Black swallowtail with osmeterium extended, Austin, Texas, 22 May 2010
I promise.
Here is my last photo of a caterpillar for the near term (near term being tomorrow morning). But this is worth studying. The orange forked tongue-like organ is the osmeterium. This is a fleshy organ found in the caterpillars of the swallowtail butterflies. The osmeterium is only extended when the caterpillar is alarmed. When extended the organ emits smelly compounds believed to be pheromones, and the makeup of those pheromones differs from species to species. I cannot describe the smell; like chicken?
My yard is a feeding frenzy, an orgy of young and old, big and small, eating their ways toward winter. As I walk along my flower beds I hear the constant crunch of caterpillars, ants, pill bugs, and grubs making short work of my crops. The bird feeders are crowded with parents cramming the gaping mouths of young with masticated seeds. Never mind that the young downy is larger than the adult; instinct always wins out over common sense.
Downy woodpecker (adult male)
Doesn’t he know that this young bird is a bottomless pit, an empty hole that can never be filled? No wonder he has brought the family to the McDonalds of the bird world – my feeders. Supersize it.
Downy woodpecker (juvenile) Austin, Texas, 21 May 2010
Supersized are these final instar black swallowtails, moments away from tranforming all of my dill and parsley into an ephemeral butterfly. All that work, all that herb, for a few days of ebony bliss.
Black swallowtail
Swallowtails begin as caterpillars that look like bird droppings. They will go through four molts, which represents five distinct instars. The first three are covered with spikes with a bird-drop white ring in the middle. Only in the final two instars do they swell into the sausage-shaped caterpillars that are obvious on your crops.
Black swallowtail (3rd instar), Austin, Texas, 21 May 2010
In this next photograph the caterpillar, now a 4th instar, has molted its 3rd instar exoskeleton and is drying in the sun. During this brief period the caterpillar will expand its size with air so that when the exoskeleton dries there will be room inside to grow. After the final instar the caterpillar will defecate one final time, passing not only waste but its entire digestive tract. As an adult the butterfly will nectar but not feed. The gut will not be needed.
Black swallowtail (4th instar) after molting, Austin, Texas, 21 May 2010
Are you interested in low-impact, sustainable recreation? Discover your own yard and its inhabitants. See what might be found in the exotic world of your own community.
Black swallowtail chrysalis, Lone Star Lakes, VA, 8 Aug 2001
John Quigley, Secretary of DCNR, speaking at PEC Marcellus Shale conference
Yesterday I spoke at the Marcellus Shale conference luncheon at Duquesne in Pittsburgh. The conference is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and is considering all of the impacts of the Marcellus Shale play here in the east. Marcellus may be one of the largest natural gas reservoirs discovered in the U.S., and there is tremendous interest in bringing that gas to market. Given Pennsylvania’s history with extractive industries, though, the state is being cautious in how it proceeds. I spoke on the conservation history of Pennsylvania, a topic that I title the Cradle of Conservation. I suspect that I will eventually write a book on the subject. My PowerPoint has now been uploaded to the cloud, and is available here.
My next stop is Harrisburg, where I speak to the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation awards dinner this evening.
British Petroleum blowout in Gulf of MexicoThe BP blowout in the Gulf is more than a passing interest. I live within five blocks of the Gulf Coast, in Galveston. One wind shift and we are knee deep in black ooze.
This is not new for us on the upper coast. In 2005 the BP refinery in Texas Coast exploded, killing 15 workers. BP received a record $53 million fine for safety violations. BP agreed that costs were a major factor affecting safety measures at the plant.
AP has reported that prior to this most recent event,
BP suggested in a 2009 exploration plan and environmental impact analysis for the well that an accident leading to a giant crude oil spill — and serious damage to beaches, fish and mammals — was unlikely, or virtually impossible.
The plan for the Deepwater Horizon well, filed with the federal Minerals Management Service, said repeatedly that it was “unlikely that an accidental surface or subsurface oil spill would occur from the proposed activities.”
The company conceded a spill would impact beaches, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas, but argued that “due to the distance to shore (48 miles) and the response capabilities that would be implemented, no significant adverse impacts are expected.”
The potential impact on the ecology of the Gulf Coast is catastrophic. The effect on coastal communities is unimaginable. Following in the footsteps of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, the Gulf Coast is hardly prepared for another major disaster. Bolivar and Galveston, for example, are still reeling from Hurricane Ike 18 months ago.
As this tragedy unfolds, I will try to keep posted the links that appear to me to be covering the story most accurately. Language is a tricky thing, and slight changes in wording can dramatically alter the meaning of a statement or story.
Here is an example. The press continues to use the word “spill” to characterize this debacle. This is no spill, it is a blowout. The blowout preventer failed, and now there is unchecked oil and gas jetting to the surface of the Gulf from over a mile down. If officials are unable to recap this well, it will continue to flow until the pressure in the reservoir diminishes to a point where the oil and gas cannot no longer escape.
The next few weeks are dominated by travel. There is nothing like spring to entice one outside. This week I am in Scott County, assessing sites for a heritage tourism analysis. We are working with Carolyn Brackett, a Senior Program Associate with the Heritage Tourism Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation. After returning to Texas on Thursday I will be in Galveston, trying to finish dismantling the Houston office.
On Sunday I fly to Pittsburgh, and then spend next week in Pennsylvania. I am speaking at Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s Marcellus Shale conference Monday. I then travel to Harrisburg on Tuesday to attend the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation’s annual awards dinner that night. PA DCNR parks recently won the gold medal for being the best state park system in the nation, and that night we will all celebrate their success.
I will continue on to Philadelphia the following morning, and I will work the remainder of the week in Fairmount Park. The last time I visited Philadelphia we were hampered by the remainder of a blizzard, and it will be wonderful to see the park facilities exposed.
Finally I will fly to Chicago on Sundayt, and then drive to Valparaiso (Indiana) for a couple of days work on Indiana Beyond the Beach. We are about to unveil a number of new products regarding the BTB Discovery Trail, so stay tuned. I will blog from the road as I travel these next weeks.
