Vernal Pools

Reflections on a vernal pool

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see

–Henry David Thoreau

Salamander eggs

Vernal pools are unique wetlands that have a cycle of flooding and drying every year. They can occur in woodlands, open areas, swamps and even fields or other places where a depression allows water to collect over winter and spring and which will then dry out by late summer. Because we had record rainfall last year and, in the winter, many vernal pools retained water all year. Fish do not occupy these pools, but many creatures that are temporarily water dependent can be found in them.

Vernal pool April 2024- overflowing banks due to high water level

Vernal pools are rich breeding areas for many amphibians which begin their lives in fresh water. Salamanders, wood frogs, American toads, newts, and to some extent, spring peepers need to complete at least the early stages of their life cycle in the pools before reaching adulthood or a terrestrial stage. The same applies to many insects which are dependent upon still water for nymph or larva to develop. Frogs and other creatures developing in vernal pools must develop from tadpoles or nymph stages with gills in time to reach their terrestrial stage before the pools dry up.

These may be polliwogs of wood frogs

Most amphibians that spend their early life stages in vernal pools are generally found in the surrounding woodlands not more than 600 yards away in their terrestrial stage. Many adults return to the same pool to breed the next year. 

Very small salamnder found near a vernal pool

Wood frogs are among the first breeding animals to arrive at the vernal pool. Wood frogs lay eggs prolifically in vernal pools. The egg masses of wood frogs are usually attached to vegetation near the surface of the water and may almost cover the surface of the pool if wood frogs are in abundance. They can survive in pools that dry up by August as the tadpole stage typically is completed by mid- June to mid-July in Connecticut.

Salamanders can also be found in and near vernal pools. The spotted salamander develops from eggs masses that are within a clear or milky gelatinous cover. This helps to distinguish these eggs from those of any frog species. The aquatic form of this salamander can sometimes be mistaken for polliwogs by the casual observer. Their development into the terrestrial stage is faster the warmer the water is. After they move to land, they are seldom seen as they are of a nocturnal habit, dwelling in hardwood forests and swamps. This salamander depends upon vernal pools or wetlands where no fish are found that would feed on the eggs and larvae.

Clear gelatinous material coering spotted salamander egg mass

Milky gelatinous coating of spotted salamander eggs

Gilled stage of the spotted salamnder is similar to a tadpole

Small spotted salamander

American toads lay their eggs in strings that float under the water. They are held together by a clear jelly- like material. Egg masses of the gray treefrog Hyla versicolor are loosely attached to vegetation at the water surface, and these masses do not have the gelatinous coating like those of the spotted salamander. Experience is needed to correctly identify amphibian eggs. Return trips to the vernal pools can help track the embryo development and to distinguish whether it is a tadpole or something else.

American toad egg string

Eft forms of newts, such as the red- spotted newt, can spend their first spring in a vernal pool, then develop into a terrestrial stage where they will remain for several years. They then return to water as a gilled breeding newt. Red spotted newt efts may get discombobulated after a summer rain and end up in the lawn while hunting for arthropods.

Eft of the red-spotted newt

Many insects also develop in vernal pools- caddisflies, dragonflies and damselflies, water striders, fairy shrimp, the notorious mosquitoes, predaceous diving beetles, water scavenger beetles, springtails, water boatmen. Midges, backswimmers, and many others. Caddisfly larvae will feed on salamander eggs. Damselfly and dragonfly nymphs eat lots of mosquito larvae and other arthropods.

Caddisfly larva without its case

Mosquito larvae in a vernal pool

Vernal pools are adversely affected by loss of trees or tree canopies around them, changes in water flow, and drought. Loss of trees that shade them results in increased evaporation of water as more sunlight can hit the water surface. Other naturally occurring changes in the water table and surface water flow can affect vernal pools, such as extended drought or even flooding.

Development that results in the filling of vernal pools is a very real threat. Sometimes they can be destroyed directly, or the land nearby can be altered which can affect the places where amphibians live when out of the water. Construction may take place late in summer where the pools have dried up and may not have been marked as a wetland to be careful of. With all that can go wrong, though, vernal pools can exist for decades in the same place if they and the land around them are undisturbed.

This vernal pool never dried up from spring 2023 through April 2024 dbecuase of record rainfall

As the pools dry up there will still be a lot going on around them. Sifting among leaf litter and looking under logs near vernal pools can be a landmine for salamander and newt hunters. Be aware that snakes can often be found lurking near the water awaiting any prey that can be found near the water. Have a look and see, as John Muir has experienced-“ In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

Sneaky little snake near a vernal pool in late March

Ice patterns on the surface of a vernal pool made by cross winds after a sudden freeze during the warm winter of 2024

Pamm Cooper

 

March and April Flowers for Pollinators

Native Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis flowers before leaves appear in early spring

Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.”
— William Shakespeare

Native red maple Acer rubrum

In late March there are signs that spring is here. Snow is usually gone, and although no leaves have appeared on our deciduous trees and shrubs, there may be flowers that will provide early bees with their first meal of the year. Red maples bloom early and provide food for many pollinators like flies, bees and beetles that are just emerging in the spring. While some native plants flowering coincides with native bee activity, there are also non- native plants that can be of great value to early pollinators.

