nature story | Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog

Posts Tagged ‘nature story’

Golden Hour Ground Beetle

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature photography, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged Art, art and the environment, artist at exit 0, cottonwood tree, ecostory, Falls of the Ohio, found materials, ground beetle, insects, nature, nature story, odd insects, photography, recycled materials, Styrofoam, the golden hour, upscaled art on November 17, 2013| 9 Comments »

Moving past the Woodland Trail Loop, I’m in the western section of the Falls of the Ohio State Park. It’s been more than a month since I last visited this area. One of my favorite trees is here and although I’ve already missed the prime leaf color moment…I’m hoping some autumn splendor remains. Along my walk I come across a driftwood structure that has been stacked teepee-style by other park visitors. I see this kind of expression regularly and there must be a kinship between this activity and piling and stacking rock upon rock. It’s satisfying to do and when you step back from your work…it’s obvious you left an impermanent mark in the landscape that says you were there. The tree I seek is just a short walk away and in no time at all I arrive on the scene.

This old Cottonwood tree with its raised roots looms large in my imagination and is my personal favorite tree out here. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way because there is usually plenty of evidence laying around in the form of empty beer bottles, spent camp fires, and yes…the odd bits of furniture people drag to furnish the room that exists underneath the tree. I’ll wager for some…this is known as the party tree. I was elated to see that most of the junk (old tarps and a red couch) have been removed by some other purists. The Cottonwood tree had already dropped most of its leaves, but there were still a few hanging on. After resting a moment under the tree and admiring the distant view of Louisville across the Ohio River…I decide to turn for home. I was in the process of walking away when I noticed something moving along the fossil rocks. I froze to see if I could get a better look at the creature that was walking towards me. Naturally, my camera is at the ready!

Regular visitors to the Riverblog know that the Falls of the Ohio State Park is home to several out-sized insect species that have uniquely evolved here. All the different species are critically endangered and not to be harmed in any way. I was quick to identify this as the Golden Hour Ground Beetle. It was so named because it usually makes it first appearance of the day when the sun is about to set. Otherwise, it is nocturnal in its habits.

The Golden Hour Ground Beetle does not fly. It relies upon stealth and six strong legs to scramble across any surface. In form, it is not unlike the much smaller tiger beetles that also make the park their home. Unlike the smaller beetles, the Golden Hour Ground Beetle is a scavenger and not a hunter. I suspect this specimen was at the Cottonwood tree because it has learned to find scraps of discarded camping food here. This beetle has fairly large eyes that can gather the most meager light in the darkest of settings. It’s abdomen is banded with a coarse hair that insulates this insect during cold nights. As long as I didn’t make any rash movements, this giant bug was tolerating my presence.

I observed my new “friend” moving to the water’s edge to obtain a drink. I wondered if it had the ability to swim in its survival tool kit? I watched the insect as it searched all around the fossil rock shelves that were created by the river dissolving the old limestone away.

I came across a second giant beetle almost immediately after crossing the small creek that separates the western and eastern sections of the park. Male and females are virtually identical. There are gaps in our knowledge about their life cycle. This specimen was in the process of checking out a short, hollow log. I’m presuming that it was either seeking food or shelter? I think poking my camera through the end of the log spooked this one a little. It ran away, but didn’t go far. I kept my movements to a minimum and after a while it seemed to relax again.

I observed this 14 inch or 35.5 centimeter beetle relaxing on the exposed roots of a Sycamore tree. As the golden hour approached, the beetle stopped seemingly acknowledging this magic moment when everything is bathed in a warm golden light. I did the same watching the sun set before finding my vehicle in the parking lot of the Interpretive Center. To everybody in the wider world…have a great week.

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Through the Willow Portal

Posted in Absurd, animals, Art, art and environment, creativity, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature, nature photography, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, tagged Art, artistatexit0, autumn, dead mouse, ecostory, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, found art materials, melancholy, nature, nature story, outdoor art studio, photography, public art, sense of place, Styrofoam, willow leaves, willow tree on November 9, 2013| 14 Comments »

A gorgeous fall day with light that was almost impossibly bright. It’s autumn at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. Small groups of migrating birds including various warblers, titmice, and kinglets are moving through the willow tops. Around each stand of willow trees, the ground is covered by yellowing leaves that have been recently dropped. There is a fresh, spicy, vegetative fragrance in the air as the more recently shed leaves give up their essence before curling up and turning brown. Although I have been to the Falls numerous times lately… it’s been a few months since I last visited my old outdoor atelier in the woods. Today seems as good a time to check out how my site has fared in my absence.

The wooden structure that once surrounded my cached materials remains collapsed. Some of the larger pieces of Styrofoam I had gathered from the river have been moved nearby. Stuff has been scattered around, but that is also part of the ongoing history and fate of this material. I may refer to this junk as “mine”, but I don’t feel a true sense of ownership. While this material remains out here…it belongs to all of us. We created, used, and then disposed of it, often carelessly. I don’t have a lot of time to spend out here on this particular day and so I got busy making “something” from this largess. I select a few chunks of polystyrene that will become my latest figure and before long I attract an audience of one.

This Gray Squirrel seemed very intent upon my activities. Perhaps he thought there might be food involved? I have to say that I was really amused by this little animal checking me out. He watched me for a minute or two and then headed deeper into the trees.

The figure I created was not very complex. It’s head was rather skull-like and so I added a found black and white swimming noodle and a pink nose that was the plastic handle to something to give it more “levity”. One of the first places I posed my latest was by the larger remains of former projects that were moved away from the other Styrofoam pieces I had assembled. It doesn’t appear that whomever moved this stuff…did anything else with it.

Coming across a late season mushroom, its whiteness and material consistency reminds me of the polystyrene I salvage to make art with. Both the mushroom and Styrofoam are made from extracted, spent life. The difference is the mushroom is alive and one day will also return to the earth to nourish other life. The Styrofoam on the other hand, is a dead material and probably won’t decompose easily for quite a long period of time. To move away from thoughts about decay and such…I move into the light and to be near the water.

It doesn’t take long before I find just the right location that will represent this figure and day to me in photographs. I rediscover an especially picturesque willow tree whose trunk and roots have been sculpted by time and the river to form a portal or window. This is where I decided to photograph and leave this figure.

Because the ground was muddy and soft…it was also easy to stand my figure upright. My attention wandered back and forth between the possibilities this novel view afforded. I imagined the figure looking back at me through the portal and other shifting points of view. Here’s how the figure looked set up on the other side where I once originally stood.

The day was getting late and it was time for me to move on. On the walk back I came across a recently deceased mouse in the willow leaves. Something about this season brings out the melancholy in me. All life, no matter how small, strikes me as being worthy of note. Using my fingers, I raked the willow leaves away from the mouse’s body and created this parting image. See you next time from the Falls of the Ohio.

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Fantastic Phasmid and Other Bugs

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, Originality, recycled art, sculpture, tagged absurd story, Art, artist at exit 0, bugs, Falls of the Ohio, found materials, giant stick insect, insects, nature, nature photography, nature story, Phasmids, photography, recycled art, sense of place, site specific art on October 14, 2013| 10 Comments »

Red-faced and bizarrely hairy, the unique caterpillar of the Tussock moth was munching its way through a maple leaf. Everything about its appearance says I’m not tasty and leave me alone. It’s now October and it won’t be much longer before the first frost and freezes arrive and with it the colder temperatures which will quiet insect life at the Falls of the Ohio until next year. The caterpillar inspired me to post a few other entomological images taken in the park. I confess that I have always liked insects as examples of how diverse life can be. I’m amazed at the incredible variety and forms that our six-legged friends can assume. Here’s another really weird caterpillar that I found at the Falls that I just haven’t been able to identify through any of my field guides. Does anybody out there in blog land recognize this?

This fluorescent green caterpillar has dramatic eye spots on its posterior that would incite a predator to strike there first. Its anterior is located on the opposite end and I would have fallen for this trick too, but noticed that it was walking backwards. I wondered once it completed its metamorphosis…would the adult be a moth or butterfly? Maybe some day I will stumble upon and collect a large cocoon I don’t recognize and I’ll take it home and watch a miracle as it emerges from its silken home.

During this time of year, certain willow trees at the Falls are exuding sap which draws a variety of insect life including various flies, hornets, and butterflies to these sweet “licks”. Whether the flowing sap is due to disease or injury is unknown to me? The large bullet-like hornets are so preoccupied with sipping the sap that they ignore me. To test this, I’ve carefully touched them with my finger while they were feeding and they remained docile. I was walking through the tall grass when I noticed a large flying insect land on the bush next to me. Despite its wonderful camouflage I was able to locate our next insect after a short search.

This is the Chinese Mantid which I read was introduced into this country in 1896. It is the largest praying mantis you are likely to come across in the United States and this specimen was about four inches or ten centimeters long. I’ve seen them grow larger, but not in this park. In fact, this is only the second mantid I’ve seen out here. There are several native species, but they are smaller and more obscure. And now, it’s time to reveal my most spectacular discovery which is a near but harmless relative of the praying mantis. Here is a picture of its head.

And now, for the rest of its body which is about two feet long or roughly sixty centimeters. I came upon this unique life form casually walking across the driftwood on its way to somewhere else.

Although as insects go this is a giant…it is also an extremely fragile creature. It is a member of the walking stick family. It relies on slow movements and its cryptic forms to merge with its surroundings. The Falls Phasmid is strictly a vegetarian and eats the foliage from a variety of different trees.

I came across this specimen in broad daylight. I had always heard that they were nocturnal and chose to restrict their movements during the day to avoid detection. Walking stick insects are among the largest insects we have. This species is additionally strange in that its head, thorax, and abdomen are so clearly differentiated. Some scientists have gone so far as to suggest a bit of mimicry at work here. On the surface it does seem to possess a superficial resemblance to a giant ant which might be enough to dissuade predators from attacking it.

I did observe this particular Phasmid making return trips to a particular willow tree where it clung to a nest-like structure that was hanging down from a branch. The meaning of this structure was not immediately apparent. Perhaps the Falls Phasmid uses this form to help it overwinter? Keeping a respectful distance away, I did see the stick insect walking slowly over the riverbank, but I couldn’t tell if it was searching for something in particular and I did not witness it feeding.

