
This is the female flower; they have both male and female flowers, usually on different trees, though they can both appear on one tree.
A Red Maple in bloom in the early part of the year is a very understated and sedate tree. Here is a picture of a pair of Red Maples framing the famous Swannanoa Tunnel near Ridgecrest NC.
The show can come later, when the female flowers have turned to fruit, and are nice and red, though the male trees have turned gray again, as their flowers have dropped. Here is a tree near an old house in the country.
As you can see, the one in the foreground is joined by many of her sisters on the other side of the river.
Once the leaves come out, the tree then sheds its seeds, these tiny little helicopters that are wonderfully aerodynamic, floating everywhere, and begin to grow leaves in a big hurry, The leaves are typical Maple leaves, usually with three lobes, but often with five. There is so much variation in the species that it was often described by Botanists as a new species, and many subspecies are described that are probably just representative of great variation in the species. In the Autumn, however, is when the Red Maple gets radical. I don't have a great many ohotos of the colors of Red Maple in Autumn, but I will put them up when I find them.
Now, as for why I say it lives everywhere. This little tree is not a big component of any forest type here in North Carolina, or anywhere, for that matter. You will hear of a typical Southeastern Oak - Hickory forest, a Beech - Maple (Sugar Maple), a Spruce - Fir Forest, a Bottomland Hardwood forest, and all types of forests, but none are specifically Red Maple, but I will just about guarantee that the Red Maple is in all of them. Start out at the coast, with the Maritime forest, with the Live Oak, Bluejack Oak, Yaupon Holly and Wax Myrtle, and somewhere in there is Red Maple. Move inland, to the great Pine Savannahs and their attendant Pocosins. In the middle of both you will find the Red Maple, growing right next to the Longleaf Pine, in the savannahs, and with the Loblolly Bay in the pocosin. Check out the Cypress and Tupelo Gum Swamp. Right there, growing with the great Bald Cypress, with fluted and buttressed trunks, just like the Cypress, you will find the Red Maple, with its feet in the water, just like the Cypress and the Tupelo; I would not be in the least surprised if it made "knees" like the Cypress! Moving on in, to the Piedmont, the great pine forests maintained by the pulp producers, and the Red Maple is there growing amidst the Loblolly Pines, and in the forests that are left to be the typical Piedmont Hardwood forest, they are everywhere, right along with the great White, Red, Post and Black Oaks.
Now for the fun part. Much of our Mountain forest are simply an upland form of the Southern Hardwood forest, and of course, Red Maple is there. In the north facing coves, we have the Cove Association, with a host of different trees, particularly the Fraser and Cucumber Magnolias, Yellow Birch, Buckeye, and of course, Red Maple. Move on up, into the Beech Gaps which can be seen around Craggy Gardens, and you will find Red Maple. Go to the "Flag Forests", forests on the ridges of the Blue Ridge Parkway, as in Craggy Gardens, where the trees, such as Yellow Birch, Mountain Ash and others are flag formed from the pounding of the wind, and there, flag formed with the best of them are the Red Maple. Find yourself a Hemlock grove, something that will become rare in the future due to the Adelgid, and right in there with the understory of Spicebush, Ironwood, and with the occasional TulipTree in the grove is certain to be a Red Maple. And finally, go up to the tallest of our peaks, the more than mile high ones like Clingman's Dome, Mount Mitchell and Waterrock Knob. There you will find the Spruce and Fir association for which these mountains are famous. You will also find the Fire Cherry, maybe a Yellow Birch or two, and of course, the Red Maple.
So, you see, whereever you go in North Carolina, you are likely to see a Red Maple. If you look at a county distribution map for Red Maple in North Carolina, you will see very few counties which do NOT have it, and I would almost bet that if you pokes around in those counties long enough, you could almost certainly find it. It, at least in North Carolina (and I suspect in South Carolina) is truly ubiquitous, thus earning my name of "The Tree That Grows Everywhere (at least in North Carolina)!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Hillbilly's Thermometer
I haven't been posting much, and am sorry for that, but this cold weather has reminded me of the Hillbilly's thermometer.
