The 3D lab

Ecology is big, ecology is small

Posted on August 14, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

Ecology is big. Ecology is extreme. We wanna see the big things, the amazing things that happen out there in nature. The crazier, the better.

That was my first thought when I went out to see the giant coastal redwoods from California, the tallest trees in the world, an amazing walk between giants.

But it turns out that I find the small things a lot more exciting, as soon as I get to know them. As an ecologist, when I get a closer look at a natural system, I get sucked in to it. I wanna use the smallest scale to explain the bigger patterns.

And I see that with a lot of the talks here at the conference in Sacramento. We need to get to the smallest scale before we can explain the big questions. Micro is the key to get to the macro.

That was playing through my head when I turned away from the big redwoods (they do not fit nicely on one picture anyway) and started focusing on the small plants in the understory.

I turned into the Lost Trail and realized my Trail was not Lost. I see the questions I have to ask, and I know where to go from here, after the conference.

My talk on friday will show some highlights from this Not-Lost Trail, with some very nice viewpoints along the track. But the best views are yet to come, in the next 4 years of my PhD. Hopefully ending somewhere with a nice overview on the broader picture.

Posted in USA | Tagged Conference, Ecology, ESA2014, Forests, Photography, Plants, Redwoods, Science, Tourism, Traveling | 3 Comments

At the conference

Posted on August 12, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

Trying to grab the full diversity of ecological research is like crossing Lake Tahoe without a boat.

I brought this huge lake a short visit while on a break from the thousands of posters, presentations and working ecologists here at the conference in Sacramento.

After one day of presentations, it is already easy to get lost in everything that is going on. So many people, so many different approaches, all eager to find out how nature works with their own methods.

To keep your head above the water while you cross the lake, it is important to keep in mind you do not need to understand everything that is going on. Ecology is developing so quickly, with countless subdisciplines emerging everywhere, that I will never be able to grasp its full extent.

So I let the lake convince me that I just have to keep on building slowly, stone by stone, my own trajectory to the other side of the ecology lake.

Using information and help where it is available, but focusing on my own path.

Which should not prevent me from enjoying all the beauty on the way, of course. Because that is why we do it!

Posted in USA | Tagged California, Ecology, ESA2014, Lake Tahoe, Nature, PhD, Photography, Science, Sierra, Travel | 1 Comment

The rose of California

Posted on August 11, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

After my late arrival in the USA yesterday, I spend my sunday exploring. The morning brought me to a coastal forest, but the weather was way better in the Sacramento valley, so I went for an early return and spent the afternoon exploring the city.

I enjoyed Downtown Sacramento and the Old part of the city, and I was genuinely pleased with that experience.

The best part of this city is that it looks like it is thought through. That might surprise Americans, but for a European it is not something we take for granted.

We are used to old cities, that have been growing like a living thing for century after century. We are used to narrow, winding streets with houses that can barely support there own weight and have to lean on each other to survive another year.

We are not used to the space, the tidiness and the design of a city like Sacramento. With its straight avenues, broad streets and tall, modern buildings, the city looks to be designed on the drawing table of a talented architect with a love for clarity.

The golden tower bridge is the main attraction of the city, and it is a true beauty in the afternoon sun. The noise and fuss it makes when it has to get up – vertically – to let a sailing ship pass is way over the top, but it adds to its allure of a construction from ancient times, when transportation was still magical.

I have been told the place is sometimes even denied the name ‘city’, probably by Americans who are used to bigger and busier. But I love the place, and I am glad it is my first confrontation with big USA.

Posted in General, USA | Tagged Architecture, Buildings, California, City, City trip, Photography, Sacramento, Tower bridge, Travel, Traveling, USA | 1 Comment

America

Posted on August 9, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

Let’s celebrate my first ever entry into the United States of America with some American eagles!

I am on my way to Sacramento, California, for my first big international scientific conference. I will present some brand new results on friday, and use my time to network and dive head first into the vast ecological community.

It is the reward for the first part of the summer, which I spend collecting data in the field and processing datasets, all to get an interesting story together to present to my fellow scientists.

So by now, I am in Charlotte, North Carolina, getting my first experiences of North-America as I am passing through on my way to the west coast.

Six more hours to fly. ‘We will start boarding in some minutes’, but I will check in with you soon again.

Posted in USA | Tagged America, American bald eagle, Birds, Conference, Eagle, Ecology, ESA2014, Photography, Science, Travel, USA | 2 Comments

Hedgehog parade

Posted on August 5, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

We have a real hedgehog invasion in the garden!

A whole nest of tiny little hedgehogs is roaming over the terrace and sniffing around over the lawn.

They even leave their hiding places during the day, brave and without any fear defying the openness of the garden to feast upon the cat food.

One of them is really tiny, almost not strong enough to carry his own weight on his little paws.

We tried to make him stronger with some delicious snails and cat food, but he seemed totally confused, forgetting which side was up and where he wanted to go.

The cats were not so sure about those prickly intruders. They watched them with a worried look in their eyes, safely from a long, long distance.

The little guys did not let the big cats bother them though. Their defense was already kitten proof, so they had no need to worry.

We will keep an eye on them, to make sure they make it to the winter with enough reserves to battle the cold.

(I will come back to you with more science-related stuff soon, but I could not deny you these little cuties, could I?)

Posted in Belgium | Tagged Animal, Cats, Garden, Garden safari, Hedgehog, Home, Mammal, Nature, Pets, Photography, Pictures | 6 Comments

Keep an eye out for the butterflies!

Posted on August 2, 2014 by lembrechtsjonas

This weekend nature-lovers all around Belgium (and the Netherlands) get outside to count butterflies. Natuurpunt, the nature conservation organization, asks everybody to spend at least half an hour of this sunny weekend in the garden, preferably when the sun is shining, and write down all species of butterflies that you can spot.

The campaign to count butterflies for one weekend a year already exists since 2007 and provides a fantastic opportunity to combine ecological research with the broader public (oh, and that is exactly what we on this blog want!). It brings people in contact with the nature in their garden ànd with the science of nature conservation.

So, the task is simple, you do not have to do anything different than planned: just put yourself in a relaxed chair in the garden and look at all the beauty around you. We have a warm summer, so the butterflies might be plentiful. Every counted butterfly provides information on their distribution and how to conserve them. So, please, help us to count them all, and sent your information from this weekend to Natuurpunt.