Originally, the Falls Phasmid may have had the ability to fly. Other walking stick insects from around the world have vestigial wings that suggest a different past. Our specimen lacks even the most superficial suggestion of wings which hints at an ancient lineage. Perhaps all stick insects evolved here first and spread around the world much later?

I watched the Falls Phasmid for a while and took a bunch of photographs of it before leaving the park. I’m curious about that tree that it likes to hang out on and so will check it the next time I’m here. On my way out of the park, I also came around this wonderful Viceroy butterfly and thought that this would make a fitting image to end this post. When I think of the butterflies that inhabit the park…this is the species that comes to mind first for me.

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Gross Blue Beak and Other Birds

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, creativity, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature photography, Ohio River, recycled art, tagged Art, artist at exit 0, bird migration, birding, birds, black vultures, Canada geese, Cooper's Hawk, Falls of the Ohio, found objects, nature photography, nature story, Ohio River, photography, recycled materials, upscaled art on September 29, 2013| 8 Comments »

The resident flock of Black Vultures were taking advantage of the fossil beds now exposed on the Kentucky side of the Falls of the Ohio. The wier dams were temporarily closed and with it the flow of water. With the river level reduced much of the sculpted limestone normally underwater is briefly seen again. Fishermen have been accessing new fishing spots along the freshly revealed fossil beds which turns out to be a boon for the vultures. Not only do they get to feast on fish left by the anglers, but they also enjoy any other trash including left over fishing bait. Early autumn is a transitional season among the park’s bird life as residents gear up for over-wintering or prepare for the southerly migration. Birds from the northern latitudes particularly Canada and the Arctic Circle pass through our area on their epic journeys to Central and South America.

The vultures will fly away, but many of our Canada Geese will brave it out. We seem to have at least two distinct flocks of Canada Geese sharing the area around the fossil beds. It’s amazing how intolerant each group is of the other. There is competition for the best food sites and each group frequently bump into one another with much squabbling. That’s what makes the next image interesting to me.

Canada Geese can have limits on how much mingling occurs between their own species, but in this case, are willing to accept a true outsider. This domestic goose seemed integrated into its adoptive flock. It swam with its wild cousins and accompanied them to a favorite feeding location and was never bothered by the other geese. Recently, I came across a young Cooper’s Hawk and I was surprised when it did not immediately fly away after I bumbled across it. There was a good reason why it didn’t leave.

The hawk sized me up and then jumped down off the log it was standing on to retrieve something it had dropped.

The hawk had what appeared to be a freshly killed Mourning Dove. After securing its prey with its talons, the hawk seemingly jumped into the sky and vanished within moments. I thought I saw it disappearing into the tree tops of a stand of willow trees within walking distance. I did investigate the area, but never saw the bird again. I love it when I get to observe behaviors. Life has a job to do and can’t wait around posing for pictures. Here’s a different kind of behavior being demonstrated by an American Robin.

I love this image which I captured earlier in the summer. This American Robin is focused on taking a bath. Its head is under the shallow water and droplets and beads of water are splashed over its body. Our resident American Robin population is doing well and seem to be increasing at the Falls of the Ohio. Some of the robins will hang out over our gray winter, while others will seek warmer climes. My last adventure to the Falls resulted in images of a bird that I had never recorded previously in the park.

The Gross Blue Beak is strictly passing through and in fact, this is the first recorded instance of this bird appearing in the park. Good thing I have all this photographic proof that the bird was here because the resident birders are a skeptical lot. Reputations and lifetime bird lists are at stake and there is a great burden of proof to produce irrefutable documentation. This bird has traveled thousands of miles from the edge of the Arctic Circle in Canada and is bound for the Argentine coast.

The Gross Blue Beak receives its name not because it has disgusting habits that require an out-sized bill. Rather the “Gross” idea comes from the German word for “large” . The Ohio River Valley was settled by many immigrant groups and the Germans were among the most prominent. This bird’s beak is a heavy-duty tool it uses to crack open nuts, crush mollusks (particularly snails), and jack hammer soft decaying logs in pursuit of beetle grubs. All three of these food sources are found at the Falls of the Ohio.

I was able to get quite close to the Gross Blue Beak to snap off these images. I’ve noticed before that many northern migrants of various species will allow me to approach more closely than the local birds that are around people more. Perhaps that’s the key? For the moment, the region around the Arctic Circle has seen less of our influence than other places in North America. To close, I have one other bird image, but it is noteworthy because of the people in the far distance. Recently, I received a question about the back wall that is a part of the system in place to produce a stable pool of river water for commercial barge traffic. I’ve heard that the Ohio River carries more tonnage of goods along it’s 800 plus miles than the Rhine River does in Europe. The back wall of this dam is quite high up and the actual river level is perhaps a meter or so below the top of the wall. Beyond the Great Blue Herons, the small band of hikers provides some sense of scale on how the river would be over their heads! When you are walking the now exposed fossil beds…it’s a sobering thought!

