Bio-bits: Touch Me Not

You can find patches of the lovely native spotted jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) thriving in the dappled sunshine along the edges of streams, ponds, swampy spots, and other moist shady places during the summer and autumn months. This succulent annual reaches heights of two to five feet while spreading its tender stems of toothed, pale green leaves. Its jewellike flowers hang delicately from long, slender stalks from July to September, attracting hummingbirds and bees to a favored nectar source.

The jewelweed’s one-inch irregular flower is an orange tubular sac with a recurved spur drooping down from the back. Two fused petals form the wide lower lip of the flower, creating the perfect place for an insect to land while collecting the nectar from the blossom. Colorful red spots splash across the spotted jewelweed’s orange surface, giving the plant its common name.

A long tongue is required to find the nectar deep within the jewelweed’s tubular flower. A hummingbird with its very long tongue has no problem. And bumblebees and honeybees also have tongues long enough to reach the nectar. But sometimes a bumblebee will cheat; it chews a hole in the back of the flower near the spur and sips the nectar from there.

Touch the ripened, elongated seedpod of the jewelweed in the fall and the seeds are propelled at great velocity as the pod splits open - hence its nickname “touch-me-not.” (Let your planters of impatiens go to seed and you will find that they bear the same type of seedpods and will explode in the same fashion. Impatiens is Latin for impatient, a reference, no doubt, to these impatient seedpods.) Jewelweed seeds are eaten by upland gamebirds, such as ruffed grouse and bobwhite, and by white-footed mice.

In the past, the jewelweed was also known as “silver leaf” – when its leaves are bathed in rain, droplets form, or when submerged in water, tiny air bubbles form on the surfaces, giving the plant a silvery appearance.

But perhaps this plant is best known for its ability to neutralize the effects of poison ivy, stinging nettle, and bee stings. Break the hollow stem of a jewelweed and rub its juices onto the infected area to lessen the pain. This amazing and beneficial plant also contains a fungicide that is used to treat Athlete’s Foot.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Photo: Wikimedia

(Reprinted from September 2014 Newsletter.)

Bio Bits - The Secret Code Of Fireflies

We have all enjoyed the spectacle of fireflies flashing on a warm summer evening. A dark woodland edge or open meadow full of hundreds of tiny flashing lights is a magical sight indeed. But you have to wonder -what are these insects up to? 

First, fireflies are not flies at all, but soft-bodied beetles in the family Lampyridae. Most of the over 100 species found in North America are luminescent, producing a chemical light that is so efficient it wastes no energy in the form of heat. One, two or three segments near the tip of the abdomen give off the light; when they are not lit they appear paler than other abdominal segments. 

The luminescent fireflies are nocturnal and are active mainly around dusk. Each species inhabits a particular habitat and is active at a certain time of night. And - this is the cool part - it has its own distinctive series of flashes. 

This series of flashes is like a secret code that the male fireflies use to signal the females of their species, enabling the males and females to find each other to mate. Typically, a male flashes his signal while in flight to attract a response from a female on the ground. When she signals back, the male flies to her. There are females of some species, however, that will answer the signals of other species’ males. Their mimicry entices these males to fly in for a closer look, whereupon the female captures and eats the unsuspecting male. 

Firefly eggs are laid in moist soil or rotting wood and hatch in about a month. The larvae are nocturnal carnivores, eating small insects and snails. When the weather cools they burrow underground to spend the winter, emerging again in the spring. If you happen upon a firefly larva (or even an egg) you will know it since they are luminescent as well. Look for these glowworms in the evening on the ground in damp, marshy areas.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Images: Wikipedia

(From the July 2014 Newsletter.)

Bio Bits:

Just Another Piece Of Bark?

The eastern screech-owl (Otus asio) is a tiny nighttime predator that resides throughout much of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Standing less than 9 inches tall and weighing only about 6 ounces, this small owl can quickly become prey itself if it is not careful.

