Hooded Merganser
The spring bird migration is like a high-speed race, or sprint when compared to the fall/autumn migration. Birds returning to the northlands are racing against others of its kind. The first to the best territories and habitat will win the reproductive lottery. Waterfowl such as Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese are some of the very first to push through during spring migration. Smaller waterfowl such as mergansers and ducks soon follow. Birds like these are at the mercy of the snow and more particular the frozen lakes. Rivers are the first to be ice free each spring, so these are obvious places for the mergansers and ducks to gravitate to during migration. However lakes are the last to open up, so it leaves the mergansers and ducks very limited places to land on open water and feed. As a photographer I will work these limited open water resource to allow me to capture some images of normally shy waterfowl. Lately, I’ve been working on photographing Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus). Often just called “hoodies” these small ducks are the only member of their genus. Which means it no longer has any living relatives (closely related species). Both the male and female have crests on top of their heads, but it’s the male’s bright white crest that you notice when you first see these waterfowl. They are tiny ducks and in fact are the smallest of all the mergansers in North America. In addition, hoodies are only found in North America. Hooded Mergansers are not long distant migrators. They winter in the eastern half of the country in states where lakes don’t freeze. In spring they head to small bodies of water where they will breed. They need clear water because they are diving predators that hunt by eye-sight under water. Small fish are most of their diet, making up 60-80 percent of what they eat. Aquatic insects, crayfish and crabs make up the rest of their diet. Unlike most ducks, hoodies are cavity nesting birds. Males stay with the female right up until she selects a nest cavity and begins to lay eggs. Females seek out natural cavities in trees for nesting but will also use man-made nest boxes such as Wood Duck boxes. Females lay anywhere from 7 to 15 eggs. They will also “dump” some of their eggs in Wood Duck nests or in other female hoodies nests. This is called nest parasitism. Think of this as not wanting all your eggs in one basket. Like most waterfowl, hoody babies hatch ready to go (precocial). They are covered in downy feathers and jump from their nest cavity to follow their mothers. The baby hoodies don’t need to be taught what to eat, they just simply start foraging for small aquatic insects while they follow their mothers around. Just like Wood Ducks the young hoodies often jump from incredibly high nesting cavities about 24 hours after hatching. While most wooden nest boxes that are provided for them are less than 10 feet off the ground, natural cavities in trees can be upwards of 25 to 30 feet high. Because the babies are so lightweight, they aren’t injured when they hit the ground after jumping from the nest. In fact, they slightly bounce before getting their feet under them and running off to catch up with their mother. This spring I have been spending a lot of time covered up in camouflage cloth or hunkered down inside a blind next to the shore of shallow lakes waiting for the first hoodies that have returned. One of my favorite things is watching the male display for the female. He swims by her and expands his white, sail-like crest, while giving a low gravelly call. He always looks very impressive. He won’t leave her side for several weeks until she has selected a nesting site and begins to lay eggs. It is looking like a good spring for Hooded Mergansers. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Sage Grouse
I am no stranger to getting up pre-dawn, stumbling around in the dark and finding remote locations, far, far away that I have never been to before. So, it was “just another day at the office” when I recently went to Wyoming and Colorado to visit an old friend, the Greater Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Sage Grouse are a large and unique bird whose entire life is directly connected to the sage brush habitat of the American West. They are found in only 11 western states from North Dakota to California. They inhabit the sage brush areas of the high desert. Often, they are found between 8 and 9-thousand-foot elevation. The habitat is dominated by sage, which is a woody plant with small gray-green leaves that remain on the plant all year. These plants can live for upwards of 150 years and are the main food source for the Sage Grouse. Each spring male Sage Grouse gather in small open areas which are free of sage bushes. The openings are created by salty sediments in the soils that inhibit the growth of the sage plant. Originally there was approximately 500,000 square miles of sage brush across the western states. Today less than half of this unique habitat exists which is putting a squeeze on the population of the Greater Sage Grouse. Each March and April, when the last vestiges of winter are giving way to warmer spring weather, the male Sage Grouse travels from miles around to gather in groups to show off for females. At this time of year, the male is in peak physical shape, having put on weight over winter. Testosterone surges in the male grouse’s body which causes his large neck pouches to swell. These pouches can hold up to a gallon of air and are critical in the males displaying. They also become aggressive towards other males. Each male can have up to a dozen or more fights with the neighboring males per day. Males fan their spiky tail feathers and strut about making a lot of swishy and popping noises. The dancing grounds, where the males display for the females, is called a lek. The lek is often just a couple acres in