The Jericho Conservation Commission thanks all who participated in the Fall Bioblitz at Mobbs Farm. We are grateful for your contribution to science and to advancing our knowledge of what is present on the property.
Stay tuned for a possible Spring Edition!
If you want to stay connected with what's happening at Mobbs you can sign up on the Jericho town website: https://jerichovt.org/Mobbs-Committee or follow them on facebook.
The early morning frosts we have had for the past few days certainly make it feel as if fall is really here. I love the look of the frost on the tall meadow plants. But nature is tougher than a few cold nights and there is plenty of activity still to be recorded.
We are up to 257 species observed with the Plant kingdom in the lead with 109 species and Kingdom Insecta in second place with 68 species.
I hope some of you who are new to iNaturalist have enjoyed submitting your observations and will continue to make contributions once the bioblitz is through. I make at least one submission every time I go for a walk.
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies is looking for Ladybugs -- if you see any in Mobbs make sure you get a photo.....
It's easy to report your sightings to the Vermont Lady Beetle Atlas on iNaturalist. Since at least the 1980s, native Lady Beetles that were once very common across the Northeast have become rare or have even gone missing.
Fourteen of Vermont’s 33 known native species have not been reported since the 1976 checklist was completed. Three of these species were designated as “species of greatest conservation need” in 2015 in New York: Two-spotted Lady Beetle (Adalia bipunctata), Nine-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella novemnotata), and Transverse Lady Beetle (C. transversoguttata). And the Nine-spotted Lady Beetle was recently declared “Endangered” in Canada.
The first-ever Jericho Bioblitz is off to a great start. Many thanks to the people who have made it over to our project site at Mobbs Farm and made observations of nature for science. As of this posting we have noted over 213 species.
For this weekend we have several times when volunteers from the Conservation Commission will be hanging out near the kiosk at the Fitzsimonds entrance to answer questions. Those times are Saturday 9/19 from 12-2pm & Sunday 9/20 from 10-12am and again from 1-3pm.
The cool thing about posting our observations to iNaturalist (iNaturalist.org) is that it doesn’t require you to know exactly what you are looking at – just a decent quality picture of it. You can let the iNaturalist program's experts (human and AI) help you with IDs. For the best results try to get as close to the subject as possible, try to photograph the subject from a few angles (e.g. a mushroom ID is best with pictures of the top and the underside), and try to submit the entry to the most specific taxonomic level you are comfortable with – if you see a bug and you know it’s a bee, but don’t know what kind, choose a label such as “bee family” rather than a blank “question mark”, or if you don’t know if it’s a bee or a wasp then label it as “insect”.
Please check out our home page on the town website (jerichovt.org/bioblitz) for more ways to engage! We have created a virtual place for you to submit nature poetry and artwork. There’s even a map where you can pin the places in Mobbs that you really love to visit. The Bioblitz runs through Saturday, Sept 26th so there is still plenty of time to participate.
Thanks to everyone who's been going out to Mobbs and making observations! Will anyone be able to out-observe Bernie?! Go Bernie!! Please help spread the word to your friends and neighbors. There's lots to be discovered.
From our intrepid observer, Bernie Paquette:
The Final Hour - Bio Blitz Journal
The final hour is approaching, though this is only the third day of the two week Jericho Bio Blitz. Today the trail has been hard and dusty after six hours of walking. The steps and observations - more than I can count. Surely I will dream of many of the plants and creatures - life forms that I viewed today. I am especially thankful for those who patiently posed while I fiddled with the camera dials attempting to compensate for the very low level of light.
White, purple, and yellow compete with the sunset for brilliant fall colors in the meadows: Asters some purple, some virgin white petals with greenish-yellow hearts, and tall hardy Joe Pie Weed the Hercules of fall flowers. Yet the hour is late, some asters are leaning over the trail. Some are missing a few flower petals, a few look tired from feeding the many pollinators. They seem to know, if the weather forecast is correct, the end is near.
A dead, leafless maple tree reminds me of what much of the forest will soon look like. All but the evergreens, who hold onto their fur coats in forbearance. The deciduous trees long ago decided to not make a contest of it, retreating to their roots. Honeybees seem to know the goldenrod and other fall flowers will soon be an empty pantry. I wonder if they know they will be ‘sharing’ their winter reserves with us.
Bumblebees worked every day of their lives. They are as eager to go on near the last day as they were on their first day of their short life. I wonder if they consider taking the last day off. It is sad for me to watch them work so hard knowing these are their final days.
Tomorrow or the day after, or at least shortly after that, when the frost turns the pages of the calendar, I will mourn. I will miss them - all. I will walk among the once purple, white, yellow, plants turning brown. I will miss the orange of the Tri-colored bumblebee. I will miss the excitement of seeing a new species, as well as those I have seen often this summer.
The trails are softer now, the light even dimmer, the air is still, and calm.
The species count is no longer important. Only saying farewell to the last bumblebees and flowers cementing in my mind that the purple, yellow, and white in the meadows will soon be displaced (for our attention) by a parade of foliage colors.
I know I will need to go home before dark sets in. Tomorrow will allow me another day of observations, only they will not quite be the same as today.
Perhaps the same calm in the air that I feel carries over to the bumblebees, asters, goldenrod, and the hearty Joe- Pye weed. Perhaps they feel at ease as the final hour approaches.
Bernie
After almost two full days of observing we have over 100 potential species identified! Great work and thanks to those who came out during the weekend to participate.
With tonight's forecast rain I think tomorrow morning will be a good time to find migrating warblers who got "grounded" by the inclement weather.
It started off as a cool (34 degrees F) morning with lots of early fog, but once the fog lifted it was a gorgeous day for taking a walk in the local woods and meadows of Mobbs Farm. There was still some early morning bird activity while I walked around - Blue Jay, American Crow, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Eastern Phoebe, Common Yellowthroat, Common Raven - were all seen and heard. The wildflowers are still abundant in the meadow sections. Goldenrod, Joe-Pye Weed and Asters still in bloom and buzzing with mostly Western Honey Bees. I did see one Bumble Bee.
I am looking forward to seeing what others observe and to return later this week for another peek.
