Cold Spring
This has been a bad spring for the birds. The extreme cold and several weeks of soaking rain is taking a major toll on many of our early nesting song birds such as the Eastern Bluebird and Black-capped Chickadee. Both of these birds lay eggs very early in spring and under normal weather conditions (if there is such a thing as normal weather) the young would have hatched and would be ready to leave the nest by now, but that is not what I am finding. I just got back from two days of photographing and while I was out I was checking on a dozen or so nests that I am scoped out this spring. Without actually counting the exact numbers, I would guess there has been about an 80 percent mortality rate. In other words, 8 out of 10 nests that I have been monitoring over the last couple weeks contained dead baby birds. In most cases, 4 out of 5 young were already dead. Now many things can contribute to the death of a young bird but I have my suspicions that the cold wet weather is the culprit. Cold wet weather affects the birds in several ways. First and the most obvious are the temperatures. Most baby song birds have no ability to regulate their body temperature for the first 3 to 5 days of life. This is a very vulnerable time of life. They are born naked and helpless. The only way they can keep warm is by snuggling with their nest mates and by the parents sitting on them in a process called brooding. Most song bird parents have a bare patch of skin on their bellies called a brood patch. The brood patch is covered by the long contour feathers of the body so you won’t see the brood patch by just casually looking at a bird. If you move the body feathers to the side you can see the patch. The brood patch becomes engorged with blood vessels just prior to incubation of the eggs to greater enable heat transfer from the parent to the eggs. After the eggs hatch the brood patch is used to keep the hatchlings warm, especially at night. Most young songbirds such as chickadees and bluebirds are fed only insects. This high protein diet allows the baby birds to grow amazingly fast. Now normally it’s not a problem for the parents to feed their young and keep them warm during a short cold snap but when the weather is cold and wet for nearly two weeks like it has been around the upper Midwest (about the length of time it takes for a baby chickadee to emerge from the egg and fledge) it’s a different story. Not only does the cold weather make it hard to keep the babies warm, but the insect population is nearly non-existent. As you know, most insects are not active during cold weather which means foraging parents must look longer and further away from the nest to find enough food to keep their babies alive. The more time it takes for the parents to find food the longer they are “off” their babies and the young birds start to slowly cool down. Once the body core temperature starts to cool down the digestive system starts to slow down. Once the digestive system slows down the vigor in which they feed is reduced so when the parents due come back to feed the young they are often too cold and weak to lift their heads and beg for food. It’s a tragic cycle. In addition the quality of food is poor when the weather is cold because the large juicy insects are no where to be found. The parents are forced to bring back smaller less substantial insects for their young. The wet weather also contributes to respiratory disorders in many bird species. The young developing lungs of a baby bird don’t handle the excess moisture in the air very well and the young die of respiratory complications such as pneumonia. So you may be asking yourself, what I can do to help my resident birds. Try offering them some meal worms. My bluebirds and chickadees love them and will eat as many as I put out for them. It is as simple as putting 20 or so meal worms in a slick sided plastic margarine tub so they can’t crawl out. Place the container with the meal worms near the nest site or near one of their favorite perches. Since both of these species are cavity nesters you can simply put the container with the meal worms directly on the bird’s house. You will be amazed how quickly they will find it and snatch up your offerings. Until next time…
Butternut Canker
Not ten feet out my office window stands a dying American Elm tree. Ten feet to the left of this dying tree is another elm that is already dead. Not 6 weeks ago these trees were alive and doing well. That’s how fast Dutch Elm disease claims the lives of these wonderful trees. But the occurrence of Dutch Elm is old news. Are you aware of the Butternut Canker disease? Its worse than Dutch Elm. The Butternut tree (Juglans cinerea) is a highly valued deciduous tree native to the eastern US. It is sometimes called White Walnut because it is closely related to Black Walnut and has nearly white wood. Its wood is very strong and is sought by woodcarvers and cabinet makers worldwide. In addition, the abundant nut crop is a very important food source for all sorts of wildlife including White-tailed Deer and Turkeys. Its common name comes from its butter-like oil, which some Native Americans once extracted from the nuts. The nuts (fruit) are egg-shaped or sometimes oval, and are 2-3″ in length and grow in tight clusters. Each nut is covered with a sticky green husk that turns brown upon