size. These areas are traditional and have been used continuously for upwards of a hundred years. This is the place where females can find the males for mating each spring. Upwards of 50 or 60 males gather on the lek to display for the females. Each male has fought for a specific spot on the lek. The older, more dominant males presumably get the best spots. The females come from miles around to look and asses the males. Just what the females are looking for in the male is not clear. To us, all the males look exactly the same. Their feathers appear the same, their dancing appears to be the same and their calling is identical. But the hens zero in on the best males. About three-quarters of all the females that visit the lek will mate with just one or two of the males. The females often gather around the dominate males and watch them closely. At some point the female will solicit a copulation from the male by drooping her wings and laying flat, chest down, right in front of him. Copulations takes only one or two seconds. After mating the female wonders off, up to 10 miles away from the lek, to build a nest and start laying eggs. She will lay 6-8 eggs in a shallow depression under the cover of a sage bush. Upwards of 50 percent of all Sage Grouse nests are predated. If this happens early in the season the female can return to the lek, where the males continue to dance and fight, even without the presences of females. She can try a second time. But if the predation occurs later in the nesting cycle she will have to wait and try again next year. Sage Grouse only live for 4 or 5 years so each nesting season is critically important. Usually females only get one or two chances to mate in their lifetimes. Populations of this bird have dropped dramatically over the past 100 years and in 2015 was considered for listing as an endangered species. I spent 3 amazing mornings studying the behaviors of these remarkable birds. I was also fortunate enough to capture some incredible images and video detailing the mating behavior. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted vis his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Pileated Woodpecker
There are only a handful of birds that elicit pure excitement and joy when it shows up at your backyard feeding station. The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is our largest woodpecker species in American and Canada. Some say it is the second largest woodpecker. It all depends upon if you believe the Ivory-billed Woodpecker exists or not. The Pileated Woodpecker inhabits deciduous forests in and around the Great Lakes, New England and as far south as Florida and other Gulf Coast states. The name “pileated” refers to the large shock of red feathers on its head, called a crest. The word pileatus is Latin and translate to “cap” or “hat”, which I believe describes the prominent crest very well. They are very large birds standing nearly 20 inches tall and have a wingspan of 30 inches. Even though they look huge they weigh only 11 oz. Males have a red mustache and red forehead while the female has a black mustache and forehead. Both show a large white patch on their wings when in flight. A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers hold and defend a very large territory all year long. They are a non-migratory bird. During spring and summer, they work hard to keep out others of their kind. In fall and winter, they allow their children to hang around but soon pressure them into leaving. They are constantly patrolling their territory which explains why you only see them visiting your feeder now and then. These woodpeckers favor heavily wooded areas with large mature hardwood trees. They are one of the few woodpecker species that is large enough and strong enough to excavate a nest cavity in a living tree. However, they also nest in dead trees. Some studies show that they benefit from removal of invasive woodland species such as honeysuckle and European Buckthorn. Apparently, the removal of these invasive species helps them forage lower on trees and also on the ground. Either way, this is one more good reason to remove these invasive shrubs from your woodlot. If you think you are seeing more Pileated Woodpeckers than you have in the past you are correct. From 1966 to 2015 the population of these woodpeckers increased on average 1.5 percent per year throughout its range. And it’s good to have more of these birds around. They eat large amounts of carpenter ants and other wood-boring insects and damage trees. They hunt for insects by excavating large oval holes in trees. Their feeding activity is often confused with nesting. The difference is, nest cavities are 5- or 6-inch oval openings and feeding cavities can be upwards of several feet long. Even though they eat mainly insects they also consume fruits, berries and nuts. So, I was thrilled when I was contacted by a reader of this column because they had a Pileated Woodpecker nesting in their yard. I immediately dropped everything to visit and take a look. Sure enough, a pair had excavated a nest cavity and was getting ready to lay eggs. It wasn’t long after that the eggs hatch and the fun began. The adults bring in food to the young about once or twice per hour. I’ve been fortunate to be able to study and capture images of the natural history of these amazing birds. On my last visit the young were just getting large enough to stick their heads out of the cavity when the adult visited for a feeding. The young aggressively begged for each meal. The adults carry many insects in a pouch in their mouth and forcefully push the meal into the open mouths of the young. Very funny to watch. What is most interesting, after feeding the young the adults enter the nesting cavity and collect up all the waste (fecal sacs) from the young and dispose of the waste far away from the nest cavity. This keeps the interior of the cavity clean and reduces the number of insect infestations. If you have an interesting nesting bird in your yard, feel free to reach out to me. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Fishing Spider
