NATURAL WONDERS

THE JOY OF DISCOVERY

Rex Burress

Although I understand that 'discovery' in court cases is evidence that must be shared with the opposition, discovery, as in a child finding a brand new bug to marvel over, or a shiny stone, is a joy able to steer a kid into a new pathway in life!

For a naturalist throughout life, the joy of discovering a special stone, new bug, or fossil, perhaps never seen before by human eyes in 50-million-years, is like a stab of pleasure in the pit of your stomach. There is also an intense feeling of satisfaction in finding a new species of plant or insect, just as a photographer rejoices in the discovery of a photogenic moment in a special natural light-setting.

That pathway can be a career in entomology, or it can be an adult geological interest able to fill a backyard with rocks. Take a look at my backyard! There are piles of special stones and fossils, each item discovered in an exciting moment along some mountain trail or desert wash! Retaining quality gemstones for research evolves into a desire to keep them for remembering the place where it was found in nature, as well as the joy of sharing the information and beauty with like-minds.

The love of rocks and geology can evolve into rock collecting in the greener days of life, when plenty of strength and agility can carry one over rugged terrains and perilous pitfalls. Then when one's legs can no longer be relied upon years later, there is the sample-lode in your backyard able to help prod memories of unforgettable discoveries.

I was enthralled with the hidden colors and designs in the interior of some rocks that I opened with lapidary equipment for several years when I took classes at rock club workshops where they had the diamond saws to cut open your rock to reveal the mystery in the middle. Appropriately, I have several hundred hand-polished 'cabochons,' ready for exhibit, and I keep a tray of good ones beside my computer...just to be reminded of “the other side of the story.”

My interpretive delight is to arrange a show case with the rough rock and a finished piece side by side. “Rock-hounding” fits right in with a naturalist's quest to study all facets of nature--rock origin,fossils, and creation being part of the fascinations.

One treasured piece I have is a one-by-three inch chunk of jasp-agate I found on Leavitt Creek east of Sonora Pass. It was quite lovely with red, yellow, and blue squiggles. I rather figured it had come from a rocky outcrop somewhere in those steep mountains above Leavitt Meadow Campground.

During the winter of 1962, I came across a field trip article in “California Gem Trails,” by Darold Henry. He described “High Sierra Gem Stones” reached by a two-hour hike from Sonora Pass, to a jasper field over 11,000-foot in elevation. The following summer my family and I hiked in and found the site, and that's another exciting story, but it was one of my greatest rock adventures.

An extensive newspaper supplement entitled “Kids” was produced in the Bay Area, and many important aspects of a child's development is covered, but nowhere could I find a reference to “The Sense of Wonder,” as proposed by Rachel Carson in her 1956 book by that name. Her approach to instilling the sense of nature-wonder is still as vitally important as “the wiggle wall” tunnel-fun in Berkeley, “laser tag” in San Jose, or “Pokemons!”

Carson spoke of the lasting value of nature discovery. “A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement...What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence?” Rachel said. “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

On the other hand...”Everybody needs a rock...a special rock...one that you find yourself and keep as long as you can...maybe forever...Any rock looks good with a hundred other rocks around it on a hill, but if your rock is going to be special it should look good by itself...Don't ask anybody to help you choose. I've seen a lizard pick one rock out of a desert full of rocks and go sit there alone.” [Children's book, “Everybody Needs a Rock,” by Byrd Baylor, 1974.] (I've seen a pipevine swallowtail larvae crawl far near the Feather River Nature Center to find its special rock to build its chrysalis on!)

“There is no better high than discovery.” --E.O.Wilson

“The most remarkable discovery in all of astronomy is that the stars are made of atoms

of the same kind as those on the earth.” --Richard P. Feynman