Nature lessons

Al Batt, Nature's World

Published Saturday, September 6, 2008

My neighbor Crandall stops by.

“How are you doing?” I ask.

“I’m staying ahead of the posse. I went to Just Jack’s to buy some lottery tickets and he asked me what I’d do if I won.”

“Why is it called Just Jack’s and what would you do if you won the lottery?” I say.

“The guy who painted the sign asked Jack what he wanted the sign to say. Jack answered, ‘Oh just Jack’s.’ If I won the lottery, the first thing I’d do is to stop buying lottery tickets. Then I’d get a new toaster and have the Pinto repainted. If you’re going to dream, I believe you should reach for the stars. As I was scratching off those tickets, I got to thinking about the job I had when I was a teenager. I cleaned chicken houses. It was a nasty job and I worked 25 hours every day.”

“Wait! How could you have worked 25 hours a day?” I ask.

“Oh, I skipped lunch. I hated that job. Folks called me ambitious. It’s hard to live down something like that. Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. One day while pitching chicken poop, I made a vow that when I grew up, I would find teenagers cleaning henhouses and I would give them money or help them find a better job so they wouldn’t have to suffer the way I did.”

“Wow! That is really noble of you. When are you going to start doing that for the youngsters?” I say.

“Oh, I had a second thought. The heck with them.”

Nature lessons

The green frog has a twangy voice that sounds like a banjo string has been plunked.

Male katydids sing from early evening well into the night. Their songs are a harsh “ch-ch-ch” in a rhythm that hints at the insect’s name, “Ka-ty-did.”

The DNR says that Minnesota is the land of 11,842 lakes.

Yellowjackets build their nests underground in abandoned rodent burrows. The bald-faced hornet builds a similar nest that hangs from a tree branch. Bald-faced hornet nests become conspicuous in the fall. As leaves drop from trees, basketball-sized hornet nests become obvious.

The Grotto

Each year, my family made a pilgrimage to West Bend, Iowa to visit the Grotto of the Redemption. The Grotto is considered the largest single collection of minerals and petrifaction in the world, covering a city block.

In the 1890s, two weeks before Paul Dobberstein was to be ordained, he became gravely ill with pneumonia. He wasn’t expected to survive. He prayed that his health be restored, promising that if it were, he would build a shrine to honor the Virgin Mary. He recovered and started building the shrine in 1912, intending it to be a single structure. Father Dobberstein enlarged his vision to include the whole story of mankind, from the fall of Adam and Eve to redemption through Christ.

The Grotto of Redemption is a marvelous landmark to the power of one man’s devotion. Father Dobberstein continued building the grotto until his death in 1954.

Every imaginable colorful mineral and crystal has been incorporated into the Grotto, but the Grotto remains forever unfinished. The Grotto is located northwest of Fort Dodge between Highways 18 and 20.

Hummingbirds

The ruby-throated hummingbird a good eater, eating five to eight times an hour and consuming half its body weight in nectar each day. Its metabolism rate is 40 times ours. The hummingbird fearlessly attacks orioles that compete with them for nectar. The hummingbird’s wings beat up to 60 times per second and its heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute. The heart of a hummingbird makes up one-quarter of its body weight and the bird is able to fly up to 50 mph. A hummingbird lacks down feathers that act as insulation. The males have a throat patch of specialized feathers called a gorget that appears black in color until sunlight hits it and it becomes a brilliant ruby red color. Good plants to attract hummingbirds include: Impatiens, fuchsia, honeysuckle, petunia, salvia, four o’clocks and nasturtiums. 

Q and A

“What is the difference between a crow and a raven?” Ravens are ruffled at the throat and have heads that appear enormous compared to the heads of crows. Ravens have wedge-shaped tails in flight; a crow’s tail tends to be shorter and rather rounded or fan-shaped. Ravens are larger than crows and a raven’s bill is thicker than a crow’s bill. Ravens make a guttural “gronk, gronk” and the crow emits a “caw, caw, caw.” Ravens are more solitary than crows, which will often assemble in large flocks.

“What is the difference between relative humidity and the dew point?” Relative humidity is a measure by percentage of how much water vapor is in the air compared to how much water vapor the air is capable of holding at a particular temperature. The dew point is the temperature at which water will condense out of the air as dew or frost.

“Are those cicadas or locusts buzzing in the hot weather?” They are cicadas. Locusts are related to grasshoppers. Cicadas are related to aphids.

A sense of place

I was going to change the world. My goals have become less lofty.

I believe that each person should become thoroughly involved with a park, a lake, a prairie, a pond, a nature center, a river, a forest or a backyard. Places that take your breath away. Places that linger in your mind. Places that make a difference. This will result in not only a better place, but a better person. You will make a difference.

Go to the place where birds call and their songs make your ears want to dance. Go to the place where the majestic beauty of a tree makes a tear fall from your eye. Go to the place where flying geese cause you wanderlust and welcoming clouds make you a homebody. Go to the place where the paths are familiar to your feet and where your thoughts have room to prosper. Go to the place where each visit has the potential to be your best day ever. Go to the place that causes you to say things that have never been said before. Go to such a place and make a difference. If you adopt a place where the stars make you reach for them, you will be changed.

The Pelican Breeze

I’m hosting cruises on Albert Lea Lake on the Pelican Breeze on Sept. 21 and Oct. 5. Call 383-2630 to make a reservation. 

Thanks for stopping by

“He is happiest who hath the power to gather wisdom from a flower.” — Mary Howitt

“Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.” — Benjamin Disraeli

DO GOOD.

Al Batt of Hartland is a member of the Albert Lea Audubon Society. E-mail him at SnoEowl@aol.com.