September 13, 2011

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Urban Science Adventure: Rock Flipping

Sunday, September 11, 2011 was 5th Annual International Rock Flipping Day.  I walked my favorite nearby park and basked in the sunshine and taking in the lovely scenery.  I wasn’t handling the news coverage of the 9/11 commemoration very well, so being outside and enjoying the quiet was exactly what I needed; and thanks to [...]

By DNLee

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Sunday, September 11, 2011 was 5th Annual International Rock Flipping Day. I walked my favorite nearby park and basked in the sunshine and taking in the lovely scenery. I wasn't handling the news coverage of the 9/11 commemoration very well, so being outside and enjoying the quiet was exactly what I needed; and thanks to an announcement at Bug Girl's BlogI was able to channel my energy into something blog-able.

Forest Park (St. Louis, Missouri) is a great urban park, but not all that great geologically. My rock flipping pickings were slight. This was as good as I was able to get.

The walk back home provided some ornamental slabs for me to flip. The findings were much better.

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My great friend, Laurie B and her daughter did swimmingly well - pun intended. She was gracious enough to share her photos. Thank goodness I spread the message about International Rock Flipping Day (#rockflip) to my social media circles, else I wouldn't have anything nice to show you all.

Did any of you go Rock Flipping last Sunday? It's not too late. Go on an Urban Science Adventure yourself. Flip some rocks, take some photos and share with me and other kindred spirits.

But first keep these safety notes in mind.

  • If you know or suspect snakes or scorpions live in the area, do NOT flip any rocks, especial large flat rocks.

  • Wear gloves to protect your fingers from biting/stinging insects or snakes.

  • Replace the rock as you found it, carefully; it’s someone’s home! Take care not to squish anything.

DNLee is a biologist and she studies animal behavior, mammalogy, and ecology . She uses social media, informal experiential science experiences, and draws from hip hop culture to share science with general audiences, particularly under-served groups.

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