Where The Wild Things Are- Life Is Good in The Woods!

To just stand in the woods and breathe in the green. Blue sky stretching overhead. Birds calling from behind the expanding leaves. I swear you can hear it growing. One of the prolific plants just starting to bloom right now is Wild Sarsaprilla. Under the canopy of three sets of three to five leaves, on a separate stem are two to seven umbrels ( a round cluster of flowers). I thought the umbrels came in sets of three, but after finding them in sets of 2, 3, 4, and 5, further research taught me that there can be up to seven umbrels on one stem. There is always something new to learn! 

I saw the first Showy Orchids of the year on Camphill land on Sunday. If you keep an eye on the ground along the trail through the woods, you might see this charming white and purple peeking out from under the other foliage. Columbine are dangling about knee high. Wild geranium are light purple spots on the green. 

If you were to go out to the boggy areas you could still see Early Yellow Coralroot, Strawberries and Raspberries blooms, and Bunchberries! The Showy Ladyslippers have started to come up in towers of leaves, but no flowers in sight yet. Higher up in the bushes are the Chokecherries, although most of the apple and plums are gone already. 

I was blessed with a tiny vision of blue, flitting around a small meadow. Stalking it with my camera I managed to get a shot of both the upper and lower sides of the wings. It was a good thing I did, because identification would not of been possible with just the upper blue side. It is called a Silvery Blue! And here I had been discounting the little blue butterflies all as Spring Azures! Now my walks will slow even more as I try and stalk elusive butterflies and dragonflies, in hopes of identifying them. Pretty soon I will just be at a stand still out there!

Go out and just breathe. Life is good in the woods!

Silvery Blue Butterfly

Where The Wild Things Are- All the Violets

Violets. Lots of violets. There are eleven different ones that grow in our part of the universe. I am sure that there are seven different ones in the village. As I explore more this spring I hope to confirm that number and perhaps add to it. The downy yellow violets are the easy ones. They are the only yellow ones we have here. Of the white varieties, I have seen two of the three. In the woods on the east side of the land, east of Prairie Wind, there is a carpet of Canadian White Violets. On the other side of the river, the Small White Violets are tucked in on the north side of a hill, tiny in comparison to the others. There is one other white kind, Sweet White violets, which are very similar to the Small whites. I need to peer closer at some of those! 

That leaves the biggest group, the blue/purple violets. Keeping in mind that some of those can also have white blossoms also, there are three main ways to tell blue/purple violets apart. The most obvious is location. Some thrive in dry places, some in wet, most in the shade. The second is the presence or absence of a beard. Fine little white hairs on the side petals. A magnifying glass is handy at that point. And then there is whether or not the flower is on a stem by itself, or on a leaf stem with other leaves and blossoms. 

So I have a "cheat sheet" that I am carrying with me. It lists the basics of violet identification. If I still don't have a positive ID I can at least get a good photo of the parts in question and try to sort it out when I can blow them up on the computer screen. So far I have seen (this year) Marsh blue, Northern Bog, Dog, and Common violets on village land. I have seen Prairie violets just north of here on the prairie by Midway Gas. 

Other new blooms out there...Blue Cohosh, Naked MIterwort, Three Leaved False Solomons Seal. The complete list is in the shed on the white board.

Where The Wild Things Are- Wild Spring

It's been a wild spring so far. With the weather so changable nothing is quite what is "normal" for the season. The flowers are getting a slow start. The lilacs not even blooming yet! The bellworts are blooming in the deeper woods, along with Wood Anemone and Wild Strawberry. The bloodroots have almost gone already, and the jack in the pulpits are just starting. If you walk in the woods you need to pay attention to see the violets, hugging the ground. The path by the bridge has a lot of them and will for several weeks. 

The other creatures most affected by the weather are the birds. I am having an Oriole explosion at my feeders the last few days. They normally pass by in large numbers, but this year the cold and rain have stopped them from moving on. They love grape jelly, and if I don't have enough out there, the battles begin! Oranges are also a favored food, and a scattering of orange halves litters the ground under the feeders. Rose Breasted Grosbeaks have come back, looking for seeds. The hummingbirds have been hitting their feeders also. There have been many sightings of Scarlet Tanagers this year, along with Indigo Buntings. You normally do not see them in any great numbers, but this year they seem to be much more visible.

