The Amazing Camp Zama Hornet’s Nest

Feature photo:  At the Buildings and Grounds Office, Camp Zama, Japan.  The size of the hornet’s nest is placed in context with the office surroundings.

Photos and article by FMN Stephen Tzikas

Every now and then I see a wasp building a mud-based tubular shaped nest in some corner of my home’s front door portico. These are mud dauber wasps. Mud wasps are solitary wasps, which means it builds a single nest for itself.  They are fairly common and the internet has photographs of their nests.  That got me thinking about the most magnificent insect nest I’ve seen.

While serving as the Chief, Environmental Management Office for the US Army in Japan, I had many partners and stakeholder on the installations. One of them,

Close-up of the hornet’s nest from Camp Zama, Japan

in the same Directorate of Engineering and Housing as my office, was Buildings and Grounds.  In the pre-internet age, we visited other offices in person to conduct business, and the live interaction was always valuable and rewarding. During one visit to the Buildings and Grounds Office on February 10, 1993, some of its employees came back with a nice catch from someplace on the installation.  It was the largest hornet’s nest I ever saw.  I didn’t know it at the time, but years later after I took the photographs, I would be in a much better position to appreciate them as a Master Naturalist.

Close-up of the intricate and beautifully scalloped pattern of the Camp Zama, Japan, hornet’s nest

Hornets are a type of wasp, though wasps typically are paper wasps and yellow jackets.  There are differences in the way the insects build their nests.  Hornets construct nests using chewed wood and saliva and can take months to build, giving it a papery look.  Hornet nests are also much larger than wasps nests, being larger than a basketball size.  If you ever encounter such a nest, be careful.  Hornets can sting repeatedly, and may cause allergic reactions that can be life threatening.  If you discovered such a nest on your property, it may be wise to have a professional exterminator address the problem.  Hornet nests are structured in a closed architecture, that is, the nest has a surrounding envelope, with a small opening at the bottom of the nest.

Paper wasps also create nests out of a paper-like product of maceration.  Paper wasps nests may have an exterior that looks less elegant, a sort of conglomeration of parts and crater-like surfaces often lacking an envelope. A yellowjacket wasp nest will have a single opening, but these wasp nests are usually in the ground, and only visible as a small hole in the dirt.

Upon returning to the US in 1994, I worked at the Washington Navy Yard for a couple years.  One of Naval installations under our responsibility was the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland.  At least on one occasion if not more, I drove out to the location for an environmental evaluation. Runner up to the Camp Zama, Japan, hornet’s nest were the termite mound nests at this Maryland location.  I recall they looked nearly as high as humans, but in some parts of the world they can be 25+ feet.  Besides those tall termite mounds, I saw many wild turkeys and large bulb eye insects nearly a couple inches in length.  I was beginning to think about what an unusual place this Patuxent River area was.

 

The Tree Trimming Scammers

Article by Cindy Speas, Chair of the Fairfax County Tree Commission
Photo: fairfaxcounty.gov

The doorbell rings, and at your door is a young man who says, “Hello, I was driving by and noticed your trees need some pruning. I’ve been working at your neighbor’s house, and thought I’d stop and offer you the same deal!”

It must be spring. We often hear about telephone or online financial scams, but what about the “woodchucks” or tree scammers that arrive at your door? These are seasonal workers, usually untrained, uncertified, and unlicensed.  Beware! They come bearing disaster for our trees, as well as our wallets.

Last spring Fairfax County posted a great article about the tree trimming scam. One police officer is quoted as saying this is “one of the most pervasive criminal problems this county is facing right now.” It happens in all seasons, of course, when trucks drive by looking for accessibility ramps or seniors working in their yards, or in spring seeking “unkempt” yards. So, if you have a yard full of native plants and little lawn, and you wait for just the right time after winter to clean up your beds, you could be a target.

These folks are not arborists and may remove living wood or, at worst, “top” your healthy tree. When the growing end of every tree limb or branch is lopped off, the tree can lose as much as 75% of its leaves, which provide a majority of the tree’s food. When a tree is weakened by less food and water, it becomes vulnerable to insect, sun and wind damage. These stresses mean that the tree may not survive the butchering. When you see a lot of fast growing shoots where major limbs were cut, that is a major sign of stress and poor health. Many municipalities and counties have great resources for resisting this fraudulent behavior. Here’s one from Fairfax County: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/trees/plant-care. It’s one thing to spend—or even overspend­—on taking out a dead limb, but quite another to fall for the “just let us prune your trees and everything will be fine” pitch. And don’t forget, untrained workers may use spikes on their boots because they are not taught the best practices of a reputable tree care specialist. This is highly damaging to the health of your trees.

Our trees are critical to our quality of life, and to the economic value of our homes, but they are threatened by “woodchucks.” Become informed about tree care—a good arborist can be as valuable to the life of your tree as a good electrician or plumber is to the life of your home. It is worth taking the time to find out if these solicitors are licensed and insured, certified in their area of expertise, and have good recommendations. Compare and weigh the costs and benefits of particular work that you know you need—don’t take the cheapest and easiest course of action. Be a good consumer and do the research. Just say NO to the door-to-door solicitor and yes only to the company YOU call that has good reviews, an arborist on staff, and free initial consultations.

Beware! Your beautiful trees are counting on you to speak for them and protect them.

 

Build a Mini Bird Sanctuary

Article by Plant NOVA Natives

Photo: Common Grackle by Paula Sullivan

The best sanctuaries for birds are undisturbed expanses of forests and meadows. Anyone can see that those are rapidly disappearing in Northern Virginia, and where they remain, they are rapidly shrinking below the size needed for many bird species. Those in charge of any patch of land can help some of these birds by adding plants to expand the habitat value of nearby parks and natural areas.

The partnering organizations that together make up Plant NOVA Natives are inviting individuals and communities to participate in a “Bird Sanctuary Planting Weekend,” October 25-28. People will be installing native canopy trees and understory plants all on the same weekend, all across the region, in a big celebration of trees and the natural world. In Fairfax County, the first twenty faith communities to apply will receive a free “mini bird sanctuary” – a native canopy tree and two native shrubs – assuming they have an appropriate location, as confirmed by volunteers who will be doing site visits to help the communities evaluate their properties for opportunities to improve habitat.

What does it take to provide sanctuary for birds? The first requirement is that the plants be native to the local ecosystem. This is because the diet of baby birds consists primarily of caterpillars, and most caterpillars can only eat the plants with which they evolved. By far the biggest source of food for caterpillars is the leaves of large native shade trees, by virtue of their immense canopy compared to smaller plants. The second requirement is to provide food for the adults. Adult birds also require caterpillars and other bugs for protein. They also need the seeds and fruits from the smaller native trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers that are tailor-made for their nutritional needs (unlike those of many non-native plants.) Different bird species feed and nest at different heights from the ground, so native plants are needed at all levels. You may notice, for example, the preference of sparrows and robins for the ground layer, bluebirds for the shrubs, bluejays higher still, and woodpeckers in the canopy. (The fact that some birds require the lower levels is the reason why it is so imperative to keep cats indoors.)

Another reason to install native plants at the ground layer Is that many of those caterpillars feeding up in the trees spend part of their life cycles sheltering on the ground. They cannot find the habitat they need in mounds of mulch, not to mention in lawns where they get chopped up by lawn mowers. What does provide shelter is native perennials and dead leaves.  So once you have your trees and shrubs in place, you can have the fun of exploring the numerous native groundcover options, gradually expanding the landing pad out to the drip line as the trees grow.

The Braddock District Tree Forum, Trees Need More Than Hugs: How to Care for Your Trees! March 20th

Photo: Plant NOVA Trees

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 7-9 pm
7:00-9:00 pm

No registration is required.
Kings Park Library Conference Room
9000 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA, 22015-1683

Questions: [email protected]

Come to this informative event to hear three experts in the field talking about tree care.  Information tables will be set up to visit before and after the talk. Win a chance to receive a free native tree seedling!  Free, no registration, all are welcome. Come to learn about why you should care, and how to care, for your trees.  For more information, click, or copy and paste, this link:  2024 Braddock District Tree Forum flyer final.pdf

The Magic of Winter Trees: Making a Deeper Connection

Photo: Plant NOVA Natives/Plant NOVA Trees

Article by Cindy Speas, Fairfax County Tree Commission

Winter is a lovely time to get to know your trees better. Many folks spend some of the colder days of January and February planning their spring gardens, winter sowing, or putting in nursery orders for spring delivery of native plants. Dreams of warmer days are lovely, but if you have trees in your yard or a nearby park, winter might also be the time to learn how to appreciate and protect their incredible beauty.

When our trees are bare of leaves, you can visualize more clearly their beautiful shapes, identify some species characteristics and assess their health status. There are several local organizations that provide winter educational hikes or webinars to examine and learn about our forests, including Nature ForwardVirginia Native Plant Society – Potowmack Chapter, Capital Nature, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, Prince William Conservation Alliance, and others.

If you haven’t taken a long walk or hike in the winter before, it’s time to bundle up and head out on the trail. Even if you aren’t an experienced birder, it’s often easier at this time of year to observe hawks, owls, or other raptors at work. Smaller birds can be spotted searching tree bark or leaf litter for insects and berries, and mammals often make a long-distance appearance as they look for food. Native evergreens or the lovely marcescent (persistent) leaves on oaks and beeches provide beautiful color among the gray tree trunks. While you may not want to linger for contemplation, if you walk gently, there is a type of forest bathing you can experience surrounded by the still, silent trees in the chilly air. One of the loveliest things you can see in a winter forest is found by looking up to the sky:  it is in this season that you can see how the tree canopy develops—trees grow side-by-side leaving a path around each canopy’s branches so that sunlight may reach down to the forest floor. This is called canopy shyness. While more common in rain forests, these fascinating patterns of sky and crown branching can sometimes be seen in groupings of the same tree species, and are spectacular to observe.

For those that love to undertake vigorous outdoor work in the winter, now is the time to protect our trees by starting to pull, dig, or hack and squirt the invasives in your yard or to volunteer for similar ongoing activities in your community. With the exception of a few native evergreens, almost all the large swaths of green you see in your neighborhood and along the roads are invasive, non-native plants—from Wintergreen to Vinca, to English Ivy, from Privet to non-native Holly species, to Bamboo. You can find organizations with volunteer opportunities on the Plant NOVA Trees website. Invasive plants displace the tree seedlings that are essential for our future forests, and some of them directly kill the larger trees.

So, if you want to learn about trees, to more closely observe nature, to find quiet time for spiritual reflection, or to vigorously get rid of tree enemies, winter is a magical time to spend outside in the stillness and beauty of the forest.

 

River Farm Blue Bird Boxes and a Ha-Ha.

January 13, 2024 – FMN was able to kick-off the stewardship activity to replace and monitor the Blue Bird Boxes at River Farm.

FMN Susan Farmer with Bob Farmer

Susan Farmer is the FMN coordinator for service and citizen science activities at River Farm. When the American Horticultural Society (AHS) notified her that the donated boxes were in, she organized FMN volunteers to help Jack, the River Farm groundskeeper, with installation. Eight boxes were replaced and ten sad boxes were removed and salvaged for parts.

The long-term plan is to officially monitor and maintain the boxes. To officially monitor and report hours to the Virginia Blue Bird Society requires training, so Susan is arranging that for early March. Susan is also creating a presentation for an FMN CE program. Along with general history of bluebird trails and how they have helped bring back the bluebird, she will discuss specifics on the River Farm opportunity.

Parts in the cart for 8 boxes – photo Jerry Nissley

As an aside to this … notice the Ha-Ha Wall (or saut de loup) behind the chain in the river view photo. You don’t see it? That is precisely the intended illusion. These walls are a feature developed by the French in the 1600s. Chateaus and estates would incorporate Ha-Has in landscape design to prevent access to a garden by, for example, grazing livestock, without obstructing pastoral views. I’ve seen these now at Gunston Hall, Mount Vernon, and here. River Farm was once owned by George Washington.

Crude illustration of a Ha-Ha -graphic by WikiMedia Commons

For the garden design enthusiasts among us … the name Ha-Ha was first used in print in Dezallier d’Argenville’s 1709 book, The Theory and Practice of Gardening. He explains that the name derives from the exclamation of surprise viewers would make on recognizing the optical illusion.

Mount Vernon incorporates Ha-Has on its grounds as part of the landscaping for the mansion built by George Washington’s father, Augustine Washington. President Thomas Jefferson built a Ha-Ha at the southern end of the South Lawn of the White House, which was an eight-foot wall with a sunken ditch meant to keep the livestock from grazing in his garden. Yes, livestock used to graze the White House lawns.

A Ha-Ha view – photo Jerry Nissley

A 21st-century use of a Ha-Ha is at the Washington Monument to minimize the visual impact of security measures. After 9/11 and another unrelated terror threat at the monument, authorities put up jersey walls to prevent motor vehicles from approaching the monument. The temporary barriers were later replaced with a new Ha-Ha, a low 30 inch granite stone wall that incorporated lighting and doubled as a seating bench. It received the 2005 Park/Landscape Award of Merit.

FMNs Kristin, Susan, Donna, Sarah, Jerry, Monica, and Paul – photo Jerry Nissley

But I digress … we had a great winter’s day start to this wonderful stewardship opportunity at River Farm. Thank you to the 7 FMN that helped Jack on installation-day. We look forward to working with other volunteers and staff to learn more about River Farm and grow this partnership in 2024.

