The Dial: A New Transcendental Magazine

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already.” Henry David Thoreau in Civil Disobedience.

 

 

From 1840 to 1844, the early Transcendentalists of Massachusetts published their new ideas in a magazine called The Dial. The Ralph Waldo Emerson Society has launched a new version of the magazine focused on connecting Transcendentalism to history and modern topics, including articles focused on interdisciplinary themes.

 

Image 1: Cover of the first issue.

 

The first issue of this magazine contains five articles focusing on Transcendentalism and climate change, followed by three essays on social justice, particularly as it relates to social memory.

 

Here is a link to the first issue: LINK

 

Fire Risk in Newton

By Richard B. Primack

 

“The earth was uncommonly dry, and our fire, kindled far from the woods in a sunny recess…, suddenly caught the dry grass of the previous year… We sprang to extinguish it with our hands and feet…, but in a few minutes it was beyond our reach…It burned over 100 acres or more and destroyed much young wood.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

 

Three months with little or no rain, combined with the fall of autumn leaves, have created dangerous conditions that make wildfires possible in Newton and throughout eastern Massachusetts. 

 

In most years, rain would wet the leaves making them less prone to catch fire. But this year, a carpet of fluffy dry leaves covers the forest floor. The risk of an uncontrolled fire is further increased by the windy weather this week. This lack of rain, and the fires that can result, is an example of the negative impact climate change is having.

 

Photo 1: Carpets of dry leaves on the forest floor.

 

Across the region, fire departments are contending with wildfires in brushy areas, often started accidentally by human activity but now prone to take hold and spread because of the unusual conditions. In an attempt to address this, local governments are restricting outside burning. 

 

Photo 2: Leaves and brush near houses increase the risk of fires spreading to the house.

 

A few weeks ago, brush fires on the North Shore of Boston blanketed the metropolitan area with smoke, creating hazardous air quality.

 

The area will remain at high risk for fires until there is a soaking rain to wet down the fallen leaves.

 

Here is a link to a recent article in the Newton Beacon: LINK

Webster Woods Surprises

 By Richard B. Primack

“It is a surprising and memorable, as well as valuable experience, to be lost in the woods any time……Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations.” Henry David Thoreau in Walden.

November in the Webster Woods offers surprises!

On a warm November day, under a rock we were able to find a salamander, which the children were delighted to hold.

Photo 1. Children are excited to hold a salamander.

 

Several years ago, an unknown artist installed a heavy sculpture piece along the Vale Stream. This past week, it was moved over one hundred yards to the top of a nearby ridge. But why?

Photo 2A. A sculpture piece in the middle of the woods transported by an unknown artist.

 

Photo 2B. From a distance, you can hardly see it. 

 

As part of the Newton Conservators fall schedule, I showed people the mysteries of Bare Pond, a vernal pond in the Webster Woods. To my surprise, around 35 people showed up for the talk, one of the largest audiences I have ever had for a walk. 

Photo 3A. The group visiting Bare Pond.

 

Photo 3B. Elliot Frank and I demonstrating for the group how Bare Pond is like a shallow saucer that spills over when it is full.

 

Because of the dry weather over the past few months, the fallen leaves on the ground are exceptionally crunchy and light. 

 

Video 1:  Crunchy leaves swirling under foot.

 

Flower Visitors in Newton

 By Richard B. Primack

 

The hoary mountain mint had “prettily purple-spotted flowers . . . swarming with great wasps of different kinds, and bees.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

Many local governments are considering regulations to restrict honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives due to concerns that they are outcompeting native flower visitors. To gather information on this topic, and help determine if these concerns are well founded, we observed insect visitation to 391 native and non-native plant species in Newton, Massachusetts (USA), a Boston suburb.

 

We found that:

 

1.    Honey bees and native bees, including bumblebees and solitary bees, visit a wide variety of cultivated, native, adventive, and pollinator garden plants. 

 

Photo 1. Honey bee covered with pollen. 

  

 

2.    Cultivated plants receive more overall visits than wild plant species, but the most visited plants are often wild plant species with mixed visitation by honey bees and native pollinators. 

