A Northwoods Almanac for 8/22 – 9/4/2014
Late August Flowers
Summer’s end is at hand, and as
always for those of us who live in the North Country, we question its departure
when it seems like it just got here. The first hard frost could occur at any
time, and the wealth of flowers that we are blessed with now will hit that
precipice, some collapsing as their cells freeze. Others, however, will survive
into the autumn, adapted over millennia to this annual calamity. So, let’s
celebrate a few of those that are with us now.
Roadside Flowers: Common Evening-Primrose
The lemon yellow, four-petaled,
sweet-smelling flowers of evening-primrose open widest late in the day or on
overcast days (thus “evening” primrose), each individual flower only blooming
for a day or two until pollinated and going to seed. Evening primroses often
self-pollinate while still in the bud, but are also insect pollinated primarily
by night-flying moths. Mrs. William Starr Dana, a naturalist from the early 20th
century, wrote, “Unless we are already familiar with the owl-like tendencies of
the evening-primrose, we are surprised some dim twilight to find this same
plant resplendent with a mass of fragile yellow flowers, which are exhaling
their faint delicious fragrance in the evening air.”
Prodigious numbers of seeds appear
in rather graceful capsules with flaring tips, each plant producing on average
140 capsules, and each containing about 180 seeds. Most seeds fall within a few
feet of the plant unless they’re transported by seed-eating birds like
goldfinches, and the seeds can remain viable for 80 years in shallow soil!
The nectar-bearing flowers attract
ruby-throated hummingbirds and sphinx moths – this summer we’ve watched many
hummers nectaring in these flowers in our perennial flower garden.
Though I’ve never tried it, the
literature says every part of the evening-primrose is edible “if not tasty to
humans – peppery but palatable is the common verdict.”
Eminent American naturalist John
Burroughs wrote that it is “a coarse, rankly growing plant; but in late summer,
how many an untrimmed bank is painted over by it with the most fresh and
delicate canary yellow.”
Woodland Flowers: Indian Pipe
Sometimes referred to as “ghost
plant” or “corpse plant,” this pure white, translucent herb bears a solitary
nodding flower in August, and, once pollinated, eventually turns jet black. The
flower resembles a pipe whose stem has been stuck in the ground, with the
flower resesmbling the bowl.
Without
chlorophyll and unable to photosynthesize, Indian pipe obtains nutrients by
sharing the mycorrhizal fungi that are attached to the roots of conifers. These
fungi get their nutrients from the tree's roots, and in exchange, extend the
tree's root system out further into the soil. This was all discovered by
researchers injecting radioactive carbon into the bark of a spruce and
discovering that nearby Indian pipes had become radioactive five days later. So,
while Indian pipe is not a direct parasite on conifer roots, it does obtain its
nutrients indirectly through them, though it may also receive some of its
nutrients from the decay of dead organisms in the soil.
Some
naturalists a century or more ago didn’t look favorably upon this plant. Neltje
Blanchan wrote, “No wonder this degenerate hangs its head; no wonder it grows
black with shame on being picked, as if its wickedness were only just then
discovered . . . To one who can read the faces of flowers, as it were, it
stands a branded sinner.” Another 19th century poet saw a different face,
referring to the flowers as “pearly rays . . . a spotless sisterhood . . .
these forest nuns.” Sinner or nun, see if you can find these unique plants and
let your imagination determine their virtue.
Aquatic Flowers: Wild rice
Wild rice, a native grass that was
the most important component of regional Native American diets, blooms rather
modestly, the tiny wind-pollinated female flowers sitting atop the plant in
long, thin, broomlike clusters, with the yellow-green male flowers dangling
beneath the females. The lower position of the male flowers reduces the chances
of self-pollination. The male flowers only last a few hours, shedding their
abundant yellow pollen, then dropping. The female flowers, once pollinated,
ripen in long, rodlike seeds from the top of the stalk downwards, with only
about 10 percent of the flower producing mature seeds at any one time. The
grain “shatters,” meaning it simply falls off the plant when it’s ripe.
Wild rice is an annual, and thus may
come and go in stands from year to year. A poor year can vastly reduce the
stand the following year, but the seeds are so well-loved by waterfowl and
various songbirds, as well as muskrats and deer, that they are readily moved
from wetland to wetland and usually will repopulate.
