Another funky photo - Along came a spider

Not so tough now, huh?

Hoarding: The top two ways to hoard

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Squirrels have been frantically gathering nuts and seeds for the past few weeks.

I noticed the hurried actions of the squirrels that visit my garden.

I decided to do a little research.

It seems there are two kinds of storing food for the winter. Scatter-hoarding and larder-hoarding.

Scatter-hoarding involves spreading food items in numerous hiding places. We see this when we watch quarrels bury nuts in many different locations. I see it when forgotten or ignored sunflower seeds pop up in odd places in my garden.

Blue Jays also scatter-hoard small acorns in a wide area up to one mile away.

Then there is larder-hoarding

Larder-hoarding is placing all the food items in one place. Chipmunks do this. Chipmunks must be able to defend or hide their food store so others can't find them.

Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)

Nuts such as hickory nuts and red-oak acorns are good for stored food because they are dormant seeds. Just by their genetic makeup these large seeds aren't scheduled to germinate until the following spring. But, by that time, the animal has eaten what it needs.

When I watch squirrels collecting sunflower seeds to bury, I notice that the squirrel removes the shells first. I thought this was odd. Wouldn't the seed keep better if the protective coating was on it?

Squirrels enjoy sunflowers seeds, too.

What I have since learned about squirrel nut-burying behavior, is squirrels also remove the fragrant husks from hickory nuts before burying them. I guess this is to keep nut-stealing animals from sniffing out fragrant sunflowers and eating the squirrel's store.

So, you want a piece of me?

Another Funky Photo - Enraged Squirrel

Are you scared or amused?

Raptor Workshop at the Academy of Natural Sciences

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Last Wednesday, I went to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia to a Migrating Raptors Identification workshop.

It was the one of the coolest workshops I had ever attended. Not only did we get to see live raptors close up but also dead ones.  Hawks, Falcons and Vultures who had slammed in to windows or hit by cars, We studied by the workshop participants. We treated the deceased birds with the utmost respect.

Broad-winged Hawk (platypterus) foot

Before we saw the live birds, we were able to examine the wings, feet, markings and size of the dead birds. It gave me an understanding of the field marks that I see on the live birds.

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) - mature female

Below are some of the photos I took of the birds, some dead, some alive. I didn't include anything too gruesome. Okay, one foot of a Red-tailed Hawk is a bit icky, but the photo was too educational to leave out. But, we can learn so much by just looking. Take a look at the slideshow below and click my name on the slideshow screen to go to the Flickr set on all the photos.

Migrating Monarch at Cape May point State Park

On my weekend trip to Cape May, I went not just to observe the migrating hawks, but also the migrating Monarch butterflies. Monarch are the only butterflies known to migrate like birds, by traveling two-ways, back and forth between winter and summer homes.

Other butterflies overwinter as larva, pupae (in a chrysalis) or even as adults like the Mourning Cloak butterfly. The Monarch migrate because they can't survive the cold in any form.

The wind was very strong last Saturday. And there were not as many grounded butterflies as I have seen in the past.

Monarch on Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens)

I mostly see them back behind the dunes where there is shelter from the winds blowing off the Atlantic Ocean a several hundred feet away.

The migrating Monarch can be found on the native Seaside Goldenrod plants sipping the last of the nectar.  Cape May Point State Park has a butterfly garden right outside the classroom building. The last few Zinnas and New England Aster serve as last stop buffets.

Monarch on Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens)

The Monarchs here in the Eastern part of North America migrate to their winter home in the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico. The butterflies are found in the oyamel forests in the Mexican states of Mexico and Michoacan. The Monarch live there from October to late March. Then they make their journey northward back to our area.

The Monarch that we see leaving our area are not the same exact butterflies that return in the spring. Several generations of new butterflies have been born in the Mexican mountains and it is the great-great-great grand children that we see in the spring.

Monarch Butterfly Fall Migration Patterns. Base map source: USGS National Atlas. http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/

 The Monarchs fly along several different flyways in North America and converge and blend into one flyway in Central Texas. They travel during the day and roost at night. The monarchs often roost in conifer trees. I saw them roosting in cedar trees at Cape May.

dunes at Cape May Point State Park

This area behind the dunes is full of migrating Monarch. The butterflies gather on the Seaside Goldenrod and the cedars (conifers) growing along the trail. Monarch often choose pine, fir or cedar trees for roosting. They roost in conifers in their Mexican home.


