Public Is Invited

Summer 2017 Newsletter

Thursday, August 24 Meet at 5:15 PM at the Hermann Fine Arts Center Parking Lot to Car Pool to the Site

We'll eat with the FLMR folks andhave a walking tour of the just-plantedpollinator habitat on the Luke Chute

Property. There are two terrestrial habitats -an old farm field near the river and a former

blueberry field - with over 30 species ofplants, many of which should be in flower inAugust. We will have a picnic and a stroll on

a late summer evening. Bring a dish for apotluck if you wish (and your own service

and beverages). Note the meeting on the 4th weekend of August

and the earlier time.

Thursday, July 13, 6:00 PM, Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Williamstown

Join members of the MNHS for a potluckpicnic at the Ohio River Islands NWR Visitors Center at 3982 Waverly Rd, Williamstown, WV. A great opportunity

to visit the riparian habitat around theCenter to admire the river view,

wildflowers, birds and other fauna. Bringtable service and a dish to share. Note:Opting for more favorable weather, wehave moved the annual potluck dinner

from January to July.

Thursday, September 14, 7:00 PM Selby Room 150, Marietta College Presenter: Al Lecount

Al Lecount, past president of the International BearAssociation, will discuss size, reproduction, denning,

movements and other interesting facts that distinguish truthfrom myths about black bears. Al will also talk about the first

bear radiocollared in Ohio – guess where he is now???.

MNHS Annual River Rendezvous Pot-Luck Dinner

Black Bears - Fact and Fiction

Picnic with the

Pollinators

Marietta Natural History Society

Page 2 Marietta Natural History Society Summer 2017

Don’t forget that videos of manyprevious MNHS programs are

available at the Washington CountyPublic Library

Dinner with the speakers

We will meet at 5:30 at the Levee House RestaurantCheck first with Dave (376-4743) or Elsa (373-5285). to be sure speaker will be there. Members should make their own reservations.

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625 5th St Marietta, OH45750 374-8778

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Bee-ing Smart How much brain capacity does problem solving require? Apparently not too much. A recent study showed that bumble bees could learn to access a supply of sugar water by using a string to pull a flower out of the way. Furthermore, other bees could learn to use the string by watching experienced bees do so. String pulling is a widely used test ofthe intelligence of animals all the way up to primates.

This newsletter’s special word -

No, You Are Not Paranoid... Your House Is Bugged!

We’ve all encountered a variety of bugs in our houses - always unsettling! So how many types of “bugs” are actually free loading in our homes? Researchers recently endeavored to tally the biodiversityof arthropods though genetic analysis of dust, which the researchers collectedfrom over 700 homes across the U.S. Their investigation found DNA signatures for over 600 species. Certain factors were associated with higherdiversity, such as having a cat or dog, a home in a rural area, or a basement. The most widely found arthropod families were Aphididae (Aphids, found in over 50% of the samples) Noctuidae (Owlet or Cutworm moths, inalmost 40%) , and Pyroglyphidae (which includes the common house dust mite,in about 25%). What about other expected denizens? They found spiders(Therididae & Linyphiidae) in ~27%, flies (Muscidae &Drosophilidae) in ~22%, cockroaches (Battidae & Blattellidae) in ~17%,and ants(Formicidae) in less than 5%. If only we could charge rent!

No Need to Dodge the DropsHow do small insects such as mosquitos survive the cannonade of rain? Atabout 50 times their mass, a rain drop hits a mosquito with about the force of 5ton car hitting a human; so why don’t they get squashed? Well, as long as themosquito stays airborne it’s safe. When a rain droplet strikes a mosquito inflight, the mosquito is propelled with the droplet for a distance before itescapes, thus dampening the force of the impact. However, a raindrop hitting a mosquito resting on a surface will rid us of the annoying pest. The effect is similar to catching a baseball by smoothly retracting one’s bare hands as the ball is caught; whereas the foul ball hitting an inattentive fan on the head is much more destructive.

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Page 3 Marietta Natural History Society Summer 2017

Historic Washington County Wildlife

– The Final Episode

As reported in the Spring 2015 MNHS newsletter, Dr.Edward Michael, of WV University, recently discoveredmultiple references to wildlife in a book, "History of Mariettaand Washington County, Ohio." originally published in1902 by Martin R. Andrews. We are running excerpts fromthis book with wording, sentence structure, andpunctuation exactly as they appeared. Other excerpts havebeen run in the newsletters of Summer 2015 and Summer2016. Below is the final excerpts, on large game animalsand other wildlife in the late 1700's: and some entertainingnewspaper ads of that time.

