Aestas Hodge

Journal #6

Today at Southern Eighths, Ella, Erik, and I arrived to see Elinor and Brad sitting at the table. When we got situated and sat down, we began by discussing the reading. This week, Jane Goodall passed away, so we changed our traditional journal/book entry to her obituary, written by the New York Times. Brad had us discuss something that we took away from the reading, and I mentioned how she was a revolutionary in the ecological world. Goodall’s observations defined chimp social interactions, and how they have a social hierarchy. She also observed how they would make and use tools, which wasn’t observed in a traditional sense outside of humans. She would also bring her son to observe chimps with her, but she kept him in a cage to keep him safe, which I thought was a bit unconventional. Brad told us that as we read, he wanted us to ask questions, like why would she bring her son in a cage, or why she would even go to Kenya, leaving everything behind, to watch chimps? Brad proceeded to say more about how Goodall had the cards stacked against her, as a woman with no prior higher education, and how it makes it even more admirable to decide to make that trip to watch chimpanzees.

After our discussion with Brad, he, of course, asked us if we had any questions, to which I followed up with – “Do you know anybody that could help me get a job?” It was a slightly spontaneous question from me, but I’ve been in a dry spell for work recently, so I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He responded and told me that he’s got many, but I’d need to prove myself for him to introduce me to them. He also gave me advice on how I need to approach being able to prove myself, by asking more open-ended questions that almost “force” the person I speak to to engage with me. I used to think Brad was just this odd, eccentric guy, but that conversation really made me realize how he’s worked to get where he is, and how his attitude in life helped him succeed. He taught me a lot during that conversation, and I’ve considered and appreciated all of the advice he gave me.

After answering my question, Brad left and we went over the weekly slideshow, which was relatively short this time around. The temperature averaged lower this week, and because of the government shutdown, there was no stream gauge. We went over the game camera photos, which included Fox Squirrels, some White-Tailed Deer, and Possums. We then broke out to do individual research shortly after.

For my research project, I chose to use the coverboards that Queens University used to study the reptiles and amphibians around Southern Eighths to study invertebrate populations. I started in quadrant 46, which were the 20 coverboards closest to the Learning Center. The coverboards consisted of tin and plywood, arranged in the order of tin-plywood-tin, etc. I started flipping them and recording my findings, using photos and by taking notes. I got about halfway through the coverboards, before we went to Kayak Put In to look for crickets and crayfish, for Elinor and Erik, respectively. Because we didn’t know where the coverboards were around that area, I decided to help out Erik and Elinor on their hunt, as my phone was dead anyways. I didn’t have waders on, so I decided to look along the shore for crickets and other organisms.

Elinor found some Japanese Burrowing Crickets and Carolina Ground Crickets. We also found Northern Cricket Frogs with Morgan. After looking along the shore, I ventured around the mud along the water to try and spot some Crayfish. Because Ella and I couldn’t continue researching at Kayak Put In, we went back to the Learning Center with Elinor to look under the rest of the coverboards. I went through the rest and went over my list of invertebrates I recorded. There were a bunch of Winter Ants and even some Armored Millipedes, which are super cool as they still have prehistoric features- such as their flat exoskeleton.

After Erik returned to the Learning Center, he showed us that he found a crayfish! It was a super exciting way to end the day, and it was a beautiful drive home.

Journal #5

This week at Southern 8ths started with Ella, Erik, and me arriving at the Learning Center, ready to find some mussels. We had talked about the itinerary in the car and how we were supposed to be mussel hunting that day, and were excited to learn how to find mussels. We all arrived early, so we sat down and started going over the weekly PowerPoint. The high temperatures this week got up to 90℉, with the average being around 62℉. When we began talking about the weather, Morgan had mentioned that there were two hurricanes off the coast, which may bring in a lot of wind and rain. I was hoping we would get some rain soon, as the ground was getting extremely dry. The lack of rain also made the creek levels get lower, with the stream gauge downstream on Thompson Creek measuring the water level at around 6 feet, and the portion of the creek near the Learning Center potentially at 2 feet high.