maturing. The husks surrounding the nuts were often used to dye fabrics. During the Civil War, the color of the Confederate uniforms was created using butternut husks. Currently, all the butternut trees in the entire eastern US are being devastated by an exotic fungal disease that causes branch and stem cankers and ultimately death. The name of this fungus is Sirococcus clavigignenti- juglandacearum, a mitosporic fungus that belongs to a large group of fungi called Fungi Imperfecti. It was first described in Iowa in 1967 but is believed to have spread to Iowa from southeastern U.S. some forty of fifty years prior. In 1995, the Forest Service estimated that 75 percent of all butternuts in the southeastern U.S. were dead with the remaining trees heavily infected and no longer reproducing. There isn’t a region that isn’t already affected by the disease. This rapid decline of the butternut population is so severe that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have listed the species as a species of Federal concern. In our area the Butternut tree is dying in record numbers. Rarely do I find a live and healthy Butternut in all of my travels. Unlike the Dutch Elm which quickly takes the life of the tree, the Butternut Canker slowly kills the tree over several months to years. Spores of the fungus can be dispersed by rain splashing and air currents. No doubt insects are also transmitters of this deadly fungi. The fungi can survive and reproduce on a dead tree for up to 20 months. The disease causes dead branches, top dieback, and discolored bark which has an inky black fluid coming from the cracks. Cankers are elongated and sunken and almost always cause death of the branch by cutting off the circulation. Cutting and removing the infected wood will slow the spread of the infection but there are no known cures or control. Work is now underway to locate healthy stands of Butternuts and graft resistant trees into clone banks to preserve the genetic makeup of this tree. In addition once the physiology of the canker causing fungi is understood there might be a chance to save this tree. But for now we continue to loose another sentinel of our forests just like the American Chestnut and the American Elm. Until next time…
Ticks
Just bring up the words “Wood Tick” and even the most ardent nature lover cringes and starts to get the heebie geebies. Even as I write this my skin is crawling. As a naturalist I try to look for the “good” in all aspects of nature. I have spent my career explaining the virtues of plants such as the Poison Ivy and birds such as the American Crow to people that find them unfavorable. I try to convey something interesting that might spark a new way of looking at the “bad” plant or animal, something that might make you say “gee-whiz, that is interesting”. But I seem to be at a loss for words when it comes to the Wood Tick. But here it goes anyway. Ticks are members of the Mite and Tick order, which are closely related to spiders. There are over 1,000 named species of ticks worldwide. Some estimate there are up to a half million more species tick yet to be discovered. Now there’s a comforting thought. There are 2 types of ticks—hard bodied and soft bodied. Wood Ticks are a hard bodied tick and are so named because of the hard plate on top of their bodies. This is also why it’s difficult to kill them simply by squeezing or crushing. Soft bodies ticks lack the hard plate and have mouth parts located under their heads as compared to the hard ticks that have mouth parts in front of their head. Newly hatched young, called larvae, have only 6 legs. They are extremely tiny and obtain 2 more legs after the first molt for a total of 8 legs, just like spiders. Just like the adults, the larvae also feed on blood, but they concentrate on small animals such as mice and voles. With each blood meal (total of 3-5) the larvae molt (shed their old skin) and grow larger. Once they are adult size they feed on larger mammals such as deer and people. Ticks find their hosts by clinging to the tips of plants while extending their fore legs to grab any passing mammal (see image of female Wood Tick). They may remain perched on the end of a twig or blade of grass for weeks before a large mammal passes by within reach. Once they have landed upon a potential host, they often climb to the highest point and search for a warm and protected spot such as behind the ears, nape of the neck or the collar. (Are you starting to itch now?) Once in position they use their forward facing mouth parts to pierce the skin and begin to feed on the blood. Once fully engorged, they drop off and molt and lay eggs. Mature females will mate just before their last blood meal. Using the nutrients from the blood meal, she will develop and deposit many eggs which hatch into tiny 6 legged larvae and the cycle starts over again. Most full grown Wood Ticks are 1/8 of an inch long. Males and females are the same size but you can tell them apart. Males are reddish brown with two white strips running length wise down their body. Females are the same color but have a single U-shaped mark. An easy way to differentiate the sexes is to remember, males have markings that look like he is wearing suspenders while females look like they are wearing a necklace. Wood Ticks are sometimes called American dog tick. Because they are feeding