Ice-lace, flowers and taxonomy

by richard Posted on January 29, 2012

Amaryllis or Hippeastrum?  A question on everyone’s lips at this time of year and below you will find the answer.

A combination of snow, then freezing rain, then real rain, then a cold night has created an unusual lace curtain of ice hanging around the deck canopy that looks like the trim on a wedding dress.  It is quite unsupported apart from its connection to the ice above it on the roof and we are waiting with bated breath fro its collapse but thus far it seems simply to be lengthening steadily.

Also out in the garden, our friend the rabbit is happily hopping in the snow.

Meanwhile, indoors  we are enjoying a glorious Amaryllis (or is it a Hippeastrum?) just coming into bloom – pictures below.  This event give me an opportunity to channel my inner bio-nerd , about which you can read further down the page after the flower photographs.

Ice-lace
Ice-lace 2
Ice-lace 3 with drips
Ice -lace 4

Interesting technical problem photographing these icicles – getting the depth of field right is critical

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) partly opened last night
Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) 80% opened

So, let’s have a bio-nerd moment. A couple of centuries ago Linnaeus classified two species of , on the face of it, similar flowering plants – one from South-Africa and one from South-America.  One was put into the genus Amaryllis and one into Hippeastrum.  The flower we have in our house right now, and the flower that you and a million others probably also have is sold as an Amaryllis … but it isn’t.  Back in the 1930′s the botanists of the world realised that nobody knew which was the type-specimen that Linnaeus had studied and after much discussion it was determined that the South American plant is really the Hippeastrum while the South African one is the Amaryllis … all well and good were it not for the fact that the one the florists sell and we grow and enjoy is the South American species and so should be named and sold as a Hippeastrum yet the floral trade resolutely and totally incorrectly have stuck to calling them Amaryllis.  After 70+ years you would think that they might have caught on my now and got it right, but no, too much trouble.  After all, what do these botanical taxonomists know about it?

Does it matter?  Yes it does – to bio-nerds like me anyway.  By being deliberately obtuse the plant breeders and sellers have caused people to be misinformed, and really for no good purpose.  Harrumph.

Posted in flowers, winter | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The outside workers

by richard Posted on January 21, 2012

Some of the regular outside staff were active in the cold and icy garden snow today.  It’s amazing how a bit of sunshine cheers us all up even if the temperature is minus a heck of a lot.

"Punch yer inna face, mate
In the winter, the male Cardinal looks like little jewels in the shrubbery - especially in the red branched dogwoods
European Starlings all lined up and eating snow

 

 

 

Posted in birds | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts from a birding past

by richard Posted on January 15, 2012

I have been looking through a two volume birding book published in the 1920′s that has lain unregarded for too long in our collection. It contains some fascinating gems from another era, another mind set altogether. the book is called “Birds of our Country and of the Dominions, Colonies and Dependencies” by one David Seth-Smith who was a curator at the London Zoological Society 90 or more years ago and certainly extremely knowledgeable.

Some sample quotes will give you the flavour of main-stream birding-thought back then:

“As Britain lies so close to the continent our birds have had very little chance of becoming specialised by isolation. But in many cases they have formed local subspecies, generally distinguished by being less bright in colour; which is curious, since the human inhabitants of our islands are, on the whole, better looking than their neighbours, the ladies especially, whose British brilliancy of colouring always evokes admiration.”

“As the Sparrow is a good deal too common in most places, it is an act of merit to take away its eggs and a collection of Sparrow’s eggs, to show all possible variations, would be far worthier of encouragement than on composed of a number of eggs of various species”.

“North America possesses what seems to be the most primitive of the Siskins, the Pine Siskin, which is but a plain streaky-brown bird”.

He believes that Corvidae would be no loss if extirpated from the countryside as they kill game birds, which we must protect, but would be welcome in cities as scavengers and insect devourers (sic).

He also noted a decline in the Swallow population over a number of years … nothing is new under the ornithological sun.

At the same period, one Audrey Seton Gordon MBOU was writing about “Birds with a Bad reputation” and noted that “It would not be fair to class (the tribe of Hawks) as criminals, for they prey on and attack chiefly adult birds, which they kill in the open in fair fight. They do not , as a rule, degrade themselves by carrying off innocent nestlings”. … well, who would want to tick a “degraded” bird!? She considers that all birds and animals have a right to live and increase as do humans but that this does not extend to “those birds which are undoubted criminals”. Of all the birds species, the most “wished” is deemed to be the Great Black-backed Gull.

And this was all within our parent’s memories.

 

Posted in birds | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Messy Mix and Mousing

by richard Posted on January 11, 2012

On the Weather Network website today they have a red banner marked Storm watch with the added promise of a “messy mix” … a delightful term. Last year we had been puzzled as to why the meteorologists kept forecasting light rain when it was coming down buckets and we asked a (retired) meteorologist friend the reason – turned out they have a definition of light rain (up to so many mm rain in an hour) and even if it comes down in buckets so long as that amount is not passed it is still “light”. So what is a messy mix we enquired to be met with a “huh?”, a suggestion that we meant an Eton mess (look it up) and the startling revelation that a messy mix is, well, a messy mix. Strange terminology these chaps use – and they say meteorology is a science.

