Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Summary of the Year


As the video Google made covered this past year quite nicely (and I don't have the ability to edit it), I thought I may as well share not just the video, but the relevant posts in close to the correct order. Please note that there are some missing as I've yet to write them. The first two are posts from Google+ while the rest are ones I've done this past year here on the blog.
Here is to another year of Nature Facts and Photography! I'll see you all again in the New Year!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Smooth Sumac

Smooth Sumac (winter), Rhus glabra
The dominant sumac of the Blackland Prairie in smooth sumac, and it is the only tree species native to all 48 contiguous states. It is a colony-forming, deciduous tree or shrub that can reach heights between 3 to 6 m (10 to 20 ft). The serrated leaflets are dark green with a whitish waxy coating on the lower surface which turn bright red in early autumn. The female plants of smooth sumac bloom clusters of yellow flowers during the summer months. It tolerates sun and some shade, drought, most soils, and can be found in prairies, roadsides, and woodlands as well as impossible slopes.

Cluster of sour berries during the month of December.
Many species of wildlife make use of smooth sumac, especially in winter. The flowers give way to a pyramidal cluster of red berries that persist throughput the winter months. These berries are consumed by a number of birds including bobwhite quails, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, dark-eyed juncos, brown thrashers, gray partridge, and ruffed grouse. The bark and the fruit are also known to be consumed by white-tailed deer, mule deer, and cottontail rabbits. Smooth sumac was also a widely used species among Native American tribes. The sour fruits were consumed raw or made into a drink similar to lemonade. A root and leaf tea were used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and ulcers. Raw young sprouts were used in salads, blossoms in a mouthwash for teething by the Chippewa, and leaves mixed with tobacco for smoking. The fruits were also used for red dyes while the inner bark and roots made for a yellow dye.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Four-Nerve Daisy

Four-nerve Daisy, Tetraneuris scaposa var. scaposa
A low, upright perennial, four-nerve daisy, or bitterweed, is one flower than can be found throughout the year, including winter, in the southern Great Plains, Colorado, and New Mexico with sufficient rainfall. It will grow from a solitary stem reaching heights of 30 cm (1 ft) with a clump base. Most often, four-nerve daisy can be found on rocky limestone slopes. It is heat and drought tolerant, but the flower gives off an unpleasant odor when picked.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Agave


Agave, Agave spp.
Agaves, or century plants, are rosette, perennial succulents. The leaves are spirally arranged to allow rain water to be collected and drained inward around the base of the stem. While it takes many years for agave to flower, it does not take a century, but rather somewhere between ten to thirty years.

Many offshoots to an extremely well-growing agave.
Most agave are generally clonal with vegetative offshoots to replace the parent plant after it dies.  Agaves are drought and heat tolerant. They can be found throughout the south as natives and introduced species. Although most species are pollinated by nectar-feeding bats,  some species rely on other pollinators such as hummingbirds and insects.

Removal of the emerging leaf bud allows sap to pool for a beverage
For at least 9,000 years, agaves have been a source of food and beverage for humans. In addition, they provided as a source of soap, fiber, medicine, and lances to many native tribes, and still do. Commercially valuable wax is a residue of fiber production, and sisal and henequen provide close to 80% of the world's hard fibers. The heart was baked for days to produce a fibrous meat which was then sometimes dried for use in cakes. One species has a taste comparative to sweet potato, molasses, and pineapple, and baked agave heart can sometimes still be found in Mexican markets. The young flower stalks were also consumed, but the most notable use is of the sap to produce mescal, pulque, and tequila.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Pokeweed

