Ripples 7/27/23

Posted on by July 27, 2023

Ripples by Ariana Zimney

The forest, I was taught, is a beautiful place to come when you need space, want to learn something new, or when you can’t help but move! More and more every year, I learn in-depth relationships about the forests. I observe animal characteristics, hear birds I’ve begun to recognize from call alone, and take to heart just how important forests are. I can’t help but reflect on my love for the forest.

When you find yourself catching your breath and staring in awe, that is when you know you have created a deep connection with nature and the forests around you. And that is a magical feeling; being able to separate yourself from the busy-body world that feels like it is closing in on all of us. You escape to a reality that is slower, more mindful, and beneficial to your health – that’s when feeling alive becomes more than just breathing. That’s when being alive can take on more meaning – when we can hug a tree and close our eyes and be content with where we are right now. And maybe that is as simple as it needs to be. 

If you too share this love of forest with me, you too are a nemophilist. Yes, that’s a compliment! A nemophilist is “One who is fond of forests or forest scenery”. The word derives from the Greek word ‘nemos’ in reference to grove, and ‘philos’ meaning affection. And I personally think we should create a club for ourselves (maybe get t-shirts!) because it’s a wonderful word to be described as, with an even better association. It’s a beautiful thing to have a name for such an innate earthy concept – continuously enjoying the forests around us. Maybe we sink a little bit deeper into understanding with the forest, too. To take a step back, look towards nature rather than around it, and find that we are more embedded within it than we thought. 

I’ve been able to see first-hand how much the staff and volunteers at Woodland Dunes love the forest and surrounding area. From planting more than 15,000 trees over the past six years, to re-establishing wild rice as it used to be, creating initiatives to combat invasive species, and establishing engaging and collaborative education programs, Dunes’ staff and volunteers truly embody who a nemophilist is! They take a look at the needs of the forest surrounding them and do whatever they can to help preserve this gorgeous landscape. And they fight for the forest because each and every one of them has a reason why they care about it, be it a fond memory or an impactful teacher.

We all can do our part to take care of our forests as they provide us with so much in return. So, be a nemophilist! Reclaim your connection to the forest, one beautiful experience at a time. 

Photo by Ariana Zimney, trail at Woodland Dunes

 

Ripples 7/20/23

Posted on by July 20, 2023

Written by intern, Ariana Zimney

When I was younger, I always had a yearning for seeking the world around me and learning as much as I could from it. From middle school summers spent playing in the woods behind my house, to fishing with my family, having my dad quiz my leaf identification skills, and reading as many books as I could, I was hungry for the outdoors. I always wanted to learn about the natural world around me. I gained a love and appreciation so deep that I have made it my passion as well as my career path.

While staring adulthood right in the face and asking “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?” may be utterly horrifying, I have begun to understand that it is not just one big decision. There can be stepping stones along the way that help you along your journey, challenging and growing you in unexpected ways while showing you more about yourself in the process. Everyday can be filled with something different, from learning new bird calls, understanding just how deep prairie grass roots are, or even that there is an invasive freshwater jellyfish sometimes found in Wisconsin (thanks Jim!), the opportunity to learn is endless. And Woodland Dunes understands this to their core, revolving their entire mission around further educating as many people as they can. 

This summer, I have been lucky enough to be the Education Intern, and wow, is it rewarding! Not only is teaching kids a whirlwind of silliness, but it goes much deeper than that. I had a student ask me what I do for work, confused as to why I wasn’t in summer school, and I replied that I got to hang out with really fun kids and teach them very cool things about the natural world. He then prodded, asking why I thought these things were so cool, as all he saw was grass and the occasional mosquito that wanted to bite him. I told him that I would show him…

His group and I went pond dipping for macro invertebrates for about 20 minutes, emptying the contents of our nets into a bucket and pointing out all the invertebrates we were finding. He asked me about a specific invertebrate. We searched for the answer using a dichotomous key and water-critters book, him leading the way and getting more and more excited once he figured out what our invertebrate was. He was telling me facts from the book and was absolutely mind blown that our critter could breathe out of its butt! He looked at me with excitement and joy in his eyes and said that maybe he’d spend more time outside now that he knows all the cool things he can find. And that was a win for me!

It was spectacular to watch the ‘ah-ha’ moment occur and watch the energy and excitement take hold of the interest of that child. And all of the kids I’ve been able to teach this summer. Educating the future, one kid at a time. That’s the way Woodland Dunes does it; creating a world where education, curiosity, and wonder are available to everyone, everywhere. A place that opens itself up to the community and beyond. And anyone can benefit from it if they are willing to look for themselves and see the huge role Woodland Dunes plays in kick starting that wonder.

photo taken by Jessica Johnsrud

 

Ripples 7/13/23

Posted on by July 13, 2023
Given the weather being experienced in other parts of the country this summer, we are reminded how fortunate we are to live here.  The Great Lakes are truly our friends, embracing all the living things here.  The mornings this summer have been wonderful, and for those of us working in our nature preserve surveying wildlife and planting trees, the cool, calm mornings and lack of things that bite make for pleasant times.
 
