Story and Photographs By Joan Herrmann

Whereiwander… today it is down “memory lane.” I have been remembering things from my childhood. I am remembering things that happened in the last century. Unless you are twenty-two years old or younger, then you can also remember things that happened in the nineteen hundreds. What I was thinking about was what a curious child I was and probably unintentionally an annoyance to many adults. I always asked questions and learned very early, even before I knew how to use proper grammar, asking “What this?’ or “What’s that?” that you could receive a reply, even if the answer wasn’t factual.

Most likely, as a toddler, because I wasn’t very tall, I became very curious about little things like insects. I loved everything that crawled and flew and wanted to know their names. What was particularly confusing as a child was some of the common names. For example, the tiny black creatures that crawled on the ground and made sand piles they crawled into and out of were called Ants. And my mother’s two sisters were called Aunts. One Aunt was called Violet, and so was the tiny purple flower which grew on our lawn.

I was even more confused when I later learned that most of the common names I was told were just made up. So were the stories about them. For example, we spent most of the summer at our cottage on Conesus Lake. I was very young when I first discovered dragonflies. I also realized that they were different colors and sizes. Each one was extremely beautiful and magical to behold. One adult told me to keep away from them and that some were called “Darning needles”; and if I were a “bad little girl,” they would sew my mouth shut.” It wasn’t until many, many years later that I learned that common names of insects and flowers are just convenient names.

As a Naturalist, I have genuinely spent my life learning about nature and the names of flora and fauna. A very wise woman shared with me that “to know someone or something intimately, you need to learn their name.” First, I began learning the botanical names of wildflowers, then wild bird names, ferns, trees, insects, etcetera. Over the years, more and more field guides and nature books have become available, making identification much more effortless. My library has grown immensely, and I never depend on one source for identification. Today smartphones and apps can quickly help with identification too.

I loved learning that everything, including us (Homo sapiens), has a binominal (Genus and species), not just a common name which can be deceiving. Genus is always capitalized, and species are always lowercase. For example, the insect which we call a Lady Bug isn’t just a Lady or female, and it isn’t a bug. Lady Bugs are male and female, and they are a Beetle, not a Bug. True, some insects are Bugs, but not the “Lady Bug.” Most Lady Beetles, now trying to enter our homes, are doing so to winter over until spring. Many of these beetles are Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles (Harmonia axyridis). They were introduced from Asia as a control for aphids. Another one that was also introduced for aphid control is the Seven-spotted Lady Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata). As many as twenty different species of Lady Beetle may be found in New York State.

Also, Dragonflies are not dragons, and they are not flies. Damselflies are not the females of dragonflies. In addition, there are numerous separate Genus and species of both dragonflies and damselflies. Butterflies do not exit cocoons they emerge from chrysalises. Moths emerge from cocoons. These are just a few of the wonders I have been able to unlearn and relearn by observing and utilizing excellent books. Fortunately, many more books have become available over the past twenty years.

When I first began photographing mosses, which became even more fascinating with digital macro photography, I was irritated that I couldn’t find field guides or something other than a very costly book regarding the study of Bryophytes. I could now find and photograph so many different species of mosses, each one a treasure, but I want to know their names. It was through a serendipitous meeting at a local bog that I finally found what I was searching for. I was photographing the Showy Lady’s-slipper Orchid (Cypripedium reginae) when a car drove up and parked. The woman who emerged from the vehicle asked me if the Liparis loeselii was in bloom. I learned she was a botanist from North Creek, New York. I asked her if she could identify a moss for me. I showed her a laminated photo that I took, and she quickly identified it as Bartramia pomiformis also known as Apple Moss. I gave her the photo, and we exchanged phone numbers.

She called me a few days later. A friend of hers had just published a field guide called “Outstanding Mosses and Liverworts of Pennsylvania and Nearby States.” The book was written by Susan Munch. She has a Ph.D. in botany and has taught botany for many years in colleges in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland. Her book has become a treasure, and it included color photographs and information about at least fifty mosses and liverworts. We have about three hundred species of mosses in New York State. The guide is for people who “want an introduction to local mosses but do not have the time or inclination to the technical details.” This book helped me to understand the life cycles of Mosses and Liverworts. I learned about the structure and growth, but most importantly, I learned their names.

The wise woman I mentioned earlier is Robin Wall Kimmerer, the author of a book called “Gathering Moss.” It is not a guidebook about mosses, but I learned that “It is a sign of respect to call a being by its name, and a sign of disrespect to ignore it. Words and names are the ways humans build relationships, not only with each other but also with plants”. I have always felt this to be true, and it is why I include botanical or scientific names when writing about plants or animals.

As a Professional Nature Photographer, Naturalist, and Outdoor Educator, Joan Herrmann has been teaching and doing programs for Schools, Garden Clubs, Libraries, and Nature Centers, for about 38 years. After moving from the Rochester area in 1995, she began her Photography business, Essence of Nature, and became a co-owner of The Artworks in Old Forge, New York. As a docent at Munson, Williams, Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, New York, she has been educating children and adults for nineteen years.

In 2007 she began working with the Black River Outdoor Educational Program (BROEP). In 2013 and 2014, and did a week-long summer program at BROEP in conjunction with Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). Using her love of nature and photography, she created a Flora/Fauna outdoor educational program teaching students (ages 6 to 14) the joys of nature and creative photography skills.

Joan’s love of nature has been a lifelong study of Birds, Wildflowers, Mosses, Ferns, Trees, Amphibians, Reptiles, Grasses, Insects, Spiders, Tracks, Scat, and Galls. She has assisted in the cataloging of all trails used by the hiking Coaches and photographed and identified seasonal Flora.

Since October 2016, she has been writing a bi-monthly nature column with Adirondack Express Newspaper. In October 2019, she began a bi-monthly column with the My Little Falls newspaper. You may reach her at jmhphoto8442@gmail.com.