Snakes Alive

Lone Star Tick- Wikimedia

Following an extremely mild winter, the early arrival of animals and plants usually associated with mid-April shouldn't be surprising.  Common sense would suggest that the ticks that crawled over us all through this year's winter months would create a bumper crop in the spring.  Mike Penprase wrote about this in Thursday's News-Leader article How did area critters survive winter?.   He quotes entomologist Rob Lawrence, the Missouri Department of Conservation’s insect expert.

“The whole issue of insect and tick survival in the winter and predicting it is much more complex than we might think. That’s because a very cold winter doesn’t always guarantee that insect populations will be low once warm weather begins," he said.  "Cold weather causes insects to go dormant, and bugs that burrow into the soil or have other protection tend to survive. Continuous cold, in some cases, actually is better for insect survival. Insects that leave dormancy and become active during warm weather often don’t find food needed to survive."

Driving the lane along our glade at Bull Creek, I came across a 30" timber rattlesnake which we had apparently driven over the day before.  It had been taking advantage of the warm weather to head out hunting.  Basking in the sun would be common but I was surprised that it had roamed this early from the south facing rocky shelf rocks that its family normally calls home.

Find the rattle- click to enlarge

Timber rattlesnakes occur in small numbers in the Ozarks, but our land seems unusually blessed with them.  The terrain (wooded slopes with lots of shelf rock overhangs) and aspect (the southerly direction the rocky slopes face) is a description you might find the the real estate section of Timberrattler.com.  While they are unwelcome around our house and garage, it is always exciting to get to see them in the wild along Bull Creek (see picture).  They are a beneficial species and an important strand in the web of life.

Another sign of early spring was the appearance of a black vulture on the corral fence of our old deserted barn.  They had nested in a stall there last year, entering through some missing boards in the wall.  We had the privilege of watching their chicks grow up into fine adults (picture).

 Allaboutbirds says this about black vulture nesting habits:

"Instead of building a nest, the Black Vulture lays its eggs on the bare ground of the chosen nest site. Parents incubate the young equally. The Black Vulture lays its eggs in isolated locations with little human disturbance. They find a dark recess in a cave, abandoned building, thicket, pile of rocks, or in a hollow log or tree. A pair of Black Vultures may assure themselves of the site’s isolation by perching nearby for a period of weeks before egg-laying."

Vulture chicks now grown

The fact that the vulture was undisturbed as we stopped within 10 feet to look at it raised the hope that it is considering using the same nursery this year.  We are going to avoid the barn for several weeks to avoid scaring off these potential renters.  Vultures are good citizens of Bull Creek,  serving our community in a mortuary capacity by disposing of the exposed remains of mammals.

Early or not, ticks or no, you gotta love spring.

VWM Plant Survey

Trilllium sessile

Valley Water Mill is a park with a lot of history. There are scattered shards of flint testifying to the long use of the spring and stream by Native Americans. Early settlers valued its water and it became an early municipal water supply for the city of Springfield. This made it an obvious choice for locating the Watershed Center, an educational outreach of the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks.

Newly graduated Master Naturalists are expected to complete a capstone project, designed to get their feet wet (sometimes literally) in volunteer activities.   For Linda, a botanical illustrator and botanist, a plant survey at Valley Water Mill (VWM) was a logical choice.  She could involve others needing a capstone as well as teach a group some plant identification skills.

The trail around the lake at VWM is a gem, winding through wetlands, up through woodlands and along a ridge overlooking the lake. There are stops along the way to see the spring, a karst window and a bluff outlook. Bob R. generously shared his bug spray and suntan lotion as tick, chigger and sunburn season is here.  Alane supplied walking sticks and the No MO Trash bag.   Linda had a resource library in her head and left the heavy Steyermarks in the car for future reference.   Bob was assigned the position of recorder and pack mule and Mary became the specimen "bag lady."

All eyes began searching for something blooming. We spotted the first one along the curb- Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris), an opportunistic, prolific of the mustard family (Brassicaceae).   Alane, Kathryn, Mary and Barb enthusiastically yanked them from the moist soil. An edible, Barb uses the leaves sparingly in rice dishes as the mustard tang is strong.

Plant specimens were placed in plastic bags for specific species keying out by Linda. The park trail has been disturbed and untended for many decades so invasives are abundant - Japanese and Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera of Asian kinds) and Winter Creeper (Euonymus hederaceus) as well as Reed Canary Grass in the wetlands.  Not blooming but very recognizable, rapidly growing Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) of the prolific carrot family (Apiaceae) also got yanked when solo plants were found.

