I should have no more technological excuses since I finally got my new computer and I think I can make it basically work for me. So, I have some catching up to do and here goes. Another week has passed with fewer changes to note, maybe because it was such a blur. I spent mostly evenings out in Kesling Kove, getting eaten by mosquitoes, but being sung to by lots of birds. Speaking of birds, though, there was one big change. We were invaded by Canada geese! One morning I went out to have breakfast on the porch and there were more than 20 of them hanging out on the lawn between the house and the water. When I asked them where they had come from and if they would mind leaving, a few decided to waddle off closer to the water, but the majority stayed put. I got the feeling they wanted to ask the same of me. I didn't want to get too close for I was barefoot and know what they like to leave behind on the lawn, so I decided to let them stay THIS TIME.
However, I was concerned that if the geese were going to be constant companions for now on, then I would be seeing a lot less of other things in the neighborhood. So, I was really hoping this was just a test and they didn't really like it here. Unfortunately, the next evening they were here again. I was too tired to bother, so I just watched for a while and noticed how there were more or less two groups or gangs. Let's call them the Sharks and the Jets. Since I wasn't bothering them too much, they proceeded with their usual behavior, I assume, and there was definitely a "pecking" order to be noted. Only, it was apparent in both groups. Since I couldn't tell the Sharks from the Jets (clothing, language and attitudes seemed the same!), I was fascinated that some in each group were getting picked on, but I thought they were just being bullied by someone from their own group at first. Then, I saw a bigger goose from one side wander over to the other side and start trouble. This seemed to upset both gangs and within moments, the Sharks and Jets were one big gang. It was a free for all and everyone moved to the water, eventually flying off to the other side of the water. Since then, I have only seen a dozen or so geese and they weren't on the lawn anymore. Let's hope it stays that way. Nevertheless, I must admit that I loved this moment I caught on video starring Canada geese. Check it out.
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Four new species I identified for this week are dogwood, eastern tiger swallowtail, milkweed bug and leopard frog.
Dogwoods
Red-osier dogwood
Cornus stolinifera
Red stems and white berries, white pith; flowers whitish in
flat-topped clusters. Fruits sought after by songbirds, grouse, bobwhite. Twigs
eaten by deer, cottontail.
Stolinefera means spreads from the roots.
Stiff dogwood is similar but leaves aren’t whitened beneath
and fruits are blue in round-topped clusters – Cornus foemina grows in wet
places
Silky dogwood or Narrowleaf dogwood
Cornus amomum or oblique (narrower leaves with tapered
bases, white or hairy beneath)
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
These strikingly beautiful butterflies have a wingspan of
4-5 ½ “. They are fast. Powerful fliers and often course high in the treetops.
Luckily, they also travel closer to ground to feed on the nectar of a variety
of plants, including butterflyweed (Asclepias
tuberosa).
The caterpillars are about 2 ½ “ long and feed on the
following trees: tulip, cherry, ash, and birch. They produce sticky silk and
roll a lead into a tent-like shelter during the day- a good bird-avoidance
strategy.
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Large Milkweed Bug
Oncopeltus fasciatus
You can’t miss this bug since it is bright orange and black
and is active by day. It is also toxic! It consumes parts of milkweed plants. The two
species around here are the swamp and common milkweed. Since it eats the toxic
milky sap of its namesake plant, that is where it gets its poison from. Monarch butterfly larvae also eat milkweed
and are slightly poisonous and are competitors of this bug.
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Northern Leopard Frog
Lithobates pipiens
There are so many of these frogs around Merry Lea that you
can’t walk a trail without scaring up a few! They hang out in wet meadows and
near wetlands and they bound across the trails in zig zags. Their name comes from the spots they are
covered with, but their bodies are a beautiful, shiny green. I have not figured
out their calls yet, but supposedly they sound like a low snore.
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Question of the week: What are the primary strategies for winter survival for the plants in your ecosystem? The leopard frogs, which spend most of their summer time hopping around in grasses, swamps and meadows, actually go under water to hibernate on lake bottoms. Butterflies take on a totally different look to survive winter in their chrysalis or pupal stage. Animal and insect adaptations are truly amazing. The dogwoods will drop their leaves, hang on to leftover berries, and spend the winter in a dormant stage preparing for the spring when leave production is what takes most of their energy.
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For my creative piece this week, I have another poem to share.
Home
It's hard to believe there were cornfields out there.
No water for ducks and herons.
No reeds for blackbirds and skimmers.
It's hard to believe farmers drained the fields.
No bull frogs to sing you good night.
No duckweed to paint swirly murals.
It's hard to believe the trees were removed.
No towering branches to hunt from.
No leaves for shade to hide in.
It's hard to believe this wetland wasn't always here.
Seems like too many living things had to find their way back.
Seems like so much life has always been here.
Luckily, it's NOT hard to believe this is home.
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