Wildlife seems to agree- birds have been abundant in their song and are presently abundant in number in the mulberry tree in our front yard. Flowers have been blooming progressively in our preserve, and as each species blooms, they are pounced upon by insects seeking their nectar and pollen. For pollinators, one usually thinks of the grassland flowers, but there are many which grow in the woods that are amazingly attractive to those same insects, relying on them also for their reproduction.
 
In spring, marsh marigolds are abundant here, along with other ephemerals which bloom before the trees leaf out and shade things. Juneberry and serviceberry are early summer bloomers, followed by viburnums like nannyberry and highbush cranberry.  Then blackberries and elderberries bloom, the former often covered with many species of bees. The sequence continues throughout summer and fall, with new old favorites coming in to bloom.
 
At the end of Goodwin Road, at the start of Yellow Birch and other trails, a lot of blooming is happening right now. There are many interesting plants along the road even before one starts the trails- on dry gravel shoulders and wet ditches. There are buttercups, milkweed, and another interesting milkweed-lookalike- dogbane.
 
Spreading dogbane, Apocynum cannabinum is often found in dense patches in disturbed areas, sometimes right along with milkweed.  Its name Apocynum means poisonous to dogs, and cannabinum refers to its fibrous nature, similar to the cannabis plants in the hemp family.  It is related to milkweeds, and indeed has milky sap. All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans, cats, dogs, horses- glycosides in the plant causing heart attacks if eaten.  However, the nectar borne in clusters of white-pink flowers is definitely not poisonous to insects, and these plants are visited by bees, flies, and butterflies in abundance.
 
If you find a dogbane patch and are lucky, you may also find one of the most beautiful insects around here- the dogbane beetle Chrysochus auratus.  These iridescent little beetles look something like the Japanese beetles we find in our yards eating our roses, but they are a much different insect. Their lives are spent feeding on dogbane, but not to the point of eradication. The dogbanes are their host, and they are very well adapted to live with the plants.  Like monarchs and milkweed, these beetles only feed on plants in the genus Apocynum.  Adults feed on leaves, in fact concentrating the poisonous glycosides in glands, ready to be used as a chemical defense against predators.  The adult beetles live for 40 to 60 days- a very long time in the insect world, and mate almost every day, the females depositing two to three eggs at a time, attached to leaves. The larvae chew through the eggs and fall to the ground, burrowing until they find the dogbane’s roots. They live underground until next spring, when they emerge to feed and mate in the daylight.  
 
Dogbane is an interesting, although poisonous plant. Touching it won’t harm you, and I doubt you’d have any reason to eat it.  A patch of dogbane is worth stopping to look at, if not for it’s own pretty flowers, but also the amazing community of creatures which call it home.     
 
photo- red-spotted purple butterfly on dogbane flower by Nancy Nabak
 

Ripples 7/6/23

Posted on by July 6, 2023
The closest thing that we have to an annual physical for our nature preserve is the summer bird count.  It’s been done every year since the mid-1960’s, at a time before the founding of Woodland Dunes.  Simply put, it’s an attempt to record the birds that live here during the nesting season.  Some places do nesting surveys, during which observers try to carefully document bird nesting during the summer.  Ours is not aimed at confirming nesting, but we assume that the birds that we document here during the season are most likely in the process of nesting.  It would be difficult and very time consuming to document nests for all the birds we encounter here, so records of their presence will have to do.
 
There are still many species of birds in Wisconsin in summer, but probably not as many of them as there used to be.  The purpose for the establishment of our nature preserve was to also preserve the habitats of birds.  Of course in doing so, many other species of plants and animals also benefit.  
 
Back in the early days, birds would be counted as observers walked a more or less predetermined route.  The species and numbers of birds were recorded, and locations of the birds were actually mapped, along with other wildlife observations.  This resulted in incredibly detailed records which have yet to be compiled and interpreted.  Later, as our workload increased, we began to survey at specified points within the preserve, about 30 in all, visiting each of them at least once during early summer, observing and listening for a 10 minute period.  If walking from point to point, we also record any additional birds heard along the way.  Of course, not all birds present are seen or heard at a specific time, so additional visits to points are good, but often hard to schedule.
 
In typical years we record 90 to 100 or so species of birds on summer counts, sometimes more. This number reflects the quality of the habitat within the preserve, and the diversity of habitats themselves.  Woodland Dunes consists of more than 1500 acres of forest, shrubland, grassland, and wetlands, and within those a number of microhabitats.  They intermingle with one another depending on wetness and maturity of the vegetation.  The cooling effect of Lake Michigan gives our area a northern feel in terms of plants, and we have extensive marsh and sedge meadows, shrub-carr wetlands, and moist forest on the dry old beach ridges, and swamp forest in the wetland swales.  Such areas are too complex to recreate if they are destroyed- they need to be preserved and carefully managed.  
 
