Ripples from the Dunes is a weekly nature article series written by staff and guest writers that has been published for over 50 years.
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Ripples 3/13/24
By Jessica Johnsrud, assistant director and education coordinator Spring sure feels like it’s here or on the horizon. The snow isn’t sticking around much (did it really at all this winter?) and the days are getting longer. Each morning, I hear more birds singing like cardinals, nuthatches and I recently heard a couple of robins…
Ripples 3/6/25
Ripples by Kennedy Zittel, naturalist The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses radio telemetry to better understand migratory animals. By placing small radio transmitters on migratory animals (such as birds, bats, or even insects) those animals’ movements can be tracked by stations across the world. Stations are scattered…
Ripples 2/27/25
By Max Kornetzke, land manager Ever wonder how spring wildflowers spread across our forests? Many unrelated spring wildflowers have developed a strategy for making sure their offspring have a safe home to grow. Spring Beauties, Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, Trilliums, and some Violet species have unique fatty deposits on their seedcoats called elaiosomes. These lipid and…
Ripples 2/20/25
By Sue Crowley, executive director I stopped into the Woodland Dunes Photo Hub meeting the other day. The passionate photographers, from novice to experts, were gathering to discuss winter textures. A handful of interesting photographs were displayed on the large monitor in the West Foundation Room. I was immediately drawn to the picture displayed with…
Ripples 2/12/25
by Kennedy Zittel, naturalist Love is in the air! On Valentine’s Day, humans may send each other cards, flowers, or even just show a little extra love to one another. Whether it be a courtship flight, song, or even gift – many local birds have interesting ways that they woo their love interest. Roses are…
Ripples 1/30/25
By Max Kornetzke, land manager Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is one of the dominant bunchgrasses of the Great Plains shortgrass prairie biome, but its distribution spans much wider across most of the United States, southern Canada, and down into central Mexico. In Wisconsin you can find this grass on dry prairies, old fields, and even…
Ripples 1/23/25
By Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator Let’s have a snow day! While kids are out of school in Southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana with their first-ever blizzard warning, we are scoffing at the pittance we’ve gotten in Northeast Wisconsin. I haven’t even made a snow angel yet this year, one of my annual traditions. (One…
Ripples 1/16/25
By Sue Crowley, executive director What a beautiful morning with just a dusting of snow to blanket the world with a fresh layer to explore tracks and other signs of beings moving about. I savor the absolute clean chill of the cold air as I take the first breaths of the outside air. Although a…
Ripples 1/9/25
By Kennedy Zittel, naturalist Many people look forward to what bird will be the first bird they see in the new year. I eagerly anticipate seeing what bird will begin my new yearly bird list, giggling at how it usually is a junco or chickadee. There isn’t anything wrong with a sweet junco or feisty…
Ripples 12/19/2024
Ripples by Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator The air was black, chilled to a nice 41 degrees, and silent. So incredibly silent. But my friend and I were grateful to be one with nature while participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count. We were looking and listening for owls in a semi-rural area. The evening was…
Ripples 12/12/24
By Sue Crowley, executive director “Deck the hall with boughs of holly… Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! “ American Holly and European or English Holly have such beautiful and rich green colors with the bright red berries to add holiday flair. Hollies are scientifically found in the genus, Ilex, with American…
Ripples 12/5/24
By Jessica Johnsrud, education coordinator A few weeks ago, I was walking outside just after dusk when I heard a loud series of hoots. It was the stereotypical owl song heard in the movies – the call of the Great Horned Owl. I stopped to listen, and the next time the owl sang, a second…
Ripples 11/27/24
By Kennedy Zittel, naturalist It’s that time of year again when the spotlight is on those once “extinct,” gobbling, snood-covered birds. Wait – what? Wild turkeys. It was only recently that we could even see wild turkeys here. The species went extinct in Wisconsin in the late 1800s due to overhunting and habitat loss. In…
Ripples 11/21/24
By Max Kornetzke, habitat manager Only recently have I really started to appreciate the beauty our winters have to offer. I used to view it as an uncomfortable nuisance and waited anxiously for greenery that was months away. Getting out of the house to walk somewhere natural and slow down to observe the details around…
Ripples 11/14/24
Ripples from the Archives submitted by Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator This week’s Ripples is an excerpt from the Winter 2003 Dunesletter Field Notes, written by Jim Knickelbine, then Director of Finance and Naturalist. Learn how nature prepares for the upcoming winter. “As we button up ourselves and our homes for winter, I think about the…
Ripples 11/7/24
By Jim Knickelbine, volunteer As we approach the date of the founding of Woodland Dunes 50 years ago, we also remember that bird research in what is now the preserve began a decade before that. Bernie Brouchoud and others caught and banded thousands of songbirds and raptors starting in the mid 1960’s, and that practice has…
Ripples 10/31/24
By Sue Crowley, executive director Happy Halloween Ripples Readers! This year’s Halloween is turning out to be wet and overcast with plenty of winds blowing the leaves through open areas, yards, down the trails, and beyond. I was driving up I-43 toward Green Bay yesterday, and it struck me how many trees I had noticed…
Ripples 10/24/24
By Jessica Johnsrud, education coordinator With Halloween around the corner, I am reminded of some of the creepy, crawly creatures that live in our homes. There is one critter that definitely looks scary, but turns out to actually be one of the good guys. In fact, I recently heard this critter described by a scientist…
Ripples 10/17/24
By Max Kornetzke, land manager Originally brought to North America as a quick growing hedgerow, common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is one of the more menacing plants you will encounter invading natural spaces across Wisconsin and the Northeastern part of the country. It has sharp thorny spikes, dark green, serrated, oval leaves, and inconspicuous green flowers…
Ripples 10/10/24
By Kennedy Zittel, naturalist This past weekend we were outside planting some trees at home when we got to see a “spooky” creature perfect for the Halloween season! As we patted down the soil around the new spruce tree, I noticed a large green shape moving slowly across the grass near the base of the…