2009-2010 Winter Feeder Count Results

Another season of the Indiana Audubon Society Winter Bird Feeder Count wrapped up last week. Although a quick look outside indicates that it is still winter in northern Indiana, frequently hearing the songs of Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, and Song Sparrow leads me to believe that spring is just around the corner.

Downy Woodpecker (male)

Feeder watchers all around the state participate in the Winter Bird Feeder Count, which is conducted by recording the maximum number of individuals at one time of each species present at feeders during the four count periods (November 20-25, December 20-25, January 20-25, and February 20-25). Hawks showing interest in feeder birds are also counted.

American Goldfinch

At our feeders during the count this winter, we saw 15 species during the November period, 17 species during the December period, 19 species during the January period, and 18 species during the February period, for a total of 21 species during the count (our complete species list from the 2009-2010 count is shown at the end of this post).

Dark-eyed Junco (male)

Species observed most frequently (those present during all four count periods) in 2009-2010 were Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, and House Sparrow. Species observed in greatest abundance (with the greatest number observed at one time in parentheses) were American Crow (27 in December), Northern Cardinal (18 in February), American Goldfinch (18 in January), House Sparrow (16 in December), Mourning Dove (14 in November), and American Tree Sparrow (12 in January).

American Goldfinch and House Sparrow (male)

Our numbers were off a bit from what we saw during the 2008-2009 Winter Bird Feeder Count. During that count, we had 19 species in November, 20 species in December, 18 species in January, and 25 species in February, for a total of 27 species during the 2008-2009 count period. Species we missed out on this year that we saw last year were Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, and Snow Bunting. The more northern species (Common Redpoll and Pine Siskin) never made a strong appearance in Indiana this winter as a result of having sufficient food sources available further north. We had one Red-winged Blackbird show up our feeders this winter, but he showed up between count periods and didn't hang around more than a few days. Temperatures during the 2008-2009 count (-10 to 55 degrees Farenheit) varied more than during the 2009-2010 count (20-58 degrees Farenheit), and the very cold temperatures in December 2008 could have caused Snow Buntings to show up on our property to eat the cracked corn we had scattered along our driveway while many of the agricultural fields and roadsides in our area were frozen solid. It was also warmer in February 2009 than in February 2010, possibly leading to an earlier northward migration in 2009 (and causing Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, and Common Grackle to use our feeders earlier than they have in 2010). The number of individuals at our feeders was higher in 2008-2009 as well, possibly the result of very cold temperatures in December 2008 and January 2009.

Mourning Dove

Citizen science projects such as this are important for several reasons. It is good to keep the general public involved in scientific research to promote higher interest in scientific work. It is also much more economically feasible for researchers to obtain important data when volunteer involvement is part of the project. There are obviously drawbacks to obtaining data from volunteers that must be addressed by the researcher. I encourage everyone to participate in citizen science research projects, such as Christmas Bird Counts, the Great Backyard Bird Count, International Migratory Bird Day, FrogWatch USA, the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, New York City Cricket Crawl, Project BudBurst, etc. No matter what your interest or location, there is likely a citizen science project for you.

Northern Cardinals (male and female) and American Tree Sparrow

2010 Winter Feeder Count Species List
Cooper's Hawk
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow

The Morton Arboretum

Last weekend, Lindsay and I went to Chicago to visit our friends Mike, Heidi, Ben, and Alex. We met up with them at The Morton Arboretum, where I deposited a package of pressed plant specimens that I had collected in the Chicago Region in 2009. (To see records of my specimens, visit http://www.vplants.org/search.html and type "Namestnik" in the last name search box; hopefully photos of some of my specimens will be available at some point.)

Ben and Alex seemed to have a great time in the Children's Garden and the Maze Garden. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore other parts of the arboretum, but February obviously isn't the best time to see flowering plants. I hope to make it back in the late summer to see Schulenberg Prairie, named in honor of Ray Schulenberg, one of the Chicago Region's earliest restorationists.

Place Your Vote: Cute or Ugly?

One day last week, I arrived home from work to find a Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) feeding on black-oil sunflower seeds under the tree in our front yard from which we hang several bird feeders. We have since seen our new guest on several occasions munching on seeds under the feeders in our backyard, and taking shelter under the stairs behind our house.