The mention of incoming rain sparked David to ask us if we knew why animals don’t have issues accommodating their lifestyles to rain. I had mentioned that many animals could predict the rain from pressure changes, and from there, we discussed where certain animals would go before storms and how they would withstand them.

Before we began discussing the day’s agenda, Morgan had shown us the weekly game camera photos, which featured some River Otters playing, White-tailed Deer bucks fighting, a Coyote and more! It was so cool to see all the different types of animals that were on site this past week, and how we can use game cameras to monitor species and their activity! We had then taken some time to go over the reading material assigned to us this week, Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy. I enjoyed how this excerpt was on redefining what we label as a weed in our gardens, and how each plant- or organism that makes up a healthy ecosystem has a purpose or a function. I noted how it was helpful for him to put instructions on how to grow a diverse, healthy garden that is almost like a backyard national park.

After we discussed the topics for that week, Morgan and Anna began talking to us about finding mussels and what types of freshwater mussels we have in the Carolinas. There were four species mentioned: the Eastern Elliptio, Creeper, Variable Spike, and Notched Rainbow. Morgan had mentioned that the Notched Rainbow hadn’t been seen in South Carolina since the 80s(?), and we had all got so excited to be the ones to find the mussels, we didn’t listen to the specific details and instructions to know while mussel hunting.

After Morgan and Anna finished their talk on mussels, we were ready to head out and find some. We all arrived at Kayak Take Out , Erik and I got into waders and began looking through this large, orange, cone-like tool called a bathyscope. To use a bathyscope, you simply put it down on the surface of the water and look into the cone. Both Erik and I learned how to use the bathyscope while Ella and Elinor were flipping logs, as a part of both of their individual research projects. As I was going down further into the creek, I began feeling a little hopeless about finding any mussels. Morgan had told me that mussels will hide under logs or rocks as an area to support themselves, which I didn’t hear earlier because we were all so excited to go out. She also re-informed me that mussels have to have a finger-length amount of depth in the sand for them to be able to anchor. After hearing this for the second time, I began to flip rocks and branches to find any mussels. Because the clouds were so dark, it was relatively difficult to look through the bathyscope, so I looked around with my naked eye as well.

When Elinor and Ella returned, they told us about the different macroinvertebrates that they saw underneath logs, and got ready to use the bathoscope in the water. Erik and I decided to stay to help them look around by flipping logs and rocks.

After they had looked around, we went to the other side of the creek and looked for mussels around there. We were not finding any mussels, despite looking, but we did see a lot of other organisms. We had found what looked like a baby catfish, floating in the water. We thought it was dead, but it was actually alive! Ella had pointed out that something looked wrong with it, and that it looked like maybe it had issues with its swim bladder. Morgan then added on and told us that catfish have no scales and are covered in taste buds, which was cool to learn.

We continued searching for mussels, alongside other things. Ella and Elinor were looking along the shore of the water, as it was relatively deep where we were. Elinor then picked up what looked like a bone, and after some digging, we found out that it was a White-tailed Deer metatarsal! The bone was a dark brown color, likely from the mud from the creek. I had told Erik earlier that I would help him look for some Crayfish for his research, and I began looking around the edge for some. Then, a little blue-grey blob caught my eye, and I looked down to see a Crayfish! I should’ve taken a photo, but out of my excitement, I called Erik over. He tried picking the Crayfish up, but it escaped. In the same area though, we found a Medicinal Leech, and a big Dobsonfly larvae. They looked so creepy, but so cool. Then, Elinor and Ella called us over to look at an “alien” looking thing. I went over and looked, and it looked like a couple egg sacs attached to some organs. Erik was saying that it may have been a parasitic worm of sorts, but none of us fully know what it was. I posted it online and was told that it was a batch of unfertilized frog eggs, still attached to the organs of the frog.

After all of our findings at the creek, we went back to the Learning Center to discuss what we had found and talk about our projects some more. We showed David all of our photos, and he was also stumped at the picture of the eggs and organs. He had also asked us if we heard any birds, to which we responded that we heard a Cuckoo bird, which sounded really unique! All of our individual findings that day were really interesting, and showed us how diverse and different the animal world could be. I had seen some things that I had never seen before that day, and even though it freaked me out at first, it was really interesting to learn about all of the organisms I saw.

