Congratulations Ethan!

A very fine young man and an excellent birder just graduated from high school. Congratulations Ethan Kistler, all of your friends in Ohio's birding community wish you the very best!


Ethan holding a Purple Finch during today's bird banding/graduation party.

Stranger than fiction... and in my backyard

Some insects have adaptations that seem stranger than fiction. A four inch ovipositor on a wasp? Nah, no one would believe it.

And yet here is an Ichneumon wasp recently seen in my back yard. It appears to be a Megarhyssa, and that whopping ovipositor certainly looks to be the death of something! Jim McCormac had a good post on these beasties as while back- click here for his take.

And if you thought this was just your average bumblebee- look again! Those oddly shaped wings, "bearded" face and insect nabbing claspers, a wolf in sheep's clothing, this one. And it may be my new favorite insect, now that I have read they are a predator of Japanese beetles!

These Laphria robber flies "are to other insects what falcons are to other birds," says Kenn Kaufman in the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America.

This guide is the greatest- if you don't have one, get it now. I had no idea how much I would use it, and now it is one of my favorites. Even a piker like me can find the basic information on these stranger than science-fiction bugs!

What flower is this?

Scandalously clad in color, gigantic flowers, found throughout Ohio...yet so seldom seen. Why?

A member of the Magnolia family, this native Ohioan is under-utilised as a landscape tree. Birds love the seed produced in the fruit -seen developing in the center of this magnificent flower- and the tasty pollinators the flowers attract. Add in the unusual tulip-shaped leaves, and you have a yard and garden winner in my book.

However, the short-lived flowers tend to be held above eye level on these towering trees. If one really desired a stockier specimen in his yard, some subtle pruning during the early years could certainly make a difference.

Tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera is a favorite tree in my yard, and I hope you'll consider one for yours as well. Often called a "Tulip Poplar" this name is misleading, as it is not a poplar at all. Whatever you call it, it is a disease resistant native plant that can be readily found at your local plant nursery.

Landscaping with Native Plants

Virginia Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginiana

Planting natives in landscape gardens is catching on like wildfire. And why not? Native plants are attractive, more disease resistant, hardier and beneficial to our native fauna. It adds up to a win-win situation! And really, just because you use natives, does not mean you can't have an attractive yard. I mix all manner of native plants in with my hosta and hybrid geraniums. It is OK. You don't have to "do" all natives cold turkey. You can have your natives and throw in some annuals for color too. There are no rules here, just gardeners having fun and remembering to provide plants and habitat for the native species too.

So here is my home landscape, all decked out with Red-twig Dogwood, Elm tree, hosta, annual geraniums... and what is that fantastic, blue, blooming plant? It is Tradescantia virginiana! It grows so large in this flowerbed- I use it in place of shrubbery. It is native, colorful, easy to grow and fun. What could be better?

If you would like to see more ways to use wildflowers and native plants in landscapes, as well as colorful photos of the birds and butterflies attracted to them, you are welcome to join the Worthington Hills Garden Club on June 10th for a luncheon and my power-point program on Wildflowers! (just $19.00 for both.)

Reservations are required, and you'll want to arrive at 11:00am for Social & Registration. Please contact Paula Harper by phone: 614-792-5279 before June 2nd.

And if you'd like to learn more about native plants, follow the side bar link to the Midwest Native Plant Conference in Dayton. Check out all the great speakers there as well, and join us for 3 days of fun.

Interesting Inhabitants of Magee Marsh

Spring migration seems to be slowing down a bit, with one last predicted "push" coming later in the week. I spent some rest and relaxation time there today, and thoroughly enjoyed some of the "locals" and summer breeders.

A species of special concern, a Blanding's turtle with its distinctive yellow throat, shares a log with a much smaller Painted turtle. Considered a short step away from an endangered species, they are protected in most of the last remaining states where they can be found. Magee is one of the few places in Ohio where these 8-10 inch turtles can be seen.

Since Blanding's turtles require 15 to 20 years to reach sexual maturity, it is a wonder any make it at all! Our smiling specimen could well be a female basking or thermo-regulating. This behavior speeds the development of her eggs, allowing her to lay them sooner.

Maybe we will have some little ones this fall. They will be about an inch long when they hatch out, but don't count on seeing them. Blanding's are very secretive until they get a bit larger, and little is known about their young.

Consider a late May stroll at Magee to enjoy a peaceful boardwalk, the serenade of Warbling Vireos and melodic tones of the Baltimore Orioles. Breeding birds along the walk currently include Great Horned Owls, House Wrens, Tree Swallows, and Prothonotary Warblers.

Warblers are great, but Magee is much, much more. A "bad" day on the boardwalk is still one of the best days a naturalist could have.