Although the Virginia Opossum has more teeth (50) than any other Indiana mammal, members of the species are not generally aggressive. When frightened, opossums often involuntarily act like they are dead, leading to the colloquial phrase "playing 'possum;" however, they will also often hiss or growl and show off their sharp teeth. Opossums will eat nearly anything and are considered omnivorous scavengers. The species is found in Central and North America east of the Rocky Mountains, but has also been introduced along the West Coast of the United States. This is the only marsupial in North America north of the Rio Grande River. As such, newborn opossums live in their mother's pouch for one to three months before they become too large and need to migrate from the pouch to their mother's back.


This leads to my survey question... what do you think? Is the opossum cute or ugly? Personally, I think they are very cute (just look at that face!), but Lindsay disagrees. Please help us settle our debate.

Sources:
http://www.opossum.org/facts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Opossum
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/5686.htm

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope everyone feels "LOVED" this Valentine's Day!

And a very Happy Birthday to our favorite valentine.....

BOOTYPANTS!

All Clovers Are Not Created Equal

Here in Indiana, clovers (Trifolium spp.) don't get people very excited. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that a clover of any kind is one of their favorite plants. In fact, these legumes with three leaflets are often shunned as evil lawn weeds, and many a suburban homeowner spend hundreds of dollars per year applying herbicides to remove the clover and cultivate a bluegrass monoculture. Recently, however, there has been a movement to replace or at least enhance turf grass lawns with clovers, which take nitrogen from the atmosphere and make this natural fertilizer available to other plants.


Around here, our most common clovers are Red Clover (Trifolium pratense, above), White Clover (Trifolium repens, below), and Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum). While the individual flowers are humbly attractive when viewed up close, most people do not give them a second glance when in their heavily degraded and anthropogenically altered habitats of old field, pasture, roadside, and lawn.


Enter the clovers of Colorado. Never before had I really been "wowed" by a clover, nor did I think I could be, but these fantastic Fabaceae seemed like they were from another world. All three of the following species are native to Colorado and endemic to the Rocky Mountains.


Parry's Clover (Trifolium parryi, above) is a plant found only in a fairly narrow band through the Rocky Mountain states (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010) that can be found growing commonly in the subalpine and alpine life zones (Guennel 2004). This species often grows in dense clumps or cushions with leafless flowering stalks (Beidleman et al. 2000). While the "plainest" looking of the three clovers that we saw on our July 2009 trip, this clover puts all of the Midwestern clovers that I've seen to shame.


The next most impressive clover species that we saw was Alpine Clover (Trifolium dasyphyllum), shown immediately above and below. Like the previous species, Alpine Clover is common in a fairly narrow band through the Rocky Mountain states (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010), found growing in tundra and on rocky or gravelly slopes in the subalpine and alpine life zones (Guennel 2004).


The flowers of Alpine Clover can sometimes be all rose or violet-purple (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010), but the more common bicolored form shown in the photos above is quite stunning, especially for a clover.


Finally, Dwarf Clover (Trifolium nanum), which puts all other clovers to shame in terms of appearance, in my opinion, is shown above. Another species of restricted range similar to the previous two species (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010), this clover has only 1-3 flowers per cluster; each flower is approximately 2 cm long, but the entire plant lives up to its common name and grows in a cushion up to only 6 cm tall (Beidleman et al. 2000). Dwarf Clover is found in meadows, on gravelly slopes, and on rocky ridges in the subalpine and alpine life zones (Guennel 2004).

Beidleman, L.H., R.G. Beidleman, & B.E. Willard. (2000). Plants of Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Nature Association; Helena, Montana: Falcoln Publishing, Inc.

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 2: Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. Retrieved February 12, 2010. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/.

Colorado Castilleja

Last May on Get Your Botany On!, I posted about Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea) that I had seen recently in Lake County, Indiana. Although I had witnessed this species with bracts of three different color morphs (red, orange, and yellow) over the years, until July I had only seen one of the approximately 200 worldwide species (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010) from this showy genus. That quickly changed when we went to Colorado in July, as I multiplied my life list of Castilleja species by five.

In the photographs below, you will see that Castilleja possesses showy "flowers." I put "flowers" in quotes because the showy structures are actually bracts, which are modified leaves. The corolla (petals) are actually inconspicuous and mostly greenish yellow, and are hidden beneath the large bracts. If you look closely, you'll be able to see the true flowers in some of the photographs below.


