📜 EwA Week Highlights: Sandy Mushrooms and Springtails

[Mike McGlathery]

EwA Highlights December 7, 2024 Hello everyone!  Thanks for reading the December 7th EwA Highlights. Hope you’re enjoying some nice, bundled-up walks this chilly weekend! 📸 Even when temperatures dip as they did this week, there are still some tiny arthropods to observe if you look closely enough, such as these globular springtails (order Symphypleona) of the genus Dicyrtomina observed by Bill. Back in my Science Olympiad days, I learned that springtails were classified as an order of insects named Collembola. Little did I know that genomic research had suggested that springtails were actually a separate lineage of hexapods (six-legged arthropods) distinct from insects. Springtails are now classified in their own class Collembola, instead of the class Insecta, which includes all the million-odd species of insects. EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Stoneham, MA · Dec. 6, 2024)  I’ve found that one of the naturalist pleasures of being by the beach, even in winter, is that you’re sure to encounter something new, or at the very least something you don’t see very often. Claire encountered something new to me this past week: the sandy laccaria (Laccaria trullissata), a fungus that has the peculiar habit of pushing fruiting bodies up through the sand. Look for it in a sandy place where pines (genus Pinus) are present, such as the pine barrens of Cape Cod. EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill · Provincetown, MA · Dec. 1, 2024)  EwA’s most observed species this week was striped wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata). Their pointed green leaves with a pale midrib stripe are easy to spot on the drab winter forest floor. If you see one in the winter, you might also see a dehisced seed pod, such as the ones Claire photographed here. EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill · Provincetown, MA · Dec. 1, 2024)  📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this week, totaling 434 observations of 261 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here. 🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 221,069 observations of 12,070 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here. 📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Winter [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows. EwA Fieldwork (and Resources) It’s a great time to join our monitoring programs. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅  to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location. 📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here ❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.  That’s all for this week—hope you have a good one! -Mike