Wilderness Wanderings

Snakes in a Wall

2011-09-24T15:21:00.002-04:00

The juvenile black rat snakes are back! Each year, they populate the railroad tie retaining wall in front of the interpretive building. On nice, sunny days like today, you can often find over a dozen hanging out. Be sure to stop and look on your autumn visits to TWC!

Lake Erie Water Snake Delisted

2011-09-17T10:22:00.003-04:00

The Lake Erie Water Snake has been taken off the threatened list of the Endangered Species List! This is a very big deal - it's wonderful to see conservation and education efforts work!

Check out this video from the Division of Wildlife:

http://vimeo.com/28203823

or click here to read more about the de-listing.

Congratulations Kristin and everyone else involved in the recovery!

Camouflaged Looper

2011-08-11T15:33:00.004-04:00

The blobby-looking bump on this flower is not some mutant flower head. It's a very well camouflaged caterpillar called, appropriately, a Camouflaged Looper or Wavy-Lined Emerald. Look closely - can you find it?

Here are two close-ups of the caterpillar - you can see the bits of flower parts attached to it.

And, lastly, just in case still don't believe this is a living creature and not some funky plant defect, here is a short video of the caterpillar in action:

These caterpillars are common and found on aster, black-eyed susan, goldenrod, yarrow, daisy and other such plants. Try looking for them in your yard - they are tiny (about 0.5 inches), but well worth the hunt.

Herpetology Day

2011-07-31T15:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was our first Herpetology Day. Thank you volunteers and visitors for making it a success. Here are a few pictures:

snake eggs

2011-07-20T08:04:00.002-04:00

These snake eggs were found by our intern Clay while he was weeding around the retaining wall near the interpretive building. We'll keep an eye on them and post more if/when they hatch. Eggs typically take 60-70 days to hatch. We don't know when these were laid, but I'm guessing they will hatch sometime in late August.

Never Tease a Weasel

2011-05-30T10:06:00.002-04:00

Earlier this month,a group of visiting school kids got to see a real treat. While heading out for a hike on the trails, our docent Sam spotted movement along the trail. When he did a double take, he spotted this weasel carrying its lunch. Sam says the lunchable rodent got stuck on a brier and the weasel kept coming back to try to get it off. The kids got to watch the whole process for quite a while. These pictures were taken by one of the moms.

Bye, Bye, Birdie

2011-04-21T11:43:00.002-04:00

The Canada Geese have begun nesting here at the pond and lake. There is usually a lot of predation on the nests, so this year we decided to see what was really happening. To that end, we put up our trail cam near a nest at the pond. The first picture is fuzzy, but appears to be a raccoon eating eggs. The second photo is a coyote exploring what's left of the nest several days later. This is the first documented coyote on the property, although we know they have been here for a long time. Both raccoons and coyotes are known predators of Canada Goose nests. A recent study found that raccoons were responsible for 22-25% of depredated nests and coyotes were responsible for 75-78% of all Canada goose nest depredation in the Chicago area. (1)

1) THE INFLUENCE OF COYOTES ON AN URBAN CANADA GOOSE POPULATION
IN THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN AREA Justin L. Brown, B.S., The Ohio State University
2007

Shreve Migration Success

2011-03-31T09:17:00.008-04:00

Once again, the Shreve Migration Sensation was a success. Despite the cold, icy conditions, lots of families stopped by the dip-netting station to look for marsh critters. A huge thanks you to Pat Tirabasso, Pat Dutton, and Ken Schlegel for helping run the station - and a huge thank-you to Logan and Barb for the wonderfully warm chicken noodle soup! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the day.

Boots of all sizes...

It was so cold this year, the marsh was covered by 1/4 inch of ice. The snail on the right was actually frozen in the ice along with various marsh plants. Ice was forming in our collection pans as fast as we could break it up.

Just a few of the many darters caught by the kids. We don't know what species, so if there are any darter experts out there - please let us know.

Despite the cold, everyone had a fantastic time and found lots of critters.

Thanks to all the families you stopped by the dip-netting station. We love seeing the marsh full of exploring kids and parents who don't mind soggy mittens and muddy boots!

Migrate to Shreve this Saturday

2011-03-24T12:36:00.006-04:00

The Killbuck Marsh is looking great - waters are down through most of the area, and the birds are flocking in. This Saturday, March 26th is the annual Shreve Migration Sensation in the little burg of Shreve. This is a great town and a great event! Keynote speakers include Chuck Jakubchak, Cheryl Harner, Chip Gross, Jim McCormac, Kim Kaufman, and Greg Miller.

There are also lots of family activities - so be sure to bring the kids! The lower level of the elementary school will be dedicated to these family programs, including the Akron Zoo with backyard and endangered animals, Mary Warren with bird activities, and Kristin Stanford with water snakes.

As always I'll be out in the marsh off Cemetery Road, dip netting with the kids. Last year about 200 folks stopped by and explored with us. I was out last night checking on things and the marsh is teeming with critters - especially lots of beetle larvae.

And, of course, the marsh is full of migrating waterfowl and experienced birders to help you identify them. (It is a birding event, after all).

For all the details or to volunteer to help with the event - click here.

Dip-netting in the marsh.

Just a few of the critters we usually catch.

Jim McCormac signs books in the Birders Marketplace.

A family learns about animals of the Marsh at The Wilderness Center's Exploration Area at the school.

Salamander Walk

2011-03-19T15:45:00.003-04:00

This lively looking bunch joined me today for a program about the salamanders of Ohio.

The salamanders have just started moving to the pond to breed, and not very many were there. In fact,the only signs we saw were a few spermatophores and this one lone bunch of spotted salamander eggs.

After the pond, a few hardy souls hiked with me to the vernal pool in hope of finding more salamander signs. Alas, not a single sign to be seen. The pond was teeming with wood frogs, however, and we were able to get a close up look as these eggs and an adult. You can differentiate the two egg masses by looking closely at their overall structure. The salamander eggs are in a solid mass (I like to think of it as a grapefruit of snot). The frog eggs are embedded in individual blobs (grapes of snot). Yum.

We are still waiting on a warm rainy night for the salamander migration. We have had lots of rainy nights, and a few warm ones, but so far, the combination hasn't been right. In hopes that this weekend proves to be favorable, I have scheduled a night hike. On Tuesday, March 22 at 7 pm, we will be venturing out again in hopes of catching the migration in action. If you would like to join us, just meet in front of the interpretive building. Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather!
Thanks to everyone who spent the day with me today looking for herps - I hope you learned a lot and got a chance to see some new things!

Flood Damage

2011-03-16T16:27:00.002-04:00

The recent flooding has washed out the bridge at Sigrist Woods. The boardwalk was also damaged. The Sigrist Woods trail will be closed until further notice. The pictures below show the bridge and it's supports and the boardwalk - which now looks like a roller coaster.

Cardinal Flower

2011-03-11T10:34:00.002-05:00

“It is not so much something colored as color itself”, said American naturalist John Burroughs of the cardinal flower. This brilliant red wildflower has repeatedly been voted America’s favorite. It can be found growing in damp areas from New Brunswick all the way South to Florida and West into Texas, the Southwest and parts of California. The root of the cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) was reportedly used by Native Americans as a love potion. (Coincidentally it was also purported to cure syphilis and worms). Cardinal Flower’s red spikes light up dark corners of shaded woodlots. Or, as John Burroughs said “… It is a heart-throb of color on the bosom of dark solitude.”

So whether you have worms, are in need of a love potion, or just want to brighten up a corner of you garden and invite the hummingbirds in, cardinal flower is a great choice. Cardinal flower will be available during our plant sale this year.

Vernal Pool Crayfish

2011-03-02T11:29:00.004-05:00

I was checking on the vernal pool today and found this crayfish crawling among the detritus. Can you find it?

Here's a close-up. I don't know the species, so if anyone does, please let us know.

There is no sign of frog or salamander activity at the pool yet, but it won't be long. If you would like to join us for a hike to see the salamander migration when it happens, call TWC and ask to be put on the salamander hike list.

Is it time for a sex change?

2011-02-11T11:59:00.001-05:00

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is one of Ohio’s most unique wildflowers. The “Jack” part of the flower (the spadix) is a cluster if indistinct flowers. The “Pulpit” is made of modified leaves, called a spathe. Although usually described as a clergyman preaching from his pulpit, the shape of the spadix has generated other, less clerical, names referring to various body parts. (We’ll leave this to your imagination). The entire plant contains calcium oxalate crystals which cause burning if eaten raw. One account describes the Meskwaki Indians putting ground root into mat left for their Sioux enemies. Apparently the meat tasted fine on ingestion, but several hours later caused severe pain, often resulting in death. The roots were reportedly eaten by many Native Americans after being thoroughly cooked or dried to remove the crystals. Perhaps the most unique feature of this plant, however, is that it can change sex as needed to adapt to environmental conditions. Because it takes a lot more energy to be female and produce fruits, plants will often spend several years as males, storing food. When the plant has enough energy, a sex change occurs and the plant produces fruit. So from sex changes to preacher men, this plant is a great conversation starter for your garden.

Jack-in-the Pulpit will be available at our Native Plant Sale on April 30 and May 1. View the plant catalog for a complete list of plants.

Blue Lobelia

2011-02-08T16:15:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the first in a series of short blogs about the various plants available at out Native Plant Sale on April 30 and May 1. To see a complete list of plants, their growing requirements, habitat, and importance for wildlife, view our complete online catalog.