I’ve been spending a lot of time out on my boat photographing loons, grebes, pelicans and other birds this spring. So, it was fun when I came across something else that was just as photogenic but perhaps not as endearing. It doesn’t have any feathers and has considerably more legs. It was a Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus). Fishing Spiders are large brown and tan spiders with dark markings on their legs. Of course, it has eight legs, as do all spiders. But what really is remarkable about these spiders is the size. Or more accurately, the size of the female, which can be over 1 inch in length. Males are about half the size of the females. In southern states these spiders can be even larger. In many regions, the Fishing Spider is the largest species of spider. They are called “fishing” spiders because they are often found near shallow pools of water where they fish for minnows and aquatic insects. They are also called dock and wharf spiders because of their association with water. They have also been called raft spiders in the mistaken belief that the spider constructs rafts to move around the surface of the water. In many parts of the country, Fishing Spiders are also found in woodlands, far away from water, where they would be more accuracy called Tree Spiders because they live in trees. Unfortunately, they can often found in homes and other buildings where they can scare the heck out of the residents. However, these are harmless spiders and don’t have a strong venom so there is no need to panic if you come across one of these spiders in your basement. Their bite is equivalent to a bee sting but usually only bite if harassed or threatened. Fishing Spiders don’t build webs like other spiders but rather actively go out and hunt down their prey. They are ambush hunters. They wait at the water’s edge with their front legs dipped into the water. The hairs that cover their legs feel even the slightest vibrations under water. So, they wait patiently for any aquatic insect or small fish to venture by before springing into action and grabbing their prey and delivering a bite. Occasionally they “walk” out onto the water’s surface. Being so light weight, they use the surface tension of water to move about anywhere. When they dive into the water, the hairs that cover their body trap a thin air bubble around their body which allows them to breath underwater. Their lungs are located beneath their abdomen. Once they catch something, they return to land to feed. When they emerge from the water, they pop out and are completely dry. When hunting they will bite their prey and inject a venom with their hollow jaws. The venom will both kill or immobilize the prey and also start breaking it down so the spider can “drink” its dinner later. I watched this Fishing Spider grabbing small aquatic insects right out of the shallow water and quickly bring everything it caught to its mouth. Its reflexes are lightning fast. I also watched it jump nearly 12 inches. Just about everything is amazing about the Fishing Spider. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Purple Martins
I have a whole new definition for “streaming TV”. A couple years ago, I installed a tiny color camera complete with audio inside one of my Purple Martin houses. This allows me to observe and study the nesting behavior of our largest swallow species. In addition, the camera also has infrared emitting diodes which enables me to watch the birds even at night. And the best part is, the birds don’t even know it. I wired up the TV in my office to “stream” the live video of the interior of the nesting guard where the Purple Martins are nesting. And there you have it. My own personal “streaming TV”. It is better than watching Animal Planet or even the BBC. Because what I am watching is live, unedited and real life. Observing bird behavior is one of the best ways to study and learn more about a species. The only trick is, you must leave your human emotions behind and observe with an open and objective mind. You can’t just look at some behavior and interpret it according to what you would do or try to apply human logic to it. No, you need to approach it with more of a scientific mind or scientific attitude. Only then will the doors of understanding open. Purple Martins (Progne subis) is the largest species of swallow in North America. They occur throughout the eastern half of America and have a few isolated populations in parts of Arizona, Oregon and Washington. They are highly migratory and all the martins in the U.S. migrate all the way to Brazil for the winter. Even to this day, we still don’t know exactly where in Brazil they spend the winter. But one of the most unique behaviors of this bird is, nearly all Purple Martins nest exclusively in human-made nest cavities. Historically, these insect eating swallows nested in natural cavities in trees. Early on it was reported that Native Americans put up hollowed out gourds atop poles. Most agree that this wasn’t when the birds switch over from natural to human-made nest cavities. But there are many reports coming from the late 1700’s and early 1800’s that early settlers had put up martin house on in both rural farms and in cities and towns along the east coast. At some point it became very fashionable to construct and install martin houses. There were huge advertisement campaigns which extolled the virtues of having martins around your home. These ads said that martins would eat thousands of mosquitoes each day. Who wouldn’t like to have a mosquito eating machine flying around their home? (By the way, it turns out that only 10 percent of their diet consists of mosquitoes.) By the mid 1800’s people put up thousands of