Life on the Edge

Beginning with a personal note….

Less than 48 hours ago a devastating tornado ripped through the very place I had already planned to celebrate in the latter portion of this post. News broadcasts continue to report damage to houses, businesses, farm equipment, and vehicles. The loss people are experiencing is tragic and hard to imagine. However, I have heard no mention of what this devastation means for other living species. This post is dedicated to the wildlife of the Haskell-Baker Wetlands, located on the southeast side of Lawrence, Kansas – the birds, mammals, and reptiles who have lost their lives and homes, the trees ripped apart, and the plants torn from their roots.

“Edges are created where two habitat types meet.

Wildlife species need to use more than one habitat type

during their daily activities. Edges are the crossroads

for the wildlife traveling between habitats and

are richer in animal life than the areas on either side.

Providing a variety of edges can increase

habitat diversity and equality.”

I discovered these words on a pond-side sign while hiking in central Florida several years ago. This sign was my introduction to the natural phenomena of ecotone (from the English eco + the Greek tonos ‘tension.’)

An ecotone is the region of transition between two biological communities. It is the place where the two natural communities meet and integrate - the grassland between the forest and the desert, the estuary between fresh water and salt-water, or the riverbank between the water and dry ground.

An ecotone is biologically diverse, rich with species whose survival requires more than one natural habitat, such as the owl who nests in the forest and hunts for rodents in the grassland.

An ecotone may also be home to species unique to the intersection of two ecosystems – dragon flies and cattails, for example.

Life in the ecotone is more biologically diverse than life on either side. It is the place of transition and integration, resulting in changes in the populations and community structures of two adjoining ecosystems. Edge effect is the natural phenomena of the species diversity, integration and change of the ecotone. Life here is rich, dense and creative!

For many years, my commute between work and home included driving alongside a nature preserve known as the Haskell-Baker Wetlands. Heading home (south) one late spring evening, a quick glance to the west captured my attention. The early light of sunset signaled an unusually vibrant sunset. I decided to take it in, completely. I slowed my speed and prepared to pull onto the shoulder of the country road. As I did so, the radio news to which I had been listening concluded. I parked safely on the west side of the road, leaving the car radio on. As I began to focus on the sunset, the broadcast of an amazing symphonic work by Alan Hovanhess began. The combination of the exhilarating music and the emerging sunset spectacle truly took my breath away! And then… as my eyes adjusted to further change in the light of the sky, I noticed small, white objects scattered across the close-range panorama. Initially, my heart sank, concerned that I might be witnessing the result of human carelessness and waste. But then…. I realized the white objects were moving throughout the small trees and into the sky! I was witnessing the migration and nesting of cattle egrets. As the sunset and music continued, I was transported and transformed. I know now that turning toward the natural environment as my “sacred text” began that evening.

My sister, Jan, has graciously accepted the challenge to recreate a portion of my experience here so that I may share it more fully with you.