Blue Lobelia Lobelia Siphilitica

This beautiful blue flower is an often overlooked wildflower. It loves moist, partially shaded areas. As the Latin name, L. syphilitica, suggests, this plant was once thought to cure syphilis and other social diseases. It is even rumored that Lewis and Clark used it to treat outbreaks on their trip through the West. Although native to North America, lobelia is common in England where it was originally introduced for just such a purpose. Studies done in England eventually proved these claims to be false which was probably fortunate, as the side effects of lobelia “cures” were not very pleasant. The lobelias were named for Matthias von Lobel, a 16^th century herbalist who became physician to King James I of England. While hummingbirds are more attracted to Great Lobelia’s cousin, the Cardinal Flower, bees absolutely love Blue Lobelia. Try this plant near your water feature or in moist areas of your perennial border

Canada Geese and a literary side trip

2011-01-25T14:43:00.005-05:00

The Canada Geese have been flocking in huge numbers all around the area. It is hard to believe that prior to 1950, the only geese Ohioans saw were migratory winter visitors. Today, as some our the more astute readers may have noticed, we have quite a few resident geese. While many people call Canada Geese 'sky rats' or 'flying carp' and view them mainly as a nuisance, it's hard to deny that there is something truly soul-awakening about a formation of geese flying across a winter landscape. So enjoy the flocks this winter and don't forget to look up when you hear the beat of wings across the snowy sky. Now, for your winter literary pleasure, here's one of my very favorite poems:

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things.

from Dream Work by Mary Oliver

Shreve Migration

2011-01-21T13:58:00.003-05:00

Save the date for the Shreve Migration Sensation: Saturday March 26, 2011

If you haven't been to this event before - make sure to come this year. Shreve Migration is the largest single day birding event in Ohio. Join other nature enthusiasts and visit help stations throughout the Killbuck Marsh, enjoy many great speakers and learn about the local area. There are events scheduled for all ages. Visit the website for more information. You can register online this year by clicking here.

Speakers this year include:

Sensational Birds, Sensational Observations, by Chuck Jakubchak, Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist
Planting for Wildlife: Native Plants That Attract Birds and Butterflies by Cheryl Harner
Chip’s Tips for Better Wildlife and Outdoor Photography by Chip Gross
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds: Feathered Helicopters Jim McCormac
How to Be a Better Birder — Even if You’re Already an Expert! by Kim Kaufman
The Big Year, by Greg Miller

A family speakers hall is new this year and features:

Endangered Animals by the Akron Zoo
Kids’ activities from Flying Wild by Mary Warren, Naturalist with ODNR Wildlife
Backyard Animals by the Akron Zoo
Local Water Snakes by Kristin Sanford, "The Island Snake Lady"

And as always don't forget to stop and visit us for dip netting in the marsh and TWC's Exploration Station in the birders marketplace

less Brrrrr.

2011-01-13T16:31:00.001-05:00

We have heat! There is now heat available in two classrooms. Temperatures are still chilly in the hallways and bird room, but if you come for a class, you should be warm!

Brrrrr..

2011-01-06T14:38:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to all you winter hardy folks - we are having some heating problems at TWC. The building is cold, so bring an extra layer when you come to visit. We hope to have everything fixed soon!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-19T13:28:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays from all of us at The Wilderness Center!

Snakes on a Wall

2010-12-14T10:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a new video of the juvenile black rat snakes on our retaining wall last fall. I took lots of video and Pat Tirabasso edited and put this together for us. Thanks Pat! You can see lots of interesting behaviors in the video. The juveniles really put on a good show - shaking their tails and bluff striking. If you watch closely, you can also see one of the snakes that is about to shed - the eyes are milky white and the scales are pale. Enjoy the video (and stop by next fall for the live show, right here in front of the interpretive building).

If the video quality is bad, try watching it on The Wilderness Center's Facebook page... click here

New Beaver Lodge

2010-12-02T14:57:00.002-05:00

A new beaver has set up lodgings (pun intended) at the pond here at The Wilderness Center. In this first picture, you can see the logs and branches it has cached in front of the new lodge.

This picture was taken from the hill above the new lodge. It it still small, and I believe built over an old muskrat den.
Here a log has been felled and is in the process of being cut (gnawed) into chunks.
The beaver has cut many of the small trees along the edge of the pond, and has begin to cut some of the larger ones. This will change the amount of light that reaches the pond, and the amount of vegetation that grows there as well. We are excited to be able to watch these new developments.

Craft show

2010-11-05T14:21:00.003-04:00

It's craft show time! Tomorrow ( Saturday, Nov. 6) is The Wilderness Center's Nature Festival Arts and Crafts Show. We have three rooms of vendors including gourds, fiber art, nature paintings, jewelry, bird houses, pottery, and many other beautiful crafts. Start your holiday shopping early. Hope to see you there!

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From the Journal of Herpetology

2010-10-24T13:31:00.002-04:00

Remember that cute book about the lessons we learned in kindergarten? Well, I must have been too busy shoving crayons up my nose back then to grasp the significance of those life lessons. While I do remember not to run with scissors (most of the time), I’ve found I need extra guidance in my adult life. Sure, I could learn from the mistakes of my family and friends, or read a lot of expensive self-help books, or tune in to Dr. Phil each afternoon. But those things take effort. And really, everything I need to know about life I’ve learned from something I’ve already been doing – reading the Journal of Herpetology. Here’s a small sample of the life lessons offered in its pages:

Females can maximize the benefits of mate choice by using multiple traits to assess male quality. (vol 43, no 1, p 89) (i.e.- don’t pick a guy for just his nice eyes or fancy car)

Many traits that increase male mating success also have the potential to make those males more susceptible to capture by predators. (vol 41, no 2, p 317) (i.e. – guys do stupid things to impress girls)

When multiple females are present, males are choosier and attempt to assess female receptivity before initiating courtship (vol 42, no 3, p 580) (i.e. – when given a choice, males choose the easiest catch)

Females display more actively when in the presence of a competitor (vol 42, no 3, p 580) (i.e. - females flirt more if there’s competition)

Males paired with unfamiliar, nonresident females copulate more frequently than males paired with resident females. (vol 42, no 2, p 260) (no explanation necessary)

Of course, I can’t say this advice has always worked out well for me. Then again, neither did the whole crayon-in-the-nose thing. Use the advice at your own risk.

Carrie R. Elvey

Enchanted Forest

2010-10-12T11:43:00.004-04:00

Over 1,500 people attended the Enchanted Forest this past weekend and a great time was had by all. Thanks to all the volunteers who make this event such a huge success! Here are some photos from this fun-filled evening:

Colorado Day 7

2010-08-17T18:13:00.004-04:00

Today we spent the morning at Box Canyon here in Ouray searching for Black Swifts. While we didn't see the adults we did find this active nest. (Be forewarned - today's photos are not the best).

We also saw the Hopi Chipmunk and Pine Siskin pictured here.
This Black-headed Grosbeak (pictured) and Cassin's Finches (not pictured) were also sighted.This video shows the falls which the black swifts nest behind - we hiked down into the falls and then up to the top of the canyon.

After visiting the Ouray museum we took the rest of the afternoon off to shop, sleep, etc. We will go out after supper tonight to watch the stars from the mountain top.

Colorado Trip Day 6

2010-08-16T23:15:00.003-04:00

Hiking in the San Juan Mountains today - a rain storm came upon us and we ended up hiking in rain that turned to hail. That will be a memorable experience for everyone!
Hail accumulated on the van windshield.

After a warm-up break in the town of Silverton, we ventured up a very rough road to a mining ghost town. Along the way we say pika, the marmot pictured below, and white crowned sparrows. The mining town has several building still standing. Walking among them illustrated the true toughness of the folks who managed to live there.

Here's a view from one of the home windows.

Many of the homes had "indoor outhouses" - outhouses like this one that were attached to the main dwelling because snows can reach 20 feet in the winters, making traveling outside a challenge.

2010-08-16T08:48:00.004-04:00

Today we went one last time to Colorado National Monument to look for lizards. We found the long-nosed leopard lizard right away and spent the rest of the morning hiking along the trails. At one rest stop (pictured below) we found young antlions - a unique insect that burrows in the sand and eats ants that fall into the sandy funnels.

We departed Grand Junction and headed for the cooler weather of Ouray. Along the way we found desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, gunnison steppe squirrels (prairie dogs), and elk.
Here is the ubiquitous rump shot of the bighorn.
We've left the drylands of Grand Junction behind and are now in the mountains.

Colorado Trip Day 4

2010-08-16T00:33:00.004-04:00

Today the group got a surprise- a visit with hummingbird banders Steve & Debbie Bouricius (pictured in the center below banding birds). They graciously welcomed us into their home and shared with us the incredible work they are doing with hummingbirds. After the birds were banded as part of their research, each member of our trip was allowed to hold and release one of the birds.

The amount of work that goes into banding hummingbirds is staggering and takes some unique and special skills. The bands are tiny - the picture shows a medium size band on the tip of a finger.

After lunch, we headed up to Grand Mesa to explore and watch the sunset. At the overlook, these least chipmunks were very well fed by locals and tourists alike, so they certainly weren't averse to a few photos.

We ate sack suppers and enjoyed the sunset - a perfect way to end another fantastic day.

Colorado Day 3

2010-08-13T23:57:00.003-04:00

Today was lizard day - we spent our time at part of the Escalante State Wildlife Area called Club Gulch. We found 4 species of lizard and one snake. Watch for a future post on the reptiles of Colorado - for now, enjoy the pictures! (not pictured: Plateau Whiptail)

Western Whiptail

Sagebrush Lizard

Side-blotched Lizard

Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Tomorrow we'll be spending the late afternoon and evening on Grand Mesa.

Colorado Day 2

2010-08-13T00:01:00.004-04:00

Another fabulous day here in Colorado. Today we headed up into the Book Cliff range (BLM land) to look for wild horses. No horses, but lots of other great stuff and beautiful country. A partial list of sightings: Mountain Bluebird, Lesser Goldfinch, Lark Sparrow, Indian Paintbrush, Gold-Mantled Ground Squirrel, Rock Ground Squirrel, Western Bluebird, and Eastern Fence Lizard. The first picture is typical of the country we traveled through.

This is a Bullsnake/Gopher Snake. It was crossing the road and obliged us with a great photo session.
At small pond, we saw this exciting sight - a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake eating a Tiger Salamander. The salamander was capture in the water (which we did not get to see) and dragged a few feet onto land, where it was eventually eaten. The following two pictures and video (click on picture to play) show this drama.

We also found this young Eastern Short-horned Lizard.
After supper we went to Rabbit Valley (more BLM land) to enjoy the evening. We saw our very first scorpion and another fantastic sunset.

Colorado Trip Day 1

2010-08-11T23:50:00.003-04:00

Flew into Denver where we were picked up by our intrepid guide, Kevin Cook (more about him later). We had a beautiful drive following the Colorado River through Georgetown, Vail, Glenwood Springs, and on to Grand Junction. The photo below is representative of the scenery, but doesn't begin to do it justice.