martin houses. They became so fashionable that companies started to manufacture martin houses. Attracting and watching martins became a national obsession. It was so successful that all these new homes changed the behavior of the entire species. By the mid 1900’s it was estimated that the entire population of Purple Martin in the eastern half of the country, which for thousands of years had nested in natural tree cavities, switched over to human-made nesting cavities. I am sure many of the readers of this column can remember their parents or grandparents who had martin houses and can attest to how common it was to put up martin houses. Then something happened. I am not sure if it was World War II, or the economy or just what changed, but the fashion winds started to blow from a different direction and putting up martin houses suddenly stopped. Neglected martin houses were taken over by House Sparrows, which at the time were expanding their range across America. Wooden martin houses started to rot and fall apart, and people lost interest in the natural insect controller. The overall population of martins dropped dramatically due to a national housing shortage. Fast forward to present day and not much has changed. Martin numbers are still low, and they are still nesting in man-made nesting cavities. By studying these birds and their behaviors we gain valuable knowledge that will hopefully help us keep this species healthy and strong. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Unusual Nests
It had been nearly 2 hours and I was still waiting, perched high up in my aerial blind, nearly 25 feet above the ground. I’ve been patiently waiting for an adult Osprey to return to the nest with a meal for the two young raptors waiting within the nest. My aerial blind is like sitting inside of a cocoon suspended in mid-air. It is completely covered by camouflage material which conceals my presents to the raptors but yet allows me a near eye level view to capture images of the raptor occupants in the nest. For those who don’t know, the Osprey is a large bird of prey that makes a living by fishing. They are often called a Fish-hawk or Fish Eagle, but they are neither a hawk nor eagle. They are in their own family or class of birds with no close living relatives. As I waited, I couldn’t help but notice several English Sparrows hanging out around the Osprey nest. The sparrows were busy chirping and hanging around. Then I noticed them disappearing into the thick, tangled mess of branches that make up the Osprey nests. I could see obvious nesting behaviors such as the sparrows bringing in beaks full of food to feed young nestlings. Yes, the English Sparrows were nesting inside of the Osprey nest. Kind-of a nest within a nest scenario. I am always amazed at the resourcefulness of birds when it comes to nesting, eating and surviving. In this situation, the sparrows are taking advantage of a safe and protected nesting site that is 35 feet up in the air and protected by a large raptor. This is a great way maximize your offspring’s survival rate since you don’t have to worry about the fish-eating Osprey eating your babies. And any predators that might try to raid your nest, will be surly driven them off by the Osprey. Which got me thinking about a time a couple years ago, when I was photographing a Canada Goose pair that had taken over a nest of another bird species and was using the nest to incubate their own eggs. The thing is, the nest belonged to a Red-tailed Hawk, and it was located near 50 feet above the ground in a tall Cottonwood tree in Wyoming. The mother sat and incubated her eggs for the full 28 days before her goslings hatched. I can only imagine the young goslings first step outside the nest would have been a rude, 50 foot, awaking. This spring I spent some time capturing some images of a mother Mallard Duck nesting. Again, nothing unusual about that except that the nest was located about 25 feet up in the fork of a large Silver Maple tree. Originally, the nest was constructed by a squirrel. The Gray Squirrel is notorious for constructing many “extra” nests. These nests are usually made of dried leaves and are used as an emergency shelter. The female Mallard took advantage of this handy platform and made herself right at home on top of the dried leaf nest. All she needed to do is make a small depression in the leaves to hold her clutch of eggs and it’s an instant nest. Again, I watched and photographed as day after day, the mother Mallard sat and incubated her eggs. Again, for about 28 days the eggs were incubated. During this near month-long period of time, the mother clung to the nest during violent spring storms, packing strong winds and driving rains. After each major weather event I would check on her to see if she made it and there she sat, as if nothing had happened. On sunny days she slept and rested. At the end of the incubation time, the young ducklings jumped out of the nest and down to the ground and followed the mother a short distance to shallow pond nearby. What an amazingly resourceful mother to make her nest up in a tree away from many land-dwelling predators. The point is, nature doesn’t always follow the rules we think are in place for them to follow. Nature is dynamic and ever-changing and is never really the same. Not all Mallards or Canada Geese nest on the ground and not all sparrows nest in trees. We people should take inspiration from these natural rule breakers of nature and accept what comes natural. Be yourself and don’t worry about what others my think or say. You need to be YOU and let others be themselves. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Late Nesting Birds
