What is it Wednesday: March 31, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 31, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

These are the rhizomes and roots of cattails. 

(The more visible and recognizable parts of cattails were a What is it Wednesday feature just a few months ago.) A rhizome is a an underground stem that grows horizontally, usually just below the surface of the soil, and puts out both roots downward and shoots upward and at its ends. A rhizome is also known as a rootstalk. The  rootstalks in this picture are visible where they normally would be underwater, because the Lower Lake where they grow is drained every winter. These rootstalks are just above the soil instead of just below it  because we were removing some of these cattails to clear the area near the canoe dock.

Cattail rootstalks are very starchy. Starting in late fall and into early spring the plant stores energy in the rootstalks to allow it develop new shoots and stalks in the spring. This starch can be removed from the fibers of the rootstalks and made into flour. This is just one of the many ways cattails can be used as food!

The rhizomes of cattails are also one of their features that allow them to spread so readily to fill suitable wet habitats. Once established in an area, cattails are very hard to fully remove. Not only do the rootstalks grow rapidly into new areas, broken off pieces of rootstalk and roots can create new plants on their own even after being removed from the rest of the plant. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: March 10, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 10, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

This is the lower jawbone of a snake. 

Without a precise measurement it’s hard to pin down which type of snake it was, and a smaller head could also have been from an immature individual of a larger species. Our best guesses are garter snake, northern water snake or black rat snake – these are the most common snakes we see at Lutherlyn. (We also sometimes see ringneck snakes but they are much smaller.) 

Snake jaws are amazing because they are hinged to open very wide. As you can see in this photo, the teeth are also pointed backwards, which helps trap or direct the snake’s prey deeper into its mouth and throat. Something so simple is a part of what makes snakes impressive predators, even if they are very small.

It’s still a little too cold for snakes to be active at Lutherlyn, but they’ll be emerging from hibernation in the next month or so. Starting to see snakes is one of the many signs that indicates spring is arriving!

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: March 3, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 3, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

This is what is left of an entrance tunnel to the abandoned coal mine
that is partially on Lutherlyn’s property. 

This coal mine was a drift mine -the entrance tunnels run horizontally into the hillside, not vertically down into the ground like a shaft mine. All that is visible of this entrance now is the end of the narrow-gage rails that carried carts into the mine, and a depression in the hillside where the tunnel collapsed many years ago.

Coal was initially mined in this area along Semiconon Creek to power a grist mill for grinding grain into flour. The mill had first been built with a water wheel powered by the water of the creek, but adopted steam power after it was developed, and coal was needed to run this new technology. After the grist mill shut down, coal continued to be mined out of the hillside and sold, until the mine closed down completely when it was no longer profitable.

Unfortunately, this abandoned mine leaks a significant amount of polluted water on the Lutherlyn property. Fortunately, we are able to clean this water before it enters the Semiconon Creek, with a passive wetland treatment system. Learn more about the pollution and how it is treated in this What is it Wednesday post from last year: https://lutherlynnature.blogspot.com/2020/02/what-is-it-wednesday-february-19-2020.html. 

Learning about the land involves learning about the human history of the land – especially when that history has had a strong impact on the health of the environment. We are grateful that in this place a story of pollution and damage to the earth has become a story of healing and restoration and opportunities for learning. To learn how LEEP can help you discover more about ways we can care for the earth and even help heal its wounds, through school field trips, summer camp, Saturday Safaris and more, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee.

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!