Mothing at Clear Creek: The Showy

On the night of June 17th, I traveled to Clear Creek Metro Park in Fairfield County, Ohio, to participate in a moth night. I talked about some of the drab and subtle moths of the night in my previous post, but now I want to take a moment to highlight some of the showy species.

 

Weather plays an important part when it comes to mothing. As a general rule, moths like warm and dark nights. The darker and warmer the night, the more moths you will see. Luckily, the night was not only in the mid 70's, but was also pitch black. No Moon was out, and clouds covered the sky. The amount of moths flying and visiting the mothing sheets was incredible, as the photo above shows.

I'll begin with the Io Moth (Automeris io). The Io Moth is a stunning species in the Saturniidae family, the same family the contains other knockout species like the Luna Moth, Cecropia Moth, and the Imperial Moth. The Io Moth is a relatively common moth across the entirety of Ohio, and over a dozen visited the sheets during the course of the night. As you have probably noticed, the wings of the Io Moth have two large eye spots. These eye spots serve to ward off predators. The Io Moth typically sits with its wings closed. If a potential predators comes near, the Io Moth will open its wings and flash its eye spots. If everything goes according to plan, the surprised predator should back off, giving the Io Moth time to escape.

Moths have a diverse array of anti-predator defense mechanisms, and not all are based on appearances. Take the Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa), for example. This species, along with many other related tiger moths (subfamily Arctiinae), has another line of defense. When the Painted Lichen Moth flies at night, they are at risk of being eaten by various bat species. The Painted Lichen Moth is semi-toxic though, and relatively unpalatable to bats. The problem is, bats won't be able to see the red-orange-black warning coloration of the moth at night. So how does the moth let bats know not to try to eat it? They click! When a bat is in the area making its own clicking noises for echolocation, the Painted Lichen Moth will hear the bat and begin clicking in defense. This lets the bat know that this moth isn't a good meal, and the bat will hopefully leave the moth alone.

This tiny moth is the Orange-Headed Epicallima (Epicallima argenticinctella). This species inhabits deciduous forests, where the caterpillars feed on elm trees. The Orange-Headed Epicallima is what is commonly known as a micro-moth. "Micro-moth" is general name given to tiny moths. There is no strict definition of a micro-moth, but most people seem to consider moths that are 1/2 inch long or smaller as a micro-moth. Identifying micro-moths is oftentimes a difficult process, but the Orange-Headed Epicallima is one of the more easily-identifiable species.

Another showy micro-moth of the night was the Labyrinth Moth (Phaecasiophora niveiguttana). The caterpillars of this species feed on the mid-story tree species Sassafras and Witch Hazel. This moth gave me quite the headache, and this frustration underscores a problem with arthropod field guides. I must have flipped through the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America a good 5-7 times while trying to identify this moth, but I simply couldn't find it. I posted a photo of it on the Facebook group Mothing Ohio to see if someone could help. Within a few minutes a member ID'ed it for me, and I soon realized why I couldn't find it in the guide—it wasn't in there! When it comes to arthropods, there are tens of thousands of species. There are over 11,000 species of moths alone in North America! A field guide can not simply contain every single species with numbers like these, even if that guide only focuses on one group of arthropods in one section of the continent like the Peterson Guide does. Choices have to be made on what to include and what to exclude, and the authors of the Peterson Field Guide to Moths only included "1,500 of the most common or most eye-catching moths in" Northeastern North America. Luckily, the internet fills in these field guide gaps, and Facebook groups or sites like BugGuide will help you out!

When I was a young kid, this was the first moth that I learned the name of. This is the Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia). The Giant Leopard Moth, along with the Polyphemus Moth, were my two "spark moths." A spark animal is the colloquial term for a species that inspires a curiosity or admiration of a given group of animals in a person. The individual pictured above is actually a female Giant Leopard Moth, as can be told by the loss of wing scales on the ends of the wings. When Giant Leopard Moths mate, the male and female will stay attached for 24 or more hours. During this long-lasting session of mating, the male will position his wings over the female's. This results in the male accidentally rubbing off the female's wing scales, leading to an appearance like this.

