Species of the Month: Douglas Fir

Christmas is next week, and to celebrate we are profiling one of the most popular Christmas trees as the December Species of the Month. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of species made available for holiday décor, such as the noble, grand, and Fraser firs and Norway spruce. When I was a kid, the old standby, and still my favorite, was the Douglas fir. I see them on a daily basis, and when they reach 40-200 feet tall they lose their Christmas tree shape but the wonderful smell is still there. Besides, a 200 footer is way too big for the front room window.

Scientific name: Pseudotsuga menziesii

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Class: Pinopsida (conifers)

Order: Pinales (pines)

Range: British Columbia south to northern California west of the Cascades and Sierras and along the Rockies south to Yellowstone, then scattered distribution south to Mexico. The coastal variety is subspecies menziesii and the Rocky Mountain subspecies is glauca.

Habitat: Well-aerated soils from sea level to 7500 feet for menziesii and 10,700 feet for glauca. Southern populations reach higher elevations than northern populations. Pseudotsuga menziesii forms communities with western red cedar, western hemlock, redwood, Sitka spruce, and other conifers.

Lifespan: Commonly, 500 years. Some individuals exceed 1000 years.

Diet: Sunlight, water, soil minerals

Predators: Small mammals such as squirrels and tree voles (seeds), humans (timber)

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: In addition to serving as a popular Christmas tree, Douglas fir is a valuable commercial forestry product. Due to rapid growth time (relatively speaking) from sapling to harvest, logging companies frequently reforest clearcuts with exclusive Douglas fir stands. Trees can be harvested in as little as 80 years. 

Douglas fir in its natural habitat

Needles grow all around the branch

Needles grow along the length of the branch

Rough bark

Unopened seed cone

The finished product

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs

We all know there are a lot of animals out there. You see them all the time. When I’m roaming the woods, I don’t always see critters. But with a little bit of training, you can tell who was there before your arrival. Here in Washington, it rains a lot. That means mud, which fortunately reveals what critters came and left tracks. Animals even help themselves to our trails, making it easier to follow their travels. On one expedition to the Ohop Valley, I found an animal superhighway. The highlight was a coyote track inside an elk track on top of a mole hill.

Deer track in sand near Mashel River

Scats are another obvious animal sign. When nature calls, animals answer right on the trail as they walk. Scat can tell us who walked before us and what they ate. Owl pellets are the indigestible remains that come up the other way and are just as revealing.

Coyote scat showing the remains of a bird

Otter scat

Great horned owl pellet

Other signs are more subtle. Trees might contain fur that got snagged as animal walked by and brushed against it. Or the bark could be scraped off by a deer, elk, or bear. Lower branches might display gnaw marks from a busy beaver. Easily overlooked is a squirrel midden, the pile of husks left over from a sciurid feast.

An elk rubbed its antlers on this tree

A bear scraped the bark off this tree

A beaver almost chopped down this tree

Squirrel midden, husks from a demolished fir cone

Carcasses are the next best thing to seeing a live animal, even though I rarely encounter them. The good work done by the decomposers happens quickly, except in cases of roadkill where it is too dangerous to be rapidly effective. Also, animals typically run off to seclusion to die and are not likely to be found close to a trail. In my years of wandering the wilds, I’ve come across a rabbit, an opossum, bits of a deer (likely killed by a coyote), a mole, a pile of feathers belonging to an owl or hawk (possibly done in by a bobcat) and a seal. So when someone suggests the lack of a body as evidence against the existence of Bigfoot, ask when the last time they found a dead anything in the woods. 

Deer fur left over from a kill by a coyote

Harbor seal carcass at Kalaloch Beach, Olympic National Park

Feathers from a hawk or owl, I suspect killed by a bobcat

What signs have you seen lately?

