tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74572051090327751992024-03-15T21:09:20.446-04:00Capital Naturalist by Alonso AbugattasA naturalist reveals some of the wonders of the natural world found right around the Washington, DC Metropolitan area using his own photography and his life-long experiences. I invite you to also check out my other award winning social media platforms: Facebook Group "Capital Naturalist" or YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv8LHf1hHCEU3UHdpb-8Mng) or follow me on Twitter: @CapNaturalist. Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-12170954852427959652023-05-19T15:44:00.001-04:002023-07-14T21:23:33.668-04:00Emerald Ash Borer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8izjO9FUiZOkqNc-Wl4CdjMjX-EOk8NJGxamBLpo8T8ZnajmuOKMU0OFDq2yqZ2Co_4S4b6YOBFXzjLprF6mkah5PYh2feNiWuHR9k6gMRdm0CzcUHRQ-GeHAglJySNJadsDVwLcuTSrhC8E51XUviBtITUCiM7KPjoseTs5cIRUurBhoDYBtVqi4/s3241/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20beetle%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2431" data-original-width="3241" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8izjO9FUiZOkqNc-Wl4CdjMjX-EOk8NJGxamBLpo8T8ZnajmuOKMU0OFDq2yqZ2Co_4S4b6YOBFXzjLprF6mkah5PYh2feNiWuHR9k6gMRdm0CzcUHRQ-GeHAglJySNJadsDVwLcuTSrhC8E51XUviBtITUCiM7KPjoseTs5cIRUurBhoDYBtVqi4/w400-h300/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20beetle%20(2).JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="376">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Mention"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Smart Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hashtag"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Unresolved Mention"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Smart Link"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Emerald Ash Borers (<i>Agrilus planipennis</i>), also
referred to as EAB’s, are introduced invasive beetle that is a threat to our
native ash trees. The beetles themselves are small and an attractive metallic
green color. They are native to Russia, Northern China, Japan, and Korea, where
the native ash trees they evolved with have ways of dealing with them so they
are not killed which our native ash trees do not. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>They were
accidentally introduced into North American in 2002 near Detroit, Michigan as
part of cargo shipments. Since then, they have spread into more than 20 states.
They reached Fairfax, Virginia in 2003, and were believed to have been
eradicated after the region was put into quarantine and all infected trees were
destroyed. However, they reappeared back into Fairfax and then Arlington in
2008, having broken quarantine. Since then, they have started wiping out all
our native adult ash trees, and some report have started to also infest
fringetrees. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>The
spread has likely due to the adult beetles being good strong fliers and their
propensity to be spread by transporting firewood. This has led to “Don’t Move
Firewood” campaigns and using only local firewood in many localities. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>They
larva bore into ash trees just under the bark, feeding on the phloem and xylem
tissues that feed the tree. They can thus starve the tree or even girdle them
so they die off. About 2 years after infestation, the trees start to lose
canopy and within 3-4 years the ash trees are dead. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBXR2ig_iFTawqgdaLZ4q4toZoNwqXCPbgZa5EcekcGUqT_1ukmp63QOlGt1oq_31hND4824xxXRTa4yls857SKbhAKIQFtPAUTsf061EdtdPS7Pq5mX9IAnE_-hcsrsMuUYpAxtKhyl_7tezq-eJvzynjiXl6f4yUWmrghmcZukCIx9WBusansMw/s4608/EAB%20dime.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBXR2ig_iFTawqgdaLZ4q4toZoNwqXCPbgZa5EcekcGUqT_1ukmp63QOlGt1oq_31hND4824xxXRTa4yls857SKbhAKIQFtPAUTsf061EdtdPS7Pq5mX9IAnE_-hcsrsMuUYpAxtKhyl_7tezq-eJvzynjiXl6f4yUWmrghmcZukCIx9WBusansMw/w400-h266/EAB%20dime.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The D-shaped holes of emerging Emerald Ash Borers.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <span> </span>The
adults complete their life cycle within a year, sometimes two, leaving telltale
D-shaped openings as they emerge from the tree. Eventually after woodpeckers
have searched for the larvae to feed on and as the bark falls off, you can
start to see the damage that the borers due to the tree itself with tunnels all
over just underneath the bark. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBK1KmxrfHo6j5KrWgL42Cz5XhHqcF2rIITmVKdkHWzCcsPIoovzwArPiYZFzZcCIpvTfuO1c7GwG7_GaGdn4cpvH74AryBavaCg8S4J8LTgqSswJzOsIT71wOX9EHCs3DU_Awhf28-MSl_jcq11DayYCNJ6-7i5HJ8N-_mOIoGqdPqa0G7SCMZ-p/s2048/EAB%20trunk%20damage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBK1KmxrfHo6j5KrWgL42Cz5XhHqcF2rIITmVKdkHWzCcsPIoovzwArPiYZFzZcCIpvTfuO1c7GwG7_GaGdn4cpvH74AryBavaCg8S4J8LTgqSswJzOsIT71wOX9EHCs3DU_Awhf28-MSl_jcq11DayYCNJ6-7i5HJ8N-_mOIoGqdPqa0G7SCMZ-p/w300-h400/EAB%20trunk%20damage.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The galleries and tunnels of Emerald Ash Borers just below the bark of an ash tree<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span>Some jurisdictions such as Arlington are trying to protect
the ash trees by treating the trees by injection to kill off the borers, but
this can also affect other native tree feeders. Right now Arlington is treating
19 significant ash trees to protect them and so they can act as the seed source
for new ash tree saplings, which until they get to certain diameter, will still
provide wildlife value. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S_0TOZw1gTogupA5J3mB1l2V3wat7OmbohI27cM2n0aa7k3t-KxYaa4qDE9_BaeJr_OAMPqZsN1no-8Ko1prNoIwbVT1Hsxzos1zgK6bWBR8Ku13jVJ7eJh3nCCtEJ--CTex7N7ML_wWMEPniBNK2xmhFaCo1px_0_fROwOvojiF25qvfQN4-nfa/s4608/EAB%20sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6S_0TOZw1gTogupA5J3mB1l2V3wat7OmbohI27cM2n0aa7k3t-KxYaa4qDE9_BaeJr_OAMPqZsN1no-8Ko1prNoIwbVT1Hsxzos1zgK6bWBR8Ku13jVJ7eJh3nCCtEJ--CTex7N7ML_wWMEPniBNK2xmhFaCo1px_0_fROwOvojiF25qvfQN4-nfa/w400-h266/EAB%20sign.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p> <span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span> </span>This
May, parasitoid wasps which exclusively feed on emerald ash borers will be
released as a biocontrol. These wasps are the size of a grain of rice and are
completely harmless to humans. They have been tested and will only affect the
invasive emerald ash borers and nothing else. These have been released and proving
to be a great tool in the management of this invasive, including in Fairfax
County last year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCYWVCjdnnB39aYkmEkTuaTkjOBF9UBGZZUq-RTywFR7679qtTrdGRDGqovyicWOnIS8gtPIr-e_wTzfY57AxlBxpMhCQpOcMH1AQpbGHZLBtRL_a7jhXgUfuPP4s08EE-Y7v90W7VfWpwLmvsG-Men1dMfzE9q_L6oOHtVX71q7NE6nf9RxcfQoI/s4032/EAB%20wasp%20vial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCYWVCjdnnB39aYkmEkTuaTkjOBF9UBGZZUq-RTywFR7679qtTrdGRDGqovyicWOnIS8gtPIr-e_wTzfY57AxlBxpMhCQpOcMH1AQpbGHZLBtRL_a7jhXgUfuPP4s08EE-Y7v90W7VfWpwLmvsG-Men1dMfzE9q_L6oOHtVX71q7NE6nf9RxcfQoI/w300-h400/EAB%20wasp%20vial.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hanging wasp vial with pupae inside hanging upside down to protect from rain. The adult wasps are so small, they easily escape through the protective mesh.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></p>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-45082998351339069352023-05-17T23:42:00.053-04:002023-05-19T15:02:31.454-04:00Eastern Bluebirds<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZftV5gc8_sf5s6pQryLV2aaStM-pE5SiTK6TRWHcybT-wpYYy_i-_hLvsMoEGcUTeWRuA-wGT8mccMU7Dhlzs55Qyws34M5FGhvB7A-qolKXMPP8vPGz9_IuIaH4voTHgMIghvhpnBgmfYvUb9B-VgDkdcRU5G61_LJzUVy_-DMtne4-DU3wlmnm/s1600/bluebird%20male.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZftV5gc8_sf5s6pQryLV2aaStM-pE5SiTK6TRWHcybT-wpYYy_i-_hLvsMoEGcUTeWRuA-wGT8mccMU7Dhlzs55Qyws34M5FGhvB7A-qolKXMPP8vPGz9_IuIaH4voTHgMIghvhpnBgmfYvUb9B-VgDkdcRU5G61_LJzUVy_-DMtne4-DU3wlmnm/s400/bluebird%20male.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A male Eastern Bluebird<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div><p>
<span> </span>Eastern Bluebirds (<i>Sialia sialis</i>) are one of three species of bluebirds
in North America. This includes its close relative the Western Bluebirds (<i>Sialia mexicana</i>) out west (which they can hybridize with where their ranges overlap), and the
Mountain Bluebirds (<i>Sialia currucoides</i>) in the mountainous regions of the
West with its hovering flight (which can also hybridize with the Eastern though
much less commonly do so). They are all members of the thrush (Turdidae) family
of birds. </p><p><span> </span>Eastern Bluebirds are between 6.5 to 7 inches in size and are the most
widespread of the three species, including ranging as far south as Nicaragua and
the eastern half of the U.S and Canada. However, until the 1970’s bluebirds were
in severe decline. The loss of nesting cavities and competition from invasives
such as house sparrows and European starlings were the main reasons for these
declines. In 1978, the North American Bluebird Society was formed and along with
its efforts, bluebirds started to recover. </p><p><span> </span>One of the ways that helped most was
building proper bird boxes to fill in for missing tree cavities that bluebirds
traditionally used and reducing competition from other birds such as house
sparrows and European starlings. There are numerous boxes available for sale and
you can build your own as well with plans available on the internet. One of the
most important things to remember is keep the entrance hole no bigger than 1 ½
inches to keep starlings and larger birds out. </p><p><span> </span>Next is proper placement.
Bluebirds prefer edges and open habitats with native plants in a meadow or edge
setting, and, if possible away, from buildings. Native plants are extremely
important as pretty much all the food for the young will be insects and these
insects evolved together with the native plants. Nonnative and especially
invasive plants will Not supply the necessary amount of insects to allow the
young to fledge. A nearby small tree or sapling is often good to allow not only
the bluebirds a place to keep an eye on the nest but for the first flights for
the young. Placing the bird box on a steel pole and then placing a predator
baffle (such as a metal cone guard) around the pole to keep raccoons, snakes and
other predators from accessing the nest works best. Keep it away from
overhanging trees or fences that the predators can use to gain access or drop
down onto the bird box as well. Cat/raccoon guards made of mesh placed around the
entrance hole so it is difficult for these predators to reach inside is always a
good idea. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8boXdNGMX1n8bbJkr6Gbpg-vQ5d9nUoPjY_ODSCvXvGwRQxVoX3l9gSiBgU5edbQkNKEm6SiPFZ9H5SVw2s1j_npNU8P3VdWGdEB4m4F97hOp9cuben8wb5pLkgDdE7zgvhyw5Nto5ltDxfuE3d3lODw2XBYvKNpN2f_LaXIChzH4kg-cb--6PP5Q/s4608/bluebird%20box%20baffles%20CF%20Smith.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8boXdNGMX1n8bbJkr6Gbpg-vQ5d9nUoPjY_ODSCvXvGwRQxVoX3l9gSiBgU5edbQkNKEm6SiPFZ9H5SVw2s1j_npNU8P3VdWGdEB4m4F97hOp9cuben8wb5pLkgDdE7zgvhyw5Nto5ltDxfuE3d3lODw2XBYvKNpN2f_LaXIChzH4kg-cb--6PP5Q/w266-h400/bluebird%20box%20baffles%20CF%20Smith.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bluebird box complete with predator baffles.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <span> </span>House sparrows can be an issue, so if placing the bird box well away
from buildings doesn’t help, you can construct a scare baffle that helps keep
sparrows away made from monofilament line, and using PVC pipe entrances
(sometimes referred to as a Gilbertson design) also works well. If they still
persist, just recall that invasive house sparrows are not protected by law and
the eggs can be removed. Boxes are often placed 200 feet apart, but some place
them close together or even next to each other in the belief that if tree
sparrows use one and bluebirds the other, they can both combine to drive off
predators. </p><p><span> </span>Many more tips and information on the things mentioned can be
obtained by contacting your local bluebird society website and on the internet.
Bluebirds will also roost in these boxes in the winter as well, so they can be
useful year-round.
</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnBuodHG6-BfCzbJVATKCEA791Z7fnD552WVNEiBE48K-BeQSy4QIwNYV648BDk_eGAYFl6-sn2W_qxy1nCNBgOTyiox31EPH88N75_zxh1QhTuE89KLntO1zC6dGkD80sbWI-fjzCVK01XIrIMuiIymwh47KKPCf-LYEb-igMjEKBP4rOGn3J5C4/s1600/Eastern%20Bluebird%20females%20nest%20building%20a%20nest,%20note%20the%20cat%20racoon%20guard.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnBuodHG6-BfCzbJVATKCEA791Z7fnD552WVNEiBE48K-BeQSy4QIwNYV648BDk_eGAYFl6-sn2W_qxy1nCNBgOTyiox31EPH88N75_zxh1QhTuE89KLntO1zC6dGkD80sbWI-fjzCVK01XIrIMuiIymwh47KKPCf-LYEb-igMjEKBP4rOGn3J5C4/s400/Eastern%20Bluebird%20females%20nest%20building%20a%20nest,%20note%20the%20cat%20racoon%20guard.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A female Eastern Bluebird brings nesting material into a bird box in Barcroft Park, Arlington, VA. Note the cat/raccoon guard at the front of the box entrance.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div><p>
<span> </span>Eastern Bluebirds can have 2-3 broods a year. They lay 3-6 pale blue eggs each
time. These take 16-21 days to incubate and the young fledge after 16-21 days.
Occasionally bluebirds will lay their eggs into other bluebird’s nest,
particularly if there are not enough nest cavities present. Female bluebirds
will also occasionally mate with more than one male, and so the male which helps
feed the young may not always be feeding its own young. Eastern bluebirds are
short to intermediate migrants. As they feed their young insects and prefer
these for themselves, when the cold weather kills these food items off, they
need to find other food sources or move south. They form winter flocks which can
number over 200 and search for additional items to feed on. They often search
for berries and fruits to tide them over, particularly liking wild grapes. They
may also come to bird feeders that are stocked with mealworms, raisins, berries,
and peanut butter mixes. </p><p><span> </span>Bluebirds were significant in many native American
cultures. They were symbols of spring for many tribes. For the Haudenosaunee
(Iroquois) the singing of blue birds were said to drive off winter. The Cherokee
associated them with the wind and thought they could influence the weather. To
the Pueblo, the bluebirds were sons of the sun. To the Pima, bluebirds are a
symbol of transformation. One of their legends says that bluebirds got their
color from by bathing in magical blue water, originally being the color of clay
and considering itself ugly. It took 4 days of daily bathing for the feathers to
turn blue. Many clans are named after bluebirds in their own languages such as
clans in the Pueblo, Hopi, and Diné (Navajo). </p><p><span> </span>So please keep an eye out for
bluebirds or listen to their songs (which many people think sounds like “Tru-ly
, Tru-ly”) and perhaps encourage them into your yards using some of the
information here.
</p>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-31638346722816352032022-05-10T09:41:00.002-04:002023-05-19T15:10:37.988-04:00City Nature Challenge DC 2022 Initial Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ySwKpaK7NJvpiTF_ryFPBbp6GhHO4oPqsdr3cZZswlFX1Z3CO6f0zSx6ogavohm8xYEiq_slI-jw5YWLR0L0_266kqcsgpGjavdfZk_hEMlds76hpd6M6YjDV9S7pby8LQq4asUQ2jlkcaTLwpVUM3EbxBHnAGldRnpKrp-kc6eGy2Drrh778gGm/s743/CNC%20worldwide%20results%202022.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="743" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ySwKpaK7NJvpiTF_ryFPBbp6GhHO4oPqsdr3cZZswlFX1Z3CO6f0zSx6ogavohm8xYEiq_slI-jw5YWLR0L0_266kqcsgpGjavdfZk_hEMlds76hpd6M6YjDV9S7pby8LQq4asUQ2jlkcaTLwpVUM3EbxBHnAGldRnpKrp-kc6eGy2Drrh778gGm/s400/CNC%20worldwide%20results%202022.png" width="400" /></a>
</div>
<span> </span>This year's City Nature Challenge was another great global citizen science event. 445 cities participated world wide representing 47 countries, with 64,095 people participating making 1,568,469 observations of 50,167 different species! While this year like the last two years was not seen as a world wide competition, La Paz would have won the competition, with 137,374 observations made by 4,305 people to find 4,388 species. But our region did extremely well! The DC region, which included Arlington and the rest of the Metropolitan region well into Maryland and even with one county in West Virginia, was impressive! You can skip the "Global Project" part as that was a multi-city project with any of the rankings.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEix_PiVSCGR6NxnAZIEhLFfey4GTt7CnCw0EBEZj5So9YfcyYZ-vrHIX2wzFCCDUbvk38c6SFmfoTD3JB-X5Wf_iDxayknMF5_tLRYl8mOPuyaz33Y81VIy6KWh6MQulBt3vVvld7XKMJIPxdxd1btbHCSVMiloC823ihxBj_iBRxlTIXh8-E-3xN/s791/CNC%20Results%202022%20Total%20particpants.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="791" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEix_PiVSCGR6NxnAZIEhLFfey4GTt7CnCw0EBEZj5So9YfcyYZ-vrHIX2wzFCCDUbvk38c6SFmfoTD3JB-X5Wf_iDxayknMF5_tLRYl8mOPuyaz33Y81VIy6KWh6MQulBt3vVvld7XKMJIPxdxd1btbHCSVMiloC823ihxBj_iBRxlTIXh8-E-3xN/s400/CNC%20Results%202022%20Total%20particpants.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span> </span>Had this been a competition, the DC region would have placed 5th in the number of observations with 38,148 observations. We would have placed in 7th in number of species with 2,576 species. Not bad when comparing yourself with some tropical cities like Rio where they have such tremendous biodiversity. But where we really stood out was in the total number of participants. DC came in 2nd with 2,110 people participating making observations! That's just fantastic, as not only are the results data mined by researchers world wide as part of citizen science, but also shows the interest that this area has in the natural world.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KTdI88o73ocmslx7WwtFeXLL4XzxGQcQkECHvgWh3LVi1AEV8d680inWa6dtOAw3mP-cKJDozYd7QPNmE7Gslqvf772BKdYHTZ6IzDjIKZJQpFsjuVOFBugL2U-VCHcxeZCl6U6DVDHhmpZnzvA4bOjMSZNuhy9olYZ48JzWYPD5Dznh4tsHXiOE/s867/Locally%20CNC%20observations%202022.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="867" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4KTdI88o73ocmslx7WwtFeXLL4XzxGQcQkECHvgWh3LVi1AEV8d680inWa6dtOAw3mP-cKJDozYd7QPNmE7Gslqvf772BKdYHTZ6IzDjIKZJQpFsjuVOFBugL2U-VCHcxeZCl6U6DVDHhmpZnzvA4bOjMSZNuhy9olYZ48JzWYPD5Dznh4tsHXiOE/s400/Locally%20CNC%20observations%202022.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span> </span>Locally the most common observation were Mayapples with 346 observations, followed by American Robins with 250 observations, then Garlic Mustard (an invasive) with 249 observations in our area. Rounding this up was Poison Ivy again with 249 observations and Christmas Ferns with 241 local observations. Something that stood out to me was the number of Wild Turkeys seen in the DC area with 24 observations. They are getting more common each year. Another thing that stood out was the good number that were Research Grade in our area, meaning they were peer confirmed with two or more identifiers agreeing with the observations. 20,800 or 54.38% of these observations were Research Grade. This year we concentrated on getting more people to not only make observations, but also getting them identified. We had 1,014 Identifiers this time around, with TCAL12345 (don't know his real name) but a master naturalist, being the top local Identifier. Congrats to this person who identified 4,370 observations. In fact, we had the most Identifiers world wide! I take special pride in this, as I along with Deborah Barber, were part of the team of setting up ID nights with taxon resource specialists to help identify the observations. Thank you to all you taxon resource specialists and others who helped bring this distinction to our area! Most of the observations were of plants with 1,426 observed, or 48.75% of the things seen out the 2,974 species observed.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTwIDUN7x1DyBOm7zmV43xKM6tDVBrha8CcareZOH7A4zzPUHXUDYrcnbxGk8vW08YkncSDf7xb7aVNzLtEisvh9bCBcOcksc9PGTkLxO09fwRe2OlA6x0zo0ul4b6IuO8-lsPd03U_2hhLvp3cQ4fgNXoxz2-Z8dbMvUgxqoKD13EcB6HUGPdWqC/s698/CNC%20Dc%20results%202022.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="397" data-original-width="698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTwIDUN7x1DyBOm7zmV43xKM6tDVBrha8CcareZOH7A4zzPUHXUDYrcnbxGk8vW08YkncSDf7xb7aVNzLtEisvh9bCBcOcksc9PGTkLxO09fwRe2OlA6x0zo0ul4b6IuO8-lsPd03U_2hhLvp3cQ4fgNXoxz2-Z8dbMvUgxqoKD13EcB6HUGPdWqC/s400/CNC%20Dc%20results%202022.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span> </span>Personally, I was very happy with what I did this year. I placed second in the number of observations and species for DC (31 worldwide for observations, but 7th in number of species world-wide, a happy accomplishment). I devoted what time I could this time around, but had some commitments during the 4 day period. I had my wedding anniversary for example, which I of course couldn't miss, or my wife would kill me! I also had an invite to attend the Washington Biologists' Field Club shad bake at their headquarters on Plummers Island, which many say is the most studied island in the country. I've been under consideration to join this storied 120 year old field biologist club that only has 65 active members, and so I was not going to turn down the invite which had been stalled due to COVID. This however led to my two favorite observations for this City Nature Challenge, both for very different reasons.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbnZoLDSh38cVWvrUURgQZFtFMnZXaGtQxczAIXnY3cFafceTqDf4Hp5Xb9tRunioy3ulYuEsKntZPXyQ6U1_zpbFP0kc54_CMV0ygL_JIPK-vSVEhYD006yMYva4EABG3gIBUOK6m2GIrqA0WzrquJFXTiITOTzRpB_vgdN73izcV-7Q0b5NRckP/s818/Copperhead%20Plummers%202022%20CNC.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbnZoLDSh38cVWvrUURgQZFtFMnZXaGtQxczAIXnY3cFafceTqDf4Hp5Xb9tRunioy3ulYuEsKntZPXyQ6U1_zpbFP0kc54_CMV0ygL_JIPK-vSVEhYD006yMYva4EABG3gIBUOK6m2GIrqA0WzrquJFXTiITOTzRpB_vgdN73izcV-7Q0b5NRckP/s400/Copperhead%20Plummers%202022%20CNC.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span> </span>The first was of an Eastern Copperhead, the only venomous snake we have within the Beltway. He was basking right next to the impromptu outhouse that was set-up on the island. It was quite a surprise to everyone when it was found it, especially for the botanists that make up most of the Club. This was a neonate, a very young copperhead, complete with its yellowish pea-green tail. This is a caudal lure. The young snake wiggles the tail tip which may appear to be alive and attract another predator such a skink (lizard) to try and catch it, and thus become food for the snake. The color fades fairly quickly after a few sheds and so this was a very young snake. It was very patient and as usual very non-threatening. Always neat to find one.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi413oW5gohIBq9ss2gQ_P7tAX8SZ76m-jTuMa71KzOTpKc42phk8gxEO6GEbMYCrZy3AvgbSRXEjsU3yqatCzUuFGiMHiJVMNtgWXzuuV4LgF7pPLe6akZ5nC7RxMmFdHhx0pJQW3-AEdotwHawo3jA9JVsO8libspu676-ytcMvibZdGIg3wUpWq0/s890/Coville%27s%20Phacelia%20Plummer%27s%20island%20CNC%202022.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi413oW5gohIBq9ss2gQ_P7tAX8SZ76m-jTuMa71KzOTpKc42phk8gxEO6GEbMYCrZy3AvgbSRXEjsU3yqatCzUuFGiMHiJVMNtgWXzuuV4LgF7pPLe6akZ5nC7RxMmFdHhx0pJQW3-AEdotwHawo3jA9JVsO8libspu676-ytcMvibZdGIg3wUpWq0/s400/Coville%27s%20Phacelia%20Plummer%27s%20island%20CNC%202022.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span> </span>The other one of my favorite finds was a very rare plant, the Coville's Phacelia. I foundit within yards of their cabin head quarters. This was not only great due ti its imited distribution and raraity, but also because the original scientist who discovered it, F.C. Coville, was a Washington Biologists' Field Club member, who made the discovery right there on the same island. This was a very special treat for me. More about htis rare plant here: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kB_kAw16aW8" width="320" youtube-src-id="kB_kAw16aW8"></iframe></div>