Soon everyone was spotting the pink, purple and white flowers of exotic winter annual weeds - the Eurasian Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum) and Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) of the mint family, Poor Man's Pepper (Lepidium) of the mustard family, Chickweeds, and Speedwell (Vernonica).   Although non-native, they add to the beauty of the woodland floor. This is their moment in the sun.

Looking for natives in the wetland, Linda pointed out the leaves of Elderberry.  Marlyss spotted some wild ginger and Barb lifted up the leaves to show everyone the brown-maroon flower underneath. Linda continued a non-stop flow of botanical erudition. Did you know that brown flowers, such as the small wild ginger blossom or our common Trillium_sessile (pictured above) do not have dedicated pollinators such as bees and butterflies?  They smell like rotting fruit, drawing flies and beetles which then spread their pollen to their neighbors.

In the glade the team found other natives -forbs commonly named Rue Anemone, False Rue Anemone, Violets, and Toothwort. There were flowering bushes and small trees: Fragrant Sumac, Viburnum, Bladder Nut trees (Staphylea trifolia), Red Bud, and Dogwood.  David pointed to the mottled leaves of Trout Lily; they had already bloomed and were developing seed. Bob R. found False Solomon's Seal foliage and a small pendular bird nest on a broken tree branch. Stephanie found the Mayapples whose most senior two leafed plants were forming flowers under the umbrella-like leaves. The smallest wildflower was found last, on the slope by the dam - a Johnny Jump Up. Along the lake the Wild Cherry was blooming.

We finished the afternoon in the shelter house with a high magnification lesson on identifying mints and mustards, the perfect spice on a great capstone, all in the name of science.

This is the first of a series of monthly surveys designed to create a plant database of the park. It builds on the species documented during an Audubon and Master Naturalist bioblitz from 2008.

Lizard on the Fence

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
                -Shakespeare 

Find the lizard- Click to enlarge

Warning-   Here comes a rant.

Fence lizards are a familiar sight on our deck at Bull Creek.  They scurry along, freezing when they think you see them to take advantage of their camouflage coloration.  On a tree or rock they can become practical invisible.  In the summer mating season, the males get the blues.

Male Fence Lizard-J.D.Wilson herpsofnc.o

According to the MDC, our common fence lizard has had its name changed recently, apparently without the lizard's permission.  Such changes are made by academics and don't involve field biologists or amateur naturalists.  The northern fence lizard,  (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus) is now considered a distinct new species called the prairie lizard, (Sceloporus consobrinus).  Even  Wikipedia can't keep up with the changes.  This brings about a pet peeve of mine, changing the common names of plants and animals.

I understand the changes of genus and species when they are found to be described by an earlier source or altered by DNA or other evidence.  Credit where credit is due, even if the discoverer died 200 years ago.  It is annoying to me when they change some of the only Latin I know (except E pluribus unum which is stable for now).  I finally mastered the toothwort, logically named Dentaria, and then they changed it to Cardamine.  I wonder if this isn't a product of the Botanist Full Employment Act.

So back to the newly minted "prairie lizard."  According to the MDC reptiles site, "This is a common forest-dwelling species that often lives around country homes and rock gardens, split rail fences and stacks of firewood."  Does that sound like prairie to you?  Me neither.

Also it says "Prairie lizards live in the southern half and into the northeast corner of Missouri; absent from the northwestern portion."  Below on the left is the distribution map for the "prairie" lizard.  On the right is the distribution of prairies in Missouri. 

Prairie Lizard Range

Prairie Map- Schroeder

Now adding insult to injury, our precious black rat snake a.k.a. western rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus) has been renamed the Texas rat snake.  They did not originate in Texas which doesn't seem to have any logical claim in their naming.  They can climb trees, arguably a wasted skill in Texas.  RATS!  At least they weren't downgraded to a mouse snake.

Adult Texas rat snakes aren't even black!

Texas rat snake range- Snakeconservation.org

Naming is done by the SSAR- Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.  They can change the Latin all they want, but please put take our lizards out of the prairie and back on their "fence."

Scale of the Universe

Burj Khalifa- 2723 ft

In our everyday world we are exposed to the noteworthy extremes of scale.  News stories of the newest worlds tallest building, and the worlds smallest frog catch our attention.  The tower is 109,000 times longer than the frog, but this difference in scale pales in comparison to the scale of the Universe as we know it.

Microfrog- Christopher Austin- LSU

An interactive web sit The Scale of the Universe 2 dramatically demonstrates this.  As you slide the bar at the bottom, you expand and contract your vision.  Anywhere along the way, you can pause and click on an object to find its interesting details.  Try clicking on the sunflower to the left of the human figure as you move to the right.