It is the time of the year when my walks slow way down. Between scanning the trees for warblers and trying to see what has sprung up out of the ground, I feel like if I move more than a step at a time, I will miss something! I am peering constantly at the developing leaves, trying to remember which plant had leaves like those, guessing what it might become. Temptation to mark specific plants and photograph them every week or so to watch their progression is kept in check only because I don't have markers, yet. 

It is a great time to be out there. The mosquitoes are not yet out in number. You can see through the foliage yet to check out birds and things in the distance. Wood ticks are out, but not much worse than any other year. I find ticks are far more common in the long grass than in the woods. So go for a stroll along the roads. Wander along cattle paths. Put on your boots and walk upstream, or down in the creek. But stay off the river, it is still a bit on the wild side!

Sessile- Leaf Bellwort

Where The Wild Things Are- The Push to Grow, Bloom, and Create Begins

Spring is officially here. Pay no attention to the need to wear your winter jacket and hat. It is spring. The bloodroots prove it! After searching high and low, I finally found them in abundance, down by the river. The other flowers won't be far behind. Hepatica, Leatherwood, Violets. Small leaves are poking up through the dried leaves. 

The Yellow Rumped Warblers are flitting about the trees, snatching up almost invisible insects. The swallows are competing for the nest boxes along the road.Sandhill Cranes are strutting about the fields. The songs of various sparrows, the pounding of the woodpeckers, the soft coos of the mourning doves fill the air. 

There is an aliveness to the woods that has been missing. An urgency permeates the fields and wetlands. This is the time! Now is when the push to grow, bloom, create the next generations begins. 

As the summer unfolds, I will keep you appraised of what is blooming, migrating, and hatching out there. There is also a giant white board in the machine shed, where I will be documenting the latest blooms, showing where you might find them in the village wilds. I hope you schedule your time to allow you to experience first hand the wonder that is nature in the village!

Where The Wild Things Are- The First Warblers Have Come

The snow has (mostly) melted. The temps seem to be warming everyday. Rain has brought a hint of green to the fields. I think it is safe to say...spring has come! The first flowers are blooming, if not in the village yet, at least close by. Pasque Flowers are crowning the hill by Midway gas. I have seen Marsh Marigolds, ready to burst, along side ditches a couple miles away, even though I haven't gotten near the marshes to check in the village yet. I did see a few dragonflies on the wing, migrants moving with the south winds. 

Hepatica and bloodroot will be the next to show, popping up out of nowhere. The first warblers have come, yellow rumped warblers, darting through the air for invisible bugs. I also saw tree swallows in constant motion as they hunt for food. Some where on the village land lives a Northern Saw Whet Owl. I have heard it calling in the darkness, but have yet to see it. The other sound filling the air is the frogs, calling from every pond. 

Even though there is hardly any foliage to be seen, I did find, deep in the woods, the leaves of the Shinleaf plant. It is in the Pyrola family and I have not seen it before. Now that I know where it was last year, I will be haunting that area in June to capture a photo of it in bloom! Another one for the records of Camphill.

I hope you get out there and just enjoy the beautiful weather. After a long winter it is so good to just be outside!

Where The Wild Things Are- When Life Returns

Could it be? Could it really be spring? Tuesdays snow/sleet/rain/sunshine made it hard to tell, but it looks better from now on. The Sandhills are calling, the Bluebirds flying. I took a trip, only an hour or so west of here, and witnessed huge flocks of Snowgeese and Trumpeter Swans, struggling against headwinds. Greater Whitefronted geese were waiting it out in a flooded field, I estimated over 400 birds in that field alone. Here the flocks are small and scattered. The lakes are still frozen. The flooding on the river provides open water, but the currents are strong and more than most travel weary birds want to fight with. But the Kingfisher has returned to fly up and down the river, staking his claim for the summer. 