"There were bears and panthers through the hills, butnot so plenty, daring, orimpudent as the wolves and wildcats They all liked hogs andpigs, but the bears andpanthers were more shy anddid not repeat their visits likethe wolves

See Historic Washington Co., page 4

On August 21there will be a total solar eclipse thatwill be visible along a path extending from Oregon to

South Carolina. Although we will not see a totaleclipse here in Marietta, we will get much of it, with

the maximum around 2:30 PM. See page 5 formore about this eclipse.

Page 4 Marietta Natural History Society Summer 2017

Climate change and Thoreau Woods Remarkably, historical phenology (the timing of seasonal activities, such as flowering) records for the Concord, MA area extend back 150 years and were initiated by Henry David Thoreau. In 2008 a study had already documented impacts of climate change on the phenology of many wildflower species in Thoreau Woods, including anemones and buttercups, asters and campanulas, bluets, bladderworts,dogwoods, lilies, mints, orchids, roses, saxifrages, andviolets. (PNAS 2008 105, no. 44, 17029-17033).

Historic Washington Co., Cont. from page 3

"A panther killed a hog belonging to Isaac Barker,at theUpper Settlement, Belpre, and carried him 60 rods througha snow nine inches deep, leaving the trail of the hog andburied him by the side of a log The panther was followedin the morning about two or three miles, found on a hill and

killed "The wolves were

verytroublesome,where theybecame well

acquainted To preserve

your hogs a fence must bebuilt, so high they could not get over, or you must coveryour pen with logs, so large as not to be thrown off Largelots of hogs could defend themselves SQUIRRELS IN BARLOW IN 1822 "At a Squirrel Hunt in Barlow a few days since, at whichabout twenty men were engaged on a side, under thecommand of Captain Woodruff and Pond, an indiscriminateslaughter took place and four thousand two hundred andsixteen [4,216] squirrels were slain They appear to havebeen on the line of march from the West toward the East, and like all other armies, when necessity required, wouldquarter on the inhabitants of the country through whichthey were passing Corn-fields are suffering much fromtheir ravages The Muskingum and Ohio Rivers do notstop their course If ferries and bridges do not affordthem free passage, they do not hesitate to plunge in andswim across Although many of them have passed nearour office, some climbed over it, and some have actuallyentered it We have not been able to ascertain their pointof destination"Washington County in 1834 "The wild animals at presentfound in the country are chieflythose of the most harmlesscharacter, and which contributeto the substance of man Thereis perhaps in the most uninhabitedparts an occasional bear, orperchance, at night a wolf maybe heard to howl in some remoteglens on the borders, but I maysafely affirm that but few inhabitants of thecounty, at the present day, meet with either theone or the other The deer still bounds with

noiseless tread before the hunter's path, and the corn issometimes molested by the secret attacks of raccoon,opossum, or squirrel. The wild turkey stalks along thewoods in large flocks, the streams are lined with thebrilliant plumage of the wild duck, and high in the air maybe noticed the buzzard, wheeling in wide circles until hiskeen eye and scent attract him to the ground The wildgray goose may be seen winging its vernal and autumnalflight through the air [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Canada geesewere not residents, only migrants.] and in the autumn maybe heard from almost every branch the twittering of wildpigeons [AUTHOR'S NOTE: These were passengerpigeons.] Clouds on clouds come in thicker and thicker,until millions are assembled in one grand "roost" In thetownship of Decatur is a tract three or four miles square,occupied by the wild pigeons as a roost, in the year 1832 The timber over this tract is entirely destroyed Millions ofbeautiful birds made this their domicile for several monthsand afforded much sport to the huntsmen, and much foodfor the foxes"

NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS 1811 - "Joseph Israel Bookbinder offers to take in paymentsheep or deer skins suitably dressed"1815 - "Aaron Fuller - A generous price will be paid forbear skins"1816 -" J. Guitteau offers highest price on goods for bear,otter, black fox, and wolf skins"1821 - "D. Woolbridge Jr. will purchase bear skins, otterskins, ginseng, and beeswax"1825 - "D.C. Skinner will buy deer's horns and hides, alsovenison hams"1825 - "Joel Sherman accidentally shot in a wolf hunt inWindsor township"1832 - "Swearingen & Slocum have dry goods, hardwareand groceries Will take in payment for goods, deerskins, venison, hams"1835 - "Stone, Bosworth & Co will receive in payment for

goods, deer skins, hams, and horns"

Page 5 Marietta Natural History Society Summer 2017

Play for time, pressed for time, race against time, crunch time;Time is money, buying time, time invested, time well spent;Time for action, time for a change, time is near, high time;Beginning of time, first time, last time, time without end;Ahead of time, betimes, present time, behind the times;Time traveler, time capsule, time machine, time-tunnel;Ripple in time, wrinkle in time, time-stretch, time warp;No time to lose, time rushes by, time waits for no one;Time management, well-timed, time-saver, make time; Opening time, company time, closing time, overtime;Time bandits, serving time, doing time, time release;Oftentimes, many a time, every time, all the time;

