June 10 - After school I went to my mom’s office and got all my papers organized and correctly formatted. Then I dropped them all off at Gnomon Copy to be color copied onto cardstock and spiral bound.
30 mins at office
Total: 17 hrs 10 minsMonday, June 10, 2013
June 6
June 6 - Went to art room, collected paper, drew my final drawing. Later I stayed up late and finished the last of the watercolors, painting 6 of them in one sitting.
50 mins in class
180 mins at home
Total: 16 hrs 40 mins
June 4
June 4 - In class I drew 2 more amphibians. This took the bulk of the period, but I continued to work on watercolors at home.
50 mins in class
60 mins at home
Total: 13 hrs 30 mins
June 3
June 3 - After a very late night of studying for math I struggled with keeping myself awake during the class time work period. Went home and began watercolors. Fell asleep at my desk.
20 mins in class
60 mins at home
Total: 11 hrs 40 mins
May 31
May 31 - Realizing that I had fallen very far behind on blog entries, I began typing what I did into this google doc so that I could easily post later and remember what I had done.
50 mins in class
Total: 10 hrs 20 minsMay 30
May 30 - Went to the art room once more to get some paper and was told by the teachers that I wasn’t allowed to take paper... I was able to get one sheet. Went back to class and continued working.
50 mins in class
Total: 9 hrs 30 mins
May 29
May 29 - Sketched more amphibians in class. This time I drew an Eastern Redback Salamander and a Spring Peeper. At home I drew one more: Fowler’s Toad.
45 mins in class
60 mins at home
Total: 8 hrs 40 mins
May 28
May 28 - Went to art room and got one sheet of watercolor paper. In class I sketched two amphibians: a Red Eft and a Wood Frog. At home I sketched two more: An American Toad and a Bull Frog.
50 mins in class
60 mins at home
Total: 6 hrs 55 mins
May 27
May 27 - Was not in class, but over the weekend had gone on two expeditions to find amphibians. Both were marginally successful. Found Red Efts and American Toads, as well as one Green Frog.
120 mins in field
Total: 5 hrs 5 minsMay 24
May 24 - Researched typical habitats and seasons of the most common of my list of amphibians. Trimmed down the list to just those I had seen before.
40 mins in class
Total: 3 hrs 5 minsMay 22
May 22 - Started my blog. Added photos and my first post, sent to Ms. K. In the afternoon I ventured into the woodland/wetland next to my house to find amphibians. After an hour long walk in the rain with nothing found I gave up and went to go drink some hot chocolate.
45 mins in class
60 mins in the field
Total: 2hrs 35 minsMay 21
May 21 - Researched a list of amphibians that are native to the Upper Valley, created a google doc.
50 mins
total = 50 mins
50 mins
total = 50 mins
Monday, June 3, 2013
Spring Peeper
Today I spent my 50 minutes of class time trying to get watercolor paper and then drawing a spring peeper.
Total time 50 mins
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Photographs
Because my recent adventures have only rendered 4 breeds of amphibian, I spent today's class time finding adequate photographs for the amphibians that I don't expect to find in the coming weeks. So far I have photographs of Red Efts (Eastern Newt juvenile), American Toads, a Green Frog, and a Red Backed Salamander. I also have photos of Spotted Salamanders and Spring Peepers from a roadway expedition last year. While I don't expect to find many of the other amphibians at this time of year, I have not given up hope and I will be out this weekend in the ponds surrounding my house. I'll make sure to root around in the muddy banks in search of some adult Eastern Newts as well as Bull Frogs and Leopard Frogs and maybe, if I'm lucky, a mudpuppy (I've only ever seen one once).
Total Time Today: 45 Mins
Total Time Today: 45 Mins
Expeditions of Week One
This week I went on three different expeditions in search of amphibians. I will detail each and show you some of the pictures I collected from each.
Trip One:
I ventured out into the woods behind my house in search of woodland salamanders. I crossed over a small brook which I determined to be moving too quickly for salamanders to inhabit. I moved into a marshy area full of ferns and fallen birch trees. I walked around this area for 20 minutes or so, turning over logs and large stones in search of Red Backed Salamanders and Two Lined Salamanders, both which inhabit these types of niches. After working my way through the forest, I came to a low stone wall which seemed to be a good place to find some woodland salamanders or maybe some toads. I found neither. Instead I consulted my guidebook and made a plan to walk lower along the wall to where there were some large stones and the ground was wetter. Down in this hollow I encountered my first amphibian: a small red eft. The red eft is the juvenile form of the Eastern Newt, a fully aquatic amphibian found in many lakes and ponds all over the north east.
