Ripples 2/17/22

Posted on by February 18, 2022
by Kennedy Zittel, Assistant Naturalist 
 

Conifers have always been my favorite type of tree. I love how they stay green all winter (besides tamarack of course) offering a glimpse of color amongst all of the white snow. Though I do like all 13 of Wisconsin’s native conifers, I do have a favorite -Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). If you have ever walked through a stand of mature hemlock trees, you might understand why, if you have not, I will try to explain.

Walking through a stand of mature hemlock trees truly feels as if you are stepping into a totally different world. Unlike the surrounding forest that is full of a variety of different trees with shrubs growing in the understory as far as you can see, this stand of trees is a stark contrast. These giant conifers tower up towards the sky, with trunks too big to wrap your arms around, with green needles glistening against the snow, and with very few other plants growing beneath them besides baby hemlock trees. It’s beautiful! Eastern hemlock trees grow to be around 60-100 feet tall and can be between 2-4 feet in diameter. One of the biggest hemlock trees measured was 175 feet tall and over 6 feet in diameter! Eastern hemlocks are incredibly slow-growing trees and sometimes can take up to 250-300 years to reach maturity. They can also live to be around 800 years old! How amazing is that? 

When I walk through the old stands of hemlock trees out here on our preserve, it makes me feel as if I am walking through our preserve hundreds of years ago. Because, for the most part, that is what our forest (and Two Rivers in general) would have looked like. 

Recently we received the very first written/documented land survey that was ever done where our preserve now stands. This survey was done in 1835, which is almost 190 years ago! Eastern hemlock was listed as being the dominant tree species of this area. Almost every page had it listed. Why is it that if we take a walk out on our preserve or anywhere in Two Rivers really, do we not see as many hemlock trees as there once was? 

Well, hemlock trees played an important part in the history of Two Rivers. Historically, people used hemlock trees as a source of tannin, which was used in the leather industry. By taking the inner bark of hemlock trees for tanning leather, a lot of the stands of hemlock were cut down (Tannery Road in Two Rivers is named after this concept). Luckily, we still have a few large stands of hemlock trees deep within our preserve, though not nearly as many as there were in the past. 

Hemlock trees, besides being absolutely stunning, are incredibly important for wildlife. They are an important shelter and food source for many different animals. Turkeys, grouse, rabbits, porcupines, deer (and many other critters) use hemlock stands for shelter. A lot of smaller animals like red squirrels, mice, birds, etc. eat the seeds. Deer also find hemlock to be delicious, which in some areas can lessen the amount of hemlock, as the deer will eat the baby trees. Our preserve has a healthy deer population, but luckily they have plenty of other food options around so there are still plenty of little hemlock trees growing in and around the stands of mature hemlock. As many as 90 different bird species including black-throated green warblers, pine siskins, Acadian flycatchers, blackburnian warblers, and crossbills all love to nest, eat, and gather in hemlock stands. 

Though the larger stands are out in the state natural area away from the trails, one of our trails can offer you a glimpse at the giant conifers. Perfectly named, Conifer Trail (located off of Columbus Street) has a lot of large eastern hemlock trees right alongside the trail, in addition to a lot of other conifers and deciduous trees that were seen in the past survey. It also happens to be, in my opinion, one of the best trails to go on in the winter because all of the conifers offer a glimpse of green as you walk through the snow (and the trees block most of the cold wind, so it is a win-win!).

Photo by Kennedy Zittel 

Ripples 2/10/22

Posted on by February 10, 2022

by Jennifer Klein, Habitat Manager

I have never been a fan of the cold. I am not sure how many of us are. Yet, after growing up in the cold state of Wisconsin, I chose to stay for my adult life. Like many, I appreciate the changing seasons and while I don’t particularly like the cold I do appreciate the beauty and stillness of winter. And the promise of spring. I think January seems particularly long because we are past all the excitement of the November and December gatherings and now we are waiting for spring. Maybe this is why, at the beginning of February, we turn to a groundhog for the promise of an early spring.

The weather will change when it is ready, regardless of what the little critter predicts. It is interesting that while we appreciate the groundhog for its meteorology knowledge, many don’t care for the woodchuck. (They are the same critter.)

We have some resident woodchucks at Woodland Dunes. While they exhibit behaviors that some don’t appreciate, such as digging tunnels under and in our dirt floor barn, other behaviors entertain and delight us.

We welcome the woodchuck families as an important part of the ecosystem around the nature center. And we enjoy it when they allow us to observe them. Just like one might see a squirrel in our bird feeders from time to time, at Woodland Dunes, we often see a woodchuck feasting on our platform feeders. We affectionately refer to this woodchuck as Skippy, even though we don’t know for sure if it is the same diner every time.

