Butterflies of Shawnee

 Some of the best of spring butterflies can be found at Shawnee State Park and Forest.  Fortunately, this weekend I got to help lead trips for the 10th Annual OOS Conference with a couple of excellent butterfly experts.

Falcate Orange-tip 

One of our earliest lepidopteran fliers in Ohio, the Falcate Orange-tips can be quite a challenge to photograph.  It usually involves much running and shouting.  We were pretty lucky this day.

Leah beams upon her first Falcate Orange-tip

One young conference attendee, seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on the little bugs.  Leah is a Zane State student of one of our keynote speakers, Scott Albaugh.  She has a real love of butterflies and spent several years monitoring them at The Wilds.

 Dean and Patty look on as leader Troy Shively displays a salamander for the group.  Sam (in green) was ultimately the luckiest guy at the conference, and now a big fan of conservation!  We filled the cooler early morning hours with birding and salamandering, until it was warm enough for the butterflies to fly.

Dave Horn displays his belt net-carry system.

 Dave Reipenhoff and Dave Horn also led this trip.  We were flush with butterflying talent!  Dave Horn is a retired professor OSU entomology professor with degrees from Harvard.  We soon enjoyed some friendly banter about his Ivy League education being far more impressive than my "poison ivy" league degree!

Henry's Elfin

 We found another southern Ohio specialty butterfly, the diminutive Henry's Elfin.  We were able to find a total of ten or more for the tour.  Henry's are what we call "rare but locally-common."  Once you develop a search image for them, one can find them in good numbers, where they occur.  Their host plant is the Eastern Redbud, which was in full bloom for our conference along many forest roads.

Thanks to my fellow guides, we had a great time and amassed a respectable list of both birds and butterflies. Let's not wait ten years before we do it again!

Happy Earth Day!

Greetings Fellow Passengers of Space-ship Earth!

We are traveling on the most beautiful and amazing vehicle in the cosmos.  If you are not already aware of this fact, it is time to look about and see the miracles which surround you, everyday.

Scarlet Wax-cups, unite.  Fungus- rule the world!

 Even before the microscope, men of science knew of the powerful effects created by things we could not even see.  Spores of fungus are barely perceptible to the human eye. Yeast for example, gives us bread and beer; it makes our world a wonderful place! 

Often the tiniest organisms have the most profound impacts!  Virus and bacteria can make or break us. The bite of our smallest- pepper sized- tick can infect man with a disease that can rule his life and ruin his health. The Black Death, bubonic plague, was transmitted by fleas.  A bacteria or virus can wipe out an entire species of trees or people, for that matter.

Trees are living history.

We take for granted our trees.  Yet, they are our historians, telling us of conditions of the land and the people who came before us.  Some lands were tended by native peoples. Consider the prairie remnant at Daughmer Prairie, which is crowned with a grove of burr oaks.  Fire was used to clear the lands, providing new grazing for Bison, and these trees remain to tell that history.  The thick bark of Burr Oaks protected the trees from being consumed by fire. These sentinels remain.

Some mountain top trees tell of 600-1000 years of weather and rocks which twist and stunt their growth.  Some trees, or the lack thereof, tell of man's disregard for ecosystems and his desire to exert his will to profit from the land. Even to the detriment of other humans.  

"This land is our land." Will we continue to frack it, hack it and consume it until it can no longer support our species?  

Rufous Hummingbird is featured on a Google Doodle today.

I would rather join Google and celebrate its diversity in life forms.  I hope you will check out today's Google Doodle and watch the animal life parade.

Veiled Chameleon also appears.

Click on https://www.google.com/ to see the clever show and then treat yourself to the breath taking photos at My Beautiful Earth.  The beauty of this planet is beyond my meager descriptions.  Our diverse ecosystems and biomes, countries and cultures are worth celebrating.

And please remember, there is no Planet- B.

Let's be good neighbors.  We are all in this together.

Respect the plants and animals that were here before us.  Be good stewards of the land.  Pick up after yourself and don't poison your neighbors, friends and family with chemicals.  Earth was a garden of Eden, before man came along.

Spring into Action

Spring teased us with a sneak preview this past weekend, before snow slapped us back to the realities of April.  But even a couple inches of snow and near freezing temps can't diminishing my joy.

A Red Admiral butterfly basks in the sun.

