Naturalism on Speed

My bike's shakedown cruise took me to Water Street, the
Georgetown terminus of the Capital Crescent Trail.

A cycling post was inevitable. I'm training with a friend and coworker for a huge ride next month, and I've been bike-commuting, so it has become a significant focus of my life. It may not be "naturalism" on its own, but it is eco-friendly and it's one more way I get outside. I really do see a good bit of nature on these rides - albeit in brief, high-speed glimpses. My timing on this is working out...today's Kojo Nnamdi show on NPR had a segment about biking in the DC area. I listened at work, but was not particularly captivated because it got the "Kojo is off today" treatment, and I think the interview suffered from that. However, their guest list was solid, and the organizations listed represent a pretty good way to get started if biking in and around the District is on your agenda.

The manager of Capital Bikeshare was probably the most informative guest. He laid out how the program works, and pointed out that the system is up to 110 stations. If you're concerned about paying for a bum ride, don't be. It seems they have a team of technicians who check and maintain the bikes periodically throughout the day. There is also a system in place that allows riders to alert the maintenance folks of a damaged unit - it's as easy as pushing a button. The online station map alerts you to how many bikes are available and how many slots are empty at any given time. Unfortunately, these haven't really branched into the Maryland suburbs just yet. I've never made use of the system myself, but it seems like a well-run operation that offers a fantastic service. My fingers are crossed on behalf of my neighbors for a Silver Spring station.

If this view appeals to you, Capital Bikeshare might be the way to go.

The other organizations represented were Bike Arlington and Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA). Both of these are new to me, so I'll let you discover the details for yourself at the links above. Bike shops are all over the place here; I use Silver Cycles because it's close and convenient, and because they have done good work so far and are friendly. Some bike shops seem to have a condescending attitude (although, in this area you can find someone with a condescending attitude about anything and everything). These folks seem to be all about welcoming new riders. To those prospective riders who fear traffic: bike lanes and bike paths are much more prevalent than I had thought they would be. Main bullet point: this town is bicycle-friendly.

My ride, with Pitt basketball in the background. This was the day I bought the bike...Pitt won @ Villanova.

So, to bring it all together with a naturalist bent, I'll forgo the talk about fuel and carbon emissions and instead focus on some of the nature I've observed while cycling. I haven't paused to take photos (and don't usually carry a camera while cycling anyway), so instead I'll throw out a partial list of animal species I've seen.

• Vulpes vulpes (red fox)
• Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer)
• Ardea herodia (great blue heron)
• Sciurus carolinensis (eastern gray squirrel)
• Sylvilagus floridanus (eastern cottontail)
• Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle)
• Turdus migratorius (American robin)
• Castor canadensis (North American beaver)
• Cardinalis cardinalis (northern cardinal)
• Mimus polyglottos (northern mockingbird)
• Phalacrocorax auritus (double-breasted cormorant)
• Anas platyrhynchos (mallard)
• Procyon lotor (raccoon)
• Branta canadensis (Canada goose)
• Marmota monax (groundhog, woodchuck) added 4/30/11
• Spinus tristis (American goldfinch, eastern goldfinch) added 4/30/11
• Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) added 4/30/11
• Didelphis virginiana (Virginia opossum) was deceased, so maybe it shouldn't count. added 4/30/11
• Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple)  added 4/30/11
• Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy) added 4/30/11

There have also been, of course, species that I simply haven't had the time or inclination to stop and identify... various toads and frogs, insects, and the like. My training partner claims to have seen a spider monkey in Potomac last year. I believe him, but I think I'll go ahead and assume that wasn't wildlife.

The Rachel Carson Trail

Today I'm going to share with you one of Montgomery County's outdoor secrets: The Rachel Carson Trail. More properly, to avoid confusion with the trail just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, I should specify: the Rachel Carson Greenway Trail. Given its location, it is a surprising gem. The streamside trail proceeds in both directions from Colesville Road (US 29), with ample parking on both sides of the highway. There are nice waterfalls and pools deep enough for swimming just a few yards down the trail from the parking, so even those not inclined to much hiking can enjoy. Besides, what's not to like about a trail dedicated to a naturalist with ties to Pittsburgh who passed her adult life in Silver Spring? This one might have been slightly more accomplished than yours truly. (If you didn't read the understatement in that last sentence, then you don't know me very well, and you should take some time to browse that last link.) Carson is probably best known for writing Silent Spring, but her career was much more expansive than that.

Why today for this? Well, after departing work early for some apartment-hunting (which turned out to be mercifully brief) I had some time to enjoy the beautiful day. It's nice when these things work out, isn't it? Unfortunately I don't have any photos of today's hike, as I am living sans-camera for now (insert obligatory wailing and gnashing of teeth here). However, I do have enough shots from previous visits to do at least partial justice to the sights along the trail. Today was filled with affirmations of spring: frog song, beautiful mats of wildflowers, butterflies, my first mosquito encounter of the year, and yet more proof that mushroom season is well underway...though my timing on this remains substandard so far this year.

