Friends of the Limberlost
  • Home
  • Resources
    • Maps
    • Teachers
    • Mobile app and iBook
    • Programs >
      • Birds >
        • Beneficial Birds
        • Chimney Swifts
        • Eagles
        • Extreme Birds
        • Indiana's Raptors
        • Owls of Limberlost
        • Peregrine Falcons
        • Vultures
      • Insects >
        • Dragonflies
        • Moths
      • Rent-a-Naturalist
    • News
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Bird's Eye View
  • Contact Us

Gene’s Best Reads of 1919

8/24/2015

 
By Terri Gorney 

Gene Stratton-Porter was a prolific writer who produced a large body of work.  She wrote 
articles for several well respected magazines. She was encouraged to write her first book which 
was published in 1903 when she was forty. For the next twenty-one years, she never looked 
back. She would become the most widely read female Hoosier author.

Very little has been written about the books and authors that she read. We know that she was an avid reader and read fiction, non-fiction and enjoyed historical fiction. In some of her letters, she mentioned and discussed books that she had read. 

In the spring of 1894, she co-founded a women’s literary society with Mary Beall. About a dozen of Gene’s female friends in Geneva belonged to this club. Each member took turns hosting the club in their homes. The literary society was first called the Wednesday Club then later that year it became the Saturday Club when the meeting day was moved to Saturday.

In 1919, the New York City’s “The Sun” newspaper carried an article which asked several well-
known people what were their “best books of the past twelve months” Gene was one of those 
asked. The books she read demonstrate the depth of her interests.  

Her three favorites were:

“The Education of Henry Adams” by Henry Adams. Henry was the grandson of John Quincy 
Adams and the great grandson of John and Abigail Adams. Henry served in the Congress during the Civil War. The book was published in 1918 after his death. It would win a Pulitzer Prize in 1919. This book would become a classic. 

“The Great Hunger” by Johan Bojer. Johan was a Norwegian writer. The story is about a young man named Peer who is “hungry” for knowledge. 

“A Russian Schoolboy” by Sergei Aksakov. This book was written in 1856 and was about his 
youth and Russian country life. As a child, he collected butterflies and liked to fish. Sergei was 
known for his prose and warmth of writing. 

Gene’s three book picks of 1919 would be good reading. In today’s digital world, it is easy to 
download free copies of the books.  I hope that you will consider reading one of these books.

Minnesota Wildlife Research Institute Honors Gene Stratton Porter

8/17/2015

 
By Cheryl Bell, AIMN

My husband Tom and I are Indiana Master Naturalists who frequently
volunteer at both Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Sites.  We recently traveled to northern Minnesota to attend the Wildlife Research Institute’s Black Bear Field Study Course.  The course is led by Lynn Rogers, Ph.D. who is world-renowned for his trust based research. He is called the “Bearwalker” because of the many years that he has spent walking with the bears, observing and recording data for every aspect of their lives.  The bears are so used to his presence that they completely ignore him as they go about their daily routines.  Dr. Rogers is also known as the “Jane Goodall” of black bears based on their trust of him.  He has 
been featured in full-length documentaries produced by the BBC, and by Animal 
Planet.  Marlin Perkins did a segment with Dr. Rogers on “Wild Kingdom” many 
years ago.  

The Wildlife Research Institute is located at a large cabin in a very remote 
forest near the Boundary Waters area.  The nearest town is Ely, Minnesota.  Course 
participants are immersed in black bears at the WRI site.  They learn about 
vocalizations, body language, social organization, ecology and how people can 
better coexist with bears.  They take field trips to visit and explore bear dens, are 
taught how to read bear signs in the forest, and how to analyze bear scat for the 
foods eaten.  