We headed out this evening to Colorado National Monument to look for lizards and other wildlife. We didn't find any lizards but did enjoy some more incredible scenery and the sun was setting and storms were rolling in, bringing several rainbows.
The group took a short hike before heading out.
On out way home, we stopped at an overlook to watch the sun setting on the hills through the storm clouds.
It has been a long day, but we couldn't have asked for a better start to the trip. On the way down from the overlook a Desert Bighorns Sheep stared at us from the road before running down the sheer cliff below us.
Tomorrow we head out bright and early in search of wild horses, lizards, quail, chukar, and anything else that happens to cross out path.

Winged Visitors

2010-07-23T15:53:00.005-04:00

This beauty is the Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Atteva aurea (punctella). It is a native of Central and South America. So how did this moth find it's way to NE Ohio? The caterpillars have found a new host in the highly invasive Tree of Heaven, which has naturalized across much of Ohio. According to the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, the tree was first introduced to America from Northern China by a gardener in Philadelphia, PA, in 1784, and by 1840 was available from nurseries. Because of its ability to withstand pollution and harsh environments, Tree of Heaven is still sold by many nurseries (will we never learn?). The Ailanthus moth was able to expand it's range withe the tree. Interestingly, the moth is a tropical species, so it is believed that it does not overwinter here. This moth most likely migrated from the south. Wherever it came from, it's a beauty...

Blacklights

2010-07-13T10:38:00.002-04:00

No, it's not an alien - it's a praying mantis bathed in insect-attracting black light. This past Saturday night was insect night here at TWC. We set out lights and hang around looking for insects. In the picture below, folks are looking at some of the insects captured earlier in the evening. The kids in the back are looking at the bat that joined us (although he was more interested in eating our insects than studying them).

Turtle Day

2010-07-03T14:22:00.004-04:00

75 people came to today's Turtle Day event. There were lots more people than turtles, but I think everyone had a good time. We caught and marked this snapping turtle (KMN):

We also recaptured LOX - she was originally caught in 2006.
Helpers holding LOX and the measuring gear. Thanks everyone!
The group watches as volunteer Jim releases LOX back into the pond.

Snake Walk

2010-07-02T11:42:00.003-04:00

I just returned from our first snake walk of the season. 27 kids and adults joined me and we found (by my informal count) 2 garter snakes, 6 brown snakes, and 7 milk snakes. Here are some pictures from the walk:

Holding our first find - a small brown snake:

Some of the intrepid snake searchers near one of our tin cover objects and the milk snake we found underneath:
So long snake - thanks for letting us visit!

State Amphibians and Nuisance Neighbors

2010-06-29T10:14:00.005-04:00

The fight to have a state amphibian has been plodding along for several years now. As part of lessons on the political process, two schools simultaneously began lobbying for state amphibians; one backing the bullfrog, the other the spotted salamander. This month, a decision was finally made (sort of). Tucked away in a bill detailing the process by which you can complain about a neighbor's messy yard, the Spotted Salamander was officially named the new Ohio State Amphibian. However, in a bid to appease the other school, the bullfrog was named the official Ohio State Frog. "Wait" you say, "I thought a frog was an amphibian too!" And you would be right... Welcome to the political process at work!

Politics aside, as an official representative of Ohio's amphibious fauna, you couldn't ask for a better representative than the spotted salamander. Not only is it extremely charismatic, it also serves as the poster child for vernal pools and other wetland habitats that are so vital to Ohio's ecological health. The bullfrog may not be as great a choice, but since it is "only" the state frog, we'll worry about that later... For now, no matter how it all came about, we can celebrate the fact that we now have such an excellent official state amphibian.

Cedar Waxwings

2010-06-04T13:04:00.002-04:00

A group of Cedar Waxwings have been eating the berries in the tree across the sidewalk from our pond in front of the Intrepretive Building.

It has been years since I have seen Cedax Waxwings here at The Wilderness Center. They are great to watch!

Melrose Snapper

2010-05-26T11:54:00.004-04:00

This young snapping turtle was caught by Melrose Elementary students on Tuesday. The students were dip-netting at the pond as part of our Wet and Wild class. We have been seeing lots of small snappers this month. Thanks, Melrose students for adding another turtle to our turtle study!

Toad-ally Terrific

2010-05-01T16:15:00.005-04:00

Today was amphibian day at TWC. 40 people came to learn about frogs, toads, and salamanders. After a brief inside talk where everyone met some red-backed salamanders and a green frog, we headed to the pond. Here, one happy amphibian watcher shows off the spring peeper tadpole she found.
As luck or good karma would have it, the toads were going full swing at the pond.

This short video show a typical male trilling his heart out. Notice the waves reverberating through the water as his vocal sac vibrates.

If you look closely at this male's front foot, you can see the nuptial pads, rough growths that allow him to hang on to a female during amplexus.
Here an amplexing male holds on while the female lays her string of eggs. A close-up of the eggs follows.
In this newly laid string of eggs, you can clearly see the dark and light poles of the egg. The eggs will turn in the water and end up with the light (heavier) side down. It is believed that this provides camouflage and also allows the darker end (facing the sunlight) to gather more warmth. All-in-all, a toad-ally amazing day. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the sights and sounds of an amphibian spring!

Weed Warriors

2010-04-21T10:13:00.005-04:00

The Wilderness Center went to war last weekend. An army of bundled-up, stout-hearted warriors came to do battle with a terrible invasion. Garlic mustard is a rampant invader on most properties around the state. This non-native grows quickly, shading and out-competing natives. It also produces compounds that inhibit other plant growth and make in unpalatable to many animals. Left unchecked, garlic mustard will take over an area in a very short amount of time. One of the most efficient methods of dealing with garlic mustard is to pull the plants before they go to seed. This was the battle plan for the weed warriors during our Earth Day celebration on Saturday. Over 90 folks came out to help us - families, scout groups, school groups, individuals - all spent a productive day and did a great job. Thanks so much to everyone who helped - including the Aultcare employees who came out on Friday!

These bags are full of garlic mustard pulled on Saturday!Some of the happy Weed Warriors:

Have you hugged a herpetologist today?

2010-03-14T15:01:00.006-04:00

If you are looking for a great group of friendly, down-to-earth, easy-going folks, look for a herpetologist gathering like the Reptile Research and Conservation Conference held earlier this month. (Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians). The fantastic conference was sponsored by MW Partners in Amphibians and Reptile Conservation, Ohio Division of Wildlife, and Ohio Biological Survey. This conference showcased Ohio's herpetology research - and there's a lot going on here. Ohio has an incredibly active and dynamic group of researchers - and the wealth of knowledge they have produced is the envy of many states. Plus, herpetologists are just cool - they tell the best field stories!

So this spring, when you find a frog, spot a salamander, or track a turtle, be sure also to
hug a herpetologist.

As a side note - I love to go to conferences and see people's passion written large on their license plates. You often see this amongst the birders - but the herpetologists are going strong, as evidenced by these plates spotted at the conference.

March of the Salamanders

2010-03-14T14:22:00.004-04:00

They're here! The salamanders arrived at their breeding pools last night in the rain. Each spring, these spotted salamanders leave the woods where they spend most of their lives underground, and travel to ponds to breed. There's nothing quite like a rainy night in the woods watching this migration. Salamanders have been making similar treks to water for millions of years, and observing the migration is a quick glance into the distant past.Unfortunately today, many of these salamanders have to cross roads to reach their breeding ponds. While the salamanders here at TWC are fairly lucky in that regard, the danger still exists.

This young salamander was killed on in our driveway last night as a large crowd departed from evening activities. Even with careful drivers, and warnings to watch for crossing critters, some die. In many areas with heavily traveled roads, mortality is quite high.

The good news is that we counted over 30 spotted salamanders in and around the pond last night - which is a lot for our little pool on the first night of migration. If you would like a chance to see these colorful and charismatic critters for yourself, join us on Tuesday at 7:30pm at the interpretive building. We'll meet at the flagpole and hike out to the pond to observe salamanders, wood frogs,and whatever else happens to cross our path! Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather - we go out rain or shine.

Signs of Spring

2010-03-11T13:29:00.004-05:00

I've noticed that a lot of attention has been given in various blogs lately about skunk cabbage - our earliest blooming plant here at TWC. While I love to see skunk cabbage, it often blooms so early that just seeing it peeking through the snow never really feels like spring to me. Today, however, with temperatures hovering in the low 60's and sun shining, I found two signs that really do spell spring around here.

This groundhog feeds all fall at our feeder station - storing up for the long winter. Today was the first day we noticed him out again - a bit skinnier and rough-looking, but pigging out as always.

Much to my surprise, I also found this young black rat snake sunning itself at the back of the building. Many snakes brumate in the stone and railroad tie walls of the building.

The forecast is calling for rain tonight, which means the salamanders should be moving around after dark. Watch for more on this later... Seeing the salamanders again lets my heart believe that Spring is really, truly here - no matter what the weatherman says.

2010-03-09T16:10:00.002-05:00

I'm just back from the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist 2010 state conference, held at one of my old haunts - 4-H camp Ohio. The conference was a huge success (and I got to sneak into my old cabin to look around). I thought I'd take share two of the "fun facts" I discoverd during the session. So,without further ado:

~ Tiger swallowtail females have a dark color morph which is believed to mimic the bad-tasting Spicebush Swallowtail. Many folks know about this phenomenon, but what is really interesting is that the males prefer the regular yellow phase. This means there is a delicate balance: be attractive to males and predators like and reproduce but increase your chances of being eaten, or be less attractive to both and survive, but have less chance to mate. Interesting conundrum (even if you aren't a butterfly).

~ Tom Shultz, a professor at Dennison, offered this great advice to tell katydids from grasshoppers: Katydids have "dancer legs", grasshoppers have "football player legs". I love this one - and you will never look at either one again without that image in your mind!

Thanks to everyone who put so much work into making this conference a success!

More from the Galapagos

2010-03-02T12:41:00.003-05:00

We couldn't resist posting just a few more of Janice Petko's fabulous Galapagos pictures. Enjoy! Flamingos, Frigate Birds, and Sea Lions almost make you forget it's snowy outside.

Shreve Migration - March 27, 2010

2010-02-27T10:42:00.010-05:00

As I sit looking out the window at the drifting snow, it's hard to believe that the annual Shreve Migration Sensation is only one month away! This year will be the 10th anniversary of this fantastic event - and should prove to be bigger and better than ever. Migration Sensation is held in Shreve, Ohio - one of the nicest little towns in the state (okay - I may be a bit biased since I live there, but it really is a fantastic town). Besides being home to a truly incredible hardware store, great Amish restaurant, and several tasty pizza joints, Shreve is home to the Killbuck Wildlife Area. KWA is the largest inland wetland in the state and the reason for the celebration.

