Some cool facts about animals images:
Goodyera pubescens in bud, before it was destroyed.
Image by FritzFlohrReynolds
I headed out to the woods before dawn this morning, because I wanted to get an awesome photo of this Orchid without annoying dappled sunlight. Unfortunately, when I got there, the plants had been destroyed.
This slightly blurry photo of one of the plants still in bud was taken last Saturday. I didn't worry about making it a good photo, I only took it so I could show my brother and my friends what I've been up too.
I visited this Orchid six times waiting for it to bloom. I'm feeling pretty sad, and I'm thinking about giving up hiking and botanizing, because I know what the future holds in terms of the local ecology, and I seem unable to observe these things with a healthy emotional distance.
Who damaged these plants is somewhat a mystery, although I suppose there is no point in dwelling on it. The flowers were removed, and so were most of the basal leaves, but the plants were not uprooted, and the surrounding soil was not disturbed. This is an unusual pattern for a human. If the plants had been dug up and removed, that would have suggested poachers, if they had been pulled up and casually tossed on the ground, perhaps a destructive child. When merely the flowering part of a plant is removed, I can usually only be confident that it was the work of humans if I find the flowers tossed on the ground, often near the trailhead, otherwise, even if humans are the likely culprit, it could always be simply that a hungry animal, probably a Whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has eaten them.
In this case, since not merely the flowering portion of the plants was removed, but also the basal leaves, I think deer were likely responsible, although it is possible that it could have been the work of a human influenced by those horrible plant guides which encourage ignorant people to imagine they are doing something healthy and wise and even earth friendly by poaching edible or medicinal native plants from "the wild".
Personally, I think that these Orchids are passing through the digestive track of some deer, along with a bunch of other plant matter, much of it, unfortunately, increasingly scarce native species. One of the common characteristics of most species that I consider invasive is that they are inedible to deer. This gives them a significant advantage in areas where overpopulation of deer is a problem.
I love Whitetail deer, they are majestic, delicious creatures. They are also native here, this is their natural habitat. However, because of extreme habitat destruction coupled with the fact that all of their natural predators have been extirpated from this area, there are simply too many of them for the available natural habitat to support.
Sensible plans to control the deer population through hunting have faced heavy opposition from "animal rights" activists, who refuse to accept the fact that deer overgrazing is seriously impacting native species and preventing normal forest succession.
The habitat destruction/deer overpopulation/overgrazing issue has been going on for some time now. During the 90s, as most of Fairfax county was deforested, huge numbers of deer were left wandering through the newly built suburban subdivisions, desperately searching for something to eat, and frequently being hit by cars. That was the situation I grew up with, but eventually, after all but tiny fragments of the natural habitat was eliminated from Fairfax county, except for along the river, the deer population dropped, although not to a sustainable level, and things settled down a bit.
Unfortunately, over the past few years something awful has happened. Essentially the only natural habitat remaining in Fairfax county, or elsewhere in the area, is along the Potomac river. The officially protected parkland is only a narrow section along the river, but until recently, it was bordered by a buffer zone which gave it the illusion of being much larger than it really was. Citizens had been led to believe that this nearly roadless area of large parcels of private property would remain essentially unchanged by Georgetown Pike's official designation as "Virginia's first scenic byway." It was woods with the weekend get away cabins of the extremely wealthy, and a few pastures for horses. At one point, in the 1960s, there were neighborhood covenant's put in place to keep things this way, but these were allowed to expire. The rich people who owned property there had some sort of informal agreement amongst themselves to maintain the "bucolic charm" and “sylvan character” of the area, but it did not have the weight of law.
Then in 2004, on the other side of the river, in Montgomery county Maryland, which generally has stricter laws and better enforcement than Virginia, Dan Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins football team, broke the law by cutting down the trees which had blocked the view of his mansion from the river, and got away with it.
Even though this caused massive erosion into the parkland beneath, everyone seemed to regard what he had done as merely an isolated aesthetically displeasing "eyesore", merely a nuisance to his also wealthy neighbors, rather than something that would set a precedence for massive habitat destruction. Since then woods along the Virginia side of the river has begun to be cleared, and the topsoil stripped away.