Staying with black and white moths for a moment, here's The Neighbor (Haploa contigua). Moths have the best names, don't they? The Neighbor belongs to a group of tiger moths in the genus Haploa, which are often referred to as the haploa moths. haploa moths all have various black lines set against white wings, and identification involves carefully studying the patterns of those black lines. To see the diversity of wing patterns in the haploa moths, check out this BugGuide link.

This is the Beautiful Wood Nymph (Eudryas grata). The Beautiful Wood Nymph is just one of several moth species which are hypothesized to be mimicking bird droppings. Imagine you're a small predator making your way through the forest in search of a meal. If this moth was just sitting on a leaf out in the open, you would probably be quick to dismiss it as some unsavory bird feces. You would move on in search of some actual tasty food, and the Beautiful Wood Nymph would live another day.

This stunning moth is the Dark-Banded Geometer (Ecliptopera atricolorata). For many, this was moth highlight of the night. This is another relatively uncommon species that is missing from the Peterson Field Guide to Moths. Typically when I write a post like this, I try to find at least one neat fact to share for each species. The problem is, I can barely find any information on this species. I did, however, find a quote about this moth from the famous Lepidopterist and naturalist William Jacob Holland in his 1903 book entitled The Moth Book. Holland writes that the Dark-Banded Geometer is "One of the most beautiful of the geometrid moths found in the Atlantic States." There you have it: the Dark-Banded Geometer, always a show stopper.

I'll end with the very last moth of the night. This gigantic beauty is the Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus). Due to Columbus Metro Park rules, the moth night had to officially end at midnight. The night, however, did not end there. After shutting down the mothing sheets, many of the moth-ers traveled down the road to a gas station that straddles the intersection of Clear Creek Road and US Route 33. Why travel to a gas station, you might ask? Well, there are bright lights, and these lights attract moths. We might not have been able to moth in Clear Creek Metro Park at that point, but we could still moth at a gas station! And yes, I realize how absolutely ridiculous this must sound to those of you not into moths. As I mentioned earlier in this post, the Polyphemus was one of my spark moths, and you can probably see why. This thing is huge. Just to give you an idea of size, my hand is about 8 inches long. This Polyphemus moth has about a 6 inch wingspan, making it one of the largest moth species in Ohio. It's hard not to stop and take a closer look at this moth, even for those who might hate insects.

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That wraps up my two-part series on some of the moths of Clear Creek Metro Park. Once again, the first part can be found at this link: Mothing at Clear Creek: The Subtle. Thanks for reading!

Mothing at Clear Creek: The Subtle

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a moth night at Clear Creek Metro Park. The attendees saw a lot of moths over the course of the night, and I wanted to highlight a few species in particular. I'll be doing so in two posts; this post will focus on some of the more drab and subtle moth species of the night, while the next post will focus on the more showy and colorful moth species of the night!

EDIT: Click on this link to see the second post covering the showy moths of the night.

Moth nights are fun. The activity of mothing—a hobby involving the pursuit of moth diversity—centers primarily around moth sheets, like the ones pictured above. Moth sheets in themselves are nothing special; they're just plain white bed sheets. The magic lies in the lighting. Although normal household lights will attract moths here and there, you really need to use one of two types of special lights to really attract the moths. UV lights and mercury vapor lights are the weapon of choice here, with mercury vapor lights being the best of the best. This moth night at Clear Creek consisted of 4 mothing sheets set up throughout one section of the park. Several dozens of various moth species visited each sheet over the night, so let's jump right into some of the more drab and subtle species of the night!

First up is the Common Lytrosis (Lytrosis unitaria). The Common Lytrosis is a rather large moth, coming in with around a 3 inch wingspan. I think this is a perfect species to start out with. If it were to fly by you, you might simply dismiss it as a big brown moth. But upon closer inspection, you would see all the minute and intricate details present in the wings. We humans tend to like the showy, eye-grabbing things in life, and we often skip over things that don't instantly grab our attention. But if you start taking a closer look at those "boring" things, you will soon find that they aren't so boring after all.

Mothing is like looking at abstract art. With abstract art, the appeal lies not within some straightforward meaning that the elements of the artwork create, but instead lies within the elements of the artwork themselves—the colors and the contrast, the changing patterns across the canvas, the lines that take you on a journey through the artwork. The appeal of mothing, at least in my opinion, is the same. It's just fun to look closely at each species and see how all the colors, patterns, and lines interact with each other, and how that changes from species to species. This moth is called the Barred Granite (Speranza subcessaria), and its dark patches set among a pale gray background is a great example of contrasting elements.

