BIOLOGY

History

This page documents significant finds at the field station.
October 15th, 2006.  Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is a prominent tree species at the station.  Undoubtedly planted there by the Beisers, at one point the Osage Orange trees form a continuous line hundreds of feet long.  Because it has large thorns, can grow easily from cuttings, and because it grows densely, Osage Oranges were commonly used to create "living fences".  The rule of thumb was that such a fence was to be "too high for a horse to jump, too strong for a bull to break through, and too tight for a hog to squeeze through".  The Fruits, pictured here, are grapefruit sized and have a faint citrus scent, thus accounting for part of the common name (the Osage comes from a Native American tribe living in Oklahoma where the trees are native).  The fruits are also known as hedge apples.  In addition to the fence, Osage Oranges are scattered across the station where they have taken root from seeds cast off by the trees of the fence.
September 11th, 2007.  A Saddleback Caterpillar (Archaria stimulea) found at the station  by the Zoology class.  A generalist, it is found on many different host plants.  According to David Wagner, this caterpillar has particularly potent stinging spines.  It is a member of the slug moth family, the Limacodidae; the adult is a rather non-descript brown moth.
September 11th, 2007.  A Pickerel Frog, Rana palustris, encountered at the station.  The extensive wetlands on the river terraces at the site are home to a number of amphibian species; we have already encountered Pickerel Frogs, Green Frogs, and  American Toads; on previous trips Wood Frogs and Spring Peepers have also turned up.
September 19th, 2007.  The larva of the Dragonhunter dragonfly, Hagenius brevistylus, are dead leaf mimics.  Their flattened bodies (note that even the paddlelike antennae are flattened) and brown shape allow them to blend into dead leaves and other debris in the water, while they wait for prey to pass by.  The adults are among the largest dragonflies in Ohio, and often feed on other dragonflies.  We found a number of dragonfly larvae in the river at the field station and are rearing them in aquaria back at Marietta College.
September 19th, 2007.  Keira Hambrick, working with the Field Biology Techniques class, netted 5 Palaemonetes kadiakensis,  the Mississippi Grass Shrimp, in a stand of Justicia americana (water willow) at the station.  This discovery (assuming the voucher specimens are confirmed) would mark the furthest upstream in the Ohio River Basin that this species has been recorded.  Significantly, the site on the Little Muskingum River is several river miles upstream from the confluence of the Little Muskingum with the Ohio.
September 25th, 2007.  The Honey Locust  (Gleditsia triacanthos) is a common tree species at the station.  These trees are common on disturbed land such as old pastures; in addition they are planted for shade since they are resistant to browsing by many organisms (note the huge spines).  Unlike most locusts, they cannot fix nitrogen. The spines, which are overkill in deterring deer, evolved in a time when the dominant predators included large mammals such as mastodons.
October 6th, 2008.  Scouting for the next day's zoology class field trip, I came across our flock of wild turkeys crossing the access road on the Arnold Property.  The flock has been at this end of the property for the past few weeks, it seems.  Andy Grimm sees them up in his orchards where "they eat more bugs than apples".
October 7, 2008.  The caterpillars of the Spicebush Swallowtail are able to mimic a much larger organism - a snake.  Read more about this amazing act of mimicry in this edition of Field Notes from the Beiser Field Station.
October 10, 2008.  Giant Puffballs once again make their appearance at the field station.  The map is on a normal sized 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. Notes From the Beiser Field Station - Giant Puffball
April 1, 2009.  Horsehair worms are a parasite of many terrestrial insects, including grasshoppers and crickets.  The adult horsehair worms live in water, however, and induce their hosts to take them there.  Read more: Field Notes from the Beiser Field Station - Horsehair Worms.
	Natural History Human History Station History (pages open in new window - make sure pop-up blocker is off) Dedication - September 15th, 2007
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Aerial view of the field station.  SR 26 runs east-west just out of the top of the frame; the Ohio River similarly runs southwest below the frame.  The red squares approximate the property boundaries.