 For I have looked into the eyes of spring, as it came in the form of a butterfly.  
This Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterfly is collecting sun rays in order to start the day.  Butterflies, like many insects and reptiles, are exothermic. Most butterflies will not start flying until it is near 50 degrees outside. Frequently, you can find them warming their wings in this fashion on cooler mornings.  They gather heat from the sun.

Trout Lily  in full bloom

The Trout-lilies (Erythronium americanum) were in full bloom at the Highlands of Ohio Sanctuary near Bainbridge, Ohio.  Our spring display of ephemeral flora is generally short lived, and this year will probably be shorter than ever, due a long lasting winter.

Look closely!  Not all pollinators are bees.

"Now" is your opportunity to study the pollinators of these short-lived spring flowers.  It is fascinating to note that most are pollinated by creatures we do not see the rest of the year! Much of our local flora is pollinated by tiny fly-like bees.  Some are pollinated by beetles! If you look closer you will see two beetles* working around the pollen laden stamens of this miniature lily.

* It turns out these beetles are Red-necked False Blister Beetles, Asclera fuficollis. It is more likely they are feeding upon the pollen.  Maybe they do some "collateral pollination" in the process!

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers like insects too.

 We were not the only ones looking for insects.  This yellow-bellied Sapsucker was tending some sap "wells" he had drilled on a Sugar Maple tree.  Insects are also attracted to the sap, where they often become a little "protein side dish" for Mr. Sapsucker.

Dolomite outcroppings festooned with flora.

If you are into outrageous displays of spring ephemerals and rock-covered flowers are your thing, you simply must go here: http://arcofappalachia.org/events/wildflower.html   All spring-starved eyes will be sated in the preserves set aside by the Arc of Appalachia.  If you are not already otherwise engaged this Easter weekend, you may still be able to register for their Wildflower Pilgrimage by calling ahead.  Don't miss the trip to Barret's Rim!

Look deep into the "eye" of this trillium.

This weekend will be prime for Ohio's state wildflower the Large White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum. The weather should be lovely and the pollinators will be in full force.  How many "new" pollinators can you find?

Please notice there is much more in our forests than "trees."  A healthy forest ecosystem is filled with biodiversity. Forests include everything from salamanders to butterflies, and all the creepy-crawly, buzzing, bumbling pollinators that service our flowers, shrubs and trees.  Where would we be without them? 

Too often our state and national forests are "managed" for the benefit of one species or another; the losers are often the innocent and very essential forces that make life in the forests bloom.  Birds and small mammals feed on caterpillars and countless moths, gnats and beetles round out the Masterpiece Theatre of everyday life and death struggles in the forest.  Generally they don't need us to intercede in their ecosystems. They have been at this a long, long time.

If you have not done so ready, please read my last blog post and consider signing the Sierra Club's form encouraging the state to stop spraying in our forest.  Our much needed pollinators are trying to make a living out there!

Not all the same...

If this warm weather has you excited for butterflies- you can join my club.  Well, I don't really have a club, but if I did it would be for chasing butterflies!  I first got interested in them when I was a child, and now I like to make road trips to see unusual species.  Basically any excuse for travel is good, so why not "butterfly sight-seeing?"

The Karner Blue

 You'll need to drive towards Toledo, Ohio and the Oak Openings to see the Karner Blue Butterfly. One of the Nature Conservancy's properties call Kitty Todd is ground zero for this blue.  Its host plant is Wild Blue Lupine, so make certain you visit around "Blue Week" when the lupines are blooming and one of Ohio's rarest butterflies fly.

The Common Buckeye

You'll have to wait for summer to see the Buckeye, as it migrates north from southern states.  They cannot winter over here, so this butterfly will arrive in July or August, unless it gets hot early.

A local favorite the Red-Spotted Purple. 

One of our local butterflies is the Red-Spotted Purple.  They are common to wood lots and back yards, their host plants are cherry trees and willows. The little spotted butterfly in the background is a Pearl Crescent. Its host plant is flowering asters!

If you like butterflies, I hope you will take time to follow this link and send a message to Save Ohio Butterflies.  https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=13345

The Sierra Club and I want you to know our government agencies plan to spray for Gypsy moths- and they won't only be killing one moth species.  They will wipe out any and all butterflies in the area as well.

Spraying will begin early this spring and impact caterpillars of all varieties in Ohio. Areas all across Ohio will be impacted with this non-specific aerial spraying, and if we don't act now - there will be a lot less butterflies to enjoy this summer. Other alternatives such as pheromone flakes or Gypchek only affect the gypsy moth and would protect native butterflies. 

