Natural History Riddles

Happy Friday! Celebrate the weekend with another fun round of…

(October edition)

How to play: Read the three riddles below and see if you can guess which Washington State person, place, cultural object, or living thing we are referring to in the riddle. Post your guesses in the comments and check back on Monday to see the answers!

Update: The answers have been posted! Scroll down to see them.

Question #1:
My young are the size of a grain of rice, but we can reach 600 pounds!
A mantle of redd-ish brown color but can change with the blink of an eye;
You can find me under the rolling waves of Puget Sound.

What am I?


Question 2:
One of the oldest tools discovered on this continent
Shares its name with early peoples of North America
Has been found with the remains of ice age animals

What am I?


Question #3:
A transportation hub
A 12,000 year old giant sloth laid beneath its grounds

Where am I?


Answers below:

Answer #1: Giant Pacific Octopus

Photo courtesy of Bachrach44.

Answer #2: Clovis Point

Photo courtesy of Andrew Waits.

Answer #3: Seatac International Airport 

Photo courtesy of Jelson25 from Wikimedia Commons 

 Posted by: Andrea Godinez, Communications





Research in the Jungles of Costa Rica

Museum collections come from a variety of different sources. Sometimes they are donated by individuals and families, other times they are donated by other museums, cultural organizations or state agencies, and often, volunteers, researchers, and employees of the museum go out and collect themselves. These trips can take you down the street or around the world.

Regan Dunn, a UW graduate student who works in Burke Curator of Paleobotany Dr. Caroline Strömberg's lab, was in Costa Rica this summer conducting original research in the field.  By looking at the shape of plant cells (phytoliths) and amount of sunlight those plants receives, Regan is trying to determine if there is a correlation between the two.  By analyzing current ecological environments, Regan hopes to reconstruct and better understand past environments.

While Regan was in Costa Rica, Dr. Strömberg and Regan worked with the Burke Museum’s “Girls in Science” summer camp. Specifically, the girls examined phytoliths, learned about Paleoecology, and even conducted research on Tiger Mountain that replicated Regan’s field work. At the end of the day on the mountain, the girls came back to the Burke and talked with Regan about her research via Skype. They talked about what life in the field is like and even compared findings. Watch the video below to find out more – those rubber boots would work great for Seattle-based field work, too!

Posted by: Andrea Barber, Communications

Student Work at the Burke

It’s the start of a new school year, and we’re excited to see the campus and the museum full of students again! How could you be anything but excited? At the Burke Museum, students are at the heart of our work. They assist and lead in research, volunteer in collections and provide valuable work through internships and practicums.

Arryn Davis and Mary Jane Ides, University of Washington students who are also a part of the Burke education staff, spent part of their summer working on amazing costumes for our ¡Carnaval! exhibit. In this video, Arryn describes some of the pieces she worked on that represent Carnival costumes from communities around the world. You can try on their creations yourself by visiting the exhibit – and if you’re a UW student you get in for FREE with your UW ID!

Posted by: Andrea Barber, Communications

A Hummingbird Home

I was walking around the Burke’s exhibit galleries today (a great perk of working at the museum) and came across something that stopped me in my tracks: a teeny-tiny little bird’s nest.

This little hummingbird nest is quite a marvel of nature. Typically, female hummingbirds build the nest and raise their young on their own. There are usually two eggs laid in a hummingbird clutch—that’s a lot of family to fit in a nest that’s roughly the size of a chicken egg!

These creatures get even more interesting when you find out how these little nests are held together—spider webbing! Many species of hummingbirds collect spider webbing and use this to help “glue” the plant materials of the nest into a cohesive home. An added bonus to the spider webbing is that it holds lichen and moss to the outside of the nest—a perfect camouflage that blends nicely into trees and bushes where these nests are built.

Seeing this nest reminded me that it was time to clean out and restock my hummingbird feeder. If you give hummingbirds a backyard habitat with a feeder and hummingbird plants, you may end up with a nest like this! You can also see this exact nest in the “Explore Biodiversity” area in the Burke Museum’s Life and Times of Washington State exhibit.

Posted by: Andrea Barber, Communications

Natural History Riddles

It’s Friday and I thought it’d be a great day for a “Fun Feature” blog.  So get ready to test your Washington State natural history knowledge with another round of…

How to play: Read the three riddles below and see if you can guess which Washington State person, place, or living thing we are referring to in the riddle. Post your guesses in the comments and check back on Monday to see the answers!

Update: Scroll down to see the answers.
 

Riddle #1:
I am named for my chubby look and loose skin
I never bite, but can “strike” with my blunt tail
Unlike many of my other slithery relatives, I prefer to go out at night.