directly on blood, they can transfer disease from one host to the next, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and tick paralysis. If you find a tick attached to yourself, you can carefully remove it with tweezers. Grasp it around the head, as close to your skin as possible and gently yet firmly pull it out. Home remedies such as covering the tick with Vaseline or burning it off with a hot match do not work. Save any ticks that were attached for prolonged periods of time for identification by an expert. Of course the best way to not get a tick bite is avoid the ticks in the first place. Avoid walking in tall grass. Wear long sleeves and long pants. Tuck your pants into your socks so you can see the tick crawling up the outside of your pants, not inside. Apply insect repellent, such as products containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) to clothing also helps. Of course consult your doctor before applying DEET to children. And always check yourself as soon as possible. As for me, ticks don’t bother me, it’s those darn mosquito that drive me crazy. Until next time…
Common Loon
As a wildlife photographer I am in the field observing and photographing all aspects of nature anywhere from 3 to 5 days a week. It doesn’t matter what the subject. From crawling insects to drop dead gorgeous orchids, from tiny hummingbirds to gigantic moose, nothing escapes my watchful camera and lens. With this much time spent in the field I observe some of the most unusual animal behaviors. Witnessing these behaviors is always a thrill for me and I find that I am continually amazed by nature. For example, I have been documenting and photographing “a year in the life” of a pair of Common Loons (Gavia immer). About once every two weeks I spend several hours in the morning and again in the evening with a pair of loons that have two young chicks. I have captured many intimate moments of the adults feeding the young or the young riding on the parent’s backs. Through my many hours with these loons I have documented all sorts of interesting behaviors such as group fishing techniques, defending territories, how they need to run across the surface of the water to take off, or how they skid on their bellies on the surface of the water while landing, and one behavior that I really wasn’t prepared for—assaulting. I think its common knowledge that loons tend to be highly territorial. From my observations I would agree, but they are not territorial in the way you might think. Adult loons regularly gather in groups of up to 10 individuals. They seem to enjoy each others company and they often hunt for fish together. However, you don’t want to be another species of water bird on the same lake as the loon. I first witnessed a female Wood Duck landing near the shore of my loon’s lake. Right away both parents submerged and moments later popped up just a few feet from the duck. Each parent lunged for the duck, just as the woodie took flight. I remember at the time thinking to myself, that seems unusual, what threat would a female Wood Duck have to these enormous birds. Within an hour an adult Western Grebe landed on the lake near some Bullrush. I immediately maneuvered the boat closer to the grebe for a better look and maybe some pictures. But I wasn’t the only one moving in to get closer to the grebe. One of the adult loons also moved in, but not to get a better look. Before I knew it, a full blown fight broke out between one of the loons and the much smaller grebe. Through my lens I could see water splashing everywhere, beaks and feet flailing about in every direction. Within another moment, the second loon came racing past my boat running on the surface of the water with its wings propelling him along just like oars on a boat. The second loon joined in on the brawl. The grebe was not only out numbered he was half the size of the loons. I thought to myself, this is not going to be pretty, and sure enough it wasn’t. Within 30 seconds the loons had bitten and kicked the grebe so many times the grebe lay nearly lifeless on the surface of the water. Unable to control myself I shouted out loud, “they have killed that grebe”. Satisfied that the grebe was no longer a threat, the loons strutted about, stretched their wings and called excitedly back and forth to each other before they swam back to the other side of the lake to join their young. The grebe, which lay fatally wounded, slowly righted himself but was obviously not doing well. I could see a large laceration on the side of its head and it was bleeding. I could tell by the off-balanced floating position, the grebe had a significant head injury. I thought, “What should I do”? As a wildlife photographer and naturalist I have a duty to not interfere with nature. I am there as an observer and biologist. I knew that to step in during the assault would have been wrong, but now that the loons were gone and the grebe was clearly in jeopardy I should take action. I waited about 10 minutes, watching and photographing the grebe as it swam in circles and was clearly not doing well. Finally the decision was made to get closer to the grebe. As the boat moved up to the grebe, it was obvious what to do. I scooped up the grebe in a large plastic bin and secured the lid. This grebe needed some medical attention quick. I phoned the Wildlife Rehab Clinic and let them know I was coming in with a Western Grebe and it had a head injury. Upon arrival at the clinic the staff admitted they don’t see very many Western Grebes, let alone one that was assaulted by a pair of loons. I was able to show the doctor the images of the assault on the back of my digital camera, and filled in the details with my own observations. The laceration on the grebes head wouldn’t be a problem to heal, but the doctor suspected something worse, and sure enough the x-ray revealed a skull fracture. The recovery time for this kind of injury would be long but the prognosis looks good. We hope to return the grebe to the wild by the end of summer and you can bet that I will be there to witness and photograph the event. Until next time…