When you think about birds and nesting, you automatically think “spring”. But recently I was photographing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest in August and it made me think that, not all birds are nesting right away in spring. In fact, there are many species of birds that purposefully wait until summer to begin nesting. Or in some species they are nesting in summer because they are on their second or in some cases, third nesting of the year. Let’s look at some of these late nesters. During spring, it seems like all the birds are in a mad dash to nest and have baby birds. The spring air is filled with beautiful bird songs. Birds are flying here and there gathering nesting materials and are hard at work building nests. But in summer the air is quiet, and the fever pitch of nesting is nowhere to be seen. But is it really? Some species, such as the American Goldfinch and Cedar Waxwing, are birds who wait for the dog days of summer before nesting. The goldfinch often waits until the local thistle plants have finished flowering and have produced a large crop of seeds. Not only do they need the seeds for food, but each thistle seed has a thin soft white fiber attached to it, which the goldfinch uses to line their nest cavity. In fact, they use so much of the thistle down to line their nest, that the interior of the nest often appears white. The American Goldfinch is a strict seed eater and only occasionally feeding on insects. Much of the goldfinch’s food source (plant seeds) begins to ripen in late summer. Late nesting helps them to have a consistent food source for all of their growing chicks. Another classic late nesting bird is the Cedar Waxwing. This amazing, crested and masked bird is inextricably tied to a diet of fruits. This is called being frugivorous. Since the fruits that these birds depend upon are ripe and most abundant in late summer the waxwings hold off on nesting until August or even Sept. Some have nested as late as Oct in some parts of the country. There is an interesting relationship between the Cedar Waxwings and the fruit trees. The birds are dependent upon the tree’s fruit production for their food. However, on the other side, the trees are dependent upon the birds to disperse their seeds far and wide. The birds swallow the berries whole, which contain the trees seeds. As the berry passes through the acid environment of the digestive system, the flesh is stripped away and the outer coat of the seeds (seed coat) becomes weakened or starts to open, which encourages the seed to germinate. This is called scarification. In fact, many berry seeds must pass through a bird’s digestive system in order to geminate and grow. Thus, these two very different species, bird and plant, depend upon each other for survival. Some species of bird such as Eastern Bluebirds, Blue Jays or even Ruby-throated Hummingbirds also nest in summer. But the big difference is, these birds don’t wait until summer to breed like the others. For these birds it is their second or third nesting for the year. They first nest in spring and raise the first brood of baby birds. When summer rolls around they continue breeding and are on their second or third batch of babies. That is the case for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Hummingbirds only lay two eggs and have two babies. The mother sets up her own territory, separate from the male. Hummingbirds don’t form pair bonds between males and females. They lead separate lives. Only when the female has built her nest does she leave her territory and seeks out a male for breeding. She returns to her territory to lay eggs, incubate and raise the young. Eastern Bluebirds often have two and sometimes three nesting attempts per summer. The more experienced pairs will split the nest duties after the first batch of babies are born. The male will protect and feed the young while the female starts to build another nest and begins to lay more eggs. So even though it’s the dog days of summer, there is still a lot of nesting activity going on. You just need to get out and look for it. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
Gray Tree Frog
While poking around the garden the other day I found an adorable visitor. A small frog called a Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor) resting amongst the brightly colored flowers. This amazing little creature can be found in a wide range of habitats located throughout the eastern half of the United States from Canada to Texas. They are called “tree” frog because they live in trees unlike most other frogs who are pond, lake and river dwellers. But its common name “gray” tree frog can be a bit confusing because most of the time when you see this little amphibian it is green in color, not gray. Gray Tree Frogs can change their color depending upon the substrate where they are residing. If they are on a tree trunk, they are often gray in color and if they are on green leaves, they will be green. They don’t change color as fast as a chameleon, but it’s fast enough to keep these little arboreal frogs safe and camouflage. In addition to turning green or gray, they also have dark mottling or black lines that help complete the camouflage package. Overall, they can range from nearly black to bright gray or nearly white. Interestingly, when one of these frogs dies, they turn gray. Even with all the color changes, one thing stays the same color. They have a yellow patch on the inside of their hind legs. Normally you don’t see this until they either hop or stretch out their hind leg, then it is obvious. Females tend to be larger than males and have a white throat. Males are smaller and have darker throat patch. Tree frogs are smaller than most of our other frog species. They range from 1 to 2 inches in length. We do have a second tree frog species in Eastern North America. It is the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis). These two frog species are identical in appearance. The main difference is in the number of chromosomes. So that is not much help when trying to figure out which species you have in your yard. However, the two species