Years ago I was attending NC State University and a fellow from the Coast was griping about the cold weather he was experiencing there in the middle of the state - in his home, south of Wilmington, the weather is moderated somewhat by the Gulf Stream - and made an observation that thermometers told you nothing but a number, which, for him at least, was somewhat abstract. He said "somebody ought to come up with a thermometer that reads 'cool, cold, awful cold, darn cold, mighty darn cold, and cold as heck'". These were not the exact words he used, but you get the drift. After thinking a few minutes, I remarked that we did indeed have such a thermometer in my home in the Western North Carolina Mountains. Upon getting incredulous looks from all involved, I began to explain...
This is the flower of the thermometer, a type of Rhododendron, the Great or Rosebay Rhododendron, taken at the Sunburst Picnic Area, Pisgah National Forest, Haywood County NC. Be careful when you come to the North Carolina Mountains and ask where to see Rhododendron; many of the natives, especially the older ones will send you to the high mountain balds of the Craggies, looking for the Purple or Catawba Rhodendron, which is not as good a thermometer, though it has gorgeous flowers around late May or early June;no, they call this one Mountain Laurel or just Laurel, which is confusing, because there is another shrub with this name, which they call Ivy or Mountain Ivy. Confused yet? These live at all elevations of the Mountains, and often people have them in their back yards. They often live right along their confusing namesake, the Mountain Laurel, which is a very different shrub.
The Great Rhododendron has afforded the Southern Mountaineer a cold weather thermometer for generations, and I will tell you how; you see, the leaves curl when the air gets cold. When it's warm, above 50 degrees, the leaves all are held out at right angles to the twig.
When it gets cool, around 40°F, they start to droop, like this, and when it gets to about 30...
The curl a little. This is cold. When it gets pretty cold, around 25°...
why they curl even more. When it gets darn cold, around 10°F, they will be curled nice and tight to the twig, and as it gets to mighty darn cold and colder than heck, they just curl tighter, until about 0°F, when they won't curl much tighter. I will try to get some photos of this phenomenon this week, just look for an update.
Not only is this tree good for a thermometer, it has lovely blooms on it starting around mid summer, and the leaves have been used to make a gray dye that was used for Confederate uniforms in the American Civil War. The twigs make the best whimmydiddles (Whimmydiddle), and I have seen the limbs used as paper holders and other things in a mountain lodge.
So, if you live in the mountains, or anywhere the Great Rhododendron lives, check it out. You can throw that confusing digital thermometer away!
Years ago I was attending NC State University and a fellow from the Coast was griping about the cold weather he was experiencing there in the middle of the state - in his home, south of Wilmington, the weather is moderated somewhat by the Gulf Stream - and made an observation that thermometers told you nothing but a number, which, for him at least, was somewhat abstract. He said "somebody ought to come up with a thermometer that reads 'cool, cold, awful cold, darn cold, mighty darn cold, and cold as heck'". These were not the exact words he used, but you get the drift. After thinking a few minutes, I remarked that we did indeed have such a thermometer in my home in the Western North Carolina Mountains. Upon getting incredulous looks from all involved, I began to explain...
The Great Rhododendron has afforded the Southern Mountaineer a cold weather thermometer for generations, and I will tell you how; you see, the leaves curl when the air gets cold. When it's warm, above 50 degrees, the leaves all are held out at right angles to the twig.
When it gets cool, around 40°F, they start to droop, like this, and when it gets to about 30...
The curl a little. This is cold. When it gets pretty cold, around 25°...
why they curl even more. When it gets darn cold, around 10°F, they will be curled nice and tight to the twig, and as it gets to mighty darn cold and colder than heck, they just curl tighter, until about 0°F, when they won't curl much tighter. I will try to get some photos of this phenomenon this week, just look for an update.