Fairfax Master Naturalists Donate to Mason Neck State Park

Article and photo by Sarah Mayhew

As part of FMN Chapter Project at Mason Neck State Park, FMN budgeted funds in 2023 to assist the Park maintain its pollinator gardens.  The Park requested that we use the funds to purchase equipment that will assist with that mission.  We delivered a gorilla garden cart, a Stihl battery-operated weed whacker and a battery-operated hedge clipper to the Park on January 7, 2024.  Shown with the equipment are Chief Ranger, Visitor Services Jaime Leeuwrik (also our Chapter’s Co-Advisor) with Ranger Alex Dullea accepting our donation.

Our Chapter Project has been dormant but will soon resume activity.  If you are interested in designing informational signs, please join us.  Contact Sarah Mayhew for details ([email protected] with MNSP in the subject line).

We will soon begin garden workdays.  Since we are joined by volunteers from the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, our sign up for these workdays will be via a Sign Up Genius link.  It will be posted to the Google Group with workdays expected to begin in early March.  For more information, contact Sarah as above.

The Petroglyphs of Great Falls, Virginia

Feature photo:  The author at the Great Falls petroglyph site sitting on a chair-like rock.

Article and photos by FMN Stephen Tzikas

Early in my career I had numerous business trips to the southwest border of the country, and on my personal time, I visited the national or state parks in the area that had petroglyphs.  I found these fascinating, because they are the communication record of the indigenous people of the area. I think most people associate petroglyphs with the southwest of the country, but one can find them on the East coast too, including Fairfax County.

The Safe Harbor Big and Little Indian Rock petroglyphs are an archaeological site located at Conestoga Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It consists of two rock islands located in the Susquehanna River. Big Indian Rock is 60 feet by 40 feet, and has carvings on all sides. These Safe Harbor petroglyphs are the largest concentration of ancient Native American rock art sites in the eastern United States.  In June 2000, I had the pleasure to venture out about a half mile by small canoe to the petroglyphs with the expert archaeologist on these rock symbols.  He was interested in my astronomical, folklore, and Jungian psychology interpretations as they related to the archaeological record. The petroglyphs of this location easily rival those in the southwest.

The wider area of the Great Falls petroglyphs.

The Fairfax County petroglyphs are located in Great Falls, along Difficult Run, walking from Georgetown Pike.  They show a series of a man with a spear being thrown with an atlatl. The atlatl existed prior to the bow and arrow, so the petroglyphs are likely 500+ years old to about 5,000 years old. They are very weathered so in my opinion they are in the older range of estimates. Petroglyphs are powerful

One of the Great Falls petroglyphs.

anthropological archetypes that are central to the culture that lived in the Great Falls area at the time. Think about how you as a person are defined by all the cultural symbols around you, and then you can better appreciate

Great Falls petroglyph close-up.

how the rock art and surrounding natural environs played a role in the mental identification of these original communities.

Solar panels vs. trees – how to choose?

Article and photo by Plant NOVA Natives

Residents who are interested in installing solar panels often face a dilemma. Which is better for the environment, solar panels or shade trees? After all, climate change due to burning fossil fuels is threatening the very existence of trees, not to mention human beings, and the timeline for preventing catastrophic temperature rises is short. Before we get out the chainsaw, though, there are several other things to consider.

One of the main reasons to try to limit temperature rises is to prevent ecosystem collapse. The native trees in our yards are as much a part of that ecosystem as the ones in the Amazon, providing food, shelter and nesting places not only for birds and mammals but for a myriad of invertebrates that are a critical part of the web of life. If we do not even protect the environment where we live, we can hardly expect people in the Amazon to take more of an interest.

Sunny rooftops are an ideal place to put solar panels, since that real estate is already built upon, and since decentralizing the grid helps build resilience. The land use anticipated for solar farms and new transmission lines is so massive, and the willingness of companies to replace forests with them so counterproductive and disheartening, that the more we use our own rooftops, the better. But solar energy is neither the only way to reduce fossil fuel use nor the most efficient of the various options for homeowners. The first step should always be to reduce energy consumption, by weatherizing and taking other steps to reduce waste. For those ready to make a big investment, an alternative to consider is a heat pump or even a geothermal system for heating and air conditioning. As is true for solar panels, the cost of installation can be partially offset by a significant tax credit. Some utility companies including Dominion allow customers to choose a renewable energy option (although “renewable” is not always the same as “clean,” since it includes burning chopped down trees, for example. But much of that electricity is generated by wind and solar farms.) It will take considerable effort and broad participation for our community to meet its climate goals, but not everyone has to do everything themselves on their own property. Those with sunny roofs can contribute solar energy. Those with trees can take care of them.