Other signs of spring that we look forward to are longer days, birds migrating back, and spring bulbs pushing up. As the days lengthen, we can look forward with hope to the promise of spring and the beauty and warmth that it brings. Just five years ago, we had pussy willows budding on Cattail and Black Cherry trails in the third week of February. I invite you to take a stroll on Cattail Trail, and watch spring come to life.  You may even share your path with another of our resident critters, a mink.

 

photo of mink by Jeni Klein

Ripples 2/3/22

Posted on by February 3, 2022
I remember one of the most profound experiences of my youth, from a time when a group of family members, my dad, grandfather, uncles, and cousins drove to Canada to fish for trout, which we did a number of times over Memorial Day weekend.  The area was a couple of hours north of Sault Ste. Marie on land owned by a hydroelectric company.  We could camp wherever we wished along the dirt road which generally followed a river.  Adults slept in my grandfather’s camper, while my cousins and I were relegated to an old pup tent.  We would leave Manitowoc after work and drive until two or three A.M., then stop for a couple of hours sleep.  We youngsters would sometimes throw down our sleeping bags in the ferns and sleep under the stars.  The next morning we would arrive at a camping spot along the river and begin to fish.
 
We were not sophisticated fishermen- spinners and worms were the method employed.  I was a terrible at it, and spent most photo of candlelit trail in winter of  my time dislodging snagged spinners from underwater logs and from beneath rocks.  The adults were much better, and most of the time I flailed through the alders and over downed spruces trying to keep up as they bush-wacked along the river.    
 
Perhaps my lack of fishing success was due in part to the fact that I didn’t really value harvesting the fish as much as just being in the north woods.  Upon shutting off the car engine, I remember being surprised at the lack of noise- there was only the sound of the river, wind in the trees, and birds singing, in particular white-throated sparrows.  When the wind died and one moved away from the river, there were times when the world was absolutely quiet.  At home in Manitowoc there was always some background noise- traffic, the daily flight from North Central Airlines to and from the airport, trains, and the like.  In the north it was truly quiet, and that became something I truly valued.  It seemed to be restorative, and it allowed me to focus on things like bird songs, tiger beetles hunting on a sandy bank, and deep thought.
 
Dr. Anna Akbari writes in Psychology Today about finding quiet in a chaotic world.  In the article she quotes an acoustic ecologist who feels silence is an endangered commodity now.  People equate silence with boredom, but in fact silence allows one to become present in the moment, to be able to truly focus on what is going on around us, and to effectively think about it.  When I am in a natural, quiet place, my awareness seems to expand, and I am aware of much more than I would otherwise be if distracted by noise.  I tend to seek out places where I can experience true quiet- the forest early in the morning, or places like the Boundary Waters wilderness.  It’s in those kind of places I feel refreshed and connected to the world around me.  On the right day Woodland Dunes also provides that kind of quiet, if there isn’t too much activity going on in the nearby cities and the Lake isn’t too wavy.  I think that, whether they realize it or not, it is one of the things that attracts people to a place like this, and why we feel relieved of pressure when in the woods.  Although quiet seems to be a vague and intangible commodity, it is probably more important to our well-being than we realize.

Ripples 1/27/22

Posted on by January 28, 2022
With the recent cold weather its hard to remember that we are now 2/3rd’s of the way through the worst of winter.  This time of year, with cold and viruses trying to drain the life from us, we need something we need something to lift our spirits.  For many of us, even in the dead of winter, nature provides that.  Even if we are just looking out the window from the warmth of our homes.
 
If you have planted native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, your property is an oasis for nature.  Native plants fully interact with photo of clay colored sparrow the animals which live around here, including the birds which either stay or visit for the winter.  At the nature center, we are continually planting to bring the birds to us, and it works.  Although we have a wonderful and diverse nature preserve, often the best place to see birds is right around the nature center building itself.  Of course, hanging bird feeders and offering a variety of desirable food doesn’t hurt in that regard.
 
In our best bird feeding area, birds are sheltered by ninebark, American highbush cranberry, and red cedars, with serviceberry and chokeberry mixed in.  They are located near the feeders, and also provide wild fruit for birds, at least for a while.  Their cover provides a place for small songbirds to shelter if a Cooper’s hawk comes around looking for a meal.
 
