Module 9: Stability and Change

Change in a Year

This is young tree is outside of my house in South Fork Missouri. The picture was taken  by my house about 1:30 in the afternoon. If ecological succession run it's course at this time next year the tree will have grown and it will change. Obviously there are a number of factors that can hinder growth or even kill the tree.

Module 9: Stability and Change

Change of the Season 

This photo was taken in my back yard in South Fork Missouri about 1:40 on April 26, 2014. This is a picture of a Red Bud tree. If you will look closely you will see the red buds on the tree and you will also see that the tree has leaves. In the winter the tree has no leaves at all. In the spring the tree develops red or purple buds and the as summer approaches the buds fall off and the tree grows leaves. The tree changes with the season.

Module 9: Stability and Change

Daily Change

The picture of this ant hill is an example of an ecosystem that can change on a daily basis. Ant workers may build this hill up tomorrow or days at a time. This community may experience some type of primary succession through a number of external forces. Climate, people, and animals can all affect the longevity of the ant and its community. This picture was taken in South Fork Missouri about 1:35 in the afternoon on April 26, 2014.

 

Module 9 - Stability and Change

20 Year Change

Ecosystems can change dramatically within a 20 year period. This is a piece of land in South Fork is located in a corner, next to our property line. This  hay field  has been here for several years. The electrical box tells me that property development may change this ecosystem. This photo was taken about 1:40 in the afternoon on April 26, 2014. I really think that in 20 years there will be a house and a yard instead of hay. Houses are  being built behind this property.

Ecosystem Interactions

Turkey

Missouri's turkey season opened today April 21, 2014. The day was mostly cloudy with scattered showers. My photo was taken in South Fork, Missouri about 5:00 in the afternoon.

Ecosystems Interaction

Brush Pile

The brush pile is very valuable to the turkey. The brush pile primarily serves as cover so the turkey can hide from its predators. The turkey also has a very large variety of foods. The decomposed logs in a forest will supply the turkey with insects, spiders, snails, and millipedes. This photo was taken in South Fork, Missouri about 4:45 on April 24, 2014.

Ecosystem Interactions

Pastures and Woods in South Fork

The turkey will be found hiding in the woods for cover during the day and night. In the woods they have cover and eat on berries, acorns, worms, buds, vines, salamanders and small snakes. The turkey will also roost in the trees and sleep at night.

 

The turkey enjoys the pasture too. They enjoy the sun and eat whatever they can find in the grass. They like grasses, clover, insects, tics, buds, and grasshoppers. They enter the fields in the morning after the sun rises and in the late afternoon before they roost. 

 

This photo was taken about 4:30 on April 21, 2014 on a dirt road in South Fork, Missouri. I was driving the roads looking for turkeys in a field. The conditions were cloudy and it was getting ready to rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ecosystem Interaction

Small Streams

This is a small stream running through a pasture in South Fork, Missouri. The stream is ideal to water the wildlife in our area.  Land with running water is also valuable to farmers so they can water their livestock. This stream provides fresh water and some cover for the turkey and other wildlife. In the picture there is a light rain. You can see the rain drops if you look closely. The photo was taken about 4:30 in the afternoon.



Module 7 Nature of Science

Red Bud Contrast

This is a picture of a red bud petal on a penny. I wanted you to see how small the petals are in relationship to the honey bee. The petals are extremely small as is the honey bee in comparison to the penny. The red bud tree starts to bloom in late March in Missouri. The blooms  are a major source of food for the honey bee in the spring. This picture is taken Easter Sunday about 3:20 in the afternoon in South Fork Missouri in my back yard. 

Module 7 Nature of Science

The Honey Bee

 I have been watching the honey bees work around my house and I love to watch them. I never paid any attention to them or knew anything about them until I started this class. This honey bee is feeding off of the red bud tree in my back yard. The pink bloom serves as food for the honey bee. This bee is called a worker. They carry pollen back to the nest. Every nest has a queen bee and her job is to lay eggs. The males that fertilize the eggs are called drones.

 

Size: The worker is 1/2"-5/8" in length. The queen bee and the drones are larger.

