Site Beta

Date: October 8th, 2016
Time: 5:23 PM and 8:18 PM
Weather: 65 degrees Fahrenheit
Location: Lesley University Brattle Campus - Cambridge, MA

I chose this location for Site Beta because I have been watching the area for several weeks now, and it is also visible from my room's window. I began documenting it when I came across a large fungus on the side of the tree. I encountered this particular fungus previously while spending a summer in Providence, Rhode Island. The fungus changes greatly in appearance over time, and specimens of various sizes can be found around the perimeter of the oak tree.

Here is the fungus as it appeared on September 17, 2016:

The same fungus on October 8, 2016:

The fungi attract what I believe are leopard slugs (Limax maximus) late at night. I frequently visit them to watch their behavior. In the past I have seen them climbing up the oak tree, emerging from the ground, and munching away on the fungi.

Small snails can be found on the fungi if one looks closely enough. The largest that I found had a shell with a diameter of about 1/2 a centimeter. There are two small snails in the lower left hand corner of this photo:

Last night I believe that I saw the beginning of a mating ritual, but I did not stay long enough to confirm this. I have seen videos about the mating behavior of leopard slugs, and it starts with one slug following the trail of another and gently biting the tail end of the pursued. There is a rather elaborate and almost unbelievable procedure that follows. You can learn about it with David Attenborough here (the video is only a little over four minutes long):

Here is a photo from September 18, 2016 to give you a sense of scale:

During the day I see squirrels, blue jays, pigeons, and turkeys visit the site.

I listened to the TED Radio Hour interview with Emma Marris, but it did not change my perspective of nature very much. I spent most of the summer observing and documenting organisms in my yard, so I know that one does not need to go far in order to encounter nature. I like to raise and study Lepidoptera, so I am always on the lookout for larvae and pupae. These searches included not only my yard and forest hikes, but abandoned lots, overgrowth bordering shopping centers, and trees planted ornamentally in parking lots. I almost always found something of interest, sometimes in unexpected places. I did not realize, however, that so much energy is put into maintaining the "purity" of national parks. I have encountered my fair share of invasive/non-native species, like gypsy moths, japanese beetles, an even the slugs mentioned above. I can only imagine how difficult it would be to remove a a particular species from an area that has established itself. I liked Greg Aplet's approach to conservation, where there were three different landscapes: one preserved to reflect data from a particular time period, one in which you introduce new organisms that may do well in the changing environment, and the last left untouched to see what thrives and how nature adapts on its own.