Cicada 2021

Cicada shell

 This is the year for the 17 year cicada brood to emerge for Baltimore and surrounding region. Cicadas are an insect that spends most of its life underground before emerging, shed their skins and fly off to find a mate. And part of that mate finding includes making a loud chirping clicking sound. Once mated their adult part of the life cycle ends. They have been out since mid-May and yet I haven't seen many in my area. I hear them when near wooded areas but it wasn't until yesterday that I finally really saw them. I might have seen one or two these last few weeks but that is it. 

I went for a walk along a parking that was surrounded by many trees. And on the ground I found cicadas crawling about, and not crawling. I went off to go chat with friends and noticed something odd sitting on a rock. It wasn't moving, and looked like an insect of sorts. So me being me I snapped a picture thinking I will identify it later. After getting home on closer inspection of the picture, I figured out what I found, a cicada shell, the exoskeleton. It is the skin left behind from a molting larva into adult cicada form. Look closely and you will see a slit along the middle back and counting legs there are only four and not six. It also has a translucent quality to it. It's pretty cool when you think about.

Safe Solar Viewing of Solar Eclipse 2017

The most talked about celestial event of the year is less than a week a way. On August 21, 2017 the Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun and this shadow is going to move across the Continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina. This is called a solar eclipse.

Only people in the path of the shadow will see an eclipse.

Everywhere not in the center of this path but in North America will be getting a partial eclipse while those on the path are going to see a total eclipse of the sun. Where will you be during the solar eclipse of 2017? Check out NASA's Eclipse 2017 website for an interactive map and see how much of an eclipse you will get.  Here is a collection of tips for viewing this really cool event with your friends and family.

Rule #1 - NEVER LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN

Taken with cellphone camera with eclipse shades used as solar filter

The sun is way to bright to look at with your own eyes. Staring at the sun can burn your eyes damaging them and rendering you blind. When any part of the sun's surface is visible it is still dangerous to look at without protection. The only way to safely look at the sun directly is to use solar eclipse shades. To know if you have the correct, safe shades you need to see that they have ISO 12312-2 international standard certification printed on them. The only thing you should be able to see with these specially rated eclipse shades is the sun. (See picture of sun with filter.) Your regular, everyday sunglasses are not rated for direct solar viewing, DO NOT use them for the eclipse. 

Science museums, planetariums, observatories even some libraries have been giving away the safe solar eclipse shades however supplies is limited as the eclipse day approaches. Finding these shades online for purchase is not cheap. If you haven't gotten a pair of these eclipse shades, fear not! There are ways to experience the eclipse without going blind. 

Shadow Play - Eclipse Style

In doing research for this blog post, and for work, I have found some unique tricks to viewing the eclipse indirectly.

Pinhole Projector 

A pinhole projector is made using, as it says a pinhole to project an image of the sun. Take two cards card and poke a hole in one of them. Take both cards outside with you during the eclipse and stand with the sun to your back. Hold the card with the hole in it over your shoulder and the other card just a few inches away. If aimed right you should see a bright dot on the second card, this is the sun. You can move the second card away from the pinhole card to get a bigger projection. Making the hole bigger means you will have to move the card farther from the card or paper you are projecting to. Don't try to see the sun through the hole, this will blind you, always look at the shadow of the card.

Want to have some fun with your pinhole projections? 

Pinhole projection of a solar eclipse using a colander. Credit: Alice Pintus

Try poking out a message in your card. During the eclipse you will see crescent suns projected in the shape of your message.  Bring out some simple kitchen items like a spoon with holes, colander (the kind with big holes works better than mesh) and a grater with small holes. Aim these objects while looking at the shadows on the ground and when you get it to show the holes you will see little projections of the sun. Pinhole projection ideas.

Make a pinhole viewer tube

To simplify your pinhole projection during eclipse time make a pinhole view tube like the one shown here.  All you need is a cardboard tube like a mailing tube, you can even use a potato chip tube if you have one, thick index card and tape.  See instructions below, adult assistance required to cut through cardboard tube.