<span> </span>Locally in Arlington, which falls into the DC count circle, there were 140 observers, who made 4,252 observations of 924 species, with 324 identifiers. A good showing. I'll look into what they observed to see if there are any locally rare species to investigate, or to see if there are new invasives that we should also investigate. You can see the Arlington results here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=1719&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-washington-dc-metro-area&verifiable=any
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_qwLVLh8ghaNEgF5ZABNvkPn79gSa8Lqg_dUH7-h6gBpgVBOPDsALcCRZtg_O8uKzmFuZuhzCtZJoUlDjasg8EBtvY8xMqdC_1nG4npCjuCkJNeyCrQrIrrEKmyJqwnZbV_QZaYnYQFPdd_lBynbDUje07kBuq5F6GwlwYpT0v3P70WSvrKsvREW/s3840/CNC%202022%20results%20infographic.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_qwLVLh8ghaNEgF5ZABNvkPn79gSa8Lqg_dUH7-h6gBpgVBOPDsALcCRZtg_O8uKzmFuZuhzCtZJoUlDjasg8EBtvY8xMqdC_1nG4npCjuCkJNeyCrQrIrrEKmyJqwnZbV_QZaYnYQFPdd_lBynbDUje07kBuq5F6GwlwYpT0v3P70WSvrKsvREW/s400/CNC%202022%20results%20infographic.png" /></a></div>
<span> </span>This infographic gives the best summary of what went on. Thanks to Ana Ka'ahnui for putting together this information in the final infographic. All in all, a good City Nature Challenge! Congrats to all! I will have some work to do see what information I can glean locally, but until then, thanks to everyone who made this happen! You did a great job and should be proud of these efforts! You can click on any of the images to make them bigger. Until next year, thanks again for making this year such a success!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IElnLFU1Fnhqak9RbywC-z-MEYYlIT2fiuZKUo56WZbwVNq5ArbSccDXgaRmLppkRE1CgvN21S4GMw3JeXLVLE0FhP6pHtC-iLCzLSRPn_i3C9JseDUnWZuB6hr4LflMnNJYiieJ_VCBd7Z2CQFTHEtUL1URJuXSHa82JmBzPCLrXBZCS2Blmb6_/s1080/CNC%202022%20Overall%20Rankings.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IElnLFU1Fnhqak9RbywC-z-MEYYlIT2fiuZKUo56WZbwVNq5ArbSccDXgaRmLppkRE1CgvN21S4GMw3JeXLVLE0FhP6pHtC-iLCzLSRPn_i3C9JseDUnWZuB6hr4LflMnNJYiieJ_VCBd7Z2CQFTHEtUL1URJuXSHa82JmBzPCLrXBZCS2Blmb6_/s400/CNC%202022%20Overall%20Rankings.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.036870710.596958463821153 -112.1931207 67.217426136178844 -41.880620699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-27882561766542935252022-04-06T00:16:00.002-04:002023-01-29T23:04:52.878-05:00Wild Columbine<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY1bpLb5O0xiB14qO-J3gvak9v8qcOsxVioPzaIXcvEe7ASX7udozIhEB2BKo7fZMwK5yNtVNhekPL76MMkwAdnkITn6cnLYa-6d6F-Xs_hrZ8uH2HvBKHC2ec0A3a2rXKaJA1TNbEqcWwHsKrD7hBOMgUSuyV6CZfoVkYPGO3mvKIpcfMxa0Hp12/s4608/columbine%20solo.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMY1bpLb5O0xiB14qO-J3gvak9v8qcOsxVioPzaIXcvEe7ASX7udozIhEB2BKo7fZMwK5yNtVNhekPL76MMkwAdnkITn6cnLYa-6d6F-Xs_hrZ8uH2HvBKHC2ec0A3a2rXKaJA1TNbEqcWwHsKrD7hBOMgUSuyV6CZfoVkYPGO3mvKIpcfMxa0Hp12/w400-h266/columbine%20solo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p> Wild Columbine (<i>Aquilegia canadensis</i>) is a beautiful flower in the Ranunculus Family with all sorts of folklore. It has several common names: American Columbine, Red Columbine, Eastern Red Columbine, Canadian Columbine, Eastern Columbine, Rock Bells, Rock Lily, Cluckies, Bells, Honeysuckle, Jack-in-Trousers, Granny's Nightcap, Alaly, Meeting Houses, Turk's Cap, and Culverwort. Lots of folklore is tied in with their common and scientific names. For instance, Culverwort, comes from the Saxon <i>culfre </i>meaning "pigeon" and <i>wyrt </i>meaning "herb". As far as their most common name, Columbine is derived from the Latin for "dove" due to the resemblance of the inverted flower to five doves clustered all together. This is also why another name of Meeting Houses is also used. <i>Aquilegia </i>the Genus name also has a meaning. It comes from the Latin word for "eagle" because the flower's spurs are said to resemble an eagle's talons. The species name <i>canadensis </i>is due to its home range. The reference to "eagles", as well as its presence in many coats of arms, even won it favor to a small but vocal committee that wanted Wild Columbine to serve as the national flower. They failed in this attempt, though one species, <i>Aquilegia caerulea, </i>was chosen as the state flower for Colorado.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbkFgmGc6LClChNz2G1JcOFcUEnzEmuhiqj5u8bXjKpUCUTCpYJCcym5gF1eRC5vmbETlz-XuJncWv1W1NX0ZdOcSeM_97COs0Z5HMdqL_8-qcUJ40slfdf2W5jGOjceem7JxsmazVUXBqMBfyZlTWIuvnE2pZTud0ijb_Ha-BB8k3UhiCNGqW0am/s4608/columbine%20seed%20head%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbkFgmGc6LClChNz2G1JcOFcUEnzEmuhiqj5u8bXjKpUCUTCpYJCcym5gF1eRC5vmbETlz-XuJncWv1W1NX0ZdOcSeM_97COs0Z5HMdqL_8-qcUJ40slfdf2W5jGOjceem7JxsmazVUXBqMBfyZlTWIuvnE2pZTud0ijb_Ha-BB8k3UhiCNGqW0am/w400-h300/columbine%20seed%20head%20(2).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The columbine's flowers spurs resemble eagle talons.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3HGSt2tJkQ-_QqBBfe83txnmt8sPMSPHRbyQTcnvwgF67D2zm2EoTg9Qz5ZSglZPiRSazhHNm1iwiltRWvimWT1QbVGKmRYfkeRe41QZFvkDNLGmqYyYKi7yPwsMrQ6cVcNl6McmftofuSBkQ4tfcLTIPA4X4Vym8tUTK6hEnnIfWOZSwpC7rBY/s4608/columbine%20seed%20head%20close.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkT3HGSt2tJkQ-_QqBBfe83txnmt8sPMSPHRbyQTcnvwgF67D2zm2EoTg9Qz5ZSglZPiRSazhHNm1iwiltRWvimWT1QbVGKmRYfkeRe41QZFvkDNLGmqYyYKi7yPwsMrQ6cVcNl6McmftofuSBkQ4tfcLTIPA4X4Vym8tUTK6hEnnIfWOZSwpC7rBY/w400-h300/columbine%20seed%20head%20close.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span> It is probably just as well that it is not our national flower since it has other symbolic meanings as well. Columbine is the symbol of cuckoldry and a deserted lover in the Victorian language of flowers. It was considered an insult to give it to a woman and bad luck to give it to a man, or the other way. Either way it was not a proper gift. </span><div><span> Columbines have been used medicinally in Europe for centuries to cure everything from headaches to small pox. Many tribes also used Wild Columbine for many reasons. According to North American ethnobotanist Daniel Moerman, the Cherokee used it for heart trouble. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) used it for treating poison ivy and other itches, and the roots for for kidneys. The Meskwaki used it for diarrhea, stomach and bowel trouble, and as well as mixing the seeds with tobacco for smoking. They even used the smoked seeds as a love potion. The Ojibwa also used it for stomach troubles. The Omaha, Ponca and Pawnee used it for headaches, as well as for perfume. As they also have astringent and diuretic properties, and have prussic acid that can have a narcotic effect on some people, they can be potentially poisonous as well. However, the flowers themselves are sometimes considered edible.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgZT5YGLmFqvKALWe-KKfANz-_IA2JhHY-0PGrTEW_y1_LraPmj3DW8GH5hysF1JbIi_7EAYsEE7pNfrJAd6QxxqWqLETEVIEdaVGTEAbx6Hl2j2lOp7SdPD_fiVLIean5D6xkoIoHKGbPrZxL9Y0nFtaggv7lej4EFnlKFVTe7xqBFe0eEUdjeTh/s2048/columbine%20flwr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgZT5YGLmFqvKALWe-KKfANz-_IA2JhHY-0PGrTEW_y1_LraPmj3DW8GH5hysF1JbIi_7EAYsEE7pNfrJAd6QxxqWqLETEVIEdaVGTEAbx6Hl2j2lOp7SdPD_fiVLIean5D6xkoIoHKGbPrZxL9Y0nFtaggv7lej4EFnlKFVTe7xqBFe0eEUdjeTh/w300-h400/columbine%20flwr.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red tubular flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> The flowers of our local Eastern Columbine are red and tubular. They are designed to attract and be pollinated by the long tongues of hummingbirds who prefer and can see the color red, that many insects don't see. But some bees and other insects learn to cheat and eat a hole at the end of the spur to get to the nectar, bypassing any pollination. Our Eastern Red Columbines is a host plant to 12 different caterpillars. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7sk4a7Py5O7me5BxBEKQlgQW6a2Ir_k8l2AGIwxELYs60wkxAPP51Trn2FNm60mp_hmoKuTHSi40ANhs9aQsa0nrW9rbCbh44tdO_hHpwDaeKdHFoJm6UxUSrjLCromVj3ecJO0FLK65MtwzKXua4UwyptkxQKttcjBy4yPe3j4XFFPCvl92cCc/s1600/eastern%20columbine%20Linden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7sk4a7Py5O7me5BxBEKQlgQW6a2Ir_k8l2AGIwxELYs60wkxAPP51Trn2FNm60mp_hmoKuTHSi40ANhs9aQsa0nrW9rbCbh44tdO_hHpwDaeKdHFoJm6UxUSrjLCromVj3ecJO0FLK65MtwzKXua4UwyptkxQKttcjBy4yPe3j4XFFPCvl92cCc/w300-h400/eastern%20columbine%20Linden.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the wild, Wild Columbine is often found growing out of rocks or other niches where there's little competition from other plants. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> Wild Columbine is an easy to grow perennial in gardens. The seeds are easy to propagate, but do not like competition from other plants. They normally grow in rocky situations with little competition, but are not picky about soil conditions, whether dry or wet conditions, growing to about 3ft tall. While they can take full sun, they prefer some shade, even growing occasionally under evergreens. They will self seed for many years and can take both partial shade and sun. They have few garden pests. They occasionally get Columbine Sawfly, <i>Pristiphora rufipes, </i>and the Leaf Miner <i>Phytomyza aquilegiae,</i> but otherwise are relatively pest free. Most mammals do not try and eat the leaves, it even being deer resistant to a degree. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQRD5CJaVVCWcVhDGNOJM3uyZdMkXzqkf8Vf8nahI29a-7Ra8LnD9r5w6sRkUv0r5FOoNvU13xxEHNMEylxiaYlVxVHKxymtHGz8tVbUOzyQiII7_22jKGI2C36woxIcK1q4UJs6Qa_3R-njPkLemRrRxpOzqVL-5UBHPlK44sivrQP2woGpiuuAA/s4220/Wild%20Columbine%20driveway%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4220" data-original-width="2278" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQRD5CJaVVCWcVhDGNOJM3uyZdMkXzqkf8Vf8nahI29a-7Ra8LnD9r5w6sRkUv0r5FOoNvU13xxEHNMEylxiaYlVxVHKxymtHGz8tVbUOzyQiII7_22jKGI2C36woxIcK1q4UJs6Qa_3R-njPkLemRrRxpOzqVL-5UBHPlK44sivrQP2woGpiuuAA/w216-h400/Wild%20Columbine%20driveway%20(2).JPG" width="216" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild columbine growing out of the cinder blocks that line my drive way.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> This plant has attractive foliage, and as mentioned, except that it does not like competition, is very adaptable. Picked to be the Virginia Flower of the Year for 1998 and the North Carolina Wildflower of the Year in 1987, this plant has a lot going for it both in the garden and in the wild. Whether planted to attract hummingbirds or as an attractive spring flower, this plant deserves more attention. I always enjoy mine, which self-seeds along the rock wall of my driveway. It is carefree and pops up in any opening along my old driveway. </div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNryrGB8sdc_NhyuWvo1aBGqqOI9x_LRbAVikYJWM75hdg_GosbS7UxonhPztWPpopZdd_tRABQ9FGJVlhuRIVevZnfylJPU7eMRQgj1HSJ8xiRes4TH4B87kjZSfET7TJw33xefj1kh64D_l3leJqs3Hp7DYxAFf1l7xgq8SlLU_Avy5EqRs85MK/s2592/columbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioNryrGB8sdc_NhyuWvo1aBGqqOI9x_LRbAVikYJWM75hdg_GosbS7UxonhPztWPpopZdd_tRABQ9FGJVlhuRIVevZnfylJPU7eMRQgj1HSJ8xiRes4TH4B87kjZSfET7TJw33xefj1kh64D_l3leJqs3Hp7DYxAFf1l7xgq8SlLU_Avy5EqRs85MK/w300-h400/columbine.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Columbine self-seeding along my driveway.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-29015803511273249762022-03-31T15:10:00.002-04:002023-01-29T23:26:33.766-05:00Jack-in-the-pulpit<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjhemM82_7ONrqae_2XJO4Aq6Tp0-z2CMzQDAp5sIZSJ6vUY_nUeycTbPSg2hfOu0mesdS8hBls97kLfGvnS-PKjJt1QHPPdKUJ0CNaQndAy4Vuy99c991_SQdd1b8CRqxeQrgk4FeR0IMID41HqgDXAE1ZNzsHNH-pTPex7FBvufOD_vy6pZaahv/s3368/jack%20in%20pulpit%20striped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3368" data-original-width="3007" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjhemM82_7ONrqae_2XJO4Aq6Tp0-z2CMzQDAp5sIZSJ6vUY_nUeycTbPSg2hfOu0mesdS8hBls97kLfGvnS-PKjJt1QHPPdKUJ0CNaQndAy4Vuy99c991_SQdd1b8CRqxeQrgk4FeR0IMID41HqgDXAE1ZNzsHNH-pTPex7FBvufOD_vy6pZaahv/w358-h400/jack%20in%20pulpit%20striped.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><p> Jack-in-the-pulpit (<i>Arisaema triphyllum</i>) has over 30 common names: Indian Turnip, Wild Turnip, Marsh Pepper, Pepper Turnip, Bog Onion, Brown Dragon (due to the burning taste of the raw plant), Dragon Turnip (due to its turnip-shaped corm), Starchwort, Wake-Robin, Dragon Root, Marsh Turnip, Swamp Turnip, Devil’s Ear, Priest’s Pintle, Indian Cradle, Memory Root, Cuckoo Plant, Three-leaved Arum, Parson-in-the Pulpit, Lady-in-a-Chaise, Lords-and-Ladies, and Cuckoo Pint to name a few. Some authorities recognize 3 species and others simply lump them into one (as
if there wasn’t enough confusion with the common names). It’s most
common name stems from the flower structure: the “jack” is the spadix or
club-like part who stands within the pulpit which is the spathe or curved cover
or hood overtop. It ranges from Canada to Florida, west of Kansas. The flower color can be quite variable, especially being yellow or dark striped.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Nv-SQNEOUSnjYBiNL7Sm-5GgcvXX8tAl8T0teK3Uas7oWyFACch7RBQz03PP6e6J1lE5wP3iKJ0DJY0V2iEFttvx4YNEaO6daAh_16Wa_-otm7ck8V2Ke9DWYUwxa7M0wnU5DJIYWjnOpVDPsRthCrNVyGHLtk8FMt5LFdFTliP-SyZQSdYd1sPa/s3434/jack%20in%20pulpit%20yellow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3412" data-original-width="3434" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Nv-SQNEOUSnjYBiNL7Sm-5GgcvXX8tAl8T0teK3Uas7oWyFACch7RBQz03PP6e6J1lE5wP3iKJ0DJY0V2iEFttvx4YNEaO6daAh_16Wa_-otm7ck8V2Ke9DWYUwxa7M0wnU5DJIYWjnOpVDPsRthCrNVyGHLtk8FMt5LFdFTliP-SyZQSdYd1sPa/w400-h398/jack%20in%20pulpit%20yellow.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One for the various shades of Jacks.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The plant is
a member of the Arum family (a word that gets its meaning from an Arabic word
for “fire”) and as such protects itself by producing calcium oxalate crystals.
These crystals can cause a severe burning sensation if it’s eaten raw. It can
cause mechanical damage as well. Some people even get skin irritations or
blisters from skin contact with it. It use to be a country trick to try and get
someone to bite it and suffer the consequences. There is even a story of
a Meskwaki tribe who got its revenge on the larger Lakota (Sioux) tribe by inviting them to dinner
and then feeding them raw jack-in-the-pulpit in the meat (and then attacking them when they
were in great discomfort). Some people have even died from swollen throats
after ingesting it. While birds and others can eat the bright red fruits, it can cause issues with people. When we process the seeds for planting, we usually wear gloves and make sure not touch our faces or eyes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl74ecRdEfN24xlQreMfM1M_B8HkCnQ7x3FMikLbQ3WsprKHkzpGXosw2goaL1ptaTPyxwPts-yi9mEWKZR3UsEGPS8sGvTPPLX5yigXYU0W9hYcKuEPnpj4LMaPmEHP6yxZA-pEpViupRKDuN2QFkGJdNnOv4YDBzhlR7xcB0ITAGVMq40DEz8wP/s4608/jack%20in%20puplit%20green%20fruits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl74ecRdEfN24xlQreMfM1M_B8HkCnQ7x3FMikLbQ3WsprKHkzpGXosw2goaL1ptaTPyxwPts-yi9mEWKZR3UsEGPS8sGvTPPLX5yigXYU0W9hYcKuEPnpj4LMaPmEHP6yxZA-pEpViupRKDuN2QFkGJdNnOv4YDBzhlR7xcB0ITAGVMq40DEz8wP/w300-h400/jack%20in%20puplit%20green%20fruits.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All parts of the plant, including the green berries, are toxic raw.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having said
that, a few of its common names point to its edible uses. When thoroughly dried
(6 months or so) and roasted, it was eaten like potato chips or made into a
flour (which reportedly has a chocolate-like taste).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExk1mbx5dx3vRVcalnUgVUQkvaT4lxGR6RiIZh-sHn-J3_AOiyaS2qa53d7Qh_bj8f1N3bZgw2SYBo3sSFl7KAf_oWgj-41ZTfVJ-ehDenZXy36sRPMzRrigrmppNCyl0_uV1l9i-Og_DtX9NqwgJP4MOOTk5F9qtaAxlMK4XWhGmRenBXkfsDtUi/s4608/jack%20in%20the%20pulpit%20grn%20fruit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExk1mbx5dx3vRVcalnUgVUQkvaT4lxGR6RiIZh-sHn-J3_AOiyaS2qa53d7Qh_bj8f1N3bZgw2SYBo3sSFl7KAf_oWgj-41ZTfVJ-ehDenZXy36sRPMzRrigrmppNCyl0_uV1l9i-Og_DtX9NqwgJP4MOOTk5F9qtaAxlMK4XWhGmRenBXkfsDtUi/w300-h400/jack%20in%20the%20pulpit%20grn%20fruit.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Jack with the two stems that denotes this as a female plant.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLHqEHP8Vqbuavu33vDBfq0M2MaXyhzjHpjMUBcrrE1y87LyPyT2ryP4Wdxj8ZHkVrg_K-Qd2utMs7NtXy1QQWHAJo8XcwzWPvP3jQcNmeT1WefDBgfhkuyK9rY6mUdC5G6vgcwLM2Olq7tmK0-LTJd8hQKwDn8Dc3CyGSz2H5BiGhbQo1pdhwW1B/s4608/jack%20in%20the%20pulpit%20fruit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLHqEHP8Vqbuavu33vDBfq0M2MaXyhzjHpjMUBcrrE1y87LyPyT2ryP4Wdxj8ZHkVrg_K-Qd2utMs7NtXy1QQWHAJo8XcwzWPvP3jQcNmeT1WefDBgfhkuyK9rY6mUdC5G6vgcwLM2Olq7tmK0-LTJd8hQKwDn8Dc3CyGSz2H5BiGhbQo1pdhwW1B/w266-h400/jack%20in%20the%20pulpit%20fruit.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ripe fruits turn red and are quite attractive, though still toxic to humans.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span> </span>It was also used quite a bit
medicinally. North American tribal ethnobotanist Daniel Moerman lists many varied uses: The Cherokee
used it for skin diseases, for flatulence, for colds, for intestinal worms, and
for boils. The Chippewa (as well as the Menominee and Ojibwa) used it as an eye
medicine. The Iroquois were said to even use it as contraceptive along with
treating headaches, bruises, sores, fevers, and children’s diarrhea.
Interestingly, instead of using as a contraceptive, they used it induce
pregnancy in horses. The Pawnee likes to use the seeds in their gourd shells to
serve as rattles (as well as for headaches and rheumatism). Some tribes had to ceremoniously eat the raw leaves as an entrance into manhood. During the 16th and 17th century, people used starch made from the roots as a stiffener for clothes, thus the name Starchwort. The bright red berries were also used to make a red dye. <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">During the Civil War, the Confederate states were blockaded from getting most goods. So they tried to find alternatives especially in food and medicines. The person in charge of compiling all of this was Dr. Francis Peyre Porcher who compiled a manuscript entitled the "Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural Being Also a Medical Botany of the Confederate States" commonly referred to as the Confederate Ethnobotany. About "Wake Robins", as he called them as they often open when robins are nesting, he compiled several uses. He described how mixing the fresh roots with honey or syrup could be used for sore throats, particularly in children. He said it was also useful in treating rheumatism and a concoction of the sliced roots for poison ivy. He also described its use for an expectorant, for treating ringworm, skin diseases, in addition to it being used for making bread. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnik7GtAkAwXwdSvqqwZyiVOGNEr5NS3LnPZC_Dsm6GagKm0zUYXLbAKoL_3FKFMzSmRF2uaQ1kgjE3I75QERR1DH2wKo-qwX7fD5mptgfB_6IssIPQh-a1nEyIPxveLnj6pAGmLucl-0eeBgw5JBnW-hR-x09btGMUSNeM4q25JlJ5TjQr269gd-/s4608/jack%20in%20pulpit%20various.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnik7GtAkAwXwdSvqqwZyiVOGNEr5NS3LnPZC_Dsm6GagKm0zUYXLbAKoL_3FKFMzSmRF2uaQ1kgjE3I75QERR1DH2wKo-qwX7fD5mptgfB_6IssIPQh-a1nEyIPxveLnj6pAGmLucl-0eeBgw5JBnW-hR-x09btGMUSNeM4q25JlJ5TjQr269gd-/w400-h266/jack%20in%20pulpit%20various.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These young Jacks are many years from producing any flowers, and even more so from producing fruits. At this stage many people misidentify them as trilliums or even poison ivy. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This plant
has an interesting development in that it can change sex throughout its life.
