Species of the Month

With Thanksgiving just a week away, once again we turn our attention to the dinner plate. In years past, November's Species of the Month has featured the wild turkey, venison, and clams that were likely present at the first Thanksgiving. This year, we look at a staple of the modern celebration, the North American cranberry.

Whole berry cranberries (UWLC)

Scientific name: Vaccinium macrocarpon

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida (dicots)
Order: Ericales (heath)

Cranberries on the shrub (UWLC)

Range: US west coast, northeast US and Great Lakes areas
Habitat: Bogs with acidic soil
Diet: Water and sunlight
Predators: Bears, rodents, birds, deer, humans
Conservation Status: Listed as endangered in Illinois and threatened in Tennessee

Cranberry bog

Other facts: Cranberries grow in freshwater peat bogs. They are grown commercially for use in food products. The best use is the canned jellied cranberry. Cranberry plants are useful as a food source for animals. Birds, bear, and rodents eat the berry, while deer browse the shrub. Birds and rodents also use the stems for nesting material. Birds may also build a nest in the shrub. Cranberries also form a symbiotic relationship with fungi, giving up sugar in exchange for access to soil nutrients. Cranberries can survive being submerged for long periods, and even being kept on ice over the winter.

Cranberry flower (Cape Cod Cranberry Growers)

This week's information comes from Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association, USDA PLANTS, and University of Wisconsin- La Crosse. Pictures, except the flower, are also from University of Wisconsin- La Crosse.

Transit of Mercury

Frequently, we observe solar and lunar eclipses here on our blue marble we call Earth. Solar eclipses are when the moon passes in front of the sun. Lunar eclipses are when Earth cuts between the sun and moon, with the moon covered in our shadow. Less commonly observed are planetary transits. Because we live on the third rock from the sun, we only get to see Mercury and Venus pass in front of it. Because orbits wobble and planes aren't aligned, this is something that is only seen a few times per century.

Transit of Mercury as seen with the unaided eye

Mercury transited the sun on November 11. Because the sun is so bright and Mercury is so small, a telescope with solar filter is a requirement to witness the event. I took a field trip to Philadelphia's Franklin Institute to see it for myself with their telescope. Because seeing Mercury normally requires a clear horizon at sunrise or sunset, most folks don't get to see it. This was my first time, and now I've finally seen all six naked eye planets- I included Earth, which I see every day.

Franklin Institute's telescope with solar filter

I got a shot of Mercury being live-streamed on the big screen

Sadly, I wasn't able to get my own pictures of Mercury, but I did get pictures. NASA was live-streaming and has a video up on their Youtube page. If you want to see a Mercury transit live and in person, you'll have to wait until 2032. You'll need to be in Africa, eastern Europe, or western Russia to see it. Otherwise, the next transit here in the states won't be until 2049. But if you think that's bad, the next transit of Venus won't happen until 2117.

NASA posted this picture of a prior transit on their Facebook page.
The little black spot on the bottom is Mercury. The one on
the top is a sunspot.