Dreaming of the Tropics

On a recent field outing with the South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society in northwest Indiana, we had an experience that reminded me of times I've spent in places like Peru, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.  How is northwest Indiana anything like an amazing tropical/subtropical paradise, you ask?  

 

 

Yeah, that's a parrot, one of about 20 species of feral parrots present in the United States.  It sure isn't often that you see a brightly colored green, gray, and blue bird making a complete racket in the Hoosier state, but in northwest Indiana and northeastern Illinois, there are several populations of Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) present in the wild.  This clearly isn't a native species, but after having been brought into the country in the 1960s for the pet trade, Monk Parakeets began to be released into the wild, either intentionally or unintentionally.  Since then, they have been able to make use of our grains, berries, nuts, and insects, as well as the urban habitats into which they were released, and their populations have survived and grown.  Monk Parakeets are also present as introduced species in South America and Europe.  They are considered native in southern Brazil and Bolivia into central Argentina.

 

 

Although they are unique, charismatic birds, there is question as to how their introduction might affect native bird species such as the Blue Jays and American Robins with which they compete for resources.  There is also concern that they may negatively impact crops when they are present near agricultural areas.  For that reason, there are laws prohibiting owning, selling, and breeding Monk Parakeets in several states.  That said, it's been shown in New York that Monk Parakeet presence can reduce the number of Rock Pigeons.  More recent research seems to point towards less impact as a result of the Monk Parakeet introduction, but the verdict is still out.

 

 

Monk Parakeets are the only parrot species that build their nests... er, apartments... out of sticks (all other parrots nest in cavities).  Instead of living in pairs, they live and breed in large colonies in nests that can be bigger than a Smart Car.  Each pair has its own entrance into the colonial nest.  Below is a photo I took almost nine years ago of one of the nests from a residential area in northwest Indiana... I apologize for the awful photo quality.  This nest is said to have been knocked down in a storm since I saw it. 

 

You can see that these Monk Parakeets are hanging out on electrical power lines, and in fact, we were at an electricity substation to see them.  The utility company continues to remove their nest, but these birds are persistent, and they keep trying to rebuild.  As we were watching them, a chatter of eight parakeets flew off and came back carrying sticks (all but one, that is... the supervisor, we assumed).  Unfortunately, these large birds and their enormous nests can cause a lot of damage.  As recently as this year, a Monk Parakeet nest knocked out power in New Jersey by restricting air flow to a transformer, causing it to overheat.  They can also lead to fires as they heat up as a result of being exposed to the electrical equipment.

 

 

Regardless of the fact that this is a non-native bird, it's still interesting to see how introduced species adapt to new settings, and to see such a colorful bird that can instantly take my mind away to the southern hemisphere.

Sights of Summer on Schulenberg Prairie

Recently, I visited Schulenberg Prairie on the grounds of The Morton Arboretum in preparation for a workshop I will be leading there on 21 September 2013 focusing on asters and goldenrods.  This 100-acre created prairie consists of a rich mix of obligate and conservative prairie species and represents the fourth oldest prairie restoration/planting in the country.  The restoration of Schulenberg Prairie began in 1962 with the installation of plants grown from locally collected seed from existing Chicago region prairies.  Prior to that time, the 100 acres was dominated by a single species, as it was used as an agricultural field.  Since 1962, Schulenberg Prairie has been regularly maintained by volunteers and staff from The Morton Arboretum through herbicide, hand-pulling invasive plants, and fire, resulting in the most diverse and natural-looking prairie conversion that I have ever seen.

 

Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) and Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) are common in Schulenberg Prairie



Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)



Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) adds a touch of pinkish-purple to the prairie backdrop



Cream gentian (Gentiana alba) is surprisingly abundant along the trails through Schulenberg Prairie



A bumblebee (Bombus sp.) forces its way into a Cream Gentian (Gentiana alba) flower in search of a sweet snack



Downy Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta), a real show-stopper



Downy Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)



Schulenberg prairie was originally planted with a 1:1 ratio of grasses and forbs, and excellent structural diversity still exists 50+ years later thanks to the tireless efforts of staff and volunteers



The expanse of Schulenberg Prairie



Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) adds vertical aspect within an otherwise short-grass portion of the prairie

Schulenberg Prairie was named in honor of Ray Schulenberg, former curator at The Morton Arboretum, and one of the true pioneers in prairie restoration at a time when the few remaining prairies of Illinois were being rapidly transformed into agricultural lands and subdivisions.  It was Ray who, in 1962, was given the task of rehabilitating the land that agricultural activities had degraded for decades through the removal of native vegetation and topsoil.  Ray passed away in 2003, but his memory lives on in this spectacular prairie planting that literally bears both his name and the fruits of his labor.

