#11: Charley Eiseman - Naturalist, Author, Innovator, and Leaf Mining Insect Specialist

12/28/20 • 67 min

My guest today is Charley Eiseman. Charley is the lead author of the innovative and fascinating “Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates”, which digs deep into the details of insect identification through the clues they leave, such as egg masses, cocoons, galls, burrows, leaf mines and more.

This initial treatment of leaf miners led him to his current 10 year obsession, learning about and documenting these specialist insects. Leaf miners are insects whose larvae live part of their lives in between the epidermal layers of leaves, each with fascinating life histories and survival strategies. There are thousands of leaf mining species of moths, flies, beetles, and sawflies. Despite being so prevalent, there was very little readily available information about them, that is, until Charley turned his sights on them. Over the last decade, Charley has turned himself into the foremost expert of North American leaf miners and created an 1800 page guide to the leaf miners, which is also referenced against their host plants.

This is a truly fascinating subject - leaf miners are literally everywhere, and serve as a creative "hook" to open people’s eyes to incredible nature that is easily overlooked. I’ve included several fascinating photos in the show notes that you have to see to believe.

In this episode we discuss Charley’s background, the unique University of Vermont Field Naturalist Masters program, the challenges of breaking new ground in publishing Tracks and Signs of Insects, how he has identified and described 50+ previously undescribed leaf miner species, the process of documenting those discoveries, the process of rearing leaf miners at home to identify the species, and much more. Charley offers a few pearls of wisdom as well, including approaches to continuous learning and developing structure and deadlines for audacious goals like his 1800 page leaf miner guide.

Charley offers occasional webinars and online courses, so be sure to check out his bugtracks blog, or charleyeiseman.com to see his upcoming schedule.
LINKS
Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates - a wonderful guide book to insect behavior
Mammal Tracks and Sign - A Guide to North American Species - by Mark Elbroch, and Bird Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch were inspirations for Charley's Tracks and Sign of Insects
Leafminers of North America - by Charley Eiseman, a PDF guide
bugguide.net
A Hard-Won Moth - story of Charley's mystery viburnum leafminer, previously undescribed - and ultimately named Marmara viburnella
Bugs In Winter - Charley's upcoming online class
Noah Charney - co-author of Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates
John Carlson, MD - entomologist who contributed a chapter on "sign of insects on vertebrates" such as stings and bites
Paul Rezendes - his mammal tracking class helped cement Charley's "follow the trail of things you don't know well" approach
Owen Lonsdale - PhD who helps Charley document new species
Dave Smith - Smithsonian sawfly expert
Music: Kevin MacLoed

Previous Episode

#10: Mike Bergin - 10,000 Birds - Lessons from Pioneering an Online Nature Community

My guest in this episode is Mike Bergin, creator of 10,000 Birds, one of the oldest and most popular birding websites on the planet.

Mike was an early pioneer of nature blogging, carving a playbook for others to follow, and creating a community of birding bloggers. This carries on today, where his site has expanded to include top tier writers with diverse interests from across the globe.

In this episode we discuss the 10,000 Birds evolution, including how Mike grew the site, the challenges he encountered and overcame, and "transferable lessons" that can be used in other online pursuits. We dig into the unexpected opportunities that arose, as well as the lifelong community of friends and colleagues that it has created.

Mike also runs a podcast of his own, Tests and the Rest, relating to his other craft of college admissions prep, where he's been able to apply many of these lessons he learned through 10,000 Birds.

We have a wide-ranging discussion beyond the nuts and bolts of building an online community, including bird names and moving away from "honorific" naming, ecotourism (and a great quote from Mike: "True ecotourism compels you to care about the place"), why birders make great neighbors, and some of Mike's favorite field guides and books.

Links To Topics Discussed

People and Organizations

Corey Finger - Co-publisher of 10,000 Birds
Charlie Moors - early writer from Britain on 10,000 Birds
Rick Wright's Blog, which delves into many fascinating topics, including bird name etymology and history.
Clare Morton - the Australian writer that Mike mentions
Dragan Simic - the Eastern European write Mike mentions
The Bronx Zoo - one of Mike's childhood influences

Books and Other Items Discussed

Mike's Recommended Field Guides - Sibley's is his favorite, but he also likes the Crossley guides

The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America - Sibley
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America - Sibley
The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds - Crossley
The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors - Crossley
The Crossley ID Guide: Waterfowl - Crossley

Mike also recommends "What the Robin Knows" by Jon Young, which focuses on learning bird behavior - and especially vocalizations - to better learn what is happening in the environment. Jays and Crows "mobbing" behavior is an easy example, and this book gets much deeper.

Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent: The Importance of Everything and Other Lessons from Darwin's Lost Notebooks, by Lyandra Lynn Haupt

Mike's article on "Wood-warbler Names Done Right"

Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival
Grey Treepie - one of the highlight birds Mike saw in Hong Kong
The Biggest Week in American Birding - Yes, it really is one of the bigger weeks in birding, held during migration in Ohio.

Next Episode

#12: Tony Iwane - Outreach and Community at iNaturalist

My guest in this episode is Tony Iwane. Tony is Outreach and Community Coordinator for iNaturalist, an environmental educator, contributor to Bay Nature Magazine, photographer, and just an all around interesting and knowledgeable naturalist.
As a key staff member for iNaturalist and one of its earliest members, Tony gives us an insider’s view of iNaturalist, what it is, and how it is used. Tony has also curated iNaturalist’s “Observation of the Day” for the past 5 years, and shared a selection of some of the most noteworthy observations from that catalog, including a serendipitous identification of an uncommon southern hemisphere hoodwinker sunfish in California, and an elusive Columbian Weasel photographed sitting on an outhouse toilet - still the only recorded observation of this species on iNaturalist.
Tony describes iNaturalist as both a social network for those interested in nature, and also a platform for community science. As a platform, we discuss how easy it is to engage with experts, and some of the creative and unique projects that people have created - and that you can view and contribute to! In fact, a couple past guests have successfully used iNaturalist to raise awareness for specific ecological concerns - Merav Vonshak and the Newt roadkill problem at Lexington Reservoir in California, and Charley Eiseman raising awareness of leaf mining insects.
We also discuss how iNaturalist has been an important discovery for many people to help them with purpose and focus during the pandemic.
And of course, we also learn about Tony’s personal journey that led him from counseling to the world of nature.
Be sure to check Tony's photos and follow him on iNaturalist. If you are new to iNaturalist, check out the getting started resources here.
Full show notes and links at podcast.naturesarchive.com