 

 

Photo 2. Hunting wasp visiting boneset flowers.

 

 

3.    Many plant species, particularly cultivated plants, receive few or no flower visitors.

 

Photo 3.  A huge cherry tree in flower with almost no flower visitors. 

 

These findings suggest that, at least at this suburban location, floral resources are sufficient to allow coexistence between honey bees, bumblebees, other native bees, and other insects. Habitat protection and reduction in herbicide and pesticide use might be a more effective strategy for protecting native flower visiting insects. 

 

These results were published in Biological Conservation: LINK

 

Insects in Action

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” Henry David Thoreau in a letter to a friend.

 

Our summer of pollination work at the Arnold Arboretum yielded many wonderful observations of insects in action visiting flowers. Here are a few:

Video 1. Great black wasp on clematis flowers.

 

Video 2. Wasp on goldenrod.

 

Video 3. Small bees on lily anthers.

 

Video 4. Green bee visiting a sunflower.

 

Video 5. Fly on boneset flowers.

 

 

Susan Ryder's Flower Art

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“One of the most attractive things about the flowers is their beautiful reserve.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

Susan Ryder produces extraordinary flower creations by folding and cutting bond paper. Her flower art was on display last year at the Newton Free Library. These paper flowers demonstrate an innovative way to create fanciful depictions of nature. 

Photo 1: Building flowers. Note the picture frame, which is part of the art. 

 

Photo 2: An arrangement of paper flowers. 

 

Photo 3: A paper flower suggestive of a species in the Sunflower or Protea family. 

 

Photo 4: A paper creation, perhaps of a flowering spike. 

 

For more information on her art, please visit Susan Ryder’s website: LINK 

Jelle Atema Celebration

 By Richard B. Primack and Michael Baum

 

On Saturday, September 21, we celebrated the life of our colleague Jelle Atema, with his family, friends, former students, and members of the BU community in attendance, including Ian Davison, Rudi Strickler (a former BUMP faculty member), and the two of us. The event was held at his comfortable home just a short walk from the Woods Hole town center, which provided an ideal setting for informal conversations about Jelle.    

While many of us in the BU Biology Department experienced Jelle as a marine biologist with a world-famous program in lobster sensory biology, at the memorial he was instead celebrated for his family and love of music.

During the memorial, four of his six children shared memories of Jelle’s strong influence as a father, a scientist, and a musician. His partner, Meg, described how after retirement, Jelle shared his love of music by participating in concerts and hosting musical events at their home. In his remaining years, he deliberately chose to focus on music rather than his professional realm of science and marine biology. 

Photo 1: Meg and Michael. 

 

His son, Jurgen, and others acknowledged the difficult times they all faced during the last months of Jelle’s life. They urged everyone to bring people experiencing Alzheimer’s disease out into the world and not hide them away.

Photo 2: Jurgen talking about his father. 

 

His son, Ate, recalled how a year ago, Jelle began the process of “de-rigging” his life (a sailing metaphor) to pass on his legacy to his family. In the months before he died, Jelle started complaining that something was wrong with his flutes because they did not seem to be working anymore, an illustration of what was slipping away for him. 

The memorial event featured an extensive music program, including a string and recorder quartet who played Bach. In 1981, Jelle asked his friend and pianist Randall Elgin to play a Mozart rondo at his funeral, and she fulfilled his request. 

Photo 3: Randall at the piano.

  Jelle’s son, Ate, and granddaughter played a Bach minuet. 

                                                        Video 1: Violin duet. 

His daughter, Sunny, played freestyle music about Jelle and their family on guitar and piano, which included the phrasing, “Bring people into the world. Family, it’s in the clouds.”

Photo 4: Sunny shares her music. 

 More about Jelle and his life can be found at: LINK

New Jersey Pine Barrens

 By Richard Primack

 

“The life in us is like the water in a river. It may rise this year higher than man has ever known it, and flood the parched uplands.” Henry David Thoreau in Walden.