Not only is this tree good for a thermometer, it has lovely blooms on it starting around mid summer, and the leaves have been used to make a gray dye that was used for Confederate uniforms in the American Civil War. The twigs make the best whimmydiddles (Whimmydiddle), and I have seen the limbs used as paper holders and other things in a mountain lodge.
So, if you live in the mountains, or anywhere the Great Rhododendron lives, check it out. You can throw that confusing digital thermometer away!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Evolution, philosophy, and religion.
I was castigated by a person in several religions yesterday for my vitriolic criticism of a Creationist. How curious. His Scripture was from Matthew 7: 1-5, and mine was from Matthew 7: 16-20. I do indeed see most Creationists as bearing evil fruit, and I will attempt to tell you why. Understand here that I am not a truly erudite person, nor truly an Intellectual, thus have trouble marshaling my thoughts, and difficulty sometimes putting thought to page, but I will do my best.
In this Creation vs. Evolution debate, I am simply stymied. I was teaching a high school class once, and a young girl told me I couldn't teach her Evolution, due to some law of which I had never heard nor was made aware. I told her that as I was not trying to establish a religion with this teaching, which is the core of modern Biology, I didn't see why I couldn't. She told me that her mother told her, and her preacher confirmed it. Well, Reverend, I am sorry, but even a Bush appointed knee jerk right wing activist Supreme Court had to disagree with you and said that teaching Creationism or even Intelligent Design was actually "establishing religion" (see the First Amendment to the United States Constitution).
My aggravation with Creationists is well known to my friends, and I have never quite understood their shrillness, because Evolution is NOT challenging anyone's religion, and if anyone's religion is so fragile that it can't stand up to modern science, well, it might be time to examine that religion. This is the rub, I think; they see it as a challenge to their religion, something that might make their religion not look so true, and they have to fight back tooth and nail, even in some cases with actual physical violence. I don't think this squares with Jesus' teachings.
Folks, Darwin had nothing against religion. Though he did lose much of his faith after his daughter died, he was never an Atheist, and his ideas have nothing to do with being against religion. Unfortunately, some modern scholars are in fact Athiests, and trumpet it loudly; there is no need for this, as Stephen Jay Gould suggested in his idea of Non-overlapping magisteria. Using science to deny the existence of a deity or deities is facile and specious, and there is no need for it. I find it stupid. Taking evolution and trying to say "there is no God" is just totally ridiculous, and shows a lack of reason in my opinion.
Now, for a little of my philosophy, with some of my experiences.
First, "Creation Science" is an oxymoron. There is no science about it. In any scientific investigation, you take observed data and form an hypothesis. If the data fits the hypothesis, and the hypothesis holds up to further exploration, then you have a theory. Note that one of the "Creation Science" arguments is "it's only a theory". Yeah? What is "Creation Science" but a theory, and not a very sound one at that. Next, if everything works out, your theory becomes part of the modern body of science, like Newton's theory (now a "law), Einstein's theory of Relativity, and others. What these people did was take observable phenomena, gather them together, and form an idea of what happened. You find a bunch of fossils of animals that do not live on Earth any more, you see closely related finches on a series of islands that obviously had a common ancestor, what do you do? You say "Hmmm. These dead critters tell me that animals lived that don't any longer, and these finches tell me that a common ancestor must have lived in the past, and no longer does. Thus, a "theory" (later supported by much research and fact) is born.
What does "Creation Science" do? Well, they look at the facts, say "well, this had only 6000 years to have happened, so these finches were created on day 3, (Tuesday?), and these fossils are animals that Noah happened to forget, and were buried in the mud. Oh, and look, I know the arguments; I was raised a Southern (Hard Shell) Baptist. The Colorado River and Grand Canyon were a product of the runoff from The Flood, and happened in only a short time. (Um, what happened to all that water that covered the Earth? Where did it go?)
