12 de outubro de 2021

Visualizing the Arborsphere

Way back in 1999, a colleague and I were looking for a name for our planned arboriculture and urban forestry consulting firm. Somewhere along the way, I came up with the word "arborsphere". The word flowed from my awareness of existing world-encompassing concepts like atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Since we were to be specializing in trees, 'arbor' or 'dendro' seemed like the appropriate prefixes for a new company name. I reasoned that this "arborsphere" would be a component of the biosphere and include all the trees on earth, from the deepest lowland root to the top-most branch tip of the highest elevation tree. A year or two later, an internet search found the word "arborsphere" already existing, but to describe a domed enclosure for conducting growth or other controlled experiments related to trees. Seems I had re-invented the wheel, at least etymologically. Oh well. We never did form our company and the word/name stayed in my back pocket for another 15 years.

Early in 2021, I wondered: could iNaturalist be used to visualize this notion of an arborsphere? To start, I tried to come up with a list of all the "tree" species in the world. The problem with compiling the trees of the world is that, unlike ferns or mosses, trees are not one distinct taxonomic group. After finding a suitable list of all tree species online, my first attempt was to simply create one project with a big list of inclusions. That turned out to not be ideal. After reading up on iNaturalist's project types, I decided the best approach was to actually make five projects. The first four would be collection projects that simply aggregate observations world-wide based on lists of species inclusions and exclusions. The fifth would be an umbrella project for the other four.

The collection projects for the four types of trees in the world:
Conifers
Monocots
Dicots
Ginkgos, Cycads, and Tree Ferns

Umbrella Project: The Arborsphere

Posted on 12 de outubro de 2021, 12:08 PM by arborsphere arborsphere | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

26 de novembro de 2020

Filters for observations that need ID

Posted on 26 de novembro de 2020, 07:45 PM by arborsphere arborsphere

04 de janeiro de 2016

My Reference Library

A "well-armed" naturalist typically keeps his/her field guides close at hand. Depending on the taxa, a field guide may be all you need to make positive species identifications. At other times, additional research in a more comprehensive text may be required. Over the years, I've collected quite a little library of guides and texts to help me understand the flora and fauna of a given area, whether I'm there for work or pleasure. Of course, nowadays the internet is the resource of choice for many, but there's reliability issues galore ranging from connectivity to content to authorship. Besides, if you're like me, the whole point is to be outside and not sitting in front of the infernal machine all the time.

Field guides and texts typically contain either photos, black and white line drawings, or full-colour artwork of their subjects. My own preference is line drawings and artwork as these are the artist's distillation of the typical characteristics of the subject. The other usual resource, an identification key, is not something I've ever really fancied and I use them in desperation only. If my experience and library are insufficient to the task, I also know that I have a goodly number of expert friends and colleagues I can call upon for assistance. Even then, some things are destined to remain unknown.

I've listed my references below for a couple of reasons. As I navigate the website, assisting with IDs and adding comments, I may include mention of a consulted reference. Details thereof can now be found here. Another reason is that this list may be helpful to someone looking for good guidebooks. Finally, I've never done an inventory of my naturalist references, so here they are.

INSECTS & SPIDERS

Beadle, D. and S. Leckie. Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Borror, D.J. and R.E. White. A Field Guide to the Insects of America North of Mexico. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1970.

Bradley, R.A. Common Spiders of North America. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 2013.

Covell, C.V. A Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America. Martinsville, VA: Virginia Museum of Natural History, 2005.

DuBois, B. Damselflies of the North Woods. Duluth, MN: Kollath-Stensaas Publishing, 2005.

Dunks, S.W. Dragonflies Through Binoculars - A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Evans, A.V. Beetles of Eastern North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014.

Howe, W.H. The Butterflies of North America. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1975.

Ives, W.G.H. and H.R. Wong. Tree and Shrub Insects of the Prairie Provinces. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1988.

Johnson, W.T. and H.H. Lyon. Insects that Feed on Trees and Shrubs (2nd ed). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.

Kimoto, T. and M. Duthie-Holt. Exotic Forest Insect Guideboook. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2006.

Layberry, R.A., P.W. Hall, and J.D. Lafontaine. The Butterflies of Canada. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 1998.

Luk, S.P.L., Marshall, S.A., and Branham, M.A. "The Fireflies (Coleoptera; Lampyridae) of Ontario". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification No. 16, June 2, 2011.

Marshall, S.A. Insects - Their Natural History and Diversity. Richmond Hill, ON: Firefly Books, 2006.

-----. Tiger Beetles of Ontario. Guelph, ON: University of Guelph, uoguelph.ca, 2000.

Mead, K. Dragonflies of the North Woods. Duluth, MN: Kollath-Stensaas Publishing, 2003.

Milne, L. and M. Milne. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New, York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.

Needham, J.G., M.J. Westfall, and M.L. May. Dragonflies of North America. Gainesville, FL: Scientific Publishers, 2000.

Paiero, S.M. et al. Field Guide to the Jewel Beetles of Northeastern North America. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2012.

Rose, A.H. and O.H. Lindquist. Insects of Eastern Larch, Cedar, and Juniper. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1980.

-----. Insects of Eastern Hardwood Trees. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1982.

-----. Insects of Eastern Pines. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1984.

-----. Insects of Eastern Spruces, Fir, and Hemlock. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1985.

Wagner, D.L. Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.

