Alex Palmer's Natural History Notes and Thoughts

The other day I went hiking on a trail that I had not visited before in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. View Larger Map They call it the Inland Marsh Trail, which is a series of sand dunes (mounds of wind-driven sand) that had formed about 10,000 years ago and then grew over with vegetation.  In some of the blowouts and other areas where sand had been eroded away, marshes and wetlands had formed that were isolated from nearby Lake Michigan, hence the name 'Inland Marsh.' As I was meandering along the trail taking pictures of all of the unique plants and wildlife fluttering around me, I ran into a young couple who were just off the trail gazing at the ground rather dumbfounded.  The gentlemen asked me, "Excuse me, but have you seen lizards  around here?"  "Yeah, well we have a couple different species of lizards around here," I responded with an as-a-matter-of-fact reply.  I then caught myself and realized these people were nothing short of mesm

Southern Magnolia flower outside of the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. on a bright and sunny Memorial Day in May of 2012.   Perhaps the signature tree of the deep south of the United States is the Southern Magnolia ( Magnolia grandiflora ).  With fragrant blossoms up to 8 inches in diameter and leaves that are thick, shiny, and deep green, this subtropical hardwood tree has been widely planted and cultivated across urban landscapes in the southeast United States, and is grown ornamentally in the Mid-Atlantic region. Its unusually large blossom and its perfume seems to make sense, as a tree growing in hot weather in the deep south would best be sure to take advantage of all of the insects which can pollinate the flower and distribute the tree's genetic material. More importantly, it reminds us of our need to have natural beauty in almost every place we live and spend time in.  Do yourself a favor:  if you have time on your hands and a yard of your own, plant