Now, imagine an episode of CSI, and see Grissom telling his team not to make an hypothesis with incomplete data. The scientific idea is that you take the data, and make your hypothesis. "Creation Science" does this backward. They go from the premise that the Earth was created 6000 years ago (see: Bishop Ussher), and mash the facts to fit that. How is that scientific?
It seems that these Creationists have been infiltrating serious scientific groups, mainly on Yahoo, but all over (I have seen them on the Carnivorous Plants group), and when anything is said about Evolution, they jump on it as a hawk on a chicken, telling why evolution could not have happened, and offering up "facts" that uphold their "theory", and being totally disrespectful to anyone who does not agree with their junk. They hold forth these :facts", say it has nothing to do with religion, but is based in fact (never mind that their "Creation Science is based on Genesis from the Holy Bible, and not from any other creation myth), and there is no religion in it. However, they never fail to tell you how Jesus has made a change in their life, has sent them visions, signs, and prophesies, and start "witnessing" to you, right after they tell you that "Creation Science" is not about religion. Here I direct you to the ninth commandment about bearing false witness. One lady told me her husband was an agnostic, and believed "Creation Science" for years before he "accepted Christ as his savior". Yeah, I rest my case.
I have nothing against Jesus, don't get that idea. I have a lot against people who claim to follow Him. I often wonder if they are really following Him, or following someone else that they think is Him. Much evil has been done in Jesus' name, and people will threaten to kill you for deviating from their idea of Christianity, which is why, though a follower of Christ's teachings, I hesitate to call myself a Christian.Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were Christians (McVeigh was a lapsed one it seems), as is Eric Rudolph, and the guy that killed Dr. Tiller (Roeder). Bill O'Reilly is also responsible for Tiller's death (his rabble rousing led directly to this killing), as are many "Christians" who consider the killing of abortion doctors "justifiable homicide". (Who are you really following, huh? Matthew 26:52.)
I am a very spiritual person, and have rather strong beliefs, and still can see how majestic the unfolding of our Universe is without having to believe in a creation that happened only 6000 years ago. To envision a Universe that is impossibly old, and a mechanism for the evolution of species that is elegant and messy at the same time, and the laws (gravity etc.) that run it, gives me a sense of awe that I never had when growing up in the Creationist ideas of the Baptist Church.
I will write more on this as I think about it.
In this Creation vs. Evolution debate, I am simply stymied. I was teaching a high school class once, and a young girl told me I couldn't teach her Evolution, due to some law of which I had never heard nor was made aware. I told her that as I was not trying to establish a religion with this teaching, which is the core of modern Biology, I didn't see why I couldn't. She told me that her mother told her, and her preacher confirmed it. Well, Reverend, I am sorry, but even a Bush appointed knee jerk right wing activist Supreme Court had to disagree with you and said that teaching Creationism or even Intelligent Design was actually "establishing religion" (see the First Amendment to the United States Constitution).
My aggravation with Creationists is well known to my friends, and I have never quite understood their shrillness, because Evolution is NOT challenging anyone's religion, and if anyone's religion is so fragile that it can't stand up to modern science, well, it might be time to examine that religion. This is the rub, I think; they see it as a challenge to their religion, something that might make their religion not look so true, and they have to fight back tooth and nail, even in some cases with actual physical violence. I don't think this squares with Jesus' teachings.
Folks, Darwin had nothing against religion. Though he did lose much of his faith after his daughter died, he was never an Atheist, and his ideas have nothing to do with being against religion. Unfortunately, some modern scholars are in fact Athiests, and trumpet it loudly; there is no need for this, as Stephen Jay Gould suggested in his idea of Non-overlapping magisteria. Using science to deny the existence of a deity or deities is facile and specious, and there is no need for it. I find it stupid. Taking evolution and trying to say "there is no God" is just totally ridiculous, and shows a lack of reason in my opinion.
Now, for a little of my philosophy, with some of my experiences.