Eastern screech-owls come in three color variations, or morphs (rufous, gray, and brown), and all three color morphs occur in Connecticut. A large head (relative to body size), a short tail, and broad wings give this bird a stocky appearance. Facial disks surround its intense yellow eyes and help the owl to direct sound to its ears hidden at the sides of its head. Those “ear tufts” on top of the owl’s head are merely tufts of feathers and do not play a part in hearing. The screech-owl is easily identified, as it is the only small owl in our area with ear tufts. 

Like most owls, the screech-owl is nocturnal. It spends the day sleeping in a tree cavity or on a branch in dense foliage close to a tree’s trunk. The dark streaking and barring on its body provide the necessary camouflage to hide the owl from daytime predators, such as hawks. With its eyes closed the screech-owl becomes just another piece of bark on the tree and magically disappears from view. But as it becomes active at night the screech-owl must be wary of larger owls that would not miss an opportunity to make a meal of it.

The screech-owl lives and hunts along forest edges and in open woodlands, deciduous swamps, orchards, and even in urban parks and cemeteries. It catches a wide variety of food, including mice, shrews, voles, moles, flying squirrels, small birds, snakes, frogs, crayfish, earthworms, and insects. Insect favorites include moths, beetles, and ants.

 Screech-owl courtship begins in February. A male will display to the female by bowing and snapping his bill while perched on a branch. He will bring offerings of food and the couple may preen one another and sing a duet. Their repertoire includes a single-pitched trill, but the eastern screech-owl’s main song is a descending whinny, amazingly similar to the whinny of a horse – an eerie sound on a dark evening.

An average of four or five eggs is laid in late March or early April in a tree cavity, such as a naturally rotted opening or an old woodpecker hole. Nest boxes and openings in outbuildings will also be used as nest sites. No material is added to the cavity; the eggs are laid on whatever surface is there. The female incubates the eggs for about 26 days while her mate brings her food. She is not easily flushed from the nest at this time and there are many reports of incubating females being lifted by hand from nests in order to count the eggs. 

The young will leave the nest cavity in about a month, though they will not yet be able to fly. They can climb about the nest tree’s branches using their talons, bills and wings, and if a fledgling has fallen to the ground it is often able to get itself up to a safe perch by climbing the tree’s trunk. Keep your distance. The protective female is known to swoop down on unsuspecting intruders who get too close to her offspring.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak
(From the May, 2014 newsletter.)

Bio Bits: This Fly Has Gall

Have you ever noticed a swelling on the stem of a goldenrod and wondered what it was? This swelling is called a gall and is a deformation of the plant’s growth caused by an insect. A specific gall insect creates each type of gall on each plant species. “Gall insect” refers only to the fact that the insect has the ability to create these deformities. It does not belong to an all-encompassing family of gall insects; in fact, gall insects can be species of flies (including midges), wasps, aphids, or moths. 

Image from Wikimedia

Galls take many forms and can be found on myriad plant species, such as grape, raspberry, cherry, oak, willow, witch-hazel, and goldenrod. Some galls form on plant stems, while others appear on leaves. Buds and twigs can bear yet other types of galls. If the gall is round and grows on a goldenrod stem, it is caused by a goldenrod gall fly (Eurosta solidaginis).

The goldenrod gall fly is tiny, only about a quarter inch long. During the adult stage of its life, which is only about 2 weeks long, the fly does not eat. This time is spent mating and laying eggs. The female fly will lay her eggs in the stems of emerging goldenrods in the spring. A hatching larva (white and grub-like) will burrow further into the plant stem to create itself a safe home. Chemicals in the larva’s saliva that mimic plant hormones cause the stem to form a ball-shaped growth, or gall. While the outside surface of the gall is hard and protective, the inside is softer and very nutritious. There the larva lives, feeding on the plant’s inner tissues while the gall continues to grow to about the size of a golf ball. It is humbling to think that the chemical secretions of a tiny insect can cause a plant to deform in such a way as to create the perfect house and pantry for the insect’s needs.

