Blink and You'll Miss it

When I was a kid, summer was my favorite season. No school, great weather, fresh blueberries and strawberries, the smell of freshly cut grass, and endless days of running around in the woods with my friends. Evenings were magical because I could go outside and catch the fireflies. It was easy while there was still some daylight (unless they went higher than my little arms could reach) but as it got darker they became harder to find in between blinks. Looking back, I wonder why I did it. I didn’t do anything with them besides let them walk around on my hand before flying away. The magic returned when I got to watch my daughter chase them around the yard, while my wife watched in bewilderment. Poor thing grew up without fireflies, and alien species in the Northwest.

Traditionally, fireflies (the are actually a beetle, not a fly) first appear right around Memorial Day and vanish just before Labor Day, but I remember one year we had a weird spring and they were a month late. However, they stayed through September to make up for missing most of June. The flashes they give off are the fascinating phenomenon of bioluminescence a living light source. They are trying to find a mate to make the next generation fireflies and keep summer nights full of wonder and amazement.

Firefly dorsal view (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Last year I got a disturbing report from my mom back in the Old Country (Pennsylvania) that she isn’t seeing as many fireflies in recent years. I contacted Christopher Tipping, an entomologist at Delaware Valley University in nearby Doylestown to see if he has been noticing any trends. He told me the same thing I hear about so many other species: habitat loss. He says weather can also be a factor, as I discovered the year they were a month late. 

Firefly in flight, between blinks (Smithsonian Magazine)

Every living thing on the planet requires food, water, air, and a space to call home. Insects are no different. Recall from an earlier Nature Minute I discussed the disappearance of bees, and habitat loss was on the list of suspects. What kind of habitat do fireflies prefer?

While there are many different firefly species (maybe even several in your yard at once) they generally seem to prefer an open area like a meadow or your back yard where they can see each other’s flashes, or forest edges. Larva live in the ground and require moist soil, which in my experience is common in woodlands. There is still much to be learned about how moist they need their soil or how artificial light sources affect their matchmaking skills. 

Enjoy a National Geographic video on fireflies.

Firefly in full blink (Washington Post)

Are you interested in protecting or enhancing your firefly habitat? As a National Wildlife Foundation Habitat Steward, I can help. Together we can keep summer nights magical for kids everywhere. This week's information comes from Christopher Tipping, National Wildlife Foundation, and Firefly Watch.

NWF: https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Invertebrates/Firefly.aspx

Firefly Watch: https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/

MO Dept of Conservation: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/fireflies-lightning-bugs

Smithsonian Magazine: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-fireflies-142999290/

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/07/22/scientists-are-working-with-the-light-of-fireflies-to-improve-medical-diagnoses/?utm_term=.b7d5ed9a0da6

Summertime and the Living's Easy

Summer is officially here, at least astronomically. Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, while our friends south of the Equator are settling in for a long, dark winter. What exactly is the solstice?

Summer solstice is the point at which the pole of the hemisphere in question most directly faces the sun. It’s the longest period of sunlight in a single day and the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. At the pole, it is 24 hours of daylight. The length of daylight decreases with distance from the pole, culminating in 24 hours of darkness at the opposite pole. 

Solstice occurs at 4:24 AM Universal Time (time in Greenwich, England on the Prime Meridian) on June 21st. Sunset at my location is 9:07 while solstice is at 9:24, which is on the 20^th here. I won’t even see the sun when I am facing it most directly.

Interestingly, we associate summer with long days, but by the time summer actually arrives the days start getting shorter. And even though solstice is when we receive the most sunlight, it takes about a month before peak temperatures arrive. This is because the oceans affect heat absorption and distribution. For the same reason, peak coldness is usually a month of more after winter solstice. Of course, there may be exceptions but that is generally the norm at my latitude.

On an unrelated topic, this week is National Pollinator Week. Bats, insects (notably the bee), and the wind are pollinators you encounter on a daily basis. Go outside and hug a pollinator! Just not a bee.

Solstice diagram: http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-summer-summer-solstice

Sea Lions and Whales

Summer weather is hear for most of us (off and on here in the Northwest- off as I write this) so let’s take another trip to the beach in search of marine mammals. Actually, this a recap of a trip to the beach I took in December 2014. I went to Florence, Oregon to check out the local pinnipeds and cetaceans. What are those you ask?

Cetaceans are whales and pinnipeds are critters such as seals and walruses. Pinniped means fin footed, and the feet of these critters are modified into swimming flippers. Maybe you’re wondering why I went to the beach in December. I actually stopped by the Sea Lion Cave in August, but the sea lions weren’t home. Sea Lion Cave is the largest sea cave in the world, home to a Stellar sea lion rookery. During the summer the sea lions are out to sea, and I got so see some swimming at a distance. Because they weren’t home, I got a rain check to return any time within a year and chose December because they would be roosting and migrating gray whales would be passing by.