Monarchs
My flower gardens are in full bloom with hundreds of brightly colored blossoms just waiting for a visit from the marvelous Monarch butterfly. However this summer has not been very good for this winged wonder. And it doesn’t surprise me considering all the obstacles that lay in the way of a reproducing monarch. Monarchs are members of the order lepidoptera. Lepidoptera is a fancy word that means: (lepis, Greek for scale, pteron, means wing. Together it means scale-wing.) Butterflies and moths are the only insects with wings covered with tiny scales. The wing scales are responsible for a monarch’s bright red and black color. If you have ever caught a butterfly in your hands and after releasing it seen a fine powder on your hands, these are scales. The average butterfly has 250,000 scales per square inch of wing surface. Monarchs go through four different stages of life, which is called, “complete” metamorphosis. Some insects go through only three of the four life cycles, which is called incomplete metamorphosis. As you might expect, a Monarch starts out as a teeny tiny egg. Mother Monarchs are capable of laying hundreds of eggs. Each egg is place on a “host” plant. In the case of the monarch the host plant is a member of the milkweed family. From these tiny eggs emerges an extremely tiny caterpillar. And this is where things start to get interesting. Plants in the Milkweed family have a milky sap that contains toxic chemicals called cardio-glycosides. The toxin causes hot flashes, sweats, nausea, vomiting and weakness to any animal that eats it. The caterpillars are unaffected by the chemical. The caterpillar only has one job–eat. And eat it does. All day for up to two weeks the caterpillar feeds on the milkweed leaves. After eating and growing to full size, the caterpillar crawls off to a safe location to rest. This is called the pupa stage. The caterpillar undergoes an unbelievable transformation. The caterpillar attaches itself to a stick and hangs upside down. It than sheds its skin to reveal an inner, bright green sack, called a chrysalis. Within the chrysalis, each cell of the caterpillar liquefies and reforms or transforms to create the butterfly. Finally, the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, which starts the fourth and final stage of the marvelous Monarch. The adult butterfly flies off to find a mate and to start the life cycle all over again. Since Monarchs produce several of these cycles each summer, the monarchs that hatch in September are very special. These late summer Monarchs are the ones that migrate to Mexico for the winter and are solely responsible for producing next years Monarchs. Until next time….
Poison Ivy
If you like camping, hiking, biking or just about any other out-door activity, it’s time for you to learn a new word. Can you say Urushiol? Pronounced (u-roo-sha-ol) it is the name of the oil found in the poison ivy plant (Toxicodendron rydbergii). Poison ivy is a very common plant in the Northland. It is one of those plants that grows well just about anywhere. It enjoys direct sun but will grow in the shade. It also likes dry soil but will grow in moist soil. I find it mostly growing along paths or the edge of woodlands, fence rows, thickets, or if you’re really unlucky the edge of your backyard. There is a lot of confusion about poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, the toxic trio. Let’s start by clearing up a few misconceptions. We only have poison ivy and poison sumac in the northland, no poison oak. Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), which is much more poisonous than poison ivy, grows deep within acid / tamarack bogs making this plant nearly impossible to come in contact with. So put any fears of poison sumac out of your mind, unless you are in the habit of wading through knee deep sphagnum moss. Poison ivy on the other hand is extremely common. There are some areas that are filled with the nasty devil. And the best way to avoid coming in contact with this scourge of the woods is to be able to correctly identify the plant and stay away. Poison ivy is a low growing plant or vine with a woody stalk that splits off into three branches. Each branch usually has three pointed oval shaped leaves that only somewhat resemble an “ivy” shaped leaf. Poison ivy is a master of disguise. Its leaves are usually shinny but can be dull. The edge of each leaf can be smooth or have large teeth. It grows on the ground but also vines high into trees. About the only consistent characteristic are its woody stem, yellow to green flowers that produce green to white