Episode Seven - A Bustle in the Hedgerows
Discuss
Casey Hoy’s Acoustical Monitoring Project (AMP) has been recording the soundscape--”for thirty seconds, every thirty minutes, all day, every day”-- at the Mellinger Farm since 2012, charting “the daily, seasonal, and annual rhythms of the farm's ecosystems.” What kind of variation would you expect to find from day to day? as the seasons change? What kind of changes might you notice over the years?
Like many Ohio farms, the Mellinger Farm used to raise primarily corn and soybeans in rotation. Since 2016, it has been growing a much larger range of crops organically, including sunflowers, oats and pasture-raised chickens. How do you think those changes show up in the soundscape recordings? What patterns would you look for?
Biodiversity is most often measured by listing species of plants and animals and counting how many are present on a given plot of land at different moments of time. What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying biodiversity numerically? Acoustical monitoring provides a more holistic (overall) picture of biodiversity. What kind of information could you get from studying soundscapes?
Why is increased biodiversity important to regenerative agriculture? How could acoustical monitoring further regenerative goals?
Although cicadas can be deafeningly loud, they do little damage and have some beneficial effects on trees and wildlife. In what ways can cicadas be helpful?
Brood X cicadas will reappear in seventeen years. What do you think the world will look like in 2038? What gives you hope?
Listen
The Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics at Ohio State University has audio CDs of Ohio birds, insects and amphibians and maintains a worldwide database of birdsongs and other animal sounds. It also has significant historical lectures by scientists and other fun recordings.
Everything you need to know about Brood X cicadas (CNet)
Philosopher and clarinetist David Rothenberg plays Bug Music accompanied by cicadas. Here is an audio-essay he produced for the New York Times.
Watch
Regeneration International’s Jonathan Lundgren explains how regenerative practices promote biodiversity.
Metroparks’ Lisa Zoromski talks about cicadas in Ohio.
Read
Anthropologist Hugh Raffles’ Insectopedia explores the complex relationship between humans and the insect world. In collaboration with the photographer Tim Edgar, Insect Theatre records three years of bug life in a garden shed.
Michael McCarthy’s The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and Joy is a lyrical memoir about living with insects and a lament for the ongoing destruction of ecosystem.
Because not all insects are beneficial, the Rodale Institute provides this guide to integrated pest management.
The Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at California State University-Chico explains how hedgerows (dense plantings of vegetation along the edges of agricultural fields) can help provide habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.
Shaun Tan, Cicada (Illustrated): “Cicada Tell Story. Story good. Story simple. Story even human can understand. Tok Tok Tok!”
Do
Record your own soundscape: where you live, or in a nearby park.
Make a brief recording (30 seconds will do) of the sounds at different times of the same day, or at the same time on different days. Listen to the recordings and consider the balance between natural and anthropogenic (human-made) sounds.
Eat
The EatThis, NotThat! website tells us that “People have enjoyed eating the cicada for centuries and provides links to all sorts of recipes.
Not up for eating cicadas yourself? RegenerativeAgriculture.net reminds us that humans aren’t the only consumers of protein and suggests that the “market for edible insects is growing very fast.”
Free Permaculture explains how to grow edible fences and hedgerows.