This time of year, the birds visiting the feeders are a bit different than are here during the summer.  Some, like the hardy chickadees, cardinals, house finches and house sparrows spend their whole lives right in the neighborhood and their faithful persistence provides a baseline for activity around the building.  This year a couple of adult red-winged blackbirds, found by the hundreds in the nearby marsh in the summer, have elected to stay around to mingle with the more typical year-round species.  There are others who summer in the far north and visit here for the winter, as though Woodland Dunes is their Florida vacation spot.  Juncos, which are actually a species of sparrow, come down beginning in late September and remain until April or May.  One of the last species to come to us each winter is the American tree sparrow, which nests in the very far north and journeys here in October and November- we always know that winter is seriously upon us when they show up.  They are tiny but incredibly hardy, feeding on the ground on even the coldest of days, scratching seed from the snow in the midst of fierce winds.  I don’t know how a small bird weighing just a few grams can stay warm under such conditions, but they do.  Come April they will grow restless, and suddenly depart when warm south winds aid in their spring migration.  
 
Occasionally other birds show up.  This year a clay-colored sparrow, a drab, small species normally found in Mexico in winter, has decided to linger, and visits the feeders each day for the last several weeks.  It is not a colorful or charismatic bird by any means- rather it is a bird which is easily overlooked.  Just the fact that it has decided to stay is special for our staff- we work hard to provide birds with the things they need to survive, and it’s being here reaffirms that.  It certainly makes a quick look at the bird feeders all the more interesting.

Feeding wild birds is a way to keep tabs on and connect with nature even when it is too harsh to make outside activity enjoyable.  Bird feeding is also a big business- people spend $4 billion on bird food each year.  In return birds give us enjoyment, clean up waste, pollinate plants, plant seeds, and a variety of other real benefits.  It is no surprise that tens of millions of people attract wild birds to their yards.  In the face of Covid and everything else, we need birds more than ever.  This is especially true during the coldest, and least friendly, time of year.  

photo- clay-colored sparrow at Woodland Dunes by Kennedy Zittel

 

 

Ripples 1/20/22

Posted on by January 20, 2022

Written by Isabella Scheibl, Land Management Intern 

Over the past few weeks, we have seen the long-awaited addition of snow to our landscape, and not-so-waited signature temperature plummet of a classic Wisconsin winter. With this change in weather, there is also a shift in wildlife that I see around the Woodland Dunes intern house where I reside. Rabbit tracks seem to be everywhere, but the posse of Grey, Fox, and black squirrels that I constantly saw in the yard just a few weeks ago, seem to venture outside a little less frequently.

photo of black squirrelYou might say, “Wait a minute. A black squirrel? That’s not a species I’ve heard of around here!” That is because it is not a species. Our state is home to about seven out of the 280 squirrel species of the world. The Eastern Grey Squirrel, American Red Squirrel, the Eastern Fox squirrel, and Northern and Southern flying squirrel dwell in the trees. There are also several species of ground squirrels that reside in Wisconsin. Whether gliding through the air, dashing in the trees, or hanging out on the ground, not one of these species has entirely black fur. However, once in a while, individuals of both the Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) species have a genetic mutation that results in an abundance of  the pigment chemical melanin. Thus the term “melanistic” is used to describe these individuals. The resulting hair is much darker than typical squirrel hair and creates a darker fur. 

While this phenomenon is rare, it does happen throughout the United States, Canada, and has spread to the United Kingdom. Early settlers to Two Rivers documented black squirrels. Even though only 1 in every 10,000 squirrels is born melanistic, the concentration of individuals with this trait is greater in some areas. The trait is thought to have originated within the Fox Squirrel species, and is spread through mating between Fox squirrels and Grey Squirrels. Due to their darker color, melanistic squirrels absorb more heat and are therefore possibly more adept at surviving in cold weather. When compared to gray squirrels, melanistic squirrels retain their body temperature 18% better. Although it is possible that this thermal advantage has contributed to the northern spread of gray squirrels over the span of thousands of years, this evolutionary proposal requires more investigation before it can be stated with certainty. 

Researchers have studied melanistic squirrels on several occasions to see if they are unique beyond their pelt. Behavioral studies have examined aggression and territoriality in relationship to other squirrels, but no difference in behavior was documented between the melanistic squirrels and the typical colored ones. 

Even though melanistic squirrels are better at weathering the cold, they still tend to hunker down for inclement weather just like their Grey and Fox counterparts. When these energetic little creatures decide it is balmy enough to forage, see if you can spot a unique squirrel. You will know one when you see it. You can bet I will be on the lookout. 

Photo from the Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/interspecies-breeding-responsible-some-squirrels-black-coloring-180972921/

 

 

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