There are other better alternatives.  Help us encourage Ohio to do the right thing! Click the link above!

Early Season Butterflies- West Virginia White

April is not too soon to be looking for butterflies.  In fact, a very special butterfly- the globally vulnerable West Virginia White needs your help.  Several organization are conducting studies in which you might want to participate.  I am attaching two letters and a couple of my photos of last years West Virginia Whites.  Yes, they look a bit like the Common White, but they have no black spots.  They also use native plants for a host plant, and studies show the invasive Garlic Mustard plant is VERY BAD for them.  Learn more in the video below.

 http://rkthb.co/41479     This video will teach you more about the West Virginia White.

I hope you will be watching for the West Virginia Whites and report back to either Dave or Samantha. Their letters are attached below.   Thanks for helping us! Weedpicker Cheryl

Dear West Virginia White surveyors,

Thank you for all your help surveying for the Globally Vulnerable West Virginia White butterfly on or near Museum Natural Areas!

WVWs typically emerge mid-April as long as the weather stays warm (above 60*F with clear skies) and fly to mid-May, basically as long as there are dense stands of blooming wildflowers, especially host plant cut-leaved and two-leaved toothworts and later blooming wild geranium stands.  

Given the cool spring temps and very cold Lake Erie, the overall flowering abundance levels of spring wildflowers will likely be behind schedule, especially near and/or east of Lake Erie. Emergence of West Virginia White butterflies from their overwintering pupae should also be behind schedule.

Look for this Globally Vulnerable slow flying mainly "in-the-rich-woods-only" butterfly laying eggs on cut-leaved toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), or Two-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine diphylla), its' required host-plants, which occurs in moist rich woodland areas, often found on the slopes of gullies or other low areas with adequate moisture. 

If you do see a WVW, please document as much detail as you can.  

Visit http://www.leapbio.org/resources/west-virginia-white for a survey form and instructions, and 

http://www.leapbio.org/docs/WVW_Conservation_Plan_20070326.pdf  for pics of the host plants, eggs, chrysalis, and the similar looking European Cabbage White butterfly.  The European Cabbage White, with VERY pale black (mostly in early spring ECWs) fore-wing tips and black sex spots (1 spot on male and 2 on spots on females) flies faster, more direct, and out in the open and it also starts to fly in April.  As uber volunteer Terri Martincic says, "One trick I found is they {WVW} don't fly like the Cabbage Whites.  If you have to "chase" it it's a Cabbage White, if it stays in one area slowly moving from one flower to another it's a West Virginia White".

Please respond to this email if you are able to resurvey last year's Museum Natural Area or if you are interested in surveying a new or additional area and we will mail you an Access Permit to the those preserves.

Please email or mail your observations of high count #'s, egg-laying, etc and any garlic mustard sightings to us, and feel free to call with questions to the # below.

Also check out the website http://westvirginiawhite.org for WVW first emergence date(s) research. 

Hope you have lots of good finds.

Thanks,

David

-- 

David J. Kriska

Biodiversity Coordinator

Natural Areas Division

Center for Conservation & Biodiversity

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

1 Wade Oval, University Circle

Cleveland, OH 44106

West Virginia White

Hi all - 

I'm writing to share with you a video that I wrote and produced about the West Virginia White and my research. The video is in the context of a crowdfunding campaign. I'm using this to raise money for my final year of research. If I raise enough, I'll be able to travel to many remote field sites and enhance our understanding of the West Virginia White and its relationship to garlic mustard.  Even if you can't donate, please consider sharing the video and page with friends and family. I do offer small "rewards" for donations-- framed pictures, photo coasters, special Skype QA sessions, and the like.

URL: http://rkthb.co/41479     This video will teach you more about the West Virginia White.

The great thing about this campaign is that it is "keep what you earn" which means that I don't have to reach a goal for your money to help me with covering costs of fuel, camping, and lab supplies. We've currently got enough raised to cover four nights of camping, but none of the other costs associated with research (fuel, lab supplies, field supplies, undergraduate help).   

Again, if you can't donate, please share with friends and family and check out the video anyway, because you can see some of the pictures and videos I've taken during the last 4 years of working on this majestic rare butterfly.

Thanks!

Sam(antha) Davis

Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Candidate

Wright State University, Dayton, OH

http://www.westvirginiawhite.org

Life is good- for birders.

