Monthly Archives: July 2011

Southern Belle – a TV Documentary

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Cover Illustration taken from the cover of Har...

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Last night I came upon a unique TV documentary called “Southern Belle“.  It is about an unusual summer camp for young women where they recreate life in the Antebellum South.

In the words of the filmmakers:

“Every summer, young women from around the world eagerly sign up to become that iconic and romantic image of southern identity: the Southern Belle, replete with hoop skirt, hat, and gloves, singing the region’s anthem, Dixie. The camp is held at a historic headmaster’s home in what was originally a four-year college for young women from 1850-1920. Never before have cameras been allowed to closely shadow the students and teachers during this intensive week of historical reenactment.”

The documentary was shown on the eve of the 150th year anniversary of the Civil War.  In June of 1961, Tennessee seceded from the Union (but not on the first vote).

At first, it seemed like it would be a light-hearted documentary where girls would dress-up and learn manners, but it turned out to be so much more.

I continued to watch it because I was raised in the North (Ohio) and I wanted to know more about the South – my new home.  I was surprised to find that I was hearing things I was surprised to hear – things I did not remember learning in school in Ohio.

It was fascinating because it gave me the chance to learn more about “southern” thinking and ways – both historically in the past and today in how “history” is being taught.   It made me want to research it further.

If you go to the documentary’s website, there are additional videos that try to explain many of the questions I had.  The filmmakers perhaps sum it up best when they say:

“Southern Belle is a story about how people use history to create their personal identity and to shape their values and guiding ideology. On the eve of the 150th year anniversary of the Civil War, Southern Belle documents the divisive historical memory of an American subculture and challenges viewers to consider how a romantic portrayal of the past affects current attitudes on the race, gender, and class issues that continue to define and divide America today.”

I highly recommend that you watch it.

 

White Moth with Black Dagger Marking

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Clymene Moth
Haploa clymene

Jim noticed this white moth with a distinctive black dagger marking, when both wings are closed, on a woodland trail during one of our frequent hikes.  It is a Haploa clymene.  Take notice of the black edges on all three sides that make it appear smaller.

Bug Guide came to the rescue again by identifying it for me.  See some other photos of it at ButterfliesAndMoths.org that show the wings open, revealing previously-hidden yellow markings on half the body.

Bug Guide says that this does not have a “common name” and it makes me wonder how “common names” come to be official.

I have these fantasies of capturing these specimens in a jar and starting a collection, but I don’t like the idea of taking anything more than my camera/phone on my hikes.  I need to think about this more.  If any of you have ideas for making it simpler or have collections of your own, please share tips on how to make it an easier process than I am thinking it might be.

Box Turtle’s Skeletal Structure

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On a recent hike, Jim came upon a box turtle that had just died.  It was still decomposing, so no body parts had been scattered yet by animals.  It was the perfect opportunity for me to learn about the skeletal structure of box turtles.

I knew that crustaceans, like shrimp and lobsters, use there exterior shell (aka exoskeleton) as their skeletal support, but I am embarassed to admit that I never quite understood how turtles were built.  I incorrectly assumed that they shed their shells, like some ocean sea creatures, when they got too small and simply grew another one.  Not so!  It would be impossible for them to do so because they would not be able to walk after doing so as they would no longer have a backbone.

Box turtles do not have a separate backbone.  Their backbone is fused and integrally a part of their box shell (see photo above).  Surprisingly, they do have some bones, like a pelvis and legs, as you can see in the photo to the right.

Life is an adventure!

 

Box Turtles – Infinite Variety of Shell Patterns

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When can you last remember seeing a box turtle?  Well, in my evening walks (7:30 – 8:30 pm) in early June, I hit the motherload with five or more in a single walk – I actually lost count.

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My favorite turtle I’ve named “Spot” because he is the most unusual, having spots on his head and legs.  If you click on any of the photo thumbnails, you’ll be able to see the enlarged photo for details and the text description for each that describes their distinguishing physical characteristics and when I observed them.

I’ve decided that I am going to catalog their shell patterns from year-to-year and see if I am lucky enough to find some multiple times.  My hope is to also measure their shell size and record their sex.  You can tell a turtle’s sex by looking at the underside of their shell and if there is a concave depression, that is the male.  This depression allows the male to mount the round shell of the female more easily.