A good way to help out the migrating butterflies, is to plant nectar-rich fall blooming plants.

Some late summer/fall-blooming nectar plants for butterflies include:
Goldenrods (their are hundreds of native species)
New England Asters (and other Aster species)
Sedums particularly Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
Milkweeds species (for nectar and as larval host plants)

More information http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/migration/index.shtml

Hawk Migration at Cape May Point State Park

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Saturday, My mother and I went down to Cape May Point State Park to watch the myriad of hawks that pass by this part of the pennisula.

Cape May Point State Park is at the very tip of New Jersery. It is the last land stop before the birds either fly across the Atlantic Ocean or the Delaware Bay.

It is a natural funnel. Many species of birds fly overhead or land in Cape May County. Birds are studied here all year around but the fall migration is a spectacular time. Over 300 birds species have been spotted in Cape May.

We arrived late, a little after 10 am. The directions I used were confusing. We arrived as the regular Saturday morning, hawk banding demonstration was going on. I got some really good photos of the hawks.

Sharp-shinned or Cooper's ?

After the demo we went to the Raptor ID Workshop given by the Cape May Bird Observatory and learned even more.

Hawk Watching Platform 

Finally, we made it to the hawk watching platform. It was full of birding enthusiasts. There are always spotters who call out the birds flying toward us. This was very helpful. Sometimes I think the "spotters" have the most extraordinary vision to see the birds so far off in the distance. One day I would like to be good enough that I can be a spotter and call out the birds. 

After watching the hawks for awhile we walked along the beach and behind the dunes.

behind the dunes

migrating Monarch (Danus plexippus) on Seaside Goldenrod

The dunes is where the migrating Monarch butterflies tend to rest. The strong winds had caused them to stop and rest on the few remaining plants with nectar.

The beach had few people on it. The sand was clean and smooth. A few shorebirds walked along the surf.

gull at Cape May Point

It was a good day.

Raptor species spotted: Osprey, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Butterflies: Monarchs, Common Buckeyes, and numerous tiny dark butterflies too small to see clearly.

In bloom: Seaside Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) and New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

I bought this book at the Park shop and can't wait to dig into it. The Suttons have included a wealth of information about Cape May. It is a thick book, 568 pages, and each one full of information.

The Asters Are in Full Bloom

The Asters (Aster novae-angliae) are yet again proving just how great they are in the garden. These native perennials bloom from late summer straight through frosts.

Dozens of Asters are native to the northeast section of the United States. Many plant breeders are breeding new garden varieties all the time.




This is one plant that has spread and must have over a hundred blooms. Asters are for sale all over in nurseries and in front of supermarkets.

Aster novae-angliae, "Purple Dome"

Asters attract many pollinating insects including flies, bees, butterflies and skippers. Aster are butterfly host plants. Many butterfly larva (caterpillars) eat the foliage.

I think this is the best native plants for the garden book.

Northern Mole Cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla)

Northern Mole Cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla)

Another Pine Barrens photo. This time it is of the Northern Mole Cricket.

 The Northern Mole Cricket flies on warm evenings from summer to autumn. It feed on the roots of plants and can be found in moist areas. They are attracted to lights. They range from South Dakota south to Texas and east to Vermont and south to Florida.

Northern Mole Cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla)

 

This shot was taken in a plastic square Chinese take-out container. I learned this technique from a entomologist. It works extremely well. The container has rounded corners and insects can't try to hide in the cracks. The white color of the container gives a beautiful background. The container is lightweight, cheap (free) and packs easily. We photographed several insects close to where we found them, and released them back in to their habitat.

Northern Mole Cricket (Neocurtilla hexadactyla)

Insects are the most incredible creatures on Earth. Humans think we are the most fascinating, I think we are wrong.

This national Wildlife Guide to Insects and Spiders is 495 pages thick, in full color and provides numerous pages of insect natural history information. I highly recommend it.

Naturalist News - October 2010

If you keep a naturalist field journal or  a nature journal here are some writing and drawing prompts for this month.