The first new paintbrush that we saw was in a prairie at Jewel Mountain near Boulder. The photograph above shows Orange Paintbrush (Castilleja integra). This species is known in the United States only from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado (USDA, NRCS 2010). Known also as Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush, the leaves of this species are unlobed; in fact, the specific epithet integra means "whole" (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010). Orange Paintbrush can be found growing in the plains, foothills, and montane life zones of Colorado, and is said to be the most common paintbrush in the plains of Colorado (Guennel 2004; Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010). The densely tomentose stem is a key feature used to identify this species (Weber 1976).


Along the road near Independence Pass, we stopped the car to photograph Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), also known as Giant Red Indian Painbrush. This species is known from the western United States, and from Canada east to Ontario (USDA, NRCS 2010). In Colorado, it grows in the foothills, montane, and subalpine life zones (Guennel 2004). This species is said to be the most common and variable member of the genus Castilleja in Colorado (Weber 1976).


My favorite paintbrush of our trip was Rosy Paintbrush (Castilleja rhexiifolia), shown above. This photograph was taken at Independence Pass. Also known as Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush, this species is known from states west of the Rocky Mountains (except California and Arizona), as well as from Brittish Columbia and Alberta (USDA, NRCS 2010). You can find this beautiful paintbrush with bracts of indescribable colors in the subalpine and alpine life zones of Colorado (Guennel 2004). This species, as well as others in the genus Castilleja, is well known for its propensity to hybridize with other members of the genus (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010).


Also at Independence Pass, we saw one of the two whitish-bracted species of paintbrush that we saw on our trip, Western Paintbrush (Castilleja occidentalis). Western Paintbrush has a similar range to the preceding species, but is more confined to areas along the Rocky Mountains (USDA, NRCS 2010). This species grows in the subalpine and alpine life zones of Colorado (Guennel 2004), and is distinguished from the next species in part by its shorter height (up to 20 cm tall) (Weber 1976). Like other paintbrushes, this species is hemiparasitic, meaning that it sometimes obtains nutrients from the roots of nearby plants (Southwest Colorado Wildflowers 2010).


The other species of paintbrush that we saw with whitish bracts was Yellow Paintbrush (Castilleja sulphurea). This photograph was taken at Holy Cross Wilderness Area. Sulphur Indian Paintbrush, as it is also known, has a similar range to the two preceding species (USDA, NRCS 2010). It can be found in the plains, montane, and subalpine life zones of Colorado, and is distinguished from the previous species in part by its taller height (20 cm to 40 cm) (Weber 1976).

Now that I've seen approximatetly 3% of the known species of Castilleja, I can't wait to see the diversity and colorful bracts of the other 97%!

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 1: Plains and Foothills. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

Guennel, G.K. (2004). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers, Volume 2: Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers.

Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. Retrieved January 16, 2010. http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/.

USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/, 10 January 2010). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Weber, W.A. (1976). Rocky Mountain Flora. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado

Thinking Back (And Ahead) To Warmer Temperatures

Boy, was it cold here yesterday; my car thermometer read 6 degrees Farenheit Saturday morning! The only way for me to get through cold snaps like this in the middle of winter is to look back at photographs I took the previous summer, when the landscape was green and the days were long.


On 11 July 2009, Tony Troche and I spent a couple of hours botanizing at Round Lake Nature Preserve in Starke County, Indiana. Our best botanizing at the preserve came in a rich calcareous wet prairie adjacent to the lake and marsh communities.


Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), an excellent indicator of calcareous soils, was abundant. Walking was cumbersome in places because of the low shrubby habit of this species and trying to avoid Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron radicans).


Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum), the plant known by Dioscorides as "lytron" (and hence the origin of the genus name Lythrum), was a common forb throughout the wet prairie. This is another species characteristic of wet areas with pH of 7 or greater.


Sedges were common at this location, with one of the more abundante being Dioecious Sedge (Carex sterilis).


An interesting sedge that I have only seen at a handful of locations was White Beaksedge (Rhynchospora alba), a species of acidic and alkaline soils. The white spikelets make this species unique among our beaksedges.


