CoronaVirus Situation need not stop watching nature – Part 2
Thanks to all those who posted about my initial CoronaVirus story at NextDoorVineyards (NextDoor is a neighborhood connectivity listserve that is centered on each community and its immediate neighbors only; the Vineyards “chapter” is located in Naples, FL), recently. Neighbors eagerly shared images of their orchids, other flowers, and even some birds. It was great to see this showcase on nature, a positive note compared to the drone of media negativity.
Today, I’m offering a bit of an update, with some more ideas for “keeping busy.” This time, I’m sharing through my Life-long Learning blog, so the information will go far beyond just NextDoorVineyards.
First, from the weather desk, I’m thrilled to report that Wednesday morning’s cold frontal passage in Naples, FL delivered 0.61” of rainfall to the COCORAHS rain gauge near the 16th fairway of the Vineyards north golf course. Then early yesterday morning (April 3, 2020), middle level clouds provided a nicely patterned sunrise (Fig. 1).
On the morning before the cold front arrived, I discovered one of those weird-looking spiders right in the middle of a rather large spider web. It took many tens of seconds (and an inordinate amount of patience) to capture the image shown in Fig. 2. You see, the web kept blowing in the wind, making it almost impossible to focus on the spider.
Not recalling the name of the spider, I had no choice but to use creative descriptions as I searched Google (e.g., “small spider with spikes and a yellow underbelly with dots”). As soon as the images appeared, it was clear that I had netted a Spiny Spider. If you looked at the spider from the top, it almost appeared to be like a miniature Triceratops. From the underside, the dots created a smiley face!
These spiders build very orderly and large webs, often spanning the width of my walkway. Be aware, lest you get trapped in spider’s webbing (as I typically do).
My third nature find of the week was a fledgling dove (Fig. 3), clearly separated from its parents. Staying stationary to moving around only slightly, the bird remained on the stones in our foundation planting area, inside our front courtyard. Although the bird seemed to be injured, a chat with a representative at the Von Arx Wildlife Hospital (Conservancy of Southwest Florida) changed that perspective. According to Nicole, based on the iPhone image that I sent her, the bird looked to be healthy and was most likely just separated from its parents. I, then, noted that the bird only raised its left wing as it tried to back off from my approach (surely it was injured). Nicole advised that this action was simply a defensive maneuver, to make the bird appear larger than it was. Finally, I offered to bring the bird into the hospital. Nicole told me that it would have been okay to pick up the bird, secure it, and deliver it to the hospital (so much for old rules that say not to touch an injured bird), but it would be better to monitor the bird and allow its parents to find it (at least initially). Should that reunion not occur, then I could bring the bird into their facility.
Two hours later, the bird was gone.
I hope it got back with its parents, but I guess that I’ll never know.
All in all, there was quite a bit going on this week, not very far from my front door. What was happening at your house?
© 2020 H. Michael Mogil
Originally posted 4/4/20
H. Michael Mogil is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM), Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM), and NWA Digital Media Sealholder. He is a consummate lifelong learner and loves to share any new-found knowledge he gains, as he researches life, nature, and world/universe around him. In addition, Mike tutors students from middle school to college in math science, language, and test-taking skills; he also serves as an expert witness in legal and insurance matters involving weather.