So what birds do we find here?  During the marsh survey today we found sedge and marsh wrens, sora and Virginia rails, Caspian tern, great blue, green, and black-crowned night herons, swallows, swamp sparrows, and lots of blackbirds.  In the forest we find peewees and great-crested flycatchers, Canada and black-throated green warblers, waterthrushes, wrens, wood thrushes, and white-throated sparrows.  In the grasslands we find meadowlarks, bobolinks, dickcissels, savannah, grasshopper, and Henslow’s sparrows.  In the shrublands in between, indigo buntings, catbirds, yellow, yellowthroat, and redstart warblers, and wrens and robins.  Obviously this isn’t all of the birds we have, but you can almost tell which habitat you are in even if you’re eyes are shut, but the birds you hear.
 
Someday, some very patient researcher will comb through these records to look at the changes in our bird populations over time.  In the meantime, we’ll continue to document as best we can our bird populations, and while doing so walk the trails and assess vegetation and look for ways in which we can help the wildlife in our preserve.  The resulting “to-do” list is long enough to keep us busy until we do it again next year!
 
photo- Black-crowned Night Heron by Charles Homler d/b/a Focus On Wildlife – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118456702

Ripples 6/29/23

Posted on by June 29, 2023

Ripples written by Megan Raddatz, Woodland Dunes intern

As my tires rumble over the gravel driveway, I can hear birds chirping in the distance and it feels as though I have entered a nature lover’s utopia. I have finally arrived at the Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve! Luckily enough, I arrived here as a habitat restoration intern, meaning I get to see and know all the amazing activities that go on behind the scenes. Though we all wish this was an actual utopia where everything was perfect, it is close but not yet there. No need to fear, that’s why all of the staff are here!

Part of this restoration journey for us interns is to help plant new trees in the places where many dying ash trees currently reside. For the first few weeks, we have been planting trees off of the Yellow Birch trail in and around the swamp, just beyond the much-needed boardwalk that our visitors use. 

Oddly enough, the yellow birch tree (scientifically known as Betula alleghaniensis), is my favorite tree. This tree is also known as golden birch or swamp birch. One of the best ways to identify the yellow birch is from its yellow/golden, peeling bark (hence the common names given to this tree). The other common name, swamp birch, comes from this tree being found near swamps. This common name is fitting for the Yellow Birch trail that we are working at and I can attest to it first-hand from trekking shovels, chicken wire, trees, and bamboo poles through the knee-high swamp!

This birch tree species is so fascinating and unique. The main reason why I like this tree is because it has a wintergreen smell and taste. It is easiest to smell and taste on the new-growth branches because the taste comes from a compound that is in a deep layer of the bark. Some people even use this tree when they are camping out in the woods and want fresh breath by chewing on the branches to get the nice wintergreen taste! With that being said, we do have to remember to save this cool fact for when we are not in a nature preserve because we do not want to disrupt the plants and animals living here. 

Working out in the woods is a very exhausting but rewarding experience. It helps that I can look around and take in the fascinating plants and critters that I come across, including the yellow birch. Standing in the forest looking up at these birch trees to catch my breath from working, I remember that these trees are the longest-living native birch species. To reach heights of 60 to 70 feet tall with a beautiful broad open canopy, they prefer to grow in an area with plenty of precipitation and weather that is cool but sunny.

When looking at the trees you may notice some objects hanging off them, these are called catkins. When it comes to regeneration, yellow birch has male and female catkins borne separately on the same branch, which is referred to as monoecious. The Greek meaning of “mono” translates to “one”, and the full term means “one house”. In this process, the male and female flowers look different and have different roles that they play in regeneration, but are on the same plant, or are living in “one house”. The male catkin is long and droops down and is designed to create pollen for distribution (they drop the pollen around the same time that the trees start to bud in spring). While the female catkin, which is a more upright erect figure, develops ova which can be fertilized, resulting in the development of seeds.

The yellow birch is also an important source of hardwood lumber and a good browse plant for animals like deer, an animal so commonly found here in Wisconsin (and the reason we have to surround each tree we plant with chicken wire!). This just scratches the surface of all of the amazing uses of this tree. With so many different values it brings for the biota it is surrounded by, how can someone not consider this to be their favorite tree too?! To learn more, the Silvics of North America run by the United States Department of Agriculture, is a great resource to check out. 

Photo- A yellow birch tree growing from the bottom left corner of the photo up and over the boardwalk on the Yellow Birch trail. Taken by Megan Raddatz.