Photobombed by a Skipper

While taking the photograph below of a Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) plant in one of our native landscaping gardens, a skipper flew into my photograph at the last second...

 

This is Michigan?

 

 

Round-leaved Orchid (Amerorchis rotundifolia)

Oh yeah, this is Michigan!

More to come from a recent trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula...

Another Yard Orchid!

Hmmm...

 

Yet another surprise.   Hope to have an update on this one later this year.

As the Summer Wanes, Fens Heat Up

Well, here we are, almost halfway through 2013, and I still haven't posted about some of my 2012 outings.  I'd hoped to get caught up over the winter, but I simply don't have the time that I used to, and as a result blogging has been and will continue to be pushed to the back burner.  I still hope to blog a bit about the trip that Lindsay and I took to Ecuador and Galapagos in 2012, but that will likely come much later.

 

Tiplady Road Fen

In late September 2012, Lindsay participated in a 50K mud run in Hell, Michigan.  I went along and cheered her on at a few locations, but in between I had some time for botanizing at Tiplady Road Fen.

 

Gentianopsis virgata

One of the jewels of a fen in late September is Lesser Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis virgata).  It was difficult to find open flowers when I arrived, but as it warmed up a bit the flowers opened more.  There was only a brief period of time when the flowers were open with dew drops still on the petals, and I was thrilled to be able to time this right for my photographs.

Lobelia kalmii

I've never had much luck getting good photographs of Kalm's Lobelia (Lobelia kalmii), as the plant is often buried in taller vegetation and my photos end up severely washed out and overexposed.  After finding this diminutive calciphile, I waited until the sun went behind the clouds to snap this photograph, and I was particularly happy with the outcome.

Parnassia glauca

It's always a treat to see Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia glauca), whether in flower or just vegetative.  As seen in the photograph above, the green veins within the five white petals give the flowers an intriguing look.  The leaves also have an interesting appearance, being quite smooth, lime green, and nearly heart shaped; they occur in a basal cluster.  In addition, rarely do you see this species outside of an extremely high quality area.

 

Muhlenbergia glomerata

Time for a grass intermission, right?  The photograph above shows one of my favorite fen grasses, Marsh Timothy (Muhlenbergia glomerata).  I was fortunate to find this one with such a nice blue sky background.  While not a rare plant in fens and springy meadows, Marsh Timothy is never really abundant either.

 

Cirsium muticum

I've probably said it before on this blog, but thistles get a bad rap.  Sure, there are the "bad ones," but there are some good native thistles as well, and the one shown above is one of them.  Swamp Thistle (Cirsium muticum) is also a "good" thistle because you can actually touch the leaves and the involucre and not bleed as a result.  In fact, because the phyllaries are appressed within the involucre, you can feel the sticky glutinous ridges that are present on each phyllary when you grab the flower head.  Don't try that with the other thistles.

 

Aster novae-angliae

What would late summer be in any habitat without asters?  Fens are certainly no exception, being home to numerous species.  I've chosen to show three here.  Above is my least favorite of the three, New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae).  There's nothing particularly wrong with it, and the deep violet rays add interesting color to the late summer landscape.  I guess it's my least favorite because of its broad use in restorations and native landscaping, where it becomes exceptionally abundant and sometimes even weedy.  As part of a natural landscape, I've never seen it behave that way.

Aster puniceus

Swamp Aster (Aster puniceus), on the other hand, is more appealing to me.  First it isn't as gaudy as New England Aster.  It is also more characteristic of quality areas, though it does hold on in heavily degraded fens. 