Moving to the right makes you realize how small we are in the Universe as a whole.  On the other hand, if you think you have put on too much weight, you may find it comforting.

Bloodroot is Blooming

Bloodroot- leaf spread out

Last Saturday was the day for one of the most ephemeral of the "spring ephemerals."  These are defined as plants with short life cycles, usually six to eight weeks long.  The bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, was only a few days ahead of schedule according to Barb's annual wildflower log.  It blooms for only a day or two before leaving its distinctive leaves as its only evidence through early-summer, so you have to be lucky as well as observant.

Bloodroot has an interesting reproductive strategy.  Some plants spread their seeds by the wind (maples, dandelions, goatsbeard, etc.) and others depend on birds and mammals to transport their seeds (robins for cedar, squirrels for nut species and oaks).  For bloodroot it is the ant.  As described in Wikipedia:

"Bloodroot is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants, a process called myrmecochory. The seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes, and put the seeds in their nest debris, where they are protected until they germinate. They also get the added bonus of growing in a medium made richer by the ant nest debris."

Bloodroot tends to grow in the patchy shade of open woods and prefers moist acidic soil which we have plenty of in our Ozark valleys.  Its distinctive single leaf is wrapped around the stalk as the flower blooms, unfurling prior to the the blossom falling away.  It may double in height before the leaf dies off in the mid-summer.  During this time it is vulnerable to human hunters for its historic medicinal properties.

Early Bloodroot- leaf wrapped

Like many plants, it has a long folk medicine history.  It was used by Native Americans as an war paint, dye, emetic and even a "love charm."  (Don't ask me about wooing a bride with an emetic.)  In later colonial times it was used as a wart remover.  Like many native plants, it has been touted by some companies as a cancer "cure" and is listed on the FDA's Fake Cancer Cures site.  There have been deaths recorded from ingestion of large amounts of bloodroot extracts as documented in Wikipedia.

In some states they are listed as "at risk" or "exploitably vulnerable" due to vigorous over-harvesting as a folk or herbal remedy.  It is important that it should not be taken by mouth, can irritate the skin and its emetic properties may turn off your love life.

Extensive information is at this wimastergardener.org site.

Red-Tailed Hawk Web Cam

Red-tailed Hawk- Wikimedia

LIVE: Red-tailed Hawk Nest from Cornell Lab

A new nest camera high above a Cornell University athletic field is streaming crystal-clear views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website. The new camera stream puts viewers 80 feet off the ground and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive, see them taking turns incubating the eggs, and compare notes on the two birds—the male has a more golden-tawny face and is slightly smaller than the female, who has been nicknamed "Big Red" for her alma mater.


Click here during daylight hours to follow the action.

Phenology

Early Redbuds- Click to enlarge

Everyone is commenting on the wildflowers which have bloomed earlier than usual due to the high temperatures.  Tana Pulles has introduced me to the word of the day, phenology- the scientific study of periodic biological phenomena, such as flowering, breeding, and migration, in relation to climatic conditions.  According to University of Wisconsin, Green Bay:

"Phenological records help alert us about the events of nature and provide interesting comparisons between years and among different geographic regions. If recorded carefully and consistently, these records also have scientific value for understanding the interactions between organisms and their environment and for assessing the impacts of climate change."

This is certainly the banner year for the phenologist.  With the record warm temperatures most every species is ahead of schedule.  We have been finding ticks crawling on us occasionally all winter, but now they are out in force.  Butterflies are out in profusion, ignoring the calendar.  Spicebush has been coloring the woods for several weeks now.  Even the tadpoles seem to be ahead of schedule.

Ohio Buckeye

Buckeyes are the first trees to leaf out and they have all ready expanded their leaves and are well on their way toward blossoming.  By August they will have produced the beautiful nut which any true Ozarker knows will bring good luck when carried in your pocket.

Suddenly the wildflowers were popping out overnight and you could almost hear the trees' buds bursting out.  But not all regional climate is the same so budding varies from place to place.  There is a micro-climate along out deep Bull Creek valley where the trees are behind Springfield a few days.  While Redbuds were fully budded out in town last week,  they were in their early stages in the valley. 

False Rue Anemone

Dutchman's Breeches

Wildflowers are now popping up everywhere, False rue anemone is covering thinly wooded slopes, joined by a few Dutchman's breeches, named for their resemblance to upside-down pantaloon trousers.  (OK, I was just looking for an excuse to post my latest wildflower pictures.)  Anyway, phenology is a good excuse as well for justifying the time you spend journaling your findings.  Enjoy!