When it first starts growing, it doesn’t produce any flowers. As it gets larger
and stores enough nutrients, it will start producing male flowers, have one leaf stalk with three leaflets and be small
in size. The flowers on these have a small opening at its base that allows pollinators (often fungus gnats or other small creatures attracted to rotting flesh smells) to escape. Once it builds-up its store of nutrients, it can finally invest in a
larger, female flower with two stalks with three leaflets that lacks the opening at the base of the flower. If pollinated, this may then sap so much energy from it that it may
revert back to the “cheaper” male plant. This cycle is referred to as sequential hermaphroditism. They can live for 20 years so are a long-lived plant. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91up9H8kpQWz-acdW0K-FoXyKVo4eoqsidYT-dV2uoKe4cDQMobOZaLrK60XhR5q9FbBzd1G4PsguMvyqcJbhGD24L8jQwxKglHmsTzwGNS0NT7NDHQCxD97Brx4N6j43kfaEoCUQqNOCZvRTiYdEuXPYQ9zU0kHmIoQ3Z0o0Xc6HVy7HULbLxbsM/s4032/jack%20pulpits.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91up9H8kpQWz-acdW0K-FoXyKVo4eoqsidYT-dV2uoKe4cDQMobOZaLrK60XhR5q9FbBzd1G4PsguMvyqcJbhGD24L8jQwxKglHmsTzwGNS0NT7NDHQCxD97Brx4N6j43kfaEoCUQqNOCZvRTiYdEuXPYQ9zU0kHmIoQ3Z0o0Xc6HVy7HULbLxbsM/w300-h400/jack%20pulpits.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-21335444592903239992022-03-27T15:50:00.001-04:002022-03-27T15:50:51.355-04:00Common Blue (Confederate) Violets<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IinSCcTbhyJbqpvmhuBy-0aTXcsiGrqatnjCv2JLpEqunkqyQyScZYW7VJdFRnUTrgj4MM03bRCFALr4sFpxUpdvo4y3PST864Lz5H7d5fKOTs1CrkxDHNv7cIohIM_hHHYtMzhIFdHGCedJ1LDsqGxBngZsG6IWLrvv14WLGjZjd0sLw8QNFEV2/s3264/blue%20vs%20confederate%20violets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IinSCcTbhyJbqpvmhuBy-0aTXcsiGrqatnjCv2JLpEqunkqyQyScZYW7VJdFRnUTrgj4MM03bRCFALr4sFpxUpdvo4y3PST864Lz5H7d5fKOTs1CrkxDHNv7cIohIM_hHHYtMzhIFdHGCedJ1LDsqGxBngZsG6IWLrvv14WLGjZjd0sLw8QNFEV2/w400-h300/blue%20vs%20confederate%20violets.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Blue or Confederate Violets </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p> So the Common Blue (Confederate) Violet (<i>Viola sororia</i>) is so routinely seen in our yards that they are often ignored. They however have some interesting natural history and folklore tied to them. Indeed much of what follows can also be applied to the other 36 or so species found in both Virginia and Maryland as well. <br /></p><p><span> First off, some folklore of violets in general. Violets are said to be the symbol of Athens, as the legendary founder Ion was given violets by nymphs when he arrived at the future place for the city itself. Indeed the common for violets in Greece is usually thought of to be Io. The connection to Greece also goes back to several legends concerning their gods, which were subsequently also applied to Rome. The king of the gods Zeus (Jupiter in Rome) was said to have fallen in love with a beautiful maiden called Io (Viola in Rome). In other versions she is a magical nymph, the daughter of a river god and King Argos. Regardless, Zeus (Jupiter) was constantly after her and tricked her into making love to him. His wife Hera (Juno in Rome) found out about this affair. This was particularly bad as Hera is the goddess of marriage and she wanted to teach the maiden a lesson that would be passed on to all mortals. Here the story differs even more depending on who tells it, but in all of them, Io (Viola) ends up losing. In one version, Hera (Juno) catches up to the mortal and changes her into a white heifer with gadflies biting her until the end of days, and Zeus (Jupiter) was unable to do anything about it. Her tears became the violets. In another version, Zeus (Jupiter) finds out that Hera (Juno) is jealous and angry and so he changed Io (Viola) into a cow, as what Hera has planned would have been so much worse and so she can't find her. Here either her tears turn into the violets, or Zeus (Jupiter) makes the violets appear so she can have something beside grass to eat. No matter what version, Io (Viola) is the ultimate loser. </span><br /></p><p><span><span> In Rome, people saw the violet as a symbol of innocence and modesty, and would often lay violets on children's graves. Romans also thought that wine made from violet blossoms meant that you could not get drunk. Other Romans used it to prevent hangovers. Medieval Christian folklore believed that the flowers sprung from Adam's tears. Other medieval Christians believed that the flowers of violets once were tall and stood upright, but that changed on Mount Calvary where Jesus was crucified when the shadow of the cross fell on them. Ever since violets have bowed in shame of being present in such sad events. It has been traditional to use the flowers in Good Friday decor around Easter since then as well. Violets are also said to be Mohammed's favorite flower.</span><br /></span></p><p><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sdK6clHg7Ph3HpNbZoJyMQrvCjeS9AXQHK7ajYYzBJ3bXUTr4ILAzWXbZ5pL2l7LiVpXyFQK0rFaxUrdARwxpQyHdxzjse_bkMIOdK5rh97zn3cMzqgCIIUxTTWfECCK8xLmynY-X5ZSoT7p48QRkD46ojrv5jp9ZeFQ9LhtApFBqPGbfcIUarB8/s4608/commom%20blue%20violet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sdK6clHg7Ph3HpNbZoJyMQrvCjeS9AXQHK7ajYYzBJ3bXUTr4ILAzWXbZ5pL2l7LiVpXyFQK0rFaxUrdARwxpQyHdxzjse_bkMIOdK5rh97zn3cMzqgCIIUxTTWfECCK8xLmynY-X5ZSoT7p48QRkD46ojrv5jp9ZeFQ9LhtApFBqPGbfcIUarB8/w400-h266/commom%20blue%20violet.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Blue Violet</td></tr></tbody></table></span> Violets are also said to be a symbol of the Bonapartist movement. Napoleon Bonaparte was said to carry violet flowers with him in his pocket in a locket. It was said that once he was captured and exiled, that he would "return with the violets' of the spring." It was also said to be his wife's favorite, used for their wedding, anniversaries, and finally on her grave. Napoleon was sometimes called "La Coporal de Viollette." His followers used the plant as a code and symbols for their communications. The pansy, a cultivated variety of violet, is said to come from the word "pensee" meaning thought and sentiment. Indeed violets have over 200 common names relating to love and sentiment. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ8npHglDMkePfxTJvX9oII5youe9rggSwSipzJ2Y51FuKiVgN1VpbGbTC0KPQ6tjE_3PHrbzxFez47Ij2YEZTMx9cajO7b6VJ9sarUHUyJSbX0hRPIOH_8J_0LVAM8GxvI5F9xRWzBpnOxZKwgrIUi2Gl8Qm1j-PGOzX447iKx8xibDK0ODJnMwC/s3264/confed%20and%20blue%20violets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZ8npHglDMkePfxTJvX9oII5youe9rggSwSipzJ2Y51FuKiVgN1VpbGbTC0KPQ6tjE_3PHrbzxFez47Ij2YEZTMx9cajO7b6VJ9sarUHUyJSbX0hRPIOH_8J_0LVAM8GxvI5F9xRWzBpnOxZKwgrIUi2Gl8Qm1j-PGOzX447iKx8xibDK0ODJnMwC/w300-h400/confed%20and%20blue%20violets.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p> Violets also have some other traits in common. Most violets are Myrmecochorous, meaning that seeds have an attachment called an elaiosome that some species of ants find delectable. They then take the seeds to their nests, eat the elaiosome, and discard the seed into their waste areas, planted below ground and guarded by ants. Ants therefore are the main seed dispersers. For more on this interesting way of spreading seeds see my Capital Naturalist Blog here: <a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/04/myrmecochory-ants-in-our-plants.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/04/myrmecochory-ants-in-our-plants.html</a>. </p><p><span><span><span><span><span> For many violets, including the Common Blue (Confederate) Violet, they also have another reason they're so common. The flowers are easy to see when they're in bloom for pollinators to find. These showy blooms are said to be Chasmogomous, Greek for "open marriage" with the petals highlighting around the pollen-bearing open flower head. However, especially early in the season, pollinators may still not find these flowers to pollinate. Therefore, especially for those spring blooming early species, they hedge their bets by producing Cleistogomous flowers. This is Greek for "closed marriage" and involve flowers that never open. These instead self pollinate, which while not great for genetics, does mean they will always produce seeds for the ants and to germinate. These are usually low to the ground and near the main stem, as they have no need for any pollinators to spot them. This is one reason why some species of violets are so common in our yards. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U-dnVAzeAH9tKiqTpYF4csAs5REg6Na0kfrupE_OrsM79pizikrSpRFZcsumsj-uSp904xN3a833lvVb2MZBGliRY4cqaBALnJFGjYUSG1lL1kcuXUbCafFP09JdFTbcWIdEThvSx0bLr8Tdar3g_rKAMyDxJge7dNLSO_9Dk7CIfC9YLPY0TFnE/s4608/Variegated%20frit%20laying.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1U-dnVAzeAH9tKiqTpYF4csAs5REg6Na0kfrupE_OrsM79pizikrSpRFZcsumsj-uSp904xN3a833lvVb2MZBGliRY4cqaBALnJFGjYUSG1lL1kcuXUbCafFP09JdFTbcWIdEThvSx0bLr8Tdar3g_rKAMyDxJge7dNLSO_9Dk7CIfC9YLPY0TFnE/w400-h266/Variegated%20frit%20laying.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Variegated Fritillary laying eggs on Common Blue Violet</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span></span> Violets are said to host 30 caterpillar species, including many of our Fritillary butterfly species. By naturally having their flowers pointing downwards, they protect their chasmogomous flowers from the rain and losing of pollen. Now our Common Blue Violets come in some various color forms. This includes the Confederate form which is commonly found growing side by side with the more common blue colored ones. They are one and the same violet species. </p><p><span><span><span><span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgNT7azeTV10fa0Pnr_7rZya8Wf2NcBDpZc-0s6ottx1_nIKg-gNDcnCSAWxLKTeEYsa7pU_WEPnCungvJyeOd9Yt9iLZ8FVP2sIg_H2E1WG7yNslk2SpcChWaswH8FXWOsVnYzs0rSPKMe9NlntXwFOTAZJThPfW6fQedDZR6_rEjbSY7CGv--lQ/s3264/confed%20violet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgNT7azeTV10fa0Pnr_7rZya8Wf2NcBDpZc-0s6ottx1_nIKg-gNDcnCSAWxLKTeEYsa7pU_WEPnCungvJyeOd9Yt9iLZ8FVP2sIg_H2E1WG7yNslk2SpcChWaswH8FXWOsVnYzs0rSPKMe9NlntXwFOTAZJThPfW6fQedDZR6_rEjbSY7CGv--lQ/w300-h400/confed%20violet.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Confederate Violet, just another color form of the Common Blue Violet</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span></span></span></p><p> Violets are edible, both the leaves and the flowers. Most prefer to eat the blue colored or perhaps white colored ones over the yellow colored ones, some saying these are much more tasty. The flowers add color to salads and most say are better tasting than the leaves. But both leaves and blooms are full of Vitamin C and A. The blooms are often candied or added as a garnish and are pectin rich. These are more often used in syrups, brews, teas, wine, and salads. Having said that, the leaves especially are full of saponins and when eaten in excess can lead to digestive issues. </p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> Herbalists have used violets for insomnia, epilepsy, pleurisy, ulcers, eye inflammation, rheumatism, as a laxative, as cough medicine, pain relievers (due to the presence of salicylic acids such as in aspirin), and for treating cancers. The heart shaped leaves led to another name: Heartease, for the idea drawn from the Doctrine of Signatures that it would be good for treating heart illness. The Doctrine of Signatures is a belief that some higher power (god) placed upon the earth cures for most illnesses and placed a sign or signature to let people know what they were good for. The heart shaped leaves meant that some people believed it would be good for hearts. Not just for illness, but also for love potions or as aphrodisiac. </span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwFwteIX2FqhwBJk9PVWj0gRNaFXXDk9YQdg3FUArDv8sdT8OFDNuit5qd4qgiOoNYL4tgRk2C_hIACoWWeE40VljQPF9Vbkvgs_Om5uiHgcKBS163IRonlT2MByjijebJ_IAzxfVoyjttCHQzt27iHe-uRNtGkLyJFeOq1dKYZI1Cowmnq4zjeGa/s1177/blue%20violet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1177" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwFwteIX2FqhwBJk9PVWj0gRNaFXXDk9YQdg3FUArDv8sdT8OFDNuit5qd4qgiOoNYL4tgRk2C_hIACoWWeE40VljQPF9Vbkvgs_Om5uiHgcKBS163IRonlT2MByjijebJ_IAzxfVoyjttCHQzt27iHe-uRNtGkLyJFeOq1dKYZI1Cowmnq4zjeGa/w400-h300/blue%20violet.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Blue Violets with their heart shaped leaves.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> The Common Blue Violet according to the great North American Ethnobotanist Daniel Moermann, was used by the Cherokee for treating headaches, dysentery, colds, coughs, boils, and used as a spring tonic and for blood disorders. They also used it to keep insects out of corn. </p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span> The Common Blue (Confederate) Violet is the state flower for Illinois,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"> New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px; mso-spacerun: yes;"> Although common, there's much more to these spring blooms than meets the eye. For more on this neat plant, please check out this Capital Naturalist YouTube Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWS_luiX9uM">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWS_luiX9uM</a> </span></p><br /><p></p>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-8579267555517464372022-03-25T16:25:00.000-04:002022-03-25T16:25:01.191-04:00Virginia Bluebells<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGgJayIVNOtAve-Phc1Awebndm1gGvf-B0CDSn6TbbZwDYg4lh_NzGcyZJQBWggmVR5O_ChvSAN3BzvDRo0PPMyhPf2hv6in6n0GQ9k2p1jLEle00s2Kgh_GWJB0wYwWGoUAiD6C4TETDVscb5gv_XV5N2KDbxP8L5R4isaD7F60ffWE5F7jgoD6S/s4032/Bluebells%20close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQGgJayIVNOtAve-Phc1Awebndm1gGvf-B0CDSn6TbbZwDYg4lh_NzGcyZJQBWggmVR5O_ChvSAN3BzvDRo0PPMyhPf2hv6in6n0GQ9k2p1jLEle00s2Kgh_GWJB0wYwWGoUAiD6C4TETDVscb5gv_XV5N2KDbxP8L5R4isaD7F60ffWE5F7jgoD6S/w300-h400/Bluebells%20close.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> V<span style="font-family: inherit;">irginia Bluebells, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mertensia
virginica</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, have a lot of common names:</span> Virginia Cowslip, Oysterleaf, Tree Lungwort,
Gentlemen’s Breeches, Puccoon, Virginia Lungwort, Lungwort Oysterleaf, Old Ladies’ Bonnets, and
Roanoke Bells. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHISP5HLysvjnoqgtsRcq81jnByXq96NfK-9Cza2rR204seXxo-OjZlFPqSKW8yKzf_Ryb4DpqsclnEFuKDvXpyq83tQc-ioCdUp56lKsWMxRDyBxy_ff3JYpPpYAbw27P2jezHQ4OtuG5ZggjTpiXPiqKlVO_p0zujFSlIDxKtleCW_KuBo9kbIY1/s4608/Va%20bluebells%20white.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHISP5HLysvjnoqgtsRcq81jnByXq96NfK-9Cza2rR204seXxo-OjZlFPqSKW8yKzf_Ryb4DpqsclnEFuKDvXpyq83tQc-ioCdUp56lKsWMxRDyBxy_ff3JYpPpYAbw27P2jezHQ4OtuG5ZggjTpiXPiqKlVO_p0zujFSlIDxKtleCW_KuBo9kbIY1/w266-h400/Va%20bluebells%20white.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Bluebells are not just blue.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This plant is named after the German botanist
Karl Mertens (1764-1831) by Linnaeus. A true ephemeral, this perennial wildflower of riparian or
moist woodlands, grows to 2ft tall and then disappears after the trees
leaf out. Although blue-flowered most of the time, there are some color
variations, particularly in large populations like you have at Riverbend Park
above Great Falls and Bull Run. There you sometimes get pink or white ones for example.
Some people claim that if you have patches of white flowers it is due to
environmental conditions, whereas if you have one white one amongst many blue,
it is likely a genetic variation. It should be noted that the buds generally
start off pink before blooming anyways. Virginia Bluebells have always been popular with people. The first seeds were believed to have been sent to England in the late 1600's, but they didn't succeed in establishing any until 1730 when John Custis sent some " mountain blew cowslip" from Williamsburg. Thomas Jefferson grew them in multitude on his plantation in Monticello, earning them the name of " Jefferson's blue funnel plants." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEbHl_JmGAAguW8mbbye4BiTW5yBJqMFa0eBTY4Zx_JC2IIrn7W_J4HOquWwyNm5UNW6x9ffYA_cRz47atGWSUyzQBC7Gajq6IfKG8JrsZeQbPhQcxy6EuRm5UvPzHAZVW9mOjTTVdDD8xWtQPCJt0yVg9A1Ua9yq7q-gGzirzo5-1Mhlii8djNJL/s4608/Virginia%20bluebell%20bud.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKEbHl_JmGAAguW8mbbye4BiTW5yBJqMFa0eBTY4Zx_JC2IIrn7W_J4HOquWwyNm5UNW6x9ffYA_cRz47atGWSUyzQBC7Gajq6IfKG8JrsZeQbPhQcxy6EuRm5UvPzHAZVW9mOjTTVdDD8xWtQPCJt0yVg9A1Ua9yq7q-gGzirzo5-1Mhlii8djNJL/w266-h400/Virginia%20bluebell%20bud.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Bluebells in bud.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to ethnobotanist Daniel
Moerman, there were a few medicinal uses: The Cherokee used it for treating
whooping cough and tuberculosis. The Iroquois used it as an antidote for
poisons and to treat venereal disease. The name of "lungwort" suggests its use a
lung treatment that was applied to several members of the Genus. Another of its
common names suggests its use a food plant: Oysterleaf, although I do not think
they taste like that, likely it is one of the other species in the genus that
gives it the name. The flowers are said to also be edible. Bluebells can be outcompeted by invasives such as lesser celandine.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16US1GC7dBIh0Kye01F_LAR4UJrxYA9r0zk0dts4s-b452fxplu-RzyV0XHXIuImljS0D3v6Wbe2vi9uhOJtaCrfqNrZVPQtTYtsu8ZKmf1oDtmpkjA0eHvi1oi0Kkr3fB4j7cPFOkYipVYXqPGXVaKsAONkzhPIYpy2Lmbxu5BPDmZZkX5CQDmWW/s4608/bluebell%20surrounded%20by%20celendine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16US1GC7dBIh0Kye01F_LAR4UJrxYA9r0zk0dts4s-b452fxplu-RzyV0XHXIuImljS0D3v6Wbe2vi9uhOJtaCrfqNrZVPQtTYtsu8ZKmf1oDtmpkjA0eHvi1oi0Kkr3fB4j7cPFOkYipVYXqPGXVaKsAONkzhPIYpy2Lmbxu5BPDmZZkX5CQDmWW/w400-h266/bluebell%20surrounded%20by%20celendine.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Bluebells can be outcompeted by invasives such as lesser celandine.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In my experience, the primary pollinator seem to be
bumblebee queens (the stamen and pistil are too far apart for self-fertilization) and other long-tongued bees,
although others claim that butterflies and sphinx moths are the primary. I have seen both tiger and zebra swallowtails nectaring at them. However, more and more, I see the introduced Hairy Footed Flower Bee <i>Anthophora plumipes</i> using bluebell flowers each year. Hummingbirds have also been noted as using them. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5D7mMFMBy9drT6qrv-eFa6VODW_7kBOqzrS3TrtyZbIhedf9xDjg8wBGEmmT767_z7krchODAsNgF3QZqSOH9k6Om8JfUA4SJ_i_i-GKg_Sh1xRc7V2RkNSmcVB0gNNRtYd-Kf1rIAx-y8O3A2hV8tTTjeS6xOJb3QjAucewxx4B3Hvxmm64P6iR/s3264/bluebells%20coming%20up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5D7mMFMBy9drT6qrv-eFa6VODW_7kBOqzrS3TrtyZbIhedf9xDjg8wBGEmmT767_z7krchODAsNgF3QZqSOH9k6Om8JfUA4SJ_i_i-GKg_Sh1xRc7V2RkNSmcVB0gNNRtYd-Kf1rIAx-y8O3A2hV8tTTjeS6xOJb3QjAucewxx4B3Hvxmm64P6iR/w400-h300/bluebells%20coming%20up.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluebells emerging.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doug Tallamy lists 3 Lepidoptera (butterfly/moth species) as using it
as a host plant for their caterpillars. By hanging downwards, the plant likely
has evolved to protect its nectar from rain washing it away and also loses the
petals rather quickly after pollination, increasing the chances that
pollinators visit new, unpollinated flowers and not waste time with fertilized
blooms. In cultivation, it is generally interplanted with later emerging plants
such as ferns that will fill in once the leaves die back. It also is often
planted at the top of sloping areas when possible where it will generally
reseed itself along the way down and form clumps. They can form large colonies both in the wild and in cultivation. The flowers are bell-like with 5 petals fused into a tube hanging downwards. The plants emerge a purple leaf color before turning to green, a common trait in the Borage family. This plant gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. A beautiful wildflower, people should go look for them
during the first or second week of April (usually) to enjoy them at their peak.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyuJd29bnbs24jh0coKGs3im1D2rgIH8AE0QpOYU-0A5Hz4ECr_agpOVcN9I3Jy2g8Y0Z4GUciXSVB5MloivjOGwfcN325PetF3AjL8fhq6atvWtiv2B7cFpb3KFv4WtXQZ19jDgEsQ7XX2cXqBysxuus_qquIpFM6s4IUhGkrE5aGTT4lzdwokr4/s4608/bluebell%20field%20(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyuJd29bnbs24jh0coKGs3im1D2rgIH8AE0QpOYU-0A5Hz4ECr_agpOVcN9I3Jy2g8Y0Z4GUciXSVB5MloivjOGwfcN325PetF3AjL8fhq6atvWtiv2B7cFpb3KFv4WtXQZ19jDgEsQ7XX2cXqBysxuus_qquIpFM6s4IUhGkrE5aGTT4lzdwokr4/w400-h300/bluebell%20field%20(3).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Virginia Bluebell patch.</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></b></p><br /><p></p>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-68860402411657423282022-03-23T18:29:00.000-04:002022-03-23T18:29:43.274-04:00Yellow Trout Lily<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-Dh-oYOfxPLp3oUVvrhTc1aT3o73wqkDoVEdzneeZCtqwCtlzuv1aFMlZTAQUypLU4xh1UfpeQJAL0rrk_d6e1FTdsFa83piZD2amGbED0T-awbU0snkcC9ejWkDVesXr0hxZ6F71ugvCRE9u7zKmgyYTYuOj4zBVVwW8rFKcHeolOv-V3j-MgTK/s2982/yellow%20trout%20lily%20crop.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2982" data-original-width="2982" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-Dh-oYOfxPLp3oUVvrhTc1aT3o73wqkDoVEdzneeZCtqwCtlzuv1aFMlZTAQUypLU4xh1UfpeQJAL0rrk_d6e1FTdsFa83piZD2amGbED0T-awbU0snkcC9ejWkDVesXr0hxZ6F71ugvCRE9u7zKmgyYTYuOj4zBVVwW8rFKcHeolOv-V3j-MgTK/w400-h400/yellow%20trout%20lily%20crop.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p> So here’s a little bit on a common spring wildflower, the Yellow Trout Lily <i>Erithronium americanum</i>. There are 2 other local species: White Trout Lily <i>E. albidum</i>, is rarer, washes down from the mountains to find niches along the rivers and has less mottled, grayer leaves usually; and the other is Dimpled Trout Lily, <i>E. umbilicatum</i>, is also more mountainous and prefers more acidic, infertile soils. This plant goes by a variety of different names: American Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet, Fawn Ears, Fawn Lily, Adder’s Tongue, Yellow Troutlily, Yellow Trout-Lily, Yellow Lily, Yellow Bells, Yellow Snowdrops, Amberbells, Yellow Bastard Lily, Rattlesnake Violet, Rattlesnake Tooth, Yellow Snakeleaf, Lamb’s Tongue, Snake Root, Star-striker, and Scrofula Root to name a few. The variety of names is due to several reasons. See if you can figure out which ones listed above are due to the fish-like mottling of the leaves (along with its appearance when the fishing for trout was said to be the best)? How about the snake-like mottling of the leaves or the appearance of a snake-like tongue when it blooms between its 2 leaves? Others think the pattern is more fawn-like, thus some of those names. How about the supposed dog-like shape of the roots (corms), at least in Old World members of the genus? Since only those plants with 2 leaves bloom, you get the comparison to ears. The last name hints at its use to treat a skin condition. They are true lilies and not violets though despite some common names. The Genus name Erithronium refers to the red color of some of the European species. Naturalist John Burroughs is said to be the first to use the names Trout-lily and Fawn-lily. All in all, quite a few names it can go by. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctdw4ed_1WiYHPE4ZkOGDMC_XFAz6By8XY8oH0Xxjf0sjnNYhmmHKyjHt0cDt8LELP3lAxmcoysGdwgNu_2Xktu2QDLrovvMif7WiifdRBPYKvrbRv90MqaY8F2-tpwWB1LiK7dcMaWFti2rWmnc2RAz0KQp065Sh0GmuRDy03sRnyi8AsC7aybKl/s4608/trout%20lily%20ground%20cover.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctdw4ed_1WiYHPE4ZkOGDMC_XFAz6By8XY8oH0Xxjf0sjnNYhmmHKyjHt0cDt8LELP3lAxmcoysGdwgNu_2Xktu2QDLrovvMif7WiifdRBPYKvrbRv90MqaY8F2-tpwWB1LiK7dcMaWFti2rWmnc2RAz0KQp065Sh0GmuRDy03sRnyi8AsC7aybKl/w400-h266/trout%20lily%20ground%20cover.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A carpet of Yellow Trout Lilies help control erosion along a riverbank.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> Although they can be quite abundant and form an ephemeral groundcover, very few plants produce flowers, some say about 1%. Some say the secret supposedly lies not only in how healthy and old the plant is but also that it must make contact with a hard surface like a rock. Some can therefore go very deep (going deeper each year up to a foot down) and few in a colony actually flower. It also is believed that it takes plants up to 8 years to store up enough energy to bloom. It spreads quickly though asexually underground using "droppers", a tubular fleshy stem growing from its parent bulb (corm). The anthers (the part of the flower that produces pollen) can range from yellow to brick red. People are studying why there's such a variation in these colors. Like many flowers, they close up when it gets dark and point downwards anyways to protect the nectar and pollen stores. It is a spring ephemeral, the leaves and flowers dying back as the trees leaf out and it can't get as much sunlight. Some colonies are said to have been dated to 300 years old, so again age and health is more likely why only certain ones bloom. The sometimes vast groundcover of single leaves are said to be good at holding back soil and controlling soil erosion. They prefer to grow in fertile wooded flood plains. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5gcfB3bKuM4OPpo3XLd4XnoyqznsxdvGz1vmBXBpnsbiR_tr_AlIRnN5bq5IMs6GvKyfFcOW1BjMeTktkhxyBTSKHgZ-HU4V3_TciSK8zwsKFB3xf5K4Fc21b3CK5Oqa9j669vUwycJEo4BfawVhp2EFGwuARz40XiNxnFMagK-bGDVgO8EMyw7F/s4608/yellow%20troutlily%20view.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="3456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5gcfB3bKuM4OPpo3XLd4XnoyqznsxdvGz1vmBXBpnsbiR_tr_AlIRnN5bq5IMs6GvKyfFcOW1BjMeTktkhxyBTSKHgZ-HU4V3_TciSK8zwsKFB3xf5K4Fc21b3CK5Oqa9j669vUwycJEo4BfawVhp2EFGwuARz40XiNxnFMagK-bGDVgO8EMyw7F/w300-h400/yellow%20troutlily%20view.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A close-up of a Yellow Trout Lily showing the variation in the anther colors.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The flowers have 6 backward pointing recurved tepals, a combination of petals and sepals that protect the buds. Bumblebees and the Trout-lily Mining bee <i>Andrena erythronis </i>(a species which prefers this plant for its pollen) are the main pollinators, but even then only 10% of pollinated plants produce seeds. For when it actually does produce seeds in a seed capsule, this plant relies on ants to help disperse it. Like about a third of our spring wildflowers, this is a myrmecochorous plant. It grows an elaiosome on its seed coat which certain species of ants find delectable. They take the treat and discard the seed, often in a rich and protected area where it will have a better chance of growing. Few other wildlife feed on it, though deer sometimes do. Some think the small size and mottled leaves help to hide them from herbivores on the forest floor.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyg_OGs1CbZ4_-EYXzW01kjdHMaBGzRKcSfVqdmzDL1RYdny-IKybBiNRsCTytb7FTzPLtmyFHx1gFIQ2vK23U9o3xdQK2q7JFV_ESDuB87kIFweiqVg9G_Ac0rGWMbsQ4IfXAW-XLguXQAg6iuqBRL6lh6HbAr2dbIYee9XqQvk-kYqHJDi3Xs_/s2048/troutlilly.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhyg_OGs1CbZ4_-EYXzW01kjdHMaBGzRKcSfVqdmzDL1RYdny-IKybBiNRsCTytb7FTzPLtmyFHx1gFIQ2vK23U9o3xdQK2q7JFV_ESDuB87kIFweiqVg9G_Ac0rGWMbsQ4IfXAW-XLguXQAg6iuqBRL6lh6HbAr2dbIYee9XqQvk-kYqHJDi3Xs_/w400-h300/troutlilly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Trout Lilies in bloom.</td></tr></tbody></table><p> As for ethnobotany, the Genus had lots of uses besides treating the skin for scrofula. Country lore says a tea could be made to rid yourself of hiccups. It was often used in North America by herbalists to induce vomiting and has been used in many types of poultices to treat ulcers and tumors. A tea was made by some tribes for stomach ailments and some roots were eaten as food (the Japanese species is said to be used quite a bit in food dishes). Ethnobotanist Daniel Moerman adds that the Cherokee used the root as a fever reducer and for fits of feinting, while the crushed leaves were used to treat wounds. They would also use it ritually, supposedly chewing it and then spitting it into the water to help them catch fish. Moerman also relates that various Iroquois tribes used the roots as a contraceptive in addition to its use as a skin treatment. The Winnebagos ate the corms (roots) after boiling. Old world species were supposedly used by Roman soldiers for sore feet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt2yq7SVW4ZgFq7AV-83lbgGhJBDTupMc7ligfGSb_y8kCErz9tz2cwWRKm5dv6aqR2_PBQ7CNK1KOCuf8JICg6be1u5yRYMVy3__z9iei1ip3T3Wh8J5eUugLB38spGP3mk5iogM9ERINm3xEBiP1Ddt393HwVXJQLNruRsr0PacbeoQyniF5ox1/s4608/Yellow%20trout%20close.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtt2yq7SVW4ZgFq7AV-83lbgGhJBDTupMc7ligfGSb_y8kCErz9tz2cwWRKm5dv6aqR2_PBQ7CNK1KOCuf8JICg6be1u5yRYMVy3__z9iei1ip3T3Wh8J5eUugLB38spGP3mk5iogM9ERINm3xEBiP1Ddt393HwVXJQLNruRsr0PacbeoQyniF5ox1/w400-h266/Yellow%20trout%20close.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p> Truly there’s more to this wildflower than meets the eye, no matter which name you choose to call it. So keep an eye out for it this spring now that you know a bit more about this wild neighbor who carpets our forests but only hangs around in the spring. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSPht6ouceFEse5Po0yX_VSVWHq_ZCy91AhVhCvdnoWpLia1S9T09DzH8hyPXzlhX8Qp2lUDq1ENmPv_h7_DJR-LySx9TJwPRE_ZzPMuyIFW1PWEgQj4tdMMVCEGW_SLqB9KXk_uQ6OO3ZX7dYtaFK-axnuuLOW1c6qCgbKa-28kr8sr0vQkZLsL-/s2817/white%20troutlily%20in%20bloom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2817" data-original-width="2033" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSPht6ouceFEse5Po0yX_VSVWHq_ZCy91AhVhCvdnoWpLia1S9T09DzH8hyPXzlhX8Qp2lUDq1ENmPv_h7_DJR-LySx9TJwPRE_ZzPMuyIFW1PWEgQj4tdMMVCEGW_SLqB9KXk_uQ6OO3ZX7dYtaFK-axnuuLOW1c6qCgbKa-28kr8sr0vQkZLsL-/w289-h400/white%20troutlily%20in%20bloom.JPG" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Trout Lily for comparison.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><div><br /></div>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-43626234982789183242021-02-10T22:26:00.029-05:002021-05-18T09:41:20.442-04:00Periodical Cicadas<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dn7AUyn6w5o/YCCqhoCSuuI/AAAAAAAADWQ/JHsaE1lgSD49a7-DLqFNMBKr0sGvAknaACLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/periodic%2Bcicada%2Bbioblitz.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dn7AUyn6w5o/YCCqhoCSuuI/AAAAAAAADWQ/JHsaE1lgSD49a7-DLqFNMBKr0sGvAknaACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/periodic%2Bcicada%2Bbioblitz.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> They're coming! And in a BIG way! <u>Billions</u> of periodical cicadas will be emerging from mid April to the beginning of June after spending 17 years underground! These are different from the many species of annual cicadas (sometimes also called dog-day or harvestflies) which grace us with their songs each summer. Though each individual annual cicada lives 2-5 years underground before emerging, they're life cycles are staggered so we get some each year. Most annuals emerge after the last of the periodicals have finished reproducing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Periodical cicadas emerge on prime numbered years, either 13 or 17. The 13 year ones are restricted to the South. There are a couple of theories why this is. One has to do with the ice ages during the Pleistocene Epoch 1.8 million years ago. Summers then were believed to be cyclical, with warmer summers each 13 or 17 years. While underground the temperatures were regulated, the adults emerged on these warmer years. This was a good adaptation as no predators could evolve to take advantage of them emerging so far apart. By all of them emerging in synchronization over a short time period, when ground temperatures reach 64 degrees Fahrenheit in a sustained pattern, usually after a rain, they overwhelm the predators that remain. Through what is called predator satiation, where animals who would eat them are flooded with so many cicadas that they can consume only a small amount, reducing the probability of an individual being eaten, many survive to lay eggs. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> The cicadas that emerge together in the same year are collectively called a "Brood" which are labeled with Roman numerals. There were at one time 17 broods of 17-year cicadas in North America (30 overall, with thirteen 13-year ones), but now some are now extinct, and only15 survive. Take for example Brood XI which was last seen in Connecticut in 1954. The ones emerging in the DMV and other parts are parts of Brood X, the Great Eastern Brood. This is one of the larger and most widespread of them. For the first time since 2004, periodical cicadas will emerge in parts of Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York (though almost extinct (extirpated) here), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> While there are 3,000 species of cicadas (Latin for "tree cricket"), periodical cicadas are a rarity, with only eastern North America having them. This is a natural phenomenon where cicadas form huge choruses by species. For while they may seem the same, there are actually three species that emerge together to then attract their specific females. Each male chorus (for only the males call) has its own species specific songs to attract their mates and they group together for best effect. They last for 5-6 weeks as adults. You will start to notice the burrows as they emerge, or occasionally chimneys or mud turrets in wetter areas, that they form when digging out and then the empty molts of old skins from the emerging nymphs. The nymphs usually have shed 5 times before the final molt to an adult cicada. Nymphs ready to emerge have black spots behind their eyes, but you'll see many nymphs prior to their emergence under logs or flagstones. They will start to burrow sideways when they can't go up anymore and you'll see these the most should you lift the logs and flagstones. Most periodical cicadas have red eyes, but some also have white or grey eyes. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCyD0uieayA/YCSfW6rdgTI/AAAAAAAADXQ/NVoLBRl31CUXgz41R04_aryxrCC5QRX0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/cicada%2Bmolt%2Bnear%2Bholes.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCyD0uieayA/YCSfW6rdgTI/AAAAAAAADXQ/NVoLBRl31CUXgz41R04_aryxrCC5QRX0QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/cicada%2Bmolt%2Bnear%2Bholes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Periodical burrows and a molt<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Brood X includes these three species, which are not always easy to tell apart. The Pharaoh cicadas, <i>Magicicada septendecim, </i>are the largest and the ones that can be found the furthest north of all the periodical cicadas. They are characterized by their broad orange stripes on their abdomen, the patch of orange between their eyes and wing, and of course their species specific song that they all have. The Dwarf cicada, <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">Magicicada</span></span><i> </i><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>cassini, </i>or Cassini's periodical cicada, is smaller, has no orange between the eye and wing, and usually an all black abdomen. </span></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;">The Decula cicada, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Magicicada</i></span></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><i> </i><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>septendecula, </i>is similar in size to the dwarf Cassini, also lacks an orange patch between the eye and wing, and has some orange on its abdomen. The last two are easily confused. They of course have species specific calls and only males call. While the 13 year periodical cicadas are often treated as different species, many now think they're variations of these three species that come out in their own broods of 13 years. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qii4xDeHxTg/YCSfw0kyjlI/AAAAAAAADXY/Zbw4Z4uRTFEZ9LpddZN-NtdMKVUzvjZwACLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/periodic%2Bcicadas%2Bemerging.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qii4xDeHxTg/YCSfw0kyjlI/AAAAAAAADXY/Zbw4Z4uRTFEZ9LpddZN-NtdMKVUzvjZwACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/periodic%2Bcicadas%2Bemerging.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A periodical cicada sheds its skin for the last time.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"> Periodical cicadas, no matter which species, are often called locusts. Actual locust are grasshoppers, so why did they call cicadas locust? This goes back to the first time that a brood was seen by European settlers. In 1633, in the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts, a large emergence of periodical cicadas was reported. This was shortly followed by what they called a "pestilent fever" that raged through the colony and the Indian neighbors. This was close enough to the biblical plagues that included locusts in huge numbers to ensure that name for them. It was a new experience for the colonists and the only thing they could compare it was the locust plagues of the bible. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"> And though the biblical proportions of the cicadas is still hard to believe, and though they pale in comparison to what they used to be, the billions that will arrive will be of epic proportions. Cicadas are known to be among the loudest of insects. Choruses of males singing can reach from 100-120 decibels. This is enough to affect many people with sensitive hearing. This as loud as a rock concert, but will last for many, many days. Interestingly enough, the sound of leaf blowers, power tools, and lawn mowers may attract them. Such chores are best left to early morning or late after noon to avoid any such confusion. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px none; box-sizing: border-box; list-style: outside none none; margin: 0px; outline: none 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">The females twitch their wings in response to the males songs when they accept a male to mate with. </span><span style="color: #222222;">Once they've mated, the females search for places to lay their eggs. While adult cicadas don't really feed very much, except for some harmless sucking of some plant sap, the egg laying is what people worry about. For the 3-4 week adult life span, mated female cicadas use their ovipositors to slice into pencil-sized twigs to lay their eggs. They lay 24-48 eggs into the slits they carve out until they reach the 600 more so eggs they're allotted. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GtLNcEzIco/YCScOzpXRrI/AAAAAAAADWc/UqUDgJiPmNUETLO44PxT7qysHoTP4HPPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s3264/flagging%2Bdamage%2Bby%2Bcicadas%2B%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7GtLNcEzIco/YCScOzpXRrI/AAAAAAAADWc/UqUDgJiPmNUETLO44PxT7qysHoTP4HPPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/flagging%2Bdamage%2Bby%2Bcicadas%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flagging damage by cicadas inserting eggs into stems.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"> The egg laying inside these slender twigs causes many to die off. They often wilt and hang down, while others may break off. The wilted and hanging branches are referred to as flagging. Cicadas are picky as to which tree (they don't disturb plants or ferns) they choose to insert their eggs in. They are usually 6 feet or more tall, mostly at the edge of mature woods, where's there some sun, and usually have pencil-sized stems to oviposit in. They tend to avoid lawn areas with small shrubs unless they're near mature woods. For those people who were around the last time cicadas emerged, they normally use the same places to try and lay eggs again. They don't like to use any evergreens, sumacs, pawpaws, many viburnums, euonymus, or Osage orange. Studies have shown that healthy trees don't show long term ill affects, even in orchards which have do not show any decrease in fruit yield. Think of it as natural pruning that has been going on for millennia. If you do want to be cautious, leave your tree planting until the fall. Or protect your trees with 1.0cm netting (but beware that this may trap birds and snakes), but make sure they don't get branches poking through, place only after egg laying has started (which is at the end of May early June around here), and remove then when the egg laying is done. Leaving it on too long will affect the tree itself through distortion of growth patterns and can lead to increase in diseases. It can also affect pollination efforts by other insects. One thing that did Not help was the use of pesticides. Studies have shown that this did not make a difference in egg laying. The young nymphs hatch out after 6-10 weeks and burrow underground to feed on tree roots for 17 years.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJyGw7y76s0/YCSczF9qSKI/AAAAAAAADWk/POpg6Em5KGgVUfYiHoCNqJ6iuCSQojaPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s3264/cicada%2Begg%2Bslits%2Bflagging.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oJyGw7y76s0/YCSczF9qSKI/AAAAAAAADWk/POpg6Em5KGgVUfYiHoCNqJ6iuCSQojaPwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/cicada%2Begg%2Bslits%2Bflagging.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evidence of egg slits left by cicada ovipositor.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"> Now many animals feast on the cicadas, including things you don't normally think of eating them such as squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys, and even copperheads. Many animals, especially birds, will benefit and rear more young due to the extra food supply. Dogs and cats will also feed on them, and this where you may want to be cautious. Cicadas are edible (more on that in a second), but eating too many of the hard shells may cause digestive issues in pets. They do make good bait as some people ha</span><span style="color: #222222;">ve learned. I caught a huge carp on one that had decided to surface feed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtfKFKFJI2s/YCSeYdgpLWI/AAAAAAAADXA/n9PfWO4A5VQ4XxncXouo7mqzvsiDTvBQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/House%2Bsparrow%2Bperiodical%2Bcicada.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtfKFKFJI2s/YCSeYdgpLWI/AAAAAAAADXA/n9PfWO4A5VQ4XxncXouo7mqzvsiDTvBQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/House%2Bsparrow%2Bperiodical%2Bcicada.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A house sparrow feeds on a periodical cicada</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"> So I did mention they were edible, which includes by people? The native American tribes would consume them when they were available. They've been called the "shrimp of the land" and that is true. They are both arthropods and can make good meals. People every year start to practice entomophagy (eating of insects) when they appear. Don't be surprised to see some of the local restaurants including them on their menus. It's not just countless wildlife species who relish them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwaC7bVF7v0/YCSdXt35u4I/AAAAAAAADWw/7cpcpQeAOpsejRDS2VMMpfAuerViOzyywCLcBGAsYHQ/s2592/cicada%2Bemerging.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1944" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwaC7bVF7v0/YCSdXt35u4I/AAAAAAAADWw/7cpcpQeAOpsejRDS2VMMpfAuerViOzyywCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/cicada%2Bemerging.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A freshly emerged, or teneral, cicada, still white and soft.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Cicadas are gluten free, low in fat, low carb, rich in protein (the same pound for pound as beef). They've been grilled, skewered, steamed, barbecued, blanched, boiled, blanched, and used in cocktails. My old boss would fill the empty skins with Cheez Whiz and serve them as appetizers. But there are a few things you want to know if trying them (I know I will again!). First of all, they are best when their teneral, meaning freshly molted adults. Get them while their white and soft, before the chitin on their shells have hardened, you don't need all that crunch. Collect them from places that have not been exposed to pesticides and herbicides. As they come up from the ground at night and in the early morning to climb anything they can molt on, that's the best time to get them. Pull off the legs and wings as well. With a bit of Old Bay, they really do taste like seafood. You can see me eat one here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ESdRE5wHz0">(15) Capital Naturalist: Eating Cicadas - YouTube</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e7Fq-Bl0ZQ/YCSewGbAvMI/AAAAAAAADXI/9omlCwe8mDIW2tjcFyIRU3urMrXDQpJJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s873/alonso%2Beating%2Bcicada.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5e7Fq-Bl0ZQ/YCSewGbAvMI/AAAAAAAADXI/9omlCwe8mDIW2tjcFyIRU3urMrXDQpJJQCLcBGAsYHQ/w275-h400/alonso%2Beating%2Bcicada.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author tastes one yet again...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div> Or you can eat them raw, which is likely the least desirable way to eat them:<span> </span><span> <span> </span></span><div><span><span> </span><span> </span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6VjpqpzHVk&t=2s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6VjpqpzHVk&t=2s</a> <div>But care should be taken when trying them. First of to be aware of shellfish allergies. Secondly, some studies have shown they do accumulate mercury (again if you're just trying one, not big deal). But also, be aware that this is a limited resource and we do want to let them reproduce and continue this natural phenomenon. <br /><div style="text-align: left;"> Periodical cicadas emerge and mate well before cicada killers emerge to paralyze the annual green ones to feed their young. More on cicada killers in this blog I put together: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/cicada-killers-or-cicada-hawks.html">Capital Naturalist by Alonso Abugattas: Cicada Killers or Cicada Hawks</a>. One thing that periodical cicadas can't elude is the Massospora fungi that infects them. This fungus fills their abdomens and destroys their ability to reproduce. Sometimes the entire abdomen falls off. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> So some of you may remember seeing some earlier than the 17 years. This pre-emergence happens quite a bit. These stragglers, as they're called, usually come especially come out 4 years earlier. This has led to the theory that these actually may be the 13 year ones that some classify as different species. For more on this, check out this blog I did on them: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2017/05/periodical-cicadas-early-emergence.html">Capital Naturalist by Alonso Abugattas: Periodical Cicadas Early Emergence</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> So enjoy this natural phenomenon while you can. These "locust" don't spread disease or eat our crops. They can provide benefits such as aerating the soil or providing food for countless creatures. The next time we can hear and see this unique event won't be until 2038.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6FyVCWRrxg/YCSd_0cCcUI/AAAAAAAADW4/2f8oG5ux1yc8k9nt0y90yPEZ7jLxBnTbACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/cicadas.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F6FyVCWRrxg/YCSd_0cCcUI/AAAAAAAADW4/2f8oG5ux1yc8k9nt0y90yPEZ7jLxBnTbACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/cicadas.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-69964212982815369152020-11-12T00:42:00.005-05:002020-11-19T21:49:55.238-05:00Eastern Coyote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56oq_tzg7_A/X6zAq_FprKI/AAAAAAAADUg/03I1E5jnusE7pF0FjZeA0b-uyQZVasjxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/coyote.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56oq_tzg7_A/X6zAq_FprKI/AAAAAAAADUg/03I1E5jnusE7pF0FjZeA0b-uyQZVasjxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/coyote.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div> Our Eastern Coyote (<i>Canis latrans</i>) is a recent arrival with an interesting story. It was first noticed around 1930 or so spreading East near the Great Lakes, as Western Coyotes wandered over and took over the areas vacated by most gray wolves. They mixed with Algonquian Wolves and continued to travel, mixing along the way with dogs as well. What resulted was a mix of about 60% Western Coyote, 30% Algonquian Wolf, and the remainder dog, though these averages can vary. They are now found in every county in the mid-Atlantic. </div><div> The Eastern Coyote is bigger than those in the West, about the size of a border collie or even German Shepherd, often between 45 to 55lbs, though occasionally bigger. The males are usually larger than the females. They are not only larger, but often tend to be more quiet than their western cousins, not howling as much, and often in much smaller groups. They're color can be variable as well, though they're often some shade of tan, with erect ears, bushy downward-pointing tail with a dark tip. Most have white chins as well.</div><div> Coyotes are opportunistic feeders, including vegetables and fruits in their diet along with meat. They are great scavengers, often eating roadkill deer. They rarely take down adult deer, unless the deer is injured or otherwise ill. They will however see any small pets as food, particularly outdoor cats, when they find them wandering off in the woods. This is just one more good reason among so many to not let cats out. </div><div> Coyotes are remarkably shy and avoid people any way they can. Most are rarely seen, and certainly are no danger to people, unless they are very sick. If you do think that the animal is sick, you should call Animal Control. Coyotes will usually run away at the first site of any people. Now if you do encounter a coyote, that is obviously not sick, clapping of hands, yelling, throwing things, shaking a can with pennies, are all ways to get the animal to run away. You should never feed coyotes, or leave food out for other animals such as cats. That can lead to them becoming accustomed to people, which can be bad for the coyote and people. Here is an example of a coyote that has become accustomed to people: </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CCBuTzcC-Vk" width="320" youtube-src-id="CCBuTzcC-Vk"></iframe></div><br />.<br /></div><div> People have been living near coyotes for a long time, though most have no idea that coyotes are around them due to the coyotes' shy nature. If you do see a coyote, consider yourself very lucky. Most have no idea that they are around at all, especially since they are mostly active at night. See below an example of one investigating a fox den and the lights from a game camera, all in one of our urban parks: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ttXf-S2PGlg" width="320" youtube-src-id="ttXf-S2PGlg"></iframe></div><br /></div>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-83056454588527840822020-05-07T20:31:00.000-04:002020-05-08T16:59:13.393-04:00Asian Giant Hornets<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLCJ2f55tYw/XrODewJTm8I/AAAAAAAADQ0/1ANwjlyu0jkHeXzxrka8YONMk3yWsmM2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Asian_giant_hornet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLCJ2f55tYw/XrODewJTm8I/AAAAAAAADQ0/1ANwjlyu0jkHeXzxrka8YONMk3yWsmM2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Asian_giant_hornet.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asian Giant Hornet (<em>Vespa mandarina</em>) <br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 100%px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 2.7pt;" valign="top"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Photo by: [q13fox.com/2019/12/22/invasive-asian-giant-hornet-found-in-washington-state/amp/]</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's been a lot of hype lately concerning the Asian Giant Hornet (<em>Vespa mandarina</em>) after a New York Times article revealed that some had been found in Washington state a year ago. They even gave them an equally sensational name of "murder hornets" despite no entomologist ever having called them this. So I think it's time to set the record straight on these large wasps and the couple of things locally you really are much more likely to get them confused with.<br />
So let's be clear that this discovery was last year, first in September in Nanaimo in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, They quickly destroyed the nest and set up traps to see if any other ones were around. It was in December of last year that they found dead Asian Giant Hornet about 50 miles away in Washington state. Despite it's proximity, some tests determined that it was not from the same underground colony as the others. Since then, there have not been any more of these hornets seen live or dead in the USA, just the ones from 2800 miles away the previous year. <br />
Now if these Asian Giant Hornets, the largest of all hornets, are found to have been established colonies, that would be bad for our European honeybees that did not evolve with them and have no defenses such as the Japanese honeybees do. But this unlikely to happen with controls in place and it would be near impossible for that to happen here in the DC area. <br />
So all the hype is just that, just hype. I've already been getting people sending me pictures to see if they have found one. They have of course all been negative, just local species that people have people have made the villains. Let's recall a few natural history facts relating to Asian Giant Hornets. Much like other hornets, they only produce queens that can start a new colony at the end of the year when their original nests fall apart. Each individual worker hornet cannot produce any new nests. Only those at the end of the year that have been fertilized by male nonstinging hornets can produce eggs. Please recall that no male bees, hornets, or yellowjackets can sting, as the stinger is a modified ovipositor (egg layer). So males, as they don't lay eggs, can't sting. The odds of a fertilized queen finding their way over here in the DC area, knowing that a very small population at best was found 2800 miles away, is extremely small. They also prefer deep woods to establish their underground nests, which again is not as likely to happen in our DC urbanized area.<br />
Let's also look at this sensationalized name of "murder hornets". Now despite the claims, they are actually have less toxic venom than some of our local yellowjacket species. Now they are bigger so likely may inject more, but they are not looking to sting people. Much like our other social wasps, they will defend their nests, when they're threatened, but overall do not look for people or attack them in more numbers than any of our local wasps. If someone does have an allergy to them, then that could be a problem, and no tests have shown they are any more likely to have people allergic to them than our own honeybees. In fact, more people die of allergic reactions to honeybees in the US than they do from Asian Giant Hornets worldwide each year. And this is still less than those that die from getting hit by lightning each year as well. <br />
Now complete disclosure, I am (or perhaps was) allergic to yellowjacket stings. This did not mean I was allergic to other stinging insects such as paper wasps or honeybees.When you have an allergic reaction, it is often pretty specific. The venom of each is different, so just because someone is allergic to bees, does not mean that they are also allergic to hornets or yellowjackets, or vice versa. For me, as I'm outdoors all the time, I had been stung too many times, including when I was with kids who batted at yellowjackets for which I got stung getting them out of the way. I got stung once too many times and ended up in the hospital. I've since gone through therapy getting injections from yellowjackets so that I'm supposedly resistant again to them. Funny that since I was aware of this, I've not gotten stung in many years. I'm gotten almost a 6th sense about yellowjackets, even though my job often requires me to investigate these stinging reports.<br />
Now again, despite all the hype, you are very unlikely to find any anywhere near the DC area, we will show what they look like compared to the two other locally found large species in our area. Now of course many people will look at size as the first thing they will notice. And it would be important. Maxing out at 2.2 inches, Asian Giant Hornet queens are the largest of the hornets. The workers which you would most likely see if any were any in this area are much smaller at 1.5inches. Believe it or not, people actually eat their larvae in some places. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfBo2TSjfUU/XrR0UOyiCcI/AAAAAAAADRE/4AkhUTouayc2p1Aa6sHss3_VvoWeKKtbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Hornets%2BFranklin%2Bmaser%2Bgardeners.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1136" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OfBo2TSjfUU/XrR0UOyiCcI/AAAAAAAADRE/4AkhUTouayc2p1Aa6sHss3_VvoWeKKtbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Hornets%2BFranklin%2Bmaser%2Bgardeners.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A comparison of the 3 largest stinging insects in our area. These are all workers, except for the Cicada Killer which is a female. Notice the eye placement of the Asian Giant Hornet well in front of the head. <br />
Photo from Franklin Master Gardeners</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
While size maybe the first thing you notice, we have two others of similar or greater sizes (recall a Cicada Killer is not a hornet and the females who prey on cicadas are larger than other workers). For Asian Giant Hornets, their eyes are set far forward on their yellowish/orange heads. They tend to have distinctive fairly similar stripes across their abdomen. And once again, a reminder that No Asian Giant Hornets have been found in the DC area, or outside of last year's discovery of a dead one in Washington state.<br />
The creature most likely to be confused with the Asian Giant Hornet around here is the European Hornet, a rather large relative with a dark head and irregular stripes across its abdomen. These were originally introduced into the USA over a 150 years ago, and have in that time extended their range to the eastern third of the United States. This does go to show, that with similar life cycle to Asian Giant Hornets, it would indeed take a long time for them to really expand their range. Right now the extremely large queen European Hornets have overwintered and are looking for places to build their nests. These are the most easily confused to the Asian Giant Hornets. They usually choose an opening in a tree, but some have occupied sides of buildings. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1p7MTnPR1Gc/XrR8KKNVjBI/AAAAAAAADRU/-OuEvJMwwxkSPe8a50dEf0_kmzWd2l_cACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/German%2Bhornet%2Band%2Byellowjacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1p7MTnPR1Gc/XrR8KKNVjBI/AAAAAAAADRU/-OuEvJMwwxkSPe8a50dEf0_kmzWd2l_cACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/German%2Bhornet%2Band%2Byellowjacket.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A European Hornet worker (<em>Vespa crabro</em>) showing its size difference with a Yellowjacket flying over top. They take all sorts of other insects as food for their young, particularly preferring cicadas leading many to confuse them with Cicada Killers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These nonnatives have never endeared themselves to people. Workers are large at about 1.4inches long. They spend most of the summer hunting other insects to feed their young. This includes taking of large butterflies like swallowtails and Monarchs, along with large bees and wasps. I've seen them wait for the pollinator to use a flower and then trap their prey against the bloom. I've also seen them take down full grown mantids. <br />
They also cause damage to trees. They will tear off small pieces of bark to use in making their nests. They seem to really prefer lilacs, but also take advantage of sapsucker wells to start striping the bark in squares. They will often eventually lead to stripping so much bark they girdle the tree so it dies. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k14XjGfqfw/XrSA69lgV_I/AAAAAAAADRg/CP4g-t_QWm8-7n_yyiDRQGliAvhhJZiRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/german%2Bhornets%2Bstripped%2Bbark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k14XjGfqfw/XrSA69lgV_I/AAAAAAAADRg/CP4g-t_QWm8-7n_yyiDRQGliAvhhJZiRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/german%2Bhornets%2Bstripped%2Bbark.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tree girdled by hornets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These are also one of the few wasps and hornets that are attracted to light. This does confuse and puts them in a bad mood, should they come to your porch lights. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oeko9lZkgR8/XrSCAWj2yZI/AAAAAAAADRo/ZDt-b9lHI4Q6fpm2x5QE6ZQU6hAF3KU3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/european%2Bhornet%2Bby%2Blight.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oeko9lZkgR8/XrSCAWj2yZI/AAAAAAAADRo/ZDt-b9lHI4Q6fpm2x5QE6ZQU6hAF3KU3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/european%2Bhornet%2Bby%2Blight.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An injured European Hornet that has been attracted to light and then caused damage to itself against the light fixture. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In the Fall, after much of their raising of their young has concluded, they are often attracted to fruit. This does make these nonnatives a pest of orchards. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXQo9iitpuI/XrSDGgWXBmI/AAAAAAAADR0/hQ9TPe9w8IoEzd7XL2jnBJoZjzaepA2sgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/german%2Bhornets%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXQo9iitpuI/XrSDGgWXBmI/AAAAAAAADR0/hQ9TPe9w8IoEzd7XL2jnBJoZjzaepA2sgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/german%2Bhornets%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An apple tree feeding European Hornets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The other large creature (they can get to just over 2inches) often confused for Asian Giant Hornets are Cicada Killers (<span id="dscexpitem_-1813680887_38"><span id="infoc_37"><em>Sphecius speciosus</em>) or Cicada Hawks. These are large solitary wasps that build individual holes in the ground they then fill with cicadas for their young to feed on. Though on average larger than the other species talked about here, they are actually quite docile and difficult to get angered enough to sting. People often mow grass right along side them with no fear of retaliation. They're stings are also said to be very mild as well, contrary to the reputation of the previous wasps discussed. As these are solitary, they prefer to fly away than to defend their nests, for if they die, no one will raise their young. So despite their large and ominous appearance (the males who can't sting are often flying low over burrows and can be intimidating), females only go after cicadas and are harmless to other creatures. These tend to come out in mid summer and look for sandy areas to build their holes. You can read more about them here in this blog: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/cicada-killers-or-cicada-hawks.html">https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2016/07/cicada-killers-or-cicada-hawks.html</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWm8w6-be08/XrSGLpDdaVI/AAAAAAAADSA/VASe3uPyIDMtWtwy9RCa_xeacM9xDkpBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cicada%2Bkiller%2Bwith%2Bcicada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWm8w6-be08/XrSGLpDdaVI/AAAAAAAADSA/VASe3uPyIDMtWtwy9RCa_xeacM9xDkpBACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cicada%2Bkiller%2Bwith%2Bcicada.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A female Cicada Killer makes off with a cicada to provision her burrow for her young.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There are few others that are large enough to be mistaken for Asian Giant Hornets. One is another hornet, the Bald-faced Hornets that are large and have their nests in trees. More on the in this blog: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/bald-faced-hornets.html">https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/bald-faced-hornets.html</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OaBaCkMhn-Y/XrSH1t2AemI/AAAAAAAADSM/txmVoowXLogPvRmxKQbUCwAepuugY7pAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bald-faced%2Bhornet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OaBaCkMhn-Y/XrSH1t2AemI/AAAAAAAADSM/txmVoowXLogPvRmxKQbUCwAepuugY7pAACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bald-faced%2Bhornet.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bald-faced Hornet (<em>Dolichovespula maculate )</em> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A short video of several wasps taking advantage of an injured tree with sap is here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaUB2v9H4Go&t=2s">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaUB2v9H4Go&t=2s</a><br />
Most people recognize fuzzy bumblebees so as to not confuse them with others. A few though get worried due to the size of carpenter bees, as I've been sent some pictures to ID them. While they may also seem to be intimidating, they are pretty much harmless. More here on them and bumblebees here: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/10/carpenter-bees.html">https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/10/carpenter-bees.html</a> .<br />
The bottom line is that though it's always good to be aware of invasives, the scare tactics out there so far is just hype. Calling them "murder hornets" and scaring people on what really is an extremely low chance of anything happening around here is poor reporting at the very least. The damage they've done as people just start destroying other beneficial pollinators has already taken place. While destroying a few nonnatives European Hornets is not a bad thing, the others such as cicada killers and other pollinators that will also suffer is sad to see. Folks, please don't get scared by these poor reports that are going on out there. The chances of seeing any Asian Giant Hornets, "murder hornets", when they've only been seen a year ago 2800 miles away is extremely low. So its good to be aware, but irrational to let this scare you that every big bug you see is a danger to you. Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-1886297178296903802019-06-17T23:43:00.000-04:002019-06-17T23:43:29.294-04:00Pollinator Garden Basics<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQ2whMB86U0/XQhUEYgp-xI/AAAAAAAADLo/msxqU30mcR8Lfjqq9IP9EuF0rooLBau2QCLcBGAs/s1600/Greenheaded%2BConeflower%2Bw%2Bpollintaors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQ2whMB86U0/XQhUEYgp-xI/AAAAAAAADLo/msxqU30mcR8Lfjqq9IP9EuF0rooLBau2QCLcBGAs/s400/Greenheaded%2BConeflower%2Bw%2Bpollintaors.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Green-Headed Coneflower provides nectar for multiple Sweat Bees, a Bumblebee, and Orange Mint Moth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There are over
200,000 species of pollinators worldwide. These include such diverse
animals as bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and
hummingbirds. We owe them much, as it is often said that one out of every
three bites of food we enjoy is due to the direct actions of an animal
pollinator. In fact, three-quarters of all plants, regardless of whether we eat
them or not, depend on animal pollinators in order to reproduce. There are many
basic things we can do to make our gardens and landscape more pollinator
friendly:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Avoid
using pesticides and/or herbicides.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Plant
for continuous blooms throughout the seasons (so you have continuous food).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Use
mass plantings (they’re easier to see by pollinators flying by)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Include
host plants for caterpillar and oligolectic plants for bees (the native plants 1/5</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of our native bees evolved with and need in order to reproduce).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Provide
basking sites (they all need to warm up).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Consider wet mud spots to serve as puddling areas for butterflies, mud plots for </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> mason <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">bees/wasps.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Try
to locate your garden in the sunniest location you have for the most blooms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Consider
flower color & shape (white, yellow or blue composite flowers are often </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> best).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Avoid
double-flowered or other cultivars (cultivars are chosen for traits people
want; </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>evolution
chose what the pollinators want).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Leave
old stalks, if not diseased, to overwinter. If you can cut stalks to a foot or so</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> high and leave them for the new growth to grow over, you can provide nesting spots</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> for insects such as bees, of which 30% nest in places like old stalks. It will still look </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> neat, but provide nesting platforms throughout the year. If you resist the urge to </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> clean up and remove <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">fallen leaves, you also provide good habitat.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Go
Native!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnH4egUx9uY/XQhWYFQO_2I/AAAAAAAADL0/XRVF4b46n1YlgK-Mwh03boKGeXZ687PyQCLcBGAs/s1600/goldenrod%2Bcovered%2Bin%2Bsmall%2Bpollintaors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnH4egUx9uY/XQhWYFQO_2I/AAAAAAAADL0/XRVF4b46n1YlgK-Mwh03boKGeXZ687PyQCLcBGAs/s400/goldenrod%2Bcovered%2Bin%2Bsmall%2Bpollintaors.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Goldenrod is covered in small pollinators.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></b></span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></b></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why Choose Natives?</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><!--[endif]-->- They provide more food/shelter for the animals with whom they evolved. 96% </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> of<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> terrestrial birds feed their young caterpillars (and sawflies) as their major food source,</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> particularly while nesting. All 17 of our bat species feed on insects preferring moths </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> (which of course are adult caterpillars).</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- They are preferred by native wildlife (with whom they evolved). Indeed many are </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">necessary as host plants for caterpillars and 1/5 of our bees.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- Given that most insects lay large number of eggs, supplying the plants they need can </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> make a big difference locally. Of all the insects that feed on plants, 90% are specialists</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> needing the native plants they evolved with, and many of these are pollinators such as </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> butterflies and bees.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- They are adapted to our environmental and soil conditions in which they evolved.<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span></span><!--[endif]-->- There are so many to choose from adapted to just about every growing condition (over</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 1700 species in NoVA alone).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><!--[endif]-->- The same plants can have multiple uses (aesthetics, edible landscaping, herbal, wildlife </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> gardening, etc.).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; mso-special-format: bullet;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><!--[endif]-->- They are attractive!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So do your part for pollinators and other wildlife by following these guidelines, most especially by going Native! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qQ_ETC8Peg/XQhaVOQ6qMI/AAAAAAAADMA/wI979nHfcwciu1q4yNQJ2Mu88Qw5ib-EACLcBGAs/s1600/bumblebee%2Bmonarch%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1qQ_ETC8Peg/XQhaVOQ6qMI/AAAAAAAADMA/wI979nHfcwciu1q4yNQJ2Mu88Qw5ib-EACLcBGAs/s400/bumblebee%2Bmonarch%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bumblebee and Monarch Caterpillar share a Swamp Milkweed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-74402354659209285912019-06-17T16:20:00.001-04:002019-06-17T16:20:40.979-04:00Happy National Pollinator Week!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJGcSUhoTKQ/XQfoIQ-bp2I/AAAAAAAADKg/N-Vq39vWP0UaUzJyIvPZStXQFZW-9_vKwCLcBGAs/s1600/Greenheaded%2BConeflower1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJGcSUhoTKQ/XQfoIQ-bp2I/AAAAAAAADKg/N-Vq39vWP0UaUzJyIvPZStXQFZW-9_vKwCLcBGAs/s400/Greenheaded%2BConeflower1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Bumblebee, Metallic Sweat Bee, and Orange-Spotted Mint Moth share a meal on a Green-headed Coneflower. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Happy National Pollinator Week! There are over 200,000 species of pollinators worldwide. These include such diverse animals as bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, and hummingbirds. We owe them much, as it is often said that one out of every three bites of food we enjoy is due to the direct actions of an animal pollinator. In fact, three-quarters of all plants, regardless of whether we eat them or not ,depend on animal pollinators in order to reproduce.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When thinking about planting things to benefit our pollinators who benefit us so often, a critical thing to consider is the use of native plants. Studies show that native plants are four or more times more attractive to native pollinators than exotic plants. This, of course, makes perfect sense since these plants and animals evolved together, sometimes to the point that one cannot exist without the other. Many caterpillars for example cannot survive without their specific native host plant to feed on. About one out of every five of our 450 native bees in the Mid-Atlantic area need the specific pollen of certain native plants or they cannot reproduce. Just any flower or plant simply won't due.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RkWNudBsUw0/XQfu1-AOxcI/AAAAAAAADKs/xzML9Hf96iAgTScbdLzwQLnj-5hyk2LZwCLcBGAs/s1600/Ptilothrix%2Bbombiformis%2Bhibiscus%2Bspclst%2Bsolitary%2Bbee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RkWNudBsUw0/XQfu1-AOxcI/AAAAAAAADKs/xzML9Hf96iAgTScbdLzwQLnj-5hyk2LZwCLcBGAs/s400/Ptilothrix%2Bbombiformis%2Bhibiscus%2Bspclst%2Bsolitary%2Bbee.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Hibiscus Bee (<em>Ptilothrix bombiformis) </em>digs its nesting hole. While it can visit many flowers, it needs pollen from plants in the hibiscus family or it cannot reproduce. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> So the most important consideration is to plant plants that are locally native. These </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">plants are not only adapted to grow in this type of habitat, but are what the pollinators </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">have been using for thousands of years. It is also always best to use straight wild species, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">rather than cultivars or nativars which have been selected for certain traits. When we </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">plant a flower that has been bred to appeal to us through a novel color or look, it may not </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">have the same appeal to the pollinator its parent plants originally evolved with. What </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">might be attractive to us may not be attractive to pollinators, some of which see </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">flowers through different spectrums or look for certain traits in them. This is especially true </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">of plants bred to have double flowers or blooms with extra large petals, since they often </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">sacrifice nectar/pollen for the extra showy flowers. To remove any doubt and provide maximum habitat value, go native.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bOhTy9E5Gr4/XQfvkKy1qTI/AAAAAAAADK0/19s1tszTsDk_ure4axiBO3ZUW9V1AfkAACLcBGAs/s1600/great%2Bspangled%2Bon%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bOhTy9E5Gr4/XQfvkKy1qTI/AAAAAAAADK0/19s1tszTsDk_ure4axiBO3ZUW9V1AfkAACLcBGAs/s400/great%2Bspangled%2Bon%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple Great Spangled Fritillaries nectar on Swamp Milkweed, the host plant for Monarch butterflies and 11 other caterpillar species. With 15 species of milkweed alone in Virginia, there's a native one for just about every growing condition, not just swamps. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> Also something to consider are the multiple uses you get with native plants. Many </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">exotic plants may have a pretty flower that may (or may not) provide nectar for a short </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">time each year while blooming, but it otherwise provides little habitat or nutrition for pollinators or </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">other native wildlife. Take the Chinese Aster (Callistephus) for example. It is a pretty </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">flower, comes in many color forms and is widely planted (and has escaped and naturalized </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">into some areas). The blooms on some varieties provide some nectar and pollen to a few </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">pollinators for a short bloom time each year. But only two species of caterpillars have </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">been recorded as feeding on it. It is for the most part and for most of its plant life a barren </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">habitat for wildlife, taking the place of what might have been a much more beneficial </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">native plant.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> Contrast that with one of our many (Virginia alone has 43 different species) colorful and attractive native asters, many </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">adapted to a variety of growing conditions. Now you have flowers that not only provide </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">attractive flowers for the garden and a similar look, but also serve a habitat and food function. In </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">addition to pollinators visiting them, most also supply seeds for birds such as finches and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">sparrows. But 109 different caterpillar species have also been documented feeding on </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">asters. These in turn feed the vast majority of our nesting native birds (96% of terrestrial </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">birds feed on insects, particularly during the nesting season, most of which are </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">caterpillars) and most of the 18 bat species found in our region (all of which are </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">insectivores and many of which prefer moths over other insects). At least 8 different bee species need their pollen or they cannot reproduce.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlJVft0oRSY/XQfxmpz9gjI/AAAAAAAADLA/OqVU5SzovM0GVDxiuxjLZ0oiSXP1aSgXwCLcBGAs/s1600/pearl%2Bcrescent%2Baster.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlJVft0oRSY/XQfxmpz9gjI/AAAAAAAADLA/OqVU5SzovM0GVDxiuxjLZ0oiSXP1aSgXwCLcBGAs/s400/pearl%2Bcrescent%2Baster.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pearl Crescent nectars on an aster, which also is the only food its caterpillars can feed on. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> So you can see how something as simple as choosing a native plant species can not </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">only serve to provide for pollinators, but then serve many other habitat functions as well. So this </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">National Pollinator Week, enjoy the pollinators in our gardens, farms, and parks. I</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">nclude locally native plants in your gardens. This way you too can help the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">pollinators who are always helping us.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xeXL-EvSHFo/XQfyST0BGuI/AAAAAAAADLI/W4RqR2nV0-oOWByUBVbkXLU2UOOrM_UOgCLcBGAs/s1600/Syrphid%2Bom%2Btickseed%2Bsunflower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xeXL-EvSHFo/XQfyST0BGuI/AAAAAAAADLI/W4RqR2nV0-oOWByUBVbkXLU2UOOrM_UOgCLcBGAs/s400/Syrphid%2Bom%2Btickseed%2Bsunflower.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Syrphid Fly, a wonderful bee mimic, pollinating Tickseed Sunflower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In Arlington County, we try and make the vast majority of the plants we use natives for all the reasons stated above, it is part of our planting policy. This week serves as the two year anniversary that Arlington County made the Mayor's Monarch Pledge to commit to doing several different things to help monarch butterflies. We of course will continue to do many other things to help monarchs and so many other pollinators. Here's a look at the Bluemont Pollinator Patch one year later during National Pollinator Week in June of 2018: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLu9pEFCpEo"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLu9pEFCpEo</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy3FXd5Xg3g/XQf0SNwTR-I/AAAAAAAADLU/D5axQ6u8FyQFVCYTm6eDoZ789WNytJ3HgCLcBGAs/s1600/longhorned%2Blocust%2Bbeet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Iy3FXd5Xg3g/XQf0SNwTR-I/AAAAAAAADLU/D5axQ6u8FyQFVCYTm6eDoZ789WNytJ3HgCLcBGAs/s400/longhorned%2Blocust%2Bbeet.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pair of Long-Horned Locust Borer Beetles multitasking, feeding, mating and pollinating Goldenrod all at the same time. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The establishing of Pollinator Patches and Monarch Way Stations is just one way to continue to support pollinator numbers. Please join us in supporting our pollinators by planting native plants when you can and taking pollinator needs in to consideration when you do things at home.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VOKI5P2sT9c/XQf05p0MidI/AAAAAAAADLc/entCfs_m6So164iTwfIH0U1JFNklTxIcACLcBGAs/s1600/sweat%2Bbumblebee%2Bwingstem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VOKI5P2sT9c/XQf05p0MidI/AAAAAAAADLc/entCfs_m6So164iTwfIH0U1JFNklTxIcACLcBGAs/s400/sweat%2Bbumblebee%2Bwingstem.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Sweat bee and Bumblebee sharing a Wingstem meal. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-17081027471105247802019-05-08T00:39:00.000-04:002019-05-13T11:09:22.581-04:00City Nature Challenge 2019 Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7fSGmaRP7NI/XNIDyE_DhWI/AAAAAAAADIw/uWD6f99Y_wcs3kY13l3YEGj1qsrVCx3-wCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="758" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7fSGmaRP7NI/XNIDyE_DhWI/AAAAAAAADIw/uWD6f99Y_wcs3kY13l3YEGj1qsrVCx3-wCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> This year's friendly global citizen science competition, the City Nature Challenge, ended up with 159 cities competing! These cities tried to get people out making nature observations using the free iNaturalist application to take photos that were uploaded during a 4 day competition to see who could get the most people involved, make the most observations, and identify (through crowd sourcing) the most species. These could all later be data mined by researchers and others to provide information for various projects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPKECILjW-o/XNIEkNSKL_I/AAAAAAAADI4/kQ9E-CHMSfsdIIal3oYmB4XpzC4Ncos6wCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2B2019%2Bobs%2Bldrboard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XPKECILjW-o/XNIEkNSKL_I/AAAAAAAADI4/kQ9E-CHMSfsdIIal3oYmB4XpzC4Ncos6wCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2B2019%2Bobs%2Bldrboard.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> This year the Greater Washington DC Region once again did very well, despite there being more cities competing this year from the 68 that participated last year. Reporting 29,976 observations, the DC Region came in 10th overall, behind, in this order: Cape Town, La Paz, San Francisco (who helped start the challenge), San Diego County, Tena (Ecuador), Klang Valley (Malaysia), Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. You can find out more about the City Nature Challenge, including details of the leaderboard here: <a href="http://citynaturechallenge.org/">http://citynaturechallenge.org/</a> . For a summary from the Academy of Sciences, look here: <a href="https://calacademy.org/press/releases/city-nature-challenge-results-in-nearly-1-million-wildlife-observations">https://calacademy.org/press/releases/city-nature-challenge-results-in-nearly-1-million-wildlife-observations</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> As many other parts of the world have much greater biodiversity, the DC Region placed quite well coming in 15th on the globe with 2,261 species tallied. But where our area really stood out was in participation. The 1,259 particpants who entered their observations placed DC 4th overall! Only the 2 original founding member cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, followed by La Paz placed better. What a wonderful testament to the interest in nature and the willingness to participate in citizen science the nation's capital has to show! </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxXpIbsvB1g/XNJNJUudG5I/AAAAAAAADJQ/P4ipIltJL2MesUC7cOCaJFPo94SQ8qZeQCLcBGAs/s1600/Nessus%2Bsphinx.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxXpIbsvB1g/XNJNJUudG5I/AAAAAAAADJQ/P4ipIltJL2MesUC7cOCaJFPo94SQ8qZeQCLcBGAs/s400/Nessus%2Bsphinx.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Nessus Sphinx Moth found in the Barcroft Natural Resource Conservation Area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Locally, I'd like to feature Arlington, which while part of he DC Region team, did fairly well on its own. It contributed 4,635 observations of 803 species entered by 163 observers. The Mayapple was the commonly reported plant while the American Robin was the commonly reported animal. It will take quite a while to go over all the individual species reported and see if any should be further investigated, but the data is now there to do so. More over, 3 Arlington County staff placed in the top 11 in the DC region for species tallied. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> I personally had my best City Nature Challenge ever, and am happy that I tallied 880 observations and topped the leaderboard with 430 species reported. That species count overall was good enough to place 25th in the whole global challenge. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJRF522wjOU/XNIIJqueKoI/AAAAAAAADJE/tJdnz2Xc_scYrdIlbYs1C0aneznpHkntACLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2B2019%2Bresults.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MJRF522wjOU/XNIIJqueKoI/AAAAAAAADJE/tJdnz2Xc_scYrdIlbYs1C0aneznpHkntACLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2B2019%2Bresults.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> So lots of reasons to be happy: with how great the DC region did, how Arlington did, and my personal tallies. But more importantly, I am so happy that 159 cities decided they would participate, that 32,781 people entered 32,781 observations, entering data on 31,837 species. What a great commitment to citizen science, to pride in what nature is found close to them, and that they were willing to have some great fun while in this friendly global competition. Now I can't wait until next year! </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhgxbOv7Qdc/XNmIjzKkryI/AAAAAAAADJg/zOXPpGKnUUo5EuSr1D0yq7XnCXu2a-GPwCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2Bnumbers%2Bchart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhgxbOv7Qdc/XNmIjzKkryI/AAAAAAAADJg/zOXPpGKnUUo5EuSr1D0yq7XnCXu2a-GPwCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2Bnumbers%2Bchart.png" width="328" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-88168603921769705572019-04-19T17:22:00.003-04:002019-04-24T09:39:21.113-04:00Participate in the City Nature Challenge 2019!City Nature Challenge 2019!<br />