Aster umbellatus

And then there's Flat-topped Aster (Aster umbellatus), which occurs in a wide variety of quality natural habitats.  Vegetatively, this is the one that is most frequently misidentified as a goldenrod.  When looking at the flower heads, you may think that it is missing some ray flowers, but that's just the way Flat-topped Aster rolls... its ray flowers are not evenly distributed around the flower head.  I guess another reason I like this one is because it's such a nonconformist in this sense.

Tiplady Road Fen

Fens can be dangerous places.  Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catensis catensis) abound, mounds of Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta) make walking very difficult, you risk going into the muck knee-deep with every step, and Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron radicans) lurks everywhere.  It isn't the large Poison Sumac shrubs, such as the one on the left side of the photograph above (with the bright scarlet leaves) that you necessarily need to worry about, because you can see them... it's the small, knee-high shrubs that are hidden within the grasses and sedges that will get you everytime.

Tiplady Road Fen

I made it out of the fen safely (and somehow on time) to get back to see Lindsay finish her race.  What a great way to spend a late summer day.

Late Summer on Bear Lake Prairie

I finally made it to an Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society - North Chapter field trip on 8 September 2012. As the Treasurer and one of the founding members of this new chapter of an established statewide environmental organization, I had hoped to make it to more of the field trips during our inaugural year, but my schedule simply didn't allow.  However, I made it a priority to be at this field trip due to the quality of the site.  On this late summer day, Bill Minter, the land manager at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, led our group on a hike through Bear Lake Prairie, discussing management activities and challenges at the property.  I'd visited Bear Lake Prairie a couple of times in the past, but it's always great to get back to such a unique natural area.

 

Bill Minter leads the INPAWS group through Bear Lake Prairie.

Bear Lake Prairie is a result of historic artificial drainage that left the marl bottom of Bear Lake exposed for colonization by native prairie species.  The result is a calcareous marl beach wet prairie full of conservative species that you could find in both tallgrass prairie and calcareous fen communities.

Gentiana andrewsii, always a crowd pleaser.

Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is one of the calciphiles that calls Bear Lake Prairie home.  It is known from the northeastern quarter of the United States and north into much of the eastern half of Canada; it also has been recorded from a couple of counties in Colorado.  Bottle Gentian habitat includes mesic prairies, thickets, openings in wooded areas, fens, and swampy areas.  Looking at the photograph above, you can see why not many insects are able to feed on nectar from Closed Bottle Gentian.  Bumblebees, however, possess the strength to force their way into the "closed" flowers to drink nectar and in the process pollinate the flowers.


Liatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii lights up the prairie.

One of the most stunning blazing stars, in my opinion, and also one of the least abundant in the Midwest, is Nieuwland's Blazing Star (Liatris scariosa var. nieuwlandii).  This variety of Liatris scariosa was named in honor of chemist and botanist Father Julius Aloysius (Arthur) Nieuwland, who attended the University of Notre Dame as an undergrad and returned there to serve as a professor from 1904 to 1936. Savanna Blazing Star, as this species is also aptly known, can be found in prairies, glades, savannas, and open woodlands.  Its distribution includes scattered clusters of counties in the Great Lakes states, Missouri, and Arkansas, but it achieves its greatest distribution in northwest Indiana and Michigan.

Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda is characteristic of saturated calcareous open areas.

Even if you aren't a botanist, it's possible that you may recognize the bright yellow flowers on the shrub above from your average parking lot, as cultivars of this species are common in the landscaping trade.  In nature, Shrubby Cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda) grows in wet calcareous areas including fens, pannes, and other wet areas near the Great Lakes, and also in dry calcareous habitats including hill prairies, alvars, and limestone barrens. It appears to be distributed in three distinct geographical zones (the western United States, the Great Lakes states, and the New England states) with separation between these areas.  It is also known from much of Canada and Alaska, and from a single county in North Carolina.  Subspecies floribunda is the new world taxa, whereas subspecies fruticosa is of Eurasian origin.  You may know this plant by the Latin name Potentilla fruticosa.

An interesting diverse tapestry makes up the flora of Bear Lake Prairie.

Thanks to Bill Minter for leading an excellent field trip and for managing Bear Lake Prairie to preserve some outstanding biodiversity.