First, "Creation Science" is an oxymoron. There is no science about it. In any scientific investigation, you take observed data and form an hypothesis. If the data fits the hypothesis, and the hypothesis holds up to further exploration, then you have a theory. Note that one of the "Creation Science" arguments is "it's only a theory". Yeah? What is "Creation Science" but a theory, and not a very sound one at that. Next, if everything works out, your theory becomes part of the modern body of science, like Newton's theory (now a "law), Einstein's theory of Relativity, and others. What these people did was take observable phenomena, gather them together, and form an idea of what happened. You find a bunch of fossils of animals that do not live on Earth any more, you see closely related finches on a series of islands that obviously had a common ancestor, what do you do? You say "Hmmm. These dead critters tell me that animals lived that don't any longer, and these finches tell me that a common ancestor must have lived in the past, and no longer does. Thus, a "theory" (later supported by much research and fact) is born.
What does "Creation Science" do? Well, they look at the facts, say "well, this had only 6000 years to have happened, so these finches were created on day 3, (Tuesday?), and these fossils are animals that Noah happened to forget, and were buried in the mud. Oh, and look, I know the arguments; I was raised a Southern (Hard Shell) Baptist. The Colorado River and Grand Canyon were a product of the runoff from The Flood, and happened in only a short time. (Um, what happened to all that water that covered the Earth? Where did it go?)
Now, imagine an episode of CSI, and see Grissom telling his team not to make an hypothesis with incomplete data. The scientific idea is that you take the data, and make your hypothesis. "Creation Science" does this backward. They go from the premise that the Earth was created 6000 years ago (see: Bishop Ussher), and mash the facts to fit that. How is that scientific?
It seems that these Creationists have been infiltrating serious scientific groups, mainly on Yahoo, but all over (I have seen them on the Carnivorous Plants group), and when anything is said about Evolution, they jump on it as a hawk on a chicken, telling why evolution could not have happened, and offering up "facts" that uphold their "theory", and being totally disrespectful to anyone who does not agree with their junk. They hold forth these :facts", say it has nothing to do with religion, but is based in fact (never mind that their "Creation Science is based on Genesis from the Holy Bible, and not from any other creation myth), and there is no religion in it. However, they never fail to tell you how Jesus has made a change in their life, has sent them visions, signs, and prophesies, and start "witnessing" to you, right after they tell you that "Creation Science" is not about religion. Here I direct you to the ninth commandment about bearing false witness. One lady told me her husband was an agnostic, and believed "Creation Science" for years before he "accepted Christ as his savior". Yeah, I rest my case.
I have nothing against Jesus, don't get that idea. I have a lot against people who claim to follow Him. I often wonder if they are really following Him, or following someone else that they think is Him. Much evil has been done in Jesus' name, and people will threaten to kill you for deviating from their idea of Christianity, which is why, though a follower of Christ's teachings, I hesitate to call myself a Christian.Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were Christians (McVeigh was a lapsed one it seems), as is Eric Rudolph, and the guy that killed Dr. Tiller (Roeder). Bill O'Reilly is also responsible for Tiller's death (his rabble rousing led directly to this killing), as are many "Christians" who consider the killing of abortion doctors "justifiable homicide". (Who are you really following, huh? Matthew 26:52.)
I am a very spiritual person, and have rather strong beliefs, and still can see how majestic the unfolding of our Universe is without having to believe in a creation that happened only 6000 years ago. To envision a Universe that is impossibly old, and a mechanism for the evolution of species that is elegant and messy at the same time, and the laws (gravity etc.) that run it, gives me a sense of awe that I never had when growing up in the Creationist ideas of the Baptist Church.
I will write more on this as I think about it.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Early Autumn Colors
Early Autumn is that time before the main colors even start, when only a few things have turned, and are often overlooked for the more spectacular displays of later in October. I am sure that there are some spectacular colors further north around Boone and Blowing Rock, especially along the Parkway, at higher elevations, but things have just started here in Asheville at about 2000 feet.
