Let's Go to the Park!

 Let's Go to the Park!    

Shared by Heather Gallagher, Naturalist

Photos by Bill Bailey, Nature Center Volunteer

December 2020

EVERYBODY is coming to Nashville's Metro Parks these days. During the lockdown earlier this year, the 15,134 acres of open space, including 178 parks and 99 miles of Greenways didn't close. Warner Parks, which encompasses over 3,100 acres, saw more visitation than ever as folks escaped into our forests and fields. 

Bill Bailey hikes daily with his Border Collie, Buddy, so I thought he would be the perfect volunteer to document who's using the park.

Family hiking on the StoryWalk trail

Biker on Old Roadway in Edwin Warner Park

Remember that 70 degree day we had last week?

Others are using this time to give back to the Parks. Last weekend, 20 volunteers put the gardens to bed for winter, pulled honeysuckle, cleaned bridges and NC vehicles and more. Many thanks to these volunteers!

Volunteers leaf the fern garden. Good night, ferns! See you next spring. 

Project FeederWatch continues in it's 29th year at the Nature Center. Volunteer Beth counts our chickadees, woodpeckers and other feeder birds over 30 minutes. All data is submitted to Cornell. 

We have more upcoming opportunities to give back! Check out our list of volunteer events. 

No matter how you decide to enjoy Warner Parks, please do so responsibly. 

• Wear a mask when you approach others on the trail or at the pond. 
• Give yourself space from others, too.
• Explore parts of the Park that you've never seen before. Check out our map here. 
• Adhere to Park rules to ensure your safety and that of others. 

Enjoy the park with a friend, like Buddy!

Warner Parks will be open through the holidays. So come out and take a ride, a hike, a run, a walk. Enjoy Nashville's sanctuary in the city.

We'll see you soon. 

The Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice

Shared by Vera Roberts

Naturalist and Nature Center Director

December 2020

It’s the eve of  December and spitting snow outside, a dark and dreary day, the perfect end to November.  Winter weather has been slow to arrive this year, and I’m relieved to see some freezing temperatures on the horizon.  Tomorrow it will be winter, or, at least December. 

We mark Winter’s beginning and herald it in, as a date on the calendar, December 21. The Winter Solstice, our longest night and shortest day, which I like to celebrate all month long. After this moment in time, the days begin getting longer, and the nights shorter, a seasonal shift celebrated for thousands of years by cultures across the Northern Hemisphere.  

The Hill Forest at winter twilight

Winter Solstice means shifting gears into the solitude and quiet demonstrated by nature during this time.  Taking a hike during the first snowfall.  Stargazing on a cold, crisp, clear night.  Curling up next to the woodstove with a cup of tea and a good book. Taking a night hike and listening for owls, flying squirrels, and coyotes.  

Warner Park roadway hidden in winter's snow

The exact moment of the 2020 Winter Solstice will occur on Monday, December 21, at 4:02 Central Standard Time.  That evening, after sunset, we will also be able to view a rare astronomical event, the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. The two planets will be within 0.1 degrees of each other, causing them to appear as one single bright object.  Don’t miss it, as these two planets won’t appear this close together again until 2080. 

2020 has been a year for the history books, a year worth taking time to reflect on.  As winter approaches, I hope you take time to enjoy the peaceful beauty of nature, and find solace in the rhythm and cycles of the seasons.  

The Nature Center is celebrating the Solstice! 

Sign up for the programs below by clicking on the links.

December 12, 10-11 a.m.: Virtual Program--Winter Solstice for Families

December 17, 18 & 19, 10 a.m. -noon: Wreath Making Workshops for Adults

December 17, 18 & 19, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (drop by): iSpy The Winter Solstice for all ages

December 17, 18 & 19, 1-3 p.m.: Wreath Making Workshops for Families

November Mushrooms

November Mushrooms

Melissa Donahue

Naturalist

melissa.donahue@nashville.gov

Photos credit Deb Beazley, Nature Center Archives

False Turkey Tails

The middle of November brings a bit of excitement to the Nature Center.  Field trips are winding down, summer chores are over, the Hill Forest is open and frost weed appears.  The premier event of the season was a mushroom hike with Deb, before she retired.  The staff loved to accompany Deb on these mushroom hikes.  She taught us so much and cultivated an appreciation for these fall beauties. Even when you couldn’t go on the hike, there was always the collection basket.  

Mushrooms collected on the hike.

      

Deb would always place the mushrooms she would find in a collection basket.  Then we would gather at the lunch table to see what she discovered.  It was a bit like Christmas with each mushroom a gift to examine.  

Walnut Mycena

There would be very tiny mushrooms like this Walnut Mycena – Mycena luteopllens.

Oyster mushrooms

The seasonal oyster mushroom – Pleurotus ostreatus.

Deadly Galerina

The innocent looking, but lethal, Deadly Galerina –Galerina autumnalis.