Species of the Month: Wild Turkey

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and like most Americans you are probably looking forward to gobbling that big meal. Although we most commonly associate turkey with the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims and the Indian friends ate so much more than that. Deer and eels were also on the menu. Your turkey was likely farm-raised, but its ancestors, before domestication, were wild. November’s species of the month is the wild turkey.

Scientific name: Meleagris gallopavo

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Galliformes (chicken-like birds)

Range: Eastern US, parts of western US, northern Mexico; introduced in other areas of US, Germany, and New Zealand

Habitat: Hardwood or mixed forest with openings

Lifespan: 1-2 years (estimated)

Diet: Omnivorous- insects, small amphibians, nuts, seeds, grains, roots, leaves

Predators: Raccoons, opossums, skunks, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, rat snakes, bull snakes, mountain lions, eagles, great horned owls, humans

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: Popular game bird. Turkey habitat conservation benefits other species. Males (toms) use their impressive tail feathers and gobbling to attract a mate. Mating season is early spring; females lay 4-15 eggs in a single annual clutch. Active during the day, turkeys roost in trees at night. Yes, they can fly! The turkey was proposed as America’s national symbol by Ben Franklin.

Female turkey with chicks (what I call turklets)

Male turkey in display

This week's facts and pictures come once again from University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web

Porcupine Love

I was driving past Northwest Trek, a wildlife park which also does extensive conservation work, and I suddenly wondered how on Earth porcupines mate. Their quills are barbed so as to injure any critter that tries to attack it, but doesn’t that seem like it would hinder mating?

So I did a little digging, and in addition to quills being a roadblock to mating, females are frigid for 364.5 days a year (365.5 in a leap year). However, when she is ready to go for 8-12 hours each year, she will signal the males with secretions, which is how it typically works in the animal world.

When it is time, the successful male may have to ward off challengers. To set the mood, the female curls her tail over her back and relaxes her skin, which flattens the quills and reduces risk of impalement. 

They will do this several times until the female tires of her mate, who will go in search of more females having that time of the year. The female will have a seven month gestation period, followed by four months of lactation. Then after a month, it’s time to start over again. In case you’re wondering, when baby porcupines are born their hair is soft and hasn’t hardened into quills yet. Childbirth is painful enough already.

Here's a Youtube video of how it happens.

This week’s facts courtesy of Live Science

Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug

I was driving home from work last week and noticed what appeared to be a moth, judging by the face, stuck on my windshield wiper. The wings were flapping wildly in the breeze. When I got to a red light, they didn’t look like moth wings and I could see the legs were moving. This bug was still alive and trying to escape. I pulled over at the next chance I could so I could free this mystery critter. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at (or how it was still alive; half its body was smashed) until I happed upon it in a book I was flipping through. It was a caddisfly.

What is a caddisfly? They are an order of insect (Trichoptera) that is similar to moths and butterflies (order Lepidoptera) with hairy heads and larval cocoons. However, the caddisfly larva lives underwater and makes its case from material in the stream, such as small pebbles, held together by silk that it secretes from glands. And unlike moths, the wings of a caddisfly are not covered in fine scales (the “powder” that gets on your fingers if touch a moth or butterfly’s wings).₁

Caddisfly larva, with and without case
South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks

Adult caddisfly
Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission

Caddisfly larvae are a favorite meal for aquatic critters like salmon. An entire cohort of caddisflies emerges from their cases at once and moves toward the surface to begin a brief (two weeks) adulthood. It becomes a veritable smorgasbord for fish. Caddisflies are also an important indicator species. An indicator species is one that’s absence or presence is an indicator of the general health of an ecosystem. Caddisflies are sensitive to water pollution, so an abundant population of caddisflies is a sign of a healthy stream.2

Caddisfly larvae, Mashel River

1 From Insects_, Their Natural History and Diversity by Stephen A Marshall

2 From The Northwest Coastal Explorer by Robert Steelquist

Eek-cology of Halloween

Halloween is almost here! This was my favorite holiday when I was a kid. Now that I’m too old to go out getting candy from strangers, I stay home and give candy to strangers. This year, I will give you a quick look at the eek-cology of Halloween, some of the wild animals we connect with the holiday. Facts are courtesy of the pages of http://www.halloween.com/all-about-halloween/

Bats: Hungry for insects, bats were often seen chasing those that were drawn to the bonfires of the early Samhain celebration. They were believed to be connected to the spirit world. Bats are also associated with vampires.

