As It Is: Pond Visits, Solitude, and Ecological Understanding

William James - Anthropology Major, University of NorthTexas

My alarm never goes off. I always wake 10 to15 minutes before, silently glide out of bed while my wife snores (yes....she does), and grab the first shirt and jeans that are hanging in the closet because I don't want to turn the lights on and wake her. She says people think I have only one shirt and pair of pants, I tell her she needs to stop sticking them at the front after she does the laundry. I go to the kitchen, put my pot of coffee on, and pet the pups. Buddy is half Lab and half ….something; Chester is a Border Terrier (12 pounds soaking wet).  We found both of them at the pound on different occasions. Buddy was a sweet pup with awkwardly huge feet. Chester was very ugly with a twisted, matted, long coarse overcoat. As he kept licking my wife's face, we were told he was going to be put down soon. She said she would clean him up and he would be her lap dog. So now, four years, later “I” have two dogs.

Mandala, what an apt description of my little circle. I've sat here repeatedly almost every morning over the last two years and contemplated everything from marriage, to my children, to unemployment. My pups have been my companions for most of these walks. I would only leave them behind due to inclement weather, of the kind I fear Frik and Frak couldn't handle, or because I had found something interesting that I wanted to take a look at without being disturbed. In the twilight hours before you hear the Rooster crow, and the spying of the first of the soccer moms in spandex jogging with their iPods and headphones about 300 yards away on the concrete sidewalks, this place is my Fortress Of Solitude (F.O.S, I hate to say mandala, it's been taken). All around the neighborhood sidewalks, there is graffiti, the lack of it on the concrete embankment next to the pond here puzzled me, until I found out there is no cell phone reception, hence, no teenagers venture out this far into the wilderness, they would die in several minutes from lack of social networking. In the last couple of months I've gained a new appreciation for my F.O.S. In August I had my cataracts removed. My wife insisted that I have the operation, after it became apparent I couldn't drive at night anymore. I never realized how blind I had really been for the last several years.

 

October 2, 2013 - I was sitting at the edge of the pond throwing sticks and rocks into the water for Buddy to chase (he loves to swim), when I noticed an odd shell sticking out of the mud at my feet. It wasn't at all like the typical freshwater bivalves you usually see in cow ponds. I brought the shell home and after several hours of research, determined that it was a “Devil's Toenail,” Exogyra ponderosa. I sat there marveling at it as I flipped it over and performed a detailed inspection. Here were the remains of a species that dates to100 million years ago. While it slid across the Cretaceous sea bed, going about its plodding cycle of filtering the salty water for phytoplankton, above it there were Plesiosaurs stalking small sharks. The oysters were fed upon by a huge 30 foot shark with thousands of molars, Ptychodus (it's amazing the things that you do remember from when you're twelve). Perhaps this explains the large amount of what I now recognize as shell fragments scattered across the local fields? It boggles the mind to think that we are now living in an area, which 100 million years ago was a warm shallow sea that separated Western North America from the Northeastern seaboard, tens of millions of years before our first rodent-like ancestors were stealing eggs from dinosaur nests.
 

Later that evening I made my way back to the pond.  During those thirty minutes, I paid close attention to the mudshell I was walking on. By the time I reach the water's edge I had seven different types of bivalves and ammonites in my pockets. After closer inspection, the rock where I frequently stop to scrape the mud off of my boots appears to be a huge mollusk. As I stood there examining my finds I noticed the many opened and crushed mussels on the shore. The water levels have dropped by a huge amount this year in all the local ponds by at least four feet, even though it was much hotter last summer?  The exposed little mussels were ravaged by the cranes. I've always seen mussels in ponds, but I've never stopped to consider, how did they get there?

There is no overspill or flooding from a lake or river in this area, and the mussels were not put there to filter the water to encourage growth. These ponds were dug for aesthetics, for a never developed area of the subdivision. The area around the pond is now very overgrown. The pond was much larger at one time; due to the water level dropping it is now two ponds, the northern one being almost completely dry.  Last year I caught a four pound bass in the northern half, but just like the mussels, I never stopped to ask myself how the fish got there. I was curious enough at one time to ask the developers if the ponds were stocked and was bluntly told no, and that if there were fish in them, I was forbidden to try and catch them because it might disturb the tame ducks, what jerks! Luckily for me the housing implosion forced development to cease in the area where my pond sits.

I sat there tossing shells into the water while studying my surroundings. Could it be that very strong winds had blown the larvae here? I've read stories where it has rained fish, so perhaps somehow the larvae were carried up by a storm and dropped back down, miles away. While I was sitting there a crane landed on the other side of the pond. I froze; it was a Sandhill, a “Ribeye in the sky,” the most delicious animal on the face of the planet! I immediately began making plans to come back during the season in November with my pellet rifle, as it would make the least noise and not alarm any nearby soccer moms. However, soon I started to lose my enthusiasm as I watched the bird slowly make its way along the other bank. When I was younger, I was a very avid hunter, anything I ever killed, I ate. It was a lesson taught to me by my daddy, who made me eat a Mockingbird that I had shot for no reason. Mockingbirds are in no danger of becoming extinct because tastiness. Now days I'm more content to shoot animals with a camera, plus due to the scarcity of Sandhills in this area, this bird deserves its own F.O.S.