Spotters will be stationed throughout the marsh during the morning to point out the bald eagles and other birds, as well as help kids dip-net for aquatic critters.
This is a truly family-friendly event, featuring hands-on displays for kids, a presentation by the Akron Zoo, and a new family speaker's hall. One of the key speakers for the family events will be the Ohio Young Birders, who will be sharing their expertise on getting started in the great hobby of birding. In the keynote speaker's hall Jim McCormac will tell us all about Ohio's rarest birds, and Kenn Kauffman will share travel tales of birds and humans. Visit the event website here to see all the speakers and events.

Hope to see you in the marsh!

Save the Date

2010-02-24T09:27:00.002-05:00

On May 1&2, 2010 Ohio's foremost botanists will lead you through the hills of Shawnee State Forest. Early May is peak for wildflowers, and the hills will be cloaked with trillium, over a dozen species of violets, native magnolias, wild azaleas, orchids and many more. This is a really special botanical retreat weekend you won't want to miss! For more information about this great event visit their website at www.flora-quest.com.

Galapagos Trip

2010-02-17T10:11:00.006-05:00

Janice Petko (pictured in the first photo feeding a Darwin Finch) sent us these fabulous pictures from the Galapagos trip. Thanks Janice!Feeding Darwin Finches

Smooth-billed Ani

Swallow-tailed Gulls in love

Sea Lion pup

Red-footed Booby

Land Iguana

Immature Great Frigate Bird

Hematoma Lichen

Giant Tortoises

Blue Footed Booby

Blue-footed Booby dancing

Galapagos Tour

2010-02-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

The intrepid Galapagos travelers returned Tuesday night amidst swirling snow - quite a shock to their systems, I'm sure! Welcome home everyone! Pictures from their trip will be posted here shortly - we can't wait!

Birding in Ecuador

2010-01-26T13:41:00.003-05:00

Awesome trip and awesome group. We covered everything in Northwest Ecuador from the cloud and rain forests to the top of two extinct volcanos. We saw 255 bird species (243 life birds for me). 35 of our species were hummingbirds. If you are a birder, this is the trip you want to take!

To read about the trip and see the pictures visit www.wildernesscenter.org/EcuadorTrip.2009.html

Salamander Night Hikes

2010-01-15T08:42:00.003-05:00

Spring will be here before we now it (it really will!) - and it's time to start thinking about salamander migrations! On the first warm, rainy nights of spring, salamanders will begin to migrate to our small ponds to breed. Because we can't predict when that first rainy night will be, we are taking the names and numbers of those of you who would like to see this event. When we suspect the salamanders are starting to move, we'll schedule night hikes and give you a call to let you know when they will be. If you would like to join this call list, please call TWC at 330-359-5235 and leave your name and phone number or email carrie@wildernesscenter.org. We hope to see you this spring!

Vernal Pool Pt 2

2009-11-19T13:30:00.003-05:00

Today, finally, Gary and I got the vernal pool finished with the help of OCVNers Marvin Smith, John Abt, and Ralph Susey. Thanks guys! The first picture shows the pool pre-digging - we had gotten it to this point with the backhoe. The pool was holding a good bit of water.

They guys and I started digging, sloping the edges and opening up the channels. We also made a small island in the middle.

After we go the contours we wanted, we created a berm and shaped it, then raked the edges smooth.

Here's a picture of the guys after we seeded the berm with annual rye and mulched with a thin layer of straw to prevent erosion. The pool looks great, seems to be holding water perfectly, and is all ready for the frogs and salamanders to find in the spring!

Vernal Pools

2009-10-30T10:20:00.005-04:00

This year, with a grant from OEEF, we have offered two vernal pool workshops. The first was conducted by David Celebrezze from the Ohio Environmental Council and focused on vernal pool monitoring. The second was conducted by Mark Dilley from Mad Scientist and Associates. Mark took us out into the field and talked about vernal pool construction. With volunteers from these two classes, we are constructing a brand new vernal pool. This week, we did the rough digging with a backhoe and tomorrow we'll be using volunteer labor to do the final grading. There is already about 6 inches of water in the pool. Watch for more posts as we finish the pool and being monitoring it this spring. The pictures below are from the work we've done so far..

Mark Dilley standing at the site of the vernal pool

Digging the pool with backhoe

Pool 3 days after it was dug - several inches of water!

Black Throated Blue Warbler

2009-10-20T10:12:00.003-04:00

The Wilderness Center's Bird Club was holding its annual planning meeting on Saturday, October 17th in the observation room when to our astonishment we had a Black Throated Blue Warbler land on the feeder right in front of us.

It is not usual to see this warbler at a feeder and especially so late in October.
What a wonderful bird to spot!

Posted by Vicki Capps Shoenfelt 10-20-09

Some Enchanted Evening

2009-10-07T10:26:00.006-04:00

It's Enchanted Forest Week! For those of you not familiar with this event, it is our non-scary Halloween hike. Small groups are led by "fireflies" - guide with lanterns - along a pumpkin strewn path to visit with the woodland creatures. Below are pictures of this year's characters; dirt, slug, star-nosed mole, spider, salamander, and crayfish. There's still time to register! The event is Friday and Saturday night - for more information visit our website, http://www.wildernesscenter.org/, or call 330-359-5235.

Black Rat Snake

2009-09-22T12:35:00.004-04:00

This young Black Rat Snake was on the front steps this morning. These little ones (less than 10" long) put on a great show of posturing - they even shake their tail like a rattlesnake - although they have no rattles). The following video is not of great quality, but it shows the posturing pretty well.

More from Colorado

2009-09-20T14:02:00.006-04:00

Here are some more photos from our recent Colorado trip:

Tiger Salamander found crawling around the cactus no less!

Earth Wolf Spider carrying her young at Pawnee Grasslands

Western garter Snake

Tadpole Shrimp from Pawnee Grasslands

Tachinid Fly (for those of you who followed the story of the pink katydid, this is the type of fly that parasitized her - for more on Pinky's story, see here)

Pine tree showing the blue stain from the fungus that has killed so many of Colorado's pines

The pine beetle that carries the fungus that kills the pines

Pika food cache - pikas collect vegetation, dry it, and store it for winter, just like making hay here in Ohio.

Moose feeding

Young short-horned lizard at Pawnee Grasslands

Adult short-horned lizard

Group shot overlooking the beginning of the Colorado River

Gold-mantled ground squirrel

2009-09-07T23:21:00.004-04:00

The Colorado Rockies trip is half over - and it's been chock full of adventure. Here are a few photos (in no particular order) of some of the highlights - We'll post more details when we get home. Thanks to Janice Petko for these photos!

The group on the way to the tundra.

Beaver working on dam outside of Estes Park

Stock tank where we stopped to look for Tiger Salamanders - they weren't in the tank, but we did find them in the adjacent pool.

Mule Deer (we've seen most of the big mammals - mountain goat, bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, and pronghorn)

Mountain Goat

The view from the very top of Mt Evans - a 14,000 foot peak

The Following pictures were taken by me:

A woodrat scent post - I'll be writing more about this one later...

Our guide Kevin Cook talks to the group among the ancient Bristlecone Pines.

Lubber grasshopper at the Pawnee Grasslands.

Tomorrow night we go out to the Pawnee Grasslands at dusk to look for badgers, swift fox, snakes, and lizards. Watch for more posts when we get back to Ohio!

Hickory Horned Devil

2009-08-26T10:57:00.004-04:00

We had an exciting visitor at The Wilderness Center today. This is Will - and the incredibly beautiful (if a bit alien looking) caterpillar he brought in.

This is one of the most striking caterpillars around - it's huge (think kielbasa), green, and very pointy - not to mention completely harmless. This is the Hickory Horned Devil, Citheronia regalis. The adults are known as Royal Walnut Moths and are striking as well (in a much less creepy way). Here a a couple close-ups:

When disturbed, Hickory Horned Devils thrash around - which is a pretty daunting display - until you realize they really are truly harmless. Here's a not-very-good-video showing the thrashing.

Hickory Horned Devils feed on many trees including ash, cherry, walnut, sumac, hickory, and lilac. There is just one generation each year, with caterpillars maturing between August and November. Each year, we get several that are brought to us for identification. It's a true sign of Fall here. These caterpillars overwinter as pupae in the soil.

The best way to find these caterpillars is to look for frass (caterpillar poop) on picnic tables and along paths. The frass of large caterpillars always reminds me (in appearance, anyway) of the whiskey barrel candies we use to get as kids. Once you find a pile of frass, start looking around in the surrounding trees. Of course, the easiest way to find one is to be really lucky and see it crawling across your yard looking for a place to pupate.

Milkweed Beetles

2009-08-18T08:06:00.003-04:00

These handsome critters are Milkweed Beetles, Tetraopes tetraophthalmus. There are about 13 species of milkweed beetles in the Untied States. All of them feed on various members of the milkweed family - in fact most are specific to only one species of milkweed. The picture below shows a male (left) and female (right).

They exhibit the aposematic coloration of many milkweed feeders. Their bright color serves as a warning of their bad taste, garnered from ingesting the chemicals of the milkweed plant.

Female oviposit up to 20 eggs inside grass stems located near the milkweed hosts. The eggs hatch in about 10 days and the larvae burrow into the milkweed, where feed. Larvae overwinter in the roots. Adults emerge when the milkweeds flower.

Milkweed Beetles are members of the Longhorn Beetles (which I always thought would be a great name for a band...). It's name T. tetraopthalmus, describes one of the beetles most unique characteristics. All longhorn beetles have antennae that are extremely close to the eyes. The milkweed beetles take this to the extreme; the antennae actually divides the eye in two - hence tetra (four) ophthalmus (eyes), as you can see in the photo below.

Watch for these insects next time you wander through a milkweed patch!

Snake Tin Survey

2009-08-14T10:12:00.005-04:00

Pat Tirabasso has been working on our snake monitoring program. Here's her report from earlier in the week:

A very small Eastern milk snake Lampropeltis triangulum hiding it's head and hoping I go away. Milk snakes were so named because it was an old time thought that they would drink milk directly from cows. Actually, they like hanging out in barns, which contain some of their favorite foods........ mice and rats! This small snake was doing what it could to constrict the life out of my finger, as I tried holding it for just one more photo. When put back down, it slipped away into the tall grasses without a look back!