Dr. Rogers has been studying black bears for over 40 years.  His current 
research is centered around 28 year old matriarch Shadow’s clan.  Black bear 
mothers share their territory with their daughters.  Shadow and her female 
descendants have been studied in all aspects of their lives and relationships for 
over 10 years as the longest and most in-depth bear study ever done.  
People from all over the world have followed along via live web cams in 
dens, showing the birth and rearing of cubs.  Many misconceptions about black 
bears have been disproved by the 24/7 coverage of the den cams, and by Dr. 
Roger’s research. 

The black bears in Dr. Roger’s research are all named.  One of the perks of 
participating in the field study course is the opportunity to help choose names for 
this year’s cubs born into Shadow’s clan.  I asked if he would consider naming one 
of the female cubs “Geneva” in honor of Gene Stratton Porter.  He had a lot of 
respect for her, and for all that she contributed to the knowledge of the natural 
world in her writings and her photography. 

None of the research clan’s cubs had been named this year because they had 
not gotten close enough to determine their genders.  The last morning of the field 
study course, Braveheart showed up at the WRI with her 3 cubs.  It was the first 
time she had been seen this year.  Her cubs got right up into the feeders at the 
observation windows, and the group quickly identified them as one female, and 
two males.  The female had a moth shaped white blaze on her chest.  


At breakfast, I asked Dr. Rogers if the female cub looked like “Geneva” to 
him.  He said “Yes, she did”.   I then asked if the name theme of Braveheart’s litter 
could be completed by naming her brothers “Stratton” and “Porter”.  Dr. Rogers 
loved the idea.  In his subsequent daily updates, he has informed the world of the 
cubs’ names, has explained the significance of the names and Gene Stratton 
Porter’s great accomplishments a century ago. 

I think that Gene Stratton Porter would have enjoyed coexisting with black 
bears had they lived in the Limberlost, and that she would have studied them 
diligently, and included them in her writings.   Hopefully, she would appreciate 
having these three adorable cubs named in her honor.  

Indiana is now proudly represented in the Northwoods by black bear cubs in 
the most extensive bear research program in the world.  They are going to make 
people who follow the program aware of Indiana’s beloved Gene Stratton Porter, 
and how much she contributed to the world of nature studies.
Picture
Geneva (the cub in the middle) with her family

Gene Stratton Porter’s “South Cabin” the Limberlost site and Nature Study

8/10/2015

 
PicturePhoto by Susan Braun
By Lisa of Hopewell (hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com)


The term “Bucket List” is everywhere today. I have several. Recently, along with writer and friend Susan Braun, I was able to check a newly added site off my “Literary Places Bucket List.” I am late to discovering the joys of fellow Hoosier, Gene Stratton Porter’s writing. As I said before, her books were out-of-fashion when I was in school in the 1970s. Thanks to my reading from the Ambleside Online book lists though, I found a new go-to author. I’m pretty sure I will work my way thru all of her books. When I was in Indiana for the Ambleside Online “At Home” Retreat, I made a detour on my way home to visit the Limberlost site maintained by the State of Indiana. Mrs. Porter,  her husband and daughter all lived her for a few years. After they moved out they allowed local teachers to live there rent-free.

The visitor’s center helped to make this a great “Charlotte Mason” outing for all ages. Inside were displays explaining the real cost of the “progress” that drained the Limberlost back in Mrs. Porter’s day and the efforts to restore the wetlands to their original state at least in part. This focus on nature, which of course extends into Mrs. Porter’s books and home, makes this an educational as well as fun trip.

The house itself is a log Queen Anne and as lovely a home as I’ve ever seen. The many, many personal touches made it instantly homey to any visitor. I, naturally, especially enjoyed the library, which is at the front of the house and has the big window where Mrs. Porter often sat to write. Though the typewriter shown is simply “of the period” and not her own, it gave me the feel of her working day. What a setting! Imagining looking out the window to the yard, with it’s local-stone fence designed to allow wildlife access–yes, access, and enjoy the warm sun on her shoulders as she wrote in the winter; it must have been a wonderful “office.”  Note in the background the display cases for various artifacts collected by Gene and, not seen on another wall, the Native American artifacts collected by her husband, banker Charles Porter.

As I said though, it is the personal touches, that make this a true home. Here are a few of myfavorites.This is the Porter’s bed in the master bedroom. It’s exactly the type bed I envision my own characters, Alva and Meg, sleeping in in my historical novel Meat, Potatoes and Pie: A Midwestern Love Story, albeit without the wonderful personalization. Gene had this bed made for the house and the owls were hand carved by a craftsman. Yet another homage to her life as a dedicated naturalist and lover of birds. I personally think owls are among the most fascinating birds, so I really liked this detail.

Above one fireplace is Gene’s Moth collection. In addition to being the “Bird Lady,” in Freckles, she was also quite a “Moth Lady” and naturalist, even publishing on the subject. The display case was created for the space and the glass, in an era when panes so large were still rare, must have been a major expense. The specimens are so fragile today that the case cannot be opened–the woosh of air it would cause would shatter the nearly century old dried insects.You can read her book, Moth’s of the Limberlost, here.

Trivia: Did you know Mrs. Porter’s name was really “Geneva?” Well, this house is in Geneva, Indiana!

It was a bright day so photographing the conservatory with just my phone was a challenge. This lovely room was, again, custom built for its purpose with drains in the floor and water available. Readers of Freckles may recall the moment when this room is featured in the story:

“The night was warm, and the Angel most beautiful and kind. A triple delirium of spirit, mind, and body seized upon him and developed a boldness all unnatural. He slightly parted the heavy curtains that separated the conservatory from the company and looked between. He almost stopped breathing. He had read of things like that, but he never had seen them.

The open space seemed to stretch through half a dozen rooms, all ablaze with lights, perfumed with flowers, and filled with elegantly dressed people. There were glimpses of polished floors, sparkling glass, and fine furnishings. From somewhere, the voice of his beloved Bird Woman arose and fell.

The Angel crowded beside him and was watching also.

“Doesn’t it look pretty?” she whispered.

“Do you suppose Heaven is any finer than that?” asked Freckles.

The Angel began to laugh.”

There were other treasures too– her ‘darkroom’, i.e. the bathroom, where she, like the “Bird Lady” developed the glass plates of her nature photographs. Then there were the stuffed birds and the photograph of them dressed up for a playtime tea party as Gene’s daughter once did to them. Currently the kitchen is not yet restored, but the separate “room” for the icebox is still there and just outside it, now for display only, is the hollow tree smokehouse from the Limberlost. The upstairs, which features a large gathering spot and the bedrooms that were later used by the teachers, is not decorated, but can be toured.

At the Visitor’s Center, in addition to the wetlands display, you can also see the safe and desk from Mr. Porter’s bank as well as buy copies of Gene’s books and books on local wildlife.

 Trivia: Did you know Mrs. Porter wrote a book on “Birds of the Bible?”

These little ladies were created to represent some of Gene’s best loved characters. The dresses are hand made, hand embroidered. They were so lovely.

Our guide, author Curt Burnette, is himself a naturalist. You can purchase his book on the the wetlands from the Friends of the Limberlost, who run the gift shop at the Visitor’s Center. Sorry, it is not available for Kindle, though we both encouraged him to do so! The Friends also have nature programs which in June featured a Wildlife Safari, a guided nature hike of the Limberlost Restoration and a night out watching Swifts–a local bird.Homeschool students will be interested, too, in their Early Native American Culture courses designed for homeschoolers. Their website has an excellent webliography of free resources on the natural history of the area. Finally,  The Friendshold Bluegrass Jamborees that usually feature (all volunteer and all amateur) musicians playing blue grass, folk music, gospel and other types of music.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Gene Stratton Porter’s “South Cabin,” and the Limberlost area. Leave me a comment with Literary Journeys you have made.

Mrs. Porter’s nature books are available in many forms–print, kindle format, e-book. Her photography is included in several of her books, though not in all versions. Here are links to a few:

Moth’s of the Limberlost (Project Gutenberg) of for Kindle

Song of the Cardinal  [kindle]

Print versions are also available.

A Children’s (middle grades) biography of Mrs. Porter is also available, published by the Indiana Historical Society, Nature’s Storyteller: The Life of Gene Stratton Porter.

And, if you are interested in Nature Study, Natural History stories or Nature Journaling with your children, check out Amblesideonline’s great list of Natural History stories (see the topic in each year’s curriculum) or on nature journaling as Charlotte Mason intended it. (If your children are interested in nature, ecology or science, Ambleside. Please note: Some books recommended on Ambleside Online have copyright use restrictions–please be courteous and abide by them.

My own recommendations include:

Susan Braun’s  collection of Thornton Burgess Nature Stories Collection

The children’s picture book series One Small Square is wonderful for little ones.

Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New World Around You introduces all ages to nature journals.

Practical Naturalist  is a beautiful DK book on the natural world.

Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature is big help to beginning to draw the natural world.

Walking With Henry: The Life and Works of Henry David Therou [picture book but for all ages]

Girls Who Looked Under Rocks (includes great naturalist Anna Botsford Comstock, author or the classic of classics on nature study: The Handbook of Nature Study which is worth every dollar it costs to purchase it, though it is available for free here.

Audubon Society Field Guides series

And don’t forget local nature and natural history sites–as well as local Literary Journeys



Tufted Titmouse

8/3/2015

 
Picture
By Alex Forsythe

Often we can hear a bird before we see it, so knowing the calls a bird makes allows us to know what to look for in terms of color, shape and location. When birding in new territories, it helps to know if the birds have a different language or accent than the ones to which you are accustomed. The Tufted Titmouse is one of those birds that can sound very different depending on the region in which it is found.

Gene Stratton-Porter perfectly described the call of the Titmouse in the Limberlost area in "Homing with the Birds": "Another extremely interesting small bird sometimes seen in the summer, but constantly with us in winter, is the titmouse. His soft, delicate plumage, his sharp crest, his bright eye, and his gaudy vest make him a beautiful creature, reminding me of the cedarbird in form. Clear and high, when food hunting around the Cabin and especially in spring, he calls: 'Hewit, hewit!' very seldom repeating the words more than once, each time making them clearly words, as I should speak them; at other times he drags his utterances. His song is high, clear, and beautifully musical in the winter woods, but so nearly like the wren's in bubbling spontaneity that I again confess myself unable to put it into syllables or give it sympathetic description."

Sibley's website contains a variety of recordings of Tufted Titmouse calls, beginning with the typical "peter-peter-peter" call. In different states and regions, the Titmouse has a very different call, sometimes sounding like a revved up version of "peter-peter-peter", other times sounding like the recording is being played at half speed, and other times sounding nothing like "peter-peter-peter" at all. Listen to the variety of the calls here: http://www.sibleyguides.com/bird-info/tufted-titmouse/the-under-appreciated-variation-of-tufted-titmouse-songs/

Adding to the confusion, in particular areas of Texas and Oklahoma there is an abundance of Tufted and Black-crested hybrids ("Current and Historical Extent of Phenotypic Variation in the Tufted and Black-crested Titmouse", Curry and Patten, 2014). The hybrids have their own interesting calls. 

Another interesting difference to watch for in Tufted Titmice is the black patch on the forehead. Scientists have discovered that the larger the forehead patch on a Tufted Titmouse, the more likely he is to be the dominant male ("The Forehead Patch of Tufted Titmice: A Possible Status Signal", Moses and Ritchison, 2000).

The next time you see a Tufted Titmouse, take note of his unique call (or accent) and his forehead patch. Those two pieces of information might tell you more about that individual than you previously believed!

    Author

    The volunteers and staff of Limberlost

    Archives

    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.