The Gray Area between Work and Hobby

I remember my cousin's reaction the first time he found out that I botanized for fun.  He was pretty amazed that I would go out and slosh through wetlands to get covered in ticks, mosquito bites, and poison sumac.  Why would anyone do that and not get paid for it?  Why wouldn't they?  How can someone work in the environmental field and not be passionate about it?

That gray area is something I deal with all too often.  On a trip to Superior, Wisconsin to do vegetation sampling in late August 2012, a few of the people on my crew joined me on our day off for a trip to Buckley Creek and Barrens State Natural Area in Douglas County.  This 900-acre property was our "site of choice" that day because of the range of plant communities present, from very dry to very wet.  The resulting flora provided a wide range of interesting species for us to feast our eyes and lenses on that fine summer day.  Below I will discuss some of those species and communities.

Agastache foeniculum

Blue Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is a plant of northern North America that I had read about but never seen, so it was a nice surprise to find it on the edge of the oak barrens at Buckley Creek and Barrens.  Primarily found in the upper Midwest, west of the Great Lakes, and into Canada, this mint also ranges as far west as western Montana, and it is found in scattered counties in the eastern United States. In addition to scrubby barrens, Blue Giant Hyssop can be found in dry upland forest openings, prairies, fields, and thickets.

Aster oolentangiensis

Many of us learned the plant in the photograph above as Aster azureus; the specific epithet is a reference to the ray flowers of this composite, which are said to be "sky blue" in color.  However, the rules of botanical nomenclature came into play when it was determined after many years of using the name Aster azureus that a different epithet for the same species had been published several months earlier than the specific epithet azureus.  The plant then became officially known by the first published name, Aster oolentangiensis.  This specific epithet is a reference to the Olentangy River in central Ohio where the specimen at the center of this debate was collected.  Some people seem to despise the specific epithet oolentangiensis, which rolls right off the tongue, but the inimitable Ed Voss was a fan of this name change, as he grew up in a town along the Olentangy only a few miles upstream from the location where the plant was first collected.  Descriptiveness and hometown pride aside, I'm happy to use the name Aster oolentangiensis to stay in line with nomenclatural law.  Many people now call this plant Symphyotrichum oolentangiense, the genus having changed as a result of molecular research.  Sky-blue Aster is found in prairies, barrens, glades, open woodlands, on dunes, and in savannas, often in sandy or shallow soil.  Its geographical range includes the central United States in a band along and just west of the Mississippi River, as well as areas around the Great Lakes.

Oligoneuron album

Speaking of name changes, this one's a doozy.  I first learned Prairie Goldenrod (Oligoneuron album) as Upland White Aster (Aster ptarmicoides).  In the 1970s, botanists began calling this plant Solidago ptarmicoides because the floral structures were more closely aligned with goldenrods.  Then, just about the time this name started gaining widespread use in the 1990s, the name Oligoneuron album came into play.  Many other names have been used for this composite in the past as well.  Prairie Goldenrod has its greatest distribution in the upper Midwest, west of the Great Lakes, but it is also found in numerous Missouri Ozark counties, in scattered counties in Michigan, and scattered elsewhere in the United States and in eastern Canada.  It has an affinity to calcareous soils, where it is found in dry sand, in limestone pavement communities, on glades, on rocky outcrops, and in prairies.  One habitat that is not mentioned in the references I've seen is in barren slag pits that have displaced dune and swale communities.  In this crime against nature "community," Prairie Goldenrod is one of the few native plants that seems to persist after years of degradation.

Liatris aspera

Rough Blazingstar (Liatris aspera) is an attractive species of a variety of habitats including prairies, barrens, dunes, glades, fields, savannas, and woodlands.  It is most frequently found growing in sand and silty loam soils.  This composite is found throughout much of the eastern half of North America, but its greatest distribution is in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and just west of the Mississippi River.  Rough Blazingstar is said to have edible corms that can be used as a survival food, but rodents are said to also feed on these corms and in some places are responsible for reducing the Rough Blazingstar population.  The blazing stars (Liatris spp.) have determinate inflorescences, meaning that the oldest flower clusters are at the tip of the inflorescence and the youngest flower clusters are at the bottom, so the inflorescence does not continue to expand in length as the season progresses.