As the sun went down behind me I began to reminisce about my many duck hunts, and then it struck me, birds! Although the weather may have deposited larvae and fish eggs in the pond, the most obvious depositor would be birds - this is my hypothesis! I remembered that on many occasions when I was cleaning ducks, their feet and legs would be sticky from paddling through pods of fish eggs. The diver species were coated with them sometimes. Of course ducks probably don't peck at mussels and eat them (although they might?), but cranes definitely do. The cranes and egrets plod along the mud of the shore cracking the shells with their beaks. The mud that clings to their legs is carrying the mussel larvae, which gets deposited at every water hole they come to. The cranes are unknowingly providing for their own future food supply, seeding every nook and cranny of tributaries, lakes, ponds, and rivers for hundreds of miles. Now that the mussels are established in the pond, they are nature's underwater vacuum cleaners, as they filter the water for nutrients. The filtered water is now prime habitat for fingerling, which are eaten by the ducks. The ducks were in turn eaten by coyotes (and me). As I watched with the sun slowly setting behind me, I was jolted by the memory of an incident which happened earlier during the year. Feeling a bit uneasy, I headed home.

October 4, 2013 - It's been raining hard the last two mornings, however this morning there wasn't even a wind.  I filled my travel mug and had the pups follow me to the pond. Earlier during the year, we were walking to the pond when Buddy's hackles raised. Little Chester was a bit ahead and oblivious to the world as he sniffed every rock. I peered into the scrub Oaks which are thick on the northern side of the path, and could see movement in the morning light. It was coyotes, however they weren't interested in Buddy or me, they were trailing Chester.  Two of them broke into the field about twenty yards from Chester. I ran and screamed at them, they merely glanced at me and kept their eyes on Chester, they didn't break and run until I was almost all the way upon them. I looked back for Buddy, he was head down  and  making a deep chest growl as he stared down a big male also about twenty yards away. When I started back to Buddy with Chester at my feet, the male broke for the trees.

This was a  trend that I've noticed over the past two years. The coyotes  were staying out later in the daylight hours, and they were becoming bolder. On another occasion the year before, I was walking up to the pond, without the dogs, and saw a  raft of ducks in the middle. I heard the type of whining and panting that dogs do when they want something, such as waiting for you to throw a stick. I thought it must have been a dog. When I came to a spot in the trail where I could see the southeastern bank of the bank, I saw a small frustrated coyote pawing at the water, yelping at the ducks floating in the middle. He (or she) saw me, stopped for a second sniffed the air, and went back to its yelping. I sat down and watched for thirty minutes as the wild canine did this. It finally lost interest and left for the tree line. Not once did my presence disturb it. I almost wanted to go pet it.

On this particular morning the dogs and I were maybe ten yards from where we normally start down the bank, when two coyotes appeared at the top. One was a small female; I'm guessing that the other was a male, because the female was pregnant, in October?  They slowly ambled back to the trees, in no hurry, and not looking back. Strangely enough Buddy and Chester just sat there looking at them until they disappeared. We made our way to the sitting spot and I discovered a dead Sandhill that had been ripped to pieces. There have always been coyote tracks around the pond, but this was the first time I had ever found a kill.

I am not an authority on coyotes by any means, however I have seen plenty of pregnant ones, and it was always in the early summer. When I researched mating seasons, I found that the season typically runs from January until March. The articles did point out that because of the coyote’s range explosion, cross breeding with domestic dogs was becoming much more common as the mating seasons became confused. Is this why I have been seeing them more during the day, and does it explain why they were not intimidated by me? One article suggested that as much as 75% of cross bred dogs (mutts) in North East Texas contained up to 10% coyote DNA. I am more comforted by the thought of individual, or even packs, of somewhat timid coyotes being around, than I am about the possibility of a cross breed with the aggression of a Pit-bull and absolutely no fear of humans.

But could it be something more? I doubt that these animals are that hybridized? I believe we are simply running out of room.  Coyotes are a very adaptive species and what we are seeing is not unusual behavior, but a new behavior as it adapts  to an increasingly urban environment. And what about global warming? Is the change in temperature also changing the behavior of the coyotes? I read that Texas and Oklahoma have extended mating seasons because of the warm weather. As the weather warms and we have water supplies being concentrated in urban areas, it seems natural (at least in my mind) that this crepuscular behavior should increase as they hunt the animals at night that are forced to use communal water supplies. Put another way, if we see decreasing water supply locations, and we have forced communal sharing between predators and prey, then I would think that all the animals drinking from that location at roughly the same time, is highly improbable.  Someone is going to have to change their schedule. Since coyotes are far less skittish than say, raccoons or ducks, it would seem to me that the coyotes would remain nocturnal hunters, and daybreak drinkers.  However, as I said, I'm not an authority, but I believe that my little secluded pond might be a good place to observe coyote daylight activity, if I can get there early enough and find a better position to view it from downwind. I suppose instead of calling it my pond, I should refer to it as the coyote's pond.

October 7, 2013 - I sprained my ankle a couple of days ago digging fence posts, so I was really itching to get out of the house, the pups wouldn't be with me this morning, it looked like rain. I've finally learned my lesson about taking them out when it's wet in the fields, for some reason it drives Chester to go roll in the newly moistened cow manure. If I don't catch him in time, when we get home, he'll jump up on the furniture and possibly my bed, it has happened before.  Since I was alone that day and not having to worry about the dogs, I was able to take another route, which brought me to the top of a hill. I took out my binoculars and spied in the direction of the pond just when the sun was breaking, amazing, several yards from the north end there was a pig rooting, and I believe I could make out several piglets.

I've often found tracks around the pond, but this was the first time I had actually seen one of the pigs that made them, in the daylight. I have seen them at night with goggles.  I believe I could see coyotes in the brush, but I'm not sure. There were plenty of ducks and egrets also, my own little Serengeti. By the time I reached the west bank the pig had retreated, but her tracks were all around my sitting spot. As I mentioned before, when I was younger, I hunted a lot, however when it comes to accurately identifying tracks, I am a moron, but it appears deer had also used this spot sometimes during the night, as did raccoons. It stands to reason, there aren't that many clear areas around the pond.  Off to one side of the trail leading down to the water, I found scat. Using a stick to dissect it, I found small bones, parts of grasshoppers, and yellow seeds which I couldn't identify. It didn't look like normal coyote droppings, so I wonder if the bobcat is back? In any case, whether it was bobcat or coyote, it's easy to see how this omnivore could fill almost any niche that opens in an ever changing environment.

On several occasions over the last two years I've seen the cat or cats at a distance, once actually walking on the road in our subdivision at night. I find no strange coincidence that the neighborhood started experiencing a rash of missing dogs and cats out of people’s back yards, around the same time I first spotted Lynx rufus. Up went the posters of the missing pets, my neighbor said she believed that people were stealing them, since almost all of the missing dogs were small lap-dogs. I've never felt the need to alarm her to the fact that we have predators coming into our yards. I have found several dogs in many pieces when making my way to the pond in the mornings, and one house cat. It may seem strange but the thought of bobcats back in their original ranges despite the intrusion of humans, excites me. I've spent many mornings trying to get a picture, but it's like Sasquatch, every time you see one, you don't have a camera handy! But once again, why am I seeing animals that have always been primarily active at night?

October 9, 2013 - I find the pigs equally intriguing. No matter how many feral pigs you kill, when you blink your eyes, there are ten more. An omnivorous animal with no breeding season and large litters that experiences almost no natural predation could be a dangerous thing to an environment it's not native to. My brother was floored by the number of swine in Texas herds, I'm wondering why there aren't even more. Several years ago I overheard a rancher complaining about the damage that the pigs were doing to his property. I offered to help by hunting several of them, he said sure, take as many as you want and I'll only charge you $50.00 apiece. I was astounded, this man actually thought that he could recoup or even make more money by charging people to hunt them. So exactly, what was he complaining about?  I wonder if he ever sat down and did a real estimation of the monetary damage the pigs were doing to his ranch, not to mention his neighbors farms? In 2012 feral pigs caused over $65,000,000.00 worth of damage to Texas. The population stood at just under an estimated 3 million last year, with a 20% yearly growth rate.

Although it may sound like I'm anti-pig, I actually have a healthy respect for them. I have a tree hugging neighbor, who wanted me to sign her anti-fracking petition (petitions that I have signed... just not hers)  She drives a Hummer H2 that gets 10 miles to the gallon, which has never seen the mud. I long for the day she steps out the door in the morning and drops her latte upon discovering her immaculate pesticide/chemical saturated lawn, has been rooted by pigs overnight. Yep, it would make me happy to see that as I drive by her in my little, beat up,1992 Civic that gets 42 mpg (yes, I know I'm being smug for the wrong reason.)

This morning I left the pups at home again and was nearly at the pond before the sun was up. I had hoped to catch some pigs rooting. The field and the pond turned up empty of everything, not even a bird or rabbit today. I sat down with my coffee and started looking around when I noticed that the batch of  thistle located behind me, had a large portion of it missing, of course maybe it was always like that and I had just never noticed? I went up to the field where the pigs had been, but could not find any droppings. I was curious as to whether or not the pigs had been eating the thistle.

I've seen pigs eat poison ivy, so, I didn't find it that far-fetched that they might eat thistle. There were lots of holes, but no dung. I went back to my spot to sip coffee and throw rocks. Thistles, in this case Cirsium texanam; I've never really given them much thought. To me they were nothing more than a nuisance that I had to untangle from Chester's fall coat (along with cockleburs).  Then it dawned on me, could that be why they are prickly? They stick to the fur of animals and in this way distribute themselves over the landscape? I do know that if they are entirely dispersed by air, I would see them in my yard, I have every other wild plant and weed in the neighborhood, why not Cirsium texanam?