Pinhole viewer tube window with end capped off (Steps 1 and 2)

Step 1 - Cut a rectangle out of one end of the side of the tube to make a window. (See picture.)
Step 2 - Cap off the end of the tube with the window with white paper. (See picture.)

Step 2 - Tape a thick card or tinfoil to the opposite end of the tube from the window. 

Step 3 - Poke hole in the card taped on the end opposite from the window. 

If you are using a potato chip tub - Step 4 -  roll and stick dark paper inside inside the canister to reduce any brightness from foiled walls of the tub.  Re-cut the window out of the dark paper to see the white paper at the bottom.

Completed pinhole viewer tube
Pinhole on top -  Window and capped end on bottom

Once made take outside on sunny day have sun behind you and tip tube so that the end with the pinhole is pointing toward the sun and the window down to the ground. See picture of completed viewer tube to see how to hold it. To aim it right look at the shadow of the tube on the ground and tip the tube so the shadow looks like a circle and not a hotdog. When the shadow is a circle you can look through the window down to the paper and you should see a projected sun on the capped end inside the tube. During the partial eclipse phase you will see a crescent sun on the capped end at the bottom through the window when aimed correctly. The longer the tube you have, the bigger the projection will be. With the potato chip tubs the image will be small and slightly out of focus. A longer tube will be a bit more in focus and you can get a larger projected image of the sun. The bigger the pinhole the farther the screen needs to be to get it in focus. Interesting note - with the pinhole projection the image seen is upside-down.

Tree Shadows

Do you have a tree nearby? One really cool way to see the partial eclipse phases is to look at the shadow of the tree. In this shadow the tiny gaps between the leaves are acting as a pinhole projector and you will see crescent suns in the shadows.  As long as you don't break Rule #1 and look up through the tree to the sun, this is a safe fun way to see a projection of the sun being covered by the moon.

The Eclipse Tree - Credit & Copyright: E. Israel

Things to Remember

If you happen to be in the path of totality and the crescent sun in the shadow has disappeared, you can actually look up at the sun directly and witness the total eclipse of the sun. The sky will darken, you may feel it be a bit colder temperature, and you may notice animals behaving like it is almost night time. Of course, once the Moon is no longer blocking the full sun you need to look away, put those eclipse shades back on if you got them, and celebrate that you saw a total solar eclipse. 

For the rest of us not in the path of totality, but able to see a partial solar eclipse stick to the safe viewing tips mentioned above, my personal favorite that I will try is the colander projection method. Also remember, while the eclipse is a special event, being out in the sun is no different from any normal sunny day. Wear your sunblock, bring a hat, drink water to stay hydrated. With kids you can use these safe viewing methods of shadow play and have a good time. Whether go to a special eclipse viewing event or make one of your own, join millions of people across North America and experience the Solar Eclipse of 2017, Meet Me Outdoors.

For further information and other resources:

NASA's eclipse website, has lots of good resources - eclipse2017.nasa.gov  

Extreme detailed dos and don'ts of eclipse: https://dyer.vanderbilt.edu/solar-eclipse/ 

Tree shadows - https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001225.html

Video: Why a total solar eclipse is such a big deal - https://youtu.be/oNH3akWXaV8

Exploring the Rain Garden

A few years ago I ran an elective class that helped maintain a garden across the field from the school. It has likely been as long since anyone really looked over it. The garden was designed to act as a rain garden and a learning garden. As a rain garden the plants are native to the region and everything grows without much maintenance. When I ran the elective I tried to have a section or two of the garden for a vegetable garden for the kids to maintain. With no one maintaining it over summer between school years the vegetable garden patches are lost among the rest of the plants. What brought me to the garden this time was that it was the end of the school year and I wanted to add my class's compost collection to the compost pile.