Solidago nemoralis

Gray Goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) is a very common composite found across much of North America with the exception of Alaska and extreme northern Canada and the western third of the United States.  It grows in fields and prairies, along roadsides, and in open woodlands in sandy, gravelly, and clayey soils.  The common name comes from the fine gray hairs that cover the stems, giving the plants an overall grayish cast.

Polygonella articulata

One of the more interesting looking yet overlooked plants of sandhills, dunes, beaches, pine barrens, and other sandy coastal and lakeshore habitats is Coastal Jointweed (Polygonella articulata).  As the first half of the common name implies, this species of the buckwheat family is found along the Atlantic coast and in the Great Lakes states and provinces, particularly in counties bordering the Great Lakes.  The second half of the common name is a reference to the jointed-like appearance of the plant, and especially of the inflorescence before buds emerge.  This appearance is a result of the ocreae (on the stems) and ocreolae (in the inflorescence).  These structures are short sheaths formed by the fused stipules, or leafy structures at the base of each leaf.

Bog

In addition to spending time in the dry oak barrens, we also tromped through a boggy area with typical bog/muskeg vegetation.  This bog had strong representation by plants in the heath family and sedges.

Eriophorum virginicum

One of those sedges was Tawny Cottongrass (Eriophorum virginicum), a striking species of bogs, conifer swamps, fens, marshes, and wet meadows.  This cottongrass is unique in that it has brown scales, and perianth bristles that instead of being pure white often have some brownish or orangish color to them.  It grows in the New England states and southwest along the Appalachians, as well as in the Great Lakes states and provinces. 

Thanks to those who joined me on this weekend outing to see such a unique Wisconsin natural area.

Bird Quiz

I took the following photograph today while on a field trip at Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area with South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society.  The photo quality isn't spectacular, but I think at least five bird species can be identified in this photograph.  Get out your binoculars and spotting scopes and tell me which species you can identify! Good luck!

 

2012-2013 Winter Feeder Count Results

As we have in 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012, Lindsay and I participated in the Indiana Audubon Society Winter Feeder Bird Count this past November through February.  This count is conducted on the 20th to 25th of November, December, January, and February at feeders throughout the state.

Various feeder birds, including Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, and American Tree Sparrow

We haven't been able to match the numbers we had in 2008-2009, when 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 count.  Our species numbers during the 2012-2013 count were similar to the past four years, however.  We had 17 species in November, 16 species in December, 15 species in January, and 19 species in February; over the past four years of the count, we've never had less than 15 species or more than 19 species during one of the count periods.  We tallied 23 species at our feeders during the count periods in 2012-2013, the second most that we've had during the last five years.  Our complete list is included at the end of this post.

Male Downy Woodpecker

Species observed most frequently (those present during all four count periods) in 2012-2013 were Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura), Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). Species observed in greatest abundance during a single count period (with the greatest number observed at one time in parentheses) were House Sparrow (31 in December, 13 in January), American Tree Sparrow (16 in February), Dark-eyed Junco (15 in January), Mourning Dove (14 in January), European Starling (13 in December), and American Goldfinch (13 in November). The most abundant species based on average over the four count periods were House Sparrow (14.25), American Tree Sparrow (10.25), Northern Cardinal (9.0), and Mourning Dove (8.5).  Numbers of individuals were down substantially from last year, when we had four species that averaged over 10 individuals over the count period.  The most notable observation that we made this year was a lack of White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys).  During the 2012-2013 count, we only had one White-crowned Sparrow during one of the count periods (November).  The number of individuals of this species seems to have been decreasing at our feeders each year.  In 2011-2012, we had one individual during each of the four count periods; in 2008-2009, we had 7 individuals in November, 2 individuals in December, 2 individuals in January, and 1 individual in February.

Female Hairy Woodpecker

Although overall it has been another mild winter, the temperature range during the count period was comparable to that in previous years, with a low temperature of 4 degrees Fahrenheit in January and a high temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit in November.  However, the most snow cover that we had at any time during the 2012-2013 count was 3 inches.

2012-2013 Winter Bird Feeder Count Species List
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
European Starling
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow