A Northwoods Almanac for July 7 – 20,
2017
Sightings
White Admiral Butterflies: Denise Fauntleroy in
Watersmeet sent me photos of a flock of 50 or so white admiral butterflies that
she observed near her front door on 7/1. Larry Weber in his book Butterflies of the North Woods writes
that “white admirals take in nutrients from mammal scat, bird guano, aphid honey, puddles,
wet sand, or pavement.” (How does one take in nutrients from pavement)? White admirals are also known to sip from sap flows, rotting fruit, carrion, and occasionally
nectar from small white flowers including spiraeas and viburnums.
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| white admirals photo by Denise Fauntleroy |
Why the
flock of 50 at Denise’s door? While white admirals are abundant, I can’t find
anything in my research regarding large congregations like this. The
caterpillar larvae feed predominantly on cherry, willow, and birch trees, but
also alder, juneberry, hawthorn, basswood, and elm. Some constellation of
conditions must have come together to attract so many.
Dragon’s-mouth Orchids: On 6/20, Mary and I paddled on the
Little Tamarack Flowage as part of trip offered through the Natural Resources
Foundation of Wisconsin. We were specifically interested in finding
dragon’s-mouth orchids (Arethusa bulbosa),
and we were pleased to find individuals of these beautiful rose-purple flowers
scattered widely throughout the site. Dragon’s-mouth typically grows on a bed
of sphagnum moss around bog lakes. The tongue of the orchid has fleshy yellow
bristles, which I suppose to some creative soul was what they imagined a
dragon’s tongue to look like. The genus name Arethusa comes from the river nymph of classical Greek mythology.
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| Dragon's-mouth orchid photo by Rod Sharka |
Roadside Flowers: Just recently flowering in open areas
are purple vetch, common St. Johnswort, fireweed, birdsfoot trefoil, common
milkweed, wild roses, spreading dogbane, yarrow, tall buttercup, oxeye daisy,
heal-all, and an array of others.
Young-of-the-year Hummers: Dennis McCarthy in the Land
O’Lakes area sent me photos of young-of-the-year ruby-throated hummingbirds at
his nectar feeders. Hummers typically raise two young in their tiny nests, who
fledge in two to three weeks. The female does all of the incubation and rearing
of the young, feeding them regurgitated nectar and insects. The male, on the
other hand, spends his time frenetically defending his quarter-acre feeding
territory from other hummers, and even from the female, or females, he has
mated with.
Hummers feed on more than 30 nectar-producing flower
species, at least 19 of which are adapted to be pollinated as the bird forages.
Pollen is deposited on the base of the bill and then carried to another flower
– columbine and bee balm are two examples.
Turtle Eggs: Deb and
Randy Augustinak in Land O’Lakes sent me an all too familiar photo on 6/20 of
turtle eggs dug up and eaten. Their comment: “Like previous years, the snapping turtles in the
Ontonagon River laid their eggs along the roadside, only to have them quickly
found and devoured by the coyotes. The coyote scat and hair usually confirms
who walked away with an easy meal. The shells were still soft and pliable when
we found them this morning, with some still containing yoke. It's amazing that
snappers have managed to survived for so long, considering the predators that
feast upon their eggs.”
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| photo by Deb Augustinak |
Japanese Knotweed
The Town of
Presque Isle Terrestrial Invasive Species Committee has been working to
eradicate garlic mustard for 10 years, and this year has hired a professional
eradicator to control Japanese knotweed on public and private property in and
around the town.
I first encountered Japanese knotweed while at a
conference in rural Vermont nearly a decade ago. The roadsides were clothed in
a monotype of dense 10-foot-tall plants that looked like bamboo. I didn’t know
what the plant was, but it clearly was extraordinarily invasive. I quickly
found out it was Japanese knotweed, and I’ve been worried ever since that it
would appear someday in our area. Well, it’s here. Its roots go as deep as 9
feet and can penetrate asphalt and concrete, readily spreading and dominating
wetlands, lakeshores, and roadside ditches within 10 years. Seriously, you
literally have to use a machete to hack your way through them. If you see this
plant, don’t hesitate for a second to kill it with an herbicide. And if you
planted it innocently in your yard, you owe it to everyone in the North to
eliminate it immediately.
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| example of how invasive Japanese knotweed can become |
Mosquito Squad/Authority – Safe?
I’ve received several inquiries from folks who have seen the
“Mosquito Authority” or “Mosquito Squad” signs now proliferating around our
area, and who are wondering about the safety of spraying for mosquitoes. Here’s
what I’ve found. The pesticides are pyrethroids, typically bifenthrin,
permethrin, or cyfluthrin. These are broad spectrum insecticides used to kill a
variety of insects. They work by quickly paralyzing the nervous systems of
insects, killing adults, eggs, and larvae.
You may have seen clothing that is
advertised to repel mosquitoes. The only insect repellent currently used for
factory treatment of clothing is permethrin.