Nature Calendar 
October New moon
October 8th - 9th - Draconids meteor shower
October 21st - 22nd - Full moon
October 22nd - Full moon
October 18th - 31st - Autumn colors peak in Southeastern Pennsylvania




What to observe right now

• Look for migrating songbirds at your feeders
• Squirrels busy storing food for winter
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are migrating south. Keep hummingbird feeders filled until freezing is a problem.
• Monarch butterflies are migrating (Cape may point State Park is a good place to see the migration)
• Waterfowl migrate south this month
• Hawk migration peaks in mid-October (Cape May Point State Park, Fort Washington State Park, Hawk Mountain)
• fungi (mushrooms) sprouting in the leaf litter

Natural History - What to learn now

• Leaf colors of common trees
• Why leaves change colors
• Read information on migration in last month's newsletter if you missed it.

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterfly in the Pine Barrens

Nature Photography and drawing -  What to photograph and draw now

• leaf colors
• fall berries
• nuts and seed pods
• harvest time
• animals preparing for winter (including humans)
• mushrooms and fungi
• fall flowers

Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus) - luminous beauty

Polyphemus Moth caterpillar eating Blackjack Oak.

These photos of a Polyphemus Moth, fat and eating steadily, reminds us  our the natural world moves with its' own rhythm. Getting ready for fall, the caterpillar eats until must pupate one last time. This larva seems to be in its last instar or growth stage before wrapping itself into a cocoon.

It will probably spend the winter as a cocoon in the leaf litter beneath the Blackjack Oak it was eating. Next year it will emerge as a beautiful night-flying Polypehmus Moth.  

I was in the Pinelands (Pine Barrens) last Saturday. I took a nature photography workshop and the Whitesbog area was our project place. 

We spotted this fluorescent green caterpillar hanging upside down from a Blackjack Oak (Quercus marilandica) tree.

The photo is good but it doesn't do the caterpillar justice. It was luminous. The sunlight backlight the caterpillar as it ate the leaves of the Blackjack Oak.  It is about five inches long and thick,

After we spent several rapturous minutes madly shooting photos, we decided it was a Luna month larva. But we were wrong. One of our group, an entomologist,  had Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner, in his car trunk.

We debated and decided that the yellow lines that pass through the spiracles, confirmed that this is Polyphemus Moth. Spiracles are the pores on the side of the caterpillars body, that the animal breathes through.


Whitesbog in Brown's Mill, NJ.  It is located in the 1.1 million aces of Pinelands National Reserve. The Pinelands is commonly called the Pine Barrens. The Pine Barrens is located on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and habitat is known as a Pine-Oak Forest. To learn more about the Pinelands, visit the New Jersey Pinelands Commission.

Polyphemus Moth lives across North America except for Arizona and Nevada

Habitats: barrens, woodlands and forests.

Host plants : apple, ash, birch dogwood, elm, hazel, hickory, oak, rose, and willow. Especially favors birch, rose, and willow family plants.

Natural history information was obtained from, Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David L. Wagner. This book has 512 pages of butterfly and moth caterpillar photos and information. Awesome!

Leaf Colors of Common Trees Here in the Oak-Hickory Forest

Fall along a busy urban street

The Philadelphia area is graced with a show of spectacular fall tree color. We are just far enough north for the tree leaves to change and just far enough south to miss frigid winter temperatures. Perfect.

The trees leaves change colors according to their species DNA. Here is a list of the colors of common tree species here in the Oak-Hickory region of the Eastern Deciduous Forest.


Oaks
bear oak - yellowish brown
black oak - dull brown
blackjack oak, pin oak, turkey oak - reddish with orange tinge
post oak - brown red oak - dull brown
scarlet oak - bright scarlet to deep red
Virginia live oak - green this is an evergreen oak)

Hickories

all hickories have yellow leaves in fall.

Maples

box-elder - yellow, sometimes reddish

red maple - red

silver maple - pale yellow

striped male - yellow

sugar maple - bright orange, turning to yellow

Birches

birches - all turn shades of yellow

Other species

American beech - light yellow and turning brownish tan

American chestnut - brownish yellow

Black tupelo - deep dark red

Bigtooth aspen - orange-yellow, turning pale yellow

Eastern cottonwood - yellow

Eastern sycamore - brown

Flowering Dogwood - deep red

Pin and wild cherries - reddish, turning yellow

Quaking Aspen - yellow varies form pale to deep

Sassafras - reddish becoming yellowish

Sumacs - orange, turning bright red

Sweetgum - orange-red, turing yellow

Tamarack (American Larch) - bright yellow needles

Tuliptree - bright yellow

White ash - maroon, dark reddish green

Why Do Leaves Change Color?

The leaves are really beginning to change here in Philadelphia.