The path I usually take to walk through the garden was over grown when I arrived the other day. The alternated path took me over the water that runs through the garden. If you look carefully in the first picture you can see the bit of purple flowers that caught my eye.  You can see it the little dip in the garden that is where the water collects when it rains. I wouldn't say it is big enough to be called a creek, but it is enough that you have to hop over it to get the back main part of the garden. 

The plants may not seem like much from the distance, many are about waist height on me. I don't think I would let the younger kids I work with run through it now since most of the plants would be taller than them and I would lose sight of them. 

Along the edges of the garden, especially near the dip in the ground, I could see some interesting flowers of different colors. The one I could identify was that purple flower, you can see my attempt to take close ups of the flower with my phone on the left. The flower is a type of iris. I like the colorfulness of it. It is days like that one when I walk through the garden when I miss having one.  Right now all of my attempts to plant things from seeds has only given me sprouts but no plants from that. My geranium is the only plant that I have had for a few years that is still growing nicely, hopefully it will flower again soon.  While I may not have my own garden it is nice to be able to see other ones near by. Hope you also get to see what your neighborhood gardens have to offer this spring, Meet Me Outdoors.

Lake of the Isles Park - Minneapolis, MN

Beginning of this year's summer road trip traveling along the Mississippi River starts in Minneapolis, MN. Minnesota is known as the land of 10,000 lakes so I walked around Lake of the Isles Park which is part of Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park. 

It was a really nice walk even as it reached midday summer heat. I made sure to bring hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and took water, which is important.

Between the walking path and the lake was perimeter of wild flowers where I saw some butterflies fluttering from flower to flower and other pollinators like bees. I saw some monarch butterflies and an Eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. Only the one that I was able to take a picture of was a monarch. Look for the triangular shaped thing in the center of the picture.

As I walked around the lake there were some rent a canoe spots and we watched as one group prepared themselves to start their canoeing experience.  There are two paths around the lake, one for those on foot and the other for those who are on bikes. The lake I walked had a very funny shape to it unlike another in the chain of lakes that is more circular.  The shape of Lake of the Isles when I mapped my waking was more like a duck head shape.  

The road trip continues following the river Southwards. I am looking forward the adventure. Go see what you can find at your local parkes, Meet Me Outdoors.

4th of July Parade - Takoma Park

  

Yesterday was 4th of July which is Independence Day for the USA. I decided to go to a town just outside of Washington DC called Takoma Park to see their parade. The weather held out just enough to see the whole parade before it started raining.  

The pictures are some of the interesting sights of the parade.  There were music groups, vintage cars, a dance team, and lots of dogs.  The dog float was to bring awareness to dog park that was supposed to have been built a year ago has yet been built. 

My day ended with seeing a fireworks display. How did you spend the day? Meet Me Outdoors.

Dino-Mite Summer, Harrisburg PA

On a mini weekend road trip adventure to Northern PA. We stopped in Harrisburg, PA for lunch and driving through we saw painted dinosaur statues. They are part of an outdoor public art exhibition called Dino-Mite Summer. I took some pictures of them as we walked along the road of the ones that stood out to me. Hoping for more sights along the trip, Meet Me Outdoors.

Joys of a Snow Storm 2016

Beginning of storm

Midway through

The first big snow storm of 2016 was a really big blizzard for the mid-atlantic region. After watching cars get buried under snow over the last 3 days, it was time to dig out the car.
Thankfully, I got a lot of help from the neighbors in digging, threw some snowballs for fun, and once the bulldozer came through it was time for a break. I am looking forward to my hot tea. Stay warm everyone, Meet Me Outdoors.

I found my car!

Cleared but still needing to dig around it.

 

Field Trip to Ladew Gardens

Today, I went on a field trip with fellow coworkers to Ladew Gardens. Ladew Gardens has a wide variety of gardens and many topiary displays as well as a Butterfly House full of local butterflies. Our group was divided into two with half wandering the gardens first and the other half went to the butterfly garden.  I was in the wander the gardens group.  With map in hand and my big sun hat and sunblock on it was time to explore with my group.