This morning I stopped by the Clearfork Reservoir in Mansfield, Ohio to look for a bird.  Not just any bird, but a very special, diminutive goose, one a trickster might be tempted to pass off as a duck.

Ross's Goose at Clearfork Reservoir, photo Cheryl Harner

Mid-morning I got word that a Ross's Goose had been seen at the reservoir.  Stopping on my way to work, I was unable to find the little guy.  Fortunately, birding is so much fun I barely even cared.  There were some lovely loons floating by and  I heard my first-of-the-year Brown Thrasher calling.

Blue skies and fair weather

Later, I found this photo of the sky on my camera.  It had been an accidental shot, but I kept it anyway. It reminds me just how beautiful it was today. Just me and the Brown Thrasher, who was boldly clucking and squawking. Every moment was a delight. 

So much so, it was worth making another stop- right after work. After all it couldn't hurt to check again.

 And there was the Ross's Goose, Chen rossii tucked right up next to the shore swimming with some Richardson-sized Canada/ Cackling Geese.  These are not the local golf course geese which waddle about consuming grass.  These sleek little beauties are built to fly, migrate in fact. By next week they will be back in the northern most reaches of Canada.  Our reservoir is nothing but a stopping point on their way "home".

Grazing geese,  Ross's and Canada.

 We gave them plenty of lee way, as they seemed interested in leaving the water to come ashore.  We backed off far enough that the little wanderers came right up on to the picnic area for a nibble.

The bill is quite tiny on this 23 inch goose.
Ross's Goose 

It is a sure sign that winter is finally over. Everyday for the next month or two is an opportunity to see different birds, as we never know what the winds will bring us. Yesterday we were chasing (and missing) a Tufted Duck. Today it was a slightly off course goose.  Ross's are rare in Ohio, and I have only seen a few others in my whole life. They are much more common to our west, as they generally migrate across Texas and up through the Dakotas.

Welcome spring and welcome little goose!  He will certainly be gone by tomorrow, continuing the trip north. He will soon meet up with many more of his kind, and the breeding season will begin.  

Life is good- for birds and the birders who love to watch them.

Nature News from our Lakeshore

If you were able to catch my act at Shreve, you'll know I much admire Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr. and his fabulous photos.  Chuck loaned me an entire series of bird shots for my Birding by Habitats, and Habitats for Birding  program.

Eastern Phoebe on Cleveland Lakefront, photo by Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr

Because Chuck spends so much time watching the shores of Lake Erie and documenting the birds found there, he has recorded some important Cuyahoga County natural history. 

Jim McCormac walks you though the science -while featuring Chuck's photos- in an excellent blog post on The Fishing Flycatcher.  If you have not read it yet, please click on the link and read the full story.  

We keep learning fascinating new things from nature everyday.  Keep you eyes open and a camera ready, for you too might witness "Nature News" in the making!

My bird habitat program also featured some of Chuck Slusarczyk, Jr. captures a group of Monarch butterflies in a fall migration rest-stop at Whiskey Island, a important stop-over habitat for these Butterflies on the brink of extirpation.

Hot off the press!!!  Now you can visit all those "secret places" the birders go!

Speaking of Jim McCormac, he has penned a new guide for ODNR and Sea Grant. It covers some of the hottest spots along Lake Erie and the birding information is rounded out the book with tips and tidbits on plants, dragonflies and the like.  I immediately purchased a copy from my friends at the Ohio Ornithological Society's booth at Shreve.

This is your best guide to Lake Erie birding, and an excellent way to get an expert's perspective of the natural history of Ohio's Great Lakes region.  Even though I have been frequenting many of these places for years, there are a host of locations which are all new to me!

On a five star scale- I give this book: 6 STARS !!!  

You can follow this link to Sea Grant to purchase the book, or call our friends at the Black Swamp Birding Observatory's gift shop: (419) 898-4070.  Both organizations will ship one right out to you.

Birding Events Matter.

How does a tiny back-water town like Shreve, Ohio become a eco-tourism Mecca-for-a-day each year?  Shreve Migration Sensation 2014 was a big hit as usual. What draws the 1000 plus crowd and makes this event so popular?

A gang gathers round the Time and Optics booth.  
Someone must be telling a great fly-catcher story.

 It is the people.  We love the slow pace of the town of Shreve, often no faster than a horse's trot. This event is an opportunity to take a step back in time. One can witness how large families interact with love and respect.  This is one "gang" of teens I can't wait to meet up with on a back road, because they know where all the best birds are hiding!