The Northwest Branch, an Anacostia tributary, is the hiker's constant companion along the trail.

Another view of the Northwest Branch

Hemerocallis fulva (day lillies) poke up among the rocks in season.

My hiking companions certainly enjoy the trail.

One of those waterfalls I mentioned.

Not the best photo I've ever taken, but it was the best I could do with this little guy. He (or she) is a blue-tailed skink (Eumeces fasciatus) encountered on my maiden trip to the trail.

On that same inaugural trip, we encountered this fungus. Unfortunately "this fungus" is the best I can describe it.  I Just have no idea what it is. Those droplets of moisture seem to be excreted by the fruiting body - it wasn't wet at all. It might be this particular species's spore delivery mechanism...but that is pure speculation.

This dam can be seen just north of Colesville Road.

A spotted touch-me-not (aka jewelweed). The scientific name is Impatiens capensis. If you'll pardon the pun, in my impatiens I initially misidentified this here as a snapdragon. My apologies for perpetuating ignorance.

Not to ignore the insect world, this water strider (of the family Gerridae) was kind enough to pause for a photo.

Speaking of insects which were kind enough to pose...this tiger swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus) was a tad too friendly - probably dying. At least it has a memorial now.

I could go on; I had forgotten how many pictures I've accumulated over my three or four trips to the Northwest Branch. I've seen deer (ho-hum, but some people are captivated by these creatures), squirrrels and chipmunks, several species of duck, fishes, other butterflies, notable fungi, and more. In fact, a delicious meal that featured two types of chanterelles had its origins on this trail. In short, the full range of diversity in Montgomery County wildlife is on display here, and it's really not out of the way at all.

Edible Mushrooms in the Capital Area, Part 2

The flip side of "mushrooming is dangerous" is "the right mushrooms are delicious and healthy." They can occupy a variety of culinary niches, and are low-calorie options. Some have been shown to be quite good for your heart. Even if you're not a vegetarian, eating less meat can be a wise choice, and many mushrooms are wonderful as meat alternatives. Mushrooming is a risk-reward activity, but as with anything else the practiced application of knowledge and patience mitigates the risk. Done properly (which means heeding all those warnings), mushroom hunting gives the reward of an improved diet with the risk of occasional digestive upset.  This sounds better than the risk of dying, right?

There is one more mushroom-related practice I should touch on if I'm interested in the responsible distribution of information. "Shrooming," "doing 'shrooms," or whatever one chooses to call, ahem, 'recreational' mushrooming can also be dangerous. I'm not preaching here, because I'm not talking about the psilocybin itself (harmless in the quantities found in mushrooms, unless you count the hallucinations). This pastime has the same issues as eating wild mushrooms for food - many that will get you high are hard to distinguish from other species that will kill you or make you sick. Amanita muscaria (fly agaric or the fly mushroom - that mushroom with the white spots in all the cartoons) will get one high in Europe but just make one miserable in the States. So, if you're going to get high on mushrooms, learn to ID them yourself. Trusting someone else to find the right ones for you is like trusting a stranger on a street corner to retrieve your correct medicine from a bucket of mixed and unlabeled pills. Also keep in mind that mushrooms which will kill you in tiny doses are legal while those which will only get you high if you eat them like potato chips are illegal. Laws do very by state; some make more sense than others.

And now, on to the photos! Again, all specimens pictured below were collected within a couple of hours driving distance of Washington DC. All are edible for those who have adventurous pallets.

Entoloma abortivum - this is actually two mushrooms, one of which is a parasite on the other.  The honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea) and a species of Entoloma meet. Biologists are still studying which is the host and which is the parasite.  Either way, if you find the brainy-looking part you know you can eat the whole mess - if you dare.

A second photo of E. abortivum, this time featuring the honey mushroom instead of the entoloma. Again, note the distinctive brain-looking globs.

Speaking of the honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea), here it is on its own. That white rot on the wood is pretty distinctive. If you're a sucker for technicalities, you should check out this article.

If you want raw volume in your mushroom meal, not much can match Grifola frondosa (the hen of the woods). That's not a camera trick - my finger is just about touching this monster and the camera is in my other hand. Unfortunately every specimen I've found has been too rotten to bring home.

Polyporus squamosus (dryad's saddle) can also be huge, but by the time it attains this size it isn't quite as tender and delicious. Fantasy artists like to depict sprites and gnomes and such hanging out on these. Oddly enough, when you cut them they have a distinct watermelon smell.

Pleurotus ostreatus (the oyster mushroom) is a mycophagist's dream. It's delicious, gregarious, common, and can be found almost year round. Its lookalikes (assuming you get a spore print, that is) are all related and also edible. This is the second most common commercial mushroom behind the white buttons (Agaricus bisporus, if you care to know).

This hairy-looking oddball is the old man of the woods (Strobilomyces floccopus). Fitting that the species name looks something like the equally funny-looking 'octopus.' Well, I thought so, anyway. Despite appearances, this is actually a very tasty mushroom.

They say everything tastes like chicken. Well, the chicken mushroom, Laetiporus cincinnatus et al, really does. Well, it can be made to. This beautiful mushroom can be prepared in the kitchen in much the same way poultry can, and with less worry of food poisoning.

I have by no means exhausted the range of edible mushrooms in this region of the US. Among those not pictured are fungi with such colorful names as the train wrecker and angel wings. Dozens more have not even crossed my radar yet. I've only been at it a couple of years, but mycology has opened my eyes to the variety of forms life cane take.

Edible Mushrooms in the Capital Area, Part 1

There is a technicality I must get through before posting about eating mushrooms. I have to warn you that unless you know what you are doing - and I mean REALLY know, not "I read about this mushroom in some guy's blog" know - eating wild mushrooms is incredibly dangerous. In this part of the world, there are approximately a half-dozen very common deadly poisonous mushroom species. There are quite a few more which are much less common. Others will not kill a human being, but will make most of us very, very sick. There is at least one species which is perfectly edible but will cause violent nausea and vomiting if alcohol is consumed up to three days before or after eating. Sometimes the substrate (what the mushroom is "eating") can add poisonous qualities to an otherwise safe find; man-made effects can cause similar problems. Even edible mushrooms can provoke allergic reactions in some people, and since most people have not been exposed to a wide variety of wild mushrooms these reactions are largely unpredictable.

It is not the existence of these poisonous species that make mycophagy dangerous. After all, there are deadly poisonous plants, fishes, and so on, and no one tells us not to take up fishing or eat wild blackberries. What makes wild mushrooms so dangerous is that species are not readily identifiable by sight in most cases. A significant amount of work is necessary to determine precisely what mushroom you have, and it is often a very subtle characteristic that separates the deadly from the delicious. Sometimes proper identification requires a spore print. Often a mushroom's environment removes characteristics that have a bearing on identity, such as a ring on the stem (or stipe, if you want to be pompous about it). Sometimes there is more intraspecies than interspecies variation in physical traits.  Further muddying the picture is a simple lack of background science - countless mushroom species are as yet unstudied. Even some of those which have been known and collected for centuries are subjects of taxonomic arguments.

I hope the above has made my point. I fully support new initiates into the hobby of mycology...but if you find yourself intrigued, don't use my blog (or anyone else's) as your point of reference. Understand that it is a hobby to be taken seriously. It can, however, be very safe if the proper cautions are exercised. This means 1) learning to identify all deadly poisonous mushrooms in your area, 2) never eating any mushroom you have not identified with absolute certainty, 3) progressing slowly with small samples for first-time tasters, and 4) never ignoring one trait because another gets your hopes up. With that in mind, I recommend Musroom Expert as an online resource. This book was my first on the topic, and it is written with whimsy alongside real knowledge. Supplementing a fun book like this with a more complete guide, like Audubon's or Simon and Schuster's, is a good place to start.

Now that I have frightened you, and subsequently bored you, I present the photographs. All mushrooms pictured below are specimens found in the Mid-Atlantic United States, and all are edible. In fact, all of these were found within two hours' driving distance from Washington, DC.

Clavicorona pyxidata - one of the first I ate, as it was an easy ID. The closest thing this species has to a common name is "crown-tipped coral." Similar but inedible species grow from the ground and not on wood.

Gyrodon merulioides - This ugly and foul-tasting (but technically edible) mushroom is sometimes known as the ash-tree bolete. It grows like crazy in my apartment complex from late summer through the fall. Its redeeming quality is its fascinating ecological niche. It is only found near ash trees - not because of the trees themselves, but because they are symbiotic with a species of insect which feeds only on ash trees.

In the foreground is a specimen of Cantharellus cinnabarinus (cinnabar-red chanterelle). The background is a mixture of these and Cantharellus lateritius (smooth chanterelle). They were part of a wonderful meal.

Auricularia auricula...known variously as tree ear, jelly ear, and (thanks to racist biologists of bygone days) Jew's ear. Apparently some mycologists treat this like chewing gum (yuck).

Orange jelly, aka Dacrymyces palmatus, is edible...but I haven't been quite so adventurous yet, myself. When a close relative is called "witch's butter," I am somewhat put off.

This is another I've not yet felt bold enough to try, Hericium erinaceus. Colloquially known as the "bearded tooth" this mushroom is odd in oh-so-many ways, not least of which is that one can eat something that looks and feels like this.

Hungry yet? My mouth is watering at the prospect of a new mushroom season. Morels should be appearing right about now in this part of the country. Alas, I've yet to encounter any of these lusted-after but elusive gems in my young mushrooming career. When I do first find this crown jewel of fungi, I'll be sure to share photos and accounts of the dining experience here.

A Strange Day in Rock Creek Park

The decision over what to feature in the first "real" post of From the Suburbs, Naturally was a daunting one. How do I properly set the tone? With almost four years in the 'burbs under my belt - and all of them filled with outdoor adventures - where do I begin? I thought about debuting with a cycling post, as that's a big part of my life right now, but ultimately it's not what this blog is about. I toyed with the idea of doing a species feature with photos and information about one particular critter, plant, or mushroom I've encountered. That seemed too narrow for an inaugural post. Instead, I will share a bit about one of the more interesting short hikes I've done over the last few years.

This hike began at the Rock Creek Nature Center in Rock Creek Park. A fun fact for us Silver Spring residents is that technically most of us live within walking distance of a National Park. Since the bulk of Rock Creek Park is located within Washington, DC's boundaries, it is managed by the National Park Service. It was a gorgeous day, and Laurel, Franklin, and I were ready to go.

Soon after we got going, we encountered the eastern worm snake (Carphophis amoena amoena) pictured below. This was a first for me, at least as an adult who knew what he was looking at. It didn't move at all in the few minutes we stood watching it, so it's possible that calling it "life" is too generous. I'm duplicating the species name above because this fella is the "nominate subspecies." What's that mean? Well, when an enterprising biologist successfully makes a case for a split into subspecies, one (the first discovered) retains the species name as its subspecies name. Once a species is divided this way, binomial nomenclature is cast aside in favor of the "trinomen."

Eastern worm snake

Our next oddity (well, 'next' if you can call a fairly common snake an oddity) was this blighted tree. Actually, I've no certainty that this is a blight at all...it could be a fungus or some entirely different tree problem I have yet to learn of. This sort of thing isn't really within my expertise, so I will present the photo without further comment.

The image doesn't show it, but the proper trunk of this tree is only about twice the thickness of the tree in the foreground.

A little farther down the trail (by now we were nearing the National Zoo), I saw a strange-looking seed wedged between a couple of sticks. It had an orange-brown hue, and seemed to be a spherical aggregation of tiny (also spherical) segments. Since it looked nothing like any seed casing I knew of, I reached for the twigs to retrieve it. Imagine my surprise when this 'seed' began to disperse in all directions! My seed was in reality a cluster of hatchling spiders. Please don't ask me to identify these to species; I can't.

It was a "that's no moon" moment.

Our final strange encounter on this hike was with an albino pigeon (rock dove, if you prefer - Columba livia to remove any ambiguity). I suppose I should note that this may not have been true albinism, but it sure looked like it to me. The appearance of such a bird was not in itself very unusual...but this specimen's behavior most certainly was. Perhaps this is best described in pictures.

Feces? Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, not a sign of good health.

Something isn't right about any bird that lets you get this close.

My favorite Canis lupus familiaris notices something wrong too.  Instinct says, "Snack!"

I've seen stranger things than any one of the above encounters, for sure. I don't, however, recall many days with so many unusual encounters with nature wedged into just a few hours. This was a day that reminded me (as if I needed a reminder) of the wonder, diversity, and complexity of nature.

Introduction and Welcome

Greetings! Welcome to From the Suburbs, Naturally. So, why are you here? Or more properly put, why does this "place" exist? The short answer to the latter question is that I have a deep and abiding love of and respect for nature. I hope that the answer to the first is that you share these feelings.

I'll have to start with a little about myself. I know this is boring so I'll try to make it quick and painless. Since childhood I have been fascinated with life in all of its forms, and with the environments that life inhabits. I always had pets. My old man constructed a "bug box" for me from a couple of boards and leftover screen from our back porch, and countless childhood hours were happily passed collecting and observing specimens. I did the Boy Scout thing beginning with Tiger Cubs and ending (for now) when I left town for college. I've always spent a lot of time outdoors, and whenever possible I've tried to observe, understand, and categorize the living things I've encountered there. I now make my home in downtown Silver Spring, MD and have brought my curiosity and the inclination to get outside with me. Along with my small family (my girlfriend Laurel and our Beagle-Basset mix, Franklin) I explore the out-of-doors (in the Greater Washington Area and beyond).

I've decided to start sharing the things I see and learn with friends, family, and whoever happens to stumble across this blog by happy accident. A secondary goal here is to eventually become a useful source of information to someone, somewhere. I've got no delusions that many people will be interested in each and every creature I come across, but if one person one day learns something from this blog then it will have done its job.

And yes - there will be photos.