8/18/2021 | This resource was created by Abigail Schmid and Kate Reilly.
Summertime will sizzle on the Duke Farms Distance Learning Portal through an eclectic array of environmental topics that feature the sights, sounds, and smells of this sensational season as was artistically captured in Dunbar’s historical work. We hope that you are inspired to find your own nature-based adventures and create reflections and memories to last a lifetime.
Summer in the South
The Oriole sings in the greening grove
As if he were half-way waiting,
The rosebuds peep from their hoods of green,
Timid, and hesitating.
The rain comes down in a torrent sweep
And the nights smell warm and pinety,
The garden thrives, but the tender shoots
Are yellow-green and tiny.
Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill,
Streams laugh that erst were quiet,
The sky smiles down with a dazzling blue
And the woods run mad with riot.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, born in 1872, is the author of numerous collections of poetry and prose.
He is one of the first African American poets to gain national recognition.
New Jersey's rivers are home to 90 species of freshwater fish - 67% of those fish are native. Surprisingly, species we hear about most often like the brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, were introduced and naturalized over time. Curious about the native species? Among the 60 species are the American eel, American shad, brook trout, blue-spotted sunfish, and redfin pickerel.
The lake system at Duke Farms includes nonnatives and NJ natives. However, the main factor that determines which fish you'll find is the water temperature. Because the lakes at Duke Farms are generally shallow, the water is warmer overall. Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cold water - these are the factors that influence which types of fish survive in which waterbodies.
Cover image credits:
"Banded killifish" by Anita Gould CC-BY NC 2.0