Who am I?

Riddle #2:
Glaciers carved and feed this natural beauty
The deepest fresh water in the state
“The way through” the Northern Cascades

Where am I?

Riddle #3:
I feast on moose to mice with my family members
A true leader of the pack

Who am I?


Answers Below:

Answer #1:  Rubber Boa

Photo courtesy of Brad Moon

Answer #2:  Lake Chelan

Image: Public Domain/Bareck

Answer #3:  Gray Wolf
 

Lonnie, Male Gray Wolf. Photo courtesy of Julie Lawrence Studios/Wolf Haven International

Since we're on the subject of wolves, the Burke Museum's newest exhibit, Wolves and Wild Lands in the 21st Century, is open through Sept. 5.  Come to the museum before August 7 and see The Owl and the Woodpecker exhibit too!

Natural History Riddles

It’s time again to flex your natural history knowledge with another round of…

Just like the other rounds, any Washington State person, place or living thing is fair game. Keep an eye on the Burke Blog for the answers soon!
Update: Scroll down to see the answers.

Riddle #1:
Bending wood and carving new paths,
Lending a hand to carpenters and shipwrights,
Used by peoples near and far

What am I?


Riddle #2:
We drink our food;
Flying backwards is a unique trait;
With the exception of one species, we fly south for the winter

What am I?


Riddle #3:
Don’t be fooled by my rocky exterior;
Beautiful surprises are inside

What am I?


Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

Answers BelowAnswer #1: Adze

Answer #2: Rufous Hummingbird

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Answer #3: Geode

An Amethyst Geode from the Burke's Geology collection

What’s eating you?

Maybe I’m somewhat biased, but there are a lot of really cool things to see at the Burke Museum. Looking around at all of the amazing collections, you may wonder: how do these different things connect to each other? Well, that’s a complicated question, but being an avid organism-enthusiast, I can answer part of that question with another question: which of these organisms would eat each other?

In our Life and Times of Washington State exhibit, there are several fossils that when living would have found each other to be tasty treats. This early jawed fish preyed on trilobites and lamp shells.

 

 

Moving along several million years, the saber tooth cats of the last Ice Age, the geological time called the Pleistocene Epoch (2 million to 10,000 years ago), ate sloths.

These giant sloths were a formidable predator as well… to plants.

Fast-forward to today, and this beaver from the mammalogy collection likes to eat the bark of many different types of trees.  Step outside the Burke on a nice day to check out the Erna Gunther Ethnobotanical Garden and you’ll see the paper birch, a favorite meal of beavers.

So there you have it, a look at the Burke’s ecological buffet.

Posted By: Andrea Barber

Q: Where are rattlesnakes found in Washington State?

Rattlesnakes are among the most feared, and perhaps misunderstood, reptiles out there. The last thing many people want to hear is the ominous shake of a rattler. So many may wonder:

Q: Where are rattlesnakes found in Washington State?

A: The only rattlesnake species found in Washington State is the Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis).  Western rattlesnakes live in warm, dry habitats of desert shrub, grasslands and open pine forests.  Because of these habitat needs, rattlesnakes do not live in Western Washington and only inhabit the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains and eastern parts of the Columbia River Gorge.

Western rattlesnake. Photo by Brad Moon

Rocky habitats are the most common areas to find Western rattlesnakes.  Although these snakes are venomous, they rarely use their well-known rattles and are generally calm creatures.  In fact, they’d much rather remain still and go unnoticed by predators and people by staying quiet and out of the way. 

During the late fall and winter, Western rattlesnakes often hibernate in rock crevices on south-facing slopes, and may be joined in their dens by other snake species as well.  The rattlesnakes emerge from the dens when the weather is warm enough to take them out of a state of torpor, usually between February and April. 

To learn more about other Washington State reptiles, click here.

The Burke Museum partners with the Seattle PI's Big Blog to answer commonly asked questions about the natural and cultural history of our region. This post originally appeared on the Big Blog on March 21.

Posted by: Andrea Barber 

Natural History Riddles

It's time for another round of:

How to play: Read the three riddles below and see if you can guess which Washington State person, place, or living thing we are referring to in the riddle. Post your guesses in the comments and check back Friday to see if you were right!
Update: Scroll down to see the answers!

Riddle #1:

If water enters into your boat

Helps paddlers of the Puget Sound

Stay afloat

What am I?

Riddle #2:

A ”stately” fossil

Large molars helped grind grass

During the iciest of ages

Who am I?

Riddle #3:

Drumming away for mates and food

An acrobatic feathered friend

The smallest one in Washington

Who am I?