Quality time, good times, springtime, peacetime;Time trials, game time, keep time, record time;Two-timing, time and time again, double time;Time span, time limit, time zone, time frame;Time cycles, wheel of time, next time ‘round;Time-slot, empty time, dreamtime, real time;About time, matter of time, question of time; Mealtime, lunchtime, chowtime, dinnertime;Sign of the times, modern times, NY Times;Playtime, free time, personal time, flextime;Downtime, quiet time, break-time, pastime;Lead time, lag time, time lock, time lapse;Time-honored, time-hallowed, time heals;Small-time, big-time, air time, primetime;Timekeeper, timer, time unit, timepiece;Time of, time was, foretime, times past;Time interval, time period, time scale;Untimely: maritime, optime, septime;

Timed, timing, timely, timeless;Since time immemorial;

Daytime, nighttime;Until the end of time;

Time share, on borrowed time;Call time, timeout, time stands still;

On time, time off, in time, out of time;Father time, geologic time, old Tyme;

Times-sign, multiple times, times table;Now's the time, it's time, the time is ripe;Sometime, each time, next time, anytime;

At times, the same time, the appointed time;Place in time, moment in time, stitch in time;My time, your time, meeting time, face time;Wrong time, lost time, time killer, dead time;Time-stamp, time-card, time sheet, timetable;Part-time, half-time, full-time, time and a half;Nick of time, just in time, in no time, due time;Fast times, Quicktime ©, time flies, bullet time;Time of your life, whale of a time, best of times;Hard time, bad times, devil of a time, time bomb;Marked time, filled time, passed time, killed time;Time signature, beat time, common time, ragtime;Timeline, circle of time, Times Square, space-time;For a time, meantime, with the times, in good time;;The whole time, fullness of time, of all time, lifetime;Test of time, the ravages of time, time worn, wartime;Time-consuming, time delay, wasted time, time drain;Short on time, little time, hardly the time, time is short;One-time, once upon a time, at one time, one at a time;Time to come, transit time, time marches on, time is up;

Take your time, bide your time, in your own sweet time;Nine times out of ten, third time’s a charm, only time will tell;

Time and tide, the arrow of time, hands of time, sands of time;Extra time, time enough, time on your hands, time on your side.

Time Scales234 ‘Timely’ Expressions

- Relatively Speakingby Steven Spilatro

This odd amalgam was initially run in the Winter2011 Newsletter. It was the outcome of my

fascination with different expressions that refer totime, and then recognition that there were

connections (often subtle) between them. So on awhim, I began to tally all the adages, apothegms,axioms, expressions, figures of speech, idioms,

maxims, turns of a phrase... – oh, darn, there I go again – that employ the word “time” (or some derivative of it). These

were then organized into sequences with some underlying connection.

Obviously, I don’t like to just sit around wasting time; or, maybe,

obviously I do.

The Edge of Darkness

On August 21 will occur the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the continental US since 1918. Maximum total eclipse will have greatest duration (2.38 minutes) near Carbondale, IL, which is making special preparations for the event. These include filling Southern Illinois University’s football stadium with 50,000 sun (darkness?) gazers. The gazers will include a contingent of astronomers intent upon studying the sun’s corona, its envelop of hot gases streaming millions of kilometers into space. How the gases are heated to form a plasma at over a million of degrees Celsius, much hotter than the underlying surface, is unclear. The corona normally cannot be directly observed, but during an eclipse the darkened sun reveals this glowing crown of gases. Scientists at Carbondale will be part of a national experiment involving dozens of telescopes that will record the total eclipse as it progresses across the country, creating a 90 minute digital record. Should the earth fail to cooperate (say with extensive cloud cover), at least we need not wait as long for the next total solar eclipse, cosmically scheduled for April 8, 2024.

(A Steve’s Favorite)

Invite a Friend to Join the

Marietta Natural History Society Wood Thrush — Individual $15 River Otter — Family $25 Monarch — Friend $50

Why not give a gift member?

Benefits of Membership

L Field trips

L Quarterly newsletter

L Monthly programs

L Educational experiences for kids and adults

L Conservation Projects

The MNHS Missioni To foster awareness of and sensitivity to our environment and its biodiversityi To provide a place where people with these interests can gather for information and activityi To create a presence in our community representing these ideas

Marietta Natural History Society P.O. Box 983 Marietta, Ohio 45750 (740) 373-5285