Seasonal Scenes: Jan-Feb-March 2009

The winter of 2008-2009 brought us our share of snow and cold in Arlington MA, but many days were also sunny. Getting out into nature was always restorative and much needed. The video below shows typical nature scenes in Arlington and vicinity at this time of year. Relax and enjoy the scenes and music. Most importantly though, there is no substitute for getting out and experiencing nature first-hand. The video shows several places in or very near to Arlington that are wonderful places to explore.

The Arlington Natural Connections Project would appreciate receiving contributions of photos that document nature in the current season. Select photos may be displayed in on-line galleries, photo collage videos or other works created as activities of the Arlington Natural Connections Project. The contributing photographer will be credited, unless anonymity is requested. Please include: place, date, time (optional) the photo was taken, and the photographer to credit. Submission of photos is taken as permission to use in these venues.

Please submit digital photo files to:

joe@naturalconnectionsproject.com

The mission of the Arlington Natural Connections Project is to promote a sense of connection to the natural world by combining an artistic and natural science approach.

Tracking Hike at Arlington Great Meadows

On Sunday February 1, temperatures soared into the balmy range near 40F. What a great day for a Tracking Hike in Arlington's Great Meadows. The event was organized by Don Miller and David White of the Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows . We split into two groups, one led by Lydia Rogers and one by Fran Ludwig. Although we didn't have the dusty covering of new snow that would make conditions optimal for spotting tracks, we did see some. We learned about the X pattern that all dogs make when they leave a track. We saw squirrel tracks, identifiable by the larger tracks in front (made by the back feet) with smaller tracks in back (from the front feet). I was embarrassed to realize that I didn't really know how squirrels ambulate around, despite having a bird feeder in my yard that is a major squirrel attraction every day. A nice picture of squirrel tracks and a drawing of how they move is here. As usual, you may click on photos to see them enlarged.

The snow was textured by cycles of warm/cold and the rocks, branches and other objects lying underneath.

The Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows group have made many improvements that enhance enjoyment and accessibility.

We saw these beautiful ball-shaped oak galls, and also another type more elongated and integrated into the branches of a bear oak. Although these make interesting additions to my "natural collections", I am always conservative about collecting these galls because they provide such visual interest and are part of a fascinating natural system.

Thanks Lydia, Fran, Don and David for organizing this!

Habitat, Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Belmont MA

Took a walk on Saturday afternoon, January 24, 2008 around the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, a Mass Audubon Society property, at 10 Juniper Road, Belmont MA. The temperature was in the 30s, with some wind. The wind was audible, whistling through the pine trees high overhead. Also heard rustling of some oak leaves that have hung on all winter, some lyrical birds, and the occasional tree branch clunking against another as it moved in the wind. The sky was visible through the bare treetops, more so than in summer when the canopy is dense with leaves. The birch grove shined brightly, vividly white. The dense trees shielded walkers from the wind. Especially in the sun, I was quite comfortable when walking around. As usual, you may click on photos to see them larger.

A great place to ward off the effects of nature deficit. Very close to Arlington. Plenty of parking, visitor center has rest rooms.

MicroCosmos Movie

As 2009 begins, the weather in Arlington, MA is typical for January - cold and snowy.  Put on some warm clothes and get out in it - it's beautiful and exhilirating.  Here's a photo of Spy Pond, taken in the afternoon, January 2.

If you are looking for a video to watch, one evening, warm inside, try "MicroCosmos".  Wonderful scenes of a meadow in summer, featuring some spectacular close up photography of ants and insects.  There are many samples available on YouTube, here is one that shows the beginning scenes:

Link to Microcosmos Part 1 on YouTube

This video gives you a taste of the beauty and genius of nature captured in the film "MicroCosmos".  It is available as a DVD rental for only $1 at the Arlington Robbins Library.  I find it impossible to watch without being very moved.

Shared and Transitory

In the Produce Aisle
- by Kirsten Dierking

In the vivid red
of the fresh berries,
in the pebbled skin
of an emerald lime,
in the bright colors
of things made
to be transitory,

you see the same
loveliness
you find in your own
delicate flesh,
the lines fanned
around your eyes
charming like
the burnish
of plums,

your life like
all the other
fragile organics,
your soft hand
hovering over
the succulent apple,
you reach for it,
already transforming.

"In the Produce Aisle" by Kirsten Dierking,
from Northern Oracle. © Spout Press, 2007.

I thank Garrison Keillor and the staff at "The Writer's Almanac" for including this wonderful poem in their serial for New Years Day, 2009. The poem speaks of beauty and connection, and of the temporary and transitory reality that we humans share with all natural things. These subjects are central to the interests and aspirations of the Arlington Natural Connections Project.

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Happy New Year 2009 from the Arlington Natural Connections Project!

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Two Places in Alberta Canada

In August 2008 I visited Wateron Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Park in the US join to form an International Peace Park which is also an UNESCO World Heritage Park and Biosphere Reserve. These parks have fantastic scenery and biodiversity, truly inspiring to visit.

View looking South along Waterton lake.

Photo taken at end of "Peace Park" hike, a ranger led hike that starts in Canada and ends in the US.

Further north in Alberta, operations are underway to extract oil from Oil Sands. There is a huge deposit of oil in these sands. Extraction of the oil is inherently inefficient, requiring an input of ~50% of the energy available in the extracted oil and huge amounts of water, yet extraction from these deposits accounts for almost 50% of the total Canadian oil production. Pop Quiz: What country is the top importer of crude oil to the US? (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Canada?). Here is what the operation looks like:

Photo Credit: Jeff McIntosh/AP

Here is what some Canadians think about this great boom to the economy:

For another viewpoint, with essentially the same facts, see the Alberta Government's page on Oil Sands . One of the more sobering facts offered by the government on this site is the following:

"Mineable bitumen deposits are located near the surface and can be recovered by open-pit mining techniques. For example, the Syncrude and Suncor oil sands operations near Fort McMurray, Alberta, use the world's largest trucks and shovels to recover bitumen.
About two tonnes of oil sands must be dug up, moved and processed to produce one barrel of oil."

I wondered, what do we get for our willingness to scrape up two tonnes of the earth. One barrel of crude oil is 42 gallons, which yields approximately 19.5 gallons of gasoline. This would fuel a Prius approximately twice, at 45 miles per gallon would allow a trip of approximately 875 miles, equivalent to a round trip between Boston and Baltimore. Driving an SUV or a vehicle averaging around 20-25 miles per gallon, you would only have enough for a one way trip. To get home, a second two ton scoop would be required.

Top importer of oil to United States: CANADA, by a wide margin.

CANADA - 1,910
SAUDI ARABIA - 1,519
MEXICO - 1,180
VENEZUELA - 1,037
NIGERIA - 941
IRAQ - 652

1000's of barrels/day, source: EIA Figures through Oct 2008 (Energy Information Administration, Official Energy Statistics from the US Government)

Please conserve and support alternatives to Oil!

Middlesex Fells Ice Beauty - December 14 2008

These photos were taken on Sunday December 14 2008 in the Middlesex Fells Reservation, along the Reservoir trail, west of the lower pond. Some recent weather had created conditions favorable for some truly wonderful ice patterns. On Thursday-Friday of this week there was a lot of rain, which caused flooding in places. By Friday evening to Saturday temperatures were quite cold, going down into the 20s at night. On Sunday, relatively warmer, temps pushing 40 by the afternoon.


Saw many patches of these long needle-like ice crystals in disturbed areas on the ground. These were about 3/4 inch long, but even longer ones were evident. Please click on the photo above to see how extraordinary these long needles are, the small photo doesn't reveal the detail.

This low lying area was likly flooded to a greater depth in previous days. As the water receded, the ice layer gently bent, melting and refreezing, and sometimes cracking. In some places very thin sheets, about a millimeter or two near their edges were suspended horizontally.

The formation below was razor thin, angled at about 45 degrees against a submerged branch. Extraordinarily crafted and ephemeral.

From Arlington Natural Connections Project

The Arlington Natural Connections project seeks to promote a connection with nature. These images are an example of the richness that awaits, right here in our own backyard. You can click on photos above to view larger and see finer detail.

Update 21 April 2010: Some of these photos are on display in "Images of Arlington: Mystery and Magic" showing at the Tufts Gallery at the Arlington Center for the Arts through June 11, 2010. Reception and awards Sunday May 16, 2-4 PM. I also chanced upon a video by the Boston Pops featuring Ice Photos from the Sudbury River and an accompanying musical composition by the principal horn player Richard Sebring.