Seen here are the remnants of it's fancy meal of escargot; terrestrial snails. This little beauty, a Dekay's Brown snake Storeria dekayi was sharing a cover tin with a garter snake. It was comfortable where it was and didn't even try to move away as I took several flash pictures. Notice the ladder like dark stripes on it's back and the darkened head.

At the end of the afternoon. I'm putting a TWC sticker on a tin in the woods to identify it as a snake cover. GPS coordinates were taken of the location for these tins. Later, this data will be used for mapping snake species and numbers on a map.

Turkeys at The Wilderness Center

2009-08-13T14:54:00.002-04:00

I was driving to work yesterday morning around 7:45 when I saw movement across the road in front of me while nearing The Wilderness Center. I slowed down and watched an entire group of wild turkeys cross the street. There were what appeared to be either two parents and five chicks, or a parent, an older chick and five small chicks. The odd thing about the larger chick or smaller parent was that it had one leg turned out and was hobbling to keep up with the others.

I made me wonder if it could be a chick that choose to stay close to the parents when its other siblings left.

I know turkeys are plentiful in Ohio, but it still makes my day to come across so many together!

Vicki Capps

LOV BOX HOW?

2009-08-01T10:57:00.006-04:00

The Camp Wanake Razzle Dazzle Cinder Blocks hiked out to TWC this past Thursday as part of their week-long backpacking and camping trip. They just happened to find me at the pier trying to catch turtles. They were a huge help - and apparently good luck charms as well! They were catching turtles as fast as I could mark them. Here's the crew holding and then releasing the turtles they each named. They caught LOV, BOX, CLO, HIM, HOW, and BOW.

And here are four of the turtles they captured, named and released. Thanks guys!

Turtle Day 2009

2009-07-29T09:49:00.003-04:00

Over 100 people came for Turtle Day last Saturday. While we didn't have a much luck catching turtles in the traps, but the turtle marked COW spent the day with us and met all the folks. COW was first marked in 2006 - she's almost doubled in size since then! Christina Redekopp from the Massillion Independent came with her family and wrote a wonderful article about COW and the turtle project. You can read the article here: Ever met a turtle named Cow? - Massillon, OH - The Independent. Thanks Christina! Thanks also to Pat Tirabasso who helped out with setting and pulling traps!

This is COW in July 2006, when she was first caught.

Here she is 4 years later, at turtle day 2009.

Flesh eaters, mimicry, and deceit

2009-07-28T13:33:00.006-04:00

As promised, here are some of the other highlights from the OCVN weekend at Killdeer Plains. First, the flesh eating parasites:

This ladybug has been parasitized by another insect, most likely the wasp Dinocampus coccinellae. This small parasitic wasp lays its eggs inside the beetle, where the larvae hatch and spend their youth munching away on its insides. When the larvae are ready to pupate, they sever the main nerves of the host's legs, rendering it immobile. They then burrow out of the ladybug shell and make their cocoon underneath. The red warning coloration of the ladybug hovering over the cocoon protects the wasp pupa until it hatches. (aren't you glad these wasps are tiny!?)
This owlet moth caterpillar has been parasitized as well. We believe these are the eggs that have been laid on the caterpillar. I don't know what species of parasite (it was dark, the caterpillar was tiny, and it was really late).Just as David Horn (Ohio's very own moth man) was packing up his blacklights and we were getting ready to head for the hotel for showers, tick checks, and a quick night's sleep, this IO Moth flew into Dave's light funnel. These beautiful saturnid moths have eyes spots on their hind wings which they can flash to scare away predators. The next picture is a close-up of the eye spot. If you were a bird, you would be terrified - at least at first flash!

And last, but not least, this is the beautiful Virgin Tiger Moth, Grammia virgo. It's top wings provide excellent camouflage on lichen covered trees. It's underwings, though, are a most striking red color - the universal sign for "leave me ALONE!" And just in case you missed the pictures of the pink Katydid - here's another one...

Welcome Visitors

2009-07-24T10:16:00.005-04:00

Two black ratsnakes have moved in to the neighborhood this week. The railroad tie wall in front of the Interpretive Building was built with spaces between the logs, hoping snakes would move in (there were lots of snakes around the old building). Both snakes were searching for crack they could disappear into.

We were thrilled to find these two snakes hanging around - they eat a lot of rodents! Black Ratsnakes are Ohio's largest snakes; typically growing to 4-6', but individuals have been found in excess of 8'. These snakes are one our best climbers and often shelter in woodpecker holes.

This one is getting ready to shed - you can see it's "milky" eyes.

Tickle me pink!

2009-07-21T13:29:00.008-04:00

How's this picture for an attention grabber? This is just one of the highlights from the weekend I spent at Killdeer Plains with the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists and experts from around the state. (Thanks so much to Jim McCormac (ODNR) and the Rae Johnson of the Licking County OCVN chapter for partnering to make this event such a fantastic one.) Think of the weekend as science camp for adults - the 40 or so participants took classes on birds, plants, dragonflies, and butterflies which included field trips out into the prairies of Killdeer Plains. This was an exceptional event and we had some pretty neat finds over the course of the weekend. Here are a few highlights:This pink katydid was truly unreal. There's not much known about the pink variety of these strange looking guys (or in this case, girls - this one's a young female). In fact - no one at the conference had ever seen one before - and there were a LOT of field hours represented among the group. Jim McCormac has great information about this find on his blog, so rather than repeat it, I'll send you there.

Pink Katydids are hard to top, but this next critter made the weekend for me. This is an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Doug Wynn, who studies these small rattlers, just happened to drive by our group while we were out birding, and just happened to have one in his vehicle. (He tags them in order to monitor the population). Doug graciously took the time to let us have an up-close look. This was a first sighting for me - and I'm still a little giddy...

Here you can see the rattles (she'd lost most of them) and the slit pupil - two telltale signs of venomous snakes.

This photo taken by Pat Tirabasso gives you a good idea of how small these rattlesnakes really are. A really big adult might be 34 inches long at best.

I'll save the rest for a post later in the week - so check back for flesh eating parsasites, mimicry and deceit, and insect agriculture.

J-LO Visits The Wilderness Center

2009-07-10T10:56:00.004-04:00

Okay - so it wasn't the J-LO, much to the chagrin of a few of our male volunteers. This was out own superstar, JLO the snapping turtle. I caught her yesterday at the lake during my turtle marking project. We first caught our JLO in July of 2006, the first year of the turtle project. Each turtle we catch gets measured, weighed, marked with shell notches and letters on their back, then released.

The notches are permanent; the paint eventually either wears off or the letters disappear as the turtles shed their scutes (scales). When we first started we marked the letters with fingernail polish. However, not being much of a girly-girl, I never could get the hang of writing legible letters with the little brush. Now we use a non-toxic paint marker and life is much easier. You don't want to mess around any more than necessary with a temperamental superstar!This photos shows the small plastron (bottom shell). This purportedly allows them more freedom of leg movement for walking along the bottom of lakes and ponds. Because they spend so much time burrowed in the mud and have otherwise excellent defences (long nails, ridged tail, sharp mandibles) they don't seem to need as much protection, so the trade-off makes sense. These defenses don't render them completely invulnerable however, as evidenced by JLO's club foot (no toes on right rear foot).

If you spot a marked turtle at The Wilderness Center, plese stop by and let us know! It helps us keep track of how they are moving around the property.

A rose by any other name...

2009-07-07T09:44:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist class from TWC was out exploring Brown's Bog near Shreve. There, nestled among the pitcher plants and sundews, was this rarest of beauties, the Rose Pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides, in full bloom. Yes, I, Carrie Elvey, am actually writing about a plant! This delicate orchid is found in only a few locations around the state, as it's preferred habitat is sphagnum bogs. It is considered a threatened plant in Ohio. Thanks to Jack Taylor for spotting these beauties and taking the great photos.

Thoreau thought this flower smelled like "a snake". I didn't learn this tidbit until this morning as I was doing some research, so can't attest to it's truthfulness, but it's an intriguing thought. I'll remember to smell them next time. And for those of you who think I have gone over to the botany dark side, this plant is also called Snake-mouth Orchid. Apparently the flowers look like a snake's open mouth. Personally I don't see it, but I'm always willing to pass along herpetological references. Regardless of what you call it (or what is smells like) this was an exciting find and a great way to end our day in the field.

Song Sparrow Nest

2009-06-25T10:21:00.005-04:00

This Song Sparrow nest was in a clump of Prairie Coneflower. Song Sparrow, along with Yellow Warbler, nests are the most often parasitized by Cowbirds. These babies got lucky however - no parasites in this nest!

These eggs were incubated for about 13 days.

Look at that mouth! The bright mouth coloration was thought to provide a target for the parents during feeding. In the last several years, researchers have found that those big bright mouths actually serve a much more complicated function. Birds can see UV light, and the colors of a baby birds mouth (when seen in the UV spectrum) provide clues to the babies health. Parents can instantly tell the health of each baby, just by looking. It stands to reason that in times of food shortages or high parasitism, parents can put resources (food) into the healthiest chicks. Okay - and they are pretty darn cute too...

Wilderness Center's New Podcast — Wild Ideas...the Podcast

2009-06-20T15:44:00.002-04:00

Your own nature talk! Observations of everyday nature lead to bigger ideas about the natural world and how it all fits together. Join a naturalist, a science educator, and a conservation biologist for friendly, science-based nature chat.

Wild Ideas...the Podcast won’t keep you indoors! Take the wild ideas outside to enrich your personal observations and play—it’s good for you, good for your kids, and good for nature.

There are many ways to subscribe to Wild Ideas…the Podcast.
• If you are an iTunes user, you can subscribe via iTunes. Go to the iTunes Store. Type Wild Ideas…the Podcast into the search box on the upper right corner of the window.

The search may find a few different items. Find Wild Ideas logo and click Subscribe.
(Better yet, click on the logo and write a glowing, positive review!)

• Go to www.wildernesscenter.org/podcasts

From this web page, you can select from several options:
iTunes
RSS Feed
MyYahoo!
ZENCast
Google Reader
Zune

• Go to the same website and just click and listen online or download to put on your MP3 player, iPod, or fancy telephone.

Ringneck!