Pokeweed, Phytolacca americana
Also known as pigeonberry, inkberry, American cancer, and American spinach, common pokeweed can be found throughout a huge portion of North America.  It is a large, native herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 3 m (10 ft) tall which blooms from May to October.  The fruits develop on bright red stems with the mature berries turning dark purple. Pokeweed can be found in areas of part shade along roadsides, open woods, damp thickets, pond margins, and fencerows. Although often considered a weed, pokeweed is very valuable to wildlife. The berries provide as a source of food for many mammals and birds, especially mockingbirds, catbirds, bluebirds, and mourning doves. Humans have also been known to consume pokeweed, but only with proper preparation as pokeweed is highly toxic and can cause death.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Texas Sage

Texas Sage, Leucophyllum frutescens
Also known as cenizo, Texas ranger, barometer bush, and silverleaf, Texas sage is an evergreen shrub with gray leaves covered in silver hairs creating an ashy appearance. It is compact, averaging around 1 m (3 ft), but can reach heights up to 2.5 m (8 ft). It can tolerate sun and part shade in soil with good drainage. As a native, it is also extremely tolerant of heat and drought. Texas sage blooms intermittently over several months. Often the mass of blooms occur after a few summer showers or during significant soil moisture which is the reasoning behind the common name barometer bush. It serves as cover and nesting sites for many animals, and it is host to the caterpillars of the Calleta silkmoth and Theona Checkerspot.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Today marks the day that is becoming known as Giving Tuesday. Rather than do a whole new post today, I will link to previous ones last year on wildlife rehabilitation. In many, many places, there are far more animals in need than places that can take them. There is a reason the numbers are few, and there is a reason one needs to be certified and permitted to be a wildlife rehabilitator. Many of these individuals do this service on their own time and using their own money. If you're ever dropping off an injured animal to a wildlife rehabilitator, consider a donation to them as well, but remember that you don't have to wait until that moment. You can donate or aid most of them at any time.

Wildlife Rehabilitation: (Part One) (Part Two)
Texas Wildlife Rehabilitators: Listed by County

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Chile Pequín

Chile pequín, Capsicum annuum
A native of southern North America, Central America, and parts of South America, Capsicum annuum has many common names including cayenne pepper, cherry pepper, and turkey pepper. Thanks to extensive cultivation and over fifty cultivars, other names linked to this species include paprika, red pepper, pimento pepper, sweet pepper, chili pepper, jalapeno, and poblano pepper. When referencing the wild progenitor, chile pequín or bird pepper are most often used. A deciduous shrub in the nightshade family, chile pequín is a perennial that will remain evergreen in warmer climates. It may grow up to 1 m (3 ft) and is most often found in thickets, groves, and ledges along rivers. The shrub tolerates shade, sun, and drought as well as loam, clay, limestone, and well drained sandy soils.

While the fruits are edible, the leaves contain toxic alkaloids.
Chile pequín has an extensive history with cultivation since 5000 B.C. It became more widespread when Columbus came to the New World and brought chile pequín back with him. Compared to many of the cultivars, chile pequín is noticeably more pungent. The spiciness is due to the presence of capsaicin which while odorless, colorless, and flavorless, irritates the mouth which in turn causes the brain to release endorphin; however, birds do not have the same reactions, but rather, no reaction. It is one reason they readily consume the fruits of chile pequín.


Note: There will be no post this Thursday. Have a happy Thanksgiving day!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Copepods: Cyclops

A fresh water pond copepod, likely Cyclops spp.
Copepods are a subclass of the animal kingdom composed of tiny crustaceans. Of the Crustaceans, copepods are the largest and most diversified group with over 14,000 species identified. Although visible to the naked eye, they are often no larger than 2 mm in length, but a few species may reach 10 mm in length. Copepods can be found in ponds, marshes, streams, lakes, and coastal waters. Some species can tolerate more extreme habitats of hypersaline conditions, caves, and leaf litter.

Copepod bodies are composed of the cephalothorax and abdomen.
As the most numerous multi-cellular animal within the water community, copepods are very important ecologically. They, like many other plankton, are an important food source. Some species feed on mosquito larvae and have the potential to act as a malaria control mechanism. At the same time, some species are intermediate hosts to parasites including the guinea worm, tapeworms, and flukes.