Skunk cabbages produce heat and appear through the snow in February

Skunk cabbages are our first native bloomers. They can arise in wetlands when snow still covers the ground. Honeybees, native bees, some moths and flies visit these putrid flowers as early as late February and then into March.

Honeybee on skunk cabbage flower

One of the first harbingers of spring is the appearance of native Colletes inaequalis ground-nesting bees which can be seen visiting the first flowers of spring. Look for them on native and non- native ornamental willow flowers in late March, and soon after that on native bloodroot.

Native bloodroot

Non-native Japanese andromeda shrubs, Pieris japonica, can bloom as early as late February and can be an important food source for bees that appear before native willows bloom. There are many varieties, some tall and others more compact and they may have white, red or bicolored, drooping, urnlike flowers. They do best in sunny locations with afternoon shade.

Red flower variety of Japanese andromeda

Native bloodroot can form small colonies on sunny woodland edges, and their bright white flowers are often the highlight of the still monochromatic landscape. Flowers open on sunny days and close by night.

Common bluets, commonly called Quaker ladies Houstonia caerulea, are small, blue native wildflowers with four petals and a distinctive yellow center. Many bee species, butterflies and syrphid and other flies visit these low- growing plants for nectar and pollen. They can appear as early as late March, depending upon the temperatures. Flowering can last into early July.

Native bluets

Native red or purple trillium Trillium erectum appears a little after bloodroot, and supports certain moths, bees and flies. Look for it in dry woodland areas with highly acidic soils where there is some sun, especially where there are mountain laurels. It often is found where there are ramps and bloodroot.

Native purple trillium

Trailing arbutus and round- lobed hepatica are native wildflowers of open woodlands. They are uncommon, or perhaps seem so because they are found in very small areas with specific soil and other site conditions. Pollinators are flies and specialist native bees.

Trailing arbutus

Native twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla produces its bloodroot-like white flowers as early as March and as late as June. A single flower arises on a leafless stalk above the peculiar joined leaves that resemble wings. These flowers attract bees, especially specialized foragers.

Twinleaf

Currants, especially the extremely fragrant clove currant, plus josta berry, a cross between currant and gooseberry, are favorites of bumblebees and other native bees. The clove currant fragrance must be what the island of Zanzibar smalls like as travellers approach it by boat.

Clove currant flowers

Dwarf ginseng Panax trifolius L. is a native woodland wildflower that is only 4-8 inches tall. The airy cluster of small flowers appear in early to late spring and since plants grow in the duff of woodlands, the flower heads, although very small, can help find these little plants.

Dwarf ginseng

Among the non-native flowering shrubs that support native pollinators is the Rhododendron mucronulatum ‘Cornell Pink’. This plant blooms in early April before the leaves appear. Many native bees including Osmia spp., Colletes inaequalis and Bombus spp. and wasps visit the flowers. Cornus mas, or Cornelian cherry, is a non-native shrub or small tree whose flowers line the branches before the leaves appear.

“Cornell Pink’ Rhododendron muconulatum

Non-native Cornus mas

Ornamental plants like violas and pansies also attract spring pollinators, and dandelions have a great pollen source for spring and summer bees alike.

Tiny bee covered with dandelion pollen

Native Amelanchier, also called shadbush and serviceberry blooms in April and attracts many bees and other pollinators. Its delicate racems of white flowers can be profuse and stand out as leaves are not fully expanded. Many specialized bees are supported by this small tree or multithemed shrub.

Amelanchier spp.

 Star magnolias, Magnolia stellata, bloom in April before leaves are out. These trees support many pollinator species and butterflies like spring azures and tiger swallowtails that are out in early spring.

Star magnolia

There are many other plants for pollinators in early spring- daffodils, crocus, currants to name a few.  As I hike around at this time of year, I take note of which flowers the most pollinators are attracted to, and I may decide to add some of these to my own gardens. I also stop to enjoy all the new colors and textures coming into the landscape. I appreciate Algernon Charles Swinburne’s comment-

“Blossom by blossom the spring begins.”

Pamm Cooper

Violas

 

A Glimpse of Some Connecticut Lichens

 Pink balls on a stalk- the apothecia (fruiting bodies) of the pink earth lichen Dibaeis baeomyces

“There is a low mist in the woods—
It is a good day to study lichens.”
― Henry David Thoreau 

Most of the lichens in this blog will be those found on rocks and on the ground because right now they are the most interesting to me. Some are displaying interesting and colorful fruiting bodies now even though it is January, perhaps because of the warm weather an wet conditions.

Lichens are organisms whose general structure consists of layers of alga and a fungus. These symbiotic partners have different functions. The green alga (and sometimes a cyanobacteria as well) is the photosynthetic partner (photobiont) and is also the food factory of the lichen. The fungus provides an anchor to a substrate and provides reproductive capability through spore production. The composite body of the lichen is called the thallus.

       These disks contain the fungal spores of this lichen

Lichens have distinct color variations when wet or dry. The color when dry is the color of the particular fungal component of that lichen. When wet, the fungal cells become transparent and the color of the algae beneath them can be seen, usually in variations of green.