Wagner, D.L. et al. Caterpillars of Eastern Forests. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, 1997.

-----. Geometroid Caterpillars of Northeastern and Appalachian Forests. Morgantown, WV: USDA Forest Service, 2001.

Weber, L. Spiders of the North Woods. Duluth, MN: Kollath-Stensaas Publishing, 2003.

Westfall, M.J. and M.L. May. Damselflies of North America. Gainesville, FL: Scientific Publishers, 2006.

Wilson, J.S. and O.M. Carril. The Bees in Your Backyard. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016.

Yanega, D. Field Guide to Northeastern Longhorned Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Champaign, IL: Illinois Natural History Survey, 1996.


VASCULAR PLANTS

Alex, J.F. and C.M. Switzer. Ontario Weeds. Toronto, ON: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, 1988.

Bianchini, F. and A.C. Pentane. Guide to Plants and Flowers. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1974.

Britton, N.L. and A. Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Volume I - Ferns to Buckwheat (2nd ed). New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1970.

-----. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Volume II - Amaranth to Polypremum (2nd ed). New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1970.

-----. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Volume III - Gentian to Thistle (2nd ed). New York, NY: Dover Publications, 1970.

Bruce Grey Plant Committee. The Orchids of Bruce & Grey. Owen Sound, ON: Owen Sound Field Naturalists, 2002.

Cobb, B. A Field Guide to the Ferns. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1963.

Dirr, M.A. Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2011.

-----. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (6th ed). Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing, 2009.

Dore, W.G. and J. McNeill. Grasses of Ontario. Ottawa, ON: Biosystematics Research Institute, Agriculture Canada, 1980.

Farrar, J.L. Trees in Canada. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1995.

Gleason, H.A. and A. Cronquist. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada (2nd ed). Bronx, NY: New York Botanical Gardens Press, 1991.

Holmgren, N.H. Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Conquest's Manual - Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Bronx, NY: New York Botanical Gardens Press, 1998.

Hora, Bayard (Ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Trees of the World. London, England: Peerage Books, 1986.

Hosie, R.C. Native Trees of Canada. Don Mills, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1979.

Line, L., A. Sutton, and M. Sutton. The Audubon Society Book of Trees. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1981.

Peterson, L.A. A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1977.

Peterson, R.T. and M. McKenny. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1968.

Petrides, G. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs (2nd ed). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.

Rings, G.S. and R.A. Sims. Indicator Plant Species in Canadian Forests. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forestry Service, 1997.

Roller, K.J. A Guide to the Identification of Poplar Clones in Ontario. Toronto, ON: Ministry of Natural Resources, 1984.

Snyder, L.C. Trees and Shrubs for Northern Gardens. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, 1980.

Soper, J.H. and M.L. Heimburger. Shrubs of Ontario. Toronto, ON: Royal Ontario Museum, 1982.

Voss, E.G. Michigan Flora Part I - Gymnosperms and Monocots. Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science, 1972.

-----. Michigan Flora Part II - Dicots (Saururaceae—Cornaceae). Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science, 1985.

-----. Michigan Flora Part III - Dicots (Pyrolaceae—Compositae). Bloomfield Hills, MI: Cranbrook Institute of Science, 1996.

White, D.J., E. Haber, and C. Teddy. Invasive Plants of Natural Habitats in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Museum of Nature, 1993.


NON-VASCULAR PLANTS

Nothing (yet)


FUNGI & LICHENS

Barron, G. Mushrooms of Ontario and Eastern Canada. Edmonton, AB: Lone Pine Publishing, 1999.

Brodo, I.M., S.D. Sharnoff, and S. Sharnoff. Lichens of North America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001.

Lincoff, G.H. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. New, York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1981.


BIRDS

Godfrey, W.E. The Birds of Canada. Ottawa ON: National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1986.

Peterson, R.T. A Field Guide to Eastern Birds (4th ed). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1980.


MAMMALS

Burt, W.H. and R.P. Grossenheider. A Field Guide to the Mammals of America North of Mexico (3rd ed). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1976.

Forsyth, A. Mammals of the Canadian Wild. Camden East, ON: Camden House Publishing, 1985.


FISHES

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.

Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Ottawa, ON: Fisheries Research Board of Canada, 1973.

Scott, W.B. Freshwater Fishes of Eastern Canada (2nd ed). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 1967.

http://www.ontariofishes.ca/home.htm


REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS

Cook, F.R. Introduction to Canadian Amphibians and Reptiles. Ottawa ON: National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1984.

MacCulloch, R.D. The ROM Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario. Toronto, ON: Royal Ontario Museum, 2002.


OTHER

Grimm, F.W. et al. Identifying Land Snails and Slugs in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2009.

Kricher, J.C. and G. Morrison. A Field Guide to Eastern Forests. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

Sinclair, W.A. and H.H. Lyon. Diseases of Trees and Shrubs. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2005.

Voshell, J.R. A Guide to Common Freshwater Invertebrates of North America. Blacksburg, VA: McDonald and Woodward, 2002.

http://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/
http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_identification/tick_species
http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/cranefly/tipulinae.htm
http://www.acadianes.ca/journal/papers/majka_jaes11-silphid.pdf
http://www.troutnut.com/hatch/12/Insect-Trichoptera-Caddisflies
http://heteroptera.ucr.edu/

Posted on 04 de janeiro de 2016, 05:04 PM by arborsphere arborsphere | 1 comentário | Deixar um comentário

Arquivos