Ripples 11/19/20

Posted on by November 19, 2020

This week many of us will experience November in a Wisconsin woodland from a deer stand.  It is a time that people look forward to an excuse to spend quiet hours outdoors.  I can’t imagine a better time for this to happen as we begin to close out a photo of golden-crowned kingletyear in which our lives have been so disrupted.  I think many of us are looking forward to the cool, quiet times this month brings.

As one becomes used to the quiet and things settle down after our arrival – whether it is to a deer stand or a bench or a perfect sitting rock by a lake, the beauty of nature, living or dormant, becomes apparent.  So often chickadees, who are seemingly fearless, investigate whatever is new to their world, be it a hunter in a stand or a walker on a trail. Bluejays come around in a group- issuing all sorts of weird sounds, or sometimes none at all. Their gaze seems critical, as if evaluating my right to be there. More likely they’re evaluating my potential to provide food. Cardinals seem more shy- nervously landing and looking only to fly off in bursts of wingbeats.

Then the quieter birds creep in- juncos seeming to make a soft kissing sound as they seem to pretend that they don’t notice me, looking rather for leftovers on the ground where I scattered some seed this morning.  Then, in the cinnamon-colored dead goldenrod stalks there is a soft, delicate see-see-see of a golden-crowned kinglet.  After a moment I see him down in the stems examining each one for some small insect or spider or perhaps their eggs.

Then suddenly, crows are squawking and mobbing something – I assume an eagle along the river, or one of the great-horned owls that have been hooting around at night. Unseen, the crows and the object of their taunting move upriver.

I used to dislike November’s dark gray days as we slid toward winter. Now I realize that if I slow down, take a deep breath, and surrender to the late fall, that it’s a time of peace and great interest. It’s not just a preparatory time before winter – it holds its own magic.  I don’t know if the birds see it that way. They need to be as busy as ever, but its a reminder that for humans, nature is good and good for us.

photo- golden-crowned kinglet by Gary Irwin

Ripples 11/12/20

Posted on by November 16, 2020

Written by Kennedy Zittel, Woodland Dunes intern

When the weather gets a bit cooler, when the birds begin to migrate to warmer places, and when the leaves begin to change colors, you know that fall has finally arrived. As the colors of the leaves change from different shades of green to golden yellows, oranges, bright reds, and even deep purples, you can’t help but marvel at how beautiful the forests have become. This past week my field botany class went for a walk around UWGB’s arboretum where we were looking at how the same genus of trees, such as maples or oaks, display such a wide variety of colors. Now as I walk the trails here at Woodland Dunes, I cannot help but be awestruck over how the trees around us can paint such a beautiful sunrise scene. photo of oak leaf

Wisconsin’s native oak trees can range anywhere from yellows all the way to deep purple colors. Swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) displays different shades of yellow and orange during the fall season. Hill’s oak (Q. ellipsoidalis) and bur oak (Q. macrocarpa) have leaves that change from light yellow to brown as the season progresses. Scarlet oak (Q. coccinea) like the name suggests display a beautiful scarlet color. Chinquapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii), pin oak (Q. palustris), northern red oak (Q. rubra), and black oak (Q. velutina) exhibit reddish-brown to brown leaf colors. My personal favorite of the oak colorations, the white oak (Q. alba) turns a deep burgundy-purple color in the fall. 

Wisconsin’s native maple trees showcase beautiful sunrise colors in varied shades of yellows, oranges, and reds. Often you can even find maple trees showing multiple colors of leaves on the same tree in early fall, how unbe-leaf-able! Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) and box elder (A. negundo) are found in various shades of yellow during the fall season. Norway maples (A. platanoides), sugar maples (A. saccharum), red maples (A. rubrum), and mountain maples (A. spicatum) turn into golden yellows, burnt oranges, and bright reds. Amur maples (A. ginnala) are a vibrant red color in the fall. 