One of the most enjoyable parts of mothing lies in the process of identification. This is the Hemlock Angle (Macaria fissinotata). At first glance, it looks almost identical to the previous Barred Granite, but closer inspection reveals differences in patterning. When I go mothing, I take photos of everything I see. I then spend the next week or so trying to identify each species from the comfort of my home. I use the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America for this part. Identifying moths can be super frustrating, but in a fun way. Identifying these drab moths involves a lot of flipping from page to page through the Peterson Guide. Over and over. Again and again. Eventually you find the species you're looking for (but not always). As the name of this species implies, the larvae feed on Eastern Hemlock and occasionally Basalm Fir. Clear Creek Metro Park has a big population of Eastern Hemlocks, so it's no surprise that the Hemlock Angle is there!

When I first saw this moth, I thought it was some species of emerald (subfamily Geometrinae), but it's actually the Pale Metanema (Metanema inatomaria) in the subfamily Ennomina. The caterpillar of the Pale Metanema uses various poplar species, and occasionally willows, as a host.

This is a Bog Lygropia (Lygropia rivulalis). When it comes to most moths, we really don't know much information about their natural history. With most species, we at least know what types of plants the caterpillars feed on. With the Bog Lygropia, we don't even know that. In fact, from what I can tell we don't even know what the caterpillar looks like! There's so much fundamental information we're missing when it comes to the dark side of Lepidoptera.

This is The Beggar (Eubaphe mendica), a rather common sight at mothing sheets. The common names of moths are strange. For decades, there were no common names. When people began "getting into" moths, those who made guides decided that they needed common names in addition to the scientific names. To solve this problem, they simply began making names up! Some common names were based off the scientific names. For example, the Bog Lygropia is called such because its scientific name is Lygropia rivulalis and it prefers wet and boggy areas. Other names are not as straightforward, and The Beggar is one such example. No one is exactly sure why it's call that, but the speculation is that whoever named it thought the dark patches on the wings looked like the holes in a stereotypical beggar's clothes.

Next up is the Isabella Tiger Moth, which you probably better know as the Woolly Bear (Pyrrharctia isabella). A single individual visited the mothing sheet that night, and it happened to be a very worn individual that had lost a lot of its patterning. Luckily, there isn't much else that looks like an adult Isabella Tiger Moth. If you've ever wondered what the Woolly Bear turns into after metamorphosis, now you know! Side note: If you want to learn about some more "fuzzy" caterpillars, check out my previous post "Caterpillars of the Fuzzy Variety."

I'll end this post with the Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata). The adults are your typical moth; the caterpillars, however, are unique. During the Arched Hooktip's caterpillar stage, the caterpillars like to be with other caterpillars of the same species. How do they find other caterpillars? They drum! One caterpillar will roll a leaf up, tighten it down with silk, and then crawl inside this new home. Once inside, the caterpillar will begin making vibrations by dragging parts of its anal segments against the leaf, drumming with its mouthparts, and performing a series of other actions. The resulting vibrations are a signal to any nearby Arched Hooktip caterpillars to come over and hang out in the new leaf shelter and eat together. This communicative behavior is super interesting, and very unique among the moths (at least from what we currently know). If you want to read more, here is a link to the original study: Invitation by vibration: recruitment to feeding shelters in social caterpillars

That's it for this post! I'll have the next post covering some of the showy moths up in a few days. Thanks for reading!

EDIT: Click on this link to see the second post covering the showy moths of the night.

A Ross's Goose with Snow Geese

On Sunday I was browsing Birding Ohio when I saw a report of two Snow Geese and a Ross's Goose in Lancaster, Ohio. The semester had just ended and I was back in my hometown of Circleville, a mere 30 minutes away from Lancaster, so I thought "why not go see them?" I got in my car and headed off to see the three rare geese!

I made the drive and arrived at this incredibly wild and biodiverse... retention pond. Okay, maybe not so wild, and not so biodiverse, but sometimes really strange things show up in ponds like this. Take for example the three white geese in the photo above (2 on land, 1 in the water).

I pulled up closer to the geese, using my car to act as a blind. People don't always realize how useful of a blind a car can be; animals tend to equate humans with danger, but cars are just those big, quickly moving things that never really bother them. As a result, many animals will allow for a closer approach by car than they would with you trying to sneak up on them. The two white geese pictured above are the Snow Geese in question.

The Snow Goose is my favorite goose. It's also a species that's eluded me for years. This year, however, has been different! I recently got my lifer Snow Goose in Athens, which I wrote about here. Now two more Snow Geese! The Snow Goose is a rare, but regularly occurring, bird in Ohio. They breed in the high Arctic and migrate to locations east and west of Ohio. During migration, they use flyways that bypass Ohio completely, and the vast bulk of individuals never visit the state. However, every year a few dozen individuals migrate through Ohio. These individuals end up in Ohio for a variety of reasons; some are blown off course by weather fronts, others might be juveniles who don't have this "migration" thing down yet, and others might be individuals who have some sort of a flaw with the navigating portion of their brain. Birds use various mechanisms to migrate, including Earth's magnetism, star-navigation, and location of sunsets, and if the part of their brain that facilitates navigation is either deformed or injured, you might end up with a bird that knows it needs to migrate, but just doesn't know exactly where to go. Generally speaking though, since we are so close to the flyways Snow Geese use, the ones that show up in Ohio are probably just individuals blown a bit off course by weather.

The report mentioned a Ross's Goose was also present, and a quick check of all three individuals made it clear who was who. In this photo, the Ross's Goose is the one in the front, while a Snow Goose is behind him. The Ross's Goose looks really similar to the Snow Goose at first glance, right? Further inspection reveals some subtle differences. But first, how do you tell if the white goose you might be looking at is a Snow or Ross's Goose, and not just an escaped white domestic goose? Look at the wing-tips! In a Snow/Ross's Goose, the wingtips will be black, as you can see above, while a white domestic goose will be completely white. Since these guys have black wingtips, how can you now differentiate between the two species? First, notice that there's a nice size difference between the two; the Ross's Goose is only about half the size of a Snow Goose. Obviously size can be deceiving in some circumstances (especially if you don't have a nearby Snow Goose to compare it to), so identification must rely on other characteristics. The most tell-tale field mark, in my opinion, is the beak. Notice how the Snow Goose has a large beak that seems pretty proportional to its head. Now, compare that beak with the tiny, thin beak of the Ross's Goose. If you see a small-looking white goose with a tiny beak, you've probably got yourself a Ross's Goose. Another thing to take into account is the length of the neck. Snow Geese have long necks, while Ross's Geese have shorter, stubbier necks, but once again this can be deceiving in some circumstances.

The Ross's Goose was the more exciting of the two species in question. Although Snow Geese are rare in Ohio, they occur in mind-blowing numbers elsewhere. The Ross's Goose, however, has a much smaller global population, making them uncommon even in places they're supposed to be. Now, couple that with the fact they aren't supposed to be in Ohio, and you've got yourself a very exciting goose! Like the Snow Goose, the Ross's Goose breeds in the high Arctic and migrates to the southern US and northern Mexico. However, the range of the Ross's Goose is much more restricted than the range of the Snow Goose. Interestingly, the Ross's Goose has been expanding in both population and range over the last 40 years, resulting in more and more individuals turning up in places that they normally wouldn't. With this recent trend, it is possible that the Ross's Goose might become a much more regularly-occurring bird in Ohio.

It was wonderful to see these geese so close to home. This year has been filled with rare and interesting birds, and hopefully this trend continues into next year.

Thanks for reading!

Some Plants from Christmas Rocks SNP

Sunday morning I went to Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve for the first time. Christmas Rocks SNP is a preserve that recently opened to the public in the last couple of years (it used to be permit-only) that is located in the southern region of Fairfield County. Located near the end moraine that begins the Allegheny Plateau, this park contains 3 miles worth of forested trails.

