Landing on the Moon: Where were you on July 20, 1969?

By Adrienne Provenzano

In a booklet from 1915 entitled Gene Stratton-Porter - A Little Story of the Life and Work and Ideals of the Bird Woman, noted Hoosier author explains that "Mrs. Porter's first all-alone effort was printed in wabbly letters on the fly-leaf of an old grammar. It was entitled: "Ode to the Moon." Not that I had an idea what an 'ode' was, other than that I had heard it discussed in the family together with different forms of poetic expression. The spelling must have been by proxy: but I did know the words I used, what they meant, and the idea I was trying to convey."

This childhood creative effort that Gene Stratton-Porter speaks of has been lost to the ages, but from a young age, she appreciated the moon as surely as she observed and reflected upon so many other aspects of the natural world. What then, might she have thought about human beings traveling to the moon? While widely read, the genre of science fiction, such as the writings of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, did not seem to interest her. Perhaps it was midwestern practicality that kept her taste in literature elsewhere, still, I think her grit, determination, curiosity, wonder, attention to detail, and patience might have made her an effective astronaut, had the opportunity presented itself!

This year, NASA is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. On the evening of July 20, 1969, two humans stepped foot on the Moon for the first time. Those crew members of NASA's Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, left bootprints on the Moon's surface during their two-and-a-half-hour field trip. As they worked, explored, and marveled, crew member Michael Collins remained in the command module, waiting for their return.

The trio launched atop a Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on the morning of July 16, 1969 and completed their journey when they splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969. It was a mission followed all over the world. 

The landing site was called Tranquility Base. The lunar module was called the Eagle.The command module was called Columbia. When Neil Armstrong stated, "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed," there were cheers and sighs of relief. 

So, where were you on July 20, 1969 when humans first walked on the moon? If you were alive at the time, were you watching on a black and white tv? Did you save the cover page of your local newspaper the next day? What story might you tell? What "Ode to the Moon" might you write? What ideas might you convey in "wabbly letters" on the "fly-leaf of an old grammar."

Here's something I imagine...a future mission to the Moon, or perhaps Mars, with a crew of women and men..."Houston, Limberlost Base here, the Blue Heron has landed."


Adrienne Provenzano, Songstress of the Limberlost, is an Indiana Advanced Master Naturalist and volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador. For more information about the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, visit www.nasa.gov/specials/apollo50th.

June is a time of nesting birds at the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve and the other preserves in the Limberlost Territories. Gene Stratton-Porter photographed over 40 bird nests around Geneva in the early 20th century. She was patient and spent hours in the field to gain the female bird's trust to be able to take photographs of the nests and the young birds. 

We hope you will enjoy some of the past couple of days happenings at the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve. 

Randy Lehman was able to take a series of photos of a red-bellied woodpecker feeding young on June 7.

The red-bellied woodpecker entered with food in the beak and left on another "food" run.

In this picture you can see food in the beak for the hatchlings.

Feeding the ever-hungry young. This nest is in a dead limb of a large oak tree. 

This is the nest of a phoebe on the pavilion. We think the young fledged on June 6 or 7. 

Last year, we thought that the blue grosbeak might have been nesting at the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve. In late May, Clara Conroy spotted a pair of them. On June 9, Bill Hubbard took this picture of male blue grosbeak. 

Naturalist Bill Hubbard took this picture of a female blue grosbeak on June 9. On June 5, Kimberley Roll documented a female bird with nesting material. 

On June 9, Bill Hubbard took this photo of a kingbird. They have been nesting at the Loblolly Marsh for the past few years. 

Kingbird going after another insect. They are quick to spot an insect which makes a tasty meal for them. 


Some of the other nesting birds at the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve are Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Great-crested Flycatchers, Willow  Flycatchers, Warbling Vireos, Field Sparrows, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Song Sparrows, and a number of other birds.

Thank you to Randy Lehman, Bill Hubbard, Clara Conroy, and  Kimberley Roll for sharing your finds with all. We know that Gene Stratton-Porter would be pleased that her feathered friends still make a home at Limberlost. 

If you would like your own birding tour of the Loblolly Marsh, contact Naturalist Curt Burnette 260-368-7428 or cburnette@indianamuseum.org to schedule your own Rent-a-Naturalist. 