2009-06-15T14:07:00.006-04:00

This little beauty is the aptly named ring-neck snake. I have been searching for one for years - they are common, but have always eluded me. The only wild one I have ever seen was during a class at the Edge of Appalachia preserve - they do a great series of Advanced Naturalist Classes there - I highly recommend them! Anyway - I found this one under a stone pile at my house. Figures - I search for years, and then find one sitting in my front yard! I like to have lots of stone piles around my property - just for the snakes. In fact, I was moving stone to create a new pile when I found it! (It's no wonder I can never get any work done, every time I start a project, I make some new discovery which distracts me).

When threatened, they curl up, protect their heads, and flash their bright yellow or orange bellies. After taking these pictures, I released it to my new stone pile.

Say Cheese...

2009-06-06T15:39:00.008-04:00

This dragonfly showed up at family day this past Saturday and became quite a celebrity. She belongs to the group of dragonflies called mosaic darners - the name is very fitting - take a look at the close-up... the coloration is stunning.

The darner was near the end of her life and couldn't fly very well - but she posed like a champ! She was without a doubt the most photographed dragonfly in the area. Ya gotta love the OP (odonate paparazzi)!

Milkweed Bugs

2009-06-02T16:32:00.007-04:00

Okay - so the last entry was a little absurd. But today's entry will help you get to really know your insects (or in this case, one insect). If you have ever taken a close look at milkweed, you have probably seen this insect. No - it's not a monarch. Everyone talks about them. Let's be different. Today let's talk about the Small or Common Milkweed Bug, Lygaeus kalmii. These black and red insects belong to the order Hemiptera - which mean "half wing". Each of their front wings has two parts - the top is leathery, the back membranous - giving these insects a characteristic "x" pattern on their backs. Incidentally, this group (the order Hemiptera) are known as the True Bugs.

When you are talking to an entomologist and say "bug" this is the group they picture. We also use "bug" as a proper name in this group (e.g. Stink Bug, Milkweed Bug) other "bugs" are not proper names (e.g. ladybug, junebug, etc.), - this tells you they are insects from another order. This is also true of the order Diptera the flies. These insects have only 2 wings. When talking about a real fly we use "House Fly", but when we talk about a non-fly, we use "firefly" (which is actually a beetle..) Confused? Probably more than you ever wanted to know about insect semantics....

Back to the Milkweed bug... Individuals lay eggs in crevices between pods - up to 1,000 eggs each! They young go from egg to adult in about 1 month. There are 5 instars (or molts) in this process. In this picture you can see several different instars all together on the same leaf. The next picture is a young instar in the process of molting.

Milkweed Bugs eat the tissues and seeds of milkweed. Their bright coloration serves as a warning of the dangerous chemicals they ingest from the milkweed. You wouldn't want to snack on these little guys. They often hang out together on the plants - this gregarious behaviour likely increases the effectiveness of their warning coloration.

This insect, along with the Large Milkweed Bug, are used extensively as research animals - particularly in genetics and metabolic research.

Watch for them on your next jaunt through the milkweed. (when a body meets a body, comin' thru the milkweed...)

And, here, for those who feel somehow slighted at not finding monarchs in this entry, is a photo of an early stage Monarch caterpillar taken the same day as the Milkweed bug photos.

Know Your Insects

2009-05-29T08:12:00.008-04:00

with apologies to Gary Larson...

top to bottom: stag beetle, sphinx moth, viceroy caterpillar, damselfly

Family Day Pond Exploration

2009-05-26T07:14:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday was Family Day - a day for kids who have been here with their classes to bring their families and spend the day with us. One of the activities is pond exploration. Over 50 people stopped by to dip in the pond. Here are some highlights:

This is Rachelle, one of our volunteers, holding the juvenile water snake.

This is a small sampling of the critters found during the dip-netting. (more on some of these in a later post).

This giant water bug has just loaded up on air - you can see the silvery bubbles just under its' wings. Many aquatic insects carry air with them when they dive - either held under their wings or along their abdomens.

2009-05-23T11:58:00.002-04:00

Bird Sightings in May at TWC have been great!
We have had three Red-headed Woodpeckers at
our feeders. The May walk produced Baltimore
Orioles, Yellow-breasted Chat, Arcardian Flycatcher,
Indigo Buntings, Swainsons Thrush, American Redstart,
common Yellowthroat Warbler, Cedar Waxwings and
more common Warblers. Spring is great!

Brain – it’s what’s for dinner.

2009-05-21T07:45:00.004-04:00

You can tell a lot about an animal from its skull – age, sex, health, etc. What has always fascinated me are the clues that are left there, written in bare bone. (What could someone tell about me from looking at my skull? On second thought – maybe that much self-reflection isn’t healthy…) Anyway, it’s a very interesting process, teasing out the secrets of a skull. Some marks are made before death, some at the moment of death, some days or months after. Even after death, the skull is recording history. That’s what I was thinking about the other day as I sorted through out skull collection (this falls under the “and everything else” part of my job description).

This raccoon skull is one that Gary Popotnik found in the woods last week.

The hole in the back of the head was made my rodents – and here we get to the title of this article. Rodents eat brains. If they come across a carcass with the head still intact, they chew a hole in the brain case, and chow down. Yum. Forget brain-eating zombies – nature is always stranger than fiction.

close-up of gnaw marks on another racoon skull.

If you are interested in learning more about skulls, there is a great new book out by Mark Elbroch. It is appropriately titled Animal Skulls.

Spring Peepers

2009-05-19T07:17:00.003-04:00

Nothing says spring quite like the call of the Northern Spring Peeper Pseudacris crucifer crucifer. These tiny frogs can cause quite a cacophony of sound on an early spring evening in the marsh. There’s more going on in this orchestra than one might think. The calling behavior of spring peepers had been studied from a number of angles including mate selection, territorial behavior, bio-acoustics, and the physiological costs of making so much noise. One of the most interesting discoveries was made in the 1940’s by C.J. Goin. He found that peepers usually sing in trios even if there are hundreds of frogs in the marsh. He writes “One frog starts things off by sounding the note of A a number of times...If he is not answered, he pauses and gives a little trill. Usually this stimulates another frog to respond with a G#, and the two call back and forth... Now the last member of the trio chimes in with a B, and so they continue: A, G#, B; A, G#, B; A, G#, B. A full chorus is made up of many of these tiny trios, each frog apparently ignoring all others save the two with which it is singing." (1)

Another group of studies found that females hear differently than males (which may not come as much of a surprise if you’ve had a conversation with a member of the opposite sex recently). Researchers have coined the phrase “active space” to describe the “box” in which we hear (i.e – some animals may hear sound 3 feet away, others a mile away). Male peepers have a much smaller active space than female peepers. (2) In a chorus, males set themselves up so they are as far away from other males as possible, yet still part or the chorus. This makes sense if you consider that males have only to hear the few frogs around them – and their spacing tends to me about one foot in diameter. (3) Females, on the other hand, must find the males from much farther away as they approach the breeding ponds. So, the next time you hear spring peepers, take a moment to appreciate the incredible complexity of seemingly simple events in nature. You’ll never listen to peepers in quite the same way again.

Male (right) and female (left) Northern Spring Peeper. Males have dark throats. In the photo you can see the grooves of the vocal sac on the male.

1) Goin C.J. 1949 The peep order in peepers: a swamp water serenade. .Quart J. Florida Acad. Sci., 11:59-61.

2) Brenowitz, Eliot A., Walter Wilczynski, and Harold H. Zakon. 1984. Acoustic communication in spring peepers: Environmental and behavioral aspects. J Comp Physiol A., 155:585-592.

3) Davis, Jeffrey G. and Scott A. Menze. 2002 In Ohio’s Backyard: Frogs and Toads. Ohio Biological Survey Backyard Series No. #3. Columbus,Ohio. x+141pp.

Shreve Migration Sensation

2009-04-09T13:21:00.010-04:00

Well - this post is a bit late - but better late than never! March 28th was the 9th annual Shreve Migration Sensation. This year was the biggest and best yet with over 900 people attending. Thanks so much to all the volunteers who helped out this year. The following pictures are from the Dip-netting help station on Cemetery Road. Each year, we set up nett and microscopes and help families discover the often overlooked creatures that live in the marsh.

Ken Schlegel helps folks identify macro-invertebrates.

Pat, Barb, and Pat - the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist that helped run the station.

Naturalists-in-the-making discover a new world of creatures.

Inside Shreve Elementary, 3rd graders helped Lynda Price teach others about birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians of the marsh.

Lot of other things were going on in the building that day. Exhibits, photo contest, food, and speakers. Here TWC member Linda Lang has Jim McCormac sign his Birds of Ohio book for her 5th grade class.

Thanks so much to all the volunteers who helped make this such a huge success.

Save the date for the 10th aniversary of the Shreve Migration Sensation: March 27th, 2010!

Nature's Playground

2009-03-19T12:26:00.003-04:00

This morning, 6 intrepid preschoolers and their adults explored the wilds of Sigrist Woods as part of our Wilderness Sprouts program. These are some pictures of their adventures.

The Buzzards Return

2009-03-13T19:10:00.005-04:00

Buzzards may return to Hinckley on March 15. That's certainly the legend around here.

I've never gone up to the Buzzard Roost on March 15 to see the "official" spotting. I've never gone a few days early to check for any early arrivals. I simply don't know if the legend is true or not.

But I have to admit I'm highly suspicious...

You see, The Wilderness Center is about 40 miles south of Hinckley, as the crow (or should we say "buzzard?") flies.

I read North With the Spring by Edwin Way Teale when I was in college. I don't usually remember numbers, but one from that book really stuck in my mind:

"The seasons, like great tides, ebb and flow across the continents. Spring advances up the United States at the average rate of about 15 miles a day."

I moved here to Ohio about 21 years ago. For the last 20, I've lived about 17 miles almost due north of the Center. That's 20 years of watching spring flow north, from my work to my home, in about a day.

Fifteen miles a day works between my home and TWC. I see each sign of spring a day earlier at the Center. Spring Peepers peep a day earlier. Spring Beauties bloom a day earlier. Cardinals sing a day earlier... And Turkey Vultures arrive a day earlier.

So, from my experience, I expect buzzards to arrive in Hinckley about 3 days after we see them at The Wilderness Center. The staff watches for their arrival every year. They usually come in early March—this year, the first was spotted at TWC on the morning of Thursday, March 5. They don't always arrive at TWC on the same date. (Think about it! How could a buzzard possibly figure out leap year?)