Texas Thistle may also have found a friend in an invasive species, the pig. Sometimes I tend to romanticize observations I make. When I was growing up on the Amite river, every board I found below the water stuck in the mud, just had to have come from Jean Lafitte's pirate ship, which was believed to have sunk somewhere around Port Vincent. I do the same thing when I see a wild pig, I imagine that they are descendants of the boars release by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s, and they may well be. However I do keep myself in check by remembering that Europeans unleashed almost complete devastation upon Native Americans by exposing them to influenza, and small pox, and the chief agents of delivery were their mobile food stores, the pigs they brought with them. The pigs came into contact with other animals (deer, turkey, etc.) and passed the diseases on to Native Americans. Even the ground where they fed was contaminated.

Will we see the thistle start to change, because it's such an abundant plant that pigs like? Or are the pigs so indiscriminate in their eating habits that they don't take the time to select a plant based on color or taste?  I've also seen an abundance of cockleburs where the pigs have been rooting. I've been told that there's not one wild or domestic animal that's immune to its toxic effects, even blinding cattle. Could cockleburs eventually develop into an edible plant for the pigs? I wonder if pigs could become instinctively aware, perhaps by taste or smell, of the level of toxicity in a patch of cockleburs in a certain location, and choose to feed there. They wouldn't eat the plant intentionally in these locations, but sense that if they were to accidentally ingest the cockleburs, they would survive. The less potent plant is then spread to other locations, through feces or sticking to the bristles, with a lessening of the poisonous effects in each generation. Could it become a viable food source, if it were spread in such a manner?  Oh well, just wondering.

October 12, 2013 - This morning I was a little late getting out the door.  It's Saturday and I celebrated a big eBay sale the night before. I really needed my coffee this morning. Made it to the top of the trail leading down to the water, I stopped cold in my tracks, there was someone at my and the coyotes pond! I didn't want to seem like a snob because I know that he heard me walking up, so I made my way down to the water.  He seemed like a nice enough 12 year old kid, but as my wife has pointed out, “Will, sometimes you just don't like people!”  It's true. I'm not misanthropic, I don't actually dislike people, but here lately, I would rather spend most of my time, not around them.  Trips to the pond are my times to think.

I made a half-hearted introduction as he cast his line out. Fishing with spinners in this pond is useless, I prayed he wouldn't catch anything. I asked if he had seen any coyotes, he gave me one of those “get real old man” looks and said, “Nah, I doubt there are any around here anyway.” I then explained to him that the tracks all over the bank did in fact belong to coyotes and possibly bobcats. He gave me another uncertain look and continued to walk his line down the bank (even though there was no current?) I told him to be careful because the pond had been infested with Water Moccasins, which was not really a lie, I'm sure at one time or another it had been infested with Cottonmouths, I just hadn't seen any. 

I asked him if he was going to fish this particular pond all day, and mentioned how chances of catching something were much better in the maintained ponds (the ones I was told were not allowed to be fished), which were very far from this pond.  He said he was waiting for his buddy to call and they were going to Six Flags later. I told him he probably wasn't getting any bars out here (I think it has something to do with a nearby radio tower?). He checked his iPhone, and sure enough, two weak fluctuating bars. He packed his gear, said “take it easy” (not a single “Sir” included) and walked up the trail. A few seconds later I heard a dirt bike start. I knew he wouldn't have walked this far. Thank goodness for terrible reception.

The cool weather had finally done it, it had actually encouraged a teenager to get outside and do something moderately physical. I sat and sipped my coffee as I contemplated the fact that the integrity of the F.O.S had been compromised. It wasn't perfect but it had been mine. My boots were caked with at least three inches of smelly black mud with hundreds of pieces of shell clinging to it. Why smelly black mud? Why not the brick hard clay of the ridge a little more to the west (looks like the cliffs of Dover)? I walked to the top of the trail and performed a 360 scrutinization of the area. 

I don't know how I ever missed it before, but my pond is near the low point of what appears to be a huge bowl formed by low hills and ridges (well, huge to a boy from southern Louisiana). The Black thick mud shell would lead my untrained mind to think that perhaps at one time, this may have been a small lake, or perhaps a tributary? All along the banks of the pond there are wildflowers, it amazes me how much the area had changed after one good rain. Purple lilacs, Vitex agnus-castus, circle the pond willows on the pasture side, it really is pretty. I wonder how many ancient oysters that once covered this area, are responsible for the rich soil. I believe there are high levels of calcium in the shells. But how long would it take for it to be depleted? I know that my tomatoes grow like wildfire here, and I've not had to add any calcium to prevent bottom browning.

Understanding - Nancy Turner and Fikret Berkes (2006) use the term ecological understanding to refer to a set of attributes embodied within traditional ecological knowledge systems. The first of these attributes involves an incremental learning of environmental knowledge through detailed observation. In my observations of the pond and the local area, I can only speculate due to being a complete novice, on the role each species (plant and animal) plays in maintaining or even modifying local natural resources.       As an example, I knew that pigs were an invasive species, however through observation and prolonged deduction, I was able to able to build a picture, not only of the destruction caused by their feeding, but also the role they may play in spreading cockleburs, another invasive species. Pigs feeding in the same pastures as cattle, spread this poisonous plant, which might be ingested by domestic grazers. The pigs have only one other predator in this region besides humans, which is the coyote.

