Celebrating the Canada Goose- And Politely Asking it to Move Along
April 22, 2024
2024 MAD Summer Interns!
October 4, 2024
Our botany team headed to Northeast Ohio over the summer to complete a VIBI (Vegetative Index of Biological Integrity). This intense survey helps determine a wetland’s quality by considering multiple metrics based on species’ habitat fidelity, diversity, non-native cover, etc.
This site was a stunning example of a riverine headwater wetland, but it wasn’t easy to traverse, as you can see from the thigh-high muck. We logged about 80 plant species in our plot and were delighted by the number of animals that tolerated our presence.
In this quarter-acre plot, we saw wood frogs, water snakes, innumerable dragons and damselflies, phantom midges, green frogs, many types of spiders, alder sawfly caterpillars, warblers and blackbirds, and some wild leafhopper nymphs (?).
While traversing the wetland was as literal a slog as could be, this beautiful habitat and display of life is what keeps us motivated and inspired at MAD.
#madscientistassociates #makingadifference #wetlands #vibi #fieldwork #odonata #watersnake #woodfrog #amphibians #slog #muck #beauty #explore #ohio