Total Time: 1 Hour
Trip Two:
Next, I made a late night expedition to hunt out what frogs, toads, and salamanders I could find at the Norwich Pool. I brought a very powerful head lamp and I marched up the trail with my rubber boots and immediately found two American Toads and a nice Green Frog. I photographed them all and went along my way. Unfortunately, the rain began to pour and I found no other signs of amphibian life for the rest of my soggy walk.
Total Time: 1 Hour
Trip Three:
The shortest of my trips, this one consisted of a short escapade into the garden to pull weeds, followed by yard work around the house. On my adventures earning my keep I found 3 red efts and one American Toad, but the real prize came later. As I went inside to wash off my hands and get some lemonade, my dad pounded on the back door. I slid open the glass door to find him holding a ball of dirt. Inside that ball was a small Red Backed Salamander. He had found the little guy while moving some rotten logs from our property. I photographed the salamander and it was returned to its home.
Total Time: 45 Mins
Trip One:
I ventured out into the woods behind my house in search of woodland salamanders. I crossed over a small brook which I determined to be moving too quickly for salamanders to inhabit. I moved into a marshy area full of ferns and fallen birch trees. I walked around this area for 20 minutes or so, turning over logs and large stones in search of Red Backed Salamanders and Two Lined Salamanders, both which inhabit these types of niches. After working my way through the forest, I came to a low stone wall which seemed to be a good place to find some woodland salamanders or maybe some toads. I found neither. Instead I consulted my guidebook and made a plan to walk lower along the wall to where there were some large stones and the ground was wetter. Down in this hollow I encountered my first amphibian: a small red eft. The red eft is the juvenile form of the Eastern Newt, a fully aquatic amphibian found in many lakes and ponds all over the north east.
Total Time: 1 Hour
Trip Two:
Next, I made a late night expedition to hunt out what frogs, toads, and salamanders I could find at the Norwich Pool. I brought a very powerful head lamp and I marched up the trail with my rubber boots and immediately found two American Toads and a nice Green Frog. I photographed them all and went along my way. Unfortunately, the rain began to pour and I found no other signs of amphibian life for the rest of my soggy walk.
Total Time: 1 Hour
Trip Three:
The shortest of my trips, this one consisted of a short escapade into the garden to pull weeds, followed by yard work around the house. On my adventures earning my keep I found 3 red efts and one American Toad, but the real prize came later. As I went inside to wash off my hands and get some lemonade, my dad pounded on the back door. I slid open the glass door to find him holding a ball of dirt. Inside that ball was a small Red Backed Salamander. He had found the little guy while moving some rotten logs from our property. I photographed the salamander and it was returned to its home.
Total Time: 45 Mins
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Species Research and First Expedition
Today I spent my time researching the amphibians that I will hunt, photograph, watercolor and eventually include in my guide. The list goes as follows:
Amphibians that I hope/expect to encounter:
Amphibians that I might encounter, but I don't expect to:
Blue-spotted Salamander
Amphibians that I hope/expect to encounter:
Eastern Newt
Spring Peeper
American Toad
Fowler’s Toad
Green Frog
American Bullfrog
Wood Frog
Northern Leopard Frog
Northern two-lined Salamander
Spotted Salamander
Eastern Red Back Salamander
Mudpuppy
Gray Treefrog (maybe)
Amphibians that I might encounter, but I don't expect to:
Boreal Chorus Frog
Pickerel Frog
Jefferson Salamander
Blue-spotted Salamander
Monday, May 20, 2013
This Blog...
This blog is dedicated to the documentation of my work towards completing my Environmental Science final project for my class at Hanover High School. My project will be to find, photograph, illustrate, and describe a collection of amphibians native to the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. In the end I will produce a small booklet for people to use for easy amphibian identification. I will be posting almost every day as I complete my project.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Green-Treefrog-North-American-Gray-Species-5.JPG
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