      These rock tripe lichens (Umbilicaria sp) .look a little green after a rain

The three most common lichen types are fruticose, foliose and crustose. Each has a distinctive appearance and structure. Squamulose lichens combine both the foliose and crustose thallus forms.

              Boulder covered with lichens

Fruticose lichens have a lobed thallus and appear leaf-like. They have an upper and lower layer. They can look like small shrubs as they may have branching. Some have a podetial, which are stalks, and these will produce fruiting bodies on their tops. Examples of this type of lichen include the British soldier lichen, reindeer lichens and the pixie-cup lichen.

              British soldiers Cladonia cristatella

Foliose lichens have a three-dimensional thallus with upright structures or a pendulous habit. They often have a leafy appearance. Rock tripe is a good example of a foliose lichen.

       Foliose toadskin lichen Lasillia papulosa on a rock cliff

Thes foliose lichens on a tree branch appeared as sunlight became more available when the tree crown thinned out due to a loss of branches above.

Crustose lichens have a one- dimensional crust-like thallus. The lower surface adheres firmly to the substrate which is usually rocks or tree trunks and branches, so they are difficult to remove from whatever they are growing on. Some crustose lichens look like painted bands on tree trunks. 

      Crustose cinder lichen Aspicilia cinerea on sileceous rock in full sun

            Unknown red- edged crustose lichen

Spores are produced  in a structure called an apotheciuim which may be a disk or cupped body with. asci on the exposed flat or concave surface. In pixie cup lichens, the apothecia appear on the edges of structures that look likelook like tiny goblets, Apothecia  of other lichens resemble tiny balls on stalks. The most common forms are disks.

       Pixie cup lichens have structures that look like tiny goblets

Spores from a lichen need to connect with the same cyanobacteria/algal partner of the original organism. Some lichens can replicate through breakage where both the fungal element and the photobiont element remain together. In many cases, mat-forming ground lichens can reproduce through breakage easier than lichens found on trees and rocks.

         Reindeer lichens covering the ground and an exposed rock

Rim lichens, genus Lecanora are crusticose lichens named from two Greek words for small bowl and beauty.  They are found on rocks or trees and the body (thallus) is granular like sugar. Disks are variant in color. Before the disks open, they look like small blobs.

Eastern candlewax Ahtiana aurescens surrounded by a Lecanora sp. rim lichen on a dead branch

Apothecia of this rim lichen, possibly bumpy rim-lichen Lecanora hybocarpa, are starting to open into disks

The best new lichen I found this January was the pink earth lichen Dibaeis baeomyces. They are found on disturbed soils like sand or clay with full sun, and can they cover the ground over time. The ones I found covered an area of 20 square feet on a power line right-of-way.

      Crustose pink earth lichen with pink apothecia in January 2024

I also am enamored of the Cladonia pleurota red-fruited pixie cup lichens. They have splash cups that look like tiny goblets that will fill with rainwater to disperse the spores. The spore structures are red and arise along the edges of the cups. They occur on soils, bark, wood or rock in full sun to some shade. Often British soldier and wand lichens can be interspersed with pixie cups.

     Groups of pixie cups Cladonia sp. on the ground among mosses in full sun

Reindeer lichens, Cladonia spp., resemble puffy, light green to gray foamy sage brushes. These prefer very sandy or thin soils or exposed bedrock, and they can easily be dislodged by foot traffic. In the right conditions, they can cover the ground with puffy mounds. A good consideration for a groundcover for areas with little to no traffic.

     Cladonia arbuscula is one of several reindeer lichens found in Connecticut

Common goldspeck, Candelariella vitellina, is found on granite( check old rock walls) in full sun. This lichen has a chemical called calycin that acts as a sunscreen which helps regulate sun intensity as needed by the algal layer.

   Common goldspeck Candelariella vitellina is extremely small- this is on an old stone wall

         This may be a sulphur firedot Caloplaca flavovirescens

Concentric boulder lichen, Porpidia crustulata, is a pale gray-green crustose lichen found on rocks in full sun or in the shade. The dark brown disks can appear black, and run in uneven concentric circles within the thallus edges.

        Concentric boulder lichen on an old stone wall

While lichens may be found on tree trunks and branches, they do not harm plants. Thay have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air which benefits nearby plants. They are also a food source and sheltering site for animals, especially the foliose lichens. They are also a nest construction for many including blue-gray gnatcatchers, vireos and ruby-throated hummingbirds.

   A warbling vireo is sitiing in a nest she has covered with lichens to hide the nest

If you are inspired to discover the fascinating world of lichens, be sure to bring a good hand lens. The tiny reproductive disks of some lichens, especially the crustose ones found on rocks, can be easy to miss. Look up and down and all around for lichens- on the ground, trees, rocks and even  on fences…

       Lichens doing nicely on a fence along Horsebarn Hill by a UConn pasture

Pamm Cooper

 

Calculating Slope for Your Landscape

Do you have an uneven yard or hills that look like the Himalayas? If this sounds like your landscape, slope is important to know when designing or managing a landscape.

Safety and erosion control are the primary reasons to know the angle or degree of a slope in a yard. Steep slopes can cause a loss of traction and stability for riding lawn mowers, which can result in it tipping over and harming the operator. Serious injury and even death can happen, so it’s not a situation to take lightly. Most manufacturers have recommended guidelines for best practices when using a riding lawn mower on slopes and should be closely followed. Erosion is not only unsightly, but it can also be dangerous. Topsoil, with all of its complex structure, washes away, along with contaminants such as fertilizer, pesticides and petroleum products. It can erode downhill, which could end up in our water supply. That’s why it’s important to utilize the proper erosion control products on slopes.

There are many ways to control erosion on slopes. Native plants, ornamental grasses, groundcovers and some shrubs help prevent erosion. But depending on the steepness of the slope, plants may need a little help from other means.  Retaining walls and terrace gardens are popular but they can be cost prohibitive.   There are products available on the market that can be installed by savvy DIYer. The caveat is knowing the angle of the slope to get the right product for the job. 

Slope, also known as grade, shows how much change there is in elevation over a given distance.  Think of it as a staircase. The “rise” is the elevation of one step to the next.  “Run” is the distance from the edge of the rise to the next rise:

Smart phones offer apps that can measure the angle of a slope but with a few simple tools a slope can easily be measured without any technology.  All you need is a yardstick or 2’x4’, (if you’re using a 2×4, make sure you have a measurement of it’s length),  a carpenter’s level and a measuring tape: 

To start, place the 2×4 board along the slope of the hill. Then, place the level on top of the board and lift the lower end and bring it up to a horizontal position. Next, measure the plumb line (vertical distance from the ground) with the tape measure from the raised end of the board to the ground.

Using the formula below, calculate the slope:

Below is a worksheet that we’ve created for you to use if you want to try this at home! If you have a larger yard and to get the most accurate measure, calculate three measurements of slope from three different places on the hill and calculate the average.

HGEC Calculating Slope GuideDownload

 It’s as simple that. No need for special tools or a Ph.D in quantum mechanics to get the slope of a hill. Just a few basic tools and a simple formula to get the job done.  Of course, we are always ready to help if you have any questions on slope, erosion or any other gardening questions. 

By Marie Woodward & Heather Zidack

 

Weird Weather in 2023

Rime ice event in February 2023

Why pay weathermen when you can just look out a window?

Pamm Cooper

Rime ice on white pines ion February 2023

Looking back on the past year it was a singularly weird one as weather events go. It was kicked off by a wide-spread rime ice event. In mid- February 2023 we had warm weather that produced a winter fog which rolled in as temperatures dropped below freezing. Several regions of Connecticut had rime ice that lasted for as long as three days as cloudy, cold weather continued. Some tree buds, like red maples, already had swollen leaf buds and thick, clear ice covered them. Damage was moderate as the sun did not appear before the ice melted.

Clear rime ice on a red maple with swollen flower buds in February 2023

A week later there was a hoar frost which occurs during clear nights as temperatures drop. Hoar frost is more crystalline and feathery than rime ice and looks like sugar crystals on leaves and stems of plants. In May, hard frost in spring occurred when many fruit trees were flowering, and peaches, plums and other tree fruits had little fruit in some areas of the state.

Hoar frost

A wet spring resulted in a high incidence of Exobasidium vaccinii galls on some rhododendrons and azaleas. These leaf galls are very heavy and as they age they develop a white coating of spores. Especially affected for some reason were many old rhododendrons.

Exobasidium galls pruned off an old rhododendron

During a hike, I came across a small pile of white pines that had recently been cut. The cui ends had a reddish pink tint to the sap, which was a new one to me. Our forestry expert said that I took the picture likely within hours or at most a day of the cut, and the tree was still photosynthesizing. Carbohydrate compounds produced by photosynthesis in the sap reacted with the air and oxidized or developed some fungal stain. This is why pines are not harvested for timber during the growing season.

Reddish sap from newly cut white pine

Canadian wildfires affected our air quality, especially during early summer. Ash in the sky made for a hazy, almost fog-like appearance to our air, especially if you looked down into low areas. A lot of perennials grew exceptionally tall during this three-week period as they reached upward for light

.

Widespread haze occurred from ash blown in from Canadian wildfires

It was also a very wet year, with almost weekly rains, cooler temperatures and sometimes very heavy downpours that occurred in short periods of time. Water made both gardens and lawns mushy as soil was slow to dry out. Flooding along the Connecticut River also destroyed some crops or rendered them unsafe for consumption. Native maples had brown shriveled leaves in late summer as a result of an anthracnose leaf disease brought on by extended humid conditions earlier in the year.

Corn field flooded along the Connecticut River

Anthracnose caused early leaf drop and browning of leaves during the summer on native maples

This year was a good one for fungi. Last year with the heat and drought there was a dearth of mushrooms, but this year there were plenty to be found. This year I found my first netted stinkhorns and several earthballs plus plenty of varieties of coral fungi that seemed to be everywhere in the moist woods.

Earthball fungus (Scleroderma citrinum) after spore dispersal

Netted stinkhorn Phallus duplicata– you smell it before you see it…

Golden spindles coral fungi

White Spindles – Clavaria fragilis fairy fingers coral fungi

Slime molds were also prevalent especially in lawns and in moist woods. Some look like puffballs, like the wolf’s milk slime mold. The fruiting bodies of this slime mold are pink and have a slimy pink interior where the spores are found. Many slime molds look like tiny dots on tree trunks and logs in woodland areas.

Wolf’s milk slime mold Lycogala epidendrum

This year was a mast year for many trees including oaks, Eastern red cedar, Atlantic white cedar and white pines. The ground underneath pines and oaks were covered in acorns and cones in the fall.

Eastern red cedar had a mast year

Summarizing the year- plants either seemed to do well or were damaged by ice, late frost, wet soils, high humidity and wildfire haze among other things. Although it was nice to at least have some rain after last year’s drought, too much is not always a good thing. Next year will be a typical one for our area,, though, which means it should be totally unpredictable. Dr. Suess has a really good weather tip I will share with you-

“The storm starts, when the drops start dropping
When the drops stop dropping then the storm starts stopping.”
― Dr. Seuss

Orange glow in January 2023 just before sunset

Pamm Cooper

 

Plant Galls Caused by Insects and Mites

Galls formed on a red maple leaf by the maple eyespot gall midge

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” Aristotle

Galls that occur on plants may be caused by insects or mites, nematodes, bacteria, fungi, or viruses. I think the more interesting ones are those formed by insects and mites. Plants that have rapid growth in spring are especially vulnerable to gall-forming insects, but often galls go unnoticed until later in the season. The chewing of the insects produces salivary secretions that cause an increase in growth hormone production in the plant tissue. This causes an increase in either cell size or cell number and results in abnormal plant tissue growth called a gall.

Galls likely from Eriophyid mites on poison ivy

Inside developing galls, the immature mite or insect feeds where it has protection from most predators. In the case of stem galls produced on goldenrods, the fly larvae inside may be eaten by woodpeckers who are savvy to the protein morsel that lies within. Leaf galls are normally not a health issue for the plant as enough unaffected tissue can still effectively photosynthesize.

Willow pinecone galls are produced a midge, Rabdophaga strobiloides 

 Black cherry spindle galls are the most common of the galls caused by Eriophyid spp. of mite. As the name suggests, they are found only on native black cherry, Prunus serotina, and especially on young saplings. Small finger-like galls are formed on new leaves in early spring on the upper sides of leaves. They are green at first, and then turn a bright red, and often occur in large numbers that are tightly packed. Leaves produced later in the spring and throughout the rest of the growing season will not be affected, as there is only one generation of this mite per year.

Spindle or finger galls on black cherry

Another unusual gall caused by an Eriophyid spp. of mite is the birch Erineum or velvet gall. This gall looks like pink fairy dust was sprinkled on the tops of the leaves and which then got very hard.  These galls can also be found on maple, linden and certain viburnums.

Velvet birch gall

Grape tube gallmaker galls occur on wild and cultivated grapes. The Cedidomynia viticola midge lays eggs on the grape leaf, and the leaf then responds by producing pointed tube galls. This gall maker is not of economic importance.

Grape tubemaker galls on wild grape

Cockscomb galls on elm are caused by an aphid, Colopha ulmicola. Aphid nymphsemerge in spring from eggs laid on elm twigs and begin feeding on newly emerged leaves, producing a gall that grows around the nymph. Green at first, the gall turns red later in the summer. Winged adults emerge from the leaf galls and fly to nearby grasses where they produce offspring that feed on grass roots. As these nymphs become winged adults in the fall, they fly to elms and lay eggs, and the cycle begins anew.

This elm cockscomb gall will turn red by summer’s end

Aspen petiole galls are formed by the Contarinia petioli midge and are found on cottonwoods and aspens. Each gall contains a single larva, which exits the gall in the autumn to pupate on the ground. This gall is formed at the leaf petiole and does not affect the leaf functions.

This red aspen petiole gall is hard to miss

Oaks seem to have the greatest variety of galls, especially those caused by gall-forming wasps. There are wooly galls, nipple galls, jumping galls and oak apple galls to name a few. The banded bullet gall wasp Dryocosmus imbricariae produces rather attractive twig galls.

Banded bullet wasp galls

The wool sower gall is caused by the tiny Callirhytis seminator wasp, and appears only on oaks, especially white oaks. The wooly galls resemble a toasted marshmallow as it turns from white to brown over time. Inside the gall are small, hairy seed-like structures, each containing a single, developing wasp larva. These structures get darker during the year and by late summer the entire gall is brown.

The wool sower galls later in the summer

Acorn pip galls, caused by the diminutive wasp Callirhytis quercusoperator, are located between the cap and the acorn. When the white gall pushes out, after the acorn has fallen prematurely, there is a tiny triangular hole left. These galls are generally found on red oaks. Ants sometimes chew the pip galls out of the acorn.

Two acorn pip galls pushing out

Colorful maple eyespot galls are caused by a midge, hickories are hosts for a large variety of gall forming insects, and willows have an interesting cone gall that occurs on new branch tips. There are also galls that form on herbaceous plants- the most identifiable ones being those on goldenrod stems caused by a stem gall fly. Downy woodpeckers go after the larva inside the gall.

Left- goldenrod rosette gall right- goldenrod stem gall

The next time you come across some interesting galls, see if you can break one open and find out if an insect is inside. The mystery will be solved, if so. It could be a nymph, a pupa or, rarely, an adult getting ready to chew its way out. Oak apple galls are the most interesting, especially if you find a female wasp that has just emerged from its pupal case.

