crannmornature's Journal

I love observing nature and learning more about plants and animals. I recently observed the Common Green Bottle Fly in the weeds near our house and learned that it is also known as a blow fly. It has a very bad affect on the sheep in the British Isles feeding directly on the skin surface of sheep. The larvae feed on flesh including dead flesh. They are used medicinally to clean open flesh wounds. They are used in forensics to help determine time of death and whether a body has been disturbed. Their life cycle is only about two to three weeks. They will complete three to four generations in our area of eastern Kentucky.

I walked through our woods, yesterday, and noticed that the fungi are thriving in all of the moisture. I saw a couple of fungi I have never seen before yesterday. I will do some research to identify them and add them to this site.

More rain, today. We are 3.5 inches above normal for the month of June and 6.3 inches above normal for the year. This is the third year in a row of rainfall well above normal. What affects will that have on this environment? Significant erosion is one obvious affect. Will more erosion change the habitat making it difficult for some species to live and/or creating opportunities for new species to move into the affected areas? These are things we will watch in the future.

I have posted several observations to this site. I very much appreciate the verification of my observations from more knowledgeable experts. I have benefited from the site's expertise in identifying species. For example, what I thought was a Woodthrush that I see frequently in and around our yard is actually a Brown Thrasher. That is one of the main reasons I am here - to learn.

I took a walk through our woods, today. I am especially impressed with the health of the ferns. They are loving this wet weather we have been having this spring. I have never seen them this full and vibrant.

Today, I joined this iNaturalist website. It looks like a good place to record my observations of nature and simultaneously contribute to science in a small way. My goal is to observe and record as much of the flora and fauna around Crann Mor and in eastern Kentucky as i can. I want to develop into a good amateur naturalist and participate in the naturalists' community - learning and contributing when I can.

I practiced posting observations and photos of two birds that frequent our feeder. I think I did alright. My first posting has been identified (verified?) and given the status of "Research Grade". That sounds official and gives a shot of self esteem. I look forward to posting more observations from this home we share with plants and animals.