Make up: The honey bee is yellow and black. They have hairy heads and eyes. They have one stinger in their abdomen and when they sting the abdomen is removed and they die within minutes.

Food: They drink the nectar and collect pollen from flowers storing them in their legs. When returning to the hive they regurgitate the nectar and other workers process it into honey.

Habitat: They are seen as they forage flowers. Their nests are located in tree cavities and bee keeper boxes. They pollinate the field crops and fruit trees in southern Missouri.

 

This picture was taken on a red bud tree in my back yard in South Fork Missouri. This is an Easter Sunday photo taken about 3:10 in the afternoon.

Module 7: Nature of Science

Adaptation

  

• White Bass: Caught 6:00pm on April 5th. 
• Location Bryant Creek.
• Length of 9-15 inches 
• Weight of 1/4lb to 1 1/4lb.

  White Bass tend to inhabit deeper pools of streams and open waters in lakes and reservoirs. They are more active during dawn and dusk as the temperature cools. They feed primarily on fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans, and have a life span of about 4 years.

Adaptation

 

The House Wren

• Tend to be 4 and 3/4 inches in length.
• Adults description: greyish brown with buff eye lines, wings and tails have a reddish tint with a fine black barring. 
• There diet consists of caterpillars, snails, and spiders.

House Wrens nest in abandoned woodpecker holes, bird boxes, and other cavities around dwellings. When it comes to building a nest males use tools such as twigs, vines, and other small materials. Females use things like spider webs, moss, hair, and trash to line the inside. House Wrens are a protected species, and cannot be killed. This wren is a female located on my porch. I caught this wren in her nest at 9 pm at night.

Adaptation

 

• The Honey Bee
• Honey bees live in the cavity of this oak tree.
• They are about 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch in size.
• The bees diet consist of nectar, pollen, and water.

  The honey bee is the pollinator of many field crops and almost all fruit trees. They are responsible for about 1/3 of the nations food. The honey bee is not very aggressive and has a barbed abdomen. If they sting they will die within minutes. They are workers and they pollinate plants. They are considered the worlds most beneficial insect.

Editing Nature Photography

 

 I used an editing program to describe the picture. "The First Day of Spring"

Photo # 1 was cropped, resized, and edited in black and white. Photo # 2 was cropped, resized and added brightness, Photo # 3 was zoomed in, saturated, and resized Photo # 4 was saturated and added color Photo # 5 was cropped and added brightness.

Savenger Hunt

Camouflage

This is a camouflage setting for wildlife in Southwest Missouri. The picture is taken in South Fork Missouri behind my house. The grasses serve as cover for quail in this area. The deer like to graze at night and it serves for cover for them as well.

 

Color.  This colorful photo was taken March 23rd under a bush in South Fork, Missouri. These are some of the first wild flowers to bloom this season.

Perspective-This photo gives perspective on how tall and beautiful the Pine trees and Oak trees are in South Fork.

Something Extremely Small -The pine cone is a small woody fruit found on the pine trees in Southwest Missouri. The pine cone looks extremely  small compared to the large pine tree. I zoomed in so you could get a closer look. This picture was taken in South Fork Missouri.

 Gross- This growth is a fungus found on a Hickory tree. The texture of the fungus feels like cardboard but it looks soft and spongy. The photo was taken in South Fork, Missouri.

Ethics and Safety

 

Ethics and Safety in Nature Photography

 

This picture is taken in a bed of weeds and poison ivy. It is very important that you are prepared when you enter an area that has poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak. These plants have an oil called urushiol that may aggravate the skin causing itching and skin irritation. Some important tips to live by are:
1. Learn to identify these poisonous plants..
2. Wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, socks, gloves, and fully enclosed footwear.
3. If working in the brush, in the woods, or cutting down trees make sure you wear gloves.
4. Do not touch your face or eyes when coming in contact with the poison.
5. Apply a barrier cream if  you  think you will be exposed to a poisonous plant.
6. Urushiol may be on your pets.
7. Oils also contaminate streams and ponds where poisonous plants are present.
8. Control your poison ivy manually by uprooting the plant and burying it twelve inches deep to prevent regrowth.
9. Wash skin that has been exposed immediately and in cool water.