Noah=20
Charney liked nature as a boy growing up, wandering barefoot =
around=20
the rocky, tree-clad hills of West Meade.
He sought out crawdads in the creeks =
and by about=20
age 12 had taken over his mother's macro-photography equipment to =
capture=20
plants, bugs and other little beasties up close.
Today at age 30, he has been drawn by =
those=20
not-to-be-stifled inclinations from the field of physics =97 in =
which he=20
received an undergraduate degree =97 back to the earth and some of =
its=20
tiniest inhabitants.
Charney has co-authored a 600-page =
field guide on=20
insects, or rather on their tracks and signs that often go =
unnoticed by=20
humans =97 from tiny scat to leaf burrows and bites and egg =
formations that=20
could rival the artistry of the greatest sculptures.
"There are plenty of books that are =
guides to=20
insects, but there aren't any on the things they leave behind," =
Charney=20
said.
He and Charley Eiseman, the lead writer =
of Tra=
cks=20
& Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates, had taken =
to=20
frequent mammal tracking and holding workshops on the topic. But =
they were=20
entranced by mysterious signs they saw everywhere, such as red =
discs on=20
stones, matchstick-like growths on a tree or a thread of silk on =
which a=20
wadded leaf dangled from a branch.
Charney's quiet voice quickens as he =
talks about=20
the complex and sophisticated world of insects, saying they are =
trying to=20
survive just like humans, working to build safe homes, reproduce, =
and=20
protect their young.
He explained that a vine leaf curled up =
like a=20
cigarette in a West Meade backyard was evidence of the caterpillar =
stage=20
of a leaf-rolling moth.
"Usually it's just a place to hide when =
they're=20
feeding," he said.
"There are other things that do that. =
There are=20
leaf-rolling weevils and leaf-rolling crickets. There are way more =
leaf-rolling moths."
That reminded him of the viceroy =
butterfly=20
caterpillar, which folds a tree leaf into a triangular "house" to =
spend=20
the winter in. It then winds silk around the leaf stalk and the =
branch so=20
that when the leaf dies it dangles rather than falling to the =
ground,=20
where the caterpillar might more likely be eaten.
(2 of 3)
Some invertebrates cover their eggs =
with mud or=20
gelatinous masses or even excrement to keep them from drying out =
or to=20
make them unpalatable as a meal.
In 2006, Charney, who had been =
observing changes=20
in the woods over his lifetime, put a brochure together about the=20
ridge-topped, bird-laced forest where wildflowers spread and trees =
hundreds of years old stand high above the mazelike residential=20
development.
He drew maps and illustrations to show =
residents=20
the ecological bounty in their backyard that was slowly being =
eaten away=20
by more and more building.
Next Charney put them in mailboxes on =
several=20
West Meade streets, with a note asking people who were interested =
to meet=20
at a circle on Jocelyn Hollow Road. The result has been the =
conservancy,=20
with about 300 members today, and increasing awareness of a =
waterfall, an=20
1800s stone wall and the 800-plus contiguous acres of mature =
forest.
So far, 65 households have signed up to =
put=20
protective easements on all or part of their land.
"He drew the community together in a =
mission to=20
see that the woods remain well beyond our lifetimes," Venable =
said.
"Then he rode off into the graduate =
school=20
sunset, from which he maintains the WMC's website, which he =
created, and=20
continues to come up with good ideas =97 such as a box turtle =
study.
"He's something special, and he's =
ours."
Interest is widespread
Charney and Eiseman are attracting =
proprietary=20
interest from across the nation with the book published this =
year.
"I'm reminded of the passage in Annie =
Dillard's=20
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, where she talks about the first =
people to=20
have cataract surgeries, and who suddenly, after a lifetime of =
darkness,=20
had their eyes opened to a world of light and color," John Callender, a =
California=20
nature enthusiast, wrote on the pair's website.
(3 of 3)
"That's how I felt when paging through =
your book.=20
Thank you for creating such a beautiful rosetta stone for =
unlocking the=20
mysteries of the natural world."
The insects themselves generally aren't =
seen in=20
the tome =97 just their signatures. Photos include grass spider =
webs shaped=20
like funnels, the dark minuscule droppings of an inchworm, snail =
teeth=20
tracks in algae on a picnic table and even Charney's ankles =
riddled with=20
the red bite marks of immature lone star seed ticks.
Between them, the authors have =
completed plant=20
and wildlife surveys for various state agencies and done field =
research on=20
amphibians, mammals and birds. Charney snared a National Science=20
Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and now a Switzer =
Environmental=20
Fellowship as he completes a doctorate on salamander ecology at =
the=20
University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
When it comes to their book, the two =
want humans=20
to get to know insects better, maybe let up on the fear and =
chemical=20
pesticides.
The inscription at the beginning says =
it=20
all:
"To the creatures we accidentally =
harmed in the=20
making of this book: Our intention was never to harm you, but to =
better=20
understand you, to share your stories with our readers, and =
thereby win=20
you respect.
"We hope this changes the way we humans =
interact=20
with you, and ultimately benefits your lineages."
Noah Charney, pictured, has =
written a=20
book with Charley Eiseman called Tracks & Sign of Insects and =
Other=20
Invertebrates, which explores the world of nature's tiny =
creatures.=20
(WARREN =
DUZAK)
=20
A spicebush swallowtail =
caterpillar folds=20
a leaf around it.(Noah=20
Charney)
=20
Stink bug eggs have tops that =
pop off for=20
them to hatch.(Noah=20
Charney)