Oak apple gall

Female oak apple gall wasp emerged minutes before from the apple gall

Galls on hickory leaf caused by a Caryomyia species midge

Pamm Cooper

 

Nature Finds and Happenings in the Summer of 2023

Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Coneflower

How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!

–Emily Dickinson

This year, 2023, has been one for the record books. We have had smoky hazes from Canadian wildfires, rain events we could have used last year, and several microbursts just this week in late July in Connecticut. Plants have bloomed way early, achieved higher than normal heights in gardens and lots of butterflies have been noticeably absent, or have been very few until recently. That said, there are treasures to be found in our tiny dot on the globe.

White pines lost their tops in a recent microburst in Manchester

I was made aware by a fellow nature enthusiast that there was a spectacular native plant that I have never seen before blooming now in her neck of the woods. I checked it out, and I was not disappointed by her generous clue as to where to find these gems. The plant is the fringed yellow orchis, Platanthera ciliaris, also known as the orange-fringed bog- orchid.  It is listed as extremely rare in Connecticut on the GoBotany website. Found in grassy bogs, this plant features racemes of yellow to orange flowers that have a showy fringed lip and a very long, slender spur. They are pollinated by butterflies, especially swallowtails.

Native orange fringed orchid- flowers can be yellow or orange

Fringed lip of the

Cicada killers are making their presence known. These large wasps with amber colored wings dig nesting chambers deep in the soil, usually sandy or dry soils, and they can make a mess while doing so as sand is piled up in the lawn or garden. Females drag paralyzed cicadas into the chamber, lay an egg on the body and are done with that chamber. While females can sting, they are not aggressive, and they are only active in the digging phase for a couple of weeks.

Cicada killer

On a recent visit to a nature center, I found a fabulous (for a spider) arrow spider Micrathena sagittata. They are small orb weavers, and they resemble a Gibson Flying V electric guitar.

Arrow spider

Nearby was a snowberry clearwing moth, one of two clearwing sphinx moths that hover near flowers like a hummingbird. The caterpillar of the snowberry clearwing uses any honeysuckle as a host plant.

Snowberry clearwing sphinx moth

Caterpillar of the snowberry clearwing moth

At the same place were a number of walking sticks, a well-turned-out orange leaf footed bug nymph, and a female aphid giving birth to live young. She can have a family of a hundred in a few days, so that explains why aphids are hard to control.

Female aphid giving birth to live young

In a butterfly- pollinator garden in a nearby town, the Crocosmia is blooming. The flowers of this variety were brilliant red, so they are likely the ‘Lucifer’ variety, around since 1966. Hummingbirds love this flower, as do many people. There was also a native vine called the groundnut, Apis americana, twining across goldenrods and Joe-pye in a field.

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’

Groundnut

The Connecticut tobacco crop seems on schedule, some plants flowering now as would be expected. I have no idea if diseases or insects are worse than usual for this historical crop of the Connecticut River Valley. To my eye, as I zip by the tobacco fields in my car, it all looks green and healthy.

Tobacco plants in a field surround a tobacco barn used for drying the crop

With all the heavy rains of late, the field of crops along the Connecticut River were lucky to stay above the floodwaters. The Glastonbury ferry was closed due to strong currents and high water. Some towns had microbursts or tornadoes this week, causing some damage to trees and property. In my town, a rural development area had damage from some wind event that went down a few blocks, clipping off the tops of mature white pines and downing trees.

Flooded corn fields along the Connecticut river in the background

Native wild plants lie Clethra, Joe-pye weed and buttonbush bloomed much earlier this year. I guess the weather has discombobulated a lot of plants. Haze from wildfires lasted a couple of weeks and caused some plants to grow taller than normal as they reached upward for the sun. Fluctuations in temperatures and decreased sunlight has fooled some woody plants into early leaf color change, but they are not dropping these leaves yet.

Native staghorn sumac has fall color in late July

Katydid nymph

Northern walking stick found in a field

With all the wind and rainstorms, wildfire smoke effects and temperatures that have gone up and down like Duncan yo-yos, I am wondering what normal is and so are my plants. At least the insects are not so confused, and neither are the birds. I guess that is something at least the birds can crow about…

Purple martins, young and old, on the UConn campus outside the W.B. Young Building

Pamm Cooper

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June Blooms for Pollinators

Megachile bee on perennial sweet pea

 “In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.” ―John Steinbeck

June sees a significant increase in bee activity here in Connecticut. During the past two weeks on my own property the perennial flowers like catmint, yarrow, hyssops, beardtongue (Penstemon spp.) and giant plume flowers are in full bloom. Heuchera and astilbe are or will be blooming. Winterberries, mock orange, shrub dogwoods, and Itea virginica (sweetspire) shrubs are also in full bloom, and the bees are having a field day on all of these. By far, the most pollinator species on my plants are visitng hyssops, catmints, winterberries and  Itea and sea holly. Annuals like lantana and salvias help fill the gap between spring blooms and summer bloomers like Echinacea, Coreopsis, and mountain mints.

Bumblebee bee on native mountain laurel

I just planted a newer variety of winterberry called ‘Sunsplash’ near two old ‘Red Sprite’ winterberries, and all are teeming with many species of bees and other pollinators. I like the bright yellow contrast to the green leaves of this new winterberry- makes a sparkly, happy addition to the garden. I have the male counterparts of all my winterberries to ensure pollination and later, the optimum berry crop.

‘Sunsplash’ winterberry

Tucked in between the winterberries are a couple of sea hollies- Eryngium planum. These plants have a very interesting stem, bract, leaf and flower color- a chalky blue- purple that seems to change somewhat during the day depending upon the available sunlight. Flowers resemble thistle or teasel in form and shape. Little green sweat bees found the flowers minutes after the plants went in the ground. Many other bees, large and small, visit the flowers throughout the day.

Sea holly

Yellow bumblebee Bombus perplexus had a preference for sea holly and winterberries

Nepeta spp. catmints bloom for a long period, and can be cut back for rebloom. Although the flowers are small, bees of all kinds visit them, as do skippers and other small butterflies. There are a variety of smaller catmints that can be inserted into the garden that will not crowd out other plants.

Salvias are a great source of nectar for bees and butterflies, and most hang on to flowers until frost. Black and blue, red, and the ‘Rocking’ series are also a huge draw for hummingbirds. A favorite of mine is the salvia ‘Hot Lips’. Flowers are a combination of red, white or half red and half white. Most bloom until frost for added appeal.

A small native shrub, New Jersey tea, attracts pollinators of all types including flower beetles, bees, butterflies and syrphid flies. Flowers are airy clusters of white and are fragrant. The one drawback to this plant is its attraction to deer.

New Jersey Tea

Native bee on New Jersey tea

Hyssops of all kinds attract bees and butterflies. The most bees I am seeing is on the Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ (Giant Hyssop). This hyssop blooms earlier than most varieties, and its flower heads are large and puffy. Short-tongued bees enter the flowers, an bumblebees can be spotted with their rear ends and hind feet sticking out of the flowers.

Agastache hyssop “Blue Boa’

Bumblebee entering flower of “Blue Boa’

In the wild or in the landscape, Penstemon, hairy beardtongue, is a plus to any pollinator garden. In the wild, large colonies can form, which is useful in reducing travel efforts of our native bees. In the garden, planting quite of few of these plants in a group is very helpful to bees.

‘Husker Red’ Penstemon

Milkweeds are beginning to bloom now, butterfly weed being among the first to flower. Many pollinators and other interesting insect species have affinities toward milkweeds, making them a great addition to gardens and landscapes.

Megachile bee on Butterfly weed

Heuchera and Astilbe are often overlooked as pollinator plants, and these are especially useful in areas with good afternoon shade. Bees are not averse to being in the shade, and there are many plants that will benefit pollinators. Hostas have flowers for a while, and before and after that, foliage is of interest until cold weather arrives.

White variety of Astilbe

There are many other plants flowering in June that can supply nectar and pollen for our native butterflies and pollinators. If you have room, trees such as Catalpa and lindens are of great value. A note on this year- perhaps because of cool weather(?), the bloom periods of many plants like the Kpusa dogwoods have seemed to go on forever. And little, if any crabgrass has been seen yet, which may be a good thing for some people.

Bombus perplexus on Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’

Giant fleece flower Persicaria polymorpha gets over 5 feet tall

Red Valerian Centranthus ruber with green sweat bee and tiny katydid nymph

Tiny bee on Agastache buds

Bees and butterflies like annuals like Cosmos

Shrub dogwood

Annual Salvia ‘Hot Lips’

Check flowers for pollinator activity, and expect that to increase as the weather warms up. It is a satisfying aspect of gardening to know other creatures benefit from your efforts. Bees would send a thank you card, but they are not interested it doing so. Too busy…

Pamm Cooper

 

Outdoors in Late April and Early May 2023

Male red-winged blackbird singing

“Some old-fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat.” Laura Ingalls Wilder

This spring has been one for the books, and I do not mean comic books. We had a week of 70 and 80 degree days with one day that was over 94 degrees. Then we went down to the 40’s and perhaps 50’ since then. Crabapples bloomed a little earlier than normal, with rainy or cloudy cold days with less bee activity. It is unclear how pollination was affected by these cold, cloudy days, as many fruit trees also were in bloom. Flowers are fading now and it is still relatively cold. Perhaps the more robust queen bumblebees will have taken up the slack.

Crabapples in full bloom on a cold, foggy day this May

Red oak flowers and new leaves

An unusual non-native spring- flowering plant, barrenwort, blooms from spring into summer. This plant can endure dense shade and droughts, and it is sometimes called Bishop’s hat. Large panicles have a profusion of colorful, dangling flowers that are very unusual. They have four sepals with the long, tapering slender, true petals forming a cup with the stamens inside.  

                                        

Unusual flower of barrenwort

Native wildflowers like trillium and bird’s foot violet should be in bloom now, and lady’s slippers, and columbine will flower shortly. Blue flag irises occur in wetlands, often in colonies. They are easily identified by the distinct blue to blue violet delicate-looking flowers. Their falls have white centers often with fluted yellow fringe.