The gardens were made up of garden rooms which were highlighted by color, plant or theme.  The topiaries throughout the gardens had themes as well from one garden room to the next.  Some were still getting trained so you would see a frame and a topiary still growing to fill it. The first image is of the Hunt Scene you can see the hound dogs on the left and 'hopping' over the fence is a man on a horse. Off frame is the fox topiary.  The second photo is from the Sculpture Garden. See if you can figure out what some of the topiaries are supposed to be. Not easy, is it?

After exploring the rest of the gardens it was time for my favorite part, the Butterfly House.  All around the enclosed garden are host plants as well that if they find eggs or caterpillars on them the staff may clip them and bring them inside.  As the main plants are being eaten by the caterpillars they would bring in some clippings from outside so the ones planted in the garden can have a chance to recover.  Throughout the Butterfly House you can find butterflies in all stages of life from egg to adult and the docents are happy to point them out to visitors.

Fritillary

I have tried to capture some of the butterflies and caterpillars in pictures. (If it is out of focus: blame the camera. It doesn't like accept where I want it to focus so it tends to have the background in focus and the object I center the focus box on a bit blurry.) To identify what was in the butterfly house they had some signs around the marking the plants and the type of butterfly that would use it as a host plant.  There was a pamphlet that was available to help ID some of the common butterflies in the garden. For those at your home gardens and you can get a good picture of them there is a good website for North American butterflies and moths.
Some of you may notice that a few of the butterflies are missing part of their wings as shown in the picture of the fritillary on the right. This is part of their defense, if some predator comes by they may only get a bit of their wing while the butterfly can flutter off and escape being eaten. The swallowtail butterfly, named because of the little tail bit at the bottom of their hind wings, has that small section of the wing for that reason. 

Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar

Ladew Gardens is great for families, kids and school groups alike. My group went as part of an exchange, they had some of their staff visit the Science Center and we went to visit them at their gardens.  For those who know me may remember that not too long ago I also worked at a couple different butterfly gardens. Ladew's was unique in that they only do local butterflies. So you won't find any tropical ones that would have to be shipped in from butterfly farms.  I really like that everything they had in the Butterfly House was something I may see in my own backyard.  Many of which I have seen before and some were new to me.  They even provide a list of caterpillar host plants and what caterpillar only likes those plants so you can add those to your garden. Just be sure that they are pesticide free and get local plants to your area. 
There was a nature walk path that we didn't have time for, I still had a great time exploring the topiary gardens and seeing the butterflies.  Go visit explore a local botanical gardens near you, Meet Me Outdoors

Monarch Butterfly

From Mirador de Catarina to Laguna de Apoyo

Mirador de Catarina is a look out point in the town of Catarina in Nicaragua that oversees Laguna de Apoyo, a lagoon that was once an ancient volcano. Any mountain seen is or was a volcano.

With one of my travel friends and someone to guide us, I walked up to the look out point. Once there you can see the lagoon and some of the towns around it. Off in the distance you can see Lake Nicaragua. Many families and other groups of people were around sitting on the benches taking in the view. The area also has shops and food, even horse ride tours. 

After spending time at the top we took a moto-taxi to a resort down by the lake side that let's you enjoy entry some of the amenities, such as lake access for a small fee. The place we went to had a dock, inner-tubes and a sail boat for those who chose to use them. One from the group decided to swim the rest of us relaxed on the hammocks or by the water edge.

Since the lagoon was once a volcano a lot of the rocks were volcanic.  My favorite one to find was pumice which is a light colored or white rock, very light in weight due to air bubbles trapped when it was formed. When I tossed it into the water it would float and the waves would bring it back to the edge.

