We try to give our students a little solitude (of the enhancing type) each field investigation in the form of our solo hike.  It is not for too long, only about ten minutes and their minds have hopefully been prepared to relax, observe, enjoy, slow down.

When a fifth-grader spends ten minutes walking down a trail by themselves, two things are likely to happen (well two things are imagined happening): They get lost and they see an animal. 

They invariably say to me something along these lines as they are approaching out of their solitude, “I got lost and I saw two coyotes curled up sleeping together.”  Or, “I didn’t know where to go.  I saw two deers [sic (they always say ‘deers’)] mating.”

My response has been various over the years.  It is hard to known where to put your heart.  I used to play along with them and get details.  There were times when I would say, “No, you didn’t.”  They would look shocked for a second then appear relieved that they had been pulled back to reality.  Lately, though I don’t say anything.  I just look and smile and in my head I shake my head.  The best reaction to these outlandish claims come from the students peers.  I’m not making these stories of stories up.  This is how it happens.  “I saw a cobra.  It looked me in the eyes then crawled across the trail right in front of me and went into its hole.”  Whereas I’m saying nothing, the peers of the snake charmer are looking on in admiration, bright eyes and a touch of jealousy if their story has been one-upped. 

I suppose we should quit calling them solo hikes and rename them vision quests.  Are the parallels between the real vision quests of old and solo hikes coincidental?  It was at puberty that many if not most Native American tribes sent out their youth alone to find their ‘spirit animal’ and sense of purpose.  What amazes me is the hallucinogenic aspect of the vision quest was thought to need encouragement through some means—fasting, sensory deprivation, or the consumption of one thing or another the possession, of which today would land you in a particular court saying “yes sir” to a particular judge.  No fasting necessary for a fifth-grader.  They see plenty enough with their bellies full of the ONSC lunch they are so in love with.

So, with all this fiction happening, I sometimes used to wonder what the point of doing a solo hike was.  Now I cling to the hope (and I think it is a fulfilled one) that their imaginations are the sparks cast from the fire.  I get to the stopping point of the solo hike first and I’m alone and it is quiet and I lay down on the soft leaves and I hear the chuckle of a Pileated Woodpecker.  I know that some kids on the trail, alone, have just absorbed that laugh to their bones.

By Caleb Wardlaw

Caleb Wardlaw has worked at ONSC as a Teacher/Naturalist for more than eight years. He grew up in the wilderness of the Ozarks and fell in love with nature at a young age. Now, after much traveling, he has returned to the Ozark wilderness and lives on a farm in southern Missouri with his wife and two kids.

The frogs and toads started singing as the moisture level rose. Wood frogs, tree frogs, and American toads fill the evening with songs. These amphibians prefer wet environments and usually mate after it has rained. Because we have had a dry April, the much needed rain and cooler weather brought forth happy amphibians. The toads hopping across trails were so thick that we had to be careful during our night hike to not step on them.

Hog nose snakes eat frog and toads, so we were not surprised to find a large hog nose snake prowling around the science center deck. These snakes have funny habits. They can flatten their neck to look like a cobra in an attempt to frighten away predators and people. Often they might even strike out to try to convince you that they are venomous. Technically they are venomous; however, their venom fangs are located at the back of their mouth, so they can’t bite anything large. Although they strike at the air to scare people, they rarely try to bite. If this fear tactic doesn’t work, step back, because they might barf up a half digested toad in hopes that the smell might drive you away. When all else fails they roll over and play dead. If you flip them back onto their belly, they will roll themselves onto their back again, as if to say, “No, really, I’m dead!” The younger the specimen, the more likely it is to pull all these tricks. The large snake we found didn’t act afraid. Though it flattened out its neck at first, it never struck out or tried any of its other tricks. Perhaps, this old reptile, it had been caught before and knew that naturalist will be gentle.

Hognose snake

– John Burroughs, Nature Near Home And Other Papers (1913).

Horse Mint

Flower: On the 19th of April, naturalists counted 35 different species of wildflowers blooming on the science center campus. This week we counted half that many. The hot weather that encouraged so many flowers to bloom early also rushed the blooms to drop their wilting petals early.

Birds: Many new summer residents have been seen in the past week. Bright blue indigo bunting and brilliant red breasted humming birds have been spotted visiting the feeders. Among the dense foliage this time of year, it is nearly impossible to visually spot a bird perching in a tree top. That is why birders must learn to identify birds by ear alone. In the trees near the science center the wood thrush’s beautiful song was heard. Along the edge of the glade, where the conifer trees meet a dry run-off stream, birds are always filling the tree tops. There we have heard the yellow-throated vireo and the hooded warbler. Only a few hundred feet higher, along the dry ridge of the glade, red-eyed vireos and a summer tanager were singing.