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Life in a Bucket

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, ecosytem, environmental art, nature, nature photography, tagged Art, art and the environment, artist at exit 0, ecostory, Falls of the Ohio, flotsam and jetsam, found material art, life, nature, nature story, photography, recycled art, repurposed art, willow tree on September 14, 2013| 12 Comments »

The Orangeman was really excited to see me and asked me breathlessly, “Where have you been lately?” I filled him in about my busy life and work and then turned the table by asking my friend what all the hubbub was about? He knows that if I could I would spend most of my time down by the river and probably go completely native and become a river rat in the process. He also knows that if there is something not to be missed down by the Falls of the Ohio…that I would do my best not to miss it! The Orangeman explained that he had several things he wanted to show me beginning with a monumental discovery he came across in a discarded plastic five gallon bucket. This would be Exhibit A.

The slightly sun-faded blue bucket or pail was sitting on an angle in the sand…just as the river had left it. River mud and dirt more than filled the bucket up passed the midway point. Orangeman walked me over to the bucket and said “Peek inside and tell me what you see.” I did as he asked and more than a little perplexed I replied…”Well, I see a few small plants and vines growing in the dirt.” Orangeman groaned…”That part is obvious, however, the deeper meaning lies in how resilient life is and even within the confines of a plastic bucket…life wants to grow and express itself.” I had to admit that the Orangeman was making an interesting point here. At home, I keep flowers and plants in flower pots and other containers made for the purpose and get pleasure from seeing them thrive and be beautiful. What I hadn’t considered was the idea that any container also acts as a barrier. Life wants to join with life and be a part of the interconnected whole. The roots of these bucket plants were only going to be able to spread so far. Still, as the Orangeman explained…”The will to live and grow is strong even if there are limitations present. There was more to see and the Orangeman walked me over to Exhibit B.

I must admit that I was impressed by the second example that my friend the Orangeman showed me. In a shattered plastic drum, various grasses and so-called weeds were sprouting through a large hole in the top of the container. Years ago, dirt and sand filled the barrel through the actions of river water and wind rendering it too heavy to pick up and move. Different plant seeds found their way into the barrel and discovering this small niche…set out to colonize and thrive as best they could. Perhaps these grasses will find enough of what they need to move through their life cycle and produce seed for another generation? Or perhaps they won’t due to all kinds of other variables, but the point remains that life will take that chance.

I hadn’t seen the Orangeman in such a didactic mood before and I was impressed with his earnestness. Previously, he had struck me as a happy-go-lucky guy and not especially bothered by all the serious stuff in the world. I certainly was seeing a different side of my friend that I hadn’t seen before. We walked and talked together and before long reached the last sight he wanted me to see. We might as well designate this as Exhibit C of the day.

The Orangeman stopped next to an old discarded tire and with a flourish of his arms and hands and said, “Here it is!” The “it” part was a small willow tree that was growing through the center of the tire. I didn’t tell my friend this but, I already knew about this particular tree and another one I had discovered very similar to it in the western section of the Falls of the Ohio State Park. I had even photographed this very tree on several occasions. This is how it looked in late spring.

We had a relatively cool spring and it seemed to my eye that the plants at the Falls got off to a slow start. The willow-in-the-tire took its time ‘leafing out”, but eventually it did. Now I must say that a tree growing through the middle of a tire is a remarkable thing, however, there is more to admire about this particular tree. The Orangeman invited me to make a closer inspection.

Amazingly, this willow tree was growing through the holes in the metal wheel that were still in the tire! The tiny, wispy seeds from a willow tree must have passed through one of the holes and taken root in the mud and soil beneath the tire. Hungry and thirsty for light, the various branches moved through the holes. I told the Orangeman that this was indeed an amazing example of life making do in very unpromising circumstances.

I’m going to monitor this tree with the Orangeman’s help because I’m curious to see if it can continue to thrive and grow. Will it eventually lift the tire into the air like some perverse hula-hoop as the trunk thickens and becomes more pronounced? Or, will the holes in the metal prove too restrictive and choke the life out these branches? Or, will something else out of the blue change the situation? The river usually gets the last word and flooding could easily send a flotilla of battering logs the willow tree’s way. The Orangeman and I parted company, but not before I thanked him for his time. Indeed, he had given me much to mull over. The idea that life is very resilient and will find a way to endure was comforting to me…especially as the physical world continues to change around us.

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The Camelope and Other Wildlife

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature, nature photography, recycled art, tagged Art, art and nature, artist at exit 0, creativity, ecostory, ecosystem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, Falls of the Ohio State Park, fantasy, nature, nature story, newly discovered animals, photography, Styrofoam art on September 2, 2013| 13 Comments »

The Falls of the Ohio is a special place in the history of life. From the ancient marine creatures whose remains are preserved in limestone dating back more than 370 million years a go to the contemporary creatures that inhabit the park today…it is my goal to celebrate life here in all its diversity. I’m going to use this post to present images of recent finds. I was exploring the western side of this state park recently and saw this spider’s web high off the ground catching the early morning light. I’m sure its architect would prefer a buggy meal over the photons it has snared instead! Looking at this web image, I’m struck by how similar this looks to the cross-section of a tree. Can you see that too with the outermost silk rings resembling a tree’s growth rings? In the Purple Loosestrife stands, butterflies were having a nectar feast and I presented many images of them in a previous post. Here’s one more to add to that portfolio. I have seen this butterfly species wind up on the spider’s menu before.