 

The New Jersey Pine Barrens is a unique coastal ecosystem covering 1700 square miles in southern New Jersey, east of Philadelphia. The area is characterized by extensive stands of pine trees, sandy soils, and frequent ground fires. Due to its unique ecology, it is home to many unusual wildflowers. In recent decades, the region has become an important location for blueberry cultivation and a valuable source of fresh water.  

Photo 1: Stands of pine trees cover the region.

 

The region is also a premier site for canoeing and kayaking, such as on the Batsto River, a narrow brown-water river which winds through the Pine Barrens and is bordered by abundant wildflowers.

Photo 2: The Batsto River is great for canoeing. 

 

Photo 3: The water is strongly brown in color. 

 

Photo 4: Joe Pye weed and other wildflowers beautify the edges of the river. 

 

 

Bare Pond Maps

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“How little there is on an ordinary map! How little, I mean, that concerns the walker and lover of nature.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

Bare Pond, a large vernal pool in the Webster Woods in Newton, has many unique features, including being a spring breeding site for yellow spotted salamanders. Inspiring a “Save the Salamanders” rallying cry, this species helped generate public support for Newton to acquire the land containing the pond from Boston College.

I decided to examine the pond more carefully and systematically over the past 8 months. Even though I have enjoyed and investigated the Webster Woods for more than 60 years, I wondered if I had missed secrets the pond may be hiding. What would a detailed study of Bare Pond reveal to me? 

Using a measuring tape, compass, and flagging, I began my observations by mapping the outline of the water around Bare Pond on graph paper. 

Map 1: The map drawn with measuring tape and compass.

 

The whole wetland is irregularly shaped (like a dragon flying south, if you use your imagination). The pond’s open water covers about 44% of the wetland, and is about 61 yards long and 30 yards wide. 

Kris Cafaro was able to convert my messy pencil drawing into a colorful map with special features highlighted, such as a water-filled, rock-edged slot adjacent to a rock overlook, a peninsula that constricts the swamp in the south, and a 19^th century stone wall that forms the southwest border of the pond. 

Map 2: A map using a computer file and drawing tools.

 

Further refinements led to a final map with even more features included, such as paths and the bench. 

Map 3: The final map with additional features added. 

 

Using the map as a starting point, I made many other observations which I used to write an article about Bare Pond for the Newton Conservators newsletter: LINK

Dwarf Trees

 By Richard Primack

“The value of any experience is measured, of course, not by the amount of money, but the amount of development that we get out of it.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

The U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC has an outstanding collection of dwarf trees, shaped by decades of careful pruning and tending. In addition to a Japanese bonsai collection, there are also wonderful examples of Chinese penjing trees and bonsai trees produced by American experts.  

Three Chinese trees were especially notable:  

Photo 1: Trident maple (Acer buergerianum)

 

Photo 2: Dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola)

 

Photo 3: Chinese elm (Ulmus parviflora)

 

 Three American bonsai were particularly striking:

Photo 4: Blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica)

Photo 5: Pitch pine (Pinus rigida)

 

Photo 6: Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis)

 

Museum Provides New Perspective on Diversity

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“It is remarkable that no pains is taken to teach children to distinguish colors. I am myself uncertain about the names of many.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

A trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC provides an opportunity to think about diversity in new ways. 

Small dioramas allow viewers to appreciate the ecosystems in which large dinosaurs and other extinct animals lived. And because these dioramas can be viewed from two sides, people looking in from the other side become part of the experience. This highlights the social component of scientific education. 

Photo 1: People viewing a dinosaur diorama.  

 

Photo 2: Herds of large animals grazing on ancient grasslands. 

The mineral exhibit showcases hundreds of different mineral types and their astonishing variation. While we often think about the great diversity of plant and animal life, there is also great variety in the non-living mineral world. Does this kind of diversity deserve protection in the same way we protect living species?

Photo 3: Purple minerals related to quartz. 

Photo 4: Pink, yellow, and orange sulfur-containing minerals. 

 

Photo 5: Blue, green, and gold minerals containing metals such as lead and copper.