Reptiles: The rattlesnakes are on the move! We found two timber rattlers and a pygmy rattlesnake in the past few days. But accourding to naturalists and scientists who have been with the center for years, rattlesnake populations are in decline. That may sound like a good thing to a concerned mother or local farmer, but any disturbance such as this sends a ripple effect throughout the entire ecosystem. Less snakes will mean more rodents and more rodents will eat more acorns which may effect the oak tree populations and oak trees are major producers in the Ozarks. Only time will tell what chances less snakes will have on Ozark ecosystems.

Amphibians: Spring peepers are already quieting their mating calls and now the tree frogs are singing loud. In the pond we have been watching the ringed and spotted salamanders tadpoles grow up. This week a pollywog was spotted that had all four of its legs, shrinking gills, and a tiny tail. They grow up so fast.

Flat-backed millipede

Arthropods: Make no mistake, the bugs are out! Seed ticks are emerging and bewared of the mosquitoes. But not all insects are out there to suck our blood and drive us mad. Some are very helpful. One curious insect we have been seeing everywhere is this very common flat-backed millipede.  This decompser eats dead plant matter, turning it back into good rich nutrients in the soil. It also excretes a fluid that contains cyanide from their sides if they feels threatened or is picked up and handled by fifth graders. This fluid almost smells good. Some students say it smells like almonds, others claim cherries.

To track these turtles we must first find them. Because turtles are slow they are easy to capture, but they like to spend their days in thick brush, among dense undergrowth, and under leaves. While hiking on the trails at the science center, we often find box turtles crossing the trails looking for a mate.

However, in summer we take the business of turtle tracking even more seriously. During the summer camps we take students on turtle tracking adventures and teach them all about radio telemetry. We hike out into the woods with a large antenna in hand. The antenna picks up on the turtle’s signal and registers it as a beep. The beeps get louder as you get closer to the animal. Often the turtles are found hiding under leaves or in dense undergrowth. We keep up with a population of a dozen turtles or so throughout the summer.

Upon finding an untagged turtle, we bring it back to the center to tag and gather data. First we measure the turtle’s shell. We measure the top dome, which is called the carapace, from front to back and then we measure how tall that dome rises. We also look at the scuts on the carapace which are those geometric plates that make up the carapace. We count the scuts along its spine, sides, and around the edge or margin to make sure the usual number is present. Also, we look at the rings inside each scut to guess the turtle’s age.

Next we measure the plastron, the flat bottom shell of the turtle. The plastron is in two piece, the front section is called the anterior and the back is the posterior. These sections are divided by the hinge which allows the box turtle to move its plastron and completely close up in its shell. When we measure the plastron we measure both the posterior and the anterior from the hinge to the edge. Once these measurements have been taken we weigh the specimen using a simple hand held scale with a clip at the end for clamping onto the rim of the turtle’s shell.

When the turtle’s size and weight has been documented we try to determine its sex. This time of year the male turtles are easy to distinguish because they are brightly colored with red and orange during mating season. When not mating the male turtles have a dip in their posterior plastron for mounting the females that can be felt by an observer. Females are often a bit taller than males. Otherwise, box turtles look very similar. It is easy to mistake a male for a female or a female for a male.

Once all of that has been documented we give new turtles a “name” or a three letter code such as AFV or GRT. To mark the turtle with his or her name we use the marginal scuts along the edge of its carapace as a code. Each scut is given a letter of the alphabet starting with A and going clockwise around the margin of the carapace to end with X (most turtles have 24 marginal scuts). These scuts are notched them with a triangular file, leaving a mark on the shell that can be found year after year. The notch does not harm or hurt the turtle. Of course, if the turtle has been found before, in past years, we can read its name by looking for the notches on its shell and then look at past information about the turtle.  We have many turtles who live or breed near the center and are often found in the same place year after year.

Before releasing the turtle we glue a tracking device to the rear of its carapace so that it won’t get in the turtle’s way. We use high strength epoxy to attach a small device. It is smaller in diameter than a dime, with a short antenna coming off of it. Then we return the turtle to the exact place it was found so it can hopefully continue onward without much disturbance.

This year we only have two turtles with tracking devices in them so far, but we expect to be racking almost a dozen by summer. This entire project was funded by a generous  grant given to us six years ago by the Longbrake Family Fountation. It is grants like this that gives up the opportunity to  do research while exposing children to science and the outdoors. We not only teach the students but apply their knowledge. They get to participate in the research which gives the project more meaning. It is amazing the excitement that among summer camper when we find a turtle at the science center. Afterwards, they will never look at these gentle, secretive reptiles the same way again.