In my understanding, large numbers of piglets would probably mean large numbers of coyotes. This leads to the next attribute, the development of a belief system which averts serious resource depletion and encourages conservation. The local resource in the instance of the pigs would be grazing land. The ecological understanding is that the pigs do not need to be controlled, they need to be eradicated. They are not part of the natural balance of the area, they serve no purpose. They encourage growth of coyote populations and possibly distribute invasive plants. Pigs that establish a population in proximity to urban areas, will in all probability, also have coyotes establish populations in the same area.

When the developers dug the pond I doubt they gave much thought to what would happen should they abandon it. Now we have an over grown area with a pond that is a water source a stone throw away from a heavy traveled recreational area adjacent to the subdivision.  This pond lures ducks, cranes, raccoons, deer and pigs, which in turn lures coyotes and bobcats. So a question comes to mind, if the residents start to complain about animals intruding on their property, or brushes with them as they jog or picnic, who is responsible for the wildlife management? Is it the county's responsibility or should it be the developers who caused the problem in the first place? Would anyone take the time to understand how the problem developed, so that it could be avoided in the future? If there wasn't extended observation, would anyone really know who was responsible?

Understanding the environment could lead to laws that would prevent ranchers charging people to kill an invasive species. Do the ranchers, or anyone for that matter, reserve the right to harbor animals or plants on their property, which may cause physical or economic damage to their neighbors, because they'd rather make a greenback rather than help? Understanding each link in the chain through detailed observation, is the only way to better understand the future possible impact of events that happen today, such as a pond being dug and abandoned. The passing of any new laws based on these observations demonstrates another attribute of ecological understanding as defined by Turner and Berkes, the development of rules by members of a society to deal with their environment and resources.

Along with this understanding there has to be a way to preserve and communicate it, which is the last of Turner and Berkes's attributes assigned to ecological understanding. Without this communication, the observations become useless. Do I actually believe any of my observations will be communicated to my neighbors?  No, it would take someone far more knowledgeable than I am to make any type of impact. I realize that my observations of the area were silly and amateurish, however observation of the pond has given me insight to the importance of a traditional understanding of the local environment by the folks who live there, and the preservation and communication of that understanding. 

Reference - Turner, Nancy J. and Fikret Berkes. 2006. Coming to Understanding: Developing Conservation through Incremental Learning in the Pacific Northwest. Human Ecology 34:495-513.

Flora and Fauna: Forgotten Friends

Allyn Neal
Anthropology Major - University of North Texas

Nature hidden in plain sight, Eureka Park is a popular outing for many people in and around Denton, TX. Although these people are taking the time to be outside, one has to ponder if they are really enjoying nature for what it is or enjoying the manmade playscape and running path. I frequent the running path, and there I sought an area with which I feel a strong connection to establish my mandala. My first day began on October 5th, 2013 around 11 am and I chose a mandala that lies over the hill adjacent to the finish line at the end of my runs, a place that I am in tune with where I continue to improve my physical and mental health. It was extremely important to select a location that was home to a wide variety of species, plant and animals alike. Nature, as a whole, is about the mixing and mingling of species and their relationships whether those are symbiotic, commensal, parasitic, competitive, predatory, etc. To further this focus, my mandala also includes the edge of a pond as a window into the relationship between species of the flight, land, and water. The land meets with the pond, where many people come to fish, in a gradual slope, and large reeds extending from beneath the surface stand proud with enough give for the wind to sway the tall, grasslike plant to and fro. My selection of the mandala was not random, every aspect of the prospective vicinity required a large variety of species, experiences, and visuals to create an analysis that truly encompassed what ethnobiology inspires.

 

October 6, 2013 -- 5pm: Little touches of humankind interwoven in nature are apparent all around this mandala; the groomed grass has the beginnings of unkempt charm due to rain showers the day before, and small white flowers, freshly bloomed, patiently wait to be joined by the surrounding buds prepared to blossom. Through extensive research through wildflower databases and on amateur flower photography, the conclusive species of the flowers appear to be Aphanostephus ramosissimus – plains dozedaisy. These little flowers sprinkle the growing grass in the America Southwest year round, and in Eureka Park the plains dozedaisies soak in the sun for as long as possible before the lawnmowers come to cut them down. After the first day, I never saw those little white flowers again during my other visits. The dozedaisies had barely begun to develop before their time was, literally, cut short and an inner struggle emerged within me. Nature is relished when it is convenient, I recall the itchy fifteen minutes as I sat in my mandala's scraggly grass and flowers. The second time I returned, the recently cut grass was smooth on my skin and my comfort level increased; the flowers were gone, but it is easy to dismiss the loss to value the new, soft ground. Very few people when asked will state that they dislike nature, but most people will attempt to eradicate a bug or rat infestation in their home; such “pests” are inconvenient. One then must argue if that truly is denying nature. Very similar to David George Haskell's assertion in The Forest Unseen, people cannot deny humanity's place in nature; our propensity for creating comfortable living situations can be traced back to our archaic ancestors. Humankind's survival depends on its cultural adaptation, we do not have claws, sharp teeth, fur, or tough skin; we use culture and tradition to complete these necessities. Cannot one argue that all of what humankind has developed was stemmed from our earliest ancestors and the beginning of cultural adaptation? Through our greed we seek to control and subdue nature, how much is left after the leveling, mowing, cutting, building, and maintaining? I mourn my white flowers and hope to meet again after the next big rain.

