Catching up
Between grasslands and graduation
Hey everyone, it’s been a while! I promise I haven’t disappeared. The last several months have been busy, but I’ve made it through the fray.
Over the summer, I had the unique opportunity to travel around the Southeast for work, conducting vegetation surveys and helping describe a variety of grassland ecosystems. When I wasn’t working, I was sleeping out of my car or hammock and exploring some really cool places. Come fall, I began my final semester of college and dove into a research project I’d been excited about. I collaborated with one of my professors to study Orthopterans (grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets), mostly grasshoppers, as bioindicators of restoration success. I spent hours sorting the little buggers and ended up with around 1,200 specimens.
In between all of that, I managed to squeeze in several nature adventures, and the cherry on top was graduating last week.
Rather than trying to cram that all into a long-winded post, I thought I’d share some pictures of my adventures.
This was one of my first campsites of the summer. The pond sits smack dab in the middle of one of the finest open grassland–savanna–woodland mosaics I had witnessed up to that point. My first few nights there were memorable, mostly because I was repeatedly woken up by some pretty wild thunderstorms rolling through.
Camping gave me a lot of time to think and reflect. Many people had valid concerns about me doing this, including the heat, bugs, weather, and other factors. I’ll admit, part of me was a little frightened at first, but it was also exciting, and ultimately a really grounding experience. After I acclimated, I found myself laughing at how accustomed we’ve all become to our cushy dwellings. Of course, it’s easy to say that when you have backup options and a steady income. However, it made me really think about how even those of us who love nature, including myself, carry a subtle yet noticeable detachment from these places. Something I now try to be actively aware of.
The people I met while camping were great too, friendly, generous, and easy to talk to. Not to mention, this was what my neighborhood looked like.
I got to meet and acquaint myself with many of my floral and faunal neighbors as well; they were just as wonderful, and in most respects, my more delightful neighbors.
Here are some fun pictures of several of the places I was fortunate enough to work in and explore.
I also got to see so many cool critters and spent some of my time meeting my new grasshopper friends.
The third image is one of my favorite grasshopper species called a “Short-winged Boopie” In its own Genus, Boopedon! (haha)
After school started, I went headfirst into my grasshopper research and used my fall break to travel with friends and family, exploring more remnant ecosystems and, of course, looking for more grasshoppers. When I got back, I got myself wrapped up in another research project for class studying bats, but more on that later in another post.
Toward the end of the semester, I found myself in Alabama exploring the Black Belt region with work and classmates. It was a wonderful way to spend my time right before finals and graduation!
I’ve had so much fun this past year and really enjoy sharing it with you all. Even as things get busier, I plan to keep posting here regularly. I’ve been thinking about new ways to share, possibly short videos from the field, images with little blurbs of information, and reflections like this one. Would you be interested in that, or maybe a nature-focused Instagram for more frequent updates and pictures? Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see more of!
Until next time, make some space to be in nature, meditate in the beauty of her perfect disorder, and bonus points if you can share that time with a friend.
If you enjoy reading nature Substacks, I encourage you to check out Dr. Bob Leonard at Cedar Creek Nature Notes, Dian Porter at My Gaia, Larry Stone at Listening to the Land, Al Batt at Naturally Al Batt, and Dr. Estes at GALAS: Natural History of a Southern Conservationist
You won’t be disappointed!
Congrats!!
Pygmy rattlesnake? Where from?