Bat in flight

Spiders: Spiders just creep people out. That could be the number one reason they are associated with Halloween. Haunted houses of lore, which are typically abandoned, are full of spider webs. In medieval times, they were associated with witches. I think another likely reason they are a Halloween symbols is that it’s almost impossible to go outside this time of year without walking into a web.

Orb weaver

Owls: Owls were also spotted near the Samhain bonfires and were believed to be connected to the spirit world. They are associated with witches. In the dark of night, the owl’s cry can be an eerie sound.

Great horned owl

Wolves: Wolves are an animal that has long been feared. Adding to that fear is the legend of werewolves, cursed people who change into wolves by the light of the full moon. 

Tundra wolf at Northwest Trek, Eatonville, WA

Have fun and stay safe!

Species of the Month- Little Brown Bat

This week at Nature Minute we start a new segment, Species of the Month. To gear up for Halloween this month we celebrate the little brown bat, one of the most frequently encountered wild animals. Facts are courtesy of University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web.

Scientific name: Myotis lucifugus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

Range: Southern Alaska to southern US, Mexican highlands

Habitat: Day roosts- buildings, trees, under rocks, wood piles; night roosts- large spaces that can accommodate many bats; hibernaculum roosts: caves or mines that remain above freezing all winter

Lifespan: 6-7 years

Diet: Insects- midges, beetles, caddisflies, moths, mayflies, lacewings, mosquitoes

Predators: Cats, mice, owls, fishers, martens, raccoons, hawks, owls, weasels, snakes

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: Like other insectivorous bats, the little brown bat uses echolocation to find its prey. The bat’s wing is the same bones as the human hand, with a flap of skin stretched over the elongated fingers. A fungal disease known as white nose syndrome is threatening many species of bats all across the US and Canada. It is believed to have been accidentally transported from Europe as spores hitchhiking on a caver’s clothing. National Bat Week is October 24-31.

Little brown bat in flight

Little brown bat in flight

Little brown bat taking a break on front porch

Special Report: Wild Weather

Hurricanes Matthew and Nicole recently devestated areas of the Carribbean, Southeast US, and Bermuda. These events remind us that as much as we think we have mastered nature, we are still just an insignificant blip in history. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are in the middle of a train of storms. This is nothing new, but the intensity is unusual. Yesterday's storm spawned tornadoes in Oregon and today's storm is the remnants of a typhoon from the western Pacific. Hurricane force winds are expected along the coast, with rain by the bucket. Power outages and flooding are just hours away. Check out these web cams to see the storm unfolding:
Mount Rainier National Park
Olympic National Park
Washington DOT

Solar-powered Cycles

You probably noticed by now that the days are getting shorter and the air is a little chillier. Fall has fallen! The sun gives life to everything on Earth through heat and energy for plant photosynthesis. It also triggers changes in life cycles, some of which are evident to almost everyone right now.

The most obvious cycle that is affected by the sun is the current situation with our tree leaves changing colors and falling off. Because Earth’s axis is tilted 23 degrees, we experience seasonal variances in the amount of sunlight we get. As we move through fall and into winter, the sun sinks lower in the sky and light that hits us is less direct.

Nature loves efficiency, and trees lose their leaves this time of year because with decreasing sunlight, they would expend more energy performing photosynthesis (turning sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into energy) than they would get from it. Chlorophyll, the active photosynthesizing pigment, dries up and the cells in the leaf stem die, weakening it to the point that it falls off the tree. Until spring arrives, trees and other plants live off of starches stored in their roots. That starch is the byproduct of photosynthesis.

Other seasonal cycles are the leafing out of trees, hibernation, and mating seasons. Some cycles run by the sun can be daily, not just seasonal. Dandelions and other flowers close their petals at night. Daily sleep cycles are also affected by sunlight. Animals don’t use an alarm clock, but they do have an internal clock.

Bigleaf maple

Even shrubs change colors

Something Fishy in Olympia

In our last Nature Minute, I discussed the elk rut and mating season for other large mammals. Today we jump into the rivers with the spawning salmon. Washington has seven salmonids native to its many glacier-fed rivers. They are Chinook, coho, pink, chum, and sockeye salmon, plus steelhead and cutthroat trout. All of them hatch in rivers, migrate to the ocean, and then return to their birth river (most of the time) to spawn and die. It is believed they recognize their river by smell, although following Earth’s magnetic field can’t be ruled out. Pinks stand out from this group because they have a life cycle of exactly two years and only return to spawn in odd numbered years. All of these amazing fish might be found in the same rivers, but nature has its way of ensuring each species spawns in different areas at different times.

I had the pleasure of watching the Deshutes River Chinook at Tumwater Falls Park. 

This river is not in its original condition. Mills and hydropower stations were built along the falls in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and a dam near downtown Olympia created Capital Lake and eliminated the tidal marshes. However, there is still a decent salmon run every year and I got to be a part of it this year.

The spawning beds (also called redds) are below the lower falls. The splashing sound I kept hearing was the females using their tales to dig out a spot in the gravel for their eggs. 

Above and below: female Chinook salmon digging out redds

I didn’t see any salmon jumping up the falls, although there were a few below the upper falls. I also managed to snap a picture of one flying below the lower falls near the redds. 

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a.... fish?

Coho and chum salmon will be the next to come to Deshutes for spawning.

In A Rut

Spring is when new babies appear all over the woods and fields, but the miracle of life is starting right now with the rut, also known as mating season. Now is the time of spectacular antler battles as young males challenge the older, established males.

Among the hoofed mammals like deer, elk, and bison, one or a handful of males control harems of females. While we humans concern ourselves with obtaining the next shiny piece of technology to come along, these guys are driven only by passing their genes to the next generation. Do successfully do that, they must either challenge the big guy or fend off a challenge.

All that fighting sometimes takes a toll on dominant male. Fatal injuries are not common, but exhaustion with sometimes take a life. Other times, an opportunistic male with sneak in and steal a mate while the alpha is fighting a challenger.

This is peak season for deer vs car incidents because they are only thinking of one thing, and it’d not safety. They are crepuscular- most active around sunrise and sunset so use extreme caution at those times.

Elk are known for their bugling sound during the rut. This National Park Service link will let you have a listen at this eerie phenomenon.

Why are all these critters mating now? Because the births are timed to occur in spring when food is plentiful. If there is anything nature is good at, it’s timing.

A Day at the Beach, Nature Style

It’s Labor Day weekend and the unofficial end of summer, so let’s take a trip to the beach and check out the tide pools. Growing up in Pennsylvania, my only marine biology experience was seagulls and jelly fish at the sandy beaches of the Jersey Shore. Moving to Washington opened up a whole new dimension of ocean life for me.

Washington has rocky beaches in some areas and sandy beaches in others. The best sandy beaches have large rocky outcroppings called sea stacks. At low tide, the rocks reveal their living treasures. I also had my first seal encounter, but unfortunately this harbor seal was a carcass.

Sea Stacks

My best tide pool walk was at Olympic National Park’s Ruby Beach. I just happened to time it with the super low tide that comes with a full moon and summer solstice. Instead of just the usual starfish and anemones, we were also treated to sponges, chitons, and even a shrimp. Higher rocks had an assortment of mussels, barnacles, and snails. Snails prey on barnacles, and I managed to witness this segment of the circle of life.

