October, 2013 - Pensacola Christian College, Florida

It's sad. As much as I wanted to get out into the bush, midterm exams, among other things, has kept me from leaving campus. I don't have any photos for this month, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. My copy of A Field Guide to the Beetles proved handy when I found a dandy little example of the Nitidulidae (sap beetles). Normally I wouldn't stop to identify a beetle on my way from lunch to the next class, but this guy was so small, round, and had two little spots on his abdomen that made him undeniably cute. His antenna ended in little round nodules, too, so identification was a must.
There are squirrel treefrogs on the sign outside of the Crown Centre. Anoles, both greens and browns, hang out on the warm side of the four winds and around the tennis courts. Mole crickets and katydids are working their musical wonders on the lawns and gardens and dragonflies are making meals out of smaller insects around the Rawson Chapel. I think the only truly successful animals on campus, however, are the fire ants. No matter how much they are bombarded by all the caustic chemicals that the grounds workers bombard them with, the still hang on. The Mediterranean geckos crawl out of their homes dazed and drugged, while the ants march to cary the next worm off the pavement. I can respect tenacity like that.
The trees on campus (there are a few beautiful live oaks) are mostly ruled by frisky, love-sick squirrels that chase each other in romantic circles about the trunks, but birds are seen around once in a while. There was a dead (rather flattened) Carolina wren outside the Crown Center (a church-goer must have hit him in the mad rush for a parking spot) and jays can be heard in the oaks periodically. I did see a house finch by the Varsity terrace. I think my favourite bird on campus is Mimus polyglottos. That is, the northern mockingbird. These guys sing regardless of the circumstances (The fellow by the Academic Center will even sing at 10:00 at night if it suits is fancy). He's one of those inspirational characters that make me feel a little better when I stagger out of a physics test.
I could do without the stray cats on campus. They are not good for the lizards or birds. I kind of feel like my only connection with nature is diminished by those introduced species on campus. Better here than in the country, I guess.
So, I apologize, but my life has been an academic one. My origins class has caused the birth of a number of projects featuring ape-men and Archaeopteryx that may appear on my Natural History page at some point. Hopefully next month is a little better for Field Notes. All the best to those nature nuts with a little more time on their hands. Let me know if something interesting happens in the natural world.