Thursday, July 26, 2012

Who is the Wood Turtle (AKA Bog Turtle)?


By Ben Betterly, Wildlife Educator
Wisconsin is home to 11 species of turtles.  If you’re in the Northwoods and near water, there’s a good chance that you’ll see some of our most common species, including the Painted Turtle, Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, and our largest species, the Common Snapping Turtle.  But, if you’re really lucky you might spot the less common Wood Turtle.
The Wood Turtle is a medium sized turtle that is most easily recognized by sculptured growth rings on each scute of its shell.   The shell (or carapace) is usually medium brown, and occasionally has black flecks and faint yellow rays. The bottom plate (or plastron) is yellow with black blotches toward the outer edge. The head is dark brown and without markings (and big black eyes), while the skin on the neck and leg sockets varies from pale yellow to orangish-red.

This Wood Turtle was spotted while paddling the Manitowish River.
Photo by Ben Betterly

Wood turtles are semiaquatic and prefer rivers or streams with moderate to fast flowing water.  They also spend a great deal of time in forested habitats adjacent to water, where they feed on berries, vegetation, mushrooms, worms and other invertebrates. Because they frequently bask on land, Wood Turtles are less observable than other riverine turtles.
Of the 11 species of turtles native to Wisconsin, 6 are considered to be moderately declining, 2 are of special concern, 2 are threatened, and 1 is endangered;  The wood turtle is currently one of those 2 species considered to be threatened (along with Blanding Turtle). The main reason for the decline in turtle populations in Wisconsin is due to habitat loss or fragmentation, human harvest (for food and pets), and increased rates of predation.  To make matters worse, the recovery of many turtle populations is limited by slow maturation rates, and thus it takes a long time for some species to rebuild their population. The Wood Turtle is one of those species, and consequently cannot breed until it is at least 12 years old (Blanding’s can take up to 20 years to mature!)

Caption: Naturalist Licia Johnson showing the plastron of a specimen she found along the Flambeau River. Photo by Heather Palmquist

Though slow to mature, Wood Turtles can live to at least 50 years old and possibly upwards of 100! Unlike most other turtles, Wood Turtles add annual growth to their shells without shedding their scutes; which results in a pattern on the shell that is synonymous with the annual growth rings of a tree. Like the rings of a tree, it is possible to age a wood turtle (to a limited degree) by simply counting the rings of its shell…hence the name “Wood” turtle!



Scutes that resemble the growth rings of a tree have earned the Wood Turtle its name.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Nature's Timing


By Angela Ziobro, Summer Environmental Educator

“Isn't that early?” This is a question I have been hearing time and time again since spring set in. From the San Jacinto mountains of California where I teach during the school year to the Northwoods it seems that nature's timing is changing—and this can have startling effects on humans and non-humans alike.

After a showing of Green Fire (the documentary about Aldo Leopold's life and influence) I led a discussion several weeks ago. As always seems to happen as of late, the conversation veered off towards phenology (nature's timing). We learned from one community member that on average the lake he lives on is frozen for 50 less days per year than it was just twenty years ago when he relocated to the area. This fact alone is startling, but when taken in the context of some of the creatures that share these northern lands with us, it might be a question of survival.


The snowshoe hare, for instance, changes color when the amount of light per day changes. This color change will thus happen at the same time each year regardless of weather and plant conditions. Since snow sticks around for a shorter amount of time, and arrives later on average, this could leave the white-colored hares prone to predation in an environment they no longer blend in with.

Here is a link to an article about snowshoe hares and color change in a shifting climate: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224220347.htm

“Something mysterious happens when we look into the eyes of an animal, whether it be a panther or a poodle—we see something familiar looking back. Ourselves? Yes, but we also see an 'other.' We see something that is in us and yet without us, something we recognize and yet is unfamiliar, something we fear but for which we long. We see the wild.” –RenĂ©e Askins

Mammals are not the only creatures that could be negatively affected by the phenological shifts that are happening across our planet. Our avian friends could find struggles in their paths in the near future as well. Birds (along with mammals in many instances) are influenced greatly by day length.

Day length, or photoperiod, plays a key role in the control system that synchronizes the             physiologies of individual birds and their environment...Molt and preparation for migration also                are triggered by changes in day length (Gill, 2007).

If, for instance, a certain species of bird depends on a particular species of berry to build up fat stores for migration and that berry becomes ripe a month sooner than usual the bird will not have that nutrition source when they prepare to travel to their winter habitat. Conversely, when they migrate north, if a major spring food source has already come to fruition and been consumed by permanent residents the birds may not find the necessary nutrition to nest and nourish their young.

Robins love to eat raspberries.