As with other crustaceans, copepods are invertebrates with hard outer cells.
Cyclops is one genus of copepods named for the singular red or black eye. The eye is very simple, only able to detect light differentiation and not image detection. Rather than rely on the eye, the more complex antennae are the main sensory organs of plantonic copepods. They detect gravitational and inertial forces to help sense disturbances within the water generated by predators and prey. Their movements within the water are a characteristic jerking movement.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Hackberry Gall Psyllid

Hackberry gall psyllid, Pachypsylla spp.
Hackberry gall psyllids, also known as hackberry nipplegall makers, hackberry blister gall psyllid, and jumping plant lice, are a 4-5 mm insect seen in autumn near hackberry trees. When the adults exit the galls during autumn, they search leaf litter, bark, and other crevices for a place to overwinter. In spring, they emerge to lay eggs on the new hackberry leaves. The nymphs feed on the leaves and cause the characteristic nipplegall for which the psyllids get one of their common names.

Hackberry gall psyllids often conjugate on window screens.
When the weather is warm, the adult psyllids swarm to houses, particularly on screens of windows and doors. Although a nuisance, they are not harmful to people, pets, or property. Control is difficult and not always recommended. Some parasitic wasps including Torymus pachpsyllae, Psyllaephagus pachypsyllae, and Eurytoma semivenae reportedly kill up to 51% of hackberry gall psyllids. As the wasps overwinter in galls on hackberry, it is not recommended to destroy the leaves of the tree. It should also be known that while hackberry gall psyllids can be numerous, the galls do not kill the host plant.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Jimsonweed

Jimsonweed, Datura wrightii
Jimsonweed goes by a number of other common names including Jamestown weed, sacred thorn-apple, datura, sacred datura, moonflower, angel trumpet, devil's trumpet, stink weed, mad apple, Indian-apple, and tolguacha. There are several species found in North America, and in Texas, but they are all ill-scented, annual or perennial herbs within the nightshade family. The trumpet-shaped, crepuscular blooming flowers, often white or purplish, are large and showy, appearing between April and October. The spherical spiny seedpods split into four parts when they are ripe.

Ripe seedpod of Jimsonweed.
The less common name Jamestown weed comes from the mass poisoning of soldiers in Jamestown, Virginia during the Rebellion of Bacon in 1676. A salad prepared with boiled jimsonweed caused the soldiers to be overcome with the hallucinogenic properties of the herb. According to a written account of the event, the soldiers were confined after their comedic actions for their safety, and returned to normal after eleven days had passed. While the account of the incident focuses on the good-natured humor caused by the hallucinogenic effects of jimsonweed, death is a very possible outcome.

The spiky seedpods split in four when the seeds are mature.
Toxicity results from three main tropane alkaloids: atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine. All parts of the plant are poisonous and can result in a rapid pulse, dilated pupils, restlessness, muscular twitching, weak pulse, irregular breathing, convulsions, coma, and death. While toxic to humans and livestock, it should be noted that a number of moth species, including sphinx moths, use the plant for both as a source of nectar and as a food source during their larval stage.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Texas Kidneywood

Texas Kidneywood, Eysenhardtia texana
Texas kidneywood is a native, deciduous, open shrub that reaches heights up to 3 m (10 ft). From April to October it blooms intermittently with spike white fragrant flowers. As a member of the legume family, Texas kidneywood has a pod-like fruit and compound leaves, but does not have thorns. The foliage in particular gives off a very pungent citrus smell. Although drought tolerant, extreme drought can cause defoliation. Texas kidneywood has been called an "ice cream" plant for deer due to it being highly palatable browse and highly nutritious. In addition to deer, various bees are known to be attracted to the flowers and the Dogface butterfly uses kidneywood as a host plant. Although kidneywood was once used in remedies for urological ailments, it is now mainly used in restoration projects, for nectar, and for dyes.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Balloon Vine

Balloon Vine, Cardiospermum corindum
Balloon vine, also known as Heartseed and Love in a Puff, is a continually blooming climbing vine with inflated capsules full of seeds and air giving it its common name. The species Cardiospermum corindum is considered an invasive species with possible exception to a subspecies in southern Florida. It is currently reported to be found in Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Its range includes parts of South America, Central America, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; however, it can be found in a number of other countries including India and the Galápagos, and there is debate on its native status in Africa. Some of the movement has been purposeful as medicinal and horticultural species while some movement can also be attributed to weather phenomenons such as El Niño.