Turkey Tails

Turkey Tail mushroom underneath

An appropriately named Turkey tails (Trametes versicolor), a polypore with visible pores on the underside.

False Turkey Tails up close

A "flock" of False Turkey Tails 

False Turkey Tails underside

Also appropriately named False Turkey Tails (Stereum Ostrea), a crust fungus with a smooth underside. (It’s how you tell the "False" from the "True" apart.)

Puff Balls

We all hoped a stand of pear-shaped puffballs (Lycoperdon pyriforme) would be found. These mushrooms are a favorite of many of the naturalist on staff.  If they were located, and were “ripe”, we all went to the woods to poke the mushrooms and release the spores. An eruption of naturalist laughter ensued. So, this November, after a long soaking, rain hope to see you out on the trails looking for these fall beauties.  And if you hear a giggling down the trail it’s just me poking puffballs.  

Out in the woods, we think about what Deb taught us. I always look forward to November when I can re-create all of those wonderful experiences with her. 

Editor's Note:
Mushroom collecting in Warner Park is prohibited. 

For more information about the Mushrooms of Warner Park, check out our list. 

FOS: First of Season

 FOS: First of Season

Shared by Heather Gallagher

Naturalist

heather.gallagher@nashville.gov

Although birders might use this term often, FOS can refer to any natural occurrence. Maybe it's that first Yellow Lady's Slipper you saw at Beaman Park in late April, or the first Yellow Buckeyes you saw on your favorite tree in September. Naturalists record these things annually, looking for patterns in timing, temperature and rain.

But back to the birds. 

This morning, I observed a female purple finch in my yard--my FOS, or first of season. She didn't display the bright raspberry head of the male, but she was a welcome, beautiful sight nonetheless. 

Female purple finch by Deb Beazley. Note white eye stripe and lack of raspberry color. 

Male purple finch by Deb Beazley. His head appears to have been dipped in raspberry jam!

I've had a few other FOSs recently. A red-breasted nuthatch graced our yard two weeks ago; it was the first I'd ever observed in my yard! I have been following the Tennessee Birding Facebook page, so I really wasn't surprised at the sight, as others have been reported across the state since the beginning of October. These little guys are about the same size as a chickadee, and they have a black eyestripe in contrast to the white-breasted nuthatch's white face.

Red-breasted nuthatch by Charlie Curry

If you didn't notice, the white-breasted nuthatch is the "Nature Center bird", our mascot. And they are experiencing an interesting year as well! Are you seeing more nuthatches at your feeders? Check out this article in Audubon. 

White-breasted nuthatch by Charlie Curry. Note that he/she is banded!

My Peterson's guide page. The last time I observed a red-breasted nuthatch, I was on Sugar Mountain in North Carolina!

Some birds I count on returning every year from the northern US and Canada. White-throated sparrows and juncos are two of these, and usually I hear those sparrows before I see them scratching on the ground. 

White-throated sparrow with safflower seed.

Probably the most interesting bird that we keep tabs on both at the Nature Center and at home are ruby-throated hummingbirds. Check out my guide page:

According to my guide, my first observation of a ruby-throat was in Beartree, Virginia, in June 1999!

Journaling doesn't have to look all neat and tidy. Use an extra calendar or a field guide. Write down your FOS, make drawings of what you see or merely check off your birds. When do you see your first ruby-throat? What other interesting birds have you observed in your yard? Have you added any special features such as different seed, suet or a bird bath?

Participate in citizen science programs like Project FeederWatch, or just keep your calendar for yourself. You'll be amazed at what is happening in your yard!

Moon-watching

 Moon-watching

Shared by Sandy Bivens

WPNC BIRD Program

sandy.bivens@nashville.gov

I am a moon-watcher and have been for as long as I can remember.  I like moon light, moon shadows, moon dancing, moon music, moon friends, moon stories, moon hikes – and full moon picking parties. 

                             

Full Moon photo courtesy Theo Wellington

This year, October is an especially nice time to watch because it has two full moons.  Today a common definition of a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month.  On 1 October there was a full moon and now coming up on 31 October there will be another – a blue moon!  The moon does not actually appear blue (but sometimes the moon might look blue due to dust storms, forest fires, or volcanoes) – but was named so because it is uncommon (occurring every 2-3 years).

         

Moon in my yard

Campfire in my yard

October is always a great month to watch the moon – the air is crisp, it is getting dark earlier, fewer rainy days and more clear skies for viewing, and maybe you can have a campfire to keep you warm. 

I like to watch the phases of the moon as it rotates and revolves once around Earth each month as we make our annual journey together around the Sun.  I like full moons, new moons, tiny crescent moons (and even a crescent moon vase filled with buckeyes) and who doesn’t like to say, “waxing gibbous”.  And it is comforting to watch the apparent changes of the moon yet know that it always comes back to full again. And the cycle continues.

