Ripples 5/9/24

Posted on by May 9, 2024

By Kennedy Zittel, naturalist

Red-winged blackbirds are a common sight and sound of the marsh here at Woodland Dunes during the warmer months. Males can be seen sitting atop cattail stalks with their dark feathers and bright red and yellow wing-patches. Females are a streaky brown color and often stay lower to the ground. Their “Vote for me!” call can be heard echoing across the marsh.

There can be up to 15 females per 1 male’s territory, and both males and females will defend their nest and space from threats. The females build their nest close to the ground by winding plant material around several upright stems (like cattails). They then add wet leaves and mud to the sides and line it with dried grass. With the marsh being full of nesting red-winged blackbirds, it is no wonder that you are sure to see them when you head out on Cattail Trail! 

Besides being a summer birding staple of the preserve, red-winged blackbirds unknowingly help teach at our programs, too! One example of this happens during our 4K spring program. Part of the program has the kids going with us on a walk down Cattail Trail to look and listen for signs of spring. The kids love the nature walk, giggling and smiling ear to ear over frogs croaking, geese swimming in the pond, and those funny-looking “hotdog plants!” (cattails). 

While looking and listening for signs of spring we point out the striking-looking red-winged blackbirds in the marsh and tell the kids that they are singing “Vote for me!”. We then tell the kids that if we sing to the birds they just might sing back to us! Eyes wide with shock they are ready to try to see if a real wild bird will sing to us! Now as you can imagine it is a bit tricky to get a group of 4- year olds to wait to the count of three… but we go… 1…2…3… “Vote for me!”

A few seconds go by, then we hear “Vote for me!” echoing back to us in the distance. Jumps for joy and shouts of “can we do it again!?” showcase a clear example of a nature- spark moment! Just this one simple interaction made them excited about nature, even the kids who were too shy to want to do it the first time eagerly sang to the red-wings when we called again. 

This excitement about nature at an early age is exactly what we hope for. Excitement about nature leads to wanting to learn more, which leads to wanting to protect and care for the environment in the future. You never know what that nature-spark moment can be for a child, whether it is a bird call, a frog hopping across the trail, a shiny bug under a hand lens, or a flower that is “my absolute favoritest color ever!” out along the trail.

Getting to be a part of those magical encounters is one of my favorite parts of teaching. The look of pure excitement over things that we adults may take for granted is a good reminder to stop and take a second to really look at the world around us. To look for all of the wonderful things there is to experience out in nature. 

photo of Red-winged blackbird by Cornell’s All About Birds

Ripples 5/2/24

Posted on by May 2, 2024

by Jim Knickelbine

We are drawn outside by good weather, and have been blessed with our share lately.  A recent walk on Willow Trail at Woodland Dunes was refreshing, even though birds at that moment were hard to find.  While searching for them one could not help but notice evidence of very hard work along the trail-brush pile after brush pile composed of the stems of hundreds, maybe thousands, of invasive shrubs, buckthorn and honeysuckle.  For many years I was aware of the infestation in that area, but was able to only remove or treat a few shrubs here and there.  They multiplied faster than I could remove them.  But now, led by Max, the preserve’s land manager, some real progress is evident.  His concern for the plant communities and the effort he puts into their care and restoration is a good example of what can be done to help wildlife in the best sense.

Helping nature is a concept that comes more and more to mind for me as time goes on.  I think of the early days of Woodland Dunes, much of which was logged and farmed.  But not completely destroyed- plant and animal components remained which can heal the land over time.  We continue to add obstacles to natural restoration, like importing invasive alien plants.  Do we need to plant invasive barberry in the borders around our house?  No, but somebody convinced us to do it, in order to profit.  If the cost of financial profit is ecological harm, that cost can permanently outweigh the temporary benefit, unless serious restoration efforts take place.