One of our biggest highlights, though, was the highly charismatic Tuberous Grasspink (Calopogon tuberosus). The flowers of most orchid species, including all of them around here except for grasspink, twist when the flower is opening so that the lip is at the bottom, a process known as resupination. In Tuberous Grasspink, the lip is above the rest of the flower.


"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." -Hal Borland

Bracket Fungus

Last weekend, Keith Board and I briefly visited a boggy site in South Bend. We hadn't been on the site for 5 minutes before I broke through the surface and was over my knee boots in ice-cold water. Regardless, it was nice to get outside. Keith was very amused, especially since I fell through in a spot where he had just been standing. Instead of offering to help, Keith was reaching for his camera, but not quickly enough.


Portions of the site are dominated by woody species such as Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia), and Gray Birch (Betula populifolia), which was once considered extirpated from the state. This is a very interesting community for St. Joseph County, Indiana.


One of the highlights on this day was the shelf fungus seen growing on several of the birch trees.


The best that I can tell, this is Birch Bracket Fungus (Piptoporus betulinus), but I would be willing to entertain other possibilities if anyone has other ideas. Birch Polypore or Razor Strop, as it is also known, grows on dead birch trees, or on wounds on living birch trees.


This fungus is said to be edible (but not very tasty); it has also been used medicinally. The common name Razor Strop comes from the use of this fungus to sharpen razors.


With the white snow, white sky, and white tree trunks, the yellow-orange underside of this beautiful fungus really stood out.

Handlens and Binoculars Turns One Year Old

Visitors often arrive at our blog after searching for things like "hand lens," what is a hand lens," "best binoculars," etc. What better time to discuss those things on this blog than on the one year anniversary of our very first blog post.


Technically, "handlens" is probably two words, but I prefer to consider it as one. Handlenses, also called loupes, are used by a variety of people for a variety of purposes: jewelers, watchmakers, numasmatists, photographers, dentists, geologists, botanists, etc. In my case, I use a handlens to magnify miniscule plant parts to aid in identification. Magnification from 7x to 20x is available, but most botanists prefer a 10x loupe. The most important part of a handlens is the lens itself, and you'll get what you pay for. High end optics companies such as Zeiss make handlenses that can be quite expensive. I've found that the Bausch & Lomb handlenses are excellent quality for the price (~$30-$40).


Several different styles of handlenses exist, including Doublet, Hastings Triplet, Coddington, and four- or five-element handlenses. Doublets consist of two lenses separated by air. While these are inexpensive, dirt and moisture can easily get between the lenses, making outside use troublesome. Hastings Triplets have three lenses cemented together with clear cement; this method keeps out the dirt and moisture. Coddingtons make innovative use of curved, single lenses that act like multiple lenses. It is almost impossible for moisture to get inside a Coddington handlens. Four- and five-element handlenses are more expensive but may result in greater clarity and/or higher light availability. For most botanists, Coddingtons and Hastings Triplets are the handlenses of choice.


As seen above, Coddington handlenses are a bit larger than Hastings Triplets; however, the usable area of the lens is actually larger in the Hastings Triplet.


The photograph above shows a Coddington handlens. Notice the black ring inside the handlens that reduces the viewing area. The photograph below shows a Hastings Triplet handlens. The viewing area is nearly the entire diameter of the handlens casing.


Below is a practical example of use of each of these handlenses. The photograph below shows the underside of leaves of Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) without magnification. A key character in distinguishing this species vegetatively from other members of the family Ericaceae is that Black Huckleberry has yellow, resinous glands on the leaf undersides; these are often very difficult to see with the naked eye.


Below on the left is the same leaf under magnification by a Bausch & Lomb 10x Coddington handlens; on the right is the same leaf under magnification by a Bausch & Lomb 10x Hastings Triplet handlens. With both of these handlenses, the yellow glands are easily visible (you may have to click on the photos to expand them to see this feature), but look at how much larger the viewing area is with the Hastings Triplet. This is why the Hastings Triplet is my handlens of choice.






More useful information on the different types of handlenses can be found here at Kooter's Geology Tools.

Everyone knows what binoculars are. Lindsay and I use binoculars for long distance magnification to see birds, butterflies, and on occasion, even distant plants. There are many brands and types of binoculars, and there are no "best" binoculars; each person has different preferences that will dictate what the best pair of binoculars for them will be. That said, here I will provide a little bit of information that may help in finding that perfect pair.