Exploring the Limberlost with Kimberley Roll 

If Gene Stratton-Porter were alive, she would enjoy the companionship of Kimberley Roll. They both enjoy being in the field and would discuss birds and photography in quiet moments. 

Kimberley shared some of her pictures of her adventures the first weekend in June at the Lobololly Marsh Nature Preserve and the Limberlost Swamp Wetland Preserve. 

Hooded mergansers and young.

Great picture of two young hooded mergansers. Is there anything cuter than babies?

Sora

Male wood duck

The Cormorant has become a common sight in the past few years.

Bald Eagle

Male dickcissel. One of our summer residents. 

On June 1, Limberlost Naturalist Curt Burnette led his annual Loblolly Wildflower Safari. Retired Limberlost Site Manager Randy Lehman took pictures to share in this blog. Retired Ecologist Ken Brunswick also attended. There is a wealth of knowledge in those three men of Limberlost. 

Randy made a list of plants along Veronica's Trail. The plants are: Birdsfoot Trefoil, False Indigo, Rattlesnake Master, Prairie Dock, Beard Tongue, Philadelphia Fleabane, Trumpet Vine, Dandelion, Dogbane - Indian Hemp, Evening Primrose, Curly Dock, Read Canary Grass, Cattails, Blue Flag Iris, Golden Ragwort, Giant Ragweed, Wild Strawberries, Corn Salad, Multi-Flora Rose, Yarrow, Poison Ivy, new England Aster, Goldenrod, Shepherds Purse, Burdock, Autumn Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, Blackberry, Raspberry, Wild Parsnip, Mulberry Tree,  Common Milkweed, Clearweed, Yellow Rocket, Golden Alexander, White Clover, Red Clover, Bed-Straw, Yellow Sweet Clover, Pineapple Weed. 

If you would like your own tour of the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve (or one of the other preserves) you can schedule Rent-a-Naturalist with Curt at 260-368-7428. 

Beard Tongue

False Indigo

Blue Flag Iris was a favorite of Gene Stratton-Porter.

Rattlesnake Master which will be blooming soon.

Common milkweed which will be blooming soon.  A favorite of Monarch butterflies. 

Corn Salad

Prairie Dock

Each month this summer, new plants are blooming. We hope that you can spend some time enjoying the Loblolly Marsh Nature Preserve. 

Wherein is revealed some of the many places around the United States and the world whose name was influenced by the Limberlost

By Curt Burnette

One of the many wonders of the digital age is the Internet search engine. Recently, I utilized one of these search engines by typing in the word "Limberlost" to see what kind of results would be returned to me. Of course, there were many entries regarding the Limberlost Swamp and Gene Stratton-Porter, but what really caught my interest were the many different places and things that had the word "Limberlost" in their names.

There are certainly a number of things in Adams County that incorporate Limberlost in their names, especially in the Geneva area. Limberlost Construction, Limberlost Apartments, the Golf Club of the Limberlost, and the newest, the Limberlost Diner in downtown Geneva, are all examples. On the east side of Decatur, near Stratton Park, can be found the street called Limberlost Trail. And there are several places similar to these in the Rome City area where Gene built her second cabin. But there are also Limberlosts in other Indiana cities. There is a Limberlost Drive in Carmel and one in Goshen, and a Limberlost Lane in West Lafayette. A business in Indianapolis has the name of Limberlost Consulting, Inc. 

Other places in our region of the country with businesses or places having Limberlost in their names would include The Limberlost, a restaurant in Houghton Lake, Michigan, and Limberlost Farms in Atlanta, Michigan' also in Michigan look for Limberlost Road in Three Rivers and Limberlost Lane in Allegan. That covers examples in Indiana's neighbor to the north. In our neighbor to the west, Illinois, Camp Limberlost has been located near Bloomington since 1931. And to our south will be found the Limberlost Chalet in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Farther afield in the U.S., in Tucson, Arizona, there is a neighborhood called Limberlost, containing Limberlost Drive, Limberlost Circle, and Limberlost Place, and such businesses as Limberlost Pre-school and Limberlost Studio Apartments. In the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, one can hike along the Limberlost Trail. In 1920, a woman bought 100 large hemlock trees int he land the trail runs through to preserve them from logging, and her husband named it the Limberlost Forest after A Girl of the Limberlost.

Use of the Limberlost name doesn't end at the borders of our country. In Canada, the province of Ontario seems to be particularly Limberlost crazy. A company from there, Beaver Homes and Cottages, has a model called Limberlost. Limberlost Road can be found in London and Huntsville, Ontario. Near Huntsville is the Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve, and if you wish to stay in the Limberlost Lodge, go to Thessalon. But if a person should really want to travel afar while still lodging in a place called Limberlost, book a room at the Limberlost Hotel in the seaside town of Wilderness, South Africa.

Well, there's a taste of how Gene Stratton-Porter spread the name of the Limberlost around the country and the world. And, by the way, with the world in mind, I believe I might have to contact the Guinness Book of World Records. I wonder if there is a category called: greatest usage of the word "Limberlost" in a single newspaper column. If the record is under 39, I am the new world champion!


Source: This article was first published in the Berne Tri-Weekly (now the Berne Witness) in January 2015.

Wherein we learn how the theme of a famous baseball movie relates to the restoration of the Limberlost

By Curt Burnette


In the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice whisper to him as he walks through his cornfield in Iowa. The voice tells him, "If you build it, he will come." In this fantasy movie, Ray builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield and long dead baseball players such as Shoeless Joe Jackson magically appear to play. Ray's long estranged father also shows up as the young catcher behind home plate, and he and Ray make some amends. At one point, Ray s told that people will come to his field, they will be drawn there. And, at the end of the movie, hundreds of people are seen driving down the road to the "field of dreams: to watch the "big show", as major league baseball is called.

I don't think Ken Brunswick heard any voices when he began his quest of restoring portions of the Limberlost. (Did you Ken?) nevertheless, the theme of the movie is relevant to what is happening with the restoration of the Limberlost. Instead of saying "If you build it, he will come", it could be said of the Limberlost, "If you restore it, they will come." 

"They" in this instance would be birds of all sorts and types. The marshes, forests, and prairie-like areas of the Limberlost provide wonderful habitat for all kinds of migrating and nesting birds. Species of birds whose numbers had dwindled in this area are reappearing. Even one species never seen here before, the black-necked stilt, has recently been sighted. Migratory waterfowl such as tundra swans and pintail duck stop over on their journeys and sometimes spend the winter, if it is mild enough. Winter visitors from the north such as northern harrier hawks and short-eared owls find refuge here. Both of these species are listed as endangered in Indiana. And many, many birds such as eastern kingbirds, indigo buntings, spotted sandpipers, and dickcissel nest in the Limberlost. 

Birds are like the baseball players in the movie who came to take advantage of the ball field after Ray created it. But baseball fans also came to the field to watch the players. Our comparison of the Limberlost to the field of dreams still holds true there. As more and more birds come to the Limberlost to the Limberlost to "play", more and more bird "fans" will come to watch. Birdwatchers, known nowadays as "birders", will travel far and wide to areas where birds are plentiful. Much like baseball fans who buy hot dogs and peanuts while watching the game, birders buy gasoline and lunch and souvenirs when they come to a birding site. Dollars spent by outsiders is good for our communities. Like building a ballpark in a cornfield, Ken Brunswick's field of dreams has returned over 1600 acres [currently about 1800 acres] of opportunity to the Land of the Limberlost. Hundreds of people are already driving down the roads to watch the "show."

Source: First published in the Limberlost Notebook column in the Berne Witness in June 2013.

Blue-winged teal by Bill Hubbard

Dickcissel by Kimberley Roll

Black-necked stilt

Pintails along with some mallards

Sandpiper

Wherein our columnist mulls over the symbolism of a nation rescuing its national symbol
By Curt Burnette

The bald eagle became the unofficial symbol of the U.S. as part of the Great Seal of the United States when it was adopted on June 20, 1782.  The official designation as our national bird and symbol did not occur for another seven years, in 1789. During those seven years, there were those who felt the bald eagle was not the best symbol for our new country. most Famously, Benjamin Franklin thought bald eagles were "of bad moral character" and so he suggested the wild turkey would be more suitable. Obviously, Ben's argument did not succeed. 

As amazing and brilliant as Benjamin Franklin was, most Americans would have to say it is a good thing he didn't have his way on that particular issue. it is hard now, these many years later, to think of our nation and not think also of our majestic national symbol. but what would our founding fathers have thought if they could have looked ahead and seen a future where the symbol of their new nation was vanishing? Would they have wondered about the greatness of their new United States, a nation that selected a national symbol that had become threatened by the growth of this young country? Was this the nation they envisioned ? Probably not, but if they were to look a bit farther into the future, into our modern time, they would indeed see a wonderful example of a people who saw their national symbol in trouble---and did something about it. This was surely the kind of nation they thought they were creating. 

Bald eagles were common in this country before it was settled, but wetland destruction and human persecution resulted in their disappearance from much of the country, even by Gene Stratton-Porter's time. It is unlikely she ever saw them as she wondered Limberlost. the last recorded nest in Indiana was 1895. Then, in the middle of the 1900s, the widespread use of the Insecticide DDT caused the eggshells of the few remaining breeding eagles to think and crack, so an already damaged population was weakened further. Bald eagles still were plentiful in Alaska, but in the rest of the states our national symbol was in serious trouble. 

Our nation then did what great nations do---study the problem, understand what steps need to be taken, and do what is necessary. DDT was banned. Many wetlands were restored. Protective laws were passed. Eagles were reintroduced back into many areas they had vanished from, including Indiana. Between 1985 and 1989, 73 young eagles were released in Indiana., and by 1991 the first chicks were hatched. by the mid-1990s, there were a dozen nesting sties in our state. In 2013, the DNR quit counting nests because there were too many to keep track of---over 300!

We take great pride in our national flag and have rules on the proper ways to display it and dispose of worn ones. Why should we show less care and concern for our national symbol? The United States of America is not a country that would allow ts national symbol to vanish without a fight. The battle was won. Bald eagles are back and doing better than ever. We have yet another reason for our citizens to proclaim they are "proud to be an American."

Note: This article was first published in the Berne Witness Limberlost Notebook column in June 2015.

The pair of nesting eagles at the Loblolly Marsh. Photo by Kimberley Roll taken in February 2019.

Nesting eagle in Geneva on the Limberlost Swamp Wetland Preserve. Photo by Jeff White in March 2019.

Bald eagle by Kimberley Roll. 

Wherein the Miller Family
Became Lifelong Friends of Gene Stratton-Porter

By Terri Gorney

The Miller and Aspy families were early settlers of Geneva and well known in the community. Gene Stratton-Porter would become friends with three generations of this extended family. She would photograph the old cabin on the Aspy farm and place it in Friends in Feathers. 

Andrew Jackson Miller married Sarah Aspy. They would raise a family of six children; three who would have a close connection to Gene. They were: Lorene, Ray, and Sarah.

Sarah Miller was the same age as Gene's daughter Jeannette. They were girlhood friends. Gene would photograph Sarah and Jeannette playing together at the Limberlost Cabin.

Raymond Miller according to Gene in Homing with the Birds, was "first assistant in field work in the region of the Limberlost. For him, no day was too hot, no tree too high, no swamp too treacherous. In years of field work, he never refused any hazard I suggested we undertake." Gene photographed Raymond in this same book. 

Lorene Miller would become her secretary in 1908. It was a position she would hold for seven years. Lorene wrote about a special Valentine's Day when she worked for Gene. It was February 14 1911, the day that Gene began writing The Harvester  while sitting at the desk next to the east window in the library after breakfast. Lorene shared several fond memories of Gene in later interviews.

Lorene made the decision to continue in Gene's employ when she left Geneva and moved north to build Wildflower Woods. It was a decision that would change her life. In 1913, she met Frank Wallace whom Gene hired to help her with the plantings on her new land. Two years later, Lorene and Frank quietly married on a June day in the gardens of Wildflower Woods. Gene hosted the bridal celebration.

Frank would go on to become the state entomologist, thanks in part to Gene who wrote to Governor Rolston to ask that he be hired. It was a position that he would hold for 43 years.

Gene would remain lifelong friends with Frank and Lorene. The Wallaces usually spent time with Gene in the summer months. Lorene and her young son, John, visited Gene in California the summer before she died. Frank wrote Gene a birthday card that same August in which he stated how much her friendship meant to him. The last letter she wrote was to Frank. He received it a few days after she died in December 1924. 

In 1946, when both Wildflower Woods and the Limberlost were being considered as historic sites, Frank knew many influential people and was a well liked and respected employee of the state. Frank was definitely one of Gene Stratton-Porter's biggest fans, and we know that Lorene had many fond memories of the time she spent living in the Limberlost Cabin in Geneva working for Mrs. Porter. 

​
Note: This article was in the Limberlost Notebook column in the Berne Witness in November 2018.

Mike Miller and Liz Miller, great nephew and niece of Lorene and Raymond Miller. 

Photo of the Limberlost Cabin in the 1940s in Geneva. Photo compliments of Becca James. 

Marsh Madness by Kimberley Roll 

March is a great time to view the beginnings of spring migration with the waterfowl at the Limberlost Swamp Wetland Preserve and the Loblolly Marsh. March is a month of overlapping between the new arrivals and winter residents that have not left yet. 

Northern shoveler taking off from the wetlands.

Coot

Turkey vulture

Male harrier flying over the wetlands. They are winter residents here and will shortly be leaving for nesting grounds further north of here. 

Turkeys are some of our year round residents. 


Thank you to Kimberley Roll for the view of some of the birds of March at the marsh. 

Wherein Mrs. Porter's great fondness for snake fences is discussed
By Curt Burnette

Gene Stratton-Porter loved snake fences. These were not fences designed to keep snakes away (Although, as discussed in a past column, Gene had a fear of snakes). No these were the old-fashioned split-rail fence that was not laid out in a straight line, but in a zig-zag pattern that resembled the body of a snake as it travels along the ground. Other names for this type of fence were zig-zag or worm fence. The zig-zag pattern gave the fence strength where each section met, eliminating the need for fence posts thus reducing the amount of labor.

Snake fences were very common around the Limberlost area while Gene lived in Geneva. They are mentioned often int eh nature books she wrote while she lived here. In "Music of the Wild," within the middle section entitled Songs of the Fields, she writes of an oat field "enclosed by a straggling old snake-fence overgrown with carrion vine and moonseed." Later in the same section she describes old abandoned orchards found on almost every farm. "Almost without exception the old snake-fences surround them, weighted with loads of growing shrubs and vines, and on and under them home [live] field mice, moles, rabbits, chipmunks, lizards, birds of low habit, night moths, and bugs and insects of innumerable species."  

Gene was scornful of "progressive" farmers who used straight wire fences to enclose their grazing lands. This type of fence provided little habitat for plants to grow and for wildlife to "home." While the obvious benefits of more modern wire fences are undeniable, there is no question she was correct in observing the old snake fences were marvelous places for abundant and diverse vegetation and animals. even the fence rows of wire fence provided some habitat for wildlife, but modern fence-less fields, of course, do not.

In her book "What I Have Done With Birds," she describes her friend Bob Burdette Black leaping "the old snake fence, crossing the orchard to bring the camera" so she could get photographs of a catbird nest. A shrike nest she studied is in a solitary apple tree at the intersection of four snake fences. "There was no other tree close. Four lines of old snake-fences, bearing their usual load of treasures, crept to a meeting under its friendly boughs." 

In "Homing With the Birds," Gene describes watching a hawk attempt to catch a chicken trying to hide from it in the shelter of a snake fence. The chicken would dart through the fence and the hawk would try to land on it. Then the chicken darted back through the fence and the "hawk arose and dropped on the other side of the fence." She was watching this drama from a railway car and did not see the ultimate outcome. "When the train carried us from the sight this performance was still going on."

Snake fences are rarely seen today. But in it at least one spot around Geneva there is still a section seen. If you happen to be driving north from town on Winchester Road, after crossing over County Road 950S, about .2 miles on down the road look to the left to see a zig-zagging section of snake fence along a yard and, for a brief moment, take a trip back in time.

Originally published in the Berne Witness, January 2018.

Snake fence east of the town of Geneva. Photo by Terri Gorney.