This is the Dog Face Butterfly (Colias cestonia ). It is often difficult to photograph this butterfly in the wild with its wings open because this species prefers to feed with its wings held together. Through the strong light passing through the forewings, you can get the suggestion of a dog’s head in profile. Imagine the black rimmed spot as the “dog’s eye” with its muzzle pointing down. When open, the dark interior margins of the wings are a warm black color. I was exploring the interstitial sandy zone between the river and the willow woods…when I came across this interesting amphibian.

If this American Toad ( Bufo americanus ) had not moved…I doubt I would have seen it. It’s coloration is wonderfully cryptic easily blending into the sand. The toad was busy hunting among the debris and driftwood for any insects and invertebrates it could find. I don’t encounter many amphibians out here…so finding a common toad is a noteworthy event. Let’s move up the evolutionary ladder a bit. I was busy working on one of my Styrofoam sculptures at my outdoor studio when I felt I was being watched. When I lifted my eyes up from my artwork…I found myself looking eye to eye with this critter.

This is the common Groundhog or Woodchuck ( Marmota monax ). As its scientific name suggests, this large rodent is a member of the marmot family. Woodchucks are successfully established at the Falls and I encounter them often. They are fast diggers and live in an extensive system of burrows. Woodchucks usually don’t stray too far away from the entrances to their burrows. Succulent greens are the preferred foods. This particular woodchuck regarding me is a young individual and may be seeking territory of its own? Usually, I don’t see them this close to the river. I did have an interesting recent encounter with a very different animal in the western section of the Falls of the Ohio State Park. Have you ever heard of an animal called the Camelope, (Antilocapra fallsei )? It is very rarely seen. The flora and fauna at the Falls can be roughly divided between forms that are “natural” and “unnatural”. The spider, butterfly, toad, and woodchuck fit in the natural fauna category, while the Camelope is definitely on the unnatural fauna side of life and may represent evolution at an accelerated pace? The many stresses to the environment and its myriad ecosystems have required a dramatic response and creatures like the Camelope may be nature’s way of responding to these changes? I’m not a trained scientist, but that is my educated guess. Discovering and documenting these recent life forms has become a passion of mine. Anyway, let’s look at a Camelope. Let’s start with an image of its head.

It’s called a Camelope because its head generally resembles that of a camel’s. This is a browsing animal and accepts a wide range of vegetation growing along the river. It has dark eyes that are always nervously looking around for potential predators. This park is also home to Feralocitors that prey upon Camelopes. This particular species also has an acute sense of smell.

I came across this Camelope in a more isolated section of the park. It was hiding among the stands of loosestrife and drinking water from the springs that flow downhill and into the river. It is ever alert and very nimble with quick feet and seemingly at home climbing on rocks or navigating through dense vegetation. Their bodies resemble that of deer or antelopes…hence Camelope.

Since it is a relatively new animal…not very much is known about it. I was able to conceal my presence long enough to manage these images. I either moved or the wind shifted, but anyway my presence was detected and with a quick bound, the Camelope disappeared into the brush. I hope I may come across it again and learn more about its secretive life. Regardless, I will keep my eyes open and my camera at the ready for any new “unnatural” life forms I discover. It occurred to me on my way home that my Falls of the Ohio Project is now officially ten years old! I started exploring this fascinating park as the Artist at Exit 0 in August 2003 when the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was being celebrated. Reading early 19th century accounts of the natural abundance of our country and this place in particular made me wistful for a world that no longer exists. Two hundred years later…that process continues and no doubt will two hundred years from now. I have often thought of this riverblog as a historical document as relevant today as Lewis and Clark’s notebooks and journals were back when this country was first being described. I hope this park and its remarkable history will continue to inspire people for a very long time. In closing, I would like to present an image of Canada Geese on the water near the fossil beds. Their coloration gives them in my mind’s eye a formal quality and lends dignity to the landscape. Until next time…from the Falls of the Ohio.

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Duck Talk

Posted in Absurd, animal art works, animals, Art, art and environment, birds and birding, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature, public art, recycled art, Styrofoam, tagged Art, artistatexit0, duck story, earth art, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, found materials, Mallard ducks, nature, nature story, photography, recycled art, repurposed materials on July 27, 2013| 11 Comments »

The Ohio River has remained high and muddy the last couple of weeks. It’s summer, past mid July when we usually find the river retreated to its summer pool. This approaches the time when the fossil beds on the Kentucky side of the river would be exposed. The little bit of flooding that occurred has displaced more than random logs and debris. I was investigating the riverbank under the railroad bridge and came across an interesting mix of ducks.

Joining the wild, female Mallards with their iridescent blue-violet speculum on their wings was a small group of domesticated ducks. More than likely the river overwhelmed a farm pond somewhere which was the opportunity the domesticated ducks needed to swim away and explore the larger world.

They landed at the Falls of the Ohio and are sharing a vacation together. White and piebald (a mix of black and white) are the colors of domestication. These farm ducks are also much larger than their wilder cousins.

The Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is our most common species of duck and can be found at the Falls throughout the year. I once stumbled upon a Mallard nest that was built inside a hollow log. When the mother-to-be flushed out of the log, the surprise took a few years off my lifespan! They are members of the duck family known as “dabblers”. Mallards hang out near the zone where water and land meet. They have specialized bills for feeding in shallow water. Mallards prefer small grass and sedge seeds for food, but will also strain the water and mud for small organisms. I have come across other ducks at the Falls of the Ohio that are hybrids of Mallards and domesticated ducks. Many duck species must be closely related to one another because other inter-species hybrids have been documented.

I have also recently photographed an unusual duck for the Falls of the Ohio. On a recent foray to the river I came across this Blue-ringed Dabbler ( Anas azurcephalos) plying its trade at the water’s edge. This diminutive duck is native to the western part of North America and rarely strays east of the Mississippi River. Perhaps it found its way here because of the recent storms that have tracked west to east across the country? Domesticated ducks are not the only birds affected by severe weather.

The Blue-ringed Dabbler is an unusual duck in that it nests in trees or more specifically, in the holes created and abandoned by larger woodpeckers. This formerly rare duck is now on the increase because conservationists have taken advantage of this breeding preference by setting out nest boxes which the Blue-ringed Dabbler will accept. A similar program helped the colorful Wood Duck to recoup its former population numbers.

This is a female Blue-ringed Dabbler identified by its browner coloration and lack of iridescent color on the wings. The dabbler regarded me for a while before swimming off to a deeper part of the river where I lost track of it. I returned the next day to see if I could find this duck again, but it was gone. I get a big kick out of recording bird species that are not a part of the official bird checklist distributed by the Falls of the Ohio State Park. I love bringing these rarities to the attention of hard-core birders who will only accept as evidence good photographic proof or multiple sightings recorded by multiple birders. They can be a suspicious lot and highly competitive. Often bird watchers present themselves as being more interested in what number a particular bird represents on a life list than in the bird itself which seems to me to miss the whole point of watching birds.

Although I never saw the Blue-ringed Dabbler again, I did however, locate a couple of the domesticated ducks I had seen the previous week. They were investigating the waterline in a particularly muddy area. I was shocked to discover the dead fish in the foreground upon downloading my images. I certainly don’t remember seeing this when I snapped this picture. I doubt these ducks will ever find their way to the farm again, but for now…they seem content. I’ll end today’s post with one other image of the Blue-ringed Dabbler that I came across on the internet. It shows a bird in the hand of a conservationist. So long for now!

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Driftwood Drama continued…

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged Art, art and the environment, artistatexit0, driftwood structure, Falls of the Ohio, found objects, found objects in art, nature, nature story, Ohio River, photography, public art, site specific installation, Styrofoam on July 14, 2013| 11 Comments »

When last we visited the Falls of the Ohio the river was rising. Several days of intense rainfall throughout the Ohio Valley are now flowing by and coloring the water a muddy ocher. My outdoor site where I make my polystyrene figures and store materials is being usurped by twin forces. It’s difficult gauging the intentions of this visitor or visitors, however, I also continue finding their waste soft drink cups and bottles. What’s with the blue drinks? I guess the color blue is also your symbol for cool refreshment. If I am to continuing working here, I will need to change the driftwood structure erected over my site. I was secretly hoping that the river would solve this dilemma for me. If the water rose high enough, it would move the largest beached logs which would effect everything near them. That didn’t happen. The river fell short of my spot and a visible line demarcating brown wet wood from bleached, silver-gray wood marks the high waterline.

The structure the visitors are building is enclosing the space. As it is, it’s difficult now to stand on the center sand, especially since a growing pit is developing. My collected river materials continue to be strewn about. I initially liked that someone else was seeing the potential of this site and adding their distinctiveness to the mix. Now I’m seeing less intent here and and I’m going to make the next move and see what happens? First, I will need to find and repair the large Styro-figure I left here sitting on the roof. He’s a participant/witness to all the proceeding events.

Again he looks like he was cast aside. I find everything except his mouth and replace it with some other river plastic I picked up. I reattach his arms and legs and he’s as good as new again. Well almost, the excitement with the visitors and the unpredictable nature of the river have dinged his persona. He never said much before and he says even less now. How unfortunate. I park him in a nearby try to keep him safe.

I’ve seen this before and call it “Styro-shock” or “polystyrene demensia”. Imagine willing your body into a stasis where you have no awareness at all and you will begin to know what it means to be Styrofoam. He might come out of it on his own…who knows? I turned my attention back to the wooden structure to see what I could do to affect the space in a positive way. I’m not interested in getting into some escalating contest of wills with someone. While I figured out what to do…my silent friend continued to sit tight.

I stripped off the wood to expose the frame. Next, I flipped a few of the cross braces over which opened the center of the space back up. I created a small doorway by cutting away some excess wood with my saw on my Swiss Army knife. That has come in handy more than once.

Using the wood already collected, I made a small lean-to for a shelter and a wall of upright sticks to enclose the space on one end and create more visual interest. The maple tree on site separates one area from another. There’s plenty more that can be done, but I decide to stop here and see if anything happens while I’m away. The site now does a better job of corralling any wayward Styrofoam and has further called attention to the studio site as a performance space. As the day progressed which was sunny and cooler than usual…the sun shone just right to highlight the interior of my studio under the willows and filled it with energy.

