Now blooming at Ijams, four trees worth a look

Strawberry Bush or Hearts-a-Bustn' (Euonymus americanus)

There are four trees and shrubs blooming at Ijams that can be somewhat hard to find. They are all native to the mountains or Southeast but they often occur in isolated locations, in small numbers. Unlike the maples, oaks, hickories and pines, these are generally loners.

Kentucky Yellowwood alone is worth a trip to the nature center, because finding it in the Smokies or foothills can be difficult. It's a favorite among dendrologists, i.e. tree and shrub aficionados.

And hearts-a-bustin' rarely gets a second glance when it blooms, but its red-magenta seed pods that ripen in the fall are eye-catchers because of their explosive color.

If you add maple-leaf viburnum and Virginia fringetree you get a pleasant treasure hunt at the nature center.

- Story and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales. Thanks, Peg.  

   

Virginia or White Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)

Maple-leaf Viburnum or Dockmackie (Viburnum acerifolium)

Kentucky or American Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) 

Mead's Quarry Lake cleared of fishing tackle hazards

It took the unfortunate death of a great blue heron caught in abandoned fishing line to activate the Ijams Quarry Dog Clean-Up Crew.

The dedicated fivesome (Like the Fantastic Four plus one) took to canoes to remove fishing line, hooks, lures, weights and floats from the trees and branches along the shoreline at Mead's Quarry Lake. The clean-up took three hours and located dozens of objects that could have ensnared other birds and wildlife.

Last year, Ijams veterinarian Dr. Louise Conrad and naturalist Emily Boves rescued an American coot entangled in line and lures. Unfortunately, its injuries were so sever it had to be euthanized. 

Our hats off to all of you!

Also, special thanks to the family of Ijams Board President Karyn Adams for helping with the removal on their Mother's Day outing!

Fishermen. Please remove all tackle caught in trees! 

- Story and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

Lauren Bird and Tanner Scruggs work on line caught on a snag

Daniel Lassman untangles line from a sycamore branch

A selection of dangerous items that could have killed birds

Job well done! Ijams Quarry Dogs Rescue Crew: Daniel Lassman, Victoria Deren, 
Tanner Scruggs and Lauren Bird

Warm temps, showers bring out gray tree frogs

Cope's gray tree frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

Last Saturday, we had a rain shower, brief but intense. It created a damp, muggy afternoon at the nature center. Perfect conditions in May to bring out a chorus of Cope's gray tree frog males crooning for a mate.

Shortly after finding the barred owl, the participants in a nature writing workshop at the Homesite heard the raspy baritone trills...eeeeeerrrrrrr. 

When the workshop ended, Rex McDaniel went back to search for the easy-to-hear, hard-to-see tree frogs that are about the size as half a Cadbury egg. Both are somewhat creme filled.  

Some frogs have the ability to shift their overall color to better blend into their environs. Gray tree frogs can be gray, brownish or, in this case, a bit greenish to better hideaway on a damp Saturday afternoon. 

- Photo by Rex McDaniel. Story by Stephen Lyn Bales 

Most recent owl sighting next to Homesite Pavilion

Today's barred owl! 

Barred owls are seen frequently on the trails at Ijams Nature Center. They seem to have very little fear of the many visitors who are lucky enough to see them. This one was spotted by participants in a nature writing exercise yesterday afternoon. He did fly away, but I went back after 5:00 and he had returned to the same perch he occupied before.

The next nature writing workshop at Ijams will be Saturday, June 15 at 2 p.m.

- Story and photo by Rex McDaniel

Morning canoe cruise finds peace between the showers

Finding peace in our over-scheduled lives is not always easy. Some days, it's practically impossible, that is unless you are in a canoe drifting quietly, effortlessly on Mead's Quarry Lake. 

Dodging the rain showers in the area, this morning's canoe cruise featured two hours of sereneness. We had the lake with towering limestone cliff stained rusty red all to ourselves. Just us and the geese, turtles, phoebes, swallows and vultures gliding over the placid water.  