Tangles of balloon vine found on the edge of a patch of prairie.
Of the Cardiospermum species, the most widespread distributed species are Cardiospermum corindumC. grandiflorum, and C. halicacabum which has resulted in their native statuses being highly debated. Current research points to C. corindum as possibly being native to both South America and southern Africa. As for its ecological role, balloon vine may play an important part in the life cycle of the endangered Miami blue butterfly. It may also be medicinally important in parts of Africa where the powdered dry roots are boiled and consumed for stomach pains, snake bites, and chronic body discomfort.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Wolf Spiders

Wolf Spider, Tigrosa spp.
With the exception of Antarctica, wolf spiders can be found on all continents of the world. There are over 200 species in North America alone. The females within this family spin a spherical egg sac which is then attached to her spinnerets. She drags the sac around until the spiderlings emerge which are then carried on the mother's back until they are ready to disperse. They do not spin webs with the exception of one genus. They mostly hunt at night, and like wolves, they hunt their prey on the move.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Aromatic Aster

Leaf-cutter Bee, Megachile spp. on Aromatic aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A native perennial autumn wildflower, aromatic aster can be found throughout a large portion of central and eastern North America. Other common names include fall aster, wild blue aster, and shale aster. These flowers reach about 50 cm (20 in) in height and bloom mounds of many-petaled purple flowers with an aromatic center. While often found in prairies, they are also common along disturbed sites. Aromatic aster tolerates dry, wet, clay, rocky, and well-drained soils as well as sun or partial shade. A number of pollinators are attracted to aromatic aster including various bees, butterflies, skippers, and beetles. The seeds are consumed by upland game birds and the leaves are occasional browse for a variety of mammals.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Sensitive Briar

Sensitive Briar, Mimosa spp. (likely Mimosa nuttallii).
Sensitive briar is a common name given to a number of Mimosa spp. with leaves that respond to touch. Generally, these plants have puffed, pink fragrant flowers on a woody, thorned vine. Most are commonly seen during summer, but a few species appear during the fall. As a member of the legume family, Fabaceae, their fruits are flattened pods similar to its pea relatives. The characteristic movement of the leaflets of sensitive briar is known as thigmonastic movement. A structure called the pulvinus is located at the base of each leaflet which can control water pressure. When touched, that pressure is lost causing the leaflets to collapse. Thigmonastic movement is believed to be a deterrent to herbivores as the leaves become hard to reach and the prickles and thorns are exposed.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Hiatus

Ongoing internet difficulties not completely resolved. I will hopefully be up and running again on Thursday. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Update: Unfortunately still having issues. I am going to work to resolve this over the weekend and hopefully have a post up and running next week. Thank you for your patience!

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Great Ragweed

Great Ragweed, Ambrosia trifida
Great ragweed is a native annual that can be found throughout most of North America. Also known as giant ragweed, it is the tallest of the ragweeds and can reach between 1 m (3.2 ft) and 4.3 m (14 ft) in height. The large leaves are opposite and contain lobes to help distinguish it from other plants. Commonly found on roadsides, in old fields, and in poorly drained waste areas, great ragweed is decently adaptive. It can tolerate drier conditions, but significant drought damages ragweed.

Goldenrod (Left) is often confused with Ragweed (Right)
 As with other ragweeds, giant ragweed depends on wind pollination. In addition to often being considered a weed as it grows where it is unwelcome, ragweed is a bane to many allergy sufferers; however, it once placed an important role in the survival of Native tribes. The nutritious seeds, which contain about 19% edible oil, were a main grain to many tribes. Archaeological evidence links cultivation of the species in the central Mississippi Valley before introduction of maize. Although the ancient grain has fallen out of favor, the leaves remain of interest as an astringent.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Goldenrod

Goldenrod, Solidago spp.
A common fall wildflower, goldenrods can be found throughout North America. Of the over 100 species of goldenrod, about 50 species are located in North America. Each species, while similar in appearance, varies in height and habitat. Some are as tall as 1.8 m (6 ft) while other species hardly reach 30 cm (1 ft). A number of species can be found within prairies, but others prefer sandy soil, marshes, and bogs. Goldenrods are an important pollinator plant with bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and flies relying on them for pollen while other insects reply on them for other needs as well. In the past, goldenrod has been used for medicinal purposes including treating tuberculosis, diabetes, arthritis, and gout. One particular species, Sweet Goldenrod, Solidago odora, was exported for licorice flavored tea in the nineteenth century and was the tea of choice for American Revolutionists.

More information on the historic role of goldenrod will come on my Sunday Google+ post.
Update: Post with additional information on Sweet Golden rod can be found here at the G+ post.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Filmy Dome Spider

♀ Filmy Dome Spider, Neriene radiata (Ventral)
The filmy dome spider is a small spider reaching a size up to 6.5 mm (0.26 in) for females and up to 5.3 mm (0.21 in) for males. It can be found in the eastern and central portion of the United States as well as parts of Europe. The filmy dome spider, Neriene radiata, matures faster than other dome spiders. One generation completes in less than a year with the immatures overwintering in their respective habitats. The eggs laid before winter do not hatch until spring. These eggs are fewer in number, but heavier than the eggs that are laid and hatch during the warmer months.

♀ Filmy Dome Spider, Neriene radiata (Dorsal)
Sheet weaver spiders create a sheet of web in a space between vegetation. There are often two sheets of webbing with the spider between it awaiting prey, but the filmy dome spider weaves a single sheet of webbing with loose tangles of silk above the sheet. Insects hit the loose threads and fall into the domed sheet below for the spider to capture. Though the technique works well for foraging, it does not prevent kleptoparasitism. Some spiders species such as Argyrodes trigonum will usurp the webs of dome spiders. The accidental introduction of the Palearctic spiderLinyphia triangularis, in North America also poises as a potential threat to sheet weavers due to kleptoparasitism.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Yaupon

Yaupon, Ilex vomitoria
Yaupon, Ilex vomitoria, is a native holly to the southeastern portions of the United States. It is a dioecious species, the distinction between male and female visible by berry production, which may grow as high as 8 m (26 ft), but has been readily cultivated for residential landscapes. While the berries are poisonous to humans, many wildlife species, including songbirds and small mammals, readily consume them. The highly adaptable and tolerant shrub is often used as a hedge species, but perhaps its most interesting aspect is that it is the only native plant that produces substantial amounts of caffeine. The amount of caffeine has been shown to decline with age of the leaves, shade, and latitude, and certain cultivars have more caffeine variation. The preparation of the leaves for the tea can also impact the amount of caffeine present.

Yaupon has a very rich history with Native American tribes. It was brewed into a tea-like beverage known as Black Drink which that link provides far more information (and sources). The link is simply my in-depth post on Google+ from the week before about the history of it. The comments also mention preparation, taste, antioxidant properties, and how it isn't actually a drink that causes vomiting.

Sorry for lack of posts last week. I went on vacation, but I'm back now. Thursday will be another original post with some photography I'm a bit proud of from earlier this month.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Crimson Patch

Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais
The Crimson Patch butterfly may be found as far north as Texas and southeastern New Mexico, but is more common through Central America down to Colombia. While there are several broods in Texas, it can be found year around in the tropics. The larvae feed on scrubby plants within the Acanthaceae family which includes flame acanthus and firespike. As early instars, the caterpillars feed as a group, an aggregation, but become solitary during the fourth instar stage. The adults feed on the nectar of a variety of flowers.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Delaware Skipper

Delaware Skipper, Anatrytone logan
The Delaware skipper may be seen in parts of eastern North America from Canada down through El Salvador. They are found in open areas, particularly wet ones, such as marshes, prairies, fields, and residential areas. As a type of grass skipper, the larvae feed mostly at night on grasses and sedges including big bluestem, switchgrass, and wooly beard grass. The larvae often make shelters of the leaves as they eat them. The adults drink nectar from many flowers including milkweeds, mountain mint, marsh fleabane, sweet pepperbush, buttonbush, thistles, and pickerelweed. In the north, the Delaware skipper has only one brood a year whereas further south it can be more than two per year.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth

Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Bradypus variegatus
The brown-throated three-toed sloth is one of only four species of three-toed sloth, and one of the only two three-toed sloths that are not endangered. They weighing between 2.25 to 6.20 kg (4.96 to 13.7 lbs) and have a body length between 413 to 700 mm (16.3 to 27.6 in). Their forelimbs are longer than the hind limbs As they spend the majority of their time in the trees, their grip is strong and their three digits have long, curved claws. Compared to the rest of the body, the head is smaller and the tail stumpy. The coarse, thick fur has longitudinally grooved strands to allow for green algae to grow which provides as camouflage. Other organisms found within the grooves of sloth fur include cyanobacteria and diatoms while moths, beetles, cockroaches, and nematode roundworms have been found in other parts of their fur. Male brown-throated three-toed sloths have an orange-yellow patch with a brown stripe through the middle between the shoulders. Unlike most mammals, sloths have nine cervical vertebrae instead of seven allow greater mobility of the head. They are active during both the day and the night, but sleep the majority of the time.

Leno the Sloth of the Dallas World Aquarium.
Sloths are a neotropical animal that live and flourish on a steady diet of tree leaves, shoots, and fruit. Often a sloth will remain within a tree for days and may have a preferred tree. With a difficult to process diet full of tough cellulose and potential toxins, their digestive system is slow. The large fluctuations of their body temperature can also hinder digestion which causes sloths to practice thermoregulation similar to reptiles. Due to such slow digestion, it may take several days or more for food to pass through the gut of a sloth, and waste eliminate averages once a week or less. Still, sloths are adapted for the diet of foliage with the stomach containing complex pouches that separate batches of food in different stages of digestion. Sloths have also been observed to specify which foliage to consume with pregnant females seen choosing the easier to digest Lacmellea panamensis when possible. They will also choose spots to sleep where they can bask to aid in digestion, but without getting too overheated.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Cassin's Finch

 ♂ Cassin's Finch, Haemorhous cassinii
Cassin's finch is a small rosy-tinged songbird found within the mountains of western North America. Though similar in appearance to house finches and purple finches, Cassin's finch is larger with whiter bellies, peaked head shape, and thick, straight-edged bill. While both male and female Cassin's finches have thin, white eyerings, males are more rosy with an intense red crown whereas females and immatures are more brown and white. Their range and environment also differ with Cassin's finch prefering conifer forests. They are semicolonial with nests sometimes built within close proximity to each other, but often it is only tolerated if nesting time is far enough apart. While their diet is mostly of seeds, insects and fruit are also consumed. They are categorized as a Near Threatened species, but the factors leading to population decline have not yet been identified.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Passenger Pigeons

Passenger Pigeon, Ectopistes migratorius
Once upon a time, close to 40 percent of the birds on the North American continent were Passenger pigeons. Their massive flocks would block out the sun for hours. Their flapping wings would create a chill far below. Their flight would create a roar of thunder. Within only decades their numbers decreased from billions to none.

