Earth Day

Today I volunteered at an Earth Day event at Wargo Nature Center with three other friends.  We had a good time.  Finally the weather was nice.I regret I didn't bring a hat to protect my skin from the sunshine.  We stood outside all day talking to people about nature.  I thought the day was strange because one one side of the building kids were sliding down the hill on sleds. On the other side of the building people were boiling maple syrup.  On our side of the building it was sunny and warm. The turnout today was low according to those people who have been here before.  We arrived early so we would have a place to park. We saw a strange fungi on a tree branch.  We looked at the mushroom book and could not figure it out.  We asked several naturalists.  Finally one guy said, "It is an apple coriopsois."  Turns out some one threw an apple core into the air and it landed on a branch.  Oh, how embarassing for a group of master naturalists not to recognize an apple core. One of my friends brought a paper plate.  On it she had a pine cone, a buckthorn berry, an acorn, a maple seed and an oak leaf.  The question was which thing doesn't belong.  People had all kinds of answers and all the answers were correct.  One of my friends brought some of her many pets. She had a bull snake, an albino bull snake, a rat snake, a milk snake, a hog nose snake and another hog nose snake.  She also had a painted turtle, a map turtle, a false map turtle and an snapping turtle. I am a person who appreciates snakes but does not want to hold them.  I tried to stand far away from her but sometimes a snake's forked tongue would come into my personal bubble.  Whew!  When we were packing up she said, "Feel this snake. It's so warm."  I do what I am told.  Why do I do what I am told?  I touch the snake's belly and it pulls in and away from my touch.  I wonder why I tend to be so compliant? She also had a legless lizard-this was the only reptile not from Minnesota.  Whew!  No doubt that thing will haunt my dreams tonight.  In any case, it was nice to be outside.  It was nice to be with friends. It was nice there was no blizzard. Today was a good Earth Day!