A Jasper County Gem

A few months back, one of my coworkers brought in a twig from a shrub on a property that one of her friends had purchased last year. I quickly recognized the twig as Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), a plant often found in bogs and wet, acidic woods, and knew immediately that this would be an interesting place to botanize. We set the meeting date of May 30, which arrived much more quickly than I thought possible.

So on Saturday, I headed out to Jasper County, Indiana to visit the 32-acre property that was purchased for the sole purpose of preserving a woods that was not infested with exotic species. That in itself is quite admirable.

As I pulled in the drive and back to the small gravel parking lot, I knew that I was in for a treat. I saw that the higher areas on the site were somewhat overgrown black oak savanna, while the low-lying areas were swamp forest. This combination of acidic habitats often leads to rare plants and a great variety of species.

The photo above is of a somewhat overgrown black oak savanna, which the landowners hope to burn or selectively thin to restore to expected historic conditions. As we walked, I began keeping a list of plant species that we observed. The overgrown savanna had quite a few remnant prairie and open savanna species hanging on, such as Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) and Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), indicating that the area likely had fewer trees in the past.

The swamp forest (above) was also amazing and diverse. In places, it too appeared to have been more open in the past, closing in with trees as drainage in the area reduced the frequency of flooding that would have historically kept the trees from moving in.

We also walked through a small, open area consisting of wet swales and drier low ridges, adding a unique diversity of plants to the site. As we examined this area, we saw the Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene) below. This butterfly species is found from Alaska through Canada and into the northern half of the Lower 48. Caterpillars of this species feed on violets (Viola spp.), while the adults feed on nectar of plants in the family Asteraceae. This one must be getting an early start scouting out goldenrods, as it is sitting on Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima).

Overall, we saw 237 plant species that I could identify to species, and another 20 that should be investigated later in the year for correct identification. Not too shabby. Of the 237 species, 204 are native to the Chicago Region. The mean C-value (conservatism value, basically a ranking from 0-10 of the fidelity of a given species to a natural community) based on my species inventory was 4.4, and the FQI (floristic quality index, a calculation involving the mean-C value and the number of species) was an extraordinary 73.4. Based on these numbers, this site definitely possesses natural area quality. Based on my qualitative assessment, this site is tremendous.

I was only able to shoot a few photos of plants at the site, as the mosquitoes wouldn't allow for much time to focus on anything but swatting them away. The plant above is False Dandelion (Krigia biflora), a plant often found in prairies, black oak savannas, and wet sand.

Above is the related Dwarf Dandelion (Krigia virginica), both in flower and in fruit. Plants of the Chicago Region notes that "the undisturbed fruiting heads make a beautiful sight when viewed from above," and I can't help but to agree. Dwarf Dandelion can often be found in dry sand in areas with little competition from other plants.

The species above is often found in black oak savannas in the Kankakee River valley. Hairy Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium barbinode) is a plant that I had only seen a few times previously. It can be distinguished from the similar Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium trifoliatum) by its obviously hairy stem nodes.

The interesting plant shown above is Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana). This species can be found in a variety of acidic habitats; at this site, we found it in moist portions of the swamp forest.

All three of the fern species in the genus Osmunda that occur in the Chicago Region were present at the site. Above is Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), and below is Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytoniana). Not pictured is Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis v. spectabilis).

You will notice that in Cinnamon Fern, the fertile fronds (the cinnamon or brown parts) are on separate stalks from the sterile fronds (the green "leaves"), while in Interrupted Fern, the fertile fronds "interrupt" the sterile frond. I had only seen Interrupted Fern a handful of times before Saturday, and it was uncommon at this site as well. All three Osmunda species were found in the swamp forest community.

One of my favorite plant families is the Saxifragaceae, of which the plant shown above is a member. This is Swamp Saxifrage (Saxifraga pensylvanica), which is found in a variety of habitats in the Chicago Region, including calcareous and acidic seeps, sedge meadows, mesic prairies, and upland swamps. At this site, we saw Swamp Saxifrage in the swamp forest.