Giant green anemones

Ochre Sea Stars

Chiton

Barnacle (white) and Mussels (black)

Snail eating barnacle

Dash Point State Park’s sandy beach has a nice batch of sand dollars. These are living critters, not just fancy shells in a store. Live sand dollars are fuzzy and should be left alone. Only pick up the bleached white ones.

The tide pools of a rocky beach, such as Larabee State Park, are different. There, I encountered pools of standing ocean water teeming with life, rather than exposed to the elements like at Ruby Beach. Larabee gave up crabs, limpets, sea cucumbers, starfish, and anemones. 

Crab and limpets

Sea Cucumber

There was even a pig at the beach last time I was there. Apparently Washingtonians take their livestock to the beach. I came across a chicken with its human at Shilshole Beach in Seattle.

Pig at the beach

Chicken getting ready to hit the beach

Happy Birthday National Park Service!

Today marks the 100^th anniversary of the National Park Service’s founding. As the stewards of America’s natural, cultural, and historic treasures NPS’s mission has evolved over the century. Let’s have a look at how NPS has changed with the times.

America’s national parks began when Andrew Jackson set aside the area that would one day become Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. Abraham Lincoln set aside the Yosemite Valley in California. In 1872 Congress created Yellowstone National Park, the first such designation in the world. By August 1916 there were a dozen national parks created by Congress, plus national monuments designated by presidents under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Some were managed by the Department of the Interior, some were managed by the US Forest Service (Department of Agriculture), and others were managed by the US Army. The growing system of parks and monuments needed unification under a single agency with a single purpose. On August 25, 1916 Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act into law, establishing that agency under the Department of the Interior.

Yellowstone was established “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. The Organic Act of 1916 expanded the government’s role in protecting Yellowstone and the other national parks by stating the NPS mission: “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Stephen Mather was chosen as the first NPS director, serving until 1929. A great proponent of the NPS’s creation, he worked tirelessly to promote the national parks and during his tenure the park system expanded to include the first three parks east of the Mississippi: Great Smokey Mountains, Shenandoah, and Mammoth Caves. Partnering with the railroads, Mather was able to meet his goal of increasing visitors to the parks. He felt that without visitors Congress would have no incentive to create new parks and maintain existing ones.

In 1933 Franklin Roosevelt greatly expanded NPS by issuing an executive order transferring 56 national monuments and military sites from the US Forest Service and War Departments to NPS. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made improvements to amenities in national parks and other areas, such as trail maintenance and building campgrounds. The Great Depression also brought the vintage National Park Posters. I enjoy these posters and would like to see a new issue of vintage-style posters for all existing NPS units.

During the period of 1933-1966 the NOS mission focused more on recreation than preservation. This is the era of bear feeding shows at Yellowstone. Of course, this encouraged bears to panhandle rather than live as wild animals but the public loved it. Unless they were being mauled by bears, as sometimes happens during bear-human encounters.

Bear feeding program at Yellowstone's dump

Conditioned bears looking for a handout

Mission 66 was a revitalization effort gearing up to the NPS 50^th anniversary in 1966. Improved roads and visitor centers were the primary focus to ensure visitors could access the parks and learn a little bit while there.

Other changes during this time include the creation of the National Recreation Areas in the NPS system. Initially centered around new dams built during the Great Depression, these areas also came to include urban areas such as Golden Gate NRA in San Francisco and Gateway NRA in the New York area which were established to preserve open space and bring the parks to the people.

Today, NPS struggles to find a balance between preservation and public use. Each park periodically updates its management plan with various proposals and period of public review and comment. Many interest groups want a say in how the parks are run. There are conservationists, thrillseekers, casual day users, outdoor enthusiasts, concessionaires, industry representatives, business owners catering to park visitors, and local residents near the parks. Each has an idea of how they want their park to operate. What we all need to remember is that is our park, but we must share it because it belongs to everyone.