I'm forty-two years old, a lifelong naturalist, and I have lived so close to the wild rivers of Wisconsin and Minnesota my whole life. You'd think, with all of my deep woods and river explorations, that I'd have seen it all by now. Or at least you'd think I would have had the opportunity to study well so that the wondrous diversity of life would not leave me with questions. Surely I'd always be the prepared naturalist with no surprises in my own "back yard." Right? Wonderfully Wrong! I’m stumped…for now.
A pile of gear...My bird survey field season is in full swing!
Great news is that we live in a world so biologically rich, so diverse, that there is a new beauty and another great mystery around every bend, even at home. Even among high profile groups of animals, there is always going to be the unexpected. In the last five years, I have logged data along more than 200 miles of Wisconsin's scenic and wild country, and I have hiked another 400 miles collecting all of that data. Six hundred miles of Wisconsin’s wild and soggy lands have passed beneath my feet since May 31, 2008, and the field season is in full swing. My bird surveying is a passion, and every day brings something new. Every new mystery brings me the joy of an ever-learning child. Indeed, those of us who embrace biological diversity are granted the privilege of forever being young at heart and mind. This year, I am enjoying the beauty of the Flambeau River and its mysterious Hemlock forests. They are rare and valuable forests, impossibly different from parcel to parcel, land of Eastern Hemlock, Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, American Basswood, Red Maple, patches of swamp conifer, all along a river so wild as to be celebrated and mourned by Aldo Leopold himself. In my own tribute, this is the "land of no cell phones."
Today, I met a new dragonfly. I could go through the rigors of my education, and I could classify it for the most part… It is indeed an animal (Kingdom Animalia), and it is indeed an exoskeleton-clad, joined legged invertebrate (Phylum Arthropoda), and it is indeed an insect, though an ancient one (Class Insecta). It is also a dragonfly (Order Odonata). Now, there is a big club at the end of its tail and its eyes are distant from one another…a truly ancient dragonfly too (Family Gomphidae). But…What genus? What species? What marvels of nature! Could this be the fabled skillet-tailed gomphid, the skillet clubtail? Is it possible I have now made its acquaintance? Not sure, and, as I write this, I still don’t actually know. And that is pure joy! I am a kid, and I’ll never stop learning. Now where is that dragonfly guide? Ah…Here it is…Perhaps I'll get back to you on that I.D.
All images were taken with the Canon Powershot SX230HS, a powerful point-and-shoot camera that fits in my pocket during my field work days. I carry a Canon Rebel with 300mm F4 in my backpack, but I keep a swift pace and rarely have time to use it when I’m on bird survey protocol time. The Powershot SX230HS is a great camera with a 14X optical zoom, exceptional photo quality, and Canon’s state-of-the-art 1080HD video. It is heavy for a point and shoot, but it’s performance is heavy-hitting! A small gorilla-pod nestled in my pack gives me a full dose of 2012’s technology in the palm of my hand! A quick shout out to the excellent staff at WI DNR's Natural Heritage Inventory! You are the best!
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