berries after the plant is three years old, and a middle leaf stem, called a petiole, that is longer than the outer two. Lastly, it is one of the first plants to turn deep red each autumn. A good way to remember this plant is the old saying, “leaves of three, let it be.” Interestingly, it appears that only humans have troubles with poison ivy. Animals, birds and other wild critters have no troubles with this plant. Birds and bears eat the berries and lay amongst the leaves without any troubles. In fact many cases of poison ivy are transmitted from family pets like dogs and cats to their owners. The only way to get poison ivy is to come in contact with our friend urushiol. Urushiol oil is found in every part of the plant except the flowers. The oil, which causes the allergic reaction, has the consistency and color of 3-in-1 oil. Only when the plant is damaged in some fashion does the oil leak out. This is the point that the oil is transferred to you. When heated, the oil spatters like butter and will attach to smoke particles and can cause very serious rashes to anyone downwind. Nationally, only 10% of the human population is truly immune to its ill effects. So if you are one of those that say, they are immune to poison ivy, it may be that you have never come in contact with the plant. Urushiol can also lay in waiting for you on garden tools, clothing and even your pet for up to year. So let this be a warning to you about messing with poison ivy. If you think you have been exposed to this menace, the best treatment is water or alcohol and lots of it. Rinse the effected area with an alcohol and water mixture and wash all your clothing in hot soapy water. There are hundreds of “home remedies” most of which are not effective. Treatment of a minor case can be handled at home while a serious case of poison ivy should be handled by your doctor. There is a saying that goes: poison ivy that is left untreated will last about two weeks while a case that is treated will last only 14 days. So this summer make it your duty to learn just one plant, the amazing poison ivy and steer clear of this home wrecker of the woodland. Until next time…
Fireflies
Summer and bugs are synonymous. You can’t have one without the other. While many insects such as the mosquito and tick can be a nascence, some insects are totally amazing. The firefly is one of those amazing insects. I mean, who hasn’t enjoyed seeing, chasing or catching these luminous insects on a warm summers evening? Fireflies or sometimes called lightning bugs are not flies nor are they bugs. In fact they are a type of beetle. Beetles are defined as any number of insects in the family Lampyridae, having biting mouth parts and modified front wings to form hard wing covers that overlie the membranous rear wings. In other words they eat other insects and have a hard shell over the hind portion of their body and their wings. Fireflies glow at all stages of life, including eggs, larva and adult. Thus, the ability to glow just as an adult is not a characteristic of this group of beetles. To confuse the situation even more, not all bioluminescent beetles are fireflies. But you should leave this fine distinction between beetles to the entomologist (one who studies insects). Fireflies start out as an egg which is usually laid in rotting wood or the leaf litter on the forest floor. After hatching the larva feed upon other insects and sometimes snails. They then pupate (rest) for up to several weeks before emerging as the flying adult beetle. Although fireflies are found around the world they are most common in the humid tropical areas of the world. However in North America very few if any fireflies are found west of the Mississippi River. There are many kinds of fireflies and each has its own special way of lighting up the night. Each species flashes its own coded signal. Some flash a single brief light while others have a series of flash. Some flash while perched in tall vegetation while others will flash while in flight. The results of these flying flashes are like sky-writing, with some species creating a “J” , “U” or other shapes in the night sky. So why would a tiny insect have such an elaborate bioluminescent body? To attract a mate of course. Typically males will fly about just after dark flashing their species specific flash pattern. Females perched on vegetation watch for the males flash. Studies show that females prefer males that flash longer and brighter. If the male catches the attention of a particular female, she will respond with her own flash. A short flash dialogue may ensue between the potential mates. The male then seeks out the female by following her flashing. After locating her they will mate and she will go off to lay her eggs and start the cycle over again. Fireflies produce light via a chemical reaction consisting of Luciferin (a substrate) combined with Luciferase (an enzyme), along with ATP (adenosine triphosphate) combined with oxygen. I won’t boar you with any more of the details. Obviously the fireflies can control when and how long they flash, but how they turn on and off the light is still unknown. Many theories abound. One thing that is known, the light these beetles produce is very efficient with very little heat being given off as wasted energy. Just about 100 percent of a firefly’s light is given off as light. By comparison, a normal electric light bulb gives off only 10 percent of its energy as light, while 90 percent is wasted as heat. I am sure we could learn a thing or two about energy efficiency from our friend firefly. So, this summer, why don’t you revisit your childhood by going out and enjoy the natural fireworks of the firefly. Until next time…