 

Similar to humans other parts of nature adapt, whether it be on the scale of evolution or of day to day events. The University of North Texas campus is heavily populated by squirrels, but these critters possess different day to day lives and habits than most scurrying, skittish squirrels. Hundreds of students across the campus feed the squirrels, which has created a population that comes in contact with humans frequently and have little fear―coming close for food. Eureka Park's population of creatures have similar experiences. The constant connection with humans at public parks has created a relationship between our species and the animals, which is expressed by the close distance and placid demeanor the animals portray around what used to be typical predators, humans. Although far less abundant than the North Texas squirrels, the ducks at Eureka Park are immensely friendly to the park visitors. I have been adopted by a flock of ducks and greeted in hopes of food whenever I return to the mandala. On October 9, 2013, the visit from the ducks was cut short at the beginning of my third trip to the mandala thanks to some friendly puppies. Public school had recently released, and Eureka Park was teeming with people, a large portion of the horde was families, children, and pets. The closest people to my location were there with a puppy, and although they attempted to remain a fair distance due to my obvious studious manner, the little pup wanted nothing more than to play with the ducks that swam a few yards from the edge. The ducks, of course, paddled away from the audacious puppy; there was nothing to gain or benefit from the dog, they knew the little guy did not have food. Urban ecological relationships date back thousands of years, it is believed humans' relationship with birds began in the Middle East perhaps ten thousand years ago and some species are “hypothesized to have become… obligate commensal species with humans because of year-round access to stored grain, and has also changed from a migratory to a sedentary lifestyle” (Niemelä 2011). Other animals often encountered by urban people, such as squirrels and sometimes deer, must have similar historical ecological mingling. Obtaining food and other necessities becomes much easier when it is provided readily by other species, whether through feeders, from yard plants, or even from domestic relationships. Relationships between humans and other species are beneficial; we co-inhabit urban and rural areas and share, on many occasions, symbiotic or commensal relationships.

 

The large positive impact other species have on humans is often unrecognized, even in parks. Aforementioned, upkeep of the park is managed to support its appeal at a healthy, populated basis, but nature also conducts maintenance within its own biota. Every visit, including October 12 and 13—my final days to my mandala, was filled with dragonfly-like creatures that zoomed about, completely disregarding my presence. Further investigation pointed me towards damselflies, more specifically the familiar bluet – Enallagma civile. These fascinating creatures are electric blue and look convincingly like dragonflies. Unlike dragonflies, whose eyes meet at the top of their head, damselflies are much smaller, their eyes are separated, and their wings are held together on their back when they land. Although slightly unknown, damselflies prove extremely beneficial to most people's sentiments towards certain bugs. Their diet is largely gnats and mosquitos, something most people would be grateful for if they were knowledgeable of the impact damselflies make on our comfortable lives. The mandala contained a swarm of hundreds of damselflies and one can only appreciate the park maintenance these creatures provide for our comfort by controlling mosquitos and gnats. It's obvious that this is a small example within thousands of beneficial services creatures, small and large offer, which coincidentally provide a more desired living situation for humans. Efforts towards sustainability and preservation of creatures should be infused into the social systems of humankind. Turner and Berkes (2006) assert an emphasis on cultural and social practices defining the importance of conservation in humanity, instead of the widely believed notion that conservation stems from a reaction against “catastrophic consequences.” The depth of conservation versus the depletion of resources can also be traced back to belief systems and “establishing a competency over a period of time.” Potential of traditional ecological knowledge regarding resource management and conservation is important to recognize and incorporate into Western society. Looking at the world from a holistic approach would create an opportunity to witness the importance of these factors. Flora and fauna contribute many positive functions for that are not being properly sustained for the benefit of both humans and other species in large areas of the world. Ecological understanding, as explained by Turner and Berkes, offers theories and notions that would spread “attributes embodied within traditional ecological knowledge” for the betterment of sustainability and conservation. These ideas run parallel with Haskell's approach in The Forest Unseen, Haskell seeks to create a relationship between nature and humankind rather than to reinforce our habit of living outside of and extracting from nature. Spreading these ideas into the households of Western societies would encourage everyday people to consider these goals, which are relevant within their daily lives.

 

The natural world is a well-functioning, self-sufficient system that adapts and develops to preserve itself, while humankind pushes the boundaries and tests the earth's own sustainability. Many argue humans' greed is pushing too hard and that sooner rather than later the damage will prove irreversible. The focus of conservation and sustainability should be on incorporating traditional societies' resource management and share the progress with other species in a symbiotically beneficial process. Embodying these practices and goals has the potential to kick start a new order and allow species to flourish in their ecosystem, supporting the natural benefits flora and fauna provide. The damselflies in the mandala offer an important example in which our species can appreciate their biological function of eating undesirable insects. On the other hand, a damselfly sneaking its way into a home of a person, for shelter, food, etc., would probably end up killed by the homeowner; nature is well-liked until it closes its distance to us. Animals are adapting to our modification of the world, for instance the ducks and squirrels utilizing urban areas; it is important for humans to consider adapting to the other species' needs as well. It would behoove members of western societies to take a step back and examine the potential of traditional societal practices and to accept other species as cohabitants on this planet rather than resources or disturbances.