So it’s going to be a case of battening down the hatches, rounding up the whisky collection and sitting it out for a couple of evenings – about time we had a decent dump of snow, messy or not. Haven’t had the snowshoes out yet this winter, maybe at the weekend?

Meanwhile, out there is the wastes that actually are deep and crisp and even, the photographers are again “mousing” for Snowy owls in the hope of getting yet another flight shot for their collections. Greatly to be deplored as it leads to dependency and has, on occasion, caused injury and death to birds attracted into the path of a car as they swoop on their bemused pet-shop prey. One municipality has banned the practice this year – good for them – and warning signs are beginning to go up. One can only hope that the malefactors see the error of their ways, though I don’t hold out much hope.

Interestingly, although quite widely practiced, this activity is seemingly illegal in Quebec. The Quebec Ministry responsible for natural resources and wildlife adopted in December 2009 its bill 52 to amend the Act respecting the conservation and development of wildlife. The new section 30 reads as follows: No person may use a substance, object, animal or domestic animal to attract or attempt to attract an animal or class of animals, except on the conditions determined by regulation of the Minister. (http://bit.ly/wzyXc9) That sounds like mousing to me – such a pity the wildlife officers do not enforce the law.

Posted in birds, commentary | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

K’nuff

by richard Posted on January 8, 2012

Today the homestead audio system was extended by the installation of a comprehensive Sonos system for distributing music to as many rooms as possible.  Stunningly good quality and value.  That did not leave much time for birding, hence in place of a feathered bird let us introduce you to our resident Crow … K’Nuff

K'Nuff the Crow
Posted in Gardening | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Encouraging winter birders

by richard Posted on January 7, 2012

Spent this morning at the arboretum with Chris leading a workshop and field trip centred around winter birding.  We started with C’s excellent presentation about how birds survive in the cold (lots of pictures – always holds their attention) followed by me on actually finding the birds and how to use your camera to take record shots to supplement your notebook.  We had expected about ten people (htose were the pre-signups) and with the freezing rain that started the day thought some of those would not come out but the hall was filled with 25 really keen people all eager to learn about winter birds and how to take pictures of them.

By the time the lecture part had finished, the freezing rain was over and we went out for a walk birding was a bit sparse – only to be expected – but amongst the numerous and ever present BCChickadees we found a big flock of Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Nuthatches, Pileated Woodpeckers and the rest of the usual gang.  nothing exciting but it was noice to be outside looking at birds and hopefully these keen new people will all join BPQ and become avid birders as time passes.

Cedar Waxwings
Female Northern Cardinal lurking behind too many twigs
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Fungus on tree - species not determined but "architecturally interesting" for all that
Part of the study group

 

 

Posted in arboretum, birds | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The corner has been turned

by richard Posted on January 6, 2012

It’s going to be cold and white for a couple more months or more yet but tonight is Twelfth Night and already it seems just that bit lighter and brighter going to and returning from work each day.  Only a little bit but the days are lengthening and spring will return and the birds and flowers will be all over the place once again.  Winter is good, I really do like it, but it is also good to know that spring lies at the end of it with great regularity.

Meanwhile – just so the hopes doen’t get too far up today, here is a reminder of the real world:

Posted in flowers, winter | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New ventures

by richard Posted on January 5, 2012

This journal has just added a facility for you all (all nnnn of you) to record your email address and to thereby receive an automatic message announcing any new posts on the site … how can you not want to sign up to that service?  Oh, and also you can now print, email or post things from the journal to Facebook and other distribution channels.  Spread the word of sparroworking.

I have a neat countdown app on my iPhone that tells me it is just 616 days until I can claim my state pension.  That’s as exciting as things have been today.

Posted in computing, internet, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Coyote

by richard Posted on January 4, 2012

Bone crackingly cold last night – pretty chilly all today too.  The new Muskrat fur hat is already proving its worth.

A friend was walking her dog in the arboretum this morning and reports meeting a Coyote of a good 50lbs weight happily trotting along the trail towards her – her dog chased it away.  There is a lot of discussion about the purity of Eastern Coyotes as they are so much bigger and heavier (50lbs being a good weight) than their western cousins and genetic analyses seems to indicate that a goodly number of them are actually coyote/wolf hybrids.  Fortunately, they don’t make trouble and will not confront you,preferring to get out of the way.  Interesting creatures and certainly great survivors.

On the subject of clever dogs – watch this short video.  There are people who can’t think through problems this well:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-video/8961438/Dingoes-display-unbelievable-intelligence.html

The writing of the GreenBirding book is almost completed.  Two weeks to tidy up the draft and make the final selection of illustrations and then off to the publishers.  Doubtless they will savage it.  I must say that writing it has been an interesting, and unexpected, experience.

Posted in arboretum, mammals | Leave a comment