Its the same on my property.  Once a forest, home to Native people, it was logged, then farmed, then mined for gravel.  In the old pits waste construction fill was placed.  And still, some of the original plants hang on, providing food and homes for wildlife.  I live among perhaps more invasive plants than I’ve seen anywhere else, but there is always hope.  Restoration of land is good for wildlife, and critical for one’s soul.  After spending time last winter removing invasive shrubs (following Max’s example), I recently spent a day planting trees of a number of different species, all natives.  The day was warm and the wind calm, and birds sang all around.  As I quietly planted I discovered interesting things- a turkey nest, and remnant patches from the original plantlife- old oak and beech trees, marsh marigolds, skunk cabbage, choke cherries, elderberries, wild leeks- that I had not seen before.  Am I smart enough to help them survive and prosper?  I don’t know, but will try as best as I am able.  And as I looked at surviving trees planted in previous years, I felt myself being restored as well.

As I look out the window to a ragged old spruce tree I see a small parade of spring migrants- an oriole, palm warbler, white-crowned sparrow and realize that their presence here constitutes the profit for my work.  Their survival, or even temporary use of my land is sufficient pay.  I know I owe it to them.

 photos- newly found marsh marigolds and a wild turkey nest by Jim Knickelbine

Ripples 4/25/24

Posted on by April 25, 2024

Ripples contributed from the archives by Nancy Nabak, communications coordinator

Our 50th anniversary archived Ripples comes from Dunesletter Number 20, June 1980.  “Animal Highways” written by Helen Dicke.

“Animal highways, bird hotels, plant museums, secret places, grocery stores, nature showcases. Yes, you can see all of these while hiking down a country road.

Perhaps when you are out in the country, you may notice the remnants of an old rail fence; posts driven in the ground just far enough apart to be connected by split rails. If you look closer, you may see in the surrounding bushes brown thrasher nests left over from the previous year. The posts themselves may hold a nest taken over by a mouse in which to raise its young. A food cache for the mouse might be seen inside another post, along with signs of moth larvae and cocoons. A rabbit may dart out of your path, using the fence as cover for its escape. Chipmunks might chatter their annoyance at being disturbed and disappear down small holes amidst the vegetation…! These are the charms of a vanishing American institution, the fencerow.

Ancient fences were either living – rows of trees and shrubs – or inanimate, rocks plowed up or stumps dug out of fields. These hedgerows, for so they were and are called in Europe, served as boundaries for landowners as well as wildlife. They insured privacy and gave the owner a sense of belonging. Hedgerows were also harvested by the people; blackberries and elderberries for jam, hazelnuts for baking, rose hips for cough syrup, and holly for decorations.

Wisconsin pioneers used whole logs, placed in an angled pattern, for their early fences since lumber was plentiful and field needed to be cleared. The post and rail fence, made famous by Abe Lincoln, followed. This type of fence could take up to thirty feet of tillable land out of a field because plenty of room was needed for both the zig-zagging fence and a turn- around for the horses and plow.

…There are still some good, “old-time” fencerows around. Just one can teach us many ecological lessons. We see the web of life along the fencerow. The plants attract plant-eaters such as rabbits, grasshoppers, and birds. These attract other animals, predators, which find them to be good food. Sparrow hawks, redtails, weasels, and fox all haunt the fencerow in search of a meal. Then other animals, including man, hunt them.

…and a meadowlark stops to sing his greeting from a rail. Some of his droppings in earlier years contained seeds of the many varieties of native plants now found along the rows. Bergamot, bottle gentian, asters are there, plus “planted” trees and shrubs. Some of the seeds came as berries- others as burrs (burdock) clinging to the fur of animals, or were winged (maple) and carried by the wind.

Hungarian partridges, song sparrows, indigo buntings will all be seen here in the season. Pheasants, too, use the fencerows for traveling fast and far. If a sandy spot appears, perhaps the rooster will preen and dust his feathers there.

Hotel? Highway? Home? Grocery store? Yes, you will find them all along a simple old-fashioned fencerow.”

Sketch accompanied original article, artist unknown.

Ripples 4/19/24

Posted on by April 22, 2024

By Max Kornetzke, land manager

Early spring often evokes the imagery of showy flowers. Many are delighted after winter to see the native plants like trilliums, spring beauties, or bloodroot; or, for many Americans, ornamentals such as daffodils, crocus, and tulips.  But spring is also a time for some unique flowering plants to offer their unusual beauty.

Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata) and Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis) are two hemi-parasitic plants that bloom in mid-April to early May.  Hemi-parasites are plants that are partially parasitic; they have specialized root structures called haustoria that attach to the host plant’s roots in order to siphon nutrients, but they also still receive energy from photosynthesis. Because they photosynthesize, they produce chlorophyll, which gives them green leaves, unlike true parasites, which have evolved to receive all of their energy from their hosts and may have white (Monotropa uniflora), red (Corallorhiza species), yellow (Conopholis americana) even orange (Cuscuta species) coloration.

Though these two plants are not closely related, they’re both often found in the same habitat of dry, well- draining soils at the edge of or in open woodlands and prairies. As they push out their fresh leaves, they both often have reddish to purple pigmentation, a common adaptation for plants that protects their young leaves from the sun’s radiation.

Bastard toadflax’s common name comes from its elliptic leaves alternating up the stem resembling that of various species of toadflax. The white flowers form in clusters at the ends of the stem and upper leaf axils. If you find one, you will find many of this plant as they spread to form colonies via their rhizomatic root systems. It is also very generalist with what genera of plants it will latch its haustoria onto, including: maples, birches, oaks, roses, asters, sedges, and grasses.

Wood Betony’s leaves are very striking. They have many deeply cut, toothed, rounded lobes that have downy hairs and an overall wrinkly look. The initial growth is a small rosette, and as they send up their flowering stock smaller leaves spiral around the stem. The flower structure is just as interesting as the leaves. Yellow tubes poke out, spiraling around the inflorescence (flower head). These tubes are relatively long and attract pollinators with long tongues such as various bumblebees, butterflies, and skippers. The host plants for Wood Betony include asters and native grasses.

Make sure to keep your eyes on the ground this spring in search of the curious patterns created by these intriguing hemi-parasites.

Photo split: left care of Max Kornetzke, right care of  inaturalist  (c) Brandon Corder.

 

Ripples 4/11/24

Posted on by April 11, 2024

by Kennedy Zittel, naturalist

Spring is here! And with that brings a lot of birds returning for the warmer months once more.  Among those returning birds is one of my all-time favorites! Perhaps not everyone’s top choice when thinking of their favorite bird, but it holds a top spot on my list. Soaring high in the sky with its wings held in a V-shape… the turkey vulture!

Now hold on, I know what you are probably thinking, but they are actually really neat birds with some remarkable adaptations that allow them to live as they do. They also do us and the environment a HUGE favor. Without scavenging animals like vultures, there would be dead animals and diseases everywhere…yuck.

I’ve heard people say that they don’t like them because vultures “look weird” because they have no feathers on their heads, but that helps keep them clean while they eat. Their lack of head feathers is where they get their name from – because they resemble wild turkeys (who also lack head feathers). 

Besides their iconic bald head, turkey vultures have dark-colored feathers with a 6-foot wingspan. When they fly they hold their wings in a V-shape. V for Vulture! With those large wings they can soar up to 200 miles in a single day.

Another reason people give for not liking them is because of what they eat. Turkey vultures aren’t the only raptors that eat carrion (dead things), other raptors like red-tailed hawks and bald eagles eat dead things too (and everyone loves those guys -how unfair). A lot of animals are opportunistic – eating dead animals is an easy meal for many. However, turkey vultures are the only scavenging bird that cannot kill their own prey. Their feet are not strong enough to grab live prey, so instead, they use their strong beak to rip apart already dead things.

Vultures have the largest olfactory (smelling) system of all birds – an adaptation that allows them to find food far away. They can smell a dead animal from over a mile away… whew! 

Vultures play a big role in keeping the environment clean AND healthy. Their stomachs help stop diseases from spreading in the environment – saving a lot of other animals (and us) from getting sick. Their stomachs are highly acidic, which kills bacteria and diseases. That means that if they eat an animal that has a disease, that disease dies in the vulture’s stomach. Their stomachs are strong enough to get rid of things like Salmonella, E. coli, botulism, rabies, anthrax, and more. 

Speaking of super stomachs, if they feel threatened they will throw up! Their stomach acid is around 100 times more acidic than a human’s (and stronger than battery acid) and they can send their puke up to 10 feet away. That is one powerful way to keep predators away! 

Super soaring, super smelling, super stomachs… all of those fun adaptations help keep them fed and the environment clean – a real life superhero! Nature’s clean-up crew hard at work, thank you turkey vultures!

Photo credit: Cornell, All About Birds