Even with a kid from our group was tossing any rock he could find to the edge of the water, it was good relaxing time out by the lake. Going from the top of the lookout point and then down by the edge of the water could have been a hike. With the limitations of sun setting at 6 we wouldn't have had enough time down and up from the lake before it got too dark.  It was a great ending to my adventure in Central America.  Looking forward to my next adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Richmond, VA - Maymont Park

Spring is here!  It finally feels like springtime and I was able to go visit with some friends down in Richmond, VA. While there we went to Maymont Park which is a great place for families. There are different habitat regions, gardens, and farm animals.

 I really enjoyed seeing the different animals and gardens.  The first animals we found were bison, they were on the way up to the Children's Farm. At the farm there were goats, chickens and a cow. Of course I got pictures.  Though it was hard to get some of the animals to stand still for the camera, the bison were the only ones to sit still. 
Some of the animals at the park that were in the wildlife exhibits had already gone in for the night. But the ones that were still out did come and say hi.

While we stuck to the Children's Farm, wildlife exhibits, and some of the gardens, there was far more to explore than we had time.  There is a Nature Center & Visitor Center which highlights the regional habitat. 

The chickens definitely kept moving around the most.  This is why they are off to the side of the picture.

 No, this isn't a two headed cow, the second one just had to be in the picture. 

This was nice stream we passed moving from one habitat area to the next. We were heading to the Japanese garden.  Walking through the gardens was really peaceful, a nice break from city life. 

This was a surprise find in the Japanese gardens. There was a snake slithering by and it looks like it had dinner recently. The snake is a bit camouflaged on the grass near the tree, but look for an oddly smooth branch like animal with a large bump in the middle.  It was certainly an interesting discovery.

I am looking forward to the new season and getting a chance to explore more outside.  Time for all of us to go outside and explore, Meet Me Outdoors.

Another Snowday in Baltimore

That's right, we have yet another snow day here in Baltimore, MD.  I just came inside after digging out my car, the one near the bottom right of the photo, and it hasn't stopped snowing. I figured I could clear half of the snow now and do it again later this evening when it hopefully stops.  I didn't bring a ruler out with me but I am guessing it was 6-8 inches of snow, it was about the same height as a stair step.  We are supposed to be 15 days away from the start of spring, but the snow just keeps falling. 

While I was out there clearing a path, two people were cross country skiing and there were kids pulling their sled to the sledding hill which is maybe a half mile from my house.  The neighbors kids were running around in the snow earlier, too.  

Last snow day my housemate decided to build a snow-person, the odd blob in the center of the yard is what is left of it.  Not far from my house there is a snow-sphinx that someone built.  People have been finding some fun ways to spend their snow days.  I am thinking of doing some knitting. What will you do? Meet Me Outdoors.

The Garden Needs Some (a lot of) Work

I was checking on the garden at the Sunday school after being away for the summer.  My friend was nice enough to take a picture of me while I was standing in the garden.  I was standing on tiptoe so she could see me better. I am not well camouflaged in my bright pink shirt.

Yes, most of what you are seeing is weeds. There are some baby fruit trees in the mix that are surrounded by fencing, but mostly weeds in there.  At this time I don't think I feel safe letting the children into the garden, mostly because anyone shorter than me... will be lost. I was having a hard time finding a place to stand having to step on plants to make my own path. 

One idea was to let the children just pick the flowers around the edges of the garden and we can work our way into it. Knowing the nature of children they will not say at the edges and likely would get lost in the field. 

I could take a weed hacker and cut it down to size, most likely would let landscapers do that.  A greener option is to rent goats and let them eat the weeds leaving me with a lovely garden and some natural fertilizer.  Not sure I have the budget for that.  Strap some tennis rackets to my feet and trudge out a path like I am snowshoeing... not so easy.

If I figure out a way to hack out a maze path in the garden like the corn mazes that are popular in the autumn, that would be awesome.  If anything I might see if there is a good corn maze in my area and trek out to one with some friends.  Find a corn maze near you and join the adventure, Meet Me Outdoors

Swallow Falls Canyon Trail

The adventure of the day was to walk around Swallow Falls. It is a state park in the Deep Creek area of Western Maryland not far from where I am staying.  There is a small entry fee that goes toward preservation of the park.

