Leader
for today's Ramble: Catherine Chastain
Author of today’s Ramble report: Linda. Comments, edits, and suggestions for the report can be sent to Linda at Lchafin (at) uga.edu.
Photos today were taken by several people, including Emily Carr, Cathy Payne, and Linda. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen.Number of Ramblers today: about 25
Today's emphasis: Hand-printing from nature!
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| Sandy makes even Dog Fennel look beautiful! |
Reading: Cathy read a poem "Witness" by MK Creel
I want to keep watch
through the night, guard them
like a shepherd, blue-eyed
in the window—these faceted
crystalline beads glinting
on the milkweed beneath
an opal moon.
In the morning
the eggs will be gone, carried off
by a Thread-waisted Wasp
or a scouting red ant, vanished
as quickly as the lone
Monarch visiting in August.
I am the only witness
to the loss,
seven tiny ovals
that once held our hope
and sorrow.
Show
and Tell:
Catherine brought three children's books with beautiful illustrations to inspire us.
Announcements:
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society fall kickoff meeting will be held Thursday, Sep 7 with a pot-luck style reception and silent auction at 6:30 (all proceeds go to ORAS – if you’d like to donate, contact Cody at codycox75@gmail.com. At 7:00, Bob Sargent, GA DNR Wildlife Resources Program Manager, will speak on the recovery of Bald Eagle populations in GA. The reception and talk will be held at UGA’s School of Ecology, 140 E. Green St. Parking is free after 6:00 in UGA lot S07, located next to the ecology building. Enter through the main entrance to the ecology building; the auditorium will be on your right and the courtyard where the reception will be held is straight ahead.
Bat Night at SCNC: Learn about bat biology and how researchers survey for these nocturnal animals with Georgia DNR! This interactive program will include a short seminar on bat biology, Q&A with DNR staff, and a demonstration of mist-net and acoustic survey techniques. Flash photography of animals is allowed at DNR staff discretion; participants will not be permitted to handle bats. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on outside, a water bottle and anything else you need for being outdoors. Date: September 8 Time: 7-9pm Fee: $3/ACC resident, $5/Non-resident Age: 18 and up Register here by September 7.
Today's
Route: We spent the entire ramble in and around the Children's Garden Arbor, searching for interesting plants to print then making and bragging on each other's prints.
Today's Ramble: As an introduction, Catherine said: "Because I love nature and art, I wanted to bring some sort of art project to the ramble. But where to start? The library, of course! Researching naturalists who were also artists was inspiring. William Bartram, John James Audubon, and Maria Merian were all enchanted by nature and devoted hours to drawing and painting. The three books I brought to share are beautiful biographies from the children's section of the library of these naturalists who not only produced beautiful art but also furthered scientific knowledge. Drawing requires seeing, practice, and skill building (and did I mention, hours?), but PRINTING is a fun, easy way (although a bit messy!) to produce a satisfying image with less worries about skills. Printing is a way to use our hands in making an image and also to see the details of plants in a different and closer way. I feel that all the ramblers are enchanted by the beauty of nature. As Ruskin says,"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty." I thought it would be lovely to try to capture a bit of that beauty ourselves.
Catherine brought all the equipment we needed to start making prints: two ink pads, several brayers (rollers), different kinds of paper for each rambler to use, wet wipes, tweezers, and leaves and fruits (okra!). She also brought crayons for those who preferred to make rubbings.
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| Our print-making supplies |
· Fold your paper in half to make a crease, then open it out flat and lay it on a hard surface.
· Select your subject – leaf, flower, slice of okra, nut, etc. Place it on the ink pad.
· Using the brayer, press the subject into the pad, making sure the whole lower surface is inked.
· Using tweezers, transfer the subject, inky side down, to one half of the paper and fold the paper closed.
· Using your fingertips or heel of your hand, press the paper onto the subject. Then unfold the paper.
· Voila!
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| Ginkgo leaves, fern fronds, okra, and others |
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| Victoria chose lots of different species to ink. |
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| Fern fronds with okra pod slice |
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| Barbara and Dave's leafy masterpiece! |
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| Columbine leaves |
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| Cathy experimented with several subjects |
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| Halley's oaks of the Piedmont |
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| Linda's Anemone leaves |
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| Passionflower leaves and tendrils |
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| Roger opted for the more colorful crayon rubbing method, evoking the coming season, which can't come soon enough, some of us think. |
While we were busy creating art, Gulf Fritillaries (Dione vanillae) were busy creating more of themselves on a Passionflower Vine behind the arbor.
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| Leaves, flowers, and fruits of the Passionflower Vine are all eaten by Gulf Fritillary caterpillars (pupae). |
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| After locating a Passionflower vine by the taste or smell of certain chemicals in the plant, an adult Gulf Fritillary lays her eggs almost anywhere – on leaves, stems, and tendrils. The egg in this photo is the golden oblong structure (not sure what the lumpy green blob is). |
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The
eggs hatch after 4-8 days and the very small, new caterpillars begin eating the
Passionflower Vine immediately. The caterpillars go through five growth stages
(instars) during an 11-16 day period. At that point, they attach themselves
upside down to an elevated surface and shed their skin one last time. The newly
exposed form hardens into a lumpy, curvy, brownish chrysalis. After a period of
11-22 days, the adult butterfly emerges and lives 2-4 weeks, long enough to
mate and start the cycle all over. (Photos above of Passionflower plants and Gulf Fritillary egg and caterpillars were taken today by Cathy Payne). |
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| Adult Gulf Fritillary photo taken by Don Hunter September 13, 2018 |
