Strange Science meets Weird Society: Still a Pond Story

On January 3rd I started doing a project in another town during the week and didn't get home until after dark. I walk with Kilo every day, and there isn't very much traffic here during that time so we started walking at night. Apparently we are both creatures of habit because even in the dark we followed the same trail that we follow in the day, and without a flashlight. The first night we finished the walk and entered my yard through the pond gate, as usual. It was either overcast or there was no moon, and very dark. I leaned over to take Kilo's halter off and noticed something glowing on the ground on the other side of the gate. I released her into my yard and went back through the gate to the pond side. There were several quarter-sized spots of the substance and they were glowing like a new white t-shirt under a black light, except bluish-green. I remembered the blue glowing material that had traveled through Mexico for several months as a religious icon and had several "radiation" thoughts. I touched one of the spots and soon even tried to pick it up. I finally scooped under one and put it in my hand. I then went to my back door under a light - and there was nothing but dirt in my hand. I was too tired to bother with it that night, and the next night it was there again, and the next, and it was increasing. I told my sister and brother-in-law about it and Bill asked the first relevant question. "Where are you finding the material?" During the night, between the hours of 8 and 10 PM, Kilo and I walk at least one mile, and often two, in all directions, and as much on undeveloped pastures as on roadways. The only place I had observed the phenomenon was on his property - more specifically, in the area that was watered directly from the pond. It reached a point where we were leaving glowing tracks (not footprints, a definite trail) in every unlighted portion of his yard. One night I forced my niece to come into the back yard after dark and she was also amazed. The story actually took a bizarre turn that point and I distanced myself from even thinking about it, but several people saw that as they walked through Bill's backyard by the pond, on a dark night (and the nights during that time were also very wet), a phosphorescent phenomenon would display in the spots where they stepped. One of them told me they had found what was causing it, glow-worms. I never thought about it again until today but tonight I've been searching, and have only found one glow worm reference so far. This article also mentions bioluminescent plankton and then says that almost none are fresh-water.

Finally, an article that discusses bioluminescent earthworms. It states that their bodies don't glow but that they excrete a mucus that does. When they told me that the worms were causing the glow in Bill's yard, they also mentioned that if you rubbed your finger along them, the glow would transfer to your finger. Then if you immediately turned on a flashlight, nothing was visible. It also states that researchers have discovered that the mucus is squirted when the worm is disturbed, such as being handled. This all fits. Being stepped on by people walking around in the dark would be disturbing. Then stalked and captured, even more disturbing. The only part that doesn't fit is, the article is talking about Australia.

Found information about bioluminescent earthworms that relates to this area. This is a slide show. The first slide shows that a bioluminescent earthworm, Genus Diplocardia, can be found here. The forth one is a photo of a species of Diplocardia found in Georgia. The fifth slide is of an earthworm exhibiting almost the same glow (but a little more blue) that we saw. Well, now I probably know what it is, but why? Something about the pond water must attract them because you can almost see a perimeter around the area that it reaches. Will check on it again when the moon wanes.

A winter evening stroll, and - 

entering that other world 

My favorite view. Every change I make is from this perspective 

She follows me everywhere 

The rail was put up for old people but it looks dangerous from this angle 

Must be Hazard County Construction Co. 

I liked the reflection 

Soon this will be green and secluded, but the old van will still be watching 

blackbirds are back 

the end. 

Maybe not quite as colorful, but 

Almost the sunset 

I Miss My Job

Not the one I used to go to for money (although I do miss my friends), I miss fully engaging the choice I made to chronicle the life of the pond. How long will that be? Not the thousand or so years that a naturally occurring, spring fed pond can expect, and probably not much past my own life-span. So far, only Bill and I are interested enough in it to perform the daily labor that it requires, and I can't expect that to change. Generally, when the dreamer leaves, the dream dissipates. Not many artificial environments (companies, routines, ponds, etc.) survive their creators/most devoted servants by very long. But enough of that, it's almost as sad as dog years.

Anyway, these last three months (tomorrow) have been fairly uneventful. It has rained considerably up to the start of Winter, and then toward the end of December when it turned cold, it started snowing. Every night Kilo has been barking at something hanging around the pond, and the other morning when we went walking at about 6AM, a large grey bird flew off. It had long legs and a long beak, and my first impression was "crane", but I really don't know. Cashmere has a good enough camera to have taken a recognizable photo, but she doesn't get up that early. A bird expert comes by here fairly often to watch the advance progress of the ring necked doves that have entered SE New Mexico in the past 10 years, and the ruby throated hummingbird that hangs out at my brothers house, but he is fairly condescending and I'd rather not put up with a whole lot of that in my own yard. Last year when he came I mentioned that a kingfisher (looked like a demonic daffy duck) had been hanging around and he was skeptical and used a lot of scornful sounding insider bird-watcher words.

I got rid of the debris pile on the SE side of the pond, but haven't done anything with the plants that I need to clean out of the water. I may end up just leaving them alone, at least for this year. The literature seems to agree that optimum coverage would be about 3/4 of the surface, approximately where it is. I realize that we aren't following a recipe, and Bill's intuition is generally right on target, but it's a time issue and I don't think that waiting on that part will cause any system problems.

The herb garden has remained vital so far this Winter. I don't use the herbs, but I like the way they make that area smell when I cut them, especially the sage.

Sometimes, it's just big fun. 

Then, 

Time 

Passes, 

And the next morning - 

Da, Ta, Da, Ta, Da, Ta, Da