A motto to live by.

 The Amish and English (non-Amish) gather together and much is accomplished.  The gentle ways shine, clear through to the core of this event.  From the school principal and kind custodians, to the folks at the door, cooperation rules the day.

Snake-boy flashes a smile.

 There are tons of children's activities, from dip-netting, snake petting, face painting, crafts and good food. One of my annual favorites (like most birders) is the homemade pie! The Wildness Center provide an education display and live birds are featured by the Medina Raptor Center.  The Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists offer family activities.

Judy Kolo-Rose and Hugh Rose

 It is a time to meet up with dear friends.  I met Judy and Hugh some 10 years ago at a birding Big Sit! They have run countless birding information booths and cultivated friendships across Ohio.  They are the dearest of friends.

Sally Deems-Mogyordy wants you to "just go birding."

Birding friends really are the best kind of friends.  We share stories and smiles.  We love to help beginners. Birders offer their equipment to strangers.  We invite non-birders to "step up and take a look" through our scopes.  When was the last time a fisherman or hunter offered to share their pole or gun with you?

Big hugging going on at the Greater Mohican Audubon Booth.

 Shreve is about meeting up with friends and making new ones.  Real people who care about your family and want to know how the Bobolinks at Byers Woods fared this year.
Greater Mohican Audubon folks "man" and "woman" the field stations at Shreve Migration.  This year it was a very cold and wet job; so we send them a special  "thanks"  for their services!

Bobolink painting (by Linda Scheck) was presented
to Cheryl Harner for serving as Pres. of  GMAS 2007-13

 Bird art abounds at Shreve! From full-sized canvas paintings, photos, note cards, ceramics, painted rocks, and the ever-popular birds painted on roof-slate by Linda Scheck.  I forgot to take a photo of her booth, but here is a photo of me holding a  favored treasure, one of her paintings!  It was given to me by the Greater Mohican Audubon Society.

A few of the speakers from Migration Sensation 2014 

 Speakers!  All day long, speakers come and go in the auditorium. Some of them are nationally known like Jim McCormac and Kenn and Kim Kaufman.

Let me tell you something about these speakers: they want to be there.  They are all about spreading the love of birds, their song, and migration.  They want to help you find your way to the best birding spots.  They don't do this event for the money- their pay cannot even cover all their expenses- much less their time.  They are here in Shreve, Ohio because they love to share their love of birding  and want to help protect birds on migration and the habitats which serve them.  These speakers want to interact with beginning birders, non-birders and old friends alike.  Chuck Jakubchak has a wonderful teaching style, and Lisa Rainsong helped people train their ears to hear birds in a new way.  Jim McCormac has been my long-time mentor and one of the best speakers I have ever seen or heard, in Ohio or beyond.

This is the spirit of Shreve.  It is the spirit of people who want to share their passion for nature.

Kim and Kenn Kaufman of BSBO and Kaufman Field Guides

Kim was unable to be with us this year (I used this old photo from a free field they did for Ohio Birding Facebook group), but Mark Shieldcastle did a bang-up job on her program about the Winter Bird Altas. Kenn's program opened our eyes to some interesting migration patterns and to a world perspective on birding.

These are two passionate people- passionate about birding, and kids and yes- even each other!  There have never been two people who worked any harder to promote nature. Believe me, they are not motivated by fame or money. As you can see by their flashy mode of transportation- it's not just about them. They want to bring everybody along for the ride.  Ohio is lucky indeed to have the likes of the Kaufmans living here.

Birding festivals matter. Eco-tourism allows us to celebrate birds and monetize habitats in a way that gets the attention of non-birders. Believe me they notice when 1000 new folks show up in Shreve on a Saturday in March. Sign up now for the Biggest Week in American Birding and the Ohio Ornithological Conference. You will be helping save bird habitats with eco-tourism. Do good and have fun at the same time!

A Great Egret pondering its great regret, "Why am I back in OHIO?"

Most of all, this festival celebrates birds.  The photo of a forlorn Great Egret was shot out my car window as I drove home through the sleet and snow.

Yes, there were plenty of birds in Shreve- or rather nearby Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms Wildlife Areas. We had scads of ducks, a congregation of coots and a fly-over of Sandhill Cranes. It was everything one could hope for in a one day birding event and I sincerely hope we will see you there next year!