Shadow Over the Earth - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
Passenger pigeons had been found from far south Texas up through Canada, encompassed the Midwest all the way to the east coast. Their migration route traced along the Ohio River, and their greatest nesting density was within New England and along the Great Lakes. Their massive nesting sites, the largest recorded taking up to 850 square miles, often destroyed trees and coated the forest floor with inches upon inches of waste. So many pigeons could be found in some sites that there were birds sitting upon birds. The grounds nearby looked swept as the twigs and branches were gathered for nests. Within the nest laid either one or two eggs, a number still debated as evidence during the time were simple accounts from various sources.

Life on the Move - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
Passenger pigeons fed on a variety of plants, but their preference was for hard mast such as beechnuts and acorns. The young were fed pigeon milk, the sloughed off lining of the crop. The pigeons themselves fed a number of species including black bears, bobcats, owls, hawks, wolves, and skunks. Passenger pigeons also fed many Native American groups, some relying on them far more than others.

The Birds That Blocked the Sun - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
The understanding of the role and connection the Passenger pigeon played in its ecosystem is limited by lacking evidence and data. It is likely they played a great part in the spread of mast trees due to their diet preference and large migration. White oak in particular, a favored acorn, is the dominant oak along much of the eastern United States where Passenger pigeons were concentrated. Canebrakes, ecosystems of American bamboo, were probably encouraged by the pigeons who opened the canopy and fertilized the ground with their droppings. The decline of the American burying beetle is also possibly linked to passenger pigeons as their primary carrion source may once have been the pigeons. With their demise, the beetle has had to find other sources of less abundance. Though the beetle still exists, the once-widespread scavenger is limited to a few Oklahoma counties and two islands off Rhode Island.

Birds of a Feather Nest Together - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
In the early years of settlement, Passenger pigeons were one of the principal food sources that kept colonies alive and thriving. They were easy to catch, numerous, and a reliable source of food when crops weren’t ready for harvest. As colonies stabilized and populations grew, the Passenger pigeon went from savior from starvation to dietary mainstay to sport, hobby, and a nuisance. Landowners feared them for ruining agriculture and jeopardizing timber holdings. Hunters shot them for simple fun and money.

Eat or Be Eaten - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
Hunters developed a number of techniques for catching Passenger pigeons, but one such technique brought about the common phrase stool pigeon. A single bird was caught live and its eyes sewed shut. Most often, it was manipulated by string then by the hunter to look as if it were peacefully feeding as to encourage others to arrive. Once down, a net would be thrown over the flock. A single shot from a shotgun brought down handfuls. One record of hunting at a nesting site in Petoskey, Michigan recorded around 50,000 birds killed a day for months. So many Passenger pigeons were available that they were a cheap target to use as live targets in shooting galleries and skeet shooting contests.

Of Pigeons and People - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
The number of Passenger pigeons dwindled and no laws were around to protect them. A few attempts were made, but they were either limiting or too late. Contrary to popular thought, research shows that colonial nesting birds are some of the most vulnerable to extinction. It can be driven through the Allee effect where inverse density dependence is defined as a positive relationship between population density, survival, and reproduction. In other words, low population densities cannot support survival. Even though tens of thousands of Passenger pigeons remained when hunting started to die down, their survival relied heavily on being a vast colonial species. For that species, even that number was too few, and compounded with habitat destruction, their extinction was inevitable.

New Technology, New Troubles - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
The last two Passenger pigeons to exist were Martha and George. They resided in the Cincinnati Zoo in the early 1900s with a small flock, and were soon the sole survivors by 1909. By 1910, George died to leave Martha as the last known living Passenger pigeon. She stayed on exhibit for her remaining four frail years where many flocked to see her. Still, her treatment was cruel by the crowds who would throw sand at her to make her walk, and her cage was often roped off. On September 1, 1914, her crumpled body was discovered by the keeper. On that day, the Martha died and the Passenger pigeon was officially an extinct species.