<div class="post-header">
<div class="post-header-line-1">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7024334370986809006" itemprop="description articleBody">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s1oO6ZYya1E/XLeV6Zjt5dI/AAAAAAAADIA/O9bosYue8T0DGqC7wQQSoJht_-qQQh-gACLcBGAs/s1600/CNC-Banner-DC-no%2Bdate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s1oO6ZYya1E/XLeV6Zjt5dI/AAAAAAAADIA/O9bosYue8T0DGqC7wQQSoJht_-qQQh-gACLcBGAs/s400/CNC-Banner-DC-no%2Bdate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A friendly global challenge was issued this year: Which cities could engage the most people to record the most observations of wildlife and plants, and find the most species over 4 days, April 26-29? </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In last year's global event, 68 cities participated and tallied </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">441,888 observations by 17,329 people. This year is even bigger! There are over 160 <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cities worldwide who have answered the call!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The first City Nature Challenge started as Citizen Science Day, with citizen science teams at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences challenging one another into what turned out to be an eight-day friendly competition in April of 2016 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, engaging residents and visitors in documenting nature to better understand urban biodiversity. It grew to 16 cities in 2017, and went international in 2018.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The free iNaturalist app (<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/">https://www.inaturalist.org/</a>) is now the standard way for bioblitzes and other citizen science (the involvement of the general public in scientific research and data collection) projects to record information and is what most cities will use for recording City Nature Challenge observations, including the team here in the Washington, DC Metro area. The beauty of the app is that with a simple uploaded photo, crowd sourcing can then help identify the organism and the observation is recorded so that worldwide any researchers can data mine the info they need. You never know what piece of data you could be providing some researcher somewhere in the world. You don't even need to know what you're reporting (though the iNaturalist app has a neat suggested identification feature to provide likely ID possibilities and there's a neat new Seek app that can help ID things on the spot (<a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app">https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app</a>) too!). This is due to the crowd sourcing that allows other perhaps more knowledgeable people to provide their ID skills. A short instructional video can be found here: <a href="https://vimeo.com/246153496">https://vimeo.com/246153496</a></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8-WqDjwipB0/XLeXD5IAsfI/AAAAAAAADIM/x1BbmekCOoY5uzbqIYoazPVPwmUsQ2s5ACLcBGAs/s1600/iNaturalist%2Bpic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="400" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8-WqDjwipB0/XLeXD5IAsfI/AAAAAAAADIM/x1BbmekCOoY5uzbqIYoazPVPwmUsQ2s5ACLcBGAs/s400/iNaturalist%2Bpic.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The DC Metro Area did very well indeed in this global event last year:</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Its 22,809 observations was 5<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> place overall, behind San Francisco which started the competition 3 years ago (41,737 observations), Dallas/Fort Worth (34,218 observations), San Diego (33,448 observations), and Klang Valley/Greater Kuala Lumpur (25,287 observations). Just behind DC were Houston followed by New York. Coming in last was Palmer Station Antarctica which understandably only had 36 observations (but 27 species with only 3 people in Antarctica of all places!). Globally 124 new species were added to the iNaturalist data base that had not been present before. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As far as participation, the DC region again did wonderfully! It came in 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> place overall with 876 participants who made observations. This was behind San Francisco (1,532 observers), San Diego County (1211 observers), Boston (992 observers), and just ahead of Los Angeles (which also started the competition 3 years ago, with 855 observers). With over 40 planned DC regional events over the competition period, it turned out those group events really paid off.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> The </span>DC Metro Area also did remarkably well with its species count, considering some tropical places have so much more biodiversity. The DC Metro Area came in 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> overall with 1,855 verified species observed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P8fdljuISc/WvECkEJjjwI/AAAAAAAAC4k/as2TtymxHpQrqoW1MsUQYyKuH2jDKLPJgCLcBGAs/s1600/adder%2527s%2Btongue%2Bfern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P8fdljuISc/WvECkEJjjwI/AAAAAAAAC4k/as2TtymxHpQrqoW1MsUQYyKuH2jDKLPJgCLcBGAs/s400/adder%2527s%2Btongue%2Bfern.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Among one of neat findings was this Southern Adder's Tongue Fern at Huntley Meadows Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Arlington had a good showing overall as well for the DC region it was included in. Of the over 40 DC Metro Area planned events, Arlington led or had a leading partner role in 25 of them. Within Arlington County itself, 134 observers tallied 3,957 observations and identified 644 species. The top observed species for Arlington were the American Robin (reported 46 times) and Virginia Creeper (reported 46 times). Some unusual sightings will need to be investigated and verified as they might prove to be very interesting. While some are positive, the observations of potential new invasive plants are also important to know about, and a few were indeed reported. Overall, a very respectable showing and demonstration of Arlington’s commitment to citizen science. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> This year, the DC area has over 124 events planned, with numerous organizations, local jurisdictions, and individuals planning to participate. You can find out more about the DC Metro Area events here: <a href="https://citynaturechallengedc.org/">https://citynaturechallengedc.org/</a> (including Capital Naturalist events). The Arlington County sponsored events are here: <a href="https://parks.arlingtonva.us/nature-history/city-nature-challenge/">https://parks.arlingtonva.us/nature-history/city-nature-challenge/</a> . More Arlington events sponsored by the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists here: <a href="https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4fa8ab22a31-arlington">https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4fa8ab22a31-arlington</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Whether you'd like to join one of these organized events or go solo, what great fun and discovery! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What's not to like about that? So here's to the City Nature Challenge, as a fun way to make nature discoveries in our wonderfully diverse region while providing valuable scientific data! So please do participate!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-19230827964615109992019-02-23T12:32:00.000-05:002019-02-23T19:41:44.571-05:00Bee Nesting Structures<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sUBOK0_jmZs/XGxIJi5FrGI/AAAAAAAADEA/eXa0660rNxs15UNfaftZQEe8kLVeOgi9ACLcBGAs/s1600/carpenter%2Band%2Bmason.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1150" height="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sUBOK0_jmZs/XGxIJi5FrGI/AAAAAAAADEA/eXa0660rNxs15UNfaftZQEe8kLVeOgi9ACLcBGAs/s400/carpenter%2Band%2Bmason.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Eastern Carpenter Bee and numerous mason bees make use of two artificial bee structures.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> About 30% of our region’s 450 or so
bees nest above ground. Many do so in dead trees, borer beetle burrows, and in
stems of plants with soft or hollow stems and piths like elderberry, sunflower,
sumac, and blackberries. This is one more reason to leave garden plants
standing through the winter, as many are housing insects in various parts of
their life cycle, including pupating or adult overwintering bees. Ecologically
minded gardeners don’t tidy up (unless removing diseased plants) until spring,
along with of course planting non-cultivar native plants. Even better is to cut the tops off about a foot high, leaving the stems for bees and other insects to use for the following season. Since many bees need help in getting into a stem, the open tops are perfect for this. Native plants not
only provide nesting and nectar sources, but 35% our native bees are
oligolectic, needing the specific pollen of the plants they evolved with in
order to be able to reproduce. </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEAQQWK_A0Q/XGyKsKVzlKI/AAAAAAAADEs/AsyNFJld1zA4hybk5WuoLS8eBg5rhOLEwCLcBGAs/s1600/mason%2Bbee%2Bholes%2Bin%2Belderberry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEAQQWK_A0Q/XGyKsKVzlKI/AAAAAAAADEs/AsyNFJld1zA4hybk5WuoLS8eBg5rhOLEwCLcBGAs/s400/mason%2Bbee%2Bholes%2Bin%2Belderberry.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Elderberry shows signs of where woodpeckers have foraged for mason and other cavity nesting bees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i> </i>These
mostly solitary bees include Small Carpenter Bees (Genus<i> Ceratina</i>, about 24 species in North America, 4 locally), Large Carpenter Bees
(Genus <i>Xylocopa</i>, only the Eastern
Carpenter Bee, <i>X. virginica</i>, is
common around the DC region, though the Southern Carpenter Bee, <i>X. micans</i>, has been found in southern
Virginia),
Leafcutters (Genus <i>Megachile,</i> about
130 species in NA), Mason Bees (Genus <i>Osmia</i>,
about 150 species in NA, 27 east of the Mississippi, though several other
Genera such as <i>Hoplitis</i> and <i>Chelostroma</i> are also often called mason
bees), and a few other types which use cavities or take advantage of above
ground structures. </span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KyzgM-gZ1fg/XGxIm-9fKnI/AAAAAAAADEI/FzPkgZRUyRoe_NVrVLl3p8k6Q1mPGaPtgCLcBGAs/s1600/carpenter%2Bmale%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KyzgM-gZ1fg/XGxIm-9fKnI/AAAAAAAADEI/FzPkgZRUyRoe_NVrVLl3p8k6Q1mPGaPtgCLcBGAs/s400/carpenter%2Bmale%2Bswamp%2Bmilkweed.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A male Eastern Carpenter Bee nectars at a Swamp Milkweed. Many cavity nesting bee males have white faces. More on Eastern Carpenter bees: <a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/10/carpenter-bees.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2014/10/carpenter-bees.html</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> After planting native plants, limiting use of pesticides/ herbicides/fungicides, leaving garden bed plants standing throughout
the winter, leaving some old stems standing cut a foot or so high, and allowing your lawns to have some clover and other perhaps weedy
looking flowers, there are some other things that you can do to make your yard
more bee friendly and appealing to many pollinators. In many parts, bee/insect
“hotels” are becoming quite popular. </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3psiXFY2IfA/XGxJSK9xXeI/AAAAAAAADEU/Aaj2REUeZnQaOylNUeuaYhLKFLV7f9hFACLcBGAs/s1600/bee%2Bkiosk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3psiXFY2IfA/XGxJSK9xXeI/AAAAAAAADEU/Aaj2REUeZnQaOylNUeuaYhLKFLV7f9hFACLcBGAs/s400/bee%2Bkiosk.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An insect hotel geared for bees at Audubon Naturalist Society headquarters in Maryland. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> But you needn’t make things so extravagant, unless of course you want to.
While there are numerous types of bees that will make use of artificial
structures, mason bees are the most common, and luckily what works for them
will generally work for others. Simply changing the size of the openings to the
structures often is enough for the other cavity nesting bees (and many other
insects). </span></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrnaROtdy2w/XGyIuLhnmvI/AAAAAAAADEg/Te3kAs1UvrUUs4ShC3EAWmYinkmVQLUrgCLcBGAs/s1600/Orchard%2BMason%2BBee%2B%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrnaROtdy2w/XGyIuLhnmvI/AAAAAAAADEg/Te3kAs1UvrUUs4ShC3EAWmYinkmVQLUrgCLcBGAs/s400/Orchard%2BMason%2BBee%2B%25286%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Orchard Mason Bee, the most common native mason bee.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Mason bees (including <i>Osmia
lignaria</i> and others) are small, dark bees that do not live in large social hives,
but are actually solitary (like most of our 4,000 species of native bees in
North America). They tend to be primarily active in the spring. They also can
work at lower temperatures than the introduced European honey bee. They are
very peaceful, only using their weak sting if grabbed or trapped inside
clothing and do not swarm. Although not honey producers, they are superb
pollinators, especially under questionable spring time conditions. Individuals
supposedly can visit more plants per hour and in many cases can be up to 90%
more efficient at pollination than the introduced European honey bees. Mason
bees also carry their pollen on their hair (scopa) underneath their body so
often pollinate more flowers than honeybees that carry their pollen moistened
in “baskets” on their back legs (leading to less pollen contact with another
flower). This pollen also tends to be dry and pollinates easily where honeybees
often use nectar to wet the pollen they carry so it does not fall off as easily
to pollinate the flower. Mason bees tend to prefer flowering shrubs over plants
but will visit whatever is available. Two introduced Japanese Horned Mason Bees
are also becoming quite numerous in our area, and are the most likely ones you
will attract. In the wild, orchard mason bees (as they are sometimes called)
use hollow stems or cavities in trees to nest in (they do not make their own
holes). Many commercially available bee houses with replacement tubes are sold
for them to utilize. It is also quite easy to make some suitable homes for
them. One simple way is to cut some bamboo, Phragmites (a good use for both
these invasives), elderberry, and/or sumac at their nodes, hollow them out all
the way to the node so one side is still sealed, and bundle them together (with
the open ends facing one direction) for the bees to discover. Place them where
they will get some sun in the morning and some shelter from the rain. The
bundles do not have to be all even at the open end since that makes it even
easier for the bees to orient themselves to their own nests. From 5-8 inches
long is fine. Various entrance-hole sizes will work but a good compromise size
is 5/16inch in diameter.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-FhcLuy0fQ/XHB0ZVT05KI/AAAAAAAADGA/I3XMT7XksVwoyjsKL7xO0e4cCeWfZ-pDACLcBGAs/s1600/bee%2Bbox%2Bdominion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S-FhcLuy0fQ/XHB0ZVT05KI/AAAAAAAADGA/I3XMT7XksVwoyjsKL7xO0e4cCeWfZ-pDACLcBGAs/s400/bee%2Bbox%2Bdominion.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A structure supporting both blocks with drilled holes and bamboo built as an Eagle Scout project as part of a pollinator patch in Arlington Virginia. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Another way is to drill some 5/16in diameter holes (or you can vary hole sizes) in some untreated pieces
of wood (sections of 2x4’s or bigger is even better). Make each hole ¾ inches
apart from any other on all sides. The deeper the holes the better (6 inches or
so but again not all the way through) since female eggs are laid towards the
rear of any tunnels. The more longer-lived females you have, the faster your
population can grow. Luckily nesting bees show great nest fidelity and tend to
try and use the same area each time. Place the pieces of lumber so they can get
morning sun and some protection from the elements much as you would with the
bamboo and other cut stems. Some large diameter wire screen across the front
will help keep woodpeckers or rodents from eating them, but still allows the
bees to do their thing (something smaller than chicken-wire). </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Provide some moist soil nearby (preferably clay based) so they can
construct their nest cells. Try to have your nesting structures for them out by
mid-March around here since more female are produced earlier in the year than
later. The bees tend to be active for just a little over a month each (each bee
lays about 35 eggs) so you want to be ready for them. This works for most blue
orchard bees, but there are many other different bee species. For this reason,
some people experiment with different size holes to attract whatever local types
might be around. In the Fall, some
people put the nests in a cool place like a shed to protect them from
predators. Other people carefully remove the containers (straws or open plastic
tubes often commercially) as they fill and put out fresh nesting holes. The stored
containers should be placed right-side up with the mud-sealed openings towards
the top, in a protected shed or other place that undergoes conditions similar
to the outdoors. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Care should be taken not to jostle them very much so as to not dislodge
the developing young or eggs. Some
people even refrigerate them after September and “activate” them just before
they need them for their orchards or plants. For more instructions on building
or providing bee “homes” check out the Xerces Society: <a href="http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nests_for_native_bees1.pdf">http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nests_for_native_bees1.pdf</a>.
</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2uz3uymY-M/XHB1u2KOaWI/AAAAAAAADGU/eOIsEcKy3bo4j7Og2XCSudrngPgRdBckACLcBGAs/s1600/mason%2Bbee%2Btubes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1319" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f2uz3uymY-M/XHB1u2KOaWI/AAAAAAAADGU/eOIsEcKy3bo4j7Og2XCSudrngPgRdBckACLcBGAs/s400/mason%2Bbee%2Btubes.png" width="328" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A commercial mason bee system consisting of cardboard straws with paper inserts that can be cleaned and replaced yearly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Commercially available systems and boxes are sold and most work fairly
well. Most people agree that paper straw inserts and tubes will work, but some
are better than others. Waxed paper tubes tend to keep the nectar from drying
out and are an improvement and those made out of cardboard are even better.
Wood is best since it offers the best protection from predators like Chalcid
wasps but can’t be re-used too often without parasite problems (unless you use
paper straw inserts in them). Bamboo and plant stems can crack and offer less
protection from predators or parasites. The bees also prefer darker colors and
you should also try not to clump too many holes or tubes together since the
bees can get disoriented as to which exact hole is theirs. Some folks insert
different color paper straws to help the bees find their own home easier or
simply paint the edges different colors to help the bees orient themselves.
Plastic straws do not work and lead to fungal problems. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_lQTOi-950/XHB1GLnlSNI/AAAAAAAADGI/KKdYVae-5WQZUyo18jy6Ebn2ZTxllSvngCLcBGAs/s1600/mason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O_lQTOi-950/XHB1GLnlSNI/AAAAAAAADGI/KKdYVae-5WQZUyo18jy6Ebn2ZTxllSvngCLcBGAs/s400/mason.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Blue Orchard Mason Bee utilizing a commercial plastic bee box system which can be pulled apart for cleaning and has multiple colors to help the bees find their individual holes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Populations often build quite well from year to year. But there are
issues with placing so many solitary bees so close together. This unnatural
situation attracts many predators. More <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">so, it allows for the build-up of illness,
fungal issues, and parasites. For that reason many people change them out or
clean them yearly. After several years, many also move the structures to new
areas. All this helps with these high population issues. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akd4koRsuVo/XHByXj-lxQI/AAAAAAAADF0/jfri2BVL_SgpumjpkFDV-yZ6LY9ar9pjwCLcBGAs/s1600/Leucopis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-akd4koRsuVo/XHByXj-lxQI/AAAAAAAADF0/jfri2BVL_SgpumjpkFDV-yZ6LY9ar9pjwCLcBGAs/s400/Leucopis.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Leucopis Chalcid Wasp searches for a place to insert her ovipositor to parasitize a mason bee tube.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYuM0NxtoHo/XHBw47Gv3hI/AAAAAAAADFo/b4jHaLR-uhYhAfI5dRR37rD0_o1w9-slQCLcBGAs/s1600/pollen%2Bmites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYuM0NxtoHo/XHBw47Gv3hI/AAAAAAAADFo/b4jHaLR-uhYhAfI5dRR37rD0_o1w9-slQCLcBGAs/s400/pollen%2Bmites.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
male mason bee covered in pollen mites. In large numbers, these can be
harmful to bees. Populations can build up in colonies or when using the
same holes/tubes each year.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As mentioned, 2 nonnative Japanese horned bees (the Japanese Hornfaced Bee <i>Osmia cornifron</i>s and the Taurus Mason Bee <i>Osmia taurus</i>) are now quite prevalent
and are the most likely mason bee to be attracted, as they are less picky about
where they nest and reproduce quickly. Whether or not they are harmful to the
native bees through competition for limited nesting sites or nectar sources may yet need to be proven, but I’ve noticed that as the nonnative numbers build, the
native blue orchard native bees, and leafcutter bees who also may use the nesting
tubes later in the season start to decline.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHwtExtn4fs/XGyLSgEO78I/AAAAAAAADE0/cGZQNWgUsB8Fb1bTaPktpHhbIy2JGAAjQCLcBGAs/s1600/Japanese%2BHorned%2Bbees%2Bmating.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="638" height="297" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FHwtExtn4fs/XGyLSgEO78I/AAAAAAAADE0/cGZQNWgUsB8Fb1bTaPktpHhbIy2JGAAjQCLcBGAs/s400/Japanese%2BHorned%2Bbees%2Bmating.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two Japanese Hornfaced bees are the most likely mason bees to be
attracted to man-made structures. As is sometimes the case for cavity
nesting bees, the male is smaller, has a white face, and longer
antennae.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> There’s also a much larger nonnative bee, the Giant Resin Bee (<i>Megachile sculpturalis</i>) that is now
getting common in our area. They compete with cavity nesting bees, and I
believe they will pull out or disturb the other bees’ nests when they can,
nesting later than many native bees. For more about them, read this blog article
I put together on them: <a href="https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2015/07/giant-resin-bees.html">https://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2015/07/giant-resin-bees.html</a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FolEha4tg7E/XGyMPDmRkjI/AAAAAAAADFA/sKUO1GPSc-0AAUqLF0iGqxFnwDkbdbSTwCLcBGAs/s1600/resinbees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FolEha4tg7E/XGyMPDmRkjI/AAAAAAAADFA/sKUO1GPSc-0AAUqLF0iGqxFnwDkbdbSTwCLcBGAs/s400/resinbees.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two nonnative Giant Resin Bees fight over a nesting space. Notice one has pollen all over its scopa, or belly "hairs". </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Many other types of bees, wasps and other creatures make use of these type of nesting structures too, including mason wasps, leafcutter bees, and grass-carrying wasps.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jVFGZJx6OTs/XHB6aThPxWI/AAAAAAAADGg/W2IIhcuHUwc-jbA1Ldm0X7alnQ6v67K4ACLcBGAs/s1600/grass%2Bcarrying%2Bwasp%2Bmaterials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jVFGZJx6OTs/XHB6aThPxWI/AAAAAAAADGg/W2IIhcuHUwc-jbA1Ldm0X7alnQ6v67K4ACLcBGAs/s400/grass%2Bcarrying%2Bwasp%2Bmaterials.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Grass-carrying wasp has made its nest among numerous mason bee nests.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpO9PgpWoKM/XHB6_kC9dDI/AAAAAAAADGw/rRG0VRf6eSY7biMc6sBku-n0ZtSBw_kXACLcBGAs/s1600/solitary%2Bwasp%2Busing%2Bmason%2Btube.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wpO9PgpWoKM/XHB6_kC9dDI/AAAAAAAADGw/rRG0VRf6eSY7biMc6sBku-n0ZtSBw_kXACLcBGAs/s400/solitary%2Bwasp%2Busing%2Bmason%2Btube.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Though it may look very similar, the smooth features make this more likely to be a mason wasp rather than mason bee. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> So do your part and become a bee rancher yourself. You’ll be amazed at
the activity and the new mini ecosystem that develops around the nests, while
you benefit these neat pollinators and your garden as well. </span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bee/Pollinator Basics</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Avoid using pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides when possible.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plant for continuous blooms throughout the season (so you have continuous food sources).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Use mass plantings as it's easier to see a bunch of plants blooming when flying than single blooms.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Include native host plants for caterpillars and oligolectic (specific pollen requiring) bees.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Provide basking spots when possible.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consider puddling areas for butterflies and mud plots for certain bees and wasps.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Try to locate your garden in the sunniest location you have for best bloom production.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consider flower color and shape (reds are the worst, blue/white/yellow open top flowers that serve as landing platforms are the best. Composite flowers supply multiple food sources per landing).</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Avoid double-flowered or other cultivars/nativars as they often sacrifice nectaries for more showy petals. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">GO NATIVE!</span></u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As evolution provided flower colors and shapes that pollinators found attractive rather than cultivated or introduced plants that people find attractive, best not to gamble and go with non-cultivars or nativars (very few of which have ever been tested for attractiveness to pollinators rather than people). Choose native plants, its what the pollinators chose and evolved.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Picky About Pollen</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About 35% of
our bees are specialists, depending on a limited range of plants (usually a
genus or family) to collect pollen (though they can often nectar at many more).