Image: Warren Uxley

The goldenrod gall fly larva will live within the gall from one spring to the next. Fall temperatures will cause the fly larva to accumulate glycerol and sorbitol in its body fluids, allowing it to survive freezing and thawing many times over the course of the winter. In the spring it will chew a tunnel through the gall to the outside. But it still needs to pupate, to transform from this larval stage into an adult fly. So it crawls back into the center of the gall, not emerging from its escape tunnel until the transformation is complete.

 Downy woodpeckers and chickadees have discovered the nutritious meal that lies hidden within the goldenrod gall. You may find one of these industrious birds perched upon a withered goldenrod stem this winter as it pecks a hole in a gall to reach the tasty larva within.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak
(From the January 2014 newsletter.)

Bio Bits: A Foxy Winter Visitor

The fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca) is a northern bird that spends the summer on its breeding grounds across Canada, Alaska, and the mountainous regions of the western United States. In the fall it migrates south, but not as far as some birds. Instead of heading for the tropics, the fox sparrow spends the winter along parts of the Pacific coast or eastern half of the United States. It can often be seen in wooded or shrubby backyards in our area. 

The fox sparrow in the East is one of our largest sparrows, measuring about seven inches in length. Because of its size, its overall rusty coloration, heavy streaking on the breast, and its bright rufous tail, it can initially be confused with a hermit thrush. But notice its thick bill (the bill of a sparrow, not a thrush) and the gray markings above its eye, on its neck and along its back. And notice the way in which it feeds. The fox sparrow will use both its feet simultaneously to kick up leaf litter in search of food. This comical dance may be what first alerts you to the bird’s presence. Well camouflaged among the leaf litter on the ground, the fox sparrow will expose itself nonetheless when it scratches about for winter sustenance. When snow covers the ground, the beauty of this bird is revealed against the stark white background. Look for it on the ground beneath your bird feeders as it takes advantage of the fallen seeds.

If you are lucky enough to have a fox sparrow visit your yard this season, enjoy this migrant’s short visit. Before long it will be heading back to the far north.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Images: Wikipedia

(From the November, 2013 Newsletter)

Time For Bullfrogs To Hibernate

As temperatures begin to cool, that big ol’ bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) in your neighborhood pond is thinking about retreating to the bottom of the pond to spend the winter. Bullfrogs in our area will disappear from the edges of ponds and lakes around mid-October, burrowing under the mud at the pond bottom, or under leaf litter.

The bullfrog is a common species and was originally found only in the central and eastern United States and up into Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, efforts to commercially harvest frogs’ legs from bullfrogs has led to the introduction of the species to many western states, as well as Mexico and Cuba. There is concern that introduced bullfrogs compete with and displace native frog species in these areas. And they’ll eat almost anything that happens their way: worms, large insects like dragonflies, other frogs, and even unsuspecting hummingbirds.

Not sure that what you’re seeing is a bullfrog? Bullfrogs prefer the water’s edge along a vegetated bank. When alarmed they may jump into the water or hide among the dense vegetation. Like green frogs, they are varying shades of green and brown and yellow, but green frogs have a pair of ridges that run down the back. The bullfrog does not have these ridges, though it does have a ridge of skin that runs from just behind the eye and wraps around the eardrum. Adult bullfrogs are large, with body lengths ranging from three inches to a whopping eight inches. The distinctive ‘jug-o-rum’ call of the male is quite different from the banjo-twang call given by the green frog.