The next guided canoe trip will be Saturday morning June 22.

- Stephen Lyn Bales

WaterFest 2013 at Ijams is a splashing success

Water Rockets were a blast

The 18 Annual WaterFest was held at Ijams last week. The one day environmental learning festival is all centered around the importance of water and keeping local waterways clean.

Hosted by Ijams and organized by the local Water Quality Forum, the event is a free field trip for area schools. 

Some of the activities helped students learn more about water, and how important it is to plants, animals and the environment.  Some activities had a big built-in "fun" factor. The children could watch a Water Magic Show and learn about the properties of water; they could shoot plastic liter bottles into the air at the Bottle Rocket station using air and water pressure. 

It was a aqueous day for all. Special thanks to WaterFests’ 200 volunteers, vendors, teachers and parents for their help and support.

And of course, the 650 students that visited, had their faces painted, and shot rockets into the air… and went home with a brain full of water.

- Photos by Daniel Lassman, Story by Stephen Lyn Bales

Aqualogist Peg Beute asks departing students water trivia

Water Magic Show taught by professors of waterlogy

All this talk of water has made me want to pump it

Let us entertain you

Small, reclusive (and little seen) toad found at Ijams Homesite

Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)

Frog and toad season is well underway at Ijams. Many species are fairly easy to find or at least hear, but there's one that is more reclusive. Occasionally we hear it's bleating call, but actually seeing one? Well that's another story. 

Wikipedia states "The Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) is a species of microhylid frog. It is a relatively small, toad-like amphibian found in damp, shady habitats. The species is highly fossorial [adapted to digging and life underground], and feeds primarily on ants. These North American microhylids are distinguished from true toads (genus Bufo), and other anurans due to their moist, smooth skin and their lack of eardrum or tympanum.

"G. carolinensis reproduce in aquatic habits, and may breed in either temporary or permanent waters. The toad species will breed in deep water only if it is covered with a dense mat of floating vegetation/debris. They may also breed in ephemeral aquatic habitats such as temporary ponds, roadside ditches, borrow pits, deep wheel ruts in dirt roads, and shallow drainage ditches.

"The mating call sounds like a high-pitched, penetrating, nasal sheep-like bleat. It may also sound like a buzzing quality, and lasts for approximately 1 to 1.5 seconds."

Frogs and toads found at Ijams throughout the year.

      American Toad (Bufo americanus) 

      Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis)

      Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)

      Western Chorus Frog  (Pseudacris triseriata)

      Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

      Green Frog (Rana clamitans)

      Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)

      Southern Leopard Frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)

      Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis)

- Stephen Lyn Bales

Spring birds counted in the rain at Ijams

The 2013 Spring Bird Count was held yesterday morning at Ijams. Three hours of counting birds in the pouring rain, consequently, the count number is very low: only 25 species and 74 total birds. And every bird counted was indeed wet, as were the counters. 

Time: 8 to 11 a.m., Weather: Temp 60s, Rain

List: Canada Goose 1, Double-crested Cormorant 3, Osprey 1, Red-shouldered Hawk 5 (2 Adults, 3 nestlings), Mourning Dove 4, Chimney Swift 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Downy Woodpecker 1, Red-eyed Vireo 2, American Crow 1, N. Rough-winged Swallow 3, Carolina Chickadee 6, Tufted Titmouse 4, Carolina Wren 7, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4, Northern Mockingbird 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, Scarlet Tanager 1, Eastern Towhee 1, Song Sparrow 1, White-throated Sparrow 2, Northern Cardinal 7, Indigo Bunting 5, Brown-headed Cowbird 2, American Goldfinch 4

Mayor Rogero presents new city budget at Ijams luncheon

Mayor Madeline Rogero presents 2013-14 city budget

With Mead's Quarry Lake at Ijams as a backdrop, Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero presented her city budget for the upcoming fiscal year: 2013-2014.

An azure blue sky overhead greeting visitors to the noon luncheon, but a voluminous white tent had been assembled to protect the 500 to 800 invited guests just in case. 

Paul James, executive director of Ijams Nature Center, made a few opening remarks and then Mayor Rogero presented her proposed no-property-tax-increase budget which did include a 2.5 salary increase to city employees and more monies allocated to restore blighted proprieties.   

For a more detailed story of Mayor Rogero budget, go to: knoxnews or a complete transcript, go to Mayor's speech for the knoxnews photo gallery, go to: photos.

To celebrate the event and draw attention to the recreational aspects of the quarry, Ijams own Sarah Brobst rappelled (yes, rappelled) down the cliff face on the west side of the lake. 

Excellent job by all!

- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photos by he and Daniel Lassman. 

Guests at Mayor's luncheon

Mayor Rogero answers media questions beforehand

Ijams staff welcomes visitors

Ijams Executive Director Paul James and Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis

Ijams own Sarah Brobst (circled) closely inspects quarry cliff face
as she rappels down from overlook

Sarah post cliff descent. Thumbs up to the entire event!

Sam Houston schoolers overwhelm with their kindness

Ijams educator Lauren Bird and screech-owl (right) with Sam Houston students

Recently, a school teacher from Sam Houston Elementary contacted me about collecting items for Ijams. 

She asked me for suggestions of things we could use. I gave her a list and thanked her for the kind gesture. Ijams is a non-profit so there are always things we need.

She emailed me again last week and mentioned that they had done their donation drive and wanted to bring the collected items over to Ijams yesterday.

We racked up! 

Sunflower seeds and paper towels and green cleaners… all kinds of good, useful stuff.  To thank the young students for their generous effort, we did an animal program for them so they could see first-hand one of the animals they were helping with their donation.

THANK YOU!

- Story and photo by Jennifer Roder, education director 

Ijams red-shouldered hawk nest hatches three

The red-shouldered hawk nest high in a beech tree down the hill behind the Visitor Center is alive with new life. Three down-covered nestlings were counted.

Ijams' staffer Rex McDaniel managed to get a photo yesterday.

Congratulations go out to the new proud pair of parent hawks!

- Photo Rex McDaniel, Story by Stephen Lyn Bales.

River Rescue 2013 cleans trash from 50 public locations

AmeriCorps member Victoria Deren models this year's River Rescue t-shirt complete with
optional accessories, two bags of trash.
(Please note that the bags are half as big as she is!)

The clouds parted, the rain stopped, unveiling a perfect Saturday for the 24th Annual River Rescue organized by Ijams Nature Center. The yearly shoreline clean-up focuses on public lands: boat ramps, parks and greeways from Island Home Airport downstream to Ft. Loudon Dam, plus sites along Melton Hill and Watts Bar Lakes.  

According to coordinator Peg Beute, this year saw just under 800 volunteers at 50 sites along the Tennessee and Clinch Rivers. The end result of the clean-up was nine tons of bagged debris, three tons of scrap metal, 102 tires and, perhaps a sign of our times, one loaded 9 mm pistol.

- Text and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

Kindergarten kids get to experience the "feel of nature"

Getting kids close to nature, that's our goal.

As an educator, you hope to find something memorable. One recent morning it was kindergarten kids on a field trip from Amherst Elementary. 

It was also rainy, damp. The young ones wore ponchos or, when the ponchos ran out, trash bags. 

As we walked along the trail to the Homesite, cherub-faced Cameron in a yellow full-length poncho lifted her arms to soak in the morning dampness and said, "Oh, feel the nature!"

She was in the moment. 

That was memorable, but the real highlight came on the Serendipity Trail. [Serendipity: noun: an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.] That morning the trail proved to be aptly named.  We found a barred owl and were able to creep up to be only about seven feet away. 

We were so close we could have asked for its autograph—Strix varia. But we let it alone to enjoy the "feel of nature."

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales