Species of the Month

As the snow disappears from higher elevations in the west, mountain hikes are once again becoming possible. That's where you'll meet our Species of the Month, although you are more likely to hear it than to see it. The American pika, though it looks rather mousy, is actually related to rabbits. Living high up in the rocky slopes of the Cascades, Sierras, and Rockies, it lets out a high pitched squeal as an alarm call when it spots a potential predator or passing hiker.

Pika adding to its cache of food (NPS)

Scientific name: Ochotona princeps

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Lagomorpha (hares, pikas, rabbits) 

Range: Mountains of western North America from British Columbia south to New Mexico

Habitat: Talus fields within mountain meadows

Pika on the rocks (NPS)

Lifespan: Up to seven years, average is three years
Diet: Grasses and forbs
Predators: Weasels, coyotes, raptors, martens, foxes, bobcats
Conservation Status: No special protection, though seven subspecies are considered vulnerable
Other information: This little critter looks like a big, chunky mouse or a rabbit with short ears. They are active during the day, gathering plants during the summer for immediate consumption and also to stockpile for the long winter ahead. Pikas build haypiles of grasses and forbs, selecting plants with the highest protein content they can find. Haypiles are kept outside during the summer to dry, then moved to the den for winter. Pikas do not hibernate; they remain awake in a tiny cave within the rocks and under the snow, eating their way through that haypile. Like other lagomorphs, they frquently consume their scats. Food is not totally digested, so they eat the scat to absorb more nutrients. Eating it a second time more fully breaks down the plant material. Pikas communicate though alarm calls and scent marking. Scent glands are on the cheek. They rub their cheeks on rocks to mark their territory.

Pika (NPS)

Look for pikas at Mowich Lake in Mount Rainier National Park. This week's information once again comes from the good people at UM's Animal Diversity Web.

Everglades Flora and Fauna

Last week we explored some of the different habitats in the Everglades. This week we’ll look at some the plant and animal residents, then wrap up with some of the many challenges facing the region.

So many different kinds of animals live in the Everglades. They range from tiny biting flies to giant mosquitoes that can carry you back to their dens and every size of mosquito in between. There are also birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fishes, crustaceans, and arachnids. Many threatened and endangered species call this place home. Some of the highlights: Florida panther, eastern indigo snake, American crocodile, West Indian manatee, five species of sea turtle (leatherback, loggerhead, green, hawksbill, and Atlantic ridley), snail kite, wood stork, piping plover, and red cockaded woodpecker.

Florida panther (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

West Indian manatee

Other critters you can find there include alligators, black bears, deer, marsh rabbits (which is a capable swimmer, gray foxes (which can climb trees), pilot whales, dolphins, several bat species, the gulf toadfish (which is audible to humans), roseate spoonbills, flamingoes, owls, parakeets, shore birds, waterfowl, owls, and birds of prey.

Roseate spoonbill (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

American crocodile (NPS)

Marsh rabbit (North Carolina State Parks)

Plant life in the Everglades includes sawgrass, named for its serrated edges; Simpson’s applecactus, an endangered night-blooming species; wildflowers like climbing aster, coralbean, devil’s potato, and duck potato; several species of orchids that can be found in nearly all of the Everglades habitats, including treetop canopies; and a wide variety of trees. Among the many trees are three mangrove species, West Indies mahogany, live oak, slash pine, bald cypress, gumbo-limbo, buttonwood, royal palm and sabal palm.

Sawgrass (Florida Department of State)

Applecactus (USDA)

Coralbean (NPS)

West Indies mahogany (University of Florida)

Sabal palm (USDA)

Like any other natural area, there is damage caused by humans. Some is recent, but some goes back decades. As development came to Florida, much of the water was diverted by canals. Wetlands were filled in and built over. The diminished flow and water fouled with agricultural runoff and sediment has had far-reaching effects, even today. The current red tide on Florida’s Gulf Coast is likely a result.

Invasive species, especially the Burmese python and boa constrictor, are of increasing concern. These snakes eat just about any native species in the Everglades, including the alligators. With no natural predators, their populations are able to grow unchecked. Although snake hunts are held throughout the year, they are very well camouflaged and are able to escape detection. Another species of concern is the melaleuca tree, which shades out native plants. At least a tree is easier to find than a python. Lionfish are an exotic species that eats the native populations. Increasing demand for them as a food fish is having limited success in eradicating them.

In the marine habitat, propeller scars form when boaters in shallow water mow submerged vegetation or even scrape the sea floor. Scraping bottom is far worse because it kills vegetation directly. It also kicks up sediment, which shades nearby vegetation, indirectly killing more.

The amazing biodiversity of the Everglades leaves quite a lasting impression on visitors. Unfortunately the human impact leaves an even bigger mark on the landscape and wild residential population. While government agencies from the local level up to federal are spending a lot of money to restore the ecosystems, paradoxically, those same governments are allowing more destruction in other parts of the Everglades. It’s a tragic lesson in how our lifestyle choices have consequences most of us never see or think about.

This week's information, like last week, comes from the National Park Service.

Species of the Month

Easter has come and gone, but the memory remains. Last year we took a look at the cottontail rabbit and this year the Easter species of the month is currently filling our ponds and creeks with quacks but will soon be joined by tiny peeping sounds. Enjoy a brief profile of the mallard duck.

Easter ducklings with mother

Scientific name: Anas platyrhynchos

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class:   Aves (birds)

Order: Anseriformes (ducks, geese, and swans)

Range: North and South America, Eurasia, north Africa

Habitat: ponds, wetlands, streams  

Lifespan: 5-10 years, oldest known was 27 years

Diet: plants, insects, worms, small crustaceans, cereal crops

Predators:  foxes, coyotes, birds of prey, humans

Conservation Status: no special protection

A group of mallards enjoying a warm spring day together

Mallard hen on the go

Other Information: The mallard is the most common waterfowl species in the world. They have adapted to life with humans, but still display a fear (which you’ve noticed if you ever tried to pet one in the park). They are dabbling ducks. Dabbling is what they do to eat- flipping head down in the water, tail up in the air. The females do the quacking. Mallards also make a sound that I describe as muttering at you under their breaths. Females lay clutches of 9-13 eggs in a nest on the ground. After hatching, ducklings follow mama to the water, never to return to the nest. However, there is always an exception to the rule. Mallards nested in a tree at my parents’ house, to everyone’s astonishment. Both male (drake) and female (hen) have iridescent feathers on their wings, and the drake also has an iridescent green head.

Mallard drakes, complete with iridescent green heads

Bottoms up! Dabbling drake

This week's information comes from University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web. Species comparisons will return next week. Stay tuned and be sure to like Nature Minute on Facebook.

Species of the Month

It’s time once again for the wearin’ o’ the green. To celebrate, our species of the month is white clover. This three-leafed plant is also known as the shamrock, a traditional symbol of Ireland and Saint Patrick’s Day.

White clover leaf (Michigan State University)

Scientific name: Trifolium repens

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Class:   Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons)

Order: Fabales (dicot flowering plants)

Range: native to Europe, now globally distributed

Habitat: pastures, yards

Lifespan: perennial plant, at least two years

Diet: sunlight and water

Predators: small mammals such as groundhogs and rabbits, deer, livestock

White clover flower (USDA PLANTS)

Closeup of the flower (USDA PLANTS)

Conservation Status: no special protection, may be considered noxious in some areas

Other Information: Believe it or not, clover is in the legume family with peas and beans. These plants form a symbiotic relationship with fungi that live in nodules on their roots and can absorb nitrogen from the air and fix it to the soil, benefitting other plants. Most white clover plants have three leaves, but the ones with four leaves are considered good luck. The four leaf clover is actually a genetic mutation. There are also clovers with five, six, or more leaves but whether or not they are lucky is undetermined. White clover is commonly planted with pasture grasses for grazing. The Ladino variety is tall enough to be cut as hay. It is an important flower for honeybees. It spreads quickly and is sometimes used for erosion control as a ground cover. Native to Europe, it is an invasive species in the US.

This week's information comes from USDA's PLANTS database.

The elusive four leaf clover (Wikipedia)

Splitting Hares

Continuing last week’s theme of animal comparisons, we will examine the tortoise’s fabled racing opponent, the hare and try to figure out how it’s different from a standard rabbit. Both are members of the mammalian order of lagomorphs, along with a cute little critter called the pika (which we won’t discuss today).

Desert cottontail, a rabbit species (NSP)

Jackrabbit, a hare species in spite of its name
(NPS)

Unlike the functional differences between turtles and tortoises, the differences between rabbits and hares are mainly cosmetic. In general, hares are larger and have longer ears. But there are more differences, being on Day One (before, actually).

Hares have a longer gestation period, by about two weeks. If rabbit and hare litters are born the same day, the hares will have fur and open eyes. They quickly become mobile. The rabbits will be hairless, blind, and cold. Unlike you, they can’t regulate their body temperatures. If you see a baby bunny just keep in mind, baby hares have hairs.

Baby hares are called leverets (USFWS)

Baby rabbits are called kits or kittens (Rabbit Smarties)

Hares live in above ground nests, while rabbits with the exception of the cottontail, are subterranean nesters. Hares are also faster and skittish, while rabbits are more relaxed and make better pets. Don’t try to catch a wild one to keep as a pet though.

So like last week, we found some similar looking critters, but there are differences. One thing these wascally wabbits have in common is that they both multiply like rabbits. Or hares.

This week’s information comes from NationalGeographic.

Species of the Month

October’s Species of the Month is another Halloween-related critter, just in time for the spooky holiday. Last year it was the little brown bat; this year we profile the great horned owl. Because they are primarily nocturnal, you are most likely to see one perched in the branches of a bare free, silhouetted against a full moon on a window cling or cardboard cutout decoration. 

Scientific name: Bubo virginianus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Aves (birds)

Order: Strigiformes (owls)

Range: North and South America from northern Alaska to southern Brazil

Habitat: Nearly universal in their range: forest, grassland, desert, swamp, and urban areas

Lifespan: 13 years in the wild, on average

Diet: rabbits, rodents, insects, amphibians, crustaceans, reptiles         

Predators: crows, raccoons (egg depredation)

Conservation Status: No special protection

Owl in a tree, Eatonville, WA

Other Information: The great horned owl is specially adapted for night hunting. The large eyes make efficient use of low lighting, and the round face funnels sound to the ears. The ears are offset, one higher on the head than the other, allowing the bird to locate prey by sound with pinpoint accuracy. Feathers have special edging that make for silent flight. The “horns” are feathers, not ears, and may serve as camouflage. They mate for life, and find each other during hooting rituals. While males hoot all year, females only hoot during mating season. A clutch of one to six eggs per season is the norm, although the number of offspring is dependent on prey density. Great horned owls are one of the most widespread birds, ranging from the polar regions to the tropics. As such, individual diets vary depending on specific habitat and location. Nests generally are someone else’s abandoned nest, such as a squirrel’s. The owls I saw in Washington flew out of a barn when I approached it, and I observed pellets (undigested feathers and bones that are coughed up) and droppings but no nest.

Information on owls comes once again from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web. 

Owlets (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)

Adult great horned own (Missouri Department of Conservation photo)

Road Trip Adventure- Volcanic Idaho

Continuing on our road trip, this week’s Nature Minute takes us to Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. Located in south central Idaho, the area was once a hotbed of volcanic activity. Ancient lava flows created a unique landscape and habitat. Enjoy this week’s story from the road.

The lava flows that give Craters of the Moon its signature look and name sprang from the Great Rift between 15,000 and 2,000 years ago. The lava beds cover over 1000 square miles, flowing from 25 vents that spewed in at least 8 volcanic events during that time period. Craters of the Moon is the largest of several lava beds in the Great Rift.

Volcanic landscape of Craters of the Moon

Lava in the midground, sagebrush steppe in the
foreground and background

Geological features of the Monument are spatter cones, cinder cones, fissures, lava tubes, and kipukas. The cones and fissures are volcano types. Lava tubes and kipukas are formed by lava movement.

Spatter cones are formed when thick lava is ejected from a volcano. It remains molten when it hits the ground, but due to high viscosity, the blobs of lava do not flow away. Rather, new molten blobs are ejected and they stick together, forming a cone. Cinder cones form similarly, but the lava blobs cool and harden in mid-air, becoming lava bombs (actual geological term). The size and shape of the bombs is dependent on gas content.

Spatter cone (NPS photo)

Fissures are large volcanic cracks in the ground. A full-length fissure eruption is probably the rarest of all volcanic eruptions. Spatter and cinder cones can form in a fissure if it becomes clogged in any area. 

Lava tubes form when the outside of a lava flow cools, forming a hard rock shell. After the remaining molten lava drains, the hollow tube remains. I have been inside a lava tube, the Ape Cave at Mount Saint Helens in Washington.

Lava tube (Oregon State University photo)

Kipukas are islands of older lava flows surrounded by newer lava flows. Vegetation on kipukas is different from the surrounding lava flow areas. At Craters of the Moon, the kipukas are islands of sage steppe surrounded by black lava rock.

Kipuka (NPS photo)

Despite its barren appearance, Craters of the Moon supports a diverse ecological community. Plants include sagebrush, prickly pear, limber pine, and Indian paintbrush. Animals in the Monument include the pika, sage grouse, pygmy rabbits, northern harrier, and common nighthawk.