So, enjoy the raspberries that are now ripe in our roadsides and back-country meadows, but remember to be conscious of the changes that are occurring all around us. Perhaps while you enjoy a raspberry sundae you can jot down the events you noticed during your picking expeditions. What other types of berries did you see? How large were the deer fawns you witnessed? When did you first notice loon chicks on the lakes near where you live? Having a base knowledge about nature's timing can help us to understand, and perhaps even help, the other species that share these forests with us.

“One has only to consider the life force...to lay the mind wide open to the  mysteries—the order of things, the why and beginning....One question leads inevitably to another, and all questions come full circle to the questioner, paused momentarily in his own journey under the sun and sky.” –Peter Mattheissen


Works Cited

Gill, F. B. (2007). Ornithology. (3rd ed.). W. H. Freeman.


Snowshoe Hare picture from NPS.gov

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Phenology


July 13
Phenology summary
July 7- Wood frog eggs in Statehouse Lake
July 10- Chanterelle mushrooms out
July 11 – Galls on goldenrod
July 12 – First red maple leaf!
July 14- Pods forming on milkweed
July 16- Bot Flies being eaten by frogs
In bloom: Bee balm, St. John’s wort, Compass plant, Cupplant, Culver’s root

Monday, July 16, 2012

Animal 911


by Ben Bettterly, Wildlife Educator
Every Thursday, the North Lakeland Discovery Center hosts an EE program for 11-14 year olds called “Eco-Adventures. Eco-Adventures is an offsite program, where we explore local communities and natural area as part of a weekly theme.
Last week’s theme focused on Northwood’s wildlife; and so for Eco-Adventures we visited two wildlife rehabilitation centers in the area: Northwood’s Wildlife Center in Minocqua, and Wildlife Instincts in Rhinelander.   During our visit, we learned about ins-and-outs of wildlife rehabilitation, and found out what it takes to become a wildlife rehabilitator.
 The goal of any wildlife rehabilitation center is to help sick, injured, and/or abandoned (often young) animals, so that they can be released back into the wild as soon as possible.  It’s important to remember that animal rehab centers are not zoos, where animals are put on display for our entertainment. Instead human contact should be minimized as much as possible in order to avoid conflicts between humans and the “patients” when they are finally released back into the wild.  For this reason, animal rehabilitation centers are often limited, if not closed to the general public.
 Most animal rehabilitation centers rely purely on citizen donations for their funding; and animal rehabilitation doesn’t come cheap. For example, although we didn’t get to see them, Wildlife Instincts currently takes care of 10 abandoned bear cubs.  Each bear cub cost approximately $3,000 dollars by the time they are released.  This cost includes the price of food, and any medical or cleaning supplies that might be needed; and this can add up fast! That’s nearly $30,000 for bear cubs alone, and this doesn’t include the costs to take care of all the other animals that might need help such as foxes, otters, porcupines, raccoons, baby birds, etc.
 If you would like to support the Northwood’s Wildlife Center or Wildlife Instincts, donations are graciously accepted in the form of money or supplies (such as fruit, dog food, paper towels, etc.); however, I’d recommend calling first to find out what supplies are most in need.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Bat Survey Results Are In…….


by Licia Johnson, Naturalist

A few weeks ago I went out on a bat survey with DC member Ed Marshall on Squaw Lake in Lac du Flambeau.  We have received our results and map and it turns out it was an amazing survey!  Our map is below with all of our bat encounters.  A key is also below of the bat species we encountered.  The blue line on the map is our route we took, as you can see, it started out pretty slow with no encounters, but then we had bats the entire survey!  The majority of them being Little brown bats, a few Silver-haired bat, and we were excited to see the elusive Hoary bat on our survey.  Thanks Ed for taking the time to survey, looking forward to the next adventure!

 *      LACI = Lasiurus cinereus [Hoary bat]
Description: http://wiatri.net/Inventory/Bats/Monitoring/Acoustics/Mobile/SurveyResults/Images/sym_LANO.jpgLANO = Lasionycteris noctivagans [Silver-haired bat]
Description: http://wiatri.net/Inventory/Bats/Monitoring/Acoustics/Mobile/SurveyResults/Images/sym_MYLU.jpgMYLU = Myotis lucifugus [Little brown myotis]



Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Phenology


6/12: 5 chestnut sided warbler hatchlings (in nest)

6/16: 4 chipping sparrow eggs (in nest next to shop)

6/18: Turtles (painted and snapping) hatching; Strawberries beginning to ripen

6/19: Chestnut-sided warblers fledging; Chipping sparrows now hatched

6/21:  Monarchs emerging from their chrysalises

6/22: Andropogon dubius seeding out; Bracken fern senescing  

6/25: Beaked hazel fruiting

6/30: Elderberry blooming

6/30: Sumac blooming

6/30: First Blueberries Ripe

7/1: Purple Loosestrife blooming

7/1: Chipping Sparrows fledged from nest (1 died)