The only green out there is a few leaves left from last fall. Some plants produce their first rosettes in the fall, and then, when spring comes, they take advantage of the early sunlight to get a start before others can shade them out. Round Lobed Hepatica are one of these. They will be blooming soon, just blossoms inches off the ground, later more leaves will form. Pasque flowers are blooming in southern Minnesota already. I haven't had a chance to check on the local ones, but maybe this weekend I will get out there. They are hard to spot, fuzzy brown bits, close to the ground.Then pale purple flowers, also hugging the ground. 

When I get out in the woods I will be checking for the leatherwood blooming. It's tiny yellow flowers are some of the first in the shadier areas. 

There was a woolly bear caterpillar crawling along the road as I walked this morning. A few minutes later I saw a small moth flitting around. Yep. I do believe that it is spring. Get out there and enjoy it while it lasts!

Where the Wild Things Are- The Sounds of Spring

Spring is slowly starting it's appearance, but the snow is deep and will take a while to disappear. So what can we look for now that will speak of spring? Blackbirds! The males should be showing up in our area shortly and their calls will be loud as they fight over the best nesting areas and establish territories. The females are a couple weeks behind them. 

The other sound to listen for would be the sandhill cranes. It is hard to believe that they will come here with snow on the ground, but they are already in southern Minnesota. Their loud calls will give them away before you see them stalking around the muddy fields. 

I have been hearing and seeing ravens. They will also be searching for territories to nest. I think they might have nested in the pines (or that area) by Susie's cabin. Pay attention to where you see them the most, and we might be able to close in on the nesting area! 

My favorite sound of spring is the sound of running water. Small trickles, slow drips. I equate it to the thawing of the world and the return of life. Just sitting on a convenient fairly dry rock, eyes closed, face to the sun. The sound of melting winter soft in my ears. Could there be a better spring tonic?

Where The Wild Things Are - Spring is Coming!

So here we are, in the lion that is March. Still cold, still snowing. It is hard to imagine that spring will ever come, much less in a couple weeks. That being said, there are signs that it is on it's way. 

The chickadees have changed their calls from their normal "chickadee dee dee" to theirs spring calls of "fee bee". This call is used only by the males. They use it to communicate to other males their dominance and territory. So while we use it as a sign that spring can't be far away, they are gearing up to spring mating and nesting. 

Other birdy signs include the woodpeckers drumming. We have many species of woodpeckers around here and in the spring you will here the drumming of the Hairy, Downy, and Pileated. The juncos will be leaving soon, off for cooler climates to raise their young, while other migrants are working their way north.

Ducks and geese will soon be around, crowding around any open water they can find. They seem to push back the very edge of winter in their hurry to get north. The ice fishing houses need to be off the lakes now, indicating that the water is moving under the ice and soon it will be visible along edges and narrows. Creeks and rivers will be flowing. It doesn't take long to break apart even many inches of ice, between winds and melting.runoff.

The owls have mated and nested, and soon the eggs will hatch and round bundles of feathers will appear. Baby owls are soon easy to see, as they rapidly outgrow the nest. In a month they will be walking out on branches. Before they can fly they usually have to figure out how to climb back up to the nest after miss stepping and falling to other branches, or even the forest floor. The parents are very protective, but can do little if a larger predator attacks. If you see a nest, keep a good distance and use binoculars to observe. If you spook the adults away, crows have a good chance of seeing them, and either chasing them or attacking and killing the young. 

As the snow melts and the forest floor opens up, there will be already green leaves showing. A few plants, like the Round Lobed Hepatica, put out leaves in the fall that will help them capture the first rays of sunshine to support their very early blossoms. So, listen for the calls, look for the dripping of water, and sit in the sunshine as much as possible.Spring will come.

Where The Wild Things Are- A Voice For The Wild Things

Sometimes we read headlines, and although we are sympathetic to a cause, it can be far removed from our area, or deal with things that we don't feel we can change. So I thought that a look at what we do, as humans, to the area around us, and how that affects the fellow beings who live hear would be more appropriate.

At Camphill Village, you are at the forefront of sustainable living and agriculture. I wouldn't begin to tell you how to do that. As a voice for the wild things, I might be able to share their points of view in a way you hadn't thought of before. So lets begin.