Acorns
Are you like me? Is it dangerous to leave your house? Is mowing your lawn becoming an exercise in dodging missiles? Are you woken at in the middle of the night by what sounds like machine gun fire peppering your house? Yes, it’s acorn season again. If you are fortunate enough, or unfortunate enough depending upon your prospective, oak trees are dropping their ripen fruit in your yard right now and there is nothing you can do about it. Oak trees are in the beech family (Fagaceae). They are often some of the largest trees and can be found all around the world. There are about 800 species of oak trees worldwide with the exception of tropical South America and tropical Africa. There are about 65 native species of oaks to North America and less than a dozen species in the Midwest. Nearly all oaks are deciduous, which means they drop their leaves each autumn. However in warmer parts of the planet, they are evergreen. All oaks have alternately attached leaves and nearly all have simple toothed or lobed leaves. Male and female flowers are found on the same tree. This means that all oak trees produce a fruit, unlike some tree species that have male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another, leaving one tree without any fruit. Acorns are technically a hard-shelled, single seeded fruit. All acorns are borne with a cup of many overlapping scales. These scales are how the Bur Oak got its common name. The scales look like a bur. All species of oak fit into one of two groups—White Oak or Red (sometimes called Black) Oak. Oak trees with leaves that have pointed lobes or tips are in the Red Oak group. Trees with rounded lobes or tips are in the White Oak group. However, the major differences between the two groups are in the timing or maturing of their fruit. White Oak members produce flowers each spring that result in acorns in the coming autumn. Red Oak members produce flowers in spring but don’t produce acorns until the second autumn. As a result the acorns from the Red Oak group tend to be higher in the bitter tasting tannin while the White Oak acorns have less tannin and are more palatable. Nearly all oak trees, no matter red or white group, will produce an extremely heavy acorn crop every 5 or 6 years. This is called a mass crop. If you have a dozen or so oak trees like I do, you can plan on having one of those trees producing a mass crop just about every year. Wildlife such as the Eastern Wild Turkey, White-tailed Deer, squirrels, and even Black Bears depend upon acorns as a major food source. Acorns that are buried by squirrels and not found sprout and begin to grow. This is how many of our future oak trees become planted. Most species of oak have thick heavy bark that is high in tannin. Tannin leached from the bark has been used in the tanning process of animal skins for hundreds of years. Acorns have also been an important food for people for thousands of years. After gathering and shelling the acorns, the meat was boiled in several changes of water to leach out the bitter tasting tannin. After drying, the acorns were often ground up to make flour. A very nitrous, all-be-it heavy, bread was made with the flour. Acorns were also roasted and eaten on their own. Until next time….
Sphinx Moth
I have many favorite visitors to my naturalist garden. First and foremost are the ruby-throated hummingbirds. These flying jewels thrill me to no end. Next would be all the different kinds of butterflies—mourning cloaks, tiger swallowtails, monarchs, red admirals and viceroys. They flitter into my garden and my heart. But for sure “wow” power–the sphinx moth is the real garden showstopper. Sphinx moth, also called the hawk moth or hummingbird moth, is a large moth that many gardeners confuse with hummingbirds. These daytime and evening flying moths have a 3-½ inch wing span, making them nearly as large as the ruby-throated hummingbird. But the similarities stop there. There are about 100 species of sphinx moths in North America. One of the more common is called the White-lined Sphinx moth (Hyles lineata). This whirling moth has a buff-brown body (thorax and abdomen) with large pointed brown fore wings that are outlined with white strips, hence its common name. Its hind wings are mostly pink. It flaps its wings fast enough to make seeing the white strips very difficult. Some species of sphinx moths can flap their wings up to 85 beats per second and can fly up to 10 miles per hour. That might be slow for a hummingbird but very fast for a moth. The white-lined sphinx moth has 6 white strips on its thorax (the body part where the wings attach). The abdomen (looks like the tail) has black and white spots separated by 3 pale pink lines. An another common sphinx moth is the smaller Green-banded sphinx moth. It is about twice the size of a bumblebee and has 3 bright green bands around its abdomen. Some mistake these moths for “baby hummingbirds”. Sphinx moths will hover at a flower for nectar just like a hummingbird. Its long straw-like mouth, called