What is it Wednesday: February 26, 2020

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

February 26, 2020. 

And the answer is....

These are hydrometers calibrated for maple syrup and sap, used during the maple sugaring process.

A hydrometer is an instrument that measures the density of liquid. The hydrometer on the left is used to determine when maple sap has been boiled long enough that it has turned into maple syrup.

If this hydrometer is floated in a container of boiling sap/syrup and it floats so the surface of the liquid is at the top red line, the sap has become syrup. If it doesn’t float, or floats with the surface of the liquid at a point higher than the top red line, the liquid is not yet dense enough to be considered syrup, and must be boiled longer. (The lower red line is the float-point for cooled syrup.)

The hydrometer on the right is a sap hydrometer. It is used to determine the amount of sugar in sap before it has been boiled.

The sugar content of sap determines how many gallons of sap will be needed to produce a gallon of syrup, and how long it will need to be boiled. It is also interesting to track the sugar content of sap over the years and see if there are any variations related to yearly weather conditions or different locations.

At Lutherlyn we have very few sugar maple trees but lots of red maples. The trees we tap are all red maples.  The sap we gather from red maple trees at Lutherlyn ranges from about  1% to 1.5% sugar content That means we have to boil between 50-85 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup! As its name implies, sugar maple sap has the highest sugar content of all maples: usually about 2%-2.5%, which means it takes roughly 35-45 gallons of sugar maple sap to make a gallon of maple syrup. Percentage sugar content in a liquid is also known as brix, and is referred to in wine, beer, and candy making, as well as maple sugaring.

Join us at Lutherlyn for the Maple Sugaring Saturday Safari, open to the public -- always the first Saturday in  March! Everyone will learn to identify maple trees in winter, pick and tap a tree, bring sap to the sugar shack, and of course, taste our own maple syrup! For more info and to register check out www.lutherlyn.com/safari. 

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 archive: March 7, 2017

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 7, 2017. 

And the answer is....

These are old nails, artifacts found at Lutherlyn’s archaeology site by students in 2017. 

Near the historic Venango trail on the west end of Lutherlyn is a pioneer homestead site from the 1800’s that has been an active archaeology site since 1999. The majority of the digging at the site is done by students and campers, and they have found thousands of artifacts there over the years, from nails like these ones to pieces of ceramic and glass, buttons, silverware, arrowheads, and much more. A What is it Wednesday from October 2019 featured a glass tonic bottle found at this archaeology site. 

Every artifact found here is kept and cataloged with a code indicating what it is and when and where it was found. Ever wonder what the LEEP staff does during the “off season”? Some days we catalog artifacts!

Students and adults have opportunities to dig at the archaeology site during summer camp in Life in the Wild, Salmagundi, and Family Camp, and during Camp Blast, school field trips, and Saturday Safaris. Check out our website for more info on when you can visit the archaeology site! http://lutherlyn.com

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: February 19, 2020

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

February 19, 2020. 

And the answer is....

This is a spring polluted by abandoned coal mine drainage.

Lutherlyn’s property includes part of an abandoned coal mine whose entrance tunnels, which ran horizontally into the hillside, have long since collapsed. For many years this caused no problems, until orange water started gushing out of the ground near the old mine entrance in the 1980’s.

When water collects underground in abandoned coal mines, it sometimes dissolves minerals from those mines into the water. One of the minerals often found alongside coal in mines is iron sulfide, also known as pyrite or fool’s gold. When the water seeps out of the mine, a chemical reaction happens between the water, the minerals dissolved in it, and the oxygen in the air. That reaction consumes all of the oxygen in the water and creates sulfuric acid and iron hydroxide. The iron hydroxide is the orange sediment visible in the water (sometimes called “yellowboy”). 

Low oxygen, high acidity, and thick iron sediment make it impossible for aquatic animals to survive in such water.

Luckily, Lutherlyn has been able to treat this polluted water with a passive wetland treatment system. 

First, the water flows into a settling pond, either directly from the mine through a pipe, or from streams created by springs like the one pictured. Collecting the water in a large still pond allows much of the sediment to settle and drop out of the water before it flows into the next part of the treatment system.

After the settling pond, the water flows over a slope lined with limestone, known as a limestone cascade. Here the water gets churned up as it falls down the slope over the stones, which add oxygen to the water. The limestone, which is alkaline – the opposite of acidic – reduces the acidity of the water.

After the limestone cascade the water meanders through a wetland filled with plants like cattails, which are natural filters. These continue to remove excess iron and other minerals from the water as it flows slowly through the wetland.

Finally, the water exits the wetland and joins the Semiconon Creek, almost as clean as the unpolluted stream water. Treating the polluted mine water with this system made it possible for the Semiconon Creek to be removed from the list of impaired waters in Pennsylvania in 2008. 