Roads. We take them for granted. We need them to travel safely. We maintain them for the safe travel of everyone that lives here. What is the downside? For some creatures they are impassable barricades. If they leave the edges, the long grasses, they risk being lunch for any waiting predator. Some cannot crawl across the gravel. Some can cross, but when they do, they are at risk from traffic. Many turtles, frogs and other amphibians find themselves needing to get to the other side. They winter on one side of a road, and live in a pond on the other side in the summer. We've all seen the results of bad timing. 

Fences. We need them to keep our livestock safe. To protect the crops. But the animals that move through that area to go to feeding and bedding areas, places to get to water, they can be bad news. Some are injured trying to go over or through them. Some get separated from others in their herd. Fences can force animals to go through spaces that are harmful to them, like roads. Young can get left behind when the adults move quickly to escape a predator and jump fences. 

"Cleaning up" woodlands, mowing yards. Lots of people like a nicely trimmed yard, or a woods that is park like, with trees for shade and no brush cluttering things up. This depletes the natural areas that are necessary for animals for eat, breed, raise their young and live their lives. Brush piles provide cover from predators. In most areas there is very little wild areas left. Most has been farmed (we need to eat!) and covered in houses, yards, and pavement. In my mind every square foot matters. 

Dead trees. They are such an important part of a natural ecosystem. So many animals use them for homes, or eat the insects that are busy recycling them. As they decay, they break down into nutrients that keep the forest alive.Discounting the actual soil, the dead trees have the most variety of life within them in the woods.

By looking at all of these parts of our world, we can slowly adjust our way of dealing with the fellow travelers on this planet. Small changes, in our own backyards, are just as important as other ways to protect our planet, maybe more, because we can do a little, everyday.

Where the Wild Things Are- Polar Vortex

What is there to talk about in January when we are having record setting cold? The weather of course! The polar vortex has come for a visit, making life more complicated for us. If you are like me you also wonder (and worry) about the animals out there. How do they survive through this bitter weather? Most just hunker down, finding shelter where ever they can, trying to be out of the wind. Food sources are what keep most going, burning lots of calories just to stay alive. Some will not make it, but that is the course of nature through the lives of most species. They, in turn, provide sustenance for others. 

While watching birds at my feeders (a perfect activity for cold weather) I was struck by how these tiny feathered creatures can thrive at thirty below. Why are they not just frozen lumps? They don't even huddle for warmth! So I went looking for answers...

First of all, their feet. Not a feather in sight! They stand on the snow, perch on cold metal. How do they do that? It turns out that they have a network of arteries called the rete mirabile (meaning wonderful net), that flows through their tiny bodies. The blood cools as it travels away from their hearts, not even trying to maintain heat in their feet. As it flows back to the heart, it is warmed again so that when it reaches the heart it is warm. Their arteries actually sink further into their bodies in the winter, providing extra protection from the cold. So why don't their feet just fall off? Because their lower feet and legs are designed to have almost no blood flow to them. They just don't need the blood to do much for the feet, so it doesn't matter if they are cold. Some species, such as water fowl, while sit with their feet tucked up under them. As long as well meaning humans don't make them move too much, they can maintain their warmth, even on ice. 

One species, that comes here for the winter from the north, uses their metabolism to stay alive Pine Siskins can increase their metabolism up to 40% higher than other birds their size. When in extreme cold (down to -70) they can accelerate up to 5x normal for several hours. Now that takes a lot of calories to burn. So how do they find that much food in the dead of winter? They have managed for centuries to survive. They feed on pine seeds, available in the deepest snows. But they will come to feeders and eat also. 

So now we come to feeding the birds. There are studies out there that show people feeding birds can be beneficial for them. It can increase their survival rates and promote better breeding in the spring. Other studies show that it can increase disease by bringing together many birds to one spot that would never normally be close to each other. 

Like most things in the world, you need to weigh your options. Keep your feeders clean. Watch for signs of disease and clean more often if anything appears. Spread out your feeders so there is less crowding. Feed high quality food. I think that seeing the birds outside my windows on cold winter days is beneficial to my health and mental well being. Hopefully it helps them too. From the flocks that come, they seem to appreciate it! 

Pileated Woodpecker, one of the bigger birds that stop by...