It was a long and busy day by the muddy river. I have lots of other interesting pictures to show you, but they are worthy of separate posts which will happen soon. For now, I’ll end with a backward glance of my studio under the willows as I walked towards home.

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As the River Rises…so Does My Blood Pressure

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, fresh water, Ohio River, public art, recycled art, sculpture, Styrofoam, watershed, tagged Art, art in context, artistatexit0, driftwood structure, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, found objects, garbage, nature story, Ohio River flooding, photography, plastic, sculpture, sense of place, Styrofoam, Styrofoam cups on July 10, 2013| 20 Comments »

We have had (along with the eastern half of the country) a lot of rain recently. When it has precipitated, it hasn’t been gentle rains, but rather torrential, monsoon-like downpours. Consequently, everything is saturated and the Ohio River has quickly risen to engulf the riverbanks that are normally wide and clear this time of year. I took a chance between rain showers to see if I could access my site for a few hours. Maneuvering through the underbrush I was able to investigate the river’s edge that was slowly but surely creeping inland. As a gauge to how high the river has risen, in the above photos…you should be able to walk out to those willow trees that are now in the middle of the river. I watched columns of ants marching for higher ground. The river’s edge attracts animals, particularly birds, that are hunting insects being driven by the advancing water. I’m here doing a similar thing…except I’m looking for interesting junk that has floated in with the driftwood. I always find something and here are a few recent images of this river treasure.

This is a plastic bell pepper to add to my ever growing collection of faux food. This collection has grown considerably since I last photographed it in its entirety. I’ve added several fast food items and I now can boast owning several plastic hamburgers and hotdogs to accompany the fruits and vegetables.

I don’t recognize this character’s head, but I responded to the tongue sticking out! It was this discovery that caused me to go on a tangent. I decided that in the relatively restricted area I was investigating that I was going to collect all the different green plastic items the river was delivering to me. This is what I came up with.

I was amazed at the collection I was able to put together in less than an hour’s time. Each item is unique…even the green plastic bottles which are different sizes, designs, and have different colored bottle caps. Among my other finds include green discarded fishing line, a green “Lincoln log”, a lost lip balm cylinder, a hair curler, a circular green plastic “smokeless” tobacco “tin”, a flip flop, etc…

I then took my 21 green artificial objects and arranged them in a line on an interesting wooden object I found that looked very alter-like. This is a very different expression of what it is to be “green” and the plants behind these objects concur. It was now time to visit my site and see if anything had happened there and perhaps to make something new.

I had that “oh no” feeling upon arriving. There were several changes since my last visit. Whomever is building this structure appears to be trying to construct a roof over my spot. Most of the materials that I have gathered over the months were just thrown out and around the site. There is no way for me to work here now in its present configuration. I wonder if the rain prevented the “work” from being completed? And then it dawned on me…where is the figure I left here? I found him a short distance away.

This is how I found him disarticulated and face down. It appears that he was just lifted up and thrown aside. I knew if I was to learn what had happened that I would need to reconstruct him. It took me a bit of time to find his various parts, but I ultimately was successful and set him up on the “roof” in a sitting position.

I said…”Dude, what happened here and to you?” My friend was quite excitable in retelling the tale. He said a couple of people came by a day or so after I was last here and just started ransacking the place. The last thing he remembers was flying through the air and then blackness. He at least confirmed my suspicions that more than one person was involved. Here is the evidence I used to draw that conclusion.

The last time I was here I noted a giant polystyrene cup lying in the sand just outside my space. Upon returning, I picked up these additional cups and the blue bottle that were casually thrown on the ground and photographed them on a nearby log. I’m deducing that these people live in the area since they sell these mega drinks at a nearby gas station. Now as much as I’m torqued about being evicted from my spot…finding these added cups here makes me mad! There is already enough junk in the river without bringing more and leaving it here! It seems the height of disrespect and irresponsibility and my remade figure concurred.

My friend was growing excited with the thought of his recent tormentors returning to the scene of the crime. He asked me what I was going to do about this and I have to admit it’s a dilemma for me. Generally, I appreciate it when people interact with my art, however, there is little evidence that there are respectful spirits at play here. I decided that if the river kept rising (and at this point it was about twenty meters away) that matters would become moot. The water would rearrange the context here and I would simply begin again. If, however, the river doesn’t reclaim this spot…I promised my figure that I would reassert my will. I might do a little engineering of my own and see how I might modify the structure to suit my needs. If you were me…what would you do? I told my mustachioed figure to sit tight and that I would return the following weekend if the river would allow it. To be continued…?

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The Tree Planters: An Intervention at the Falls of the Ohio

Posted in Absurd, Art, art and environment, creativity, ecosytem, environmental art, Falls of the Ohio, nature, public art, watershed, tagged Art, art and nature, artistatexit0, cottonwood tree, Falls of the Ohio, found objects, global art, nature, nature story, photography, public art, recycled art, site specific art, Styrofoam, the Earth, the environment, tree planting ceremony on July 4, 2013| 21 Comments »

Everybody has a different tipping point where enough is finally enough and action is called for. This was the case with Joe Arbor. For many years, Joe Arbor walked the river’s edge paying attention to what the Earth was telling him from the signals that washed ashore. Yes, this is a nonverbal language, but the Earth is eloquent in this way. On this particular day, Joe Arbor noticed that there was a lot of wood everywhere and while it was picturesque…it was also disturbing. Joe Arbor realized that all the wood he was seeing represented trees in the past tense.