Trees themselves are what are known as a “natural climate solution.” They provide benefits that mitigate the effect of climate change. Trees improve the energy efficiency of houses. In the winter, they reduce heating costs by blocking the wind. In the summer, they reduce air conditioning costs, since roofs and walls in the shade are often twenty degrees cooler than those in the sun. In addition, trees improve air quality and sequester carbon dioxide. Their ability to capture stormwater is particularly important in flood-prone suburban and urban areas with their excess of impervious surfaces. The leaves of the trees capture much of the rain before it even reaches the ground. Once it does, transpiration by canopy trees sucks thousands of gallons of water from the ground, thus enabling the soil to control flooding.

It is interesting to use the National Tree Benefit Calculator at the bottom of this web page to see what you save in monetary terms by preserving a few mature trees, strategically located around your property. For the birds and other critters that depend on them, the native trees are priceless.

The Andromeda Galaxy with a Pair of Binoculars

Feature illustration:  The Andromeda Galaxy Sky Area. Excerpted from https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php.  The excerpt is set to November 24, 2023 at 9:00 PM from Reston, VA, but any time and location may be selected.  Notice the Great Square of Pegasus and the red oval above it.

Article by and illustrations courtesy of FMN Stephen Tzikas

The Andromeda Galaxy is an object often mentioned in sci-fi films and

Illustration by author: 1979 sketch of Andromeda Galaxy, using a 60mm Selsi refractor telescope and 187.5 magnification.

literary works.  It is our closest galaxy (not including Milky Way satellite galaxies) and can be seen by the naked eye in a dark sky location.  I was thrilled to see it through my childhood telescope.  With binoculars it is a fuzzy patch-like object.  That little patch is just the central core or brightest part of the galaxy.  The rest of the galaxy is so dim because of its 2.5 million light year distance.  If we could brighten the galaxy, it would be four full Moon lengths across the sky.  The central core of the Andromeda Galaxy with a pair of binoculars looks very similar to my 1979 illustration of it through a Selsi 60mm telescope.  The area around the Andromeda Galaxy is also home to other surprises too.

Close-up of the Andromeda Galaxy Sky Area.  Nu-And (magnitude 4.5) is the bright star to the upper left of the Andromeda Galaxy outline. The diagram’s center bright star, with green constellation line underneath, is Mu-And (magnitude 3.9).  The bright star in the center-left is Mirach (magnitude 2.1) with NGC 404 (red dot) next to it.  This illustration is also excerpted from https://in-the-sky.org/skymap.php for Nov. 24, 2023 at 9:00 PM.

A pair of binoculars can see EG Andromedae (EG And), a variable star. You can take measurements of it brightening and dimming via a visual comparison to nearby stars that are fixed in brightness. You can obtain a detailed star chart for measuring magnitude changes through the Variable Star Plotter at the AAVSO website and then inputting EG And. You can submit your measurements to their database. See https://app.aavso.org/vsp/

With a small telescope a little larger than binoculars, two more interesting objects can be seen nearby.  One is a beautiful

Excerpted from http://informationaboutstars.com/starinfo.dc/star/id-36618/.  The website is from “about the stars Planetarium” on HIP 3495, a.k.a. EG Andromedae in the constellation Andromeda. The star varies in magnitude from 6.97 to 7.8, and is circled adjacent to the Andromeda Galaxy.  In another blue circle, Nu And is to the upper left of EG And. 

double star named gamma Andromedae, or Almach. Through the telescope it appears as a bright, golden-yellow star next to a dimmer blue star. Some observers may get the impression that the blue star has a green hue. This green hue is an optical illusion caused by the contrast of the colors on the eyes and is very rare to see.  In actuality, there are no green stars, because any star emitting radiation in the green spectrum is also emitting enough red and blue radiation to combine and form white light. This double star, along with the double star named Albireo in the constellation Cygnus, are often described as the most visually colorful double stars in the sky.

The other nearby interesting object is beta Andromedae, or Mirach. It is a prominent orange/red hue star northeast of the Great Square of Pegasus. The galaxy NGC 404, also known as Mirach’s Ghost, is seven arcminutes away from Mirach. In a small telescope, it appears as a fuzzy star.  NGC 404 is located about 10 million light years away, or about 4 times Andromeda Galaxy’s distance.  Though NGC 404 is not as large or bright as the Andromeda Galaxy, is still worth a look.  It is easy to find, and a one of the brighter magnitude galaxies to observe in the sky.