Migration and Window Strikes
Birds
are on the move, and window collisions cause an estimated billion or more birds
to be killed each year in the United States alone. The latest U. S. numbers
come from Scott Loss of Oklahoma State University, and collaborators at the
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, who just published a two-year study in The Condor: Ornithological
Applications. They believe
the total could be as high as 1.3 billion birds killed each year.
In
their study, they also looked at building types. Although bird kills at
high-rise buildings get the most attention, the vast majority of annual bird
deaths can be traced to residential and low-rise structures. An average
single-family residence is estimated to kill one to three birds each year, but
when you multiply that figure by the huge number of homes in this country, a
midrange estimate of 253 million bird deaths can be attributed to houses.
Two
properties of glass make it lethal for birds. Glass can appear completely
transparent, so birds spot greenery on the other side and try to fly straight
through. Or glass can also be a mirror, reflecting the sky and surrounding
vegetation, creating the illusion that the habitat continues.
The
researchers say there are simple ways to reduce window strikes at existing
homes. The so-called “2 x 4” rule governs how patterns may best be applied to
glass to deter bird collisions. Most birds will avoid windows with a pattern of
vertical stripes spaced four inches apart, or horizontal stripes spaced two
inches apart and placed on the outside of the glass. Use the “2 x 4 rule” to apply decals, washable
paint, hanging strings, soap, or tape. Fine netting placed over windows is also
effective, as are regular window screens.
Studies have also shown that homes with feeders can
have more bird deaths from window strikes, so it’s vital to place feeders a foot
or less away from windows.
Nighthawk Migration
The first migration of nighthawks
statewide was reported on 8/17, so the time is now for nighthawks to begin to
appear in our area. Look for nighthawks usually close to evening, flying
erratically as they try to capture insects on the wing. Their pointed, angular
wings, each with a broad white line, helps to ID them quickly.
Individuals
become quite gregarious during fall migration, sometimes gathering in flocks of
thousands. Mary and I typically see small groups of a dozen or so.
Recent
breeding bird survey data suggest a substantial decline in numbers of this
species. It has been listed as Threatened in Canada – a decline of about 50%
has been noted there over the past 3 generations. In the United States it is
considered critically imperiled or imperiled in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Delaware.
Nighthawks
winter in South America in Brazil and Paraguay, making one of the longest
migrations of all songbirds. Note: nighthawks aren’t hawks; they’re in the same
family with whip-poor-wills.
Science on Tap
The remarkably successful “Science on Tap” speaker
series resumes on 9/3 with
retired DNR wildlife biologist Ron
Eckstein discussing “The Bald Eagle: The Fall and Rise of a Northwoods
Icon.” Ron banded several thousand bald eagles during his career, and knows
their life histories as well as anyone in the state. Grab a beer and catch
Ron’s talk, which begins at 6:30 – I recommend getting there early to find a
seat!
Mercer
has followed suit with this very successful pairing of beer and science. The
next “Mercer Science and Conservation on Tap” is on 9/4 with Zach Wilson
sharing information on “The Endangered Marten of Iron County.” The program
starts at 6 pm at the Pines Beer Garden in Mercer.
Sightings
Jeff
DeFrancisco of Harshaw has had two sandhill cranes feeding under his songbird
feeders since July, a rather unusual sighting!
Back
on 7/25, I received an email from John Randolph in Hazelhurst, who wrote: “For
the first time, Karin and I have been enjoying adult and fledgling red-headed woodpeckers
on our deck, mostly eating suet. A friend in Harshaw and another, who
lives on Lake Tomahawk, both have the red-heads and fledglings as well. It
would be nice if this becomes a sustained trend, with this population
increasing up here. Such beautiful birds!” John and Karin are indeed
fortunate as red-headed woodpeckers remain quite uncommon in our area – I don’t
believe Mary and I have seen a single one this summer.
Mary,
Callie, and I bird Powell Marsh regularly, and this summer we’ve been able to
watch a pair of trumpeter swans successfully incubate, hatch, and raise four
young on the main pool at Powell. The young take around 14 weeks to fledge, so
we expect to see them in flight in early October.
Celestial Events
August is prime Milky Way time. Look for
the Milky Way running from Sagittarius and Scorpius in the southwest, up and
left across Aquila and through the big Summer Triangle high in the southeast,
and on down through Cassiopeia to Perseus rising low in the northeast.
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