The LREC Community Blog is a forum for posting images, documents, links and other items of community interest to this web site. While anyone may comment on entries, teachers and volunteers who are part of the LREC community are invited to author entries relevant to their work with the ecology center. Please submit requests for author login rights to eddie@litzsinger.org.

September 1, 2010

Good Reading: Children, Youth, and Environments Fact Sheets

As I mentioned in my recent newsletter article, the fact sheets from the University of Colorado - Denver's Children, Youth, and Environments program make for good, short reading you can pass along to parents, colleagues, and administrators. The three currently online focus on:

1) The benefits of nature for children's health

2) The educational benefits of place-based education, and

3) The educational value of gardens.


Enjoy!

Posted by Bob Coulter at 2:13 PM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2010

Stream Sampling Results

The LREC Stream Team continues to grow, today hosting a record 9 volunteers! We collected water samples and made observations at 7 sites this morning.

The wildlife in Deer Creek is doing rather well, despite a fish kill earlier this month. We saw fish at 6 of the 7 sites - at the 7th, they were probably hiding in the deeper, darker water. We also saw crayfish, water striders, and tadpoles.

Water chemistry readings were all within the normal ranges. Dissolved oxygen ranged from 5-9 mg/l. Chloride was 130 mg/l or below at all sites. The pH was mostly between 7.8 and 8.2, though at 8.9, the pH was a bit on the high side of normal (6 to 9) at our furthest upstream site.

If you have questions about what these numbers mean, post a comment and I'll respond!

Posted by Danelle Haake at 4:15 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2010

ID of mystery amphibian unveiled (sort of)

No reader of the May issue of our newsletter was able to id the mystery amphibian on page 7.

On further research however, the little guy seems to be yet another species of grey treefrog, though exactly which we still are not sure.

Posted by LREC Webmaster at 4:59 PM | Comments (0)

June 2, 2010

Turkey Poults Due Anytime

Keep an eye out for the newest members of the LREC team. Turkey hens should be seen very soon with their chicks (called poults) around the Litzsinger grounds. This photo was taken last June at the North prairie.

According to MDC, turkey nests are usually found on the edges of fields and roads and not far from water. The prairies at Litzsinger that are located near Deercreek are perfect nesting sites for turkey hens. The average clutch of eggs is about 11 and the incubation period is 28 days. Most eggs will hatch in late May and early June.

If you're out at LREC early this summer you may catch a glimpse of these newest additions.

Posted by Deanna Lawlor at 9:43 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2010

Tyson Research Center Announces Summer Seminar Series

Seminars take place on Thursday afternoons starting shortly after 4:00 PM at the Tyson Research Center. Seminars are followed by an informal BBQ—please bring your favorite side dish! For additional information please contact Meghan Kelly (mkelly@wustl.edu; 314-935‐8430).

• MAY 20: BRIAN WILSEY, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
  Biodiversity and temporal niche differences
• MAY 27: BILL RESETARITS, NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
  Habitat selection and the dynamics of communities and metacommunities
• JUNE 3: CANDACE GALEN, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
  New insights on the role of floral volatiles as ecological signals in a pollination web
• JUNE 10: PAUL NELSON, UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE
  The Homogecene Era: Planet of weeds
• JUNE 17: ALAN COVICH, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
  The importance of long‐term, place‐based studies in ecology: Learning about biotic responses to changing environments and landscapes
  June 17 is a special seminar event in honor of former Tyson Director Dr. Owen Sexton. Please RSVP by June 10 for this event (mkelly@wustl.edu).
• JUNE 24: MICHAEL ANGILLETTA, INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
  Adaptation to thermal change: Physiological strategies and their ecological implications
• JULY 1: KEITH SUMMERVILLE, DRAKE UNIVERSITY
  Is all timber harvest bad? Resistance and resilience in forest lepidopteran communities
• JULY 8: JENNIFER WILLIAMS, NATIONAL CENTER FOR ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS
  One species, two continents: Changes in species interactions between ranges determine invader success
• JULY 15: BOB RICKLEFS, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, ST. LOUIS
  The regional community: Forest birds of eastern North America
• JULY 22: MICHAEL JENKINS, PURDUE UNIVERSITY
  Bugs, blights, and burns: Endemic disturbance in a post‐invasion landscape
• JULY 30: RICARDO HOLDO, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
  Herbivory, fire, and landscape change in the Serengeti

Posted by LREC Webmaster at 2:27 PM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2010

Hunting hawk leaves tracks at Litzsinger

We all have seen a variety of animal tracks in the snow over the past several weeks. Thank goodness the Glass House Quiz from the February newsletter gave us a head start on identifying what tracks belong to whom.

Last week we were fortunate enough to see some unusual tracks here at LREC. Anne noticed our resident red-shouldered hawk diving along the hillside near the Glass House. Later that afternoon, she guided us out for a spectacular show in the snow:

Several marks were left as the hawk hunted for prey.

With two final wing tracks, the mouse tracks come to an abrupt end...

A closer look at the wing tracks in the snow.

.

Posted by Danelle Haake at 2:51 PM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2010

Seed Sowing

Seeds are a big part of our work year-round here at LREC. In the spring, summer, and fall, we are busy collecting seeds from many different habitats. Once the seeds are collected, we clean them to remove excess plant material. We also catalog the seeds so that we know what we have on-hand and can track where we collected different seeds from year to year.

Now, some of the seeds that have been stratified are being sown in the greenhouse. When seeds are stratified, they are refrigerated in wet sand for several months to simulate winter. Once these seeds are sown in the greenhouse, the seeds will germinate, even though it is still winter - they had their winter in the fridge!

Other seeds are stored dry in the refrigerator to be put in seed mixes that are sown directly outdoors. We have been planning these seed mixes over the past month or so. Once we have selected an area where we want to sow seeds and have decided what seeds we have that would do well in that habitat, we can prepare our seed mix.

As you can see, there are many seeds of different shapes, sizes, and colors that can go into a seed mix. Having diverse species in the mix helps ensure that, even if some of the species don't do well in the place where they are sown, other species will likely thrive!

Several mixes have already been sown in the woodland and prairies with the help of students. After scattering a seed/sawdust mixture on the ground, the students enjoy dancing the seed into the ground. Then all we have to do is wait until spring to see what comes up!

Posted by Danelle Haake at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)