I enjoy the Hinckley legend. The publicity around that date helps me remember to watch for buzzards. Buzzards usually return to The Wilderness Center before March 12, but who knows? Maybe they're enjoying hanging out here so they can be sure to be on time for their Grand Appearance above Buzzard Roost in the early morning of March 15.

Look up! And see for yourself when the buzzards return. Let it be a ritual for you to welcome spring!

Spring!

2009-02-12T12:14:00.005-05:00

Springtails, that is. There are 2 in this photo - can you find them?

They're tiny...

A close-up...

Springtails get their name from their ability to leap through the air three to four inches. When disturbed, springtails release the furcula - and appendage held under tension beneath their abdomen. When released, it snaps against the ground, flinging the springtail into the air a distance 50-100 times their own body length!(1) All of this takes place in as little as 18 milliseconds.(2) There are about 700 species of springtail in the United States. These oganisms can be found in huge numbers in moist leaf litter - some estimate up to 300 million/per acre. (1) Springtails are used in many soil toxicology tests and serve as soil quality indicators. Take some time to search for springtails this year - once you've seen one leap you'll be hooked!

If you want to learn more about springtails, look up Biology of Springtails by Stephen P. Hopkin.

1. www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/compendium/collem.html - John Meyer, Dept of Entomolgy, North Carolina State

2.Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.

The High Road

2009-02-07T08:52:00.005-05:00

Humans aren't the only ones at The Wilderness Center to use the trails. These turkey tracks were on the upper portion of the Wilderness Walk. You never know who you might meet on the trails!

Tree Huggers Beware!

2009-01-13T20:29:00.003-05:00

If you are thinking about hugging some trees this winter - this warning is for you. Poison Ivy can make you itch in winter, just as badly as it does in summer. Even though the "leaves of three" have fallen, you can still easily identify poison ivy. Look for fuzzy brown "caterpillar" vines growing up the trees. Don't hug the caterpillars - this is the woody, vining form of Poison Ivy. Not every vine growing on a tree is Poison Ivy, however. Virginia Creeper (non-toxic) attaches itself with sucker feet (picture tree frog toes), instead of the fuzzy aerial roots employed by the ivy. In the picture below, both Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper grow up a tree along the Pond Trail.

Sighting Mercury

2009-01-03T12:10:00.005-05:00

December 30, 2008

It was time to head home from work. My family had given me an Ecological Calendar for Christmas and I had installed it in my office that morning. The calendar reminded me of a relatively rare chance to see the planet Mercury. A crescent Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury had been dancing around the sky the last few nights moving close together and apart again. I mentioned it to Joann Ballbach and she said she had caught the conjunction on the 29th.

As we spoke, I assumed I’d miss my chance again. After all, it is December in northeast Ohio. Clear skies are about as rare as winning lottery tickets.

Before I knew it, quitting time arrived. As I walked to my car I realized the evening was crystal clear! Mercury or bust!

I knew this would be my chance. As I drove home, I kept searching the western horizon. The sun was setting and I knew stars and planets would begin to pop out in the gloaming (Gloaming is an Old English word for twilight I like because it’s poetic).

When the car finally lined up correctly, there was a wonderful crescent Moon. Above it Venus glittered “like a diamond in the sky.” It was as bright as I ever remember seeing.

Nothing else was showing. I squinted into the sunset as I dodged an Amish buggy hoping to see Jupiter and Mercury. I had no luck. Maybe it wasn’t dark enough, but maybe, I wasn’t looking the right place.

I raced on home to kick up my computer and launch Stellarium, a free open source planetarium program I have used from time to time. I set the date, time, and location. Then I checked the western sky. The computer screen told the tale. I had been looking at yesterday’s location for Jupiter and Mercury.

Next, the family had to depart for my older son’s birthday dinner in Berea. I knew the route. There was a perfect hilltop a few miles north of home. I had my cheap binoculars between the seats of the car. I was on a mission! Mercury or bust!

As I approached the hilltop, WOW! It all came together: Gorgeous Crescent Moon, diamond Venus, and low toward the horizon a bright white dot that could only be Jupiter. Next to Jupiter, a beautiful pink planet, Mercury! All were lined up across the sky in a beautiful arc. Stellarium told me Neptune was in the mix as well, but I knew I’d need a telescope for Neptune.

I stopped the car. The family climbed out and there along the road we paused and took turns with the binoculars to marvel at the beauty of nature.

This was my first absolutely certain sighting of Mercury. I’d made several half-hearted attempts to see it before, but was never certain I’d actually picked it out. Mercury the closet planet to the Sun is only seen near sunrise or sunset. Often haze can obscure stars and planets low on the horizon. This time I was not to be denied. Mission accomplished!

Gordon T. Maupin

Things that go bump in the night

2008-10-15T07:57:00.006-04:00

Last night I was working late. Around 10:00, I was headed for the printer and noticed this strange spot on the floor. (can you see it?)

If not, here's a close-up:

This is a small Northern Water Snake (Nerodia spiendon sipedon). They are fairly common at TWC, although we don't often find them crawling around the office! The office carpet was chosen for it's ability to hide dirt, but if obviously hides wildlife was well. It is a nature center, after all.

ps - don't tell Vicki, but the last I saw, it was heading for her cubicle...

Red Alert

2008-07-30T08:57:00.004-04:00

The tree frogs are coming, the tree frogs are coming! Grey Tree Frog tadpoles, that is. Each year about this time, these red-tailed tadpoles are sighted in our pond. They truly are beautiful - with their tropical-fish-like tails cruising through a forest of pond plants. Beauty may be only skin deep, but it serves a very important purpose. The story starts with some hungry insects and the amazing ability to adapt quickly. Dragonflies spend a good portion of their lives as aquatic nymphs. As young, they are voracious predators, and tadpoles are common prey. In the presence of these predators, tree frog tadpole tails turn red. No predators - no red tails. Scientists believe that the red pigment attracts notice- and dragonflies are more apt to strike at the bright, wiggling tail, than at the dull-colored head.(1)
Amphibians that live in highly variable environments, where water levels change and predator populations fluctuate, often show phenotypic plasticity - the ability to change their appearance to adapt to stressors. These changes bear a cost, so that traits which benefit when predators are present become a hindrance in unpredated waters. In the case of the tree frog, behavior and tail shape also change in the presence of predators. Tadpoles with these predator-induced changes (phenotypes) have significantly lower survival rates in predator-free environments. This may be because energy that would normally be put into food storage (lipid production) must be converted into tail development.(2) This cost/benefit analysis could keep even the most ardent analyst happy for years.

1. Buskirk, Josh Van, Janine Aschwanden, Isabelle Buckelmüller, Sasha Reolon and Silvan Rüttiman. 2004. Bold tail coloration protects tadpoles from dragonfly strikes. Copeia. 2004(3):599-602.

2. McCollum, S. A., and J. Van Buskirk. 1996. Costs and benefits of a predator-induced polyphenism in the gray tree frog Hyla chrysoscelis, Evolution 50:583-593.

Turtle Day

2008-07-15T11:42:00.003-04:00

photo by Pam Feagler

This snapping turtle was captured last week as part of our monitoring program. To learn more about his capture, see www.twcturtles.blogspot.com/.

The Reading Bug

2008-07-11T10:33:00.006-04:00

This year, the summer reading program theme for the libraries is "Catch the Reading Bug". We love it when the reading program theme has something to do with nature - it's a lot easier for us to do programs on bugs and birds than on fairies and goblins! This year, our library program is called "Bring-a-Bug" - we talk to the kids about insects, then use our projector and microscope to look at insects the kids bring in. This Stag beetle was brought to the Killbuck Branch Library yesterday.

Stag Beetles (family Lucanidae), despite their fierce appearance, are generally thought to feed on sap, leaves, and honeydew aphids.(1). Males, like the one in the photos below, have very large mandibles which they use to fight for mates.

1) www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/beetles/stag/stag.htm

Two-Lined Salamander

2008-06-26T10:00:00.003-04:00

This Northern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea bislineata) was photographed by Certified Volunteer Naturalist Scott Crawford while on a hike at Wooster Memorial Park. This salamader is common along Ohio streams and brooks.

Phidippus audax

2008-06-12T16:12:00.001-04:00

That’s what the book calls the jumping spider in my office window.

Spiders are hard to love. There are spiders I love despite the fact that at some level all spiders give me a touch of the creeps.

Jumping spiders are in one of the groups I love…sort of.
Often, jumping spiders are colorful. They have eight eyes like most spiders, but, unlike most spiders, two of their eyes are large and forward-facing. This gives them more of a “face” than other spiders. In addition, the eyes provide excellent vision and depth perception.

Jumping spiders need the depth perception. They do not build webs. Instead, they hunt insects by creeping close enough and then jumping.

Years ago, I recall sitting in my office talking with someone on the telephone. As we spoke, I was idly watching a small red-eyed jumping spider on my windowsill. About six inches away from the spider, I noticed a common red-eyed fruit fly. Then, in the middle of my phone conversation, BOING! The spider leapt six inches along the windowsill and nailed that fruit fly!

I lost it. I began sputtering on the phone. When I recovered, I told the person on the phone what I had seen. To this day, I’m sure he thought he was speaking with a mad man.

The little red-eyed jumping spider is a species I never identified.

My new “friend,” Phidippus audax, is huge for a jumping spider—about half an inch long. She looks fierce—big, black, and hairy. However, I’ve never known of anyone being harmed by a jumping spider.

Jumping spiders are helpful. You probably have some at home. In your home, jumping spiders doubtlessly help to control insects. The jumping spiders in my office do.

Gordon T. Maupin

Yellow-breasted Chat

2008-06-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

It’s a warbler, but that’s only the beginning of the story. It’s a BIG warbler — roughly the size of a Bluebird.

What prompted me to post this blog entry was encountering two Chats the other day up on Foxfield Preserve. Vicki Capps, Jen Quinn, and I were showing the site to Lisa Reicosky of The Canton Repository. As we walked toward the crest of the hill, the distinctive call of a Yellow-breasted Chat greeted us. As we moved closer, another Chat could be heard farther away.

