Honorable Mention

Headwaters Park December 16, 2014

A neat feather in the cap of Headwaters Park for 2014:  we earned Honorable Mention in DCNR's Green Parks Award for this past year!  Designed to showcase and honor those Pennsylvania parks that make a great effort to keep conservation and preservation a priority for their region, this award is granted annually.  See here for details on other honorable mentions and also the 2014 winner, Sullivan Park in Northampton County.

Headwaters Park summer 2014

As we continue to work on the details for our Master Site Plan, we continually have the focus of Headwaters Park in the forefront of our minds.  It is our mission to conserve and preserve our unique natural resources while welcoming the public to enjoy the natural area and continually learn more about nature and its abundant resources.  Our write-up by DCNR was quite nice.

Although we here in Erie consider our area to have 4 seasons, occasionally it seems that we have a new season every day.  The opening photo was taken December 16th, after yet another snow melt and rain event.  The colors are still captivating, especially when one expects to see only shades of brown and gray.

Winter 2013-14

Even in the winter, who would expect varying shades of white and blue?

It is wonderful to find a natural space near you to visit regularly.  To watch the stream change course gradually over years, or overnight in a sudden weather event.  To see new seedling grow, or a different variety of wildflower gradually fill in a space with its own rainbow.

A single visit to nature is invaluable, and to have a space to visit whenever you like is priceless.  I suggest you go find one, if you haven't already.  Find a spot as small as a lone tree or as large as you can handle, just one that makes you smile or relax when you are there.  A place you are comfortable.

Now visit it.  As much as you can, for as long as you can.  When you begin to observe changes, it's a mix of emotions a little like watching a child grow up.  You are sad when some things are gone or outgrown, but also happy to see the new, wonderful things that are taking their place.

Monarch migration 2014

Shaggy Mane mushroom

Harvest-Time Memories

The epic snowstorm of Buffalo and surrounding southern areas is still fresh in everyone's mind, especially those in the tri-state area.  Here in Erie we simply had our normal 2-3 feet of snow, depending upon where you are in the county.  The term 'lake effect' means EXACTLY that - it was the perfect storm right along the shoreline of Lake Erie.  Moisture was collected from the lake as the system moved across it, then unceremoniously dumped on the immediate land.  Unfortunately for some towns, the system didn't move.  It simply sat there for over one day, like a ski resort snow machine that someone forgot to turn off.  Truly fantastic; an event that will be told and retold for generations.




We are currently snow-free from our 67 degree day on Monday, which led me back to our Pumpkin Walk back in early October.  We are still technically in the fall season, and the Master Gardener event held here at Headwaters Park should be recounted to revel in the success of the evening and look forward to the possibilities that might appear in 2015!

The Master Gardeners spend months, MONTHS, organizing this event for the one evening in October.  Always the first Saturday, so mark your calendars now.  When I say months, I really mean they have already begun planning for 2015.  Organizing the carvers, donations of pumpkins, drop-off and pickups of jack-o-lanterns, educational displays, 4-H food vendors, local fire stations for education regarding Fire Safety month, volunteers, volunteers, and more volunteers.

It is a wonder and a sight to see.

All businesses that sponsor the event receive a pumpkin carved with their logo.  All proceed are utilized for the event and future educational outreach of the Gardeners.  The carvers had a perfect day to spend outside with the pumpkins.

Over 700 jack-o-lanterns were placed in the Park along a 1/2 mile of trail.  Starting at 5pm, families began their hike, commenting on the cleverness of faces, or pointing out details and colors.  Some pumpkins were carved with art in mind, some with traditional faces, but all greatly enjoyed by the over 3,000 visitors.

However, one more surprise was added at the finale of the hike.

Students from several Central Tech High School classes pooled their electronic, engineering, and media skills to create a musical light display with artfully placed jack-o-lanterns.  Check out the looping performance here.

The hike itself took 45 minutes (or longer, if you lingered).  Visitors were then treated to a variety of educational displays, games for kids, and drawings for door prizes.  Mountaintop 4-H graciously offered a snack tent, with proceeds benefiting the 4-H program.  The firefighters and EMS volunteers were happy to talk with visitors about Fire Safety month and their local programs.

Pumpkin D'Light night was a great success for the 3rd consecutive year and we are anticipating another wonderful display in 2015!

Fall Stream Studies

Despite the cooler, wetter weather we experienced this summer in northwest PA, we have had a reasonably pleasant fall season.  Taking advantage of this weather are numerous students throughout the region learning how to study the health of their school/neighborhood's local streams.

The study began over two years ago in outreach intended to connect regional students and teachers with their local watersheds and natural waterways.  Being so close to Lake Erie, most schools have a stream within walking distance of their building.  It was the intent to have students explore their streams through hands-on testing and discovery and learn if that water is healthy.  While exploring, students are also making connections between the natural waterways and their daily lives.

Where is this water going?  (Lake Erie)

Where does the water from my school's faucet come from?  (usually Lake Erie, occasionally a local reservoir or set of wells)

If this creek flows to Lake Erie, and I swim/fish/boat/etc. in the lake, what does that mean for me?