The EPA has this to say about permethrin: “Permethrin was
first registered and tolerances established in the United States in 1979 for
use on cotton . . . Permethrin is registered for use on/in numerous food/feed
crops, livestock and livestock housing, modes of transportation, structures,
buildings (including food handling establishments), Public Health Mosquito
abatement programs, and numerous residential use sites including use in outdoor
and indoor spaces, pets, and clothing (impregnated and ready to use
formulations).”
Pyrethroids are considered
non-toxic to birds and mammals, but the EPA adds, “Permethrin is highly toxic to both
freshwater and estuarine aquatic organisms. Most agricultural, public health,
and down-the-drain scenarios modeled resulted in exceedances in the acute risk
quotient (RQ) for freshwater and estuarine fish, invertebrates, and sediment
organisms. The agricultural and public health scenarios also showed the
potential for chronic risks to estuarine and/or freshwater organisms . . . [Also]
Permethrin toxicity data show that the compound is highly toxic to honeybees,
as well as other beneficial insects.”
There’s a great deal of scientific information on-line if
one does a simple Google search, and I recommend taking the time to read all
you can. I fully understand the desire to have a mosquito-free life, but as
with any use of a broad spectrum insecticide, there are risks involved, and
losses will accrue to unintended organisms. This is a value judgement that must
be made by any individual choosing to use these products.
Solar Project at the Mercer Library
Kudos to the Mercer Town Board in approving the
installation of a 6kW solar energy system for the Mercer Library. The
town will save an estimated $1000 per year in energy costs over the 25-year
warrantied life of the system components. The system will be paid for entirely
by the Friends of the Mercer Library. The Friends have also committed to paying
for any maintenance and upkeep costs for the system, expenses which are
predicted to be insignificant.
Solar energy projects at Lakeland
Union High School, the Merrill library, the Wisconsin Rapids library, the Cable
library, Bayfield Electric near Iron River, the Great Lakes Visitor Center in
Ashland, and many other public locations in Wisconsin have proven that solar
energy can be a viable supplemental source of energy for the Northwoods.
The Mercer project will include a
monitoring system that allows anyone with internet access to monitor its energy
output. Some folks remain skeptical about the viability of solar in the
Northwoods. This demonstration project will hopefully provide honest,
on-the-ground answers regarding its applicability. Features of the
proposed solar energy system include:
·
A 6.03 kilowatt solar system, which will produce approximately
7500 KW per year
·
18 Canadian Solar CS6U-340M 340 watt panels (all components are
made in US, except the Canadian panels) from Let It Shine Energy Services, LLC,
in Washburn
·
All electrical components, excavation, concrete, labor and utility
company integration
·
Price $22,445, paid by the Friends of the Mercer Library through
generous supporters.
Alexander Wilson in
Nashville
Thirty-three species of birds nest
on the ground in northern Wisconsin, about one-fifth of our total nesting species.
The total includes 13 species of warblers, one of which is the Nashville
warbler which commonly nests under blueberry bushes along the edges of lakes,
bogs and swamps. Why is it called the “Nashville” warbler since it does not
now, nor has it ever, bred in Nashville? Indeed, it nests in northeastern U.S.
and eastern Canada and winters in Mexico! The name was given to it in 1811 from
a specimen collected by Alexander Wilson on the banks of the Cumberland River,
which flows through Nashville, while the bird was migrating.
While Wilson, considered “the
Father of American Ornithology,” should have known better in misnaming the
Nashville, he wins big points from me because he was also a weaver and a poet.
Born in 1779 in Scotland and apprenticed as a weaver, he was inspired by Robert
Burns to write poetry, and because of writing a severe satirical piece against
a mill owner, he was arrested and imprisoned. His sentence included burning the
work in public. After his release, he emigrated to America where he eventually
turned to birds and illustrating them through painting. His 1808 nine-volume American Ornithology included 26 birds
never before described.
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| from Audubon Field Guide |
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| Alexander Wilson |
Celestial Events
The year’s warmest days on average
occur between July 7 and 29 – the Minocqua area averages a high of 79° and a
low of 55°.
The full moon occurs on 7/8, which
is also the year’s lowest and southernmost full moon.
As of 7/10, we’re receiving 15 hours
and 30 minutes of daylight, down from our solstice high of 15 hours and 45
minutes – our days are now growing shorter by 2 minutes/day.
July 20 marks the day in 1969 that
Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon.
Quote for the Week
“Sometimes I come across a tree which seems like
Buddha or Jesus: loving, compassionate, still, unambitious, enlightened, in
eternal meditation, giving pleasure to a pilgrim, shade to a cow, berries to a
bird, beauty to its surroundings, health to its neighbors, branches for the
fire, leaves for the soil, asking nothing in return, in total harmony with the
wind and the rain. How much can I learn from a tree? The tree is my church, the
tree is my temple, the tree is my mantra, the tree is my poem and my prayer.” -
Satish Kumar
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