An Introduction to Field Biology
Last summer, a friend mentioned in passing that classes are free at Washtenaw Community College for those age 65 and older. Curious, I browsed the class offerings, and came across one that might help Tom and me better understand our land and refine our hopes for restoring it.
And gosh, did I ever hit the jackpot! Professor David Wooten has brilliantly organized this course (Bio 107) to familiarize students with Michigan ecosystems and their inhabitants. Week by week we learned about forests, meadows, wetlands and waterways, mammals, birds, insects, amphibians and reptiles, wildflowers, fungi and trees. Class time – three hours every Tuesday – was exclusively spent outdoors, looking at nature, concentrating on the topic for that week.
Each week’s homework assignment was to spend at least an hour outdoors, in the same spot every week, observing and journaling. Writing about what we saw wasn’t quite enough though; we were asked to also illustrate what we saw. This was a challenge, as in the past I’ve had neither occasion nor motivation to exercise whatever minuscule bit of drawing skill I might have. Yet the requirement to draw brought with it the need to look closely, and thereby to consider carefully a plant or creature.
More fascinating to me than my drawings are the photos I took throughout the semester. My new-found interest in looking more closely at nature actually began last summer when I noticed parasitoid wasp cocoons attached to a caterpillar on a tomato plant. That discovery along with similar finds during the fall made my final paper and presentation topic choice simple (parasitoid wasps! – though, really, I could have happily chosen many other critters or plants: They’re all amazing!).
Tom and I will continue to pursue re-wilding and restoring our land, robustly buoyed by the foundation laid in this semester of learning. Will we ever finish learning about this land? No, never. Will we see the completion of this project? Not likely. But our journey is immensely enriched, inspired and furthered by the amazing teachers, guides and friends we meet all along the way.
Parasitoid wasp | Parasitoid wasp cocoons | |
Oak gall | Wild grape gall | Wild grape gall larvae |
Ground beetle larva | Blue spotted salamander | Bee on teasel |