The questions continue as the students become more involved in their studies.

Students from Clark Elementary learning what macroinvertebrates might live in Four Mile Creek

The students involved in this study range from state border to state border - Ohio to New York.  Some creeks are rural, some suburban, and some run right through the center of Erie or surrounding towns.

Four Mile Creek - upstream 

Clark 6th graders testing stream water

Students from JoAnna Connell Elementary spent several hours the last week of October exploring and testing the waters of Cemetery Run.  The fifth graders tested five different sites behind their school; two from the adjacent wetlands and three from the creek.  Small groups of students tested each site for levels of phosphates, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, coliform bacteria, temperature, pH, and macroinvertebrates in the stream.  

Recording data

Not only have student groups been exploring the stream, they have also become stewards of their areas, cleaning up trash found in and around the creek and generally maintaining the site.

Connell students observing the site and recording data.

It is an invaluable experience for the students and staff to regularly study and explore their neighborhood waterways and natural areas.  Not only to understand how nature works, but also to create connections between themselves and their environment.  As the students begin to see themselves as part of their surroundings, and the beauty and value of them, they become stewards of the environment, taking care of the area year after year.

Monarch Season!

It's Monarch migration time!  I did post about this last year, with information on how to tell a male from a female monarch (don't remember?  Check back in past posts and see!)  Here is the Journey North website, a great informational site that provides current information on maps, migration, and monarch facts.  I will leave this post with more photos than words -

Check back early next week - our pumpkin walk is coming up in 7 days - October 4th from 5pm - 10pm.  Over 900 lit Jack O'Lanterns will grace our trails that evening!

Wildlife Discoveries

As many of you now know, Headwaters Park is carefully and thoughtfully creating a Master Site Plan to assist in the future care and maintenance of our park.  Part of the creation is knowing what we already have in the park and WOW, what we are coming up with is amazing.  Throughout the summer, we have been fortunate enough to enlist the assistance of very generous and knowledgeable scientists regarding the wildlife and plants within our boundaries.  Periodically they will send a photo or notification of something of great interest that was discovered within Headwaters - what a better place to share than our blog?

Photo by Mark Lethaby

Back in April, this cache of cottus eggs was discovered under one of the rocks in Mill Creek.  Side note:  we are currently doing weekly water quality testing at five locations in our park - check back for more information about our findings.  Cottus are a species of fish, the sculpins that are found in freshwater.  They are a smaller fish that lays their eggs on the underside of rocks in the spring, guarded by the male for 2-3 weeks until hatched.

Snakes abounded in July (and may still!) throughout the park.  On your hikes, you may have discovered several plywood boards or corrugated metal pieces to the sides of the trail recently.  They have been placed there by one of the scientists leading the inventory in an effort to create a temporary habitat for reptiles for counting.  You will see the board in the background -

Photo by Mark Lethaby

A bright and gorgeous green snake was captured by photo on a sunny day.  The green snake is nonvenomous and slender, perhaps reaching between 18-30 inches in length.  They are well camoflaged by their coloring when in the grass, trees, and shrubbery.

An especially unique discovery were the red-bellied snake and its unusual variation, the red-bellied snake with a black belly.

Photo by Mark Lethaby

As evidenced by the photo, this particular species is on the smaller side, growing to approximately 12 inches.  They dine on slugs and earthworms and give birth to live young (imagine how small!)

Moving on to the very end of July, our reptile discoveries continued.  How about a milk snake?

Photo by James Buchkovich

The coloring on the milk snake is very eye-catching, but also similar to the rattlesnake.  It could be suggested that humans are an unintentional predator for the milk snake in that they kill them in mistaking them for a timber rattlesnake.  They are non-venomous and are one of the several reptile species in PA that lay eggs.

Photo by James Buchkovich

What a striking Hemlock Varnish Shelf fungus!  While it is an unpleasant term in regards to a human fungus, fungi found in nature can have a great number of valuable purposes, from medicines to antioxidants to its natural job, decomposing  plant matter and turning it into rich, new topsoil for new plants to grow.  In working with children, I liken the job of fungus to their local recycling pickup.  Fungi - nature's recycling agent!

Another knowledgeable scientist heading up the insect/arachnid inventory is James Buchkovich, finding these two inhabitants of the park:

Photo from Internet

AND:

Photo by James Buchkovich

Who knew these two spiders shared Headwaters with us?  The top photo is lifted from the Web; keep in mind the spider is roughly the size (and shape) of an ant.  According to Mr. Buchkovich, we are looking at a "non-native (European) jumping spider Myrmarachne formicaria (Salticidae)".  The ability of this spider to mimic an ant, both in body shape and also by waving its front legs to resemble ant antennae is fascinating to observe.

Regarding the white arachnid in the above photo, here is a detailed description of the habits of this species of crab spider:

"What we have here is a Misumena vatia crab spider with its ambushed prey---an ill-fated bee.  This is the white form of Misumena vatia which matches the color of the white flower cluster it is on (wild carrot).  Later in the year when goldenrod appears, Misumena vatia tends to migrate to that plant and turns into its yellow form to match the color of the goldenrod.  It is capable of returning to its white form if it finds itself on a white flower.  The color change does not occur rapidly and requires days to complete.  The color changes from yellow to white faster than from white to yellow."

Check back in with the blog to find out more about our discoveries and future plans, especially about the upcoming Pumpkin D'Light Night on October 5th!!

Park Inhabitants

It's always an adventure coming across plants and animals not often seen in Headwaters Park.  These items are usually smaller, or quiet, in an out-of-the-way location, or a combination of all three.  It feels like a true treasure when one takes the time to notice what is right next to us.

Back in June, my family and I nearly ran over an adorable baby snapping turtle.  Only my exclamation of "STOP!" saved the little one from injury.  He was young enough that when we picked him up to move him to a safe location, his hind claws tickled rather than scratched or sliced.  It is never a good idea to approach a snapping turtle unless you know where and how to be near them, and only when necessary (such as moving them to a safe location).

Snappers can take off fingers with their beak and slice through skin with one swipe of their claws.  Their 'snap' of the jaw is incredibly fast, the opposite of the stereotypical slow motion one reads about in picture books.  For more information on snapping turtles, check out wiki.

This week, our discoveries in the Park continued - with Indian Pipes, or the Ghost Plant!  Truly unique and quite fragile looking, the indian pipes grow without chlorophyll.  Because the plant does not depend on sunlight for sustainance, it is often found in shadows of the forest.  Perhaps the most fascinating part of the plant is the way in which it derives its food.

Rather than sunlight, the ghost plant finds its food from a fungus growing underground that obtains ITS food from the roots of a nearby tree.  It is said the ghost plant is actually a parasitic plant, keeping in mind that the plant, fungus, and tree are not harmed in this unusual partnership.  The plants only grow to 6-8 inches tall - pay attention while hiking or you may pass or step right on them!  For more information about monotropa uniflora, see Tom Volk's site.

Then we found the walking stick.

Apologies in advance for the blurry image.  Note to all - pack a small camera with you, or make sure your cell phone takes great photos.  Mine is less reliable, as we can see.  

One could go their whole life not noticing a walking stick with it being right beside them.  Their camouflage is spectacular.  This one was discovered only by its motion.  Had it been still, it would have blended perfectly with the tall green grasses in the background.  They are herbivores, and are mainly browns and greens.  However, some species sport wings and bright colors and patterns.  They wear the crown of being the longest insect species in the world.

And, right before cleaning up from our hike, what did we find right outside our door?  Milkweed Tussock caterpillars, of course!

Again, a little blurry.  A very busy group of caterpillars, industriously chewing through one leaf then moving on to the next.  Note the empty stalk at the bottom of the photo.  I checked back a few hours later and they had organized themselves in vertical bands around the main stem.  It looked like the milkweed was wearing several bracelets.

Tussock caterpillars can irritate the skin if touched - be wary when observing any type of caterpillar.  Watching this group systematically take down the milkweed was fascinating.

Always keep your eyes and ears open when heading out into nature - there are things to discover at every turn, every day!

Lightning Strike

Mother Nature has been making her presence known very forcefully this spring and summer.  Not only here in Northwestern PA, but across the United States (including the recent earthquake at one of the Alaskan islands!).  The incredible force and speed with which she strikes is worthy of respect and awe.  During one of our recent and numerous storms, we apparently hosted a lightning strike within the Park that left fascinating damage.

Let's debunk a myth about lightning strikes.  They CAN strike twice in the same place.  It's more likely to happen if the item is tall, a great conductor, and/or stands alone.  Think conductor rods on tall towers, lone trees in a field, or fire towers on a mountain.  They may sustain multiple strikes in one storm.  Focusing on trees, there are two main ways that a tree can be affected by a strike:  a strike may be noticed by a stripping of the bark down to bare wood, or it may go unnoticed as it is a systemic strike through the tissues of the tree.

One of the hemlock branches blown off in the strike

This particular strike on our Eastern hemlock along Mill Creek sustained the strike along the outside of the tree.  It blew several branches off, which were located 20-40 meters away.  The force of the strike caused some of the splinters to become embedded within the earth.

Perhaps most fascinating (in the safety of this sunny afternoon) was observing the curled bark pieces that had also been blown off with intense force.  

A few safety reminders in this season of enjoying the outdoors when sudden weather can appear:

• Lightning can strike up to 9 miles ahead of a storm.  
• If a storm moves in, find shelter immediately in a safe building or car.  Wait at least 30 minutes before heading back to your activity.
• If you cannot get to shelter in time, get off of a hill/mountain and out of any body of water immediately.  Do NOT use trees or rocky overhangs as shelter.  Crouch down in a low spot and hug your knees until the storm breaks or you are otherwise able to find shelter.

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No matter her mood, Mother Nature is a neverending source of wonder for those that take the time to observe their surroundings...