Crescent Moon Vase with Buckeyes

My Moon Journal

Take a walk around the phases of the Moon at the Nature Center!

             

Cloudy Moon by Kim Bailey

The moon and its ever-changing cycles have been used to track time by many cultures. The word “month” comes from “moon”.  In the past, the definition of a month was the time between one new moon to the next.  And there are usually 12 moons (months) each year.  Even the days of the week are named for objects in the sky.  Which day do you think is named for the moon? Or the Sun?

                                             

Turtle shell with 13 sections

Some Native American cultures tracked time by 13 moons in a year.  A turtle’s shell has 13 sections and was sometimes used to document the annual cycle. Each moon was named for what was happening in the natural world.  October was “Hunter's Moon”, Harvest Moon, Migration Moon or Falling Leaves Moon depending on the tribe and region.  What name would you give this October moon?

     

Full Moon over water by Kim Bailey

Another thing about moon-watching is you can do it anywhere!  Inside your house or in the backyard; in the city or in the country, at the beach or on a mountain.  At night or in the daytime! And you don’t need anything to watch – although it can be fun to see it with binoculars or a telescope sometimes.  

   

      Full Moon by Kim Bailey

So, I hope you step outside and enjoy a little moonshine from the Blue Moon on 31 October – and some moon-watching all year long.  I am going to celebrate the moon and try to do a “moon zoom” with my sisters – they are moon-watchers too. The next Blue Moon will be here on 31 August 2023 – and we should all be able to plan on celebrating with family and friends under the moonlight together then.

For more Moon information:

 skyandtelescope.org

Sudekum Planetarium at Adventure Science Center

Thirteen Moons on Turtles Back:  A Native American Year of Moons, by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London

Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Shared by Betty Krogman

Urban Naturalist

betty.krogman@nashville.gov

Photos courtesy Betty Krogman

My work is in city neighborhoods so for relaxation, I head to the country.

Country roads that lead to wild spaces refresh my soul. And so it was on a glorious Saturday morning that I hiked the Bicentennial Trail in Ashland City.

Few people were on the trail as it was early, and Fall wildflowers were in bloom. I took many pictures to post on  iNaturalist for verification and to add to research. That’s a fun tool.

Yellow coneflowers blooming in the Master Gardener's bed. 

The American Beautyberry was in glorious color. 

Birds were also singing, and I have learned some of their calls, but the sheer delight of a cacophony of natural sounds needed no identification, really. To have a totally quiet space to hear them was enough.

While listening to the birds, I noticed a Scarlet Waxy Cap mushroom. 

My outstanding experience that day, however, was sitting on a rock in a creek, listening to trickles of water, while watching a Red Spotted Purple butterfly dance and flit in the glistening sun. Bliss!

Some Things Never Change, Even in 2020

Some Things Never Change, Even in 2020
Shared by Heather Gallagher
Naturalist
heather.gallagher@nashville.gov
Photos courtesy Heather Gallagher

During typical times, when we hike freely throughout the Parks, enjoy the Museum and porches without masks, and host school children from all over middle Tennessee, I learn new things every day. Perhaps it’s a new insect on the tomatoes in the garden, or a wildflower on the trail that I’ve never seen before.

I discovered cicadas mating on a tomato plant. 

Slender Ladies' Tresses orchid is blooming right now in Warner Park. 

2020, though, has brought a whole new learning curve. Who would’ve thought 6 months ago that we would be offering hummingbird programs via Zoom webinar? Who would’ve guessed that all of our fall programs would be offered virtually?

And yet, even with these changes, some things remain the same:

The goldenrod still blooms this year in the fields.

Goldenrod is blooming in the Meadow next to the Nature Center. Although many folks believe it causes allergies, goldenrod is actually pollinated by insects not wind. 

The Monarch butterflies are still munching on milkweed and migrating.

Monarch butterflies lay eggs on milkweed plants like these in the Organic Garden. The caterpillar will eat leaves of the host plant, then spin a chrysalis, changing from egg to butterfly in a matter of weeks. 

The organic garden is overflowing with Kentucky Wonder beans and Kellogg’s tomatoes.

2020 has been a great garden year: the yellow Kellogg's tomatoes and Kentucky Wonder (as well as our Chinese Long and Rattlesnake) beans have been quite productive. 

And the Black Gum leaves are starting to turn a brilliant red, just like they do every autumn.

Black Gum leaves are among the first to change in early September. 

What signs of fall have you noticed so far this year? May I suggest documenting them—you don’t have to use a journal; a calendar will do just fine. When do the maple leaves start to turn? When do the black walnuts first begin to fall? When do the cicadas sing their last song of 2020?

Compare your calendars year after year, and you’ll begin to notice patterns in seasonal changes. From this, I hope that you gain a sense of stability, that even when the world around us is full of change, nature is resilient.