The leaves of most trees are green during the growing seasons of spring and summer. During this season, they change from light to dark green. The green color comes from a substance called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll absorbs light energy for use in photosynthesis, a food-making process that occurs in green plants.










The shorter days and cooler nights of fall signal the end of the growing season. Shorter days mean less sunlight is available and trees shut down their food making processes. The chlorophyll breaks down and the green pigment is no longer seen. But before the they die, the pigments that were hidden by the abundance of green, show themselves.

The sequence of color

Fall leaf color changes begins at the higher altitudes and progresses to lower altitudes. This is due to the cooler temperatures of higher latitudes and elevations. Trees begin to change along the Canadian border (above this boundary is coniferor evergreen forests) and progresses downward. Leaves change color first in the mountains and move down the mountains into the valleys and coastal areas.

The color changes in predictable order. It begins with the red maples and progresses to aspens to sugar maples to oaks.

The best fall color conditions

Leaf color varies depending on temperature and and other factors. Lack of enough water from droughts and insect eating can case poor foliage display. Warmer than normal October nights are also bad for fall color display. During the warm nights the trees use the sugar produced in their leaves, so not enough sugar is left for color to develop.

Early cool weather brings early fall colors.

The best color displays are developed during sunny fall days and cold, frost-free nights.

If you would like to know when fall foliage colors are at their peak, most Northern and Mid-Atlantic states have hotlines and tourism websites for information.

Brilliant eye-popping colors

The uniform greens give way to the golds, oranges, reds, purples and bronzes. These pigments are caused by the following substances.

• yellow color by the pigment xanthophyll
• orange-red tones by the carotene pigments.
• red and purple by pigments called anthocyanins

The autumn color depends on which of the pigments is most plentiful. As the chlorophyll and other colorful pigments breakdown, all leaves become brownish.

Each species of plant has their characteristic fall colors.

Red and yellow are the main colors of autumn foliage in the east, and yellow and dark green are the main colors of autumn in the mountains and hills of the West. The dark green colors are from the numerous evergreen (conifer) trees.

In the north there are more deciduous trees and therefore more trees which change color. In the south are more evergreen species.

In the west, on mountains and hillsides, the bright yellow quaking aspens are vivid against a forest of dark green evergreens, such as spruce and fir trees.

In the east, the predominant colors are the browns of oaks, golds and yellows of the hickories, sycamores and other species. The reds of red maples and sumacs typify the October displays and draw many foliage watching visitors each year.

Falling Leaves

After the it dies the tiny pipelines that carried water and food between the leaf and the rest of the tree become plugged. The cells which held the it to the stem dissolve and separate. The dying leaf hangs by a few strands. These strands dry and twist in the wind. When the strands finally break, it falls to the ground.

Once on the ground, the it is broken down by tiny organisms in the soil. These tiny organisms (bacteria and fungi), convert the leaf into simple substances used for food. These substances are also absorbed by plant roots and provide food for new growth.

The endless circle of life continues .

This year peak foliage is estimated period of full color between October 18 thru 31.
Fall in PA (Pennsylvania Foliage Watch)

Squirrel away sunflower seeds for the winter

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

This Eastern Gray Squirrel must really love sunflower seeds. I had just filled the tray with black oil sunflower seeds when she pounched on the tray. When I took these photos the squirrel was just four feet away from me.

She was keeping a wary eye on me as she steadily cracked seeds. She dropped the shells. She was eating so quickly, that I thought she would choke. The thought sprang into my mind on how to perform the Heimlich maneover on a squirrel. After watching her, I decided she must be stuffing the seeds in her mouth to bury later.

I think this accounts for the sunflowers which spring up all over my garden. The squirrel planted sunflowers are always nicer looking than the ones that I plant.The squirrels don't harvest any other crop besides the sunflowers. They leave all the other food crops alone.

The squirrels are gardens/farmers because when the sunflower heads reach a certain size, the squirrels snip off the heads and carry them away. I like to think that they harvest at the peak of ripeness.



You can see in this photo the squirrel is still in her tawny summer fur. Her tail is bordered with white tipped hairs. In winter the back of her ears will be covered in dark hair, her tail will be dark and she will lose the tawny/gold hairs on her body.

The squirrels neighbors are quite full of personality.  White-footed mice also live in my garden. I think these are the only two mammals that live and dine there. But then I am forgetting the opossum, skunks and raccoons that drink from the water dishes at night. And the cats.