Journal #4

This week at Southern 8ths started with Ella, Erik, and me carpooling to the site. We got a little lost on the way, but nothing detrimental. When we arrived, Brad and many of his dogs were there, and we said hello to him. He, of course, asked us what questions we had for him, and I asked him about his week and his dogs. After we each talked to Brad and told him that we were born ready for the day, he left, and we went over the weekly PowerPoint. The weather was dry again, with no substantial rain. The creek was only 6 feet deep this week at the downstream stream gauge, likely because of the lack of precipitation. The temperatures are getting cooler, though, as our average was around 60°F this week. We then met Dr. McEntire and one of her undergraduate students from Queen’s University. They talked to us about their research project on insects and birds. They were going to set up Malaise traps to take a survey on the types of fall insects around the property, to then determine what types of insects migratory birds would potentially eat. This also provided novel information on any insect population decline, which I thought was really cool as someone who wants to study insects. I almost wanted to ask her if I could join!

After Dr. McEntire’s talk with us, she and her student left to put the traps up, and we left to go check on the bird houses with Morgan. Before we left, we had learned about some of the different bird nests that birds would make around here. We checked out the silos first, to see if any Barn Owls were there. We had scared out 2 of them, who flew to a nearby tree. We then stepped into the silo and looked at the floor, which was covered in small animal bones! It was kind of creepy, but they were just rodent bones dropped by the owls as pellets bound up with fur.

We then checked out the concrete bird houses, and the one near the silos had an old Eastern Bluebird nest in it. Morgan showed us how to use the endoscope to look into the bird house, and we knew it was a Bluebird nest because the nest was made out of pine straw , and there were feathers and droppings in the nest. Morgan removed the old nest as it had been used already, and because the second nest didn’t contain anything, we went to Muddy Branch. We checked the third bird house there, and there was a nest inside. This nest looked like it was originally a Carolina Chickadee nest, as the bottom had been made out of moss, but there was a top layer of leaves, twigs, and straw. We deduced that this was possibly a Carolina Wren that took the nest over. It didn’t get to finish building the nest though, as there was no notable “roof” for the nest, which is characteristic for a Carolina Wren. Morgan removed threw the nest and we continued walking around Muddy Branch.

We then had some extra time, so we decided to just stay at Muddy Branch and soak in the sun. I was looking around for Cordyceps and found a lot! Elinor also found a lot of cool stuff, such as a Marbled Salamander. While everyone was looking around on the bank of the creek, I went into the stream channel , as it was mostly dried out. There were some small fish in the pockets of water, and David pointed out that the rocks I was standing on is bedrock that’s likely 250 million years old!

When I came back up to the bank, I noticed a tree with Ella that had a big area of the trunk near the base without any bark. We wondered why the tree looked like that, and David pointed out that it could have been a buck rubbing his antlers on it, but he wasn’t exactly sure. Elinor then pointed out a lot of bird feathers in one area, and we deduced a bird had likely been attacked.

As we were walking down the creek further, Anna found a Luna Moth on the ground. I picked it up and noticed it was headless, and a couple ants crawled out of where its head was. Pretty gnarly. I gave the moth to Morgan to keep for the Learning Center collection. As we walked further down, we saw the wing of the bird that was likely attacked, and identified it as a Barred Owl. David then told us that Great Horned Owls will predate on Barred Owls, which I didn’t know! We talked about our research topics and went back to the Learning Center.

Back at the Learning Center, we went on the Motus website, which is a wildlife tracking system for birds! The Motus team will chip birds and can track their flight path using Motus stations. We actually have a station on Southern Eighths, which will show us what bird species have passed by, and when. We’ve had 7 birds come by so far, such as the Lesser Yellowlegs and the Belted Kingfisher. We then looked on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website (they host the Merlin Bird ID app) to learn more about some of the birds we heard and saw that day. We could see the sizes of the birds as well as their diet, and even listen to calls! After our relaxing day learning about birds and walking around the property, Ella, Erik, and I left to go back home for the day, reflecting on our day on the way.