ANSWERS BELOW

Answer #1: Canoe bailer

Canoe bailer (Tulalip), Burke ethnology collection, #1-10709

Answer #2: Columbian Mammoth

Columbian Mammoth tusk, discovered near Ridgefield, WA

Answer #3: Downy Woodpecker


Photo courtesy Seattle Audubon

Posted by: Andrea Barber

Natural History Riddles

Not all sequels are bad, especially when it comes to a Burke Blog series!  So if you enjoyed last month’s Natural History Riddles, then this month’s set will hopefully live up to the original. 

 (Part deux)

Just like the first round, any Washington State person, place or living thing is fair game.  Keep an eye on the Burke Blog for the answers soon!  Update:  The answers have been posted below.

Riddle #1:

I grow in wet areas

An animal shares my name

A plant with a tall stalk

What am I?

Answer: horsetail

 

Riddle #2:

Beautiful sunrises adorn my actively calm slopes
Glaciers and wildflowers thrive

A paradise for naturalists and adventurists alike

Where am I?

Answer: Mt. Rainier National Park

Riddle #3:

Lodging with my family

Incising for food and for home

Calm waters are what I prefer

Who am I?

Answer: Beaver

Posted By: Andrea Barber

Photo credits: Horsetail - Ben Legler, Mt. Rainier National Park  - Getty/Rene Frederick, Beaver  - National Geographic

Q. How do salmon know where to spawn?

Pacific Northwest salmon live in many different habitats and travel long distances over the course of their lives. Adult salmon retrace these lifelong paths as they return to their natal streams to complete the final stage of life—spawning.

This journey takes all of the salmon’s energy and causes many people to wonder:

Q: How do salmon know where to spawn?

A: Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not as clear as the waters in which salmon prefer to spawn. This subject is still being studied; however, scientists are discovering that there are two key ways salmon find their spawning grounds: scent and magnetism. Which homing mechanism salmon use depends on the environment they are in at the time – either open ocean (where they live most of their lives) or freshwater habitats (where they are born and return to spawn).

Pacific salmon species

In the ocean, it is believed that salmon have sensors in their brains that function like a mapping system by detecting the earth’s magnetic field. Any given location on earth has its own unique magnetic makeup, like fingerprints for humans. Salmon use these sensors to find their home watershed’s “magnetic fingerprint.” Once they find that watershed, they can continue the freshwater portion of their spawning migration. Scientists are still learning about magnetic field detection mechanisms in salmon and other living organisms as well. Studies of sea turtles, migratory birds and other animals may help explain how salmon use and detect the earth’s magnetic field.

Once salmon have reached freshwater, they rely on unique scents to find their way back to their birth place. Studies have shown that after salmon are born, they imprint different scents picked up as they travel from their home streams to the open ocean. When adult salmon return to their natal watersheds to spawn, these scent memory banks help the salmon navigate waterways and find their hatching streams.

Although many salmon return to their home streams, there are some who spawn elsewhere. It may be unclear why some salmon spawn in different watersheds from which they hatched, but the result is genetic diversity and the re-population of some waterways that have been affected by geologic disasters.

To learn more about salmon and other Puget Sound fishes, click here.

The Burke Museum partners with the Seattle PI's Big Blog to answer commonly asked questions about the natural and cultural history of our region. This post originally appeared on the Big Blog on February 5. 

Got a question to Ask the Burke? Send it here!

Posted by: Andrea Barber

Fossils: A Cheat Sheet

Fossils are pieces of the prehistoric puzzle, helping paleontologists put together the stories of the past.  These pieces of the puzzle can be, well, puzzling. This fossil cheat sheet* will answer the questions: What are fossils?  Where are they found?  What types of fossils can you find?

A fossil is any remain, trace, or imprint of a once-living animal, plant, or single-celled organism that has been preserved in rock.

Hard parts of an organism like teeth, leaves, pollens and bones are more likely to be found as fossils.  Soft parts and soluble materials tend to decay but can show up in the fossil record as molds or carbon film. Our friend the jellyfish is less likely to become a fossil for this reason.

Organisms that have slowly evolved over time are also more likely to be found as fossils.  Sometimes paleontologists can trace the evolution of an organism through the fossil record, too!

Species evolved slowly = greater chance of finding fossils

Organisms that evolved quickly had less time on earth.  The result?  Lower chances of becoming fossils. 

Species evolved quickly = less likely to find fossils

So what environments tend to house fossils? Places where deposition, or the laying down of sediment, has occurred.