Limber pine

While visiting, I observed a northern harrier overhead. I took a nice stroll through the Devil’s Orchard, so named by a 19^th century preacher who failed to see beauty in Creation and declared the place to be a garden fit for the devil. I enjoyed seeing the lichen that are working around the clock to turn rock into soil so larger plants can colonize. The twisted branches of the limber pine, knotted by mistletoe, set against a stark black backdrop made for an eerie sight. I enjoyed my brief visit and would like to return for a more in-depth look around. I chose not to linger because Craters of the Moon was the undercard for the main even, Yellowstone.

Limber pine with "witch's brooms"

Polished lava rock with swirls

Hardened slow-moving lava flow

Information this week comes from the National Park Service about kipukas, including the picture above. Great Rift information comes from a paper by the folks at Idaho State University. Photo credits go to National Park Service (spatter cone) and Oregon State University (lava tube). All others are my own.

Species of the Month- Black Cottonwood

It’s May so why is it snowing? That’s not snow floating in the breeze and accumulating on the roads, it’s the seeds of the black cottonwood tree. Like dandelions, the black cottonwood’s seeds are attached to a white feathery substance. Allergy sufferers throughout the west lament this time of year because of the cottonwood snow.

Scientific name: Populus trichocarpa

Kingdom: Plantae (plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida (dicots)

Order: Malpighiales

Range: Southern Alaska to northern Baja California east to western Montana and Alberta

Habitat: Riparian woodlands, moist areas

Lifespan: 70 years on average

Diet: Sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and soil minerals         

Predators: voles, mice, rabbits, deer, elk, slugs, insects (moths, tent caterpillars, borers), fungi

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: Black cottonwood is the largest western hardwood species. Every cottonwood I’ve seen is near water. Not surprising then that it takes forever for the wood to season before you can burn it. Because it is usually found near water, it can be a great tool to use if you get lost in the woods. Look for the tall tree with glossy leaves and follow the water downstream to civilization. It is used to make pulp and veneers. In addition to windborne seeds on those cotton tufts, cottonwood also reproduces through cloning. Stumps will sprout and cutting can grow into a new tree.

This week’s information comes from USDA’s Forest Service Silvics Manual. Lifespan information come from Northern State University.

This cottonwood is estimated at about 140 feet tall

The glossy leaf. Note in the background the lighter underside of the leaf

A look at the thick bark

USDA: https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/populus/trichocarpa.htm

Northern State: https://www3.northern.edu/natsource/TREESA1/Easter1.htm 

Species of the Month: Eastern Cottontail

Peter Cottontail is hopping down the bunny trail with April’s Species of the Month. The eastern cottontail rabbit is among the most common wildlife. I frequently saw them in my grandparents’ back yard and was a little jealous that rabbits didn’t come to my house. Although they almost never reach six feet tall at the ears, they are closely related to the Easter Bunny (Lepus pascha). Rabbits in general are associated with Easter because they symbolize abundant new life. For more on that topic, keep reading to see just how abundant these little critters can be. Once again, this month’s facts come from University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web.

Scientific name: Sylvilagus floridanus

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Order: Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares, pikas)

Range: Eastern and central Canada south through eastern and central US, Central America, and northwestern South America

Habitat: Interface between wooded and open areas; meadows, orchards, farms, hedges, and second growth forest areas

Lifespan: 3 years

Diet: Herbivorous. Grasses primarily during spring/summer, with some clover and garden plants. Winter diet consists mainly of woody plant parts. They must ingest feces to reabsorb nutrients that were broken down during initial digestion but not absorbed completely. 

Predators: hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, weasels

Conservation Status: No special protection

Other Information: Rabbits really do multiply like rabbits. Females can have as many as 7 litters of up to a dozen bunnies in a single year. The next litter is usually born just after the last litter leaves the nest. Reproductive age is 2-3 months. A first-time mother could conceivably become a grandmother or great grandmother the same year her first litter is born. Eastern cottontails molt twice a year. A spring molt leaves a short summer coat of brown fur, while a fall molt produces a thicker gray coat. Deer have the same seasonal coloration. Babies are born hairless and blind, in contrast to hares, which are born hairy (good way to remember the difference) and with open eyes. They receive little care, weaning between 16 and 22 days old. The litter disperses at around 7 weeks old. Cottontails avoid predation by freezing or flushing, the zigzagging leaps you’ve probably seen.

UM Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.org/