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.