Important fossil discoveries have been found in Washington State, including a 12,000 year old giant sloth that was found at SeaTac Airport.  The oldest known fossilized baleen whale (approximately 28 million years old!) was discovered in the state as well.
  

Want to see these finds for yourself? Come to the Burke Museum and check them out in the exhibit
Life and Times of Washington State!

Posted by: Andrea Barber

*The Burke is not responsible for test scores resulting from studying this blog for fossil tests or the literal use of these drawings (let's face it, the writer's artistic abilities are limited).

Introducing... Natural History Riddles!

We here at the Burke obviously love natural history, but did you know we also love puzzles?  When these two passions combine the result is a new monthly Burke Blog feature…

Any Washington State person, place or living thing is fair game.  So test out your braininess and try to solve these riddles by posting a comment to our blog.  Update: Scroll down to see the answers!

Riddle #1:

Royalty in the skies,

Ruling the waters below,

Washington fish bow to my command.

Who am I?

Riddle #2

Tendrils of moss cascade from majestic trees;

A temperate temperament for inquisitive explorers,

A home to a plethora of life

Where am I?

Riddle #3:

Gliding from tree to tree

Stretching with all my might

An aerodynamic body indeed

To glide from tree to tree

Who am I?


ANSWERS BELOW

Answer #1: Belted Kingfisher (photo courtesy of Seattle Audobon Society)

Answer #2: The Hoh Rainforest

Answer # 3: Northern Flying Squirrel

Posted by: Andrea Barber

A Squirrel-y Time of Year

As the winter season creeps its way into Washington State, you may feel the urge to eat comfort food and wrap up in warm blankets.  While we den up, a backyard animal is hard at work—the squirrel.

There are 13 different species of squirrels found in Washington State, some are native and others have been introduced.  While each species has its own set of winter behaviors, one frequently seen species, the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), can be seen carrying many tasty morsels throughout the day.

As food sources for squirrels become harder to find during the winter months, the Eastern Gray Squirrel and many other squirrel species can be seen burying, or storing, food.  Constantly busy during this time of year, these squirrels collect seeds from trees and other plants as well as fungi and insects.  Eastern Gray Squirrels bury these items in winter caches and can find these locations in the future by using memory and smell.

Sometimes squirrels can forget where caches are located, and the result is good for the environment.  When winter caches go uneaten, these buried seeds may aid in tree dispersal and contribute to the growth of forest ecosystems.  As I watch these creatures investigate my gorgeous Japanese Maple, I can only hope that someday they can plant another one for me in my backyard!

Come see squirrels and touch other mammals this Saturday, Nov. 20, 10 am – 4 pm at the Burke Museum’s Meet the Mammals family day event.

Posted By:  Andrea Barber, Communications

Beneficial Bugs

If you look closely around your backyard, you can catch a glimpse of the tiny household helpers that often go unnoticed—bugs. Many insects in Washington State pollinate our gardens, eat pests in our homes and reduce the need for pesticides we use in our yards.

One insect found throughout Western Washington that’s good for our homes is the ground beetle. There are numerous different species that reside in damp areas. As larvae and as adults, ground beetles eat slugs and snails that invade our backyards. Large mandibles (pinchers) help them eat a variety of large and small prey. They also eat what many consider to be garden and house pests, such as house fly maggots and cutworms.

An adult Common Black Ground Beetle, photo courtesy of Washington State University

Want these predacious ground beetles to live in your backyard? These nocturnal animals like to hide during the day, so providing logs, rocks and soil areas for ground beetles can result in them staying in your yard. Also, only use pesticides when necessary, and spray directly on the plants in jeopardy. Reducing pesticide use saves ground beetles, which reduces the need to use pesticides!

To learn more about the bugs in your backyard, come to the Burke Museum’s Bug Blast on Sunday, Sept. 19 from 10 am – 4 pm. You can see bugs, touch bugs, and even eat some chef-prepared bug dishes!

Posted by: Andrea Barber, Communications

Making Collections-Based Research More Accessible

An exciting new development is now available on the Burke Museum’s Web site: the Burke Museum Publications Database is a new online tool that makes collections-based research at the museum more accessible to all!

This new Web page presents the different ways Burke Museum collections are used for published research. Not only do Burke professionals conduct their own research, but the museum also collaborates with other researchers worldwide by providing access to Burke collections; this research often ends up published in scientific journals for others to access in the future.

The Burke’s Genetic Resources Collection (GRC) Manager Sharon Birks worked with our web team to build a search engine of about 260 publications from the GRC division alone! Most publications have a short summary (abstract), and Sharon also wrote more in-depth introductions to three highlighted publications that experts and novices alike can appreciate. These three highlighted publications on the research from Genetic Resources are posted here.