We never quite saw the birds. Chats are highly vocal but often stay in the thick of tree leaves making them difficult to spot. These two birds were making a lot of noise. It reminded me of hearing one years ago with a man who called it a Mockingbird. That took me back. Indeed a Yellow-breasted Chat makes a lot of noise and many different sounds that clearly remind people of Mockingbirds. So I asked the fellow, “If that’s a Mockingbird, what’s the gray bird with strips on the wings?” He replies, “Oh, that’s a Texas Mockingbird.”

He knew his wildlife, but he hadn’t read the books.

As we walked across Foxfield Preserve, Gray Catbirds were also calling. Earlier in the spring, I visited the site and saw a true Mockingbird. Many times while driving past Foxfield Preserve, I have seen Brown Thrashers.

All this makes me think we should have called it Mimic Hill instead of Foxfield Preserve. The Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, and Gray Catbird are in the mimic family—Mimidae. They are famous for their calls borrowed from other birds. While the Chat is not a true mimic, its crazy calling easily fits the mimic pattern.

Gordon T. Maupin

Milk Snake Mimicry

2008-05-09T15:24:00.006-04:00

This milk snake, Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, visited our back door last week. Milk snakes received their name from the myth that they drink milk from cows (milks snakes can often me found in barns, but they’re looking for mice, not milk). This is one of our most beneficial snakes, eating lots of rodents. They also eat other snakes, including venomous species.
Unfortunately, this snake is often killed for its superficial resemblance to the copperhead. The coloration of the two snakes is somewhat similar, although the pattern is different. Some biologists think this is a case of Batesian mimicry – where one species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a venomous species. Besides similar coloration, milk snakes also employ jerky head bobs – a typical copperhead movement. Where milk snakes subspecies coexist with venomous coral snakes, the milk snakes have coloration similar to the coral snake’s rings of red, yellow, and black.

Kicking Climate Change Out of the Bushes

2008-04-12T13:49:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2008

On a visit with family in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, my brother, Mike, and I took a walk to a piece of undeveloped land surrounded by suburban sprawl. The area was a mix of abandoned pasture and young Post Oak woods. It belonged to the retirement village where my parents live. The maintenance crew kept the abandoned pasture mowed and had created a few garden spots for village residents.

Since it was early April and the start of the spring neotropical bird migration, I grabbed the cheap binoculars I keep in my car just to see what I could see. We meandered through the field without seeing any particularly special birds (Eastern Wood Peewee, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Cardinal, Hermit Thrush, and Brown Thrasher).

Things changed as we turned for home. Walking past a copse of mixed Post Oaks and Osage Orange, we flushed an Armadillo! Technically, named a Nine-banded Armadillo.

I have seen Armadillos before, but never this far north. As a student in Springfield, Missouri in the 1970s, I’d heard rumors of Armadillos in the Ozarks, but had never seen on there. By the 1990s, some of my Missouri friends were reporting Armadillos in an off-hand, noncommittal manner a little north of Springfield. But seeing on in a suburban green spot surrounded by suburban Kansas City was a true surprise to me.

A quick web search on the Armadillo revealed a source that notes that Armadillos can’t survive if the average January temperature is below 28° F.

Upon returning to my father’s apartment we mentioned the Armadillo and my surprise. My Dad doubled the surprise by telling of sighting a Roadrunner in the area a few years back. Birding purists will want me to note that is was a Greater Roadrunner.

Again, I was surprised. Once in the 1970s, I observed a Roadrunner in the extreme southern Ozarks along the Arkansas Border.

Biologists have been observing numerous species shifting their distributions as a result of climate change. Often it’s difficult to attribute all of a species distribution shift to one simple cause. However, Armadillos and Roadrunners were considered southern species and not generally known as far north as Missouri until recently. To me it was something of a shock and surprise to be confronted with apparent affects of climate change in such a personal way.

My typical scientific caution requires me to state that it is my speculation about climate change causing these distributions shifts. Things are always more complicated.

Some biologists feel that habitat change, fire suppression, and a evolutionary change in Armadillos are significant factors. For Roadrunnners, sources note that the birds are expanding out of the southwest, but they don’t speculate as to the cause.

Gordon T. Maupin

Postscript to a Hope

2008-04-02T14:50:00.004-04:00

March 13, 2008

Spring fever hit The Wilderness Center today. It was 50° F. Last week we started speculating about the first wildflower.

There are several species that might be first, but Draba (pronounced DrAba, the first “a” is long as botanists like to say things) is always among the first few to appear. Draba is the genus name. The books call it Whitlow Grass. It’s not a grass, it’s a mustard. There are a handful of similar species that might show up on a chemical free lawn. Beside The Wilderness Center flagpole is Draba verna.

When Draba blooms, it sends a slender stalk up from a rosette of basal leaves. The tiny flowers have four tiny white petals. Each petal has two lobes so at first you think there may be eight petals. The early rosettes are so small you can almost cover them with a dime. You won’t notice Draba unless you search “for spring with [your] knees in the mud.”

Aldo Leopold dedicates a short essay to Draba in “A Sand County Almanac.” It’s hard to “out essay” the master, so I’ll offer a couple of quotes. “…it is no spring flower, but only a postscript to a hope.” “All together it is of no importance—just a small creature that does a small job quickly and well.”

There the naturalists around the office might disagree with Aldo Leopold. It is not a postscript to a hope; it’s a harbinger of spring, warmth, and sunshine. But then, Leopold knew this because he dedicated a small essay to a plant that almost no one notices.

If you don’t know Leopold’s book, you should. His nature essays are poetry in the form of prose. They combine the beauty of the language with the beauty of nature.

Gordon Maupin
Photo by Joann Ballbach

Hooded Merganser

2008-03-25T10:48:00.001-04:00

March 23, 2008, Easter Sunday

We are host family for a Pakistani student at the College of Wooster, Maaz Khan. Maaz joined our family for Easter Dinner. He had to return to his job at the college so my son, Isaac and I left Orrville at about 2:30 p.m. to drive Maaz back to Wooster.

Just as we rounded the bend in the road where Crown Hill joins Back Orrville Road we passed a small, shallow pond. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a Hooded Merganser. Actually it was a male-female pair. The male was in full breeding color and obviously displaying to the female. The bright white “hood” caught my eye.

No one was behind me, so I stopped the car and backed up to let the Maaz and Isaac get a look at the birds. I know I shouted “Hooded Merganser” the instant I saw the bird and both of the boys were startled. When I backed up, they were both wondering what this crazy guy was doing.

Then they saw the birds. The male was alternately lifting and lowering his hood as he kept trying to impress the female. After a few seconds, another car came up behind me, honked and I had to move on.

Neither of the boys are what you could call birders. In fact, neither are interested in birds at all. However, my obvious enthusiasm for the Hooded Mergansers was contagious. We were all smiles all the way back to Wooster. Maaz made it to work on time. As Isaac and I returned to Orrville, the birds were still on the pond. We paused to admire them through the cheap binoculars I keep in the car just for misadventures like this.

Wow! In my opinion, a male Hooded Merganser in breeding plumage is one of the most beautiful birds you’ll ever see.

Last February, on our winter Yellowstone ecotour, our group saw a male Hooded Merganser on the Yellowstone River. It was a high point of our drive that afternoon.

Another memorable encounter with a Hooded Merganser happened when I was a college student myself. I recall sitting in a cattail marsh at sunrise in hope of getting some good duck photos. It was cold. The sun rose and transformed fog on the water into a beautiful bright rose-colored backdrop. A beautiful Hooded Merganser was silhouetted against this glowing mist. I must have shot half a roll of film on that one bird.

Hooded Mergansers are small fish-eating ducks. The birds dive for their prey and apparently find fishes by sight. They have a transparent third eyelid called a nictating membrane. It covers the eye when the bird is under water to protect it.

Gordon Maupin

Leap(frog) Year

2008-02-29T09:59:00.008-05:00

It seems that leap day is the perfect time to announce The Year of the Frog. That's right - 2008 has been designated "The Year of the Frog" in order to spread awareness of global amphibian declines and promote conservation efforts. Over 3,000 amphibian species are threatened with extinction- that's 50% of amphibian species! Causes of amphibian declines include habitat destruction, climate change, UV-B radiation, pesticide/herbicide use, disease (Chytrid fungus), and multiple factors working together (synergism).

The Chytrid fungus, which is affecting amphibians across the globe was probably introduced from the transport of Xenopus frogs(1) - those flat, funny-looking creatures sold in pet shops and laboratory supply catalogs. The Xenopus frog was first shipped around the globe for use in human pregnancy tests. Urine from a suspected pregnant woman was injected into the frog; hormones in the urine of a pregnant woman would stimulate the frog to lay eggs within 48 hours. Obviously, today, more advanced pregnancy tests are available, but Xenopus frogs are still used in many laboratory studies. There is still much work that need to be done to understand the chytrid fungus and its implications for amphibian survival.

So, what can you do to help your local amphibians? Don't use herbicides or pesticides around wet areas - RoundUp is highly toxic to all life stages of amphibians(2). Protect permanent and temporary ponds. Don't release captive animals to the wild - they may carry disease that can devastate a local population. If you are a teacher, use giant toads (Bufo marinus) in your classroom for dissection instead of native frogs. Most importantly - learn about the amphibians in your area - there's still hope!

~Carrie Elvey

To learn more about The Year of the Frog, stop by Amphibian Ark's website:

www.amphibianark.org/yearofthefrog

1. Weldon C, du Preez LH, Hyatt AD, Muller R, Speare R. Origin of the amphibian chytrid fungus. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2004 Dec [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no12/03-0804.htm
2.Relyea, R.A. (2005) The lethal impact of Roundup® on aquatic and terrestrial amphibians. Ecol. Appl. 15:1118-1124

The First Robin of Spring?

2008-02-23T15:52:00.004-05:00

An American Robin has been hanging out near the front feeder here at The Wilderness Center the last couple of days.

Some robins stick around all winter long, if they can find food. It's tougher looking for fruit to eat in the winter, so most leave their home territories and move south. How far they go is based on where they can find food. The robin at the feeder may be a Cleveland robin looking for food or an Ontario robin heading home. Seeing a robin isn't really a sign of spring, just a sign of hungry robins.

Robins sing when they return from their winter travels, when they arrive in their nesting territory. The real sign of spring robins bring is their song. A robin seen is passing through; a robin heard is back home.

I haven't heard a robin sing yet this year, not even the robin at the feeder. But just about now, in late February when I'm starting to look for spring, even seeing a robin tells my heart spring is almost here!