One of my favorites is the Virginia Creeper, a vine often confused with Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. This one is from my mom's back yard in Asheville. I don't, unfortunately, have a back yard to speak of, as the Universe (God, The Goddess, The Cosmos, whatever you call It) has not seen fit to grace me with land, though I ask for it often. After seeing colors out my kitchen window, shown here, of a couple of Black Gun trees showing bright red, below,
I decided to go out in my tiny back yard and see what might seen from it. I discovered a lovely show of Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy on a neighbor's White Pine, and got a couple of shots of that.
Note that the Virginia Creeper is red, while the Poison Ivy is mostly yellow or orange, with red highlights. Also, Virginia Creeper has five leaflets, and Poison Ivy has three. Both these vines are important food sources for birds, as the Virginia Creeper has tiny grape-like fruit, seen below,
and the Poison Ivy (also called Poison Oak) has white berries that are tasty to birds. Many people are highly sensitive to Poison Ivy; this is not really an allergy, as people seem to think, but a response to the toxic oil, which causes contact dermatitis. Some people are highly sensitive to it, and others, like myself, have no sensitivity whatever. Some claim that Native American blood is a factor, but I cannot say for sure.
This little bit of color seen from my back yard pushed me to get out and see what was going on near my house, so I got in the old Ford (mistake!) and started out, stalling out with a dead battery in mid trip.
I went poking around on the banks of the Swannanoa River at Recreation Park, and I did get some nice flower photos of some favorites, among them the Purple Aster, which I am extraordinarily fond of for some reason.
I also got a few shots of other late bloomers like the Knotweed,
which is a member of the Buckwheat family, and speaking of Buckwheat, I also saw a Climbing Buckwheat intertwined with this Knotweed (also called Smartweed) nearby.
Both these plants have a seed inside the coating that is very like Buckwheat seeds (called groats), that are very similar in taste to Buckwheat, and can be ground into flour.
While poking around on the river bank I found the Seed Box, sometimes called Water Willow (which is a name for another plant found here that blooms in mid summer), and got a not so good photo of it.
I also saw my old friend the Woolgrass. Once upon a time when I was a Botanist, I concentrated my studies on the Sedge family (Cyperaceae), and this is not a grass, but a Bulrush, a relative of the Papyrus Bulrush, which the Jewish leader Moses made famous when his mother hid him in a basket amongst them for the Egyptian princess to find.
Here is a shot of the Woolgrass in front of the outflow of the old Lake Craig dam.
And another favorite, the seed of the "Hearts-a-Bustin' shrub, found weekend before last in Hendersonville on a birding field trip.
So, if you are in the Southern Blue Ridge around Asheville this weekend, absolutely go on the Parkway and see the colors, but don't forget to look around and see the beauty of the late blooming fall flowers and the early turning colors.
I decided to go out in my tiny back yard and see what might seen from it. I discovered a lovely show of Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy on a neighbor's White Pine, and got a couple of shots of that.
and the Poison Ivy (also called Poison Oak) has white berries that are tasty to birds. Many people are highly sensitive to Poison Ivy; this is not really an allergy, as people seem to think, but a response to the toxic oil, which causes contact dermatitis. Some people are highly sensitive to it, and others, like myself, have no sensitivity whatever. Some claim that Native American blood is a factor, but I cannot say for sure.
This little bit of color seen from my back yard pushed me to get out and see what was going on near my house, so I got in the old Ford (mistake!) and started out, stalling out with a dead battery in mid trip.
I went poking around on the banks of the Swannanoa River at Recreation Park, and I did get some nice flower photos of some favorites, among them the Purple Aster, which I am extraordinarily fond of for some reason.
While poking around on the river bank I found the Seed Box, sometimes called Water Willow (which is a name for another plant found here that blooms in mid summer), and got a not so good photo of it.
Here is a shot of the Woolgrass in front of the outflow of the old Lake Craig dam.