Journal #3

This week began a little off, with me recovering from sickness and Ella sounding a little worse for wear. Elinor called off sick, so we were missing someone, too. On the way to Southern Eighths, Erik and I were talking about the excerpt from A Sand County Almanac that was assigned to us over the week. He was talking about the excerpt on the geese, and I was talking about the field mice, and before we knew it, we were at the Learning Center. There we talked about the blood moon and the eclipse that happened, and the history of how native people would do traditional ceremonies during different moon events.

During the weekly PowerPoint, we went over the temperature and precipitation levels over the week, as well as the weekly stream height levels. We then went over the weekly trail camera images, which featured White-tailed Deer, a Bobcat, a Fox Squirrel, and some Turkey Vultures. After our discussion on the reading, Dr. Davis from Queen’s University gave us a presentation on a herpetofauna and disease survey that he is doing with a student using coverboards at Southern Eighths. He showed us how the coverboards were set up and distributed around the property, as well as how he and his team separated the land into quadrants. He then covered his research methods and the results of the survey. Surprisingly, the 46th grid square that included the Learning Center was the most diverse area for amphibians and reptiles on campus! Dr. Davis taught us a lot about diseases that infect different amphibians and reptiles, as well as what some amphibian egg cases looked like. It was inspiring to see the vast diversity of organisms on the property, and watching Dr. Davis’ presentation really inspired me about what I want to research and what I can do with it.

After the presentation by Dr. Davis, we planned to learn about the drone and how to use it. Anna showed us how to move the drone using its controller and how to connect the iPad as a screen for the controller. We all took turns using the drone and flew it around the Learning Center, looking over the forest and the wetlands nearby. Learning to use the drone gave me ideas on how it could be used as a tool for agriculture and conservation, as the drone can be used to get into areas you can’t reach or see from. After we flew it for a while, Anna took a drone photo and video of all of us to end the session.

Next, we learned how Anna tests the overall stream quality in Thompson Creek. Anna told us how she goes about testing the nitrate, nitrite, total nitrogen, and E.coli in the water samples taken from the creek. She has to sign “chain of custody” forms and deal with a water testing lab in order to learn about the details of the creek. We were surprised by how serious something like water testing could be, but we understood it once she explained how legal issues could occur if someone mishandled the samples, or if the samples are used to help prove the source of a pollution problem. She then showed us how to use the colorimeter and turbidity meter and let us calibrate both machines. The colorimeter tests for 900 different chemicals in the water, and the turbidimeter tests for suspended solids to determine how cloudy or clear the water is. We then went to the stream and used the Probe Quatro to test for pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The part of Thompson’s Creek near the Learning Center was only about a foot deep now due to weeks of dry weather, and the tests came back relatively average for the creek. Learning how to use these tools made us realize how much goes into water testing, and how issues like acidity can cause big issues for the Creek, such as how many organisms can live there or how much bacteria is in the water.

Journal #2

Erik, Ella, and my second week at Southern Eighths began with us all carpooling to the farm. I wish Eleanor could’ve joined us, but she drives from Winthrop University which is much farther to the west. We listened to some music, talked about each of our days, and discussed the historical reading before arriving at the Learning Center. When we arrived, we met Brad Turley, the owner of Southern Eighths.

We were introduced to Brad, who is a very energetic and eccentric man. He joked with us, saying that we were the “E” group, as our names start with an “E” (Mine starts with an “A”, but the second letter is an “E”, so it’s close enough). Brad then introduced “QSA” to us, which stands for questions, storytelling, and attitude. He began his talk by asking us if we had any questions. We all responded “no,” as we didn’t know much about him at the time, and he responded with “you should.” Brad explained that to him, younger generations are beginning to ask fewer and fewer questions, especially with the newfound dependency on AI. This is an issue, as people should always be curious and never just accept an answer. I found myself agreeing with him, especially about AI, as he reinforced that there is an issue where people typically just accept the first answer they receive from AI without questioning it. I found myself thinking about times when I’ve seen people, including myself, do just that and not think about it twice.