A story of pollution and damage to the earth becomes a story of healing and restoration. This site also provides a great opportunity for LEEP to teach students and others about water quality testing, the chemistry of abandoned mine pollution, and passive water treatment systems.

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!

What is it Wednesday archive: January 31, 2018

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

January 31, 2018. 

And the answer is....

This is a close up of some of the many buckets used to collect maple sap to turn into maple syrup at Lutherlyn! 

Each tree that is tapped has a bucket like this hung from a spile (small metal tube) that is inserted into a small hole in the tree. The sap drips from the spile into the bucket, then is taken to the Sugar Shack to be turned into syrup. 

In 2018, Winter Retreat campers helped us tap the first 10 trees of the 2018 season. 

Every group that visits Lutherlyn for maple sugaring gets to tap trees and hang their own buckets – by the end of the season we will have put out over 100 buckets! 

You could tap a tree and hang your own bucket at the Maple Saturday Safari -- always the first Saturday in March. LEEP can also schedule additional maple sugaring dates for groups of 10 or more -- great for scouts and school field trips! 

http://www.lutherlyn.com/ourprograms/environmental_education/safari.html

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: February 12, 2020

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

February 12, 2020. 

And the answer is....

These are the tracks of muskrat, seen along the edge of the frozen Upper Lake.

Muskrat are what’s known as imperfect walkers, which means that they do not put their back paw directly in the imprint made by their front paw, but near it or alongside it. This gives their track a “2x2” look – two prints next to each other, instead of a straight line of what looks like single prints. 

Muskrats also have a narrow tail that hangs low as they walk, leaving a tail drag mark in surfaces like snow. 

In addition, muskrats are active in the winter and live along the edges of lakes, ponds, and rivers, so their known habitat matches where these tracks were found. This track actually led up to a small burrow just a short distance back from the edge of the water, confirming that it was most likely made by a muskrat. It was neat to be able to use the track to find the den!

For more on how LEEP can help you identify the tracks and other animal signs in the forest, through field trips, Saturday Safaris, summer camp, special events 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!

What is it Wednesday archive: April 3, 2019

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

April 3, 2019. 

And the answer is....

This is an old well near the spot known as Trinity Pines, 

near the Whitestown Road end of the Lutherlyn’s property. 

The three large trees at this spot (which are actually spruces) stand out in the surrounding deciduous forest, and are part of the inspiration for the Lutherlyn logo. These three trees grew near the home of the Allen family, who were the millers who owned and ran the grist mill along the stream that became part of Lutherlyn. The well, the three trees, some foundation stones, and an apple orchard are all parts of that old home site.

During a recent autumn that was particularly dry, LEEP staff decided it was a good time to excavate the well and see how far down the stonework goes, and if anything interesting would be found in the soil and debris that filled in the well over time. 

Even in a very dry spell, we did not find the bottom of the well stonework before getting too deep in water to make it practical to continue digging. 

In normal conditions, the water level in the well is up to at least the second step in the first two photos, and usually the first step or higher. The shovel in the photo is about 56 inches tall, and fit entirely within the cleared-out well. Unfortunately we didn’t come across any interesting artifacts in the debris removed from the well. Maybe in another dry year we’ll try again!

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: February 5, 2020

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

February 5, 2020. 

And the answer is....

These are the seed bracts of an American hornbeam tree. 

The seeds of American hornbeam grow in tight clusters, with small nutlets protected by small overlapping umbrella-like leaflets, called bracts. These bracts are sometimes still visible in clusters hanging from the ends of branches late into the winter, even though the seeds have long since dispersed.

American hornbeam is a tree that does not grow very tall or wide, but its wood is very dense and strong, with smooth gray bark showing ripples of the wood underneath. It is a common understory tree at Lutherlyn and in western Pennsylvania, often called musclewood for its appearance or ironwood for its strength. 

It is distinct from hop hornbeam, another small sturdy understory tree in our area. Hop hornbeam has shaggier bark and its seed bracts are rounded, making the seed clusters look a lot like the hops used to flavor beer.

For more on how LEEP can help you get to know the trees and other residents of our forests, 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!

What is it Wednesday archive: August 21, 2019

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

August 21, 2019.

And the answer is....

This is an owl pellet. 

Owls are predators who eat their prey whole or in large chunks. Parts of the prey that are not digestible (like bones, claws, etc.) get compressed into a pellet in the owl’s gut and regurgitated. 

Owls usually produce about one pellet a night, so several are often found in the same place, where owls perch night after night. We often find owl pellets around Upper Lake, especially in the evergreen trees near Bullfrog fire circle.

Dissecting an owl pellet is an interesting way to find out more about the owl’s habits. What do you think this owl has been eating?

We at LEEP love to check out things that have been regurgitated, excreted, and decomposed! Eww! For more about how LEEP can help you move such things from something gross to something fascinating that connects you to the natural world around us, 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!