One of the two most exciting finds was Downy Poplar (Populus heterophylla), a tree I had seen only once before. We only saw small trees at the site, though I suspect that at least one large tree of this species is present. Downy Poplar is very rare in the Chicago Region.

The other most exciting find was the plant pictured below, one of the rarest violets in the Chicago Region, Primrose Violet (Viola primulifolia).

I had only seen this species at two locations in the past. One was on the trip that Justin and I recently took to Alabama, where we saw it in an acid seep woodland. The other location was in a moist prairie in Starke County, Indiana. At this Jasper County property, it was growing by the thousands in the swamp forest. According to Plants of the Chicago Region, it is found in "moist sandy soil of marsh borders and in moist open meadows." Maybe this area was more open historically as well.

As you can tell, I had a wonderful 6 hours at the site, and I admire the dedication of the landowners to preserve and manage this property in a way that keeps it as natural as possible. I hope to get back to the site at another time of year to add species to the list, identify some of my unknowns, and gain a better understanding of the natural communities at the site and the processes guiding them.

A Pleasant Surprise

Friday night, Lindsay and I tried our Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout.
While I expected that our pilsner would turn out fine, I was a bit worried about this darker beer. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it in fact tased very good. I expect that it will only improve in flavor as it continues to age.

Bottling Complete

If you've been following our blog, you will know exactly what this post is about just by seeing the photo above.

Tonight, Lindsay and I donned our beer-brewing hats as we performed the last step for our Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout and moved one step closer to completing our Pilothouse Pilsner. Three weeks ago, we put our Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout in a warm, dark room for carbonation to take place. Today, we put this beer in the refrigerator to bottle condition. It should be ready to drink at any time. Updates soon...

Also three weeks ago, we started making Pilothouse Pilsner. Tonight, it was time to bottle this batch. The first step was to sterilize the bottles...

Then, Lindsay added sugar to the bottles...

... and I filled the bottles.

Finally, we labeled and boxed the bottles.

These bottles will now be placed in a warm, dark room for approximately three weeks, at which time they will be put in the refrigerator for bottle conditioning.

That's One Big Silk Moth!

While I was in East Lansing, Michigan on Sunday for the annual Michigan Botanical Club Spring Foray, Lindsay was at home adding to our yard list. As she was riding her bike down the driveway, she saw this dead moth.
This is a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia), also known as a Robin Moth. This species is a member of the Giant Silkworm Moth subfamily of the Wild Silk Moth family. Adults of this species typically only live for 2 weeks. One of the largest species of moth in North America, Cecropia Moths can have a wingspan of up to 6 inches. They can be found throughout much of eastern North America, and in scattered locations throughout the western United States as well. These giants are nocturnal and are most often found in or near hardwood forests. Cecropia Moth caterpillars feed most frequently on apple, ash, box elder, cherry, lilac, poplar, sassafras, and willow, but can also be found feeding on birch, elm, larch, and maple.

Unfortunately, Cecropia Moth populations are apparently in decline as a result of introduction of a predatory non-native tachinid fly introduced to control gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar). Like the introduction of the Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia axyridis) to control crop pests, this is another example of the best of intentions turning into ecological disaster.

As is the case for other members of the Giant Silkworm Moth family, male Cecropia Moths are drawn to females when the females emit pheromones, a period referred to as "calling time." Studies have shown that males can find females that are several miles away as a result of their sensitivity to these pheromones. "Calling time" for Cecropia Moths is from 3:00 AM until sunrise. It is said that males use their enormous, plumose antennae to sense the pheromones given off by females.

Sources:

Butterflies and Moths of Missouri by J. Richard and Joan E. Heitzman

Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner

Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America by Arthur V. Evans

A Froggy Night

Tuesday night (May 19), Lindsay and I made a second trip to our five Frogwatch USA monitoring sites (an account of our first monitoring visit of 2009 can be found here). If you're in the mood for frog calls, click on the videos below. Then, quiz yourself by scrolling to the bottom to see what frogs/toads were calling in the videos.

Chamberlain Lake

Ewing Wetland

Ready for the answers?

At Chamberlain Lake, there were four species calling - Spring Peeper, Eastern Gray Treefrog, Bullfrog, and Green Frog.

At the Ewing Wetland, we heard three species, but you may only be able to hear two of them in the video. Eastern Gray Treefrogs are calling so loud that they nearly drown out everything else. You can also hear Spring Peepers, and may be able to hear Green Frog.

In addition to these species, we heard American Toads calling at Potato Creek State Park.

For more information on the frog and toad species in this post, click here.

Blood-sucking Arachnids

Lindsay, Bootypants, and I are keeping count of the number of ticks that we find on ourselves this year. I know... a little disgusting. But I was really curious who contracts more in a season... Bootypants or me. As of this evening, the count is as follows:





Bootypants: 35
(Photo by Mike and Heidi Walczak)








Scott: 28









Lindsay: 6





Most of the ticks that we find are American Dog Ticks, Dermacentor variabilis.

Female American Dog Tick

Male American Dog Tick

While in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, I found a lot of Lone Star Ticks, Amblyomma americanum.

Male Lone Star Tick

Female Lone Star Tick

While in the Indiana Dunes this past weekend, I found a Brown Dog Tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, a tick species that I'd never noticed before.

Female Brown Dog Tick

I've found Deer Ticks, Ixodes scapularis, on Bootypants in the fall in previous years, but we haven't seen any yet this year.

Neither Lindsay nor I have found any engorged ticks on us, but Bootypants has had a few. As the season progresses, I'll provide updates on the tick ticker.

Mr. Beer Update

As you may recall, three weeks ago, Lindsay and I began making Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout. Tonight, it was time to bottle the brew. We started by sterilizing the bottles.
Once the bottles were prepared, we added sugar to carbonate the beer.

Next, the beer is poored from the fermenter into the bottles...

... and the bottles are inverted several times to mix in the sugar.

The final step is to label the bottles!

Now the beer will be stored in a warm, dark room for three weeks. After that, it goes into the refrigerator for conditioning. We should be able to try our first bottle in a month or so!

We also started a batch of Pilothouse Pilsner, a hoppy beer, tonight.

In two or three weeks, we will bottle this batch.

Watch for updates!

Busy week

My busy season is officially in full-swing. This post is simply intended to be a quick update on what I've been up to lately. I hope to post more about my recent travels in separate posts as I have time.

Last Saturday, I led a hike at Bendix Woods Nature Preserve in St. Joseph County, Indiana for Shirley Heinze Land Trust.

The woods were exploding with color; white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), false rue anemone (Enemion biternatum), dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), squirrel corn (Dicentra canadensis), and Canada violet (Viola canadensis) cast a white glow across the forest floor.
Splotches of yellow indicated the presence of wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), while prairie trillium (Trillium recurvatum) and blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) dotted the forest floor with reds and blues, respectively.

We encountered a brief thunderstorm while on our walk, but once that passed, we were again able to enjoy the wonderful wildflowers at this old-growth forest. Lindsay even found the rare apetalous form of white trillium. The petal-less flowers are said to be a mutation that occurs periodically in this species.

On Sunday morning, I left home to botanize in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia with Justin Thomas, at an event to be know from this point forward as Trillium Tromp 2009.

As the name suggests, our primary targets were trilliums, but we had a great time enjoying a multitude of other species, including the Federally Endangered green pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila). I will certainly post more on this trip at a later date.

Bashful wakerobin (Trillium catesbaei)

Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum)

Furrowed wakerobin (Trillium sulcatum)

Green pitcher plant (Sarracenia oreophila)

Thursday morning, I left our campsite near the Sock Capital of the World (Fort Payne, Alabama, of course) and arrived home around 7:30 PM.

I washed clothes and re-packed for a camping weekend in northwest Ohio. While staying at Maumee Bay State Park, we birded at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and Metzger Marsh, tallying 105 bird species (including Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Summer Tanager, Snowy Egrets, Trumpeter Swans, and numerous Bald Eagles), in addition to Northern Leopard Frogs, Painted Turtles, and Blanding's Turtles.

Lindsay and I arrived home tonight in time to mow the lush jungle known as our lawn. Tomorrow, it's back to the real world, as I head back to work.