Attack of Occom Pond

April 27, 2017.

Wow. What an exhilarating day of class. What started out as an ordinary Thursday morning quickly turned into a hands-on, alien encountering experience as I showed up to and was reminded that we would be having a lab in class.

Professor Smith and an enthusiastic, knowledgeable guide from the nearby Montshire Museum of Science brought out buckets full of pond water collected from Occom Pond. What happened next was intense.

Aliens attacked.

 

 

Who knew this much life was going on under the surface. A few minutes of acclimating and ‘testing the waters’ (pun intended) was necessary. Tadpoles and “water aliens” darted across the water. I was truthfully terrif– apprehensive at first. These creatures were the real deal. After a few minutes, we gained confidence and began to really get up-close and personal.

We began capturing a few of these micro-species and put them under a microscope for further observation.

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(editor’s note: I misplaced my field journal and unfortunately can’t tell you the species’ names but alas these images are still cool!)

The first species pictured at the top was by far my favorite. It’s jaws open and closed like the plastic vampire fangs for Halloween. Our guide even picked up the critter and opened it right in front of us. Apparently, this little guy is the top dog of the ecosystem and eats the other swimming species nearby.

Of course, the class didn’t go without its fair share of screams and gasps. Again, it took a little bit to acclimate ourselves, but once we did, people were picking up and catching these animals left and right. It was an exciting day filled with exciting little creatures. Little does the class know, I stole a tadpole that day and took it to my room. I now have a pet frog named Jerry.

Keep Exploring,

Botany Brandon

Spring has Sprung

May 16, 2017. Clear blue skies. Spring foliage has arrived (edit: and left – May 28).

If you’ve been outside on campus recently (which may not apply to a few of you given midterms and finals looming just around the corner), it’s hard not to notice that something has changed lately. Something appears a bit different… like seeing a friend for the first time after a haircut. Except your friend doesn’t look different, it’s the trees. And they didn’t get a haircut; they bloomed. Spring foliage has arrived on Dartmouth’s campus.

Now I could just show you a bunch of pictures I took a couple weeks ago and let you ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at the pretty color of the flowers. Like the one above.

Or the one below.

But what fun would that be? (A lot.)

Instead, I will take you along on an identification field trip from my sister’s room in the McLaughlin clusters to my humble abode in the Choates. We begin our journey outside the Moore Psychology Building:

Our first species (pictured above and below):

The bright pink white flowers of this hawthorn tree were in full bloom. Hawthorns are known for the small fruit that grow on their branches, sometimes used to make jam or wine. Nicknamed the “May-Tree” for its breathtaking foliage and ripe fruits, the Hawthorn is home to many birds and mammals especially in the Winter. I remember just weeks ago, this same plant was a mundane green shrub on the side of the street. Now, it underwent a full makeover. That kid in the back of your fourth-grade class who had braces and wore a hoodie all the time is now in college and models for PacSun. I named this tree PacSun.

Next, I found myself on the infamous Webster Avenue. The fraternity houses weren’t the highlight of the street this afternoon; the trees planted in their front yards were. This one, planted on the lawn of Tri-Kap, was the best of the bunch (pictured below and the third picture from the top). Unfortunately, I didn’t have much luck identifying this tree, so, like that song you’ve heard once or twice that you really like but don’t know the name of, I named this tree “what’s this song called?” What’s this song called was buzzing with bees as the little stinging critters fed from the nectar of the bulbous flowers

Last but not least, I headed back to my room located in the small but cozy Choates Cluster. I was done taking pictures, or so I thought until I stumbled across this behemoth parked on the side of a trail.

Much to my chagrin, and like the plant above, I could not identify this darn thing. If you can point me in the right direction or know what these plants are, please contact me at my blitz. This tree was approximately 50 feet tall and easily was the largest plant in the vicinity. The paper white flowers grew in clusters along equally dense leaves. Its dark brown, black branches provided a nice contrast to the bright aesthetic of the flowers and leaves. If only I knew its name. This tree was named “The Really Tall Guy.”

This concludes my small journey across campus. Just this 20 minute walk produced some of the most beautiful plants I’ve seen all year. So please:

Go outside. Take a break from studying. Take a walk around Occom. Take your foco to go on the Green. The Sun has come, Spring has sprung here at Dartmouth.

Signing off,

Botany Brandon