In the future, other Burke collections divisions will add their publications to the websites as well. So check the pages regularly to read about more exciting findings and watch the database grow!

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

Road Trip Idea: Visit the Stonerose Interpretive Center!

If you’re looking for something to do over the upcoming weekend, a road trip may come to mind. While deciding on your destination, consider taking a trip to the Stonerose Interpretive Center in Republic, Washington. This 5-1/2 hour drive from Seattle is well worth your time. Stonerose has breathtaking fossils and an Eocene fossil bed where you can search for fossils yourself!

While preparing for the Burke Museum’s Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway exhibit, paleontologist Kirk Johnson and artist Ray Troll took their own road trip to the Stonerose Interpretive Center. In the video below, Kirk shows some of the amazing fossils at Stonerose and discusses the importance of the collaboration between science and art.





Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway closes on May 31st, so make a stop at the Burke before you hit the road to check out some fossils from the Republic area. You may even discover some interesting places to stop and search for Washington’s prehistoric past like Ray and Kirk did along the way.

Before you head off on your own fossil adventure, be sure to double check the visitor information section of Stonerose’s website for holiday availability and fossil excavation rules. Happy fossil hunting!

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

30th Anniversary of 1980 Eruption of Mt. St. Helens

The 30th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens is tomorrow, and many may wonder: How far did ash from eruption of Mt. St. Helens travel?

On May 18, 1980, large clouds of ash from the eruption of Mt. St. Helens brought more than 500 million tons of ash to parts of Washington, Idaho and Montana. Traces of the ash were also found all over the world, and some remnants of ash particles stayed in the earth’s atmosphere for several years after the eruption in 1980.

In terms of measurable accumulations, the ash also traveled to central states, including parts of Wyoming, Nevada, Colorado, the Dakotas and Nebraska. The longest distance recorded of the ash fallout was nearly 2,000 miles away from the volcano in the state of Oklahoma!

Photo courtesy of USGS

The ash itself caused many problems in the hardest hit regions downwind from Mt. St. Helens and around the Northwest. It destroyed crops and clogged machinery, and also impacted ground and air transportation. Although the short-term effects of volcanic ash are costly and often times deadly, ash also restores chemical nutrients to soil.

Learn more about the eruption and how the “blast zone” has changed over the last 30 years at the Burke Museum’s 30th Anniversary of the Eruption of Mt. St. Helens event. Attend presentations from local scientists about what they have learned from the eruption and view displays of specimens collected from the blast zone Tuesday, May 18th from 6 – 9 pm. For more information, click here.

How to Preserve Marine Algae

During a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the Burke Museum Herbarium, the museum’s curator of botany Richard Olmstead and herbarium collections manager David Giblin told me about the collections, research and scientific contributions from their collection. One thing that stood out to me is that preservation of plant specimens is a delicate art. In the video below, Richard discusses the methods used to preserve marine algae. The process results in beautiful scientific specimens that can be studied for countless years to come.



Find more behind-the-scenes videos and get insider access to the Burke Museum on our Youtube page!

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications

Burke Museum Professionals Contribute to Tribal Museum Program

Museums are multi-purpose institutions, and there is no doubt that displaying cultural identities is one of the most important reasons museums exist. Many Washington state tribes run their own museums, but have unique needs to accommodate each tribe’s vision and cultural beliefs.

In order to address the specializations of tribal museums, Dr. James Nason, curator emeritus at the Burke Museum, collaborated with the Tulalip Tribes Native American Career and Educational Program to create a Tribal Museum Program at the Northwest Indian College. The program is a three-course series in collections management, administration and exhibitions/education. All of these courses focus on the specific issues tribal museums face.

Students from the program's tribal administration course. Photo courtesy of A&S Perspectives

Megon Noble, assistant collections manager of archaeology at the Burke, taught the collections management course. Others from the Suquamish Museum and Cultural Center and the Wing Luke Museum are professors for the program as well.

One example of specific collections management needs in a tribal museum is how a museum should handle its sacred objects. Discussions about whether an object should be on display, or whether burial objects should be put back into graves or housed in the museum are few issues analyzed in the Tribal Museum Program.

Nason summed up the importance of museum collaboration perfectly in a UW Arts and Sciences Perspectives article. “As the Washington state museum, the Burke is inherently committed to ensuring that every museum in our community is up to snuff, because our state is best served by every museum being better,” he says. “We have an obligation to help other museums be as effective as they can be.”

To read the full A & S article, click here.

Posted By: Andrea Barber, Communications