They cannot reproduce without the specific pollen of these plants they evolved
with. They are <b>oligolectic</b>. If they collect pollen from a single species
they are <b>monolectic</b>. If they use various plants they are <b>polylectic</b>.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some
particular pollen producing plants for specialist bees:</span></span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blueberries & Deerberries (Vacciniums)- at least 5 bee pollen specialists</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Native Loosestrifes (Lysimachia) - at least 3 oil collecting bee specialists</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hollies (Ilex)</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Ironweeds (Vernonias) - at least 2 bee pollen specialists</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Willows (Salix) - at least 8 bee pollen specialists</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Native Thistles (Cirsium) </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pickerelweed <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pontederia cordata) - at least 3 pollen specialists</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ground Cherries (Physalis) - at least 3 specialists</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Goldenrods (Solidago) - a t least 11 bee pollen specialists</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Asters (Symphyotrichum) - 8 specialists</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Aster Family - at least 131 specialist bee associations</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rose Family - at least 102 specialist bee associations</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaO-aAkaOb8/XGyNcRAkwVI/AAAAAAAADFM/bDRkcd86nDcMfcykCGhz5LCG7o22ZD5MgCLcBGAs/s1600/bee%2Bboxes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaO-aAkaOb8/XGyNcRAkwVI/AAAAAAAADFM/bDRkcd86nDcMfcykCGhz5LCG7o22ZD5MgCLcBGAs/s400/bee%2Bboxes.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Bee Nesting Structure
Basics</b></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most spring time solitary bees tend to use the same areas each year very early in the season, so try to have bee nests/structures out by early March.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bees, like most other insects are "cold blooded" not producing internal heat, so placing basking sites and nesting structures so they catch the morning sun but are out of the baking afternoon sun work best.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Bees lay female-producing eggs the deepest in the holes/tubes that they can while male-producing eggs are closest to the entrance hole. To maximize the number of reproducing females tubes/holes should be 5-8inches deep.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While 5/16inch diameter holes are a good compromise for many bees, vary hole sizes to attract different bees and wasps. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For better predator and parasite protection, most bees prefer structures and tubes/holes that are sealed off in the back.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> As most of the bees attracted are solitary, packing them close together attracts predators and parasites. Sanitary conditions of clean or new tubes/holes are best. Consider moving the colony every few years.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Do not move structures once they are start being actively used. Each bee remembers where its individual hole is locates, so moving them often disorients and often leads to them abandoning their nests.Make sure they don't sway or move.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In addition to having nearby nectar/pollen sources, mud sources are used by many bees and wasps, so maybe good to provide or have nearby.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Provide protection form the rain and wind when possible, such as under roofs or eaves if the structure is not built with these protections in place. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Consider placing large screen in front of of bee structures that have openings to easily let bees through but still protect against predators. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once all the holes/tubes are filled and sealed, they can be moved with no harm (perhaps to be stored in a cool garage or shed where they may be protected but still experience cold so as to not emerge early.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRoz6AFiE6E/XHB713iwNNI/AAAAAAAADG8/1wqujw18A74brkTJiYbTYtZ6HRIpzJF_wCLcBGAs/s1600/Mason%2Bbee%2Bbox%2Bcollection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CRoz6AFiE6E/XHB713iwNNI/AAAAAAAADG8/1wqujw18A74brkTJiYbTYtZ6HRIpzJF_wCLcBGAs/s400/Mason%2Bbee%2Bbox%2Bcollection.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-34309009708123439602019-02-01T00:02:00.000-05:002019-02-01T00:02:33.615-05:00Lesser Scaup<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jGbEezvB044/XFEeMutwhNI/AAAAAAAADAo/GreJVEMwqBoWzTTfoEtHO57gZe8MatipACLcBGAs/s1600/lesser%2Bscaup%2Blooks%2Bback%2Bcropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="1600" height="296" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jGbEezvB044/XFEeMutwhNI/AAAAAAAADAo/GreJVEMwqBoWzTTfoEtHO57gZe8MatipACLcBGAs/s400/lesser%2Bscaup%2Blooks%2Bback%2Bcropped.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Lesser Scaup drake, or male Bluebill. In addition to the bill color, notice the peaked head.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Lesser Scaup (<em>Athya affinis</em>) are the most common of our freshwater diving or bay ducks, referred to as pochards in other parts of the globe. Though often just called divers, pochards around the world (there are 16 species in 2 different Genera worldwide) share some similar traits. First of all, most do not inhabit oceans and swim using only their feet (which like other diving birds are placed well back on their bodies). Sea ducks use their wings as well as their feet when swimming. Most male freshwater diving ducks also have similar plumage patterns, of dark patches with light colors (but no colorful patches on their wings), bright colored eyes, and very similar voices due to having the same voice box apparatus (called fenestrated bullae). They all share a common ancestor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> All Scaup are often called "Bluebills" by hunters and others due to the color of their beaks, which are also tipped in black. Lesser Scaup (sometimes referred to as Little Bluebills) are medium sized ducks, males averaging 1.8lbs, females 1.6lbs. They were first described by an English naturalist named Thomas Campbell Eytan in 1838. The Genus name <em>Athya</em> is Greek for "sea bird". The other members of the Genus, all winter visitors here in the DC region are: Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, and the very similar Greater Scaup. Greater Scaup are larger, have wider beaks (sometimes they're called Broadbills), longer white wing stripes, and rounded heads. Lesser Scaup are smaller, with thinner bills, shorter white wing stripes, and a peaked appearance to their heads. While some claim that Greater Scaup have a greenish look to their heads as compared to the purplish gloss of the Lesser, this is for all practical purposes useless in the field. As a general rule Lesser Scaup do prefer smaller bodies of water and freshwater, while the much less numerous Greater Scaup prefer open and often brackish or saltwater. There is tremendous overlap however and mixed flocks of both can be found, especially the closer you get to the coast. Occasionally both scaup may hybridize or do so with ring-necked ducks as well.<br />
The word "scaup" some say is a corruption of the Scottish term "scalp" referring to clams, oysters, and mussels that are favored prey items. Others think it's due to a corruption of Dutch or French wording for scallops. Others think it's due to the sound made by the hen. <br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Although they feed quite a bit on mollusks as mentioned, either diving or just tipping up to grab them, scaup also feed on plants, seeds and other invertebrates. They seem to really like amphipods such as scuds. Unlike most diving ducks, they may feed at night. </span><br />
Since scaup feed on a fair amount of plant material, they do not have the extreme fishy taste of some other diving ducks and are thus considered mild tasting table fare. They are considered much less wary than other divers, and are said to decoy and be lured in fairly well. As they are also the most numerous of all diving ducks, they are often hunted.<br />
But their numbers are historically down, dropping 59% since 1966. The reasons are not well understood as to why, as they nest in the upper Northwest and in many areas in fairly undisturbed land. Conservation efforts and stricter game laws have not seemed to make any difference. Many think that the declines may be due to climate change, though their numbers are still considered to be secure. Estimates are that there some 3.8 million Lesser Scaup, though their similarity to Greater Scaup (who do nest somewhat more Northwards) makes accurate counts difficult. <br />
Scaup nest in the pothole areas of the upper Northwest of Canada and Alaska. They are among the last birds to start migration, often waiting until the waters are frozen, forcing them to begin their journeys to wintering grounds. Their migration is often a very drawn out affair. Interestingly, their migration patterns have changed historically, with now many wintering over in the Great Lakes area, many think to take advantage of eating the now numerous numbers of the invasive introduced Zebra Mussels. As these mollusks filter out quite a bit of pollutants and contaminates, some think this may be unhealthy for the ducks. They are also among the last waterfowl to return in the spring, some still migrating in mid May. They are considered the most southerly of our migrating diving ducks, some reaching South America, the Caribbean, and occasionally straying into the Pacific and Europe.<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> But when they arrive at their wintering grounds, they do so in a splendid manner. Rafts (flocks of ducks on the water) of hundreds and even thousands of birds are not rare. While they prefer the company of their own kind, they will sometimes have mixed flocks, particularly with other freshwater divers like Greater Scaup or Ring-necked Ducks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ1b8R3Pq9U/XFEhThBCQjI/AAAAAAAADA0/2lDZlKlz-60jsNlOzwf1xLo_9tw8lBCmQCLcBGAs/s1600/ring%2Bnecks%2Bmales%2Bone%2Bscaup%2Btext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tZ1b8R3Pq9U/XFEhThBCQjI/AAAAAAAADA0/2lDZlKlz-60jsNlOzwf1xLo_9tw8lBCmQCLcBGAs/s400/ring%2Bnecks%2Bmales%2Bone%2Bscaup%2Btext.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drake (male) Lesser Scaup mixed in with a small group of Ring-neck drakes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> Scaup form new pair bonds yearly while overwintering. They are among the last ducks to pair up. Males make up 70% or so of the population, so finding a hen to pair up with is not always easy. Scaup are usually at least two years old before mating. Interestingly, the males also do not stay with the hen for very long after she starts nesting.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> Hens choose dry areas within 200' of water to nest in, which is different from other diving ducks who often nest precariously near water. Scaup actually lay their eggs while still building their nests, 8-14 olive buff eggs. Older hens lay more eggs and have a better success rate than younger birds. Hens have been known to dump their eggs into the nests of other scaup.The eggs hatch between 21-28 days later. As soon as the fluffy down on the young dries, they can dive underwater to escape danger. Adults have been known to play dead when grabbed by predators, though this has not been noted in ducklings. Often hens form creches, where 1-3 hens tend to the young of multiple nests. Young are abandoned early, often before the 49 or so days it takes them to learn how to fly. With a lot of luck, they can live up to 18 years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-80601643358501037062019-01-16T14:00:00.000-05:002019-01-24T14:28:55.813-05:00City Nature Challenge DC 2019!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Su1-NdRQBqc/XD5LyqXONAI/AAAAAAAADAI/jcnMl1sTsC4RUJgmEmlOcr2CsiCnI92AwCEwYBhgL/s1600/CNC-Banner-DC-no%2Bdate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Su1-NdRQBqc/XD5LyqXONAI/AAAAAAAADAI/jcnMl1sTsC4RUJgmEmlOcr2CsiCnI92AwCEwYBhgL/s400/CNC-Banner-DC-no%2Bdate.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Citizen Science" is scientific
research and data gathering that is conducted or assisted using public
participation, often amateurs and nonprofessionals. Such public interest and
wishing to contribute to science is a growing trend, providing many chances
to tap into volunteers and collect data. All these extra eyes and ears
(and photos) the public can provide can greatly expand how much certain forms
of data can be collected. This is what citizen science is all about, with
regular people providing useful data, but it also can provide great
opportunities for education and public events.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
Bioblitzes are probably the best known natural history citizen science
events. These are typically periods of biological surveying in an attempt
to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of
scientists, naturalists and public volunteers conduct intensive field
study over a continuous time period (usually 24 hours) and record what they
find. A Bioblitz provides a snap shot in time. While it is certainly not a
complete record of what lives in the location, if you take enough snap shots
over different times and seasons, you can get a good picture of what is going
on there. </span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m0UHBt04VgY/XD5XtgvmnzI/AAAAAAAADAQ/7LhNhDhnIO8d7CLUYEHuQ1HeeaL3EjkAwCLcBGAs/s1600/iNaturalist%2Bpic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="400" height="265" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m0UHBt04VgY/XD5XtgvmnzI/AAAAAAAADAQ/7LhNhDhnIO8d7CLUYEHuQ1HeeaL3EjkAwCLcBGAs/s400/iNaturalist%2Bpic.png" width="400" /></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The free iNaturalist app is now more-or-less the standard way for
bioblitzes and other citizen science projects to record natural
history observations. The beauty of the app is that with a simple uploaded
photo, crowd sourcing can then help identify the organism and the observation
is recorded so that worldwide any researchers can data mine the info they need.
You never know what piece of data you could be providing some researcher
somewhere in the world. Here’s a link to various tutorials on how to use the
free app: </span></span><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
You don't even need to know what you're reporting (though the iNaturalist app
has a neat suggested identification feature to provide likely ID
possibilities as well). Thanks to crowd sourcing, other, perhaps more
knowledgeable, people can provide their ID skills. The suggested ID feature also
means that you can basically have a virtual field guide of sorts to use, though
it is much better at some taxa than others. The iNaturalist platform can also
help users setup different projects to provide ongoing check lists and biotic
inventories of parks and other surveyed locations, large and small. For a
great summary of iNaturalist and its use in a bioblitz, setting, please check
out this article and video by Steve Baragona of "Voice of America"
which features a bioblitz we ran: </span></span><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/forget-butterfly-nets-today-naturalists-capture-specimens-on-their-phones/3888031.html"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.voanews.com/a/forget-butterfly-nets-today-naturalists-capture-specimens-on-their-phones/3888031.html</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
The City Nature Challenge is another citizen science event, a friendly global
citizen science competition to see which city can have the most people observe
the most species of wildlife and plants and record them over a 4-day span of
time. Last year 68 cities world-wide competed with many more planning to
participate this year from April 26-29. These cities tallied 441,888
observations by 17,329 people. Think of it as a 4 day bioblitz in multiple
cities across the globe which is planned to be repeated yearly.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The
next big opportunity, and it is repeated yearly, is the global City Nature
Challenge April 26-29, 2019. So mark your calendars and give it a shot, either
personally, as part of one of the many planned events, or perhaps to run an event
yourself. More information can be found here: </span></span></span><a href="http://citynaturechallenge.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">http://citynaturechallenge.org/</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> though there are
many cities with their own individual websites as (here’s the Washington, DC
one I’m taking part in again for example: </span></span><a href="https://citynaturechallengedc.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://citynaturechallengedc.org/</span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> The DC Metro Area did very well indeed in this global event last year, hosting over 40 events. Its 22,809 observations was 5th place overall among all participating cities, behind San Francisco who originally started the competition 3 years ago (41,737 observations), Dallas/Fort Worth (34,218 observations), San Diego (33,448 observations), and Klang Valley/Greater Kuala Lumpur (25,287 observations). Just behind DC were Houston and then New York. Interesting to note was last place Palmer Station, which is perfectly understandable given its in Antarctica (!) with only 3 people posting 36 observations of 27 species. Just ahead of them was Buenos Aires (170 observations of 96 species by 18 people) and San Salvador (220 observations of 52 species using only 6 people). Worldwide, 124 new species were added the iNaturalist data base that had been present before, with Hong Kong providing 57 of them.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> As far as participation, the DC region again did wonderfully! It came in 4th place overall with 876 participants who recorded observations. This was behind San Francisco (1,532 observers), San Diego County (1,211 observers), and Boston (992 observers), while being ahead of Los Angeles, one of the original cities starting the competition with San Francisco, with 855 observers. With over 40 planned organized events, these group events really paid off.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> The DC Metro area also did remarkably well with its species counts, considering some of the tropical places have so much more potential biodiversity. The DC region came in 8th overall with 1,855 species observed.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> So join the fun this year! There are over 100 cities currently planning to participate during the April 26-29, 2019 Challenge. So save the dates as there will be many chances to participate, either on your own or with one of the myriad of events planned. Learn more at <a href="https://citynaturechallengedc.org./"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://citynaturechallengedc.org./</span></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Arlington events include a Barcroft Park Mini BioBlitz on Friday April 26 10am-1pm. More event info and to register, contact <a href="mailto:NaturalResources@arlingtonva.us">NaturalResources@arlingtonva.us</a> or call 703-228-7742. And a City Nature Challenge at Gulf Branch nature Center Saturday April 27, from 10am-11:30am, for more info call 703-228-3403. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> There will be several other events that the Capital Naturalist will be involved with, including a repeat of the fun trip I will lead to Thompson Wildlife Management Area in Linden, VA on Saturday, April 27 featuring the wonderful botanical discoveries and so much more that location has to offer. More to come on that later. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a personal note, the Capital Naturalist was proud to be a City Nature Challenge partner (and to be one again this year!) and to have led multiple events in the DC Metro Area. I’m even prouder to have had a good showing overall, with my 533 observations putting me in 5th place on the DC area leaderboard overall, and my 282 species identified placing me in first place in that category for the region. Better yet, it allowed me ample time outdoors with like-minded people making nature discoveries. What's not to like about that? So here's to the City Nature Challenge again this year, hoping to make even more observations, conducting some citizen science and showing the great diversity of the DC region! So save the dates (April 26-29) and plan on participating! if everyone makes just a few observations, we will surely win this friendly global competition, while having fun, contributing to citizen science, making some wonderful discoveries along the way, and showing the that the DC area has great diversity and interest in citizen science! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMwKNOFHV1Q/XD5edxdulvI/AAAAAAAADAc/32_Q-jVD18M1_ndYL9wOitYVZjHWzetTACLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BScreenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="400" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TMwKNOFHV1Q/XD5edxdulvI/AAAAAAAADAc/32_Q-jVD18M1_ndYL9wOitYVZjHWzetTACLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BScreenshot.png" width="400" /></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-62173307336551615912019-01-15T16:34:00.001-05:002019-01-15T23:42:34.565-05:00Citizen Science as Interpretive Events: Of Bioblitzes and City Nature Challenges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7jzmkJqrqw/XDve-VOheVI/AAAAAAAAC_s/80U3YfKAlkQNEpFgaK6F9CiwalA53EdagCLcBGAs/s1600/24882-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1500" height="175" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H7jzmkJqrqw/XDve-VOheVI/AAAAAAAAC_s/80U3YfKAlkQNEpFgaK6F9CiwalA53EdagCLcBGAs/s400/24882-cover.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r_DBcQsGvhc/XDvfH8pkhVI/AAAAAAAAC_w/41dwA7ZUpYwZxhzI7NCVWzLF1jRt3tTUgCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="758" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r_DBcQsGvhc/XDvfH8pkhVI/AAAAAAAAC_w/41dwA7ZUpYwZxhzI7NCVWzLF1jRt3tTUgCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Citizen Science" is scientific research and data gathering that is conducted or assisted with public participation, often by amateurs and nonprofessionals. Such public interest and wishing to contribute to science is a growing trend, providing many chances to tap into volunteers and collect data. All these extra eyes and ears (and photos) the public can provide can greatly expand how much certain forms of data can be collected. This is what citizen science is all about, with regular people providing useful data, but it also can provide great opportunities for interpretation and public events. </span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Bioblitzes are probably the best known natural history citizen science events. These are typically periods of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and public volunteers conduct intensive field study over a continuous time period (usually 24 hours) and record what they find. A Bioblitz provides a snap shot in time. While it is certainly not a complete record of what lives in the location, if you take enough snap shots over different times and seasons, you can get a good picture of what is </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">going on
there.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAxBfewU7dw/XDvfTp6OAPI/AAAAAAAAC_0/Xvq_TSYxtncDp2lN5OdhOiuazUj228gTQCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BPic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="438" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAxBfewU7dw/XDvfTp6OAPI/AAAAAAAAC_0/Xvq_TSYxtncDp2lN5OdhOiuazUj228gTQCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BPic.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
The free iNaturalist app is now more-or-less the standard way for
bioblitzes and other citizen science projects to record natural
history observations. The beauty of the app is that with a simple uploaded
photo, crowd sourcing can then help identify the organism and the observation
is recorded so that worldwide any researchers can data mine the info they need.
You never know what piece of data you could be providing some researcher
somewhere in the world. Here’s a link to various tutorials on how to use the
free app: </span></span><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> . <br />
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94YubTPkMsc/XDA7575yvAI/AAAAAAAAC-8/wqS6C00M3B4TUJriDIGXf9mo2_L564tUgCLcBGAs/s1600/Great%2BPondhawk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1206" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-94YubTPkMsc/XDA7575yvAI/AAAAAAAAC-8/wqS6C00M3B4TUJriDIGXf9mo2_L564tUgCLcBGAs/s400/Great%2BPondhawk.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Great Pondhawk Dragonfly was photographed by Arlington Regional Master Naturalist volunteer David Howell during the Arlington, Virginia 2018 Bioblitz. It was identified later by several people and led to quite a bit of discussion in dragonfly circles. as it turns out it was a state record and has never been seen this far North in the East before.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial";"> <span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
You don't even need to know what you're reporting (though the iNaturalist app
has a neat suggested identification feature to provide likely ID
possibilities as well). Thanks to crowd sourcing, other, perhaps more
knowledgeable, people can provide their ID skills. The suggested ID feature also
means that you can basically have a virtual field guide of sorts to use, though
it is much better at some taxa than others. The iNaturalist platform can also
help users setup different projects to provide ongoing check lists and biotic
inventories of parks and other surveyed locations, large and small. For a
great summary of iNaturalist and its use in a bioblitz, setting, please check
out this article and video by Steve Baragona of "Voice of America"
which features a bioblitz we ran: </span></span><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/forget-butterfly-nets-today-naturalists-capture-specimens-on-their-phones/3888031.html"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.voanews.com/a/forget-butterfly-nets-today-naturalists-capture-specimens-on-their-phones/3888031.html</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
The City Nature Challenge is another citizen science event, a friendly global
citizen science competition to see which city can have the most people observe
the most species of wildlife and plants and record them over a 4-day span of
time. Last year 68 cities world-wide competed with many more planning to
participate this year from April 26-29. These cities tallied 441,888
observations by 17,329 people. Think of it as a 4 day bioblitz in multiple
cities across the globe which is planned to be repeated yearly. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Bioblitzes
and similar citizen science events such as the City Nature Challenge offer a
lot of interpretive opportunities. To begin with, different teams and their
leaders can serve as natural history walks and short programs. Indeed, by
getting well-known experts and naturalists to lead groups, you can attract a
nice group of interested people, some of which you may discover have great
skill or knowledge in certain areas and thus might be recruited as potential
long term volunteers.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
The central meeting location which many bioblitzes use can also be places for
environmental groups to man booths, activity tables, conduct short
presentations, games, and distribute information. Some activities can be geared
for younger audiences and the novice or general audience who may just want to
see some potential program or show. But the area can also serve to show people
unique activities or to have unusual specimens brought back for ID and to show
others. Indeed, having people bring back invertebrates for an expert to ID can prove
to provide neat discoveries for the public to make. If you stagger teams and
activities, people may show up interested in one thing, but be introduced into
others they may not have thought they were interested in but are willing to try
out. Many people my want to take advantage of an opportunity to be part of
expert teams and learn from them in the field. Take for example this short look
at a fungi ID team during a bioblitz and the process they used which fascinated
many people who had no idea about this wonderful group of organisms: </span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLrn51pBzus"><span style="color: blue; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLrn51pBzus</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Many expressed
interest in learning more about these organisms and were fascinated by the
myriad of fungi they were introduced to in their local parks.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
In preparation for some the bioblitzes I’ve organized and some of the
biotic inventory events I’ve been lucky enough to participate in, we made
several preparations that were also good permanent or temporary habitat
improvements. This included not only placing of strategic habitat logs and creating
stream caves for wildlife, but we also often place "snake boards ".