Going, Going, Gone - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
Part of the demise of the Passenger pigeons was the lack of protection, but they are one of the driving forces for laws that now exist. In the late 1800s, the Lacey Act was established as an attempt to help the Passenger pigeons. It prohibits illegally obtained game to be shipped across state boundaries, and it helps enforce wildlife protection laws. In the case of Geer v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that states hold wildlife in trust for their people and has the power to ensure harvested game is kept for their benefit. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is the key law to protection of native avian species. It protects all parts of native birds to the fullest degree. By federal law, even today, anything that once belonged to a native bird including, but not limited to, live birds, skins, feathers, eggs, and nests, are illegal to possess without a proper permit. In the early 1970s, more laws were enacted and toughed including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act mainly in response to Silent Springs by Rachel Carson that pointed to other threats to wildlife, in particular DTT and other pesticide use.

Hope for the Future - ©Project Passenger Pigeon
While mankind has learned since the extinction of the Passenger pigeon, it is still a question of whether we have learned enough. A report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2010 announced that 30 percent of amphibians, 21 percent of mammals, reptiles, and fish, and 12 percent of birds are all at risk of extinction. Across the world, 131 mammals, 23 coniferous trees, 15 reptiles, 217 birds, and 208 amphibians face imminent extinction according to the Alliance for Zero Extinction. Threats to survival include habitat loss, global warming, pollution, and introduction of non-native species in various parts of the world. Whether or not we are in the early to mid-stages of the sixth great extinction event on the planet has yet to be determined, but if nothing is done, it will be a guarantee.

This post is a direct copy from my original Google+ post from yesterday to mark the centennial of the extinction of the passenger pigeons. A few notes of additional information, particular references, are on that post. My previous passenger pigeon post on this blog can be found here. The only other information of particular importance is mention of the wonderful panels provided by Project Passenger Pigeon. The pdf files of the displays are available for use at the link provided.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Giant Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes
The giant swallowtail can be found from Central America up through the southern portions of Canada. While adults may be present year round far south, generally there are two generations per year. This large butterfly has an average wing span of 10 to 16 cm (4 to 6 in) with females on average being slightly larger. Host plants for the caterpillars are trees and herbs within the citrus family including common rue, prickly ash, and hoptree. The adults feed on the nectar of a variety of plants including lantana, azalea, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed.

A few additionally images of this newly emerged beauty can be found on this Google+ post.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Turk's Cap

Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus drummondii
Turk's cap is a spreading shrub that averages about 1 m (3 ft) in height, but can reach 3 m (9 ft) with red flowers with overlapping petals in summer and fall. It is native along the southern portions of the United States into Mexico, and it can also be found in the West Indies, and Cuba. Turk's cap most often grows along streams, edges of woods, and on limestone slopes in the wild.

One of the flower color variants of Turk's Cap that can be found.
It is an extremely tolerant plant that can grow in full shade and full sun alike, thrive in wet or dry soil, and survive in alkaline or acidic soil. It also has a high heat tolerance, resistance to popular pesticides, and has very few pests issues. Hummingbirds and butterflies are drawn to the nectar, and humans are sometimes drawn to the fruit, flowers, and young leaves of which are all edible.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Gulf Fritillary

Gulf fritillary, Agraulis vanillae
Although mentioned before, the Gulf fritillary is not a true fritillary butterfly, and is not closely related to fritillaries. Whereas most fritillaries belong to either the Speyeria genus or Bolloria genus, the Gulf fritillary is the only member of the Agraulis genus. The are common in the southern portions of North America.

Gulf fritillary drinking nectar.


Gulf fritillary butterflies are often found in open habitats such as fields, parks, and open woodlands, and begin to migrate southward during late summer and throughout fall. There are multiple generations each year, and in warmer habitats, the adults will overwinter. Passionflower vines are a host plant to the caterpillars while the adults feed on the nectar of a number of other plants including lantana and cordias.