Bullfrogs spend their lives around water. Unlike terrestrial wood frogs that have a frenzied breeding season in early spring in temporary water bodies, the bullfrog breeding season doesn’t need to be completed in a two to three week span. Instead, bullfrogs breed anywhere from May to July in our area and from February to October in the south. And since eggs are laid in permanent bodies of water, the tadpoles don’t need to race against the clock to develop into frogs before their pond dries up. In fact, bullfrog tadpoles can take up to two years to transform into frogs, with some spending a winter or two in the tadpole stage. Look for these huge five-inch long tadpoles along the silty bottom of their aquatic home.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Image: Wikipedia

(From the September 2013 newsletter)

Of Garters and Ribbons

A snake basks in a sunny spot on a fallen log or in the foliage of a low shrub beside a shallow wetland. Your first impression: garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). But a second look (quick, before it slips away into the water) reveals three very well defined yellow stripes down its dark back and sides. There are no dark splotches or other markings to interfere with its clean yellow and black lines. Its slim head is black, but its face below the eyes is pure white. Unlike the stout garter snake, its body is sleek and its tail is extraordinarily long. This is not the ubiquitous garter snake, but the uncommon eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis s. sauritus). 

The eastern ribbon snake ranges from southeastern Maine and eastern Pennsylvania south to northern Georgia. Disjunct populations occur west to Ohio snakes, year of the snake,eastern ribbon snakeand south to the Gulf Coast. It is locally uncommon in southern New England, with Connecticut’s largest populations occurring in shallow wetlands near basalt (trap rock) ridges. Open shrubby or grassy areas along wooded swamps, fens, bogs, vernal pools, streams and ponds are the perfect habitat for this snake, though not a guarantee that any reside there.

The eastern ribbon snake is active from April to October after having hibernated among trap rock ridges, the gravel of railroad beds, or in other sheltered upland areas near its preferred wetland habitat. It grows up to 36 inches in length, averaging about 26 inches. (Females tend to be larger than males.) The female ribbon snake does not lay eggs, but gives birth to live young during July and August. The three to 20 young are born in a single litter and average about eight inches in length. They will reach maturity in two to three years. 

This snake preys on frogs, salamanders, small fish, and invertebrates, such as insects and spiders. It swims along the surface of the water rather than diving and tends to avoid areas of deep water. A disturbance, such as your presence, will cause the ribbon snake to slide quickly into the water or to disappear through the shoreline vegetation. Very often all you will see is the last few inches of its very long tail as it makes a hasty retreat.

The ribbon snake is listed as a species of special concern in Connecticut. This designation is given to any native plant or animal species that has a naturally restricted range or habitat in the state, has a low population level or its population would be detrimentally affected by unregulated collection, or a species that has been extirpated from the state. Help to protect the ribbon snake by leaving it where you found it, and by preserving its wetland habitats.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Image: Wikipedia

(From the July 2013 newsletter.)

Jack-In-The-Pulpit – An Unusual Wildflower

The Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a spring wildflower of moist woodlands and may be encountered in oak-hickory forests and forested swamps. Though some consider this member of the Arum family a single species with several variations, others believe there to be three separate species of Jack-in-the-pulpit. 

This interesting plant flowers from April to June, but unless you look closely you will not see the actual flowers. What you will see is a green or purple striped spathe (pulpit) encircling and curving over a club-shaped spadix (Jack). Tiny flowers are found within the pulpit at the base of the spadix. All well and good, you say, but how do pollinators find the blossoms?

mchenry.edu

Like other members of the Arum family, such as skunk cabbage, the Jack-in-the-pulpit is believed to give off a fetid odor. Consequently, small flies in search of a rotting carcass on which to lay their eggs are attracted to the plant’s unobtrusive flowers. When the flies enter the spathe they brush against its pollen and carry it to other Jacks. 

The one or two leaves of this wildflower are divided into three leaflets that top long stalks. Impressive varieties can grow to three feet tall, though most you find will be less than a foot high. Once you learn to recognize its leaves, the Jack-in-the-pulpit hiding beneath will become easy to spot. 

