A Vinyl County Almanac

Marcescent leaves on an American beech tree ( Fagus grandifolia ) growing at Cedar Swamp Wild Management Area in Torrington, CT When we observe organisms that are, broadly speaking, similar to humans, the purposes of their characteristics and behaviors are often quite intuitive for us to figure out. When watching a deer browse on a young sapling, it quickly becomes quite clear that she is using her teeth to chew her food because we do the same. When observing a fish moving through the water, we interpret the motion of his fins, and its association with the forward momentum of his body, in a loose analogy to our own arms and legs. There has been some fascinating scientific research detailing the physics of exactly how teeth and limbs do their jobs so well, but their general purpose is pretty easy for anyone to figure out. This is not always the case. Sometimes we struggle to interpret the behavior of other animals because our own cultural baggage prevents us from seeing the truth. For h