 

References:
"Aphanostephus Ramosissimus DC." USDA PLANTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.

Drees, Bastiaan M., and John A. Jt. Jackman. "Damselfly." A Field Guide to Texas Insects. Houston, TX: Gulf, 1998. N. pag. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. https://insects.tamu.edu.

Haskell, David George. The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature. New York: Viking, 2012. 158-59. Print.

Niemelä, Jari. "Coupled Relationships between Humans and Other Organisms in Urban Areas." Urban Ecology: Patterns, Processes, and Applications. Oxford [England: Oxford UP, 2011. N. pag. Books.google.com. 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.

Turner, Nancy J., and Fikret Berkes. "Coming to Understanding: Developing Conservation through Incremental Learning in the Pacific Northwest." Human Ecology 34.4 (2006):495-513. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.

Suburban Cattails on Big Fossil Creek

Brandi Morales
Anthropology Major - University of North Texas

At the end of my small, fairly new neighborhood, there is a long and narrow, nice-sized, low-lying area of land with a pond and a small playground. It is actually the beginning of a branch which flows into Big Fossil Creek and where our neighborhood's, and adjacent neighborhood's, run-off water collects. Only part of this area is maintained, equipped with water sprinklers; the part of the field around the playground area, and a little bit around the pond. However, the pond, which is on the far left of the field, is not maintained. Around the pond there is a border of about three feet to fifteen feet or so of unmaintained grass and weeds. Other areas around the pond are full of tall grasses, flowers, plants, and trees. It is like a mini thicket and a nice "nature reserve" for insects, birds, plants, and small animals to thrive. On one end of the pond, by a cul-de-sac, is a maintained area with crape myrtles and a sidewalk that follows along the houses that are about thirty or so feet away from the pond. This is the area I chose for my mandala observations.

 

Day 1: There is about a three to four foot area of tall grass and plants between the pond and I. The cattails (Typha latifolia) in and around the whole pond are about six feet tall and block my view of the water, but I get a glimpse in-between the cattails, especially when the wind sways them. This area is very lush with rich, dark grey, almost black soil, which either means a high organic content or a lack of oxygen, due to the soil being submersed in water for long periods of time. The plants seem to love this area because the trees are tall as well as the flowers and grasses. One tree I see is the bois d'arc (Maclura pomifera), the tree the Caddo Indians used to make their bows and arrows, which also offers a type of fruit for animals to eat. This beauty, however, was not the first thing I noticed. The grasses up against the pond rim were full of litter including Styrofoam cups, grocery bags, plastic bottles, papers, and even a soccer ball. The trash, apparently blowing around in the wind from the nearby homes, was caught by the thick grass, like a fly in a spider's web, before it could blow into the pond, at least. However, some of this litter was probably cut up by a lawnmower because there were tiny pieces everywhere. It just rained and there is a cool breeze in the air. There is not much activity except the very loud and busy blackbirds, which I presume to be Brewer's Blackbirds (Euphagus cyanocephalus). They are small, and by the hundreds, flying in flocks in-and-out of the pond's cattails, into the trees nearby, one being a weeping willow tree (Salix babylonica). The blackbirds migrate in the spring and the fall, so with it being October, they are on the move. Every time a car goes by or I walk close to the pond they fly up and around, landing on the trees or roofs of houses. And did I mention how noisy they were? I do not know exactly what they are saying to each other, or to me, but they are all speaking at the same time. What strikes me is when they get startled they quiet down, and then when they settle down somewhere they start chirping again. Other sounds I hear are a loud dog barking, a person in a nearby house banging on something outside, an airplane flying overhead, and crickets and/or grasshoppers. I also see and hear another type of bird with a distinct call, but I can't see it closely. As I walk around I hear a small splashing into the pond but I did not see what it was that made the sound. I see dragonflies, a spider web but no spider, mosquitoes, ants, and pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) under a tree limb I turned over. There are two different kinds of yellow flowers, sunflowers, and some purple morning glory that apparently escaped from someone's garden. One thing that is very noticeable is it looks to be that a beaver lives in the pond. On the side of the pond and up onto the grass is a large pile of logs, sticks, grasses and packed mud. I am not sure why it would be here, halfway on land. Maybe a human did this, but that would be odd, and why would they?  

 

Day 2: It is overcast and a cool sixty-six degrees out. It is pretty quiet at the pond with only a few birds chirping, and nowhere are there any Brewer's Blackbirds. The level of the pond is higher, due to overnight rain. The tall grasses around the pond look to have been pushed down in some areas. It looks like there has been more trash accumulated in the grass. Looking closely at the litter, I noticed one piece was actually useful. It was a ten dollar bill! An airplane flies over again, and a truck makes a loud noise in the distance. I hear the sounds of the crickets and/or grasshoppers again, but this time I actually saw them. As I walk through the grass they take their turns jumping out of my way, some small and some very large. A large, grey and white bird suddenly flies out of the grass a few feet away from me and startles me. There are dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera) flying around, as well as small and large yellow and brown butterflies. I see one dragonfly chasing after another. I come across two dead Monarch butterflies, torn apart and am puzzled. There are bees pollinating in the yellow flowers. A pill bug climbs up a stalk of grass. I see a small cactus plant and make sure I do not step on it. I find a big pile of cat food, and I wonder if there are stray cats here or if it is for some other small animal. There is more activity going on now than last time. More insects are out and about. I hear the splashing sound again I heard last time, but still do not see any animal.