Going for a walk on the Woodland Dunes trails (or any trail nearby) is one of my favorite fall activities. As my final college semester reaches the halfway mark, my assignments and research projects have been accumulating more and more. Getting outside and seeing the beautiful fall colors is a wonderful way to relieve some of that stress. With the times being as chaotic and uncertain as they are now, I think that we can all take a bit of inspiration from the trees. Even though the season is changing and going through new chaos as well so to speak, the trees still stand tall and have their leaves become a canvas displaying beautiful sunrise colors all around us. As things get a bit difficult for us all, we too can learn to adapt, stand tall, and turn a new leaf. The next time you go out for a walk, take a look at all of the leaf color variations that the trees display, you too will probably be surprised at how much of a range of colors our forests can display for us.

Ripples 11/5/20

Posted on by November 5, 2020

Location is one of the first things to consider when setting up a bird feeder. A shepherd’s hook or a post driven into the ground works well for hanging multiple feeders and should be installed before the ground freezes. The post or hook should be placed closer than three feet or farther than 30 feet from windows. The area between is considered the strike zone and songbirds are more likely to fly into the window and become injured or even die. According to research, window strikes kill up to one billion birds each year, so feeder placement is critical to ensuring the safety of our feathered friends.
 
An ideal location will also have a nearby shrub or tree where birds can find cover. Many birds grab a seed from the feeder, then zip photo of bird feeder stationoff to a safe place to eat it.
 
There are many types of seeds and mixes available, but black oil sunflower seed is an excellent choice because it’s affordable, high in fat and attracts a wide variety of birds. This can be offered in a basic platform feeder or in a hanging feeder. Black oil sunflower seeds can also be scattered on the ground for birds such as juncos, white-throated sparrows and doves, which prefer to dine there.  Its also good to scatter a little millet mix or cracked corn mix for these ground feeders.
 
If you’d like to attract goldfinches, pine siskins and other finches, you’ll want to feed Nyjer or thistle seed. These seeds are quite small, so it’s important to have a feeder made for this type of seed.  Nyger seed can be prone to spoil, so if birds don’t eat it, discard it and buy a fresh bag.
 
Now that the weather is cooler, suet is something you may consider offering at your feeding station. Suet will attract woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees. You can purchase suet at local stores or even make your own.
 
Finally, having a water source near the feeder is an excellent way to attract birds. Keep in mind, they only need an inch or two for bathing and drinking.  If ice forms, break it up so birds can access the water or purchase a temperature-controlled water heater for the bird bath.
 
It’s important to keep your feeding station tidy. Rake up empty shells under the feeder when possible and regularly clean the feeders to reduce the spread of diseases. Soak the feeders or scrub with a dilute bleach solution, rinse thoroughly and let them dry completely before adding seed.
 
Knowing where to place your feeder and what to feed will increase the variety of birds that visit your yard. Happy birdwatching!

Ripples 10/29/20

Posted on by October 29, 2020

Written by Kennedy Zittel, Woodland Dunes intern

Halloween is almost here! With that being said, I have another scary tale to share. This time it is about zombies! Picture this, it is mid-winter, the temperature is well below freezing, ponds have frozen over, and snow is piled all around. Below the soil and water there lies a creature who has frozen solid, whose heart has stopped beating, and who has long since stopped breathing. It certainly sounds like that creature has croaked. Fast forward to spring, the temperature is rising, the sun begins to shine more, and the ground and ponds begin to thaw. To your horror, the creature mentioned earlier unburies itself and rises to the surface. Ah! But, it is just a frog. No worries though, there really is no such thing as a zombie frog, but frogs and toads do possess a unique adaption that allows them to be able to survive the harsh winter. 

photo of frozen wood frogFrogs and toads are coldblooded, meaning that their body temperature will become the temperature of the environment around them. Imagine your body turning the same temperature as the weather outside, brrr! During the winter, frogs and toads will go into a state of hibernation. One common myth about how aquatic frogs hibernate is that they will burrow themselves completely under the mud, however, if the frogs were to go completely under the mud they would not have enough oxygen to survive. Aquatic frogs instead spend the majority of winter either lying on top of the mud or partially buried in mud so that they can reach the oxygen-rich water. Terrestrial frogs and American Toads (Wisconsin’s only toad species) will often hibernate on land by burrowing deep into the soil below the frost line. Terrestrial frogs that are not as well adapted to digging, like the Spring Peeper, will seek out cracks or crevices in rocks and logs to hibernate in instead. The Wood Frog hibernates closest to the surface which is why you will hear their calls the earliest in the spring as they are usually the first then to emerge.