Wikipedia

In late summer a bright cluster of red berries forms on a thickened stalk. Wood thrush and wild turkeys will eat these woodland fruits. Native Americans were known to consume the tuberous roots of the Jack-in-the-pulpit, which gives the plant another common name – Indian turnip. Since the roots contain calcium oxalate crystals and would cause a severe burning sensation if eaten raw, they were cooked thoroughly before being eaten.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

(From the May 2013 newsletter)

Bio Bits: How To Feed And Clean A Turkey

As breeding season gets underway and gobbling can be heard in our woodlands and meadows, we notice the wild turkey’s (Meleagris gallopavo) activities. This bird is native to North and Central America and was domesticated in Mexico centuries ago. In the sixteenth century Spanish conquerors brought some of these domesticated birds back to Spain where they continued to be bred in captivity. 

These turkeys were later introduced to France and England. European colonists eventually brought the turkey full circle – back to America as a domesticated version of its wild American cousin. 

Wild turkeys feed on seeds and nuts, as well fruits, leaves, insects (like grasshoppers) and even small vertebrates (like salamanders). In the fall and winter acorns, hickory nuts and beechnuts become the mainstay of the wild turkey diet. All food consumed by the turkey, including seeds, nuts and crunchy insects, pass through the turkey’s gizzard, the hard muscular section of the stomach. The gizzard grinds the food with the aid of “grit,” such as sand or small pebbles, which the turkey ingests for this very reason. In experiments it was found that a turkey’s gizzard could crush an object that required more than 400 pounds of pressure per square inch!

Patches of bare dry ground are attractive to wild turkeys not only for the grit they offer, but also as sites for dust baths. Loose dusty sand is an ideal medium in which to look for signs of wild turkey bathing activity. A flock will spend a good deal of time at the site as each turkey takes a turn, lowering its body to the ground while flinging sand onto its back with its wings. Puffing its feathers allows the sand to reach all the turkey’s skin and feather surfaces. A vigorous shake, some preening of feathers, and the turkey is ready to resume its daily activities, perhaps leaving behind footprints and wing impressions in the dust for an observant person to discover. 

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Photos: Wikimedia

(From the March 2013 Newsletter)

Great Horned Owl Is Early Nester

The great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), one of America’s most powerful raptors, ranges across the Western Hemisphere, from the northernmost forests of Canada and Alaska to the tip of Tierra del Fuego. It is a year-round resident in our area. This imposing bird is the largest of our local owls, standing eighteen to twenty-five inches tall. Its “horns” are actually tufts of feathers that stand atop its head. Some people call them “ear tufts,” but they have nothing to do with the owl’s ears, which are situated on the sides of its face. Those bright yellow eyes, encircled by facial disks and hooded by a v-shaped feathered brow, seem to stare right through you. There is no doubt about it – this bird means business. 

Roosting by day in white pines and other dense cover, the great horned owl avoids detection and harassment from mobbing crows. By night it is the consummate hunter, preying on birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. Rabbits are a favorite food, but the great horned often will kill larger prey species such as geese, swans, woodchucks, hawks, and even other owls. Historical and first-hand accounts have documented that skunk is another favorite food. Come into contact with a great horned owl or its nest and invariably you will detect the pungent scent of skunk.

Great horned owls are the earliest breeding raptors in our area and nesting begins in late winter, often while there is still snow on the ground. A mated pair will hunt, roost and breed in the same area year after year, defending their territory from other great horned owls. The pair will use the abandoned nest of a hawk, crow or even a squirrel. If you happen upon an owl nest in early February, leave it be. The adults are incubating eggs, protecting their future offspring from the vestiges of winter.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Images: Wikimedia

It Glides Through The Air With The Greatest Of Ease

The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) may be common in our area, but few people have ever seen one since this tiny forest sprite is a creature of the night. 

There are two species of flying squirrel in Connecticut. The southern species lives in deciduous and mixed forests of the eastern United States, from southern Maine to northern Florida. The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) prefers coniferous forests and can be found in Canada, as well as northern and mountainous regions of the U. S. The only area of Connecticut where it resides is in the higher elevations of the northwest corner.