Despite the fact that property in this area is extremely expensive compared to the rest of Fairfax county precisely because of it's reputation for "bucolic charm" and "sylvan character", this new generation of extremely rich people have no desire for forest solitude, or horses, or anything remotely in good taste. The houses being constructed are flimsy plywood McMansions identical to houses in any suburban subdivision, only larger. The drive along "Virginia's first scenic byway" to the increasingly fragmented seeming natural habitat remaining in the parks reveals that this destruction has accelerated rapidly since spring of this year with the huge open sores of exposed red clay now waiting to built upon. This landscape of destruction reminds me of what I witnessed as a child elsewhere in Fairfax county, but although the total number of acres involved is much less, it is occurring in a much more ecologically significant area.
It makes sense that there is currently a new exodus of whitetail deer from the just destroyed land into the adjacent parks occurring, so it should perhaps not be surprising that heavier overgrazing than ever is occurring. I strongly suspect that a deer ate these orchids. Unfortunately this is not the only, nor the worst effect that this deforestation will have.
Central Park Reservoir, Aug 2011 - 16
Image by Ed Yourdon
Note: this photo was published in a Aug 30, 2011 issue of Everyblock NYC for the "customized" region of Central Park.
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You probably think that you already know everything that you need to know about the Central Park reservoir. After all, everyone has heard of New York City, and most people (except the residents of certain boroughs that we won't mention by name) assume that "New York City" means "Manhattan." And if you've heard of Manhattan, then you've heard of Central Park ... and if you know about Central Park, then you know about the reservoir in the middle of the park. What more is there to know?
Well, actually, there's a lot you should know, beginning with the fact that its official name is now "The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir," in honor of the late widow of President John Kennedy. But you can call it the Central Park Reservoir, because that was its original name, and that's what most of us here still do call it. (We also insist on calling the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge by its original moniker, "the Triboro Bridge," but who knows how long that will last.)
More importantly, it's not even a reservoir any more ... or, to be more precise, it became a "decommissioned" reservoir in 1993, when it was deemed obsolete because of a new water-main under 79th Street that connected to the Third Water Tunnel. (There was also some concern that the reservoir might eventually become contaminated because of the nasty habit of the rowdy bridge-and-tunnel crowd -- aka visitors from New Jersey, Long Island, and other 'burbs -- to pee in the reservoir after getting thoroughly sloshed on green beer and Ripple wine every St. Patrick's Day. But we don't really like to talk about that, because they eventually go home, and we make a lot of money from the event.)
So basically, the Central Park so-called reservoir is just a big pond with a billion gallons of water (give or take a gallon or two), with colorful Kanzan cherry trees along one section, a bunch of rhododendrons along another section, and lots of animals (mallards, Canadian geese, coots, loons, cormorants, wood ducks, raccoons, grebes, herons, and egrets) who hang out in the general area. It also has a 1.58-mile jogging path, which means that you can almost always find dozens of people jogging, walking, or racing around the park; and only the cynics would remind you that game show host Jack Barry died while jogging around the reservoir in 1984.
You might think that the reservoir was originally a pond or a small lake, or that it was fed and replenished by some kind of underground stream. But in fact, the reservoir was built during the period of 1858-1862 by Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux, as part of the overall design of Central Park. It was never a source of water itself, nor was it a "collecting" reservoir; its purpose instead was to receive water from upstate New York, via the Croton Aqueduct, and distribute it to the thirsty residents of Manhattan. All of that predated the work of Olmstead and Vaux; the Croton aqueduct was begun in 1837, and began delivering water to New York City in 1842.
So much for the history of the place. Like I said, it's basically just a big pond in the middle of Manhattan; but it happens to be a very beautiful place, especially with the skyline of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, and central Manhattan so visible from different vantage points. During the brief week or two that the cherry trees are in blossom, it's almost as beautiful as the famous stretch of trees in Washington; and it's a peaceful place for a stroll throughout the spring, summer, and fall. It's even beautiful in the dead of winter, when much of the water has frozen over, and when the jogging path is basically empty...
On three consecutive days in mid-to-late August, I walked around the reservoir with my camera, doing my best to capture some of the peaceful beauty, as well as the activity of the joggers and walkers and tourists. On the first day, I walked clockwise around the reservoir -- because everyone else was following the posted rules, and was running/walking counter-clockwise, which made it easier for me to photograph them. Then I came back the next day and walked the circumference again, but this time in the officially-sanctioned counter-clockwise direction. And then I decided that all of the still photos had failed to capture the beauty of the fountain that sprays a plume of water high into the air, as well as the constant motion of all those joggers and walkers ... so I came back for a third lap around the park, but this time with my camera set to "video" instead of "still." I've done my best to winnow all of the photos and videos down to a representative set; but to truly appreciate the beauty of the place, you'll have to come back and see it for yourself.