Blue flag along a pond bank

Red trillium flower just before opening

Red (purple, wake robin) trillium flower and leaves

Insects in general have not been abundant due to the cold and cloudy weather conditions. Many pollinators have been absent from the abundance of dandelion flowers we have had this year. We finally had a warm, sunny day in early May and bees and other insects came out to celebrate that big event. One of them was the orange- collared scape moth,

Finally a bee!

The aptly named Orange-collared Scape Moth Cisseps fulvicollis

Peculiar- looking fruiting bodies are often seen on red cedars and some junipers this time of year. Small, woody galls form on twigs of the host evergreens the previous year. During wet weather, these galls produce orange, gummy horns that make them look like the head of Medusa. Spores will be released from these horns and infect crabapples and apples as they are windblown to their new host plant.

These are the orange, gelatinous fruiting bodies or telial horns of the cedar apple gall on a native cedar

The horns have dried up

We experienced a mini-drought this spring that came with forest fire warnings. Hiking along a large pond with a grove of white pines, my sister and I came upon proof that this warning was not for nothing. During the single thunderstorm we had during this time, lightning must have struck two dead pines and their was evidence of a small forest fire that was doused quickly by rain- no needles on the ground were burned.

Migrating and returning birds are slow to arrive or pass through, but this week they are here in abundance. Soon the woods will be full of the songs of veerys, wood thrushes and vireos, among others. A Wilson’s warbler was seen in scrub brush as it was passing through on its way to northern parts.

Wilson’s warbler

A pair of hooded merganzers in a woodland pond

Somebody cut off the bittersweet that choked this tree- I thank you and the tree thanks you!

Soon trees will be leafed out, birds will have started building nests and raising their young, days and nights will be warmer and gardens will be filling up with flowers. I am hoping we have a less hot and droughty summer than we had last year, but will deal with what we get. I cannot control everything that can go wrong in my gardens and nothing much less in nature. I must strive for the better way and not think so much about the bad, because I tend to get distracted from all the good things going on, too.

‘In acceptance, is peace’- Amy Carmichael.

Do you just really not want to mow? I do not know of any bees that eat dandelion seed heads…

Pamm Cooper

 

Observations in the Winter Landscape

Winter dawn

I please myself with the graces of the winter scenery, and believe that we are as much touched by it as by the genial influences of summer.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Winter can be a wearisome time for people who really enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoors. That said, you never know what you may stumble upon on that may be interesting on any given day as you wander around. During this time of year, some things may actually be more interesting. Trees are interesting in a different way as they are bereft of their leafy canopies which normally hide branches, trunks and growth forms. Bird and wasp nests are visible, and so are growth anomalies caused by outside forces such as entwining bittersweet vines. It is a good time to learn tree identification using features such as leaf bud forms, branching patterns and bark on branches or trunks.

Weeping Higan cherry Prunus subhirtella in fog in January on the UConn campus

This trunk had been constricted by bittersweet that has been cut down

Gingko leaf buds are stout and upright, alternating on twigs and branches like askew, miniature ladder rungs

Skies get very interesting color-wise at dawn and dusk, or even during the day. Atmospheric temperatures are colder and less polluted than in the summer, and the angle of the sun’s rays are different now and make for brilliant reds and oranges just before dawn and sunset. When gray skies are to the east, just before sunset there can be an ethereal orange glow that lights up the landscape.

Orange glow minutes before sunset January 2023

On Horsebarn Hill on the Storrs UConn campus, there are vast open pastures and fields that are home to northern harriers, bluebirds, kestrels and stopping grounds for migrating horned larks. Recently my colleague and I saw a large flock of these larks as well as a male kestrel. Kestrels are small robin-sized falcon and they are a species of concern in Connecticut due to the loss of their habit, which is large open farmland. Look for these birds perching on telephone wires along roadsides where they have access to prey on acres of open fields.  

American kestrel on a treetop on Horsebarn Hill UConn

Male horned lark. These birds can appear in winter in open fields and grassy areas where snow has melted and seeds can be found

Barred owls can be active both at night or during the day in the winter. They often rest close to the trunk of trees on lower tree branches where they blend in.  They will go after fish if streams remain open in the winter, but their main diet is rodents, small animals and other birds. Often the larger owl species are mobbed by screaming crows, so if you hear that, head for the ruckus. They might be after a great horned or a barred owl.

Barred owl waking up on a late January morning

Mushrooms have mostly come and gone, but the cinnabar polypore will stand out against the rather monochromatic winter scenery. This shelf fungus can be found on fallen dead tree branches. Against the snow, their brilliant deep orange caps and spores are a standout.

Cinnabar polypore pores on the underside of the cap live up to their description

Earlier this month temperatures were higher than normal before dropping well below freezing for a couple of days. Thin ice formed on algae colored water and then partially cracked, which made an interesting, angular, tessellated pattern. That day temperatures went well above the 40’s and by the next day, these patterns were gone. What a difference a day makes!

Green edged crack patterns on thin ice in January 2023

Besides birds, some fungi, morning and evening skies, and maybe a visit to a greenhouse, there can be other means to escape the winter doldrums. Sometimes the best winter color comes from the sun shining through a window in your own home…

Elephant ear in a sunny window in winter

Pamm Cooper