The power of every pair of binoculars is described with two numbers (such as 10 x 42). The first number is the times of magnification; the second number is the diameter of the objective lens (the lens at the end that you don't look through). The larger the objective lens, the more light that is let in. Based on this, you would probably think that the highest possible magnification and objective lens diameter would be preferable; however, with greater magnification comes magnification of the shaking caused by the human hand. Many birders prefer binoculars with 8x magnification and an objective lens with a diameter of 42 millimeters. Lens coatings are also important, as glass reflects light, and coatings result in brighter and clearer viewing.


As with anything, you will get what you pay for when buying binoculars. Some very high end binoculars are available, especially from outfits such as Zeiss and Swarovski. When I purchased my binoculars, I did a lot of research, and most reviews described the Nikon Monarch as the best value, considering the price (~$250) and the quality, which was not very noticably different from that of the high end binoculars. I have been extremely happy with these binoculars, and several friends have come to the same conclusion after researching and then buying Nikon Monarch 8 x 42 binoculars. Lindsay was also convinced, and recently purchased a pair for herself as well.


Lindsay and I strongly recommend purchasing a shoulder harness for use with your binoculars. If you've only used a neck strap, you would never believe how much the shoulder harness reduces the stress on your neck and back.

We have enjoyed our first year of blogging and hope that you have found our blog insightful and interesting. Thank you for visiting!

The Search for Coeloglossum

For several years while botanizing in Indiana, I had hoped to run across Frog Orchid (Coeloglossum viride). Vegetatively, this species can be confused with Palegreen Orchid (Platanthera flava var. herbiola) or even Broadleaf Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). There have been a couple of times in the past when I thought I might have finally found this elusive, intriguing orchid, but it was not in flower so I could never be sure. Who knew that my search would be satisfied by freak chance in Colorado? In July 2009, at Holy Cross Wilderness Area when our vehicle was broken down, I was botanizing the area while waiting for Eric to return when I happened upon my long-time target.


Called Frog Orchid because the Gene Simmons tongue-like lip apparently resembles a frog hopping into cover (you'll need a little imagination to see this), Long-bracted Green Orchid, as it is also known, grows in the forests, meadows, and bogs in the montane and subalpine life zones in Colorado (Beidleman et al. 2000; Weber 1976). It is found worldwide with a circumpolar distribution (Sheviak & Catling 2002). In North America, Frog Orchid is known from most of Canada, Alaska, and the northern half of the continental United States east of the Rocky Mountains; it is also known less commonly from a few western states (NatureServe 2010). Its habitat includes moist to wet forests, thickets, bogs, prairies, and tundra (Sheviak & Catling 2002).


The photograph above shows a Frog Orchid plant in bloom. As you can see, the plant can be easily overlooked, as the green flowers blend in well with the surroundings.


Coeloglossum means "hollow tongue;" the genus was named for the hollow pouch-like nectary below the base of the flower lip (Homoya 1993). Some authors have now moved this only member of the genus Coeloglossum to the genus Dactylorhiza (in which case it is called Dactylorhiza viridis). Dactylorhiza literally means "finger root;" the roots of this species consist of several palmate tubers (Case 1987) that as a result look something like fingers. The long bracts subtending greenish flowers (seen above) are the source of the common name Long-bracted Green Orchid.


Frog Orchid is rare in these parts and can be difficult to see in shady forests. Be sure to watch for it in mature woods in late spring and summer.

Beidleman, L.H., R.G. Beidleman, & B.E. Willard. (2000). Plants of Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, Colorado: Rocky Mountain Nature Association; Helena, Montana: Falcoln Publishing, Inc.

Case, F.W. Jr. (1987). Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Cranbrook Institute of Science.

Homoya, M.A. (1993). Orchids of Indiana. Bloomington & Indianapolis, Indiana: Indaian Academy of Science.

NatureServe. (2010). NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: January 21, 2010 ).

Sheviak, C.J. & P.M. Catling. (2002). Coeloglossum. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. 15+ vols. New York and Oxford. Vol. 26.

Weber, W.A. (1976). Rocky Mountain Flora. Niwot, Colorado: University Press of Colorado.