PROFILES IN NATURE

The mineral, Ice

As I have been a bit under the weather this week I have only gotten out of the house as necessary. This, coupled with the fact that snow is so deep on the farm the four- wheeler will barely move, I find myself looking out the window and thinking about some of the unique properties that ice has.

Ice of course is the result of chilling water to thirty two degrees. Everyone knows that water is formed by two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, H2O. Some of the hydrogen atoms are shared between different water molecules; this is called a hydrogen bond. Although not obvious to the human eye, water is in a state of constant motion. The hydrogen bonds are constantly being broken and remade with other molecules and this causes the water molecules to be densely packed. As the temperature nears thirty two degrees however this constant movement and making and breaking of bonds slows down. The hydrogen bonds become stronger and tend to “lock” into place starting to form a hexagonal structure. This requires four molecules to be locked into place each sharing the neighboring hydrogen atom. This repetitive latticework of molecules has larger “holes” between each molecule that liquid water has. This gives ice an unusual property in that the solid form is less dense than the liquid form. In nature this has worked out pretty well. Ice floats on water, if ice was denser than water it would sink to the bottom of oceans and lakes and without the protective layer on top as we have now many bodies of water would freeze solid from the bottom up throughout winter. You can imagine the ecological impact this would have on life as we know it.

But then man invented water pipes, engine blocks and such. As water freezes part of the process of becoming less dense involves expansion. This expansion can be up to nine percent in volume and involve pressures of several thousand pounds per square inch (possible to exceed 100,000 psi)! No rigid water pipe can withstand that kind of pressure. My plumbing has frozen several times this year but fortunately not hard enough to rupture pipes.

I started this column by calling ice a mineral. We think of minerals as being such things as quartz, calcite, fluorite, ruby, and yes, diamonds. However the definition of a mineral is: (1), naturally occurring (not made by humans) (2), inorganic (not produced by an organism) (3), solid (4), a limited range of chemical compositions (5), ordered atomic structure. So, although one can’t mount it in a ring ice is definitely one of nature’s naturally occurring minerals. I just don’t want to see any more of it for a while unless in a cooler or a nice cold drink!

Jack Glisson

Published in The Ballard County Weekly 03/04/2015

PROFILES IN NATURE

Northern Cardinal

Photo Credit – www.kentuckyupclose.com

With the last few weeks of weather I certainly hope several of you have been feeding the birds. The Northern Cardinal, or Cardinalis cardinalis, is probably one of the primary birds folks try to entice to feeders. This is actually easy to do if sun flower or safflower seeds are kept out. This will help to discourage black birds, grackles and such. I usually however put out two or three kinds of feed and enjoy watching a large variety of species.

Back to the cardinal though. The official state bird of Kentucky and six other states, it is one of easiest birds to identify and is recognized by most people. Present in most of the Eastern and Central United States cardinals are year round residents and rarely migrate. The male is shown here but the female of this species is attractive as well. She has a much lighter color with tan and reddish feathers body wide and lacks the black throat patch but still wears the crown of feathers on her head.

Feeding on a variety of things such as insects, seeds, grain, and berries cardinals are usually found in low bushes or on the ground.

Nests are normally located in thick bushes or shrubs anywhere from three to ten feet from the ground. An average clutch of three to four eggs are laid which will hatch in around twelve to thirteen days. The young will leave the nest nine to eleven days later but continue to be fed for a while by the adults. Insects are the primary food fed to youngsters. Depending on the length of the season cardinals my raise two to three broods per year.

Maybe with the melting of this last snow we will begin to hear mating calls of the northern cardinal. I for one am more than ready to hear some spring bird and frog calls!

Photo Credit – www.kentuckyupclose.com

Jack Glisson

Published in The Ballard County Weekly 03/11/2015

PROFILES IN NATURE

American White Pelican

Photo Credit – www.kentuckyupclose.com

If one looks up the American White Pelican, Pelecanus erthrorhynchos, in a bird book or on line the maps will show that we are outside their area. There is an occasional mention however that they may follow the Mississippi River as far north as Saint Louis. Someone needs to upgrade these maps! For at least the last ten to twelve years and maybe longer, large flocks of these birds have wintered around Reelfoot Lake along with the areas below Kentucky and Barkley Dams. They are also quite common along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

Although White Pelicans winter all along the Gulf Cost and Florida, folks are more familiar with the brown pelican. This is due to the fact that the white ones leave in early spring and head north to their breeding grounds whereas brown pelicans are year round residents in these areas. During summer and fall when most people take vacations brown pelicans are the only ones present.

As breeding season approaches both sexes grow a large bump on the top of their bill called a nuptial tubercle which will fall off following the breeding season. Nesting in colonies in North-Western US and Canada the female will lay one to three eggs in a depression on the ground. Normally only one chick per nest will survive. Young will then leave the nest when around three to four weeks old and fledge at around ten weeks.

Brown pelicans feed by dive bombing at fish from the air scooping them up as they hit the water. White pelicans do not feed in this manner. They remain on the water and scoop up water and fish then drain water out of their bill by holding their head in an upright position. They sometimes feed in groups and may even help each other by driving fish toward shallow water or each other. An adult white pelican can eat up to three pounds of fish a day.

American white pelicans are one of the largest birds in North America, weighing in at up to thirty pounds and having a wing span of up to nine feet. They fly in a “V” pattern much like geese. Solid white with black wing tips, these majestic birds make for quite a sight against a blue sky!

By Jack Glisson

Published in The Ballard County Weekly 03/18/2015

PROFILES IN NATURE

Hairy Bittercress

Photo Credit – www.kentuckyupclose.com

Well Spring-time has finally arrived! Although march flowers and henbits are now blooming, one little flowering plant was showing its buds before the last snow. The green basal leaves are usually there all winter if one knows what to look for but the tiny white to purplish flowers bud out in this area in very early spring. Usually the first plant to flower Hairy Bittercress is common throughout our area. In lawns and waste places this is the plant with the tiny white flowers that starts growing before grass and reminds one that mowing season is right around the corner. Once the seed pod starts forming it is easily recognized as the pod grows right up through the flower bud, Although closed much of the time the flowers have four petals and can sometimes be found open.

Hairy bittercress, or Cardamine hirsuta, is not native to North America but was imported from Eurasia. It can be used as a cover crop on bare soil but is best destroyed before seed pods develop unless one wants it present for fall cover as well. Although it can be persistant, its low growth really doesn’t seem to hurt gardens or crops.

Although edible, hairy bittercress is considered one of the bitter herbs. Used sparingly it does add good flavor to wild salads. Both the leaves and flower buds can be eaten and have a taste similar to radishes.

As usual when describing edible or medicinal properties I must add the following disclaimer, neither the paper nor myself are responsible for the mis-identification and/or possible untoward effects from eating or otherwise utilizing wild plants.

By Jack Glisson

Published in The Ballard County Weekly 03/25/2015