And another favorite, the seed of the "Hearts-a-Bustin' shrub, found weekend before last in Hendersonville on a birding field trip.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
NRA and their political agenda
I actually in some ways like the NRA, but they are just too political, too right wing, and I abhor that. Why do they have to be like that? They are just cutting their own throats by being so hard and reactionary. Plus, many people who would otherwise support them will and can not, due to their pandering to the extreme right wing of our society.
I myself am a gun owner, love to shoot, enjoy hunting on occasion (not a trophy hunter - I disagree with killing your brood stock), but cannot in any sort of conscience vote for any Republican candidate on any ballot today. I have heard "vote for the man (person), not the party, but anyone who runs on the Republican ticket today is a Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck clone that has no regard for poor people, the struggling (and disappearing) middle class, the jobless, or any social problems of our day, and have as their goal "stop spending" (get rid of social programs, such as "entitlements", that help the poor), "take our country back" (from people like you and me, and place it in the hands of corporate religious wackos), and "put God back in government (read your First Amendment asshole - it is every bit as important as the Second!). I cannot support any of this, so when the NRA sends me their membership stuff, I promptly recycle it.
Now, for those of you in the NRA who will almost certainly not read any of my thoughts, why can you not reach out to Democrats? Many of us support gun ownership, in fact our President (a Liberal African American OH MY GOD!!!) signed into law a bill allowing us to carry sidearms on National Parks in accordance with state laws. Wow. He also stated that the DC gun law was not constitutional - he is, after all, a Constitutional scholar.
If you could reach out to Democrats, instead of calling them names, talk sense to them instead of yelling at them, make friends of them instead of enemies, you would preserve the Second Amendment essentially forever. Otherwise, as people begin to move away from this far right, religious, corporate, hate filled party, and try to embrace some sort of equality (and, no, we don't have any sort of equality in the US today, no matter what the Declaration says) amongst its citizens, the far right will be seen as the lunatic fringe, who only want guns to hunt down people of color, overthrow the government, and kill anyone who disagrees with them.
I actually found a link to the Liberal Gun Club, a club that is actually for people like me! I urge anyone who is a Liberal, Progressive, Democrat, Social Democrat, Democratic Socialist, or however Liberal you might be. To paraphrase a Woody Guthrie song, 'this gun club was made for you and me!"
Please, gun owners. Do not go into the political arena and scream hatred at people who are afraid of guns. You just scare them more. Educate them, don't scare them. Cite references where a legal and honest gun owner has saved her or himself from certain harm or death by having a gun. Show them how a person can have a gun in their house safely and never hurt another person with it. Show them how ammunition is perfectly safe to store. Show them the story of a man who shot the bear who was charging his companion (I would have done the same), and lived to tell the tale. And then show the stories of the many people who simply did not survive the encounter.
I myself am a gun owner, love to shoot, enjoy hunting on occasion (not a trophy hunter - I disagree with killing your brood stock), but cannot in any sort of conscience vote for any Republican candidate on any ballot today. I have heard "vote for the man (person), not the party, but anyone who runs on the Republican ticket today is a Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glen Beck clone that has no regard for poor people, the struggling (and disappearing) middle class, the jobless, or any social problems of our day, and have as their goal "stop spending" (get rid of social programs, such as "entitlements", that help the poor), "take our country back" (from people like you and me, and place it in the hands of corporate religious wackos), and "put God back in government (read your First Amendment asshole - it is every bit as important as the Second!). I cannot support any of this, so when the NRA sends me their membership stuff, I promptly recycle it.
Now, for those of you in the NRA who will almost certainly not read any of my thoughts, why can you not reach out to Democrats? Many of us support gun ownership, in fact our President (a Liberal African American OH MY GOD!!!) signed into law a bill allowing us to carry sidearms on National Parks in accordance with state laws. Wow. He also stated that the DC gun law was not constitutional - he is, after all, a Constitutional scholar.
