A Very Special Snail

I'm home safe and sound. Haven't done much for the rest of today. Chilling. Getting energy stored up for tomorrow when I will need to get moving again. Meanwhile...

I got to see something at the Paleontological Research Institute that I thought I NEVER would have the chance to observe.

First of all you need to see Chittenango Falls. This is in Central New York.

The North Country Trail doesn't go as close to it as I would like. It used to be on the road just above the falls. Now it's in the woods east of the falls. You would need to take a spur trail for about 1/2 mile to see the waterfall. Of course New York is stuffed with falls, but it's a really pretty one.

There is an interpretive sign at the falls about a unique creature. If I have a picture of that sign (which I thought I did), I can't find it. The critter is a snail. The Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail, Novisuccinea chittenangoensis. It's only found one place in the world, and it's in the spray on one side of this waterfall. There are 50-75 snails in the wild. It's hard to get an accurate population count.

There are also several captive populations at research facilities. People are trying to learn about what makes these snails happy without reducing the wild population.

So, on Tuesday, I saw a terrarium stuffed with dead leaves. I wondered if it housed a snake of some kind or a small mammal. I asked. Warren started talking about the Chittenango Snail and was shocked that I actually knew about it! I was equally shocked that they had some.

This one wanted his-her picture taken. It's sitting on a romaine lettuce leaf. Apparently individuals can be recognized by the pattern on their shells!

For one thing, I thought they were tiny, tiny snails. Not so. They are about 3/4 of an inch long!

An article in the Journal of Molluscan Studies says they only like romaine lettuce when they are getting ready to mate, even though it's a standard diet for most captive snails. The article does give some leaves that have been found to be preferred by Chitt (the nickname for this snail). They like some hickory and walnut. Cherry and oak in certain stages of decomposition are highly preferred. Seems this is a gourmand snail. Very fussy eater. There is a long list of leaves they won't even nibble.

Now for reproduction. Snails and slugs are hermaphrodites. Each individual is both sexes. Remember hearing about the snails' "love dart?" One snail shoots a projectile into another snail which stimulates the desire to reproduce. They bond for 10-15 hours and exchange packets of sperm. Then each snail lays eggs.

I am beyond pleased that I got to see these little critters!

Tomorrow I have to get my tush in gear.

See Paleontological Research Institute

Conservation Trail - Murder Creek Re-re-re-re-visited

 Except for some wet weeds, today was a pretty nice hike. We waited until noon to start because it was raining fairly hard in the morning. We got sprinkled on a little bit, but not bad.

We crossed Murder Creek for the first time today at 1:53. This is the creek we crossed once yesterday. But now it was placid and grassy.

Before long, it had changed character completely to this rocky stream.

We followed it through a park, crossing again on this nice footbridge.

Walking beside it, there is an arch for the footpath in this bridge that carries Clarence Center Road.

Finally, we crossed it one more time, where it is now wider. It flows into Tonawanda Creek which flows to the Niagara River.

Legend has it that a Tuscarawas Chief loved his daughter so much that he became jealous when a young brave came to court her, and he killed them both. Murder Creek.

Miles hiked so far in 2024: 292.9. Finger Lakes Trail miles hiked in 2024: 25.6

Conservation Trail, Western NY. NY Thruway to Clarence Center Rd. 6.8 miles

BONUS SECTION: Critters

It was a great day for seeing critters. Ones I could not catch with the camera include a brown thrasher, a mockingbird, and a small snake- possibly a red-belly.

This snail was easy to take pictures of. It moved so slowly, we decided not to wait long enough for it to extend its antennae all the way. But it was fun to watch. I have to wonder what a snail thinks when it is suddenly hoisted from the ground to sit in a hand that must smell really odd to it.

This handsome redtail hawk did not like us walking on the trail below and was very vocal about it.

We got an extra treat in the evening with a visit to another garden, but that will have to wait for another day. However, there was a friendly lawn bunny that was quite used to people.

A big ol' bullfrog is always fun.

The garden had ponds with beautifully colored koi.

But the best find of the day (well, I really did like the snail too) was a fledgling red-wing blackbird. It was just learning to fly and wasn't doing a very good job of it yet. Mama was close by.

This is way more than enough for one day!

See Murder Creek

Buckeye Trail- Medina Points 17-23

 
This was hiking day two, June 8. We were still on the Buckeye Trail Medina Map, between points 17 and 23.

About the first half was roadwalk. We always find interesting things to look at even so. I loved this hosta garden. I have six or seven varieties, but not as lush as these, and not filling an entire space. There are so many hostas you really can create a lovely shade garden with them.



Another interesting thing about roads is that there are often historical places to see along the way. Here's one you'd never notice from a car unless you stopped particularly to see it.

I've continued to be amazed at how early northeast Ohio was settled. This was partly due to the Ohio and Erie Canal opening in 1827. There will be lots more about that later. But here's a stone watering trough at Weymouth. The monument says that it was in use from the early 1800s through 1926.



The afternoon was spent on trail through Hinckley Reservation. I've shown you a couple of pictures of this place known as The Ledges or Whipp's Ledges, but it's worth a few more. This area is definitely more like southeast Ohio or even Pennsylvania. There are huge outcroppings of the Sharon Conglomerate sandstone which overlies shale. Most of Ohio was glacially scoured and covered with till when the glacier retreated. However, this is one of the places where the original bedrock remains. It's a popular spot for rock climbers, and we hung around for a while watching one guy prepare, but he was still getting ready and we needed to move along. You can see a person in an orange jacket on the top right.



The sandstone is soft and I love how some areas become honeycombed over time.



This was my lucky shot, however. There was a tunnel between sections of rock, and the late afternoon light was shining through. What the camera saw is even better than my eye.



Just for a sense of scale- in addition to immense, we also saw this tiny one taking a hike.



This, however, was the big joke of the day. First the picture, then why it's so funny.



This is trail along a service road as we were leaving Hinckley Reservation. The guide says that at 1290 feet above sea level, this is "perhaps the highest point on the Buckeye Trail." We had a good laugh about this. I'm sure it might indeed be the highest elevation, but it's certainly not much to look at! Good thing we read the words, or we'd never have known it was such a special place.

11.4 miles for the day.

	See Buckeye Trail- Medina Points 10-17
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