How do the frogs come back to life then, if they aren’t actually zombies? Well, the frogs never technically die, even though their breathing and heart do stop. They actually end up completely frozen solid (like a frog-cicle!) as the weather gets well below freezing. As ice crystals begin to form underneath the frog’s skin parts of the frog’s body will begin to freeze completely solid. The only part of a frog or toad that does not freeze completely is their vital organs. A large concentration of glucose within a frog’s vital organs will act as a natural antifreeze thus preventing vital organs like the heart and lungs from fully freezing. When the weather warms up to above freezing, the frogs and toads will begin to thaw, their hearts will begin to beat once more, their lungs will begin to work again, and come spring they will unbury themselves and rise to the surface. The ability that frogs and toads have (along with other coldblooded animals of the area) to be able to survive after freezing allows them to live in the toughest of winter climates that would have us scrambling for our heaviest winter coats. Which in my opinion, is toad-ally awesome!

photo of a frozen wood frog from National Park Service

Ripples 10/23/20

Posted on by October 23, 2020

We staff at Woodland Dunes see our place in the world as a haven for both wildlife and people. Each year we spend some time trying to measure the diversity of wild things that call our nature preserve home, and try as best we can to foster an appreciation for that wildlife among the people who visit the nature center and preserve. And also an appreciation for the good that being out and a part of nature does for them both physically and emotionally. Caring for nature is not a one-way street.  Just like the benefits we reap when we care for and are kind to each other, we are the better for caring for the wild things which share the world with us. Unless of course they are the invasive kind which bully their fellow animals and plants.

Rusty-patched bumble bee on culver’s-root at UW–Madison Arboretum. Photo: Susan Day/UW–Madison Arboretum

Each year it seems that there are more opportunities to survey wildlife. Citizen-science is a growing field in which people who aren’t professional scientists with an academic specialty can still contribute wildlife observations in a meaningful way, especially with a little training. Our staff falls into that category as we survey birds, bats, bumblebees, and other wildlife.  We are knowledgeable people, but not experts in any one field. Fortunately, because Woodland Dunes is a special place in terms of wildlife habitat, we are visited by people who truly are experts in their fields, and those visits often reinforce the importance of what we do.

Two such visits happened recently in late summer. The first involved a brief survey conducted by an entomologist from the Wisconsin DNR, who visited some of the meadows here to look for bumblebees. In all, he found eight species – including one federally endangered, the rusty-patched bumblebee.  The rusty-patched is a formerly common bee species, and we’re in the middle of it’s range. Unfortunately, due to a number of factors brought on by changes in habitat and others, this bumblebee has declined significantly, nearly to the point of non-existence. In the last several years, however, this species has been found in two different locations on the Woodland Dunes preserve in areas where native wildflowers and grasses have been planted.

A few weeks ago, we were informed by a botanist working for a consultant on one of our habitat restoration projects that he had noticed a small wildflower blooming near one of the wooded trails – a forked aster.  Most people wouldn’t think twice about this low-growing plant blooming in September in the woods, with it’s loose daisy-like lavender blooms, but to those who are familiar realize it is a threatened plant in Wisconsin.  It is found in forests dominated by hardwood trees, often on the shores of lake or streams. It is often found near oaks, boxelder, ash, and popple trees.photo of forked-aster

These two species are important to us in a number of ways. They are among the last of their kind – that in itself makes them special. They represent the wildness that Woodland Dunes hopes to preserve, and the fact that they have found this place underscores the value of high-quality natural areas as refuges for life that faces so many challenges in places that have been unthinkingly disturbed or damaged.  So, when you visit Woodland Dunes, it might give your visit added meaning to know that these little plants and animals which are so easily overlooked are here and hanging on to life along with hundreds of others which share this very special place.

photos- rusty-patched bumblebee from US Fish and Wildlife Service, forked aster at Woodland Dunes by Joshua Sulman