By the way, don't ask me what a grebe is. I have no idea, and I can only hope that I haven't stepped on one by mistake as I've walked around the reservoir from time to time...
Intelligent donkeys credited with leading rebels to success in Libya
Image by Donkey Sanctuary Press Images
Intelligent donkeys credited with leading rebels to success in Libya
PRESS RELEASE from The Donkey Sanctuary
31st August 2011
A report in the national press today quotes a Libyan rebel leader crediting donkeys with helping to free the town of Gharyan by keeping supplies running to fighters trapped in the besieged town. Thanks to their intelligence and stoic natures, donkeys and mules have played a vital role throughout history in supporting armies and keeping supplies moving under otherwise impossible circumstances says international animal welfare charity, The Donkey Sanctuary.
Colonel Gaddafi, in a broadcast on state television on 20th August, blamed ‘the donkeys of the gulf’ for keeping rebels supplied with weapons. As highly intelligent animals, donkeys are usually better known for their work as lifelines to humans worldwide, living and working amongst some of the poorest communities on the planet. However, they are also often used in dangerous conflict situations which other animals would be unable to cope with, particularly in countries where the terrain is rough, such as Libya or Afghanistan, where many areas are inaccessible to vehicles making donkeys the preferred method of supply.
The Sanctuary’s donkey behaviour expert Ben Hart says: “It is a common misconception that donkeys are just small horses with big ears, but in fact they are an entirely different animal, particularly when it comes to intelligence. Donkeys have phenomenal memories and are able to remember complex routes, plus recognise humans and other donkeys even after many years of separation. Their temperament coupled with their intelligence makes them better equipped to cope and remain calm in difficult situations.”
The Kosovan conflict made use of donkey-power, with the charity becoming involved in the extraordinary case of a mule and two donkeys who had been placed under arrest by the British Army in 2002. The rebel fighters were using the animals to smuggle guns across the border and had trained the donkeys to travel unattended to prevent fighters from getting captured. In the absence of humans to take into custody, the army placed the animals under arrest. The Donkey Sanctuary was contacted by a British Brigadier for advice on caring for the donkeys and mule and the three were signed over to the charity’s care. All three were transferred to the charity’s sanctuary in Spain, El Refugio De Burrito.
During World War II, mules were used to carry supplies behind enemy lines in Burma. Due to the danger of the situation, the thousands of mules used for this task underwent a procedure removing their voice boxes to keep them silent during manoeuvre. Andrew Trawford, director of veterinary services with The Donkey Sanctuary, said the wartime practice of de-voicing mules was taught as a history lesson at vet school. He said: "The operation is quite simple and not too traumatic for the animal, but its welfare afterwards can be a concern. The animal is not able to communicate and mules are naturally noisy, especially when trying to attract a mate and it is said their call can be heard to up to two miles away. It is not an operation I have ever had to perform."
To remember the many animals killed in wars a memorial was erected in Park Lane in London in 2004. The main dedication reads: ‘This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time’. A smaller inscription reads: ‘They had no choice’. The western section of the memorial features two heavily-laden mules climbing the steps. The memorial has the name of The Donkey Sanctuary’s founder, the late Dr Elisabeth Svendsen, inscribed on the wall - 'honouring the fallen'
ENDS
Notes to Editor
For an interview, further information or images, please contact The Donkey Sanctuary press office on 01395 573097/573014 or mobile 07970 927778
About The Donkey Sanctuary
International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary was founded by the late Dr Elisabeth Svendsen M.B.E. in 1969 and aims to protect donkeys and mules and promote their welfare worldwide.
The Donkey Sanctuary supports projects to relieve the suffering of donkeys in 29 countries worldwide, including sanctuaries across Europe, where more than 14,500 donkeys and mules have been cared for, and major projects in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico, where donkey welfare is improved through community education and veterinary work.
For further information telephone: 01395 578222, view www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk or visit the charity’s headquarters near Sidmouth in Devon (open 365 days/free admission).