have different calls. So, if you can hear the male call, you can tell the difference. The Cope’s Gray Tree Frog has a faster thrill that lasts shorter than the Gray Tree Frog. But…..the rates in which both frogs call are highly temperature dependent. At lower air temperatures the call slows down making them very difficult to distinguish by their calls. Breeding season is early to mid-summer where males actively call from the trees. They can be very loud when several males congregate together and call. These frogs rarely leave wooded areas but can be found in gardens and around homes. They are often attracted to the insects, which is their main diet, in our gardens or to a porch light on your house that attracts insects. Many people see these frogs stuck to windows as they are trying to catch insects which are attracted to the porch light. They can climb right up a glass window with their amazingly sticky toe pads. No, they don’t have suction cups on their toes, but rather tiny glands produce a sticky mucous which allows them to stick to just about any surface including glass. In addition, their toe tips are more flexible than other frogs which helps them grab onto tree branches or other thin objects and stick like glue. To get from one place to another Tree Frogs take a leap and spread out their legs and toes and glide, much like a Flying Squirrel. They stop by snagging any surface with their sticky toes. Of course, one of the most amazing aspects of this frog is its ability to overwinter. In fall they seek shelter on the ground under as much leaf litter as they can find. As the temperature drops below freezes, so does the frog. They remain frozen all winter and will thaw in spring and miraculously come back to life. Look in your own garden to see one of these amazing amphibians. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com
Monarch Butterfly
When you think about all of the amazing animals in this world your mind tends to think about the large furry critters such as bears or moose. Yes, there are many crazy cool critters in this world. In fact, there are about 5,000 mammals in the world. But at this time of year, when I think about amazing critters, my mind turns to the tiny and delicate Monarch Butterfly. Ya, that’s right, a butterfly! Sure, you might be thinking, butterflies are interesting but are they really all that cool? I would respond with, oh yes they are! In late summer the Monarch Butterfly preforms the first of several mind-bending behaviors. All of the Monarchs you are seeing in late summer are flying south in an unprecedented migration that no other insect performs. All of the Monarch Butterfly’s in the eastern half of the country are heading for the mountains of central Mexico where they will spend the winter. How this tiny winged insect manages to navigate thousands of miles to Mexico is still unknown. Millions of Monarchs spend the winter clinging to trees and taking short flights on warm winter days. Next spring, they leave Mexico and start to fly north, but they only make it to the southern border states such as Texas. The Monarchs then mate and lay eggs, then they die, never returning to their birthplace. Adult Monarch Butterfly’s only lay their eggs on milkweed plants. After mating the female flits around and lands on a variety of plants. She drums the surface of the leaf with her front feet and can identify the kind of plant from the scent that arises from the drumming. If she is on a milkweed plant, she bends her abdomen around the edge of the leaf and deposits a tiny whitish egg on the underside of the leaf. In a short time, the egg hatches and a very tiny caterpillar emerges. The caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants. Inside the leaves and stems of the milkweed plants is a white milky sap that contains cardiac glycosides. These cardiac glycosides are a class of compounds that cause increased heart rate, increase respiration and a flushed feeling. In some cases, it causes nausea and vomiting. In short, the milky sap inside milkweed plants is toxic. However, the Monarch caterpillar eats the leaves and the toxic sap with impunity. As the caterpillar grows and feeds more and more on the milkweed, the caterpillar itself becomes toxic if eaten by a predator such as a bird. Eventually the caterpillar matures and seeks out a sheltered spot to change into a butterfly. This is nothing short of mind blowing. The fully-grown caterpillar spins a silken pad in which it grabs ahold of and hangs down. Its body is slightly curved and looks like the letter J. The skin on the back of the caterpillar splits open and slides off leaving a bright green sac, at which point it is called a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, all the caterpillar’s cells liquify and reorganize and regenerate to form a completely new life form, the butterfly. In a short time, the Monarch Butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. The adult Monarch Butterfly flies northward following the spring weather. Along the way, the butterfly feeds and then mates. Each female lays upwards of 500 eggs before she will also perish. The next generation goes through all the same steps to become an adult. During summer a third and fourth generation Monarch Butterfly goes through the same process and eventually the Monarch Butterfly makes it way to the northern tier states and into Canada. It is about the fifth generation of butterfly that will turn around and make the journey south back to Mexico where its great, great, great, great grandparents started. So, at this time of year, if you see a Monarch Butterfly you know this amazing insect is on a mission to make its way back to Mexico. Without this migratory generation we won’t have any Monarchs next year. What an amazing insect! Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images and video of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.
