Ripples 7/4/24

Posted on by July 11, 2024

Ripples from the Dunes by Jim Knickelbine

In the mid-1960’s Bernie Brouchoud had a dream.  Based on his observations and bird banding experience, the wooded area between Two Rivers and Manitowoc was a special place for birds.  He spent a lot of time in the area, and wanted to start a nature preserve as a bird and wildflower sanctuary. He also knew he would have to convince many others to help in that effort.  He needed to prove what he knew about the bird population there.  So back then, ten years before there was a Woodland Dunes, he obtained permission (maybe), and began doing bird counts during the summer nesting season to show people how many birds might nest in the preserve.  He and John Woodcock walked predetermined routes in the proposed preserve and counted the bird species and how many of each were present.  They even mapped where each bird was located and included other wildlife observations.

This was an impressive effort, involving 14 different routes, bushwhacking through swamp and meadow, along roads, and even down the railroad track that spanned the width of the area, and along the West Twin River by canoe. The entire survey took weeks each year, after which, Bernie would cheerfully compile results.  He would also include observations of other birds seen during the nesting season incidentally.  Each year the list was about 110 bird species, a remarkable number for a single, though extensive, property during a non-migratory season.  They would find a dozen or so species of warblers here- birds that people usually think of as migratory visitors, not residents.

In those early days, the focus of Woodland Dunes was much more on research, and as time wore on, the activities at the center became more numerous and diverse.  It became difficult to spend so much time on the summer bird surveys, and we needed to find other ways to do them (which gave us a good sampling of the bird population), but didn’t require walking the entire 1500 acres.  We adopted a point-count system as is used in many professional bird surveys- more than 30 observation points were identified in the preserve.  Trained staff or volunteers visit each point once or more during the nesting season to look and listen for birds for 10 minutes.  Points are numbered and an effort is made to visit exactly the same places each year.  Many are located at easy-to-find spots at trail intersections and such.  The survey still involves walking and observing much of the preserve, and those sample points are consistent.

We’re finishing the summer counts now.  The last few years, we still find around 100 species of birds.  We’ve lost a few species, but they are ones that have declined everywhere.  Personally, I look forward to these surveys, a summer snapshot of our birdlife.  We do them early in the morning, and walk the trails accompanied often by a few hundred enthusiastic mosquito friends.  The quiet early morning in a forest is often a magical time when one is reminded why Bernie, and those who helped found the nature center, were motivated to do so – thus protecting this place.  Experiencing the trails like that takes one to unexpected places. The deep swamp with a white-throated sparrow or winter wren singing in the distance reminds me of camping in northern places like the Sylvania Wilderness, not just a few minutes from Manitowoc and Two Rivers.  

Yes, there are bugs, but a head net and light jacket keep them off.  Their buzzing is a small annoyance and price to pay in order to experience the unexpected wonders of early summer and early daytimes.  Every time I have participated in these surveys, I have experienced nature that I didn’t expect, and I am happy that I’m there.  I’m sure the staff at the nature center would agree.

Nesting season seems chaotic, the birds singing from all around at the same time.  Enjoy this. Allow it to lure you outdoors and to discover.  Soon, their parenting done, birds will again become quiet and sneaky.  Although, that presents a different invitation to discover.

photo- the Ice Age Trail at Woodland Dunes on an early morning bird survey by Jim Knickelbine

 

 

Ripples 6/27/24

Posted on by July 1, 2024

By Natalie McNeely, summer intern

Since coming to Woodland Dunes as a summer intern, I have learned about many flora and fauna species. I have participated in many activities, from bird banding and bee surveying to star-gazing, walking along the trails with summer camps, and the “50 Hikes” program. I’ve also learned about and have seen so many new species. So, I encourage you to come to one of the 50 Hikes programs because it’s been a great way to learn more about the trails, and no two hikes are the same.  