The boards form artificial cover (and can house much more than just snakes!) and
are setup in areas we then continue to use to record findings and as part of
nature observation programs and walks. We’ve also used bee cup traps, a Malaise
flying insect trap, live box traps, nets, seines, black lights, and different
baits in the past as well, depending on what taxa we were surveying. Each
offered their own program and interpretive opportunities.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F0AhZCE-Pww/XDljenB8Z9I/AAAAAAAAC_U/G8xtWL_cXw4PCCpfXovu25yTunx6Plx6ACEwYBhgL/s1600/Wildlife%2BStudy%2Bsnakebaord.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F0AhZCE-Pww/XDljenB8Z9I/AAAAAAAAC_U/G8xtWL_cXw4PCCpfXovu25yTunx6Plx6ACEwYBhgL/s400/Wildlife%2BStudy%2Bsnakebaord.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Artificial cover, such as these "snake boards" can be placed in advance of a bioblitz or as part of any biotic inventory, and can be left permanently or moved about as places to check during walks or providing additional habitat features.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The power of people
making these “discoveries” themselves cannot be overestimated. Good interpreters
understand the importance of the “wow” or “teachable moment” when something
comes up and makes an important impression with the individual(s) who found it.
Well, when people are out with a leader or on their own and make these
discoveries themselves, it can make a real impact and offer a unique
interpretive moment. Every outing can have the potential for such impactful
“finds”. These discovery moments also help people become aware of what lives in
their parks, which hopefully leads to appreciation, wanting to understand more,
and wanting to take care of the places where they’ve made these discoveries,
what some will note are the social continuum steps towards stewardship. That
people make these discoveries themselves and in their neighborhood parks makes
the stewardship experience even more powerful. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K-iUPHR1Fdk/XDvSnT9qPwI/AAAAAAAAC_g/cLNU-aBAqzcsf5RnppTLIOI_d62FJOqQQCLcBGAs/s1600/fish%2Bshock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1541" data-original-width="1600" height="385" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K-iUPHR1Fdk/XDvSnT9qPwI/AAAAAAAAC_g/cLNU-aBAqzcsf5RnppTLIOI_d62FJOqQQCLcBGAs/s400/fish%2Bshock.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">An electro fish shocking team of colleagues from Fairfax were of great interest to people during the 2017 Arlington Bioblitz.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
These type of biotic survey events can also offer great networking and public
relations possibilities. Staff from neighboring jurisdictions and environmental
groups have often assisted and provided their expertise for events. I myself
have also assisted many other jurisdictions and groups in their bioblitzes,
City Nature Challenge, or other events. This allows for good networking
opportunities, sharing of knowledge, good will, and unofficially "talking
shop." Media often take great interest in these of public events, as
shown in the Voice of American video linked above and much coverage of ongoing
citizen science events. </span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So citizen science special events have
great potential as interpretive and media events. They are rewarding to
participants while providing potential data for researchers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next big opportunity, and it is repeated
yearly, is the global City Nature Challenge April 26-29, 2019. So mark your
calendars and give it a shot, either personally, as part of one of the many
planned events, or perhaps to run an event yourself. More information can be
found here: </span></span><a href="http://citynaturechallenge.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">http://citynaturechallenge.org/</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> though there are
many cities with their own individual websites as (here’s the Washington, DC
one I’m taking part in again for example: </span></span><a href="https://citynaturechallengedc.org/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">https://citynaturechallengedc.org/</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">) Your own
interpretive moments may help to provide valuable data to researchers while
helping you and the public discover the wonders of the natural world all around
their parks. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alonso
Abugattas</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
Capital Naturalist on social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, & Blogspot)
</span><a href="mailto:CapitalNaturalist@gmail.com"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CapitalNaturalist@gmail.com</span></span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cell:
571-274-7403<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-32203443405045771972018-12-17T22:25:00.003-05:002019-01-31T18:40:31.568-05:00Redhead Ducks<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tIjjqgQlwrM/XBgT8BfyvSI/AAAAAAAAC8k/7C0FXdHOdioE1o9c_Q2gpzzDZBRtB0n7wCLcBGAs/s1600/Redhead%2Bdrake%2Blooks%2Blft.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tIjjqgQlwrM/XBgT8BfyvSI/AAAAAAAAC8k/7C0FXdHOdioE1o9c_Q2gpzzDZBRtB0n7wCLcBGAs/s400/Redhead%2Bdrake%2Blooks%2Blft.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An aptly named Redhead Duck drake (male) on an inland lake in Alexandria, VA. <br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <strong>Redhead Ducks </strong>(<em>Aythya americana</em>)</span> are medium-sized (18"-22") diving ducks which visit the mid-Atlantic region in winter. Weighing between 1.5-3lbs, these are considered bay ducks, or pochards in some parts of the world, members of the duck tribe called Aythyini. We have 5 species of bay or freshwater diving ducks locally that are all winter visitors (Redheads, Canvasback, Ring-necked Ducks, and both Greater and Lesser Scaup), though there are some 16 species globally. Though often just called divers, pochards around the world (2 different Genera worldwide) share some similar traits. First of all, most do not inhabit oceans and swim using only their feet (which like other diving birds are placed well back on their bodies). Sea ducks use their wings as well as their feet when swimming. Most male bay ducks also have similar plumage patterns of dark patches with light colors, bright colored eyes, and very similar voices due to having the same voice box apparatus (called fenestrated bullae). They all share a common ancestor. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Redheads are aptly named, the drakes (males) having a bright red head, along with a bluish bill with a black tip, and a black bib. The females are much drabber. They are sometimes confused with their slightly larger cousins the Canvasbacks, but they have a much more rounded foreheads. Like all members of the Genus <em>Aythya, </em>none have the metallic colorful wing feathers referred to as a speculum and have their feet (much more webbed than many other ducks) placed well back on their bodies. This makes them superb divers, but awkward on land. <span style="font-family: "arial";">Like other diving ducks, Redheads need to run or patter along the water's surface before they can take off.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wjwD2m1zMX0/XBg8VV90qbI/AAAAAAAAC9U/KD9FT_OKsA8wu4QTWfl4MyL6jX_-_T6vgCEwYBhgL/s1600/red%2Braft.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wjwD2m1zMX0/XBg8VV90qbI/AAAAAAAAC9U/KD9FT_OKsA8wu4QTWfl4MyL6jX_-_T6vgCEwYBhgL/s400/red%2Braft.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A partial raft of Redhead drakes and hens near Dyke's Marsh on the Potomac River. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> While considered diving ducks, they often do not dive very deeply and sometimes just dabble or feed on the surface like Mallards and other "puddle or dabbling" ducks. Aquatic vegetation makes up a good portion of their diets, but they will also feed on animal matter such as mollusks and crustaceans. This is especially true during their breeding season when they consume the most animal protein. </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnlaj79wzLc/XBg7jAZR2lI/AAAAAAAAC9I/M83lvjv8xqAH9P5zK05G5Jnl8FWElUFKACLcBGAs/s1600/redhead%2Bfood%2Bbill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnlaj79wzLc/XBg7jAZR2lI/AAAAAAAAC9I/M83lvjv8xqAH9P5zK05G5Jnl8FWElUFKACLcBGAs/s400/redhead%2Bfood%2Bbill.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aquatic vegetation, particularly in winter, makes up a good portion of a Redhead diet. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Like other diving ducks, these do not normally nest around the DC region. The vast majority of them nest in the northern prairie pothole and Great Lakes regions. More of them nest within the U.S. as opposed to Canada than all the other diving ducks. They choose treeless wetlands with lots of emergent vegetation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Redhead nests are basket-like and lined with down. They are usually anchored to the surrounding vegetation. The hens lay between 9-13 pale buff eggs which take between 24-28 days to incubate. The drakes leave after incubation starts, hanging out in small bachelor groups where they molt and are flightless for a period of time. The young ducklings fledge from 56-73 days later, but the mother hen often leaves them before the young can fly, sometimes 2-4 weeks prior to obtaining flight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Redheads are well known for brood parasitism. This is an unusual reproductive practice where hens dump their eggs into other birds nests. While other ducks may do this, none to the extent of Redheads. These are usually other Redhead nests, but up to 10 other duck species have been documented as serving host to Redhead egg dumping. They've even been known to lay their eggs in such completely different birds such as American Bitterns and even raptors such as Northern Harriers (Marsh Hawks)! Now this is not always a successful strategy, and those who lay their eggs into nests that are not even ducks rarely survive. In some locales 50% of the eggs are dumped, often by young females who may not even build their own nests. That these ducks nest so close to each other facilitates this behavior as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Redheads who dump into other Redhead nests have the best chance, and some of them don't dump eggs at all or dump only part of their brood. But those that dump into other duck nests may only have 30% success rate if at all. One abandoned nest had 87 eggs in it. The favorite host to dump their eggs into other than another Redhead are their close cousins the Canvasbacks. Perhaps partially due to the chance of being raised in a foster nest, Redheads may hybridize with other ducks, especially other divers like Ring-necks and scaup. If they hybridize with Canvasbacks, the young are actually fertile and can mate as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> We see Redheads during their migration. They spend the winter in the interior parts of the country more so than any other diving duck, though they can range as far south as Guatemala and the Caribbean. While we get some in our area, 80% of all Redheads winter in the Laguna Madre region of Texas and Mexico, where winter flocks of hundreds are the norm. In our region, they tend to be mixed flocks with other ducks, especially other diving ducks, sometimes in small numbers and sometimes in very large rafts. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SytpoiS4CZs/XBg6oOhZjOI/AAAAAAAAC88/xByCfM0w6Mg073GdtEglJbDTclUPLGFugCLcBGAs/s1600/redhead%2Bchased%2Bby%2Bcanada.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SytpoiS4CZs/XBg6oOhZjOI/AAAAAAAAC88/xByCfM0w6Mg073GdtEglJbDTclUPLGFugCLcBGAs/s400/redhead%2Bchased%2Bby%2Bcanada.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Redhead swims away from a Canada Goose intent on stealing the food it just brought up during a dive. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Populations of Redheads overall have been relatively steady since 1955, though these are well below historical levels. Population numbers tend to be over a million birds, making up about 2% of the duck numbers in North America. However some areas have had greater declines than others. The worst regional declines seem to be an 87% decline in the Great Basin region, and even worse a 99% decline in Idaho, but overall the populations seem to have been steady and readjusted to other areas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> These declines are usually considered to be due to habitat loss and changes such as droughts. Hunting pressure on them is relatively low, as they make up less than 1% of harvested ducks. This despite their widespread nature and their mild taste (due to vegetable matter making up such a large portion of their diet). This is also surprising as they decoy very well, earning a nick name in some places as Fool Ducks, being easily tricked into hunting range. But game laws and conservation practices seem to make hunting losses negligible to the overall population. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y2eB4luOx-8/XBg5_VaitsI/AAAAAAAAC80/YOYtK82OHYo9DV3UQAO55b2KPpGxm_SyQCLcBGAs/s1600/Redhead%2Bwith%2BRingnecks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y2eB4luOx-8/XBg5_VaitsI/AAAAAAAAC80/YOYtK82OHYo9DV3UQAO55b2KPpGxm_SyQCLcBGAs/s400/Redhead%2Bwith%2BRingnecks.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Redhead Duck drake preens its feathers among some of its Ring-necked duck cousins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> In our area, look for Redheads mixed in with other ducks in large open waters. I seem to bump into good numbers mixed in with Scaup ducks along the shallow stretches of the Potomac. They may reach the age of 12 years or so, and the accepted record so far from a banded bird is 22 years. So when you're near open freshwater (though again they can tolerate salty bays and such as well) keep an eye out for large rafts of diving ducks. If you search those groups, you may be rewarded with seeing Redheads among their numbers before they head back to their normal breeding grounds in the late spring. I'll leave you with a short video clip from the Capital Naturalist YouTube Channel of a Redhead drake that showed up in Kingstowne Lake in Alexandria: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woVa6Crdem8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woVa6Crdem8</a> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wi_q_BGCrHk/XBg9UJIg2rI/AAAAAAAAC9c/4KUA7MdecwsBbVLE3K4NK7OB-uRVBJ9AwCLcBGAs/s1600/Redhead%2Bswiming%2Baway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="1600" height="156" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wi_q_BGCrHk/XBg9UJIg2rI/AAAAAAAAC9c/4KUA7MdecwsBbVLE3K4NK7OB-uRVBJ9AwCLcBGAs/s400/Redhead%2Bswiming%2Baway.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";">
</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-71367086757635085472018-11-26T13:49:00.000-05:002018-11-26T22:31:22.721-05:00Great Pondhawk<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwVqtd6Pg-o/W_w9ZxsUDfI/AAAAAAAAC8A/KUVVyKZ3f7Q_R22SN6GNUZvWDK7n9gM0ACLcBGAs/s1600/Great%2BPondhawk%2Bfinal%2Bcut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zwVqtd6Pg-o/W_w9ZxsUDfI/AAAAAAAAC8A/KUVVyKZ3f7Q_R22SN6GNUZvWDK7n9gM0ACLcBGAs/s400/Great%2BPondhawk%2Bfinal%2Bcut.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Great Pondhawk, photographed and posted to the Arlington Bioblitz and iNaturalist by David Howell. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial";"> Bioblitzes are always neat ways for people to contribute to citizen science efforts. The second one ever conducted in Arlington Virginia was scheduled for September 15th as a much smaller scale effort to document the natural history of Glencarlyn Park on that particular day. The results were quite encouraging and help not just add to the biotic inventory of the County and park, but help staff know a bit more about their efforts at natural resource management, add data for the upcoming revision of the natural resource management pan for the County, and help people realize just how wonderful the natural treasures in Arlington, as developed as it is, can be. A brief summary of the event is available here: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/10/arlington-bioblitz-summary.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/10/arlington-bioblitz-summary.html</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">while information on bioblitzes in general can be found here: <a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/arlington-bioblitz-2018.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/arlington-bioblitz-2018.html</a> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> As the information as posted is crowd sourced and open for people to help identify and confirm observations, it can sometimes take a while to get all the results back. While bioblitzes always provide good information and data, this last one provided a bit more of a last surprise. After one of the photo observations made by David Howell which he posted on iNaturalist started making the rounds, several people noticed what they thought was something quite interesting. The photo was sent to several experts and dragonfly discussion groups and the consensus was that what had been photographed was a Great Pondhawk Dragonfly (<em>Erythemis vesiculosa</em>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> This appears to be a new state record for this mostly tropical dragonfly. While it is a very large and powerful flying dragonfly, it rarely strays North of Florida in the East, with the only previous record I could find of the next northernmost record being of one being near Savanah, Georgia back on September 18th of 2013 (interestingly 3 days and 4 years earlier). In fact, while it's been known to go as far north as Kansas in the West, it is never common anywhere in the USA.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> The Great Pondhawk, as its name suggests is a large and powerful dragonfly, often eating other large insects including other dragonflies. It is not uncommon in Mexico and has a range into South America as far as Argentina. It is such a strong flyer that it often ends up on Caribbean islands, even being featured on a few island's postage stamps. But it rarely strays north in the East, even in Florida. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Some are theorizing that it was carried along with the strong storms over a week earlier and found a safe habitat in Arlington. Regardless, it adds to the knowledge and range of this species. It also shows that sharp eyed volunteers can add to the collective knowledge of our natural world, the value of events such as bioblitzes, and now adding a new species not only to Arlington County, but to Virginia as well. If you'd like to help citizen science and maybe make some interesting discoveries of your own, I encourage you to do so using, for example, the free iNaturalist application. Also, please join us for the next big biotic inventory event, the City Nature Challenge scheduled for April 26 - 29 of 2019. The DC Metro area has done well in this event in the past and we hope you can join our team to make next year's even better, while providing much needed observations and making your own discoveries of the natural world. For a wrap-up of last year's fun event, please check this out: <a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/05/city-nature-challenge-2018.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/05/city-nature-challenge-2018.html</a> </span>Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-28468975841766847962018-10-12T10:29:00.000-04:002018-10-12T11:00:17.153-04:00Arlington BioBlitz Summary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJeaxMVUqPw/W7_yicliKbI/AAAAAAAAC5c/1YJKAr9AE3M1IM2FY-7UcF40TK0aJ7jAACLcBGAs/s1600/24882-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="1500" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZJeaxMVUqPw/W7_yicliKbI/AAAAAAAAC5c/1YJKAr9AE3M1IM2FY-7UcF40TK0aJ7jAACLcBGAs/s400/24882-cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> The second ever Arlington Bioblitz scheduled for September 15th of 2018 had always been planned as a smaller and more focused event than the first one conducted last May 20, 2017. It was planned to be done at one park rather than several and over a shorter period of time. But it became an even smaller event when predicted stormy weather ahead of the day caused several team leaders to reconsider and less people to sign up. However, 38 people divided in several teams did participate. You can read more about the lead up to the Arlington BioBlitz and why these bioblitzes are conducted here: <a href="http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/arlington-bioblitz-2018.html">http://capitalnaturalist.blogspot.com/2018/09/arlington-bioblitz-2018.html</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--uI5Q4t1Eys/W7_0lbJLwRI/AAAAAAAAC5o/RO5M_nbvPDo8rTLnjBJ7ygA12A2pyhILgCLcBGAs/s1600/arl%2Bbioblitz%2B2018%2Bcrew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--uI5Q4t1Eys/W7_0lbJLwRI/AAAAAAAAC5o/RO5M_nbvPDo8rTLnjBJ7ygA12A2pyhILgCLcBGAs/s400/arl%2Bbioblitz%2B2018%2Bcrew.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the 2018 Arlington BioBlitz team.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Luckily, the weather held for us, and these folks tallied 762 observations of 362 different species, representing some interesting biodiversity for Glencarlyn Park where all the activities took place. While some observations still need to be added and some identifications still need to be confirmed, we do have some initial numbers.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bEwyCRldlfY/W7_3B6gLCYI/AAAAAAAAC54/2-DTBnOm2mMrNyVRVOQI2D4kMjzk66gWwCLcBGAs/s1600/arl%2Bbioblitz%2B2018%2Bring%2Bneck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bEwyCRldlfY/W7_3B6gLCYI/AAAAAAAAC54/2-DTBnOm2mMrNyVRVOQI2D4kMjzk66gWwCLcBGAs/s400/arl%2Bbioblitz%2B2018%2Bring%2Bneck.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Arlington BioBlitz herpetology team with a Northern Ring-necked Snake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> An early morning bird watching team saw 26 bird species, including some migrating warblers such as both Tennessee and Chestnut-Sided Warblers. Botany teams recorded 166 different plant species. While only two amphibians and 4 reptiles were seen, one was of a Ring-necked Snake under a snake board placed out there as habitat and to make surveys for wildlife easier. This snake is fairly uncommon in Arlington and had not been recorded in Glencarlyn before, so was a very good find. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRro4bxQrZo/W7_3enyWFaI/AAAAAAAAC6A/38VdUaKtHCYdCSQFGZ1YPr_UdCl3TUTXgCLcBGAs/s1600/Northern%2BRing-necked.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hRro4bxQrZo/W7_3enyWFaI/AAAAAAAAC6A/38VdUaKtHCYdCSQFGZ1YPr_UdCl3TUTXgCLcBGAs/s400/Northern%2BRing-necked.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Ring-necked Snake found under a snakeboard in Glencarlyn Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Seventy-six insects species along with a dozen arachnids were also noted. These included two unusual butterflies for Arlington, the Fiery and the Ocola Skippers, which only are seen late in the season when they move through as they cannot survive our winters. The Ocola was a first for our Arlington County records. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YH3jX9-JRWo/W8AAtqJiOGI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/na-JUvGjoQAzpbFHn3l5ojrnn7UkGBo1ACLcBGAs/s1600/Ocola%2BHowell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="852" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YH3jX9-JRWo/W8AAtqJiOGI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/na-JUvGjoQAzpbFHn3l5ojrnn7UkGBo1ACLcBGAs/s400/Ocola%2BHowell.jpg" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocala Skipper on Pickerelweed taken by David Howell during the 2018 Arlington County BioBlitz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> Another insect, the Mile-a-Minute Weevil, is a recently introduced beetle that was released in an effort to manage numbers of the terribly invasive Mile-a-Minute Vine. It wasn't even an option to pick from in the iNaturalist application used to record and crowd source identifications, though after we pointed this out, it has since been added. Several years ago, Fairfax County had gotten approval for its release as a test biological control. When some showed up in Arlington, we purposely did not treat the Mile-a-Minute Vine where it was seen to let it get established. That seems to have worked quite well and we are finding it now wherever the invasive host plant is found.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIIWVzIDnwI/W8AClllzfhI/AAAAAAAAC6k/t-_1t4tUJP0YF_ONVHLTuDgNwcbsnaoOgCLcBGAs/s1600/mile%2Ba%2Bminute%2Bweevil%2BRhinocominus%2Blatipes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iIIWVzIDnwI/W8AClllzfhI/AAAAAAAAC6k/t-_1t4tUJP0YF_ONVHLTuDgNwcbsnaoOgCLcBGAs/s400/mile%2Ba%2Bminute%2Bweevil%2BRhinocominus%2Blatipes.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mile-a-Minute Weevil on Mile-a-Minute found during the Arlington BioBlitz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> The mycology team of fungi hunters had a very successful search, finding more than twice as many mushroom species as the previous year, likely due to all the wet weather leading up the BioBlitz. They tallied 66 species. This along with last year's results will be used by them as the baseline for a "Fungi of Arlington/Alexandria" project they've been working on. For an interesting look at how they conducted their search, please check out this short video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLrn51pBzus">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLrn51pBzus</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCuGadMHHwY/W8AJtdEdrPI/AAAAAAAAC6w/Zc1eNVNQCLkRUIzDtmoOCxUykyjsa5gawCLcBGAs/s1600/beefsteak%2Bmushroom%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UCuGadMHHwY/W8AJtdEdrPI/AAAAAAAAC6w/Zc1eNVNQCLkRUIzDtmoOCxUykyjsa5gawCLcBGAs/s400/beefsteak%2Bmushroom%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Beefsteak Mushroom, oozing in its classic way that helps identify it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gm-r95LRu18/W8ALHvmtKRI/AAAAAAAAC68/yyHuhwKNrv0eODAhggmfDP1XOZfU2aVpACLcBGAs/s1600/Dog%2Bnose%2Basphalt%2Bfungi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gm-r95LRu18/W8ALHvmtKRI/AAAAAAAAC68/yyHuhwKNrv0eODAhggmfDP1XOZfU2aVpACLcBGAs/s400/Dog%2Bnose%2Basphalt%2Bfungi.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The strange looking Dog-nose Asphalt Fungi, another Arlington first.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial";"> All in all, a fun and hands-on way to collect a survey of the natural world. While it's only a snap shot in time, by doing enough of these snapshots using the observations of citizen scientists, we get a better picture of the natural world for that location. This is just one method of getting biotic inventory to get a better idea of what animals and plants live in Arlington. Knowing what we have of course is necessary for us to better manage what we have left of the natural world, as well allowing us to compare if what we're doing is working. This is all leading up to the next update of Arlington's Natural Resources Management Plan which will hopefully take place over the next year or more. If you'd like to contribute observations, please try the iNaturalist app at <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/">https://www.inaturalist.org/</a> and if you'd like to see more results for the Arlington Bioblitz, search under Projects for the 2018 Arlington County BioBlitz. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cIvk7wQspf8/W7_4ijoOUvI/AAAAAAAAC6M/5MPJRL5OxWA-8PqB81d26u8XR3-yYXFegCLcBGAs/s1600/Firths%2BRobin%2Band%2BPenny%2BFungