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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Bioluminescence in the West Every once in a while — and often enough that it leaves me feeling like a dunce — I meet up with something in the world of nature I didn’t even have a clue existed. Like that click beetle with headlights. It came about it in the late ’70s thanks to a high school kid in Sierra Vista High School in southeast Arizona, when I was manager of Ramsey Canyon Preserve. The Preserve was then the “Hummingbird Capitol of the World,” nestled in the Huachuca (Wah-choo-kah) Mountains just north of Bisbee. Leonard Taylor and my son Dean got to be pals as they walked up Ramsey Canyon Road from where the school bus dropped them off. Leonard lived at the mouth of the canyon, while Dean lived with Sue and me in the manager’s house at the upper end of the road. Leonard was, by birth I think, a most curious young man, and his dear parents did nothing to discourage that intense desire to know who and what was where in the Huachuca Mountains. (Leonard’s gone on to become a leading author and contributor of field guides to the backcountry of southeast Arizona with his “Trails of the Huachucas”). All this led to the phone ringing on a delightful sum- mer night. I picked up the receiver, and without fanfare or intro- duction a voice shouted, “Jim! Ya’ gotta’ come down here right now and see what I’ve found!” I recognized the voice and started to ask Leonard what it was that he was so excited about, but all I heard was a definitive “click.” I shouted to Dean and Sue, “I just got a call from Leonard, and he’s got some- thing-or-another by the neck, or it’s dragging him all around the yard!” With that, we jumped into our old VW camper and took off down the road. When we rolled into Leonard’s yard I could see someone with a flashlight bent over in the shrubs, either following or chasing — or being chased — by something. “Well it doesn’t Starts Friday Fri., Feb. 19 – Thurs., Feb. 25 Feb. 17 / Wed. / 7 PM Tommy Castro & The Painkillers Fervently delivering driving, blues-soaked, soul-baring music to fans all over the world. Feb. 27 / Sat. / 8 PM Brothers Comatose with The Easy Leaves Known nation-wide for lively, high-energy performances. Mar. 11 / Fri. / 8 PM Race (PG-13) Fri 4:15, 7:00 Sat 1:45, 4:15, 7:00 Sun 1:00, 3:30, 6:15 Mon-Thurs 3:30, 6:15 Zoolander 2 (PG-13) Fri 5:00, 7:30 Sat 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 Sun 2:00, 4:30, 6:45 Mon-Thurs 4:15, 6:30 How to Be Single (R) Blue-eyed cajun roadhouse soul by one of America’s true blues/roots originals. Fri 4:45, 7:15 Sat 2:15, 4:45, 7:15 Sun 1:30, 3:45, 6:00 Mon-Thurs 4:00, 6:15 Mar. 23 / Wed. / 8 PM Hail Caesar (PG-13) Randy McAllister Hot Buttered Rum with Front Country w A sound that is tough to describe and easy to love, and it has found its way to the most prestigious pop, , folk, and bluegrass stages in the country y PUB OPENS ONE HOUR PRIOR TO SHOWS BelfryEvents.com Call for Details 541-815-9122 Fri 4:15, 6:45 Sat 1:45, 4:15, 6:45 Sun 1:00, 3:15, 5:45 Mon-Thurs 3:45, 6:00 Movie times and titles are bsite subject to change. Visit we n. atio rm info st late for or call WWW.SISTERS MOVIEHOUSE.COM 541-549-8800 look too big to handle…” I said as we piled out of the VW and charged across his lawn toward the waving flashlight. “It’s over here,” Leonard shouted, and over “here” we went. “Look… look,” he shouted again, “Right there! It’s got lights!” Sure enough, as we all got closer to the object he was holding the beam of the flashlight near we could see a tiny yellowish light moving on the back side of a yucca leaf. But as we got closer the one light became two, and as we finally closed in on Leonard’s creature it turned out to be an adult click beetle with headlights on its thorax. “Holy cats! “I thought. “Fireflies I know — but lighted click beetles I do not.” The fireflies of my child- hood days back east were always a delight, and it never even occurred to me that, right off the start, the very name was incorrect. Fireflies are NOT flies, they are BEETLES. Just like the old saying, “Not all insects are bugs, but all bugs are insects.” Lightning bugs are not “bugs” either, they’re also in the zoological order, Coleoptera: beetles, but commonly called “fireflies” or “lightning bugs” for their 13 photo by Jim anderson Surprise! a click beetle that glows in the dark! conspicuous use of biolumi- nescence: capacity to cre- ate chemical light, a “cold light,” without infrared, or ultraviolet frequencies. There are about 2,000 species of fireflies found in temperate and tropi- cal environments, many in marshes or in wet, wooded areas where the larvae have abundant sources of food. The larvae emit light and are often called “glow worms.” OK, I knew about “glow worms,” but had no idea there are so many species of fireflies, not to mention glowing click beetles. There was a really great exhibit at the High Desert Museum last June that Sue and I missed; it took place right at the apex of our golden eagle fieldwork. The exhibit explored how and why some living organ- isms produce light through a chemical reaction in their bodies. Visitors learned about a chemical process that produces cool light and explored the world of light- producing terrestrial organ- isms like fireflies, glow- worms and fungi — and I missed it all. Weep, oh weep! With our Earth warming, and Mexican birds and but- terflies fluttering all about Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, it my not be too unrealistic to start looking around on the coming sum- mer nights to see if there are any bioluminescent insects wandering around Sisters Country, lighting things up. Live Entertainment, Arts & Special Events Wed.~Feb. 17 The Belfry Live Music with Tommy Castro & The Painkillers 7 to 10 p.m. $20 online at bendticket.com or $25 at the door. Irresistible contemporary blues-rock. For more info: belfryevents.com. Friday~Feb. 19 FivePine Conference Center Annual Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. $35 per person. Purchase tickets in advance at the chamber. For more information: 541-549-0251 or jeri@sisterscountry.com. Saturday~Feb. 20 Sisters High School 5th Annual Sister Science Fair noon to 4 p.m. Free for all ages! The event is sponsored by the Sisters Science Club, featuring experiments, 3D printer, planetarium, robots, inventions & more! For info: sistersscienceclub.org. Sunday~Feb. 21 Sisters Community Church Annual Mr. SHS Pasta Feed 6 p.m. It’s the annual fundraiser for Sisters FAN, with dessert auction, and auction for services provided. Just $5 per person (under 5 free). For information call 541-549-4045. Monday~Feb. 22 Friday~Feb. 26 Sisters High School 19th Annual Coffee House Benefi t 7 to 9 p.m. Art demos, silent auction, hands-on stations, live entertainment and more from SHS students! $5 entry goes to SHS arts programs & scholarship. For more information contact Bethany, 541-549-4045 x1012. Cork Cellars Live Music! 7 to 9 p.m. No cover! For more information call 541-549-2675 or go to corkcellars.com. FivePine Conference Center Sisters Christian Academy Annual Benefi t Auction 6 p.m. Silent, live & dessert auctions, hearty appetizers & no-host bar. Incredible auction items! $30pp or $325 reserved table for 10. 541-549-4133 or info@ sisterschristianacademy.com. Tuesday~Feb. 23 The Belfry Sisters Science Club Lecture 6 p.m. Jon Renner presents “Science & Saturday~Feb. 27 Society.” $5 (free to students, teachers & club donors). For Sisters High School Sisters additional information go online Folk Festival Winter Concert to sistersscienceclub.org. with Bumper Jacksons 7 p.m. The hot and sweet Wed.~Feb. 24 sounds of America’s story. For additional information or tickets Sisters High School Gym call 541-549-4979 or go to “Concussions in School sistersfolkfestival.org. Sports” 7 p.m. Retired neurologist Dr. Robert Collins Caldera Arts Center Open will speak, sponsored by the Studio at Blue Lake 1 to Sisters Science Club & SHS 3 p.m. Free to the public. Meet Athletic Dept. Free and open the Artists in Residence! For to all; required for athletes & more info go to calderaarts.org families in SHS spring sports. or call 541-595-0956. For additional information call The Belfry Live Music with Tim Roth at 541-549-4045. Brothers Comatose and Deadline to submit items The Easy Leaves 8 to 11 p.m. for the Events Calendar $15 online at bendticket.com is 5 p.m. Fridays. Email or $18 at the door. Americana, teresa@nuggetnews.com folk & bluegrass from this 5-piece string bad. For more information go to belfryevents. com or call 541-815-9122.