I have also read through some of the Woodland Dunes archive articles here. While looking at the past newsletters, I found the June 1998 Dunesletter, Volume 92, which stood out to me as it mentioned a particular animal that can be seen all over the preserve at this time of year. This animal has been fun to point out in the past week of education programming as we studied gross things in nature. This section was fittingly named, as it was titled, “Who’s Been Spitting in the Field.” The article highlights the spittlebug that turns into a froghopper, which is separately named because the spittlebug nymph has a distinctive life compared to its adult froghopper. As mentioned in a section of the article:

There are several species of spittlebugs, with different species selecting different plant species (shrubs and herbaceous plants only) for food. Adults lay eggs in the plant stems or in the sheaths of grasses, and the eggs hatch the following spring – one generation each year. A nymph’s spittle comes from special abdominal glands, which exude fluid from the digestive tract mixed with a gummy substance. As the “goo” is released, air bubbles are added to it. The spittle is very durable, and you’ll stay head-down on the plant stem; as spit is formed, it tends to flow over their bodies, protecting them from desiccation and concealing them nicely- so nicely that most people have no idea there is a bug inside!

Spittlebugs and froghoppers are rather fun creatures, and once you realize what you’re looking for, you can easily find lots of them when hiking around. So, I encourage you to look for the bugs that are “spitting in the field” and see if you can even find the green little nymph inside the spittle. 

Photo: Spittlebugs on aster leaves along Willow trail by Natalie McNeely

 

Ripples 6/20/24

Posted on by June 20, 2024

By Jessica Johnsrud, education coordinator

In the early summer, the pond near the tower is full of life. There are the usual animals that come to mind, like red-winged blackbirds, mallards, and frogs, but there is a whole ecosystem of small creatures that live in the water itself.

Dipping for critters in the pond is something all ages enjoy. In fact, Woodland Dunes recently offered a pond dipping class just for adults, and the participants were tickled with their discoveries. Much like the children and families that partake in this popular activity, the adults were just as enthusiastic.

After demonstrating how to safely dip, how to carefully handle the creatures, and giving a few pointers, everyone grabbed a small net and immediately started. After just a few short minutes, I heard noises of surprise and laughter. One adult exclaimed “Ooh, I got a tadpole!” and another repeated several times, “This is so cool! I’m going to bring my grandkids here to do this with them.”

Even the youngest children love to scoop in the pond. The same week of the adult pond dipping class, the Wild Child classes also dipped for dragonfly larva. These kids were 2-5 years old and had an adult with them. Many needed some help with the mechanics of dipping, but their little eagle eyes were adept at spotting the small, camouflaged critters in their net. They were all delighted with their discoveries and enjoyed watching the creatures swim and move through the water in the collection bin.

What did these groups find in the pond? A wide variety of animals! Dragonflies start their lives in a larval stage in the water and they are abundant in the pond in early summer. Dragonfly larva (also called nymphs or naiads) are one of my favorites because of their large, alien-like eyes, and as they grow, you can see their wing buds.

They also found some of the aquatic beetles including the crawling water beetle, a backswimmer, and the water scavenger beetle. There are several other kinds of water beetles that turn up in the pond as the summer continues. Beetles are the most common group of insects in Wisconsin.

Other creatures observed in the water were: American toad tadpoles, green frog or northern leopard frog tadpoles (it’s difficult to tell between these two species when they are early-stage tadpoles), a young northern pike that was about 3 inches long, a painted turtle, and a muskrat.

Pond dipping definitely brings out our inner child and invocates a sense of curiosity and wonder. If you’d like to give it a try, there are pond dipping nets, containers, and identification charts in our family room that you can use while the Nature Center is open.

photo of dragonfly nymph by Kennedy Zittel

Ripples 6/6/24

Posted on by June 6, 2024

By Sue Crowley, executive director

We have had quite a bit of rain so far this spring, especially the month of May and reaching into summer. Ponds and swales and fields are full or soggy. The tender greens of spring are transitioning to deeper greens of summer. Our temperatures feel like they are creeping up earlier than we are used to in the cool city by the lake.  Yet, for me, what is always the sign of summer is being able to shed my shoes and socks and let my feet experience both the cool and the warmth of the ground. 