Brad then explained that storytelling is an extremely important factor in his life, as it makes people care. He told us that as biologists, and environmental biologists specifically, we have to use storytelling to make people care about the environment to see change. I understood where he was coming from, as I thought back to Rachel Carson and how she likely saved many lives with Silent Spring. He reinforced how important these journals can be, which I’m reflecting on even as I write now.

Brad then mentioned the final topic, attitude. He explained to us that we always need to have a go-getter attitude and be ready to excel in whatever life throws us. If we have the right attitude and respond to people in a way that tells them that we are more than ready to do something, it will leave a positive lasting impression on others.

Brad also told us a bit about his personal life, and how he was a programmer before buying Southern Eighths. He was the CEO of a company named Continuum Performance Systems, which he sold years prior to owning the farm. Using the money he made from the company, he bought land in Chesterfield to restore it into Southern Eighths today.

After meeting Brad, we went over the weekly PowerPoint and looked at some images of the different animals caught on the trail cameras. We saw a flock of Wild Turkeys, some River Otters playing, Herons and Egrets, and even what looked like a piebald White-Tailed Deer Fawn. After going over the images, we discussed the historical reading and talked about possible topic focuses. I was thinking about what I wanted to study here, and because of the number of possibilities, I was kind of stumped.

Talking to Brad ended up costing some time, so we decided to stop by three ponds on Southern Eighths: the Otter Pond, Turtle Pond, and BJ’s Pond. We started by going to Otter Pond, where we saw a Beaver swimming in the water. Anna told us that there hadn’t been a Beaver there previously, so we named her “Beavertrice,” or Bea for short. Around the bend of the pond, we saw some Great Egrets in a flock flying around each other. I was wondering what they were doing, as it almost seemed like they could have been fighting. Anna then went to change the capture card for the game camera, and we went to Turtle Pond afterwards.

At Turtle Pond, I was greeted by a Chinese Praying Mantis in a shrub before walking through an overgrowth of Shiso plants. Fortunately, the shiso smelled refreshing and minty, which was great, as Smiley had been sprayed by a skunk earlier that day and was following us around with the lingering scent of skunk. Turtle Pond was very tranquil, with not much action at the pond itself, despite teeming with life all around it. We did see some turtles basking near the shore, though, and Anna talked about her previously inhabited duck box that was nearby. Once we changed the game camera capture cards, we left to go to BJ’s Pond.

We went to BJ’s Pond and walked down a shaded hill to reach the water. On the way to the pond, we saw an Eastern Box Turtle! Anna went to change the capture card when we made it down, but as she was changing it, there was this weird screeching-mixed-with-grunting noise. We noted that it was probably some kind of toad or frog, despite almost sounding like an odd cat. Ella and I looked at some little orange mushrooms on the ground, and took some pictures before we were about to leave. Anna pointed out some marks on the trees, which we noticed were from a Beaver, as it was almost like someone was taking big bites out of the trunks of a couple of trees. There could be another Beaver around Southern Eighths, including Beavertrice!

We returned to the Learning Center and discussed our day, and began our journal entries. Nobody finished; however, it was good to get some ideas that were fresh on our minds down for journaling later. We then left Southern Eighths and carpooled home. Journal #1

My first day at Southern Eighths Farm was incredibly beautiful and rather nostalgic. The weather was nice and sunny, only 84°F, and despite my GPS-less drive that got me lost, I managed to make it to the site around 1:30 pm. After meeting my peers, Erik, Elinor, and Ella, we were shown a PowerPoint on our internship and a video highlighting the beauty of Southern Eighths. I was already excited to start. David, Anna, and Morgan each discussed what they do on the farm, and had us think about what we were interested in. After introductions and discussions, we were ready to head out and get an overall layout of the land.