The big feature of Christmas Rocks is a rocky knob known as Jacob's Ladder, and the spectacular view over the Arney Run valley it gives hikers. The photo above shows the view from the overlook. The main trail follows an old gravel road which has two loops coming off of it. We only took the loop that climbs up Jacob's Ladder as we had other parks to hit that day. The trail was quite steep, but luckily it didn't take too long to ascend. Christmas Rocks SNP is an amazing location when it comes to plants. It's one of the few locations where the rare Bradley's Spleenwort, Asplenium bradleyi, can be found in Ohio. There's also the rare Green Adder's Mouth Orchid, Malaxis unifolia, and a mature flowering Chestnut tree in the park, among other species of note. While I couldn't get photos of any of those, I did come across some wildflowers and other plants I thought were interesting, which is what this post is about.

First up is Ohio Spiderwort, Tradescantia ohiensis. This is a species I've been wanting to see this year, and I finally got to come across a small group of flowering individuals. Ohio Spiderwort has been recorded in about half of the counties in Ohio, but there's really no pattern to the distribution here. The ones I came across were found in a wet meadow that was part of an electric-line right-of-way, but this species can also be found in certain prairies, thickets, woodland edges, roadsides, and other environments. Like other spiderworts, the flowers of this species open up in the morning and are gone typically by the afternoon.

Next we have Poke Milkweed, Asclepias exaltata. Preserve Manager Jim Osborn, whom I met along the trail, actually directed me to the Poke Milkweed, which I had initially passed. The photo above doesn't do this tall plant justice. This species can reach heights up to six feet tall!

Here's a closer inspection of the Poke Milkweed's cluster of flowers. This is an uncommon species in Ohio; while it has been recorded in about half of the counties here, it is not a species one comes across often. Poke Milkweed can be found in the shaded understory of forests and woods. When most people think of milkweeds, they probably imagine plants that live in more open, grassland-like areas, so coming across Poke Milkweed in the dense shade of a forest is a little surprising.

Near the top of Jacob's Ladder I came across a small patch of Spotted Wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata. The name "wintergreen" refers to the evergreen leaves, which stand in stark contrast of the subdued browns of a winter woods. The top of Jacob's Ladder, like the tops of many Allegheny knobs and ridges, has dry, thin, and decently acidic soil dominated by oaks. It is in an environment like this that Spotted Wintergreen calls home. This species has been recorded in about half of the counties here. It is present in pretty much all of the eastern Allegheny Plateau counties, and absent in the glaciated farmland of western Ohio.

What's this? Rocks? A strange fungus perhaps? Nope. It is actually Indian Pipe, a strange species of wildflower, emerging from the forest floor. What does it look like when it is fully emerged?

Well, it looks like this. Ghostly. Pale. Fungus-like. I've previously covered Indian Pipe, Monotropa uniflora, on my blog, which you can read here. In short, this species is strange. Its white color is due to the absence of chlorophyll, a chemical compound that is necessary to photosynthesis (which is the process by which plants turn sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose for food and oxygen). So, how does Indian Pipe get nutrients to survive? Well, it becomes a parasite! The Indian Pipe parasatizes certain fungi which are mycorrhizal with trees (that is, the fungi form a mutualistic relationship with the trees). The fungi and the trees share nutrients and energy with each other, but Indian Pipe steals the nutrients and energy the fungi have and also that which the fungi receives from the trees. If you want to see this unique flower, I suggest heading out to either Christmas Rocks SNP or Clear Creek Metro Park (especially the Fern Trail and the upper part of the Hemlock Trail) relatively soon. Both locations have a lot of individuals along the trails.

Moving on from wildflowers, this is Lobed Spleenwort, Asplenium pinnatifidum. One of my friends remarked the name sounds like something out of Harry Potter. Christmas Rocks SNP is known for its population of Bradley's Spleenwort, but the population grows too high to reach and on a dangerous cliff face, so I couldn't see it. Instead, here's the next best thing, a Lobed Spleenwort. While this species is not nearly as rare as the other, it has still only been recorded in 24 of the 88 counties, mostly in the southeastern Allegheny Plateau region. This fern can be found on rocks and sandstone cliffs, as long as the rocks are acidic.

Finally, we have another fern. This is the Sensitive Fern, Onoclea sensibilis. Recorded in all but five counties in Ohio, you've probably seen this fern while hiking through a forest. While they still look fern-like, they look quite different than the "traditional fern," which might make them stand out to an observant hiker. The name comes from their sensitivity to frost; early Americans observed this species to wilt at the first touch of frost, so they decided it was more sensitive compared to the other fern species. You can find this species in the shaded understory of forests in moist soil.