I love not only to feel the soil, leaves, and grass, but also sometimes the cement, bricks or even pebbles.  In the first barefooting of summer, I gingerly and awkwardly make my way across a gravel path, my feet wondering why they are subjected to this treacherous texture, and yet by summer’s end they traverse the same ground without barely a notice of the rough surface.  Then, there is that amazing sense I feel when my feet get to walk on pine needles or a soft bed of cedar leaves that are blanketing the path through the woods. I am still so delighted to take in the drastic difference in “give” that this ground has.  As I have gotten older that “give” in the ground is much more appreciated farther up my legs in my knees! 

The other part of barefooting that I enjoy is the sand on our beaches, but then also the occasional hot trot across some paved surface. Or remembering the days of getting out of a chilly pool only to wrap a towel around and feel the warmth of the cement on the bottoms of my feet.

So, what does this all have to do with nature?  Well, this wonderful direct connection with natural earth has been found to help ground us, yes, pun intended. If we pay attention to opportunities to feel the earth on our bare feet, it truly does create a better sense of connection. It offers us a chance to appreciate all this beautiful planet has to offer- whether it be a cushioned walk on a bed of leaves, or some soggy soil, or the warmth of the sand soaking up the sun.  It turns out some folks are calling this “earthing or grounding”. People have done studies saying this connection of feet and bodies is just one of the simple things the earth can do for us to keep us connected and healthy. So, take your shoes and socks off and go earthing as often as you can!

Ripples 5/30/24

Posted on by May 30, 2024

Ripples from the Archives, submitted by Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator

This colorful, thought-provoking, “The Language of Color” Ripples excerpt comes from the archives, circa June 1982, and is written by Irene I. Luethge. Enjoy!

“Color surrounds us, it influences our lives. Color is adventure, a collectible, a clue giver, a link backwards in history and time, a fashion setter, a bond with the earth and the life on it, a storehouse of 1,000 stories and more. There are the colors of sunrises and sunsets, the colors of the changing seasons, the colors in stages of growing things on the land, the changing colors of insects and birds and animal life, and the fluid colors of water.

…The use of colors extends back in time perhaps as much as 200,000 years. Its sources came from the earth, the life and growing things that depend on the earth. Ice Age man buried his dead in red ochre or panted those bones a red color; he had observed that the flow of red blood meant the difference between life and death and probably believed the red color was life-giving. Hence, in the origins of language the word red is derived from the word blood.

A dye of special significance, dating back to the ancient Phoenicians, was purple. In the town of Tyre, it was first made and from the Mediterranean shellfish (genera Purpura & Murex). They were whelks with long spiral shells with a large open end. The dye was extracted from the mucous gland adjacent to the respiratory cavity. The Greeks had a legend that Hercules roamed the shore with his dog, who, when hungry, crushed a shell between his teeth. His muzzle became stained with indelible purple, causing the discovery of a successful dye for wool.

Gathering nuts in the fall, as some of us still do, colonial mothers not only used them in cooking and baking, but also as a dye source. They boiled the nut rinds and the inside bark of nut trees with wool from their sheep, then they wove the wool into suits for their husbands and sons. Butternuts were most commonly used. They gave homespun material a definite and peculiar shade of brown.

Rock and sand paintings are interesting forms of artwork. Some artists whether or not they have been rock collectors, will crush minerals to create the palette for painting. Such minerals may be: azurite, shattuckite (blue); chrysocolla (turquoise); cinnabar (red); catlinite (rose); malachite (green); sulfur (pale yellow); purpurite (purple); gypsum (white); feldspar (peach through delicate pink); and limestone (gray)… Some of the famous frescoes which adorn the walls and ceilings of ancient European cathedrals were not done with oil but created by adding fine mineral pigment to plaster.

Did you know that most Midwesterners tend to prefer the colors blue and green? According to some studies this is due to psychological association. Blue is associated with clear summer skies and placid lakes. Green brings images of friendly, fertile grass interrupting the long, harsh, cold season.

I guess it’s safe to say that color unites us with all mankind and with life and growing things on the land here and elsewhere. Color can connect us to points in times past. And the colors of nature through the seasons, their sunrises and sunsets, and their moonlit nights and moody days can feed the eye’s enjoyment and the soul’s refreshment.”

Photo by Nancy Nabak