A Northwoods
Almanac for 8/5 – 8/18, 2016
Sightings -
Hummingbird Clearwing Moth
A hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris
thysbe) has been nectaring in our beebalm flowers over the last few weeks.
This gorgeous little creature isn’t much bigger than a large bumblebee and
dances rather rapidly from flower to flower, unraveling its proboscis to probe
each flower for nectar. Most people either confuse this creature with a
bumblebee or a hummingbird, but it’s a moth!
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| clearwing hummingbird moth photo by John Bates |
The hummingbird clearwing is most abundant in the eastern U.S., but it
also ranges throughout North America and well into Alaska. It’s a “good guy,”
pollinating cultivated flowers, as well as being the primary pollinator for
some species of orchid.
As a caterpillar, H. thysbe feeds commonly on cherry
trees, hawthorns, and honeysuckle. This fall it
will burrow into the soil to overwinter as a brown,
hard-shelled pupae.
For all you Greek nerds (I’m mostly referring to our youngest daughter
Callie), the species name is likely a reference to Thisbe, half of a pair
of ill-fated lovers – Pyramus and Thisbe – in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. They were lovers who died tragically – Pyramus found
Thisbe's blood-stained scarf, assumed she had been killed, and committed
suicide with his sword. It seems likely the story of Thisbe is a reference to
the rusty, somewhat blood-like coloration of this moth.
But why Johan Christian Fabricius, a Danish zoologist who named this
species in 1775, thought this was the appropriate imagery from which to name
the species, will forever be unclear. Fabricius was the Linnaeus of insects,
naming 9,776 species of insects. Perhaps he was also an expert in Greek
mythology and wanted to marry the two.
Other Sightings –
Eagle Stories, Hermit Thrush, Gray Fox, Windstorm
Mary Melrose on Fishtrap Lake told me of a juvenile eagle that was
injured and ultimately died after apparently being blown out of its nest during
the windstorms on July 21. The bird’s right wing had two compound fractures and
one of the legs also had a compound fracture. The nest was also blown out. The
good folks at Wild Instincts near Rhinelander tried to save the eagle, but its
injuries were too severe.
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| photo by Kathy Helge |
Gail Fisher on Lake Katherine in Hazelhurst wrote, “We have had bald
eagles nesting on one of the islands for many years now. They successfully bred
this spring. Recently someone who helps me with my garden saw an immature land
on a white pine tree limb in the garden, fall from that limb to another limb
below it, and then fall from that limb . . . thus landing on the ground in
front of her. It sat there for a while but later was able to fly away.” Gail’s
story affirms the difficulties young eagles sometimes have learning to fly –
it’s a big craft to control!
The windstorm on 7/21 also knocked a lot of trees down along Hwy. B.
Debbie and Randy Augustinak in Land O Lakes sent me a few photos of the damage,
and noted, “While we lost dozens of large trees, including maples that measured
over 85 feet that were laid down root ball and all, many of our neighbors in
the High Lake and Wildcat Lake areas suffered serious damage to their homes and
cottages from falling trees. The drive down County B from our property west to
County M near Natural Lakes is heart breaking. Huge white pines, hemlocks and
maples have been toppled or snapped.”
Rod Sharka on Palmer Lake echoed their observations: We just had our
power restored today after being out for over 54 hours. Lots and lots of damage
around here. The intersection of Hwy B and Hwy M was like a war zone . . . the
road was closed for several hours. I managed to get to Boulder Junction
Thursday afternoon and was amazed at how quickly the county crews got the roads
open through there. Many, many trees were blocking the roads. I've heard of
many stories of major damage on the Cisco Chain and on North Twin in Phelps.
Obviously, lots of trees down across power lines in this area, as WE Energies
had 27 crews working around the clock clearing and re-stringing lines.”
On a happier note, Debbie and Randy sent me a photo on 7/28 of a hermit
thrush nest with two newly hatched chicks. This is quite a late nesting for a
hermit thrush, but hermits remain here into October before heading south for
their wintering grounds. Since their incubation period is only 11 to 13 days,
and then the chicks fledge on average 12 days after hatching, these tiny, naked
little things will still have time to grow into independent adulthood well
before they have to migrate.
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| photo by Debbie Augustinak |
Hermit thrushes typically being nesting in late May, so this nest is
almost certainly a second (or third?) clutch. Note that hermit thrushes nest on
the ground and can be impacted by clearing out understory vegetation.
Will Conway sent me several beautiful photos of a gray fox. He noted, “This
gray fox passes through our yard frequently as does the beautiful red fox. I
don’t know why this one stopped tonight. They always check the flower bed where
the bird feeder goes, but the feeder is down and in garage for the season.
Passed through twice.”
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| photo by Will Conway |
Celestial Events –
Cross-Quarter Day, ISS, Perseid Meteor Shower!
