To Pinnacles we go!

Pinnacles of Rhyolite from an ancient volcano.

I wanted to take a minute to tell you about the fantastic place we will visit on this year’s 4th and 5th grade camping trip, but then my favorite daily blog did it for me!  Earth Science Picture of the Day shared the above image on their blog and explained the interesting geology of the igneous rocks in Pinnacles National Monument.  This place contains caves where bats live and breed, is a habitat for the endangered California Condor, and home to the Yellow-Billed Magpie, one of California’s endemic species.  Camping in a beautiful spot is my idea of fun!  See you all on Friday!

Solar Eclipse

I wish this had happened while we were at school!  I was amazed by the eclipse on Sunday evening, and I have heard as much from many other students today.  Earlier on Sunday I stopped by school to grab the Sunspotter, our solar viewing telescope, which I used to view the eclipse as it happened.  It worked quite well, but was not entirely necessary.  Tiny spots of light that came through shadows of tree leaves made their own image of the eclipse all over the ground and even on me!  I’ve posted pictures here of the experience.  Feel free to share your own experience in a comment or with a link to your own images of the eclipse!

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This Weekend! Don’t Miss It!

The 10th Triennial USGS Open House, May 19-20

Earthquake Simulations to Gold Panning • Satellite Imagery to Microbes • Science for the Whole Family

MENLO PARK, Calif. – Education and entertainment await visitors of all ages at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Menlo Park Campus Open House on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free.

Scientists will share their latest work via hands-on exhibits, displays, web-based animations and virtual tours. Visitors can view demonstrations of cutting-edge science, and speak with our staff about their work in ecosystem health and restoration, volcanoes and earthquakes, natural-resource and water-quality studies, and historic mapping techniques.

“The USGS-Menlo Park Open House is the perfect answer for what to do with the whole family that is different, fun, engaging, active, and did we mention free?” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt. “Bringing your daughter or son to the Open House could inspire a love for science and thus be the  first stop on the path to a rewarding and exciting career.”

Visitors will be able to:

• Explore the tools and equipment scientists use to understand our world, from boats to microscopes, airborne LiDAR and satellite imagery,
• Find out about water quality, earthquake probabilities, and mineral resource assessments,
• Pan for gold,
• Collect science trading cards and find all the locations to get them stamped,
• View rocks collected from various locations around California,
• Dress like a scientist, and get their photo digitized into the research environment of their choice,
• Listen to presentations on recent earthquakes and tsunamis, land change in the U.S., volcanic hazards at Yellowstone, unconventional oil and gas resources, and projects related to restoring South Bay salt ponds,
• Buy topographic maps, earthquake hazard zone maps and other scientific publications,
• Bring in rocks, minerals, or fossils for identification, and
• Try to guess the locations of popular U.S. landmarks using satellite imagery and aerial photography. 

The California Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other USGS partners will be on hand to round out the event with their own exhibits and displays.

In addition to science, the Open House will offer live bands performing bluegrass, ethnic, and traditional music from around the world. Tours of the USGS gardens will be offered, giving visitors a chance to see the second-largest collection of rhododendron varieties in California.  Visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy our gardens in full bloom. The onsite café will also be open with a range of food and drink for purchase. The USGS Campus is convenient to public transportation and is a 15- to 20-minute walk from the Menlo Park Caltrain station. Parking will also be available at neighboring businesses.

The USGS Menlo Park Campus is at 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, Calif., 94025. For details, visit the Menlo Park Open House website.(http://openhouse.wr.usgs.gov)

Hyalophora cecropia, the Saturniid

Its silk coccoon protects the pupa inside, the caterpillar exoskeleton is shed while inside and is left behind (at top) as evidence of the metamorphosis that occurred.

Ours got away before it could pose for a camera, but this is what it looks like. Can you see those cute fuzzy red legs?

It’s not the name of a Greek myth, or a planet from another galaxy- it’s a moth!  This website is a great website for classifying moths and butterflies, and can tell you all you’d like to know about this large wonderful and beautiful specimen.  This is just one of three species of moth whose pupae have been hibernating in a netted cage in the Acorn Room.  All we have left of our most recent arrival, Hyalophora cecropia- sad to say (though happily at the same time) is the cocoon and pupa, and the leftover parts of its larval caterpillar body that are evidence of its birth as an adult.  It has flown away, rightly so, with wings intact thanks to the patient way it waited to fly until it was out of its netted home.

Its red furry body was definitely that of an insect, with six red fuzzy legs, and the cutest face (really, really cute, yes- even though it was a large insect).  It seemed to say hi to us with its front left leg before it beat its wings to fly for the first time toward our nature path.  To tell the difference between moths and butterflies you need only look at their antennae.  Butterflies have “clubbed” antennae, with a little dot on the end like you might draw in a picture of a butterfly.  Moths have “combed” antennae that look like feathery combs.  Moth antennae are built to “smell” the world around them as they seek the scent of a mate to continue their life cycle.

On this day when we celebrate reducing our campus waste, we can be happy for all the cycles of our beautiful planet; recycles, upcycles, and the cycles of life that keeps showing us wonders over and over again.

May Earth Day be Every Day!

Signs of Spring

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At the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Center the swallows have arrived!  Building their mud nests in the eaves of the building.  They flew in and out of them, peeking out with a pale interorbital bar marking the location of their black bead eyes.  From what the naturalist told us, they just arrived before we got there, making our timing perfect to see them.  There were also the avocets; birds with curved upwards needle-like beaks and long legs, whose heads were beginning to turn brown with the change in the season (its time to impress the ladies!).  Even the fish were out, each group catching two to learn from.  They came from two areas of the water column.  One with a compressed body and countershading, indicating its preference for the middle of the water column, the other flat and camouflaged to the mud and sand, with elevated eyes for seeing what’s up.  It wasn’t warm, but the sun was shining, the pickleweed held its spring-fresh mild salty taste, and we had a good time.  Wishing you a good time on your breaks as well.  May signs of spring find you wherever you are!

The Tallest in the World

The Coast Redwood tree can stand more than 360 ft tall, can drink fog, and supports some animal species who never see the forest floor.  Other plants and even other trees can grow on soil made in the branches of this tree, and people can make tunnels through them big enough for a car to drive through.  And perhaps the most spectacular fact of all: they only live in one place on earth- the coastal areas of Northern California, including Trinity School!  What a pleasure it is to study this wonder in our own backyards.

It has some lessons to teach us also.  Below you can see a handful (or not full) of redwood seeds, enough to make 9 new trees.  These seeds are remarkably small- about the size of a rolled oat- but grow to be the tallest living thing we know.  I like to think these seeds are like good deeds- the smallest kindness can be of the grandest importance when done in earnest.  In which case, this marvelous tree begs the question: what small seed will you plant in hopes that it grows to unimaginable heights?