There are two different waterfalls in the area and are connected by a looped path.  The group of us decided to start with Swallow Falls. The trek to the falls is simple, with some steps that lead you down to the falls. We knew we were almost at the waterfall as the sound of rushing water grew.  When we reached the falls we could see it was a popular spot. Lots of people were observing the falls and taking pictures or wading through water to feel the water flow over them. Since we didn't bring a towel or change of clothes we decided to watch and take pictures.

This first set of falls were relatively shallow but still a good drop.  The first picture only shows the top section of the falls from where I was standing, left of the frame is maybe a 20-30 feet drop and right of frame is the river that leads to it.  As we all know I don't like to get too close to the edge, but it was fun scrambling up some of the rocks along the water.

These are my friends going on an adventure between the rocks and trees. They were climbing around and then started to do funny faces when had my camera aimed at them.  Throughout the forest there are a lot of fallen trees. According to signage, the hurricane winds knocked many of the trees over.

We then trotted off to find the next waterfall, I spotted a really cool looking flower along the trial. Just as I pulled my phone out to take a picture the butterfly landed.  It moved around a few times drinking nectar from the flower as I took its picture.  Do you recognize it from a previous post? It is very similar to the one I found in the garden back home.  Can you spot the honey bee? Both the butterfly and the bee are pollinators.

After some winding paths we finally made it to the second waterfall called Muddy Creek Falls. According to the state park's website it is 53 feet tall.  The pictures to the left and below don't show the scale well but it is much taller than the first waterfall we walked by.  To the left of the falls there was a staircase that leads up to the top of the falls.  At the top there is a platform and a paved path to make it handicap accessible. 

 
 Over all it was a great time.  If you are ever in the area I'd recommend checking it out for yourself.  I look forward toward my next adventure as the week continues.  Go check out what your local state parks have to offer they might surprise you, Meet Me Outdoors.

Out by the Water at Kent Island, Eastern Shore, MD

Went out to the Eastern Shore, MD and saw a pretty sunset and some really cool wildlife.  There was an osprey nest, a heron, and ducks. (Yes, more ducks...) 

It was really peaceful by the water.  I could see out toward the Chesapeake Bay with Baltimore beyond the horizon.  It was a great evening with my family eating out on the deck watching the sunset and seeing the animals.

The osprey nest had been made on a post that was put out especially for them. They build the nest though.  My family was passing around binoculars to see them better from the deck.  Apparently the baby osprey are nearly fledged and ready to fly off soon so it was nice to see them still in the nest.

When we saw the heron I wanted to get a closer look so I quietly walked down to the dock and tried to get a few pictures. At first it just stood where it was, but it eventually flew off, I caught it on my camera but since it was dusk the lighting was low.  It blended in well along the shore line after landed farther away from the dock, but I could see it in the distance. Of course the camera on my phone doesn't do well in the dark. I will try to add more pictures when I can. Enjoy summer, Meet Me Outdoors.

Ducklings of MSC follow up

I went out look for the ducklings today but found an empty nest.  I didn't see the mallard ducklings and mommy mallard out on the water but I did see a gaggle of geese.  

I will keep up the search for the ducklings. Until then, I am including the Maryland Science Center's Instagram picture of the mother duck and her baby ducks.  You can see that they are well camouflaged in the nest in the corner. You can see little duckling heads to the left of the mommy mallard's beak.

For those who know me well might also find another picture of me at the MSC's Instagram page demonstrating the need for Sun protection especially in the summer time. Using UV meters I was testing how much suncreen helps block the UV radiation from the Sun compared to the control.  Hint: Look for the person wearing a big floppy hat and sunglasses.

Keep exploring, Meet Me Outdoors.