Fly Agaric
Moving into autumn means it’s time for mushrooms. The cooler temperatures and increased precipitation cause the shooms to pop! But, before I go any further about mushrooms, I need to give some basic cautions. First, if you ever plan on collecting wild mushrooms you should understand exactly what a mushroom is and what it does. This means understanding why it grows, how it grows and what it does. Second, there are many deadly poisonous mushrooms so you can never be too cautious. Make sure you consult a field guide or even better, two field guides because you can never be too cautious. Recently while I was photographing Black Bears, I ran across some amazing mushrooms called the Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria). These are large and obvious mushrooms and could be the most recognizable mushroom on the planet. No doubt you have seen these mushrooms in person or illustrated in a books or depicted in movies. It is often seen illustrated in children’s books because of its bright color. Once you have seen the picture you will no doubt recognize the mushroom. It is that common and obvious. The Fly Agaric is a mushroom, sometimes called Toadstool, that is the genus Amanita. It got its name from the fact that it is often used to attract and kill Houseflies. The Amanitas are a group of mushrooms that contain some of the most toxic and deadly shooms on the planet. This group contains the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) and the Destroying Angle (Amanita virosa) mushrooms, both of which will easily kill a health adult human with just one or two mouthfuls. That is not to say that you will immediately drop over dead upon eating one of these killers. No, it is a long drawn out process that actually starts about two to three days after you have ingested the deadly mushrooms and ends about a week or more later. The amatoxins in these mushrooms kill the liver so actually you die from liver failure. The only known cure for ingesting these deadly mushrooms is a liver transplant. Not pleasant! But I don’t want to talk about the “deadly” amanitas. I want to talk about the little brother of the killers, the Fly Agaric. It can grow to over 12 inches tall and has either a bright red or vibrant orange/yellow cap. The cap is covered with dozens of white flecks that are easily wiped or washed off. Under the cap are paper thin, white, gills, which is where the spores of the mushroom are produced. The Fly Agaric has a long white stem and a loose-fitting skirt around the upper part of the stem. All of this grows or emerges from a white ball-shaped cup at the base. Although classified as poisonous, it doesn’t contain the deadly compounds that kill your liver. It contains ibotenic acid which converts to muscimol. Muscimol is one of the principal psychoactive chemicals and causes massive hallucinations. Now before you get any crazy ideas about using this mushroom recreationally, you need to know that the amount of muscimol varies widely from region to region and season to season so you have no idea how much muscimol is in any given mushroom. In addition, the chemicals also cause intense stomach cramps, sweating, vomiting and diarrhea. Of it is reported that you are so sick that you wish you would die but you don’t. It has also been reported that deaths from eating this mushroom, whether intentional or accidental, are rare. However, it has been estimated that 15 large caps of the Fly Agaric are enough to kill an adult. It’s best not to mess with these mushrooms. The Fly Agaric grows around the world in northern temperate zones. Because of this, there are many reports from many different cultures around the world using the Fly Agaric for medicine or in ancient ceremonies. For example, it was recorded that the people of Siberia used this mushroom by its shamans as an alternative of achieving a trance-like statehood. It has also been used in many religious communities. The Siberia shaman would eat the mushroom and others would drink his urine. The urine, containing the psychoactive elements would be more potent than the mushroom itself and would have fewer negative side effects such as muscle twitching and sweating, suggesting that the original person eating the mushroom acted like a filter for the other compounds that causes these negative side effects. So, this autumn when you are out running around look for the Fly Agaric. Be safe, don’t even touch it, just enjoy it with your eyes or camera. Until next time… Stan Tekiela is an Author / Naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.