8/6 marks the midway point between summer solstice
and autumn equinox. Our days are growing shorter by 3 minutes every day. This past Thursday
(8/1) was Lammas Day, whose name is derived from the Old English
"loaf-mass," because it was once observed as a harvest festival.
Lammas Day was traditionally regarded as the third of the four “cross-quarter”
days of the year. In actuality, the midpoint between the summer solstice
on June 21 and the Sept. 22 autumnal equinox does not occur until 8/6.
To see the International Space
Station, look on Friday, 8/5, at 9:20 PM appearing at 26° above NNW – the ISS
will glow bright for 3 minutes as it crosses part of the night sky. Or on
Saturday, 8/6, look at 10:04 PM at 28° above NNW – the ISS will be visible
again for 3 minutes. Go to https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/ to
determine other dates and times.
Astronomers have predicted an outburst of Perseid
meteors this year – perhaps 200 meteors per hour will be seen on the peak
night, August 11-12 (evening of August 11, morning of August 12). That’s about
double the usual rate. But keep an eye out the night before and the night after
– there will be fewer, but still way more than a normal night.
Why so many meteors this year? Every time comet Swift-Tuttle goes around
the sun, it deposits a trail of particles. This year, Jupiter’s gravitational influence
has moved the meteor streams closer to Earth, so all forecasters are projecting
a Perseid outburst.
To see the maximum number of meteors, you’ll need
to be watching in the hours before dawn when the radiant point, in the
constellation Perseus in the northeast, is overhead. The moon will be below the
horizon during the predawn hours, so if the outburst occurs, you’ll see it!
For best results, recline in a lawn chair and
find dark, open sky, because these meteors fly across the sky in many different directions,
but they all come from a point in front of the constellation Perseus. Give yourself at least an hour of
observing time. The meteors in meteor showers come in spurts interspersed with
lulls. Remember, your eyes can take as long as 20 minutes to adapt to the
darkness of night. And bring along a thermos filled with a hot drink – it’s no
fun getting cold.
And be patient. Good things come
to those who wait. Find a good spot, watch, wait, and perhaps you’ll be have a
night to remember.
Climate Statistics
According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
“The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for June 2016
was the highest for the month of June in the NOAA global
temperature
dataset record, which dates back to 1880. This marks the 14th consecutive month
the monthly global temperature record has been broken, the longest such streak
in the 137-year record.”
The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for
June was 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) above the 20th century
average of 59.9 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius). “June 2016 marks the 40th
consecutive June with temperatures at least nominally above the 20th century
average,” NOAA said.
The report, issued each month by NOAA, also said the global temperature
for the first six months of 2016 was the hottest on record. Last year, 2015,
marked the hottest on record, beating 2014, which previously held the title.
Fourteen months in a row now have set records for heat.
NOAA also spoke about what it calls the “monthly temperature departure,”
or record spikes in heat. It said 14 of 15 of these spikes have occurred since
February 2015, signaling that global warming is accelerating.
Climate Change Thoughts
Given the above, we have no choice but to confront the
realities of climate change. I understand fully that it’s difficult to wrap our
heads around world weather patterns when what we experience in our local areas
may be quite different. Several years ago, we had two consecutive very cold
winters, but simultaneously Alaska was having some of its warmest winters since
record keeping began there nearly a century ago.
That’s just Alaska, of course. If
you search databases, you’ll find some places cooler, but most places are
warmer. I urge you to take the time to search the data for the rest of the
world, utilizing websites that are apolitical. And that is the keyword – apolitical. NOAA is apolitical, as are many
other research-based science organizations.
As always, it’s the big picture and the long-term trends
that matter. If you do take the time to look at the science, you’ll find the
worldwide data clearly showing we are continuing down a road that deeply
jeapordizes our children and grandchildren, something none of us would ever
consciously do.
Yet we continue.
I see the problem as twofold: one, we politicize the
issue rather than look the science squarely in the eye. Two, we have great
difficulty as a species looking long-term.
The bottom line?
We must look at our children and grandchildren, realize how vulnerable
they are and how dependent they are on us, and then do what we must to change
this course. Not adapt to its inevitability, but change its course.
Further Thoughts of Others on the
“Moral Ground” Surrounding Climate Change
Carl
Safina writes in the book Moral Ground: “We think we don’t want to
sacrifice, but sacrifice is exactly what we are doing . . . We’re sacrificing
what is big and permanent to prolong what is small, temporary, and harmful.
We’re sacrificing animals, peace, and children to retain wastefulness.”
Kathleen
Dean Moore adds in the same book, “Every time we say no to consumer culture, we
say yes to something more beautiful and sustaining. Life is not something we go
through or that happens to us; it’s something we create by our decisions. We
can drift through our lives, or we can use our time, our money, and our
strength to model behaviors we believe in, to say, ‘This is who I am.’”
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