a proboscis, is usually coiled up under its head like a spring. It is so long that it is usually about as long as the moth’s entire body. When the moth approaches a flower it uncoils its proboscis and inserts it into the flower like a straw into a milkshake. It quickly sips the nectar and moves onto another flower. These moths have large eyes to see flowers but lacks ears for hearing. One of the ways to tell the difference between a sphinx moth and a hummingbird is to use your ears. Hummingbirds make a loud humming noise when flying. That’s how they got their name! And the sphinx moth is silent. Before any moth can fly is has to first go through a caterpillar stage. The caterpillar of the sphinx moth is very large. About 3 inches long and about as thick as your little finger. It is usually bright green with a large horn on its tail giving it a threatening appearance–although it is harmless. At this stage they are often called “hornworms”. When the caterpillar is disturbed it often rears up in a threatening posture with its head cocked reminding some people of the great Egyptian Sphinx. Which is how this moth got its common name. Unlike other moths, the sphinx moth caterpillar doesn’t spin a silken cocoon to metamorphose, rather it burrows underground creating a protective earthen chamber. The underground chamber is also how they survive winter. Sphinx moths are not picky and will try obtaining nectar from just about any flower. However there are a few flowers they seem to prefer. If you want to attract a sphinx moth to your garden, try planting any species of phlox, obedient plant, petunias, impatiens, or morning glory. Until next time…
Deer Antlers
Autumn is a time when many of us turn our attention to White-tailed Deer. Man-kind has a long history of association with deer. We have depended upon its meat for food, its skin for clothing and its antlers for tools and decoration for thousands of years. A deer’s antlers seem to hold great attraction for people. However like many things in nature that we covet, there is also a lot of confusion about antlers. For example many don’t know the difference between antlers and horns. Horns are permanent and are retained for the life of the animal. They are made of keratin with a bony core. Keratin is a protein substance without a blood supply of which hooves, hair, claws and nails are composed. Horns are found on mammals such as Bison, and Bighorned Sheep. They tend to be relatively short and thick. The Pronghorn, sometimes called antelope, is unique to North America. It is an exception to the horn / antler rules. They have horns that have a bony core with an outer horn sheath, which is shed each year. Their horns are like a combination of horns and antlers. Both male and female Pronghorns have horns, although the males are much larger. Antlers are completely different from horns. Antlers are made of solid bone. Only members of the deer family, Cervidae, grown antlers. Except for Caribou and Reindeer, only the male deer have antlers, with the odd exception of a rare female with a hormonal imbalance which sometimes grows a set of small antlers. Antlers are the fastest growing bones in the natural world and depending upon the species can grow as large as four to five feet long and weigh several pounds. All antlers start from a small swelling on a male deer’s head called a pedicel or antler bud. These first appear as a tiny twist of hairs on a young male fawns head and are visible from nearly the time they are born. It is the pedicel that is the key to a large antler. For example young male deer with poor nutrition or are deficient in testosterone develop small pedicels and thus small antlers. I think most would agree that the size of a deer’s antlers depends upon age, nutrition and inherited traits. But what is not agreed upon is to what degree each of these factors play in the eventual size of the antlers. Antlers start to grow in early spring. The growth is triggered by the length of daylight. From the beginning the newly growing antlers are covered with a network of blood vessels and nerve endings that is known as “velvet” because it looks and feels like velvet or suede. The rapidly growing antlers receive blood through the outer velvety skin and also through an inner core vessel. The velvet is very fragile and tender. It bruises easily and bleeds if it is damaged and even suffers frostbite if frozen. So a buck must remain careful during the growth period. This means no sparring with other bucks or running into tree branches. If an anther is seriously injured during growth it will be deformed in the place of injury. What is really amazing are the antlers will also “remember” an injury and succeeding antlers will also be deformed as long as the buck lives. As amazing antlers are, what is more amazing is how the antler grows. Researchers have proven that a buck must borrow large amounts of calcium, the chief component of antlers, from the body. And the place where this calcium comes from is the ribs and sternum. So much calcium is taken from the ribs that they become very brittle and often break during the critical antler growing period. However the research also shows that a healthy buck takes this in stride and fractures heal smoothly and with minimal discomfort. More on deer antlers in the next Nature Smart column. Until next time…