We began by heading down to an opening, showing us the beautiful Thompson Creek. When we arrived, David noticed what looked like River Otter droppings on the ground. There were particles of shells and possible bones in the dung, indicative of the otter. It is amazing to see evidence of the diversity of life at Thompson Creek! The water was a bit cloudy and was only about two feet deep; however, Ella noticed a bundle of leaves and twigs hanging on a limb next to her head. David informed us that that was actually how high the water could rise during flash floods or heavy rains. We couldn’t believe that the creek would swell that high! There were also some Crayfish holes that we spotted near the creek.

We headed back to the Learning Center and loaded up in two Kubotas. We drove to our first destination, where we saw a beautiful log sculpture done by Randi Boni. The sculpture displayed an eagle, spreading its wings over horses, almost like it was protecting them. There were rocks we noticed on the base of the sculpture, which we were informed are from a therapy group for families who have lost loved ones in service. Near it was a small graveyard. In the graveyard there are several blank headstones, which David told us could have belonged to Union Soldiers killed nearby in the Civil War. Southern Eighths has a lot of history tied to it, especially during the Civil War era in America. Toward the end of the war, thousands of soldiers passed through the area using the bridges in the area, and some of the cavalry horses for the Confederate Army were supplied by the Burch family, which continued to play a role in the equestrian industry.

We then saw other art sculptures around the farm, and notably, “The Lesson” had droppings on the head of the young Cougar. David took a look and informed us that it could be Bobcat droppings! Maybe the Bobcat was jealous that Randi didn’t make the log sculpture about him. Then we went to the Fireworks Prairies, where there were many different native grasses and wildflowers. There were Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and Tiger Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) flying around the field, sucking up nectar. Across from the field were some of the bird houses which Morgan is monitoring with a natural, hands-off approach.

We then visited other areas of the farm. We went to a pond that was built for the cattle to drink from, back when cattle grazed much of the land . There, we talked about the game cameras, potentially heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo bird, and I saw an Ichneumon wasp. We then went to a little green pond. I looked closer and noticed it was covered in Duckweed (Lemnoideae). David mentioned that they never actually see any ducks eating the weeds, which may be why it’s so bountiful in this pond. Afterwards, we went down Thompson Creek and visited the kayak entry area, where we found an Eastern Elliptio mussel shell and two little Asian Clam shells. They were recently opened and were beautiful shells. Nearby were some of the Longhorn Beetle traps Anna uses, so we checked them out and noticed that there weren’t any.

Journal #1

Longhorn Beetles. Anna mentioned that they weren’t very active as of now, and taught us about the trapping method and the different pheromones she used. I looked up on one of the branches and noticed an ant cadaver with a fungus. It was Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae, a parasitic fungus that infects carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) in the Southeast. As I am currently researching this insect pathogen at Wingate University, it caught my eye.

Towards the end of our trip, we visited Francis’ Meadow, which was also full of native plant life, such as the Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) There were butterflies here, too, as well as Katydids singing. David pointed out the rows of pine trees around the edge of the fields and informed us that this area is a pine plantation. Some Loblolly Pine trees were sprouting in Francis’ Meadow, trying to take advantage of the open area. After the meadow, we visited Inspiration Rock, a gigantic rock formation on the side of Thompson’s Creek. David informed us that this is the area that inspired Brad Turley, the owner of Southern Eighths Farm, to restore the property to its former glory. The sounds of the creek flowing below you immerse you in this feeling that you’re hiking in the mountains. That feeling and the beautiful sight in front of me made me understand why he and Pati called it Inspiration Rock.

Before leaving, we stopped by a bridge with a sign saying “unsafe.” Despite being a sturdy concrete bridge, it definitely has its years. The bridge looks over Thompson Creek, and would be a beautiful spot to stop and watch the creek flow. Afterwards, we returned to the Learning Center and packed up to go. David mentioned that the wood paneling on the walls of the Learning Center came entirely from naturally fallen logs found around the property. I looked around to notice all the different types of wood that made up the building. He then reminded us to think about what our topics of study would be. As I got back in my car, I found myself so inspired and excited from all the different types of life on Southern Eighths, as well as how beautiful each area I visited was. I can’t wait to begin my internship here at Southern Eighths, and I’m even more impatient to simply return.

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Aestas Hodge

Aestas Hodge

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