Joe Arbor knew of other places where the Earth via the river had left a record of lost trees particularly at the Falls of the Ohio. In the hot bleaching sun the various logs and limbs piled on top of one another reminded him of bones. Joe Arbor would walk among these elephant’s graveyards of trees and felt ill at ease. These trees represented a huge loss in terms of the free services they provided. Here was food and shelter for a multitude of other life forms. Here was the air we breathe and the cooling shade of summer and potential warmth in winter. Here was lost inspiration! Since Joe Arbor also made his home next to the river, he also knew that tree roots also held the riverbank in place. Over the past several years it had not escaped Joe Arbor’s notice that at this location, it rained more and harder and trees were being swept away. Joe Arbor was no scientist or genius, but could recognize that life seemed out of balance and it worried him. What could be done? Joe Arbor went home and decided to sleep on the question.

Joe Arbor makes his home at the base of an old willow tree. It took several nights of sleeping on the question before the beginnings of an answer started to form in his mind. When the solution came to him, Joe Arbor decided that he needed some help or company and he called his good friend Pip. Pip is short for Pipistrel which is a name given to several species of bats. One fine morning, the pair got up early and gathered some tools and provisions together and ventured forth to the river’s edge. If the Earth was losing her balance due to tree loss…it made sense to Joe Arbor that getting involved with planting and saving more trees could be a good thing to do.

Joe Arbor decided he wanted to try to do something to help the Eastern Cottonwoods that grew along the Falls of the Ohio. These cottonwoods are magnificent, fast growing trees and reach great heights. They produce unusual capsule-shaped fruits and when conditions are right, these capsules burst open releasing tiny, fluffy seeds that drift through the air like dry snow and move with the slightest breeze. Joe Arbor also knew from experience that many more of these seeds germinate than reach maturity. At the Falls, those seeds that sprout nearest the river eventually are destroyed by the river during flooding. They simply get washed away or crushed by logs rolling in the waves. Joe Arbor decided to perform an experiment to see if he could successfully transplant a cottonwood tree to a safer location?

First Joe Arbor and Pip selected a little cottonwood growing in the sand. They next held hands and said a few kind words and explained to the tree what they were about to do and why. In this way, they hoped to obtain the tree’s blessing. Together, they carefully dug around the sand to uncover as much of the tree’s roots as they could. Bagging up the little tree roots and all the paired moved on to a different location.

All the while Joe Arbor and Pip were working, a small flock of Canada Geese were standing nearby and acted as guards and witnesses. Because the geese also live near the river they are also privy to the Earth’s nonverbal language and understood what was at stake here. Their presence added a bit of solemnity to the event.

With their valuable charge in a bag, the pair moved on to a pre-selected location they hoped would be favorable to the cottonwood tree. Cottonwood trees do best when they are close (but not too close) to the water. As they walked, Joe Arbor whistled an improvised melody partly out of nervousness and the excitement of the moment. As is his norm…Pip remained quiet.

A large enough hole was dug in the new location to accommodate all the young cottonwood’s roots. Sand and soil were shoveled lovingly around the tree.

After the tree was safely in the hole, Joe Arbor said a few words while Pip watered the transplant. It was hoped that the chosen location was the right distance from the river and that the young tree would grab a toe-hold here and prosper. Time will tell. The day still had one more nice surprise and it came from Pip. Joe Arbor didn’t know why he didn’t pay attention to this before, but Pip was wearing a circular, black, plastic box on a cord hung around his neck. This circular box was the container that smokeless tobacco is sold in. Many of these boxes routinely wash up at the Falls of the Ohio. Anyway, Pip opened up the container revealing its contents and this is what Joe Arbor saw.

Wrapped in mulberry leaves were four ripening mulberries. This is another tree that grows at the Falls of the Ohio and provides food for many birds and animals. The berries are sweet and juicy when ripe and some people find them tasty too. The leaves are interesting and come in different shapes with serrated edges.

Pip (who says very little) had his own tree planting experiment in mind and Joe Arbor got the idea. Moving to a different location, a new hole was dug in the rich soil and a berry was placed in that hole.

The process was repeated until all the berries were planted. Pip was curious to see if he could start a mulberry tree in this way or whether the seeds needed to travel through the gut of a bird or some other animal first? Again, time will tell. Satisfied that at least for today, the duo had done some good for the Earth, the pair picked up their gear and headed home together.

This little story is dedicated to an artist friend of mine I have never met. She has a vision of creating a tree art project around the world and if you are interested in learning more about it and perhaps participating…here is a link to a post she wrote about it: http://rooszwart.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/the-bridge-land-art-forest/

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Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog

Art and images from the Falls of the Ohio.

Posts Tagged ‘nature story’

Golden Hour Ground Beetle

Through the Willow Portal

Fantastic Phasmid and Other Bugs

Gross Blue Beak and Other Birds

Life in a Bucket

The Camelope and Other Wildlife

Duck Talk

Driftwood Drama continued…

As the River Rises…so Does My Blood Pressure

The Tree Planters: An Intervention at the Falls of the Ohio

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