Flying squirrels are our only nocturnal squirrels. They become active at dusk, emerging from a nest in a hollow tree, an old woodpecker hole or a nestbox. The nest is lined with bark, leaves, moss and feathers. In summer a nest is sometimes built of leaves and twigs on the outside of the tree. And occasionally you may find that flying squirrels have taken up residence in your nice, warm attic. 

The southern flying squirrel depends on the forest trees to provide it with sustenance, such as hickory nuts, acorns and beechnuts. Seeds, berries, mushrooms, insects and bird eggs are also eaten. Since it remains active throughout the year, the squirrel will store food for the leaner winter months. 

Its soft, silky fur is gray-brown above with white undersides. Large eyes help it to see in the deep darkness of a forest night. But its most amazing characteristic is the loose skin between the front and hind legs that allows it to fly.

Well, not actually fly. The squirrel doesn’t flap these skin folds; it uses them more like a parachute or glider. It spreads its legs wide and glides from the top of a tree to the trunk of another. From a height of 60 feet, a two and a half ounce flying squirrel can glide over 150 feet. By turning its legs and body and using its flattened tail as a rudder, the squirrel easily controls where it will glide and ultimately land. Another cool trick: upon landing it immediately runs up or around the tree trunk to hide from any predator that may have observed its flight. 

Unlike our other squirrel species, the flying squirrel is quite gregarious. Groups of these squirrels are known to feed and sleep together and there are reports of over 20 squirrels denning together for the winter. If you hear high-pitched birdlike twittering in the evening, shine a light up into the trees. Perhaps a troupe of flying squirrels is passing through.  

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

Image from Audubon’s Mammals: The Quadripeds of North America

American Crows - Intelligent Opportunists

Most people, including preschoolers, can identify the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). 

wikimedia.org

A large black bird with a thick bill, the ubiquitous crow walks and flies through our lives on a regular basis. It ranges throughout Connecticut, common in urban, suburban and rural areas. It likes open areas with trees, at home in both farm country and city parks. A member of the corvid family, the crow is considered one of the most intelligent species in the bird world. 

Crows are omnivores, eating anything from crops (such as corn and fruit), to insects, snakes, nestling birds, roadkill, and garbage. Families tend to travel and feed together, so where you see one crow you are likely to see more. A family unit can consist of a mated pair and their offspring from previous years, as well as this year’s young. Together they may defend a territory of about 100 acres. Watch them walk through the leaf litter at the edge of the woods or through a grassy area as they scare up insects and snakes. Carrion is also readily eaten, but since the crow is not equipped with a bill that can tear open a fresh carcass, it relies on other animals, such as vultures and mammals, to begin the process. It is not uncommon to see a flock of crows “waiting in the wings” for their turn to feed on larger carrion. The author once observed three crows follow a fisher through the woods as it searched for prey. The crows flew from tree to tree above the fisher, ready and willing to clean up any leftover scraps from the fisher’s next meal.

Dennis Riordan

Crows are opportunists, scavenging scraps from landfills, trash dumpsters, and suburban compost piles. And they have benefited from our human development in other respects as well. As we create more and more “edge habitat” by fragmenting tracts of forest, we provide these “edge predators” with the opportunity to find and plunder the nests of smaller songbirds. 

As winter closes in you may notice small flocks of crows pass overhead in late afternoon. They are returning to their communal winter roost for the night. Typically, the large congregation of roosting crows will disperse from their roost trees in the morning as they spend the day in search of food. By mid-afternoon they begin to head back to the roost. Small flocks will join up at pre-roosting sites before continuing on. If you are along one of the crows’ flight paths this winter, you are likely to see them pass by on a daily basis.

Submitted by Cindi Kobak

(From the November, 2011 Newsletter)