Lines On Water: Langmuir Circulation- often a nature lover's destination
In 1927, as he sailed the Sargasso Sea, future Nobel Laureate Irving Langmuir observed and later explained the mechanics of parallel lines of sargassum floating on the sea surface. These lines are now known as windrows resulting from Langmuir circulation, named in his honor for his description of the mechanisms that cause the lines to form and be maintained.
Tree Throws: Don't Overlook this Natural Resource
When walking the woods and swamps, one often finds where a tree has fallen over with the root system sticking into the air and a hole where the roots once resided.
This is called a tree throw.
The target of ecological studies, tree throws have yielded fascinating information, but in coastal Louisiana, they provide interesting habitats for the naturalist to explore.
Ice Capades in Barataria
The title was the subject line in an email I received from Charles Butler, arborist and maintenance worker at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve and Associate Certified Louisiana Master Naturalist. His message contained the photos in this Nature Note. I've never seen these beautiful, mysterious white items with my own eyes, but have known about them for years.
Thigmotropism in Live Oak Trees
Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas
Thigmotropism is a concept in which living organisms move in a certain direction in response to touch (thigmo refers to touch; tropism to turn).
The Thrill of the Pursuit
Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas
One of the joys of being a scientist and/or naturalist is making new discoveries. As a naturalist, this is usually manifested in finding species I’ve never found before, observing critter activities I’ve never seen, or coming to understand events as I sharpen my skills in “reading the woods.”
Wood in Water
Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas
Folks often think of limbs and logs in water as obstructions, an undesirable condition. If there is any value, the wood is a nice place for turtles to sunbathe and for egrets to stealthily search for aquatic food.
Actually, wood is vitally important to the health of aquatic and marine ecosystems.
Intermediate Marsh
Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas
America’s WETLAND, the most vast coastal wetland in the U.S., has a unique type of marsh.
We know about salt, brackish, and freshwater marsh, but Louisiana’s coastal marhes are so expansive that there is a fourth type called intermediate marsh. This has actually been known for decades. The early wetland ecologists W. T. Penfound and Edward Hathaway called it “near fresh.”
Freshwater Marsh
Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas
Freshwater marshes are the most biodiverse of our wetlands. They reside between swamps and brackish or intermediate marsh. One of their principal characteristics is that they experience a unidirectional flow of water from inland toward the sea. Their water is always fresh, having virtually no salt content.
Foam in Nature
Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas
It is not uncommon to find foam gathering along Gulf beaches, edges of lakes, and in creeks and streams.
Most people’s first thought is that foam on water is evidence of polluted water.
Foam forms on water when two things happen: 1) something reduces surface tension on water such as introducing soap, detergents, oils, or natural organics and 2) air is mixed into the water as bubbles.
Who's Digging in Our Backyard?
Nature Notes
by Bob Thomas
Our backyard in Metairie is all about birds, butterflies, and other creatures. We have a pond, lots of flowering bushes, a huge live oak, a few wax myrtles, and more. We don’t have much lawn, and I’m not sure I would call what is there “lawn.”