If you could reach out to Democrats, instead of calling them names, talk sense to them instead of yelling at them, make friends of them instead of enemies, you would preserve the Second Amendment essentially forever. Otherwise, as people begin to move away from this far right, religious, corporate, hate filled party, and try to embrace some sort of equality (and, no, we don't have any sort of equality in the US today, no matter what the Declaration says) amongst its citizens, the far right will be seen as the lunatic fringe, who only want guns to hunt down people of color, overthrow the government, and kill anyone who disagrees with them.
I actually found a link to the Liberal Gun Club, a club that is actually for people like me! I urge anyone who is a Liberal, Progressive, Democrat, Social Democrat, Democratic Socialist, or however Liberal you might be. To paraphrase a Woody Guthrie song, 'this gun club was made for you and me!"
Please, gun owners. Do not go into the political arena and scream hatred at people who are afraid of guns. You just scare them more. Educate them, don't scare them. Cite references where a legal and honest gun owner has saved her or himself from certain harm or death by having a gun. Show them how a person can have a gun in their house safely and never hurt another person with it. Show them how ammunition is perfectly safe to store. Show them the story of a man who shot the bear who was charging his companion (I would have done the same), and lived to tell the tale. And then show the stories of the many people who simply did not survive the encounter.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Memorial Day
I lived during the Vietnam era, and had friends who hated the war and all it stood for (as did I), and friends who served in the US Military in Vietnam. I respected both, and even have respect for people who went to Canada in protest, rather than fight in a war with which they did not agree. I did not serve (asthma, allergies, etc.), but had enormous respect for those who did, and I stood up to my fellow Hippies (I was a wannabe - I never did drugs, didn't engage in free love, and couldn't play a guitar :-P ) who spat on them and called them baby killers. I befriended numerous veterans when I was in college, and listened to their stories of horror.
Even if you don't agree with what they do, respect them for it, and for their duty. I have felt for years that Hanoi Jane should have been prosecuted for treason; the boys in the Hanoi Hilton were NOT treated well Jane - look at John McCain's face (and, no, I don't agree with his politics, but highly respect and admire his sacrifice and service), and think that anyone who went to Hanoi, hobnobbed with Ho Chi Minh, and went on national television in his favor was and is despicable. You might be a Socialist, but by God, you are an American first. Though I cannot agree with the Iraq war, our men and women should know (and should have known in Vietnam!) that we support, love and respect them, and want them home ASAP. Though I disagreed with the Vietnam war, disagree with the Iraq war, agree with the Afghanistan war (I feel the Taleban and Al Qaida should be completely destroyed), whatever my feelings or politics, when I see a member of any service, be it Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, or USCG, I salute them (even though I am a civilian - I hope that is OK), and shake their hands, and say "thank you for your service", and ANY AMERICAN SHOULD TOO!!! Whatever your politics, religion, social status, race, creed or color, this is the least you can do for them.
Even if you don't agree with what they do, respect them for it, and for their duty. I have felt for years that Hanoi Jane should have been prosecuted for treason; the boys in the Hanoi Hilton were NOT treated well Jane - look at John McCain's face (and, no, I don't agree with his politics, but highly respect and admire his sacrifice and service), and think that anyone who went to Hanoi, hobnobbed with Ho Chi Minh, and went on national television in his favor was and is despicable. You might be a Socialist, but by God, you are an American first. Though I cannot agree with the Iraq war, our men and women should know (and should have known in Vietnam!) that we support, love and respect them, and want them home ASAP. Though I disagreed with the Vietnam war, disagree with the Iraq war, agree with the Afghanistan war (I feel the Taleban and Al Qaida should be completely destroyed), whatever my feelings or politics, when I see a member of any service, be it Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, or USCG, I salute them (even though I am a civilian - I hope that is OK), and shake their hands, and say "thank you for your service", and ANY AMERICAN SHOULD TOO!!! Whatever your politics, religion, social status, race, creed or color, this is the least you can do for them.
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