 

Day 3: I cannot help but get disgusted every time I see the litter all along the pond in the grass. If it does not get picked up it will be there forever because many of the items do not disintegrate. I noticed some children playing on the playground by hearing their voices in the distance. A car came by where I was and turned around in the cul-de-sac. A child in a nearby house is jumping on a pogo stick, laughing and talking loudly. There seems to be more human activity today. Today I tried to get closer to the water and see inside. I heard a noise and noticed a small turtle, who quickly splashed into the water. I realized this is the splashing sound I keep hearing. (It reminded me of a time when I had a large turtle scratching at my front door.) I noticed a small grey bird hopping around inside the cattails. There were some small, light-grey snails by the water and I could see minnows swimming around. I see another dam structure, this time in the water blocking a slight drop-off. There must be a beaver in this pond, but there is no sight of him. I see a fishing bob on the ground and realize people come here to fish sometimes. I see the same insects flying around and hear many crickets and grasshoppers making their sounds. I noticed that I can tell where the water starts and ends by where the cattails are, being that they love the wetlands, and where the trees, yellow flowers, and grasses start, where it is dry but still moist.

 

Day 4: I can already hear the Brewer's Blackbirds chirping as I walk towards the pond. They must love the evening time. It is slightly sprinkling out and a bit chilly. The blackbirds are all in the cattails, and not in the willow tree. I am beginning to think they are finding insects to eat in the cattails. Still, as a car goes by, they fly off in flocks, with half of them splitting off into a group, and then again splitting into another group. They almost look like synchronized swimmers. There are power lines close by, and there are hundreds of blackbirds on them and also on the roofs of nearby houses, as well as in the cattails. They are extremely loud and I wonder if the noise bothers those who live right next to the field. For laughs, I almost wish I had a shotgun to shoot into the air just to see all of the birds fly up and away. Another plane goes by and makes a loud sound. There are two children in the street behind me throwing a ball back and forth, talking and laughing. A mosquito was trying to bite me until I shooed him off. I also saw my first frog, and it was the smallest black frog I have ever seen. I realized today the neighborhood, or the city, did a good job blocking off this green area for insects and wild animals and plants to grow and be left alone. Us humans are able to have our spaces, but we need to leave space for biota to thrive and a nice place for us to visit. I feel at peace when I come here.

 

Day 5: This is my last trip to the pond, however I will be back, even if it is to pick up this trash. These beautiful insects, animals, and plants should not have this artificial plastic and chemicals to chew on and possibly kill themselves. There is much car noise in the distance. There are butterflies and dragonflies flying around again, and I noticed gnats or some type of tiny insect that flies in groups. Not much has changed from the last time. I hear some birds in the distance but do not see any. I notice slight ripples in the water on the surface of the pond, either from minnows or turtles, or something else. There is a slight breeze and it feels wonderful out here. This must be an area where people from the neighborhood dump their yard trimmings. I noticed a large pile of dead leaves, a pile of cut and compacted grass, and some dead plants that still had the dirt connected to their dead roots from being in pots. These items are degradable trash and I am fine with them being dumped here, but this is something a human is contributing to this area. As I was walking around in my flip-flops, I must have brushed up against a type of burning grass because my ankle is stinging somewhat.

 

It is important for humans to have a ecological understanding of the environment. Humans need to learn and understand how and what they do, or do not do, affects the biota around them. We can learn from ecology, observing nature, how alike we are to the plants, insects, and animals around us. We all have life, reproduce, and need food and water to survive. The difference between us humans in my culture and biota are that we have evolved to need more stimulation because most Western humans are passed the problem of starvation. We have time to want and need to do other things that interest us. Every action taken by humans affects the world around us. The littering, cutting down grasses and trees, and building of neighborhoods and roads all affected the plants and animals in the mandala. The car and people noises and presence also make a huge difference and affect the biota. A turtle was scratching at my door a few years ago when my house is ten to fifteen houses away from the pond, but this seemed to me like the turtle's habitat, the pond, was not large enough for it and was travelling away to find food or maybe protection. Observation of insects and animals in nature can help us understand about populations and migrations, and can show us problems associated with humans if or when we have issues with populations and migrations and how to handle it. If we do not study the effects humans have on nature then we could destroy what is left of it. We also can benefit from studying nature because we came from it ourselves and have much in common with everything in it. However, humans, being a part of nature, also have a right to use nature as a place of relaxation and recreation like fishing, swimming, or playing games. Humans also use natural resources for survival and medicinal purposes. It is important though that we do not deliberately disturb the ecology or if we have to disturb it, do so with minimally negative effects. We should have a give-and-take relationship with the biota around us.