Christmas Rocks SNP is truly a hidden gem in Central Ohio. If you're a hiker, botany-lover, or any sort of nature lover, it definitely warrants a visit. The park isn't the easiest to find, so if you want more information about parking and locating the park please visit the lovely Trek Ohio blog's post on Christmas Rocks. The bottom of the post has detailed instructions on where to park and where to walk to locate the trail head, as well as a lot of other helpful information on the trails.

Shallenberger State Nature Preserve

I just graduated from high school on Sunday, which means the next two months for me are opened up for nature-related escapades!

Today, May 28th, 2013, I stopped at Shallenberger State Nature Preserve in Fairfield County with my girlfriend Olivia. Now, I live 20 minutes away from Shallenberger SNP in Pickaway County yet no one around here has seemed to have heard of it. It's a shame though; Shallenberger offers a little slice of the Allegheny Plateau of Ohio without being a long ride if you live in Pickaway or Franklin County.

This vista along the trail shows one of the two main features of Shallenberger SNP. The hill in the background is Ruble Knob. This photo was taken on top of the larger Allen Knob. Both knobs make up the make main features of the park. The trail takes you up both knobs if you feel like climbing, and otherwise just circles the bases if you're not the climbing type. The climbs are by no means demanding however.

Upon nearing Allen Knob, we came upon this monster. This is a Tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera, with Olivia as a comparison for size (she's 5'4"). It's hard to tell from the photo, but this tree has three main trunks. I'm no botanist so I'm not exactly sure on this, but I think this is one tree, but I could be wrong and it could be 2 or 3 Tuliptrees morphed together. (If someone can tell me one way or another, please leave a comment!) If this is indeed one tree, then this is the largest tree I've ever stumbled upon. In fact, this whole SNP is filled with old-growth monsters.

Here's another interesting tree that was along the trail. There was a hole in the bottom, as you can see, and right outside the frame the trunk splits back into two as it goes into the canopy.

I almost stepped on this guy when walking along the trail. This is a little Eastern American Toad. American Toads, Bufo americanus, are split into three subspecies. In Ohio, we only have one, the Eastern subspecies. Most likely, you've probably come across one while hiking in the spring and summer as they hop off the trail to avoid being squished. They come in a variety of colors, but this is one that I've never seen before. Normally they seem brown, but this one is a more light and reddish brown than what I've seen.

Okay, this is not the best photo, but this is a Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia. Mountain Laurels are not that common in Ohio, but here at Shallenberger SNP they were covering a lot of the top areas of Allen Knob.

And they were flowering! Here's a closeup of some of the flowers, really beautiful flowers at that. Mountain Laurel is an evergreen shrub that is found in the rocky and mountainous areas of the Appalachian Mountains. Here in Ohio, they're restricted to the eastern portion of the state in the Allegheny Plateau. 

Here is a pair of mating Six-Spotted Tiger Beetles, Cicindela sexguttata. I was lucky to get this photo. Olivia pointed this pair out, who were busy and did not flee immediately like tiger beetles tend to do. As a result, I was able to creep up with my 55mm-not-made-for-flighty-insects-lens (which was a funny sight to the onlooker) and shoot this photo. Six-Spotted Tiger Beetles are common in Ohio, especially if you look at sunny areas along dry forest trails in Southern Ohio. They look ferocious, especially with those large mandibles, but they will not bite humans unless handled and prefer to scurry and fly away from any person sauntering down a trail. Their brilliant flash of green will certainly grab your attention though as it catches the sunlight. 

Another attention-grabbing insect on this trip was this large fly right here, a female Golden-Backed Snipe Fly. You can tell it's a female by the larger abdomen along with the non-touching, smaller eyes. The males have large, touching eyes. Found in deciduous forests in the spring and summer, not much is known about this fly; people aren't even sure if the adults eat or not! Regardless, it's an interesting fly. A few people I've talked to said they've seen good numbers around Ohio so far this year, so keep an eye out!

This was a successful trip and kicked off the summer season for me. Since I'm finally done with AP classes and the massive amounts of homework they entail, my time is open for hiking! I'll be moving down to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, halfway through August to attend college, so this blog will begin featuring things from that area more!