For those of you outside of the Northwest, this was a big gamble, picking out a weekend to get a hotel months in advance. The weather is notoriously wet in this corner of the world, especially during the winter months. On the coast, winds can reach hurricane force during a good storm. And I was betting that I’d have good enough visibility to see a whale out there somewhere.

I was either lucky or a genius. Saturday’s drive to Oregon and Sunday at the cave were great for driving and whale watching. Inside the cave smelled of sea lion, but the fresh sea breeze kept the smell from becoming overwhelming. It’s a noisy place, alive with the sounds of crashing waves and the grunts and groans of half-ton beasts. No flash photography, and humans are in a cage to keep us and the sea lions safe from each other.

 

Lion's den, devoid of sea lions (summer 2014)

Incoming wave at the sea-facing opening of the lion's den (summer 2014)

 Outside, squadrons of gulls and guillemots patrolled the skies above. Heceta Head Lighthouse kept watch to the north, southward were the city of Florence and the towering Oregon Dunes. The back side of the Sea Lion Cave gift shop (at the top of the elevator down to the “lion’s den”) is a picnic area and observation deck on a bluff over a hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean. All around were sea bird rookeries. It’s a huge area to scan, hoping to see a whale drift by. What are the odds that one would surface right where I was looking? I didn’t see any whales that day but I did see the spouts of a few. This was exciting for me, since I’d never seen a whale before, other than Shamu and friends in Orlando.

Pigeon guillemot (from Audubon Society)

Gray whale (from NOAA)

Stellar sea lion (from NOAA)

Rain and fog settled in north of Salem as I headed back home after a successful day of new wildlife encounters. Since then I’ve encountered harbor seals just offshore from Tacoma and I would love to do a whale watching cruise in the San Juan Islands. What do you watch for when you hit the beach?

Ocean-going sea lions (summer 2014)

Shore bird rookery #1

Rookery #2

Whale jaw bone at Umpqua Lighthouse in Oregon

Sea lion (NOAA) http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2010/20100806_sealion.html

Gray whale (NOAA) http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/gray-whale.html

Pigeon guillemot (Audubon) http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/pigeon-guillemot

Species of the Month

This month’s Species of the Month is a rarity on this blog. It has no seasonal connection to anything that is happening right now. This little critter is chunky, cute, and will fight you. It’s one of closest neighbors but we hardly ever see it because it is mainly nocturnal. The raccoon lives among humans, eating our garbage and is generally considered a nuisance in spite of its cuteness.

Procyon lotor

Scientific name: Procyon lotor

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Range: Southern Canada to northern South America, introduced to Europe and Asia

Habitat: Woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, urban areas

Lifespan: 5 years on average, less than 2 years is the norm but may live to be 16

Diet: Omnivorous opportunist. The raccoon will eat just about anything from nuts, berries, and fruit to insects, rodents, and amphibians to garbage and roadkill.         

Predators: Coyotes, wolves, hawks, owls

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: The raccoon will eat just about anything. The black eye mask is fitting, because its front feet function much like a little human hand, making it easier for these bandits to break into secured items than for most other animals. The raccoon is a good climber and can also swim if necessary. This little chunkster may be up to 50% body fat in the northern extremes of its range. They are normally solitary but babies (up to 7 in a litter) will live with mom until the end of their first winter. Babies are born blind. A male may spend a few weeks living with a female prior to mating. Raccoons do not hibernate, but during extended cold snaps they may sleep in as a way to conserve energy- a sort of mini-torpor. They are notorious carriers of rabies.  

This week’s information comes from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Procyon_lotor/

Raccoon

Front footprint, hand-shaped

Raccoon scat, looks like cherry pits

Free Lawn Care

Gardening season is in full swing. I am terrible at keeping plants alive, but I have an incredible talent for the tedious drudgery of pulling weeds. I also enjoy mowing the lawn, as strange as that may sound. In my opinion, it’s the only necessary part of lawn maintenance. Watering and fertilizing are a waste of time, money, and energy. It’s just grass. Did you know there’s a little critter that can help you with your lawn care, and it won’t cost you a dime?

Mole hill

Moles have a bad reputation among lawn enthusiasts. Those unsightly mole hills make your beautiful lawn less attractive. But the mole works hard to keep your lawn healthy. Subterranean mole tunnels aerate the soil, which is good for plants, and turf grass just happens to be a plant. Moles also eat the grubs and insects that feed on plant roots.

Mole (from Mole Pro)

Moles are fossorial, meaning they are burrowing critters. They are rarely seen. I've seen two in the last year, both dead, but their hills are everywhere. Last week's Nature Minute mentioned the endangered Mazama pocket gopher. Gophers are also fossorial and rarely surface, but the difference between the two is diet. Moles are carnivorous (if worms, grubs, and insects are considered meat) and gophers are vegetarians. 

Lawn care services charge money to aerate your lawn and can apply chemicals to rid your lawn of pests. But why risk letting chemicals soak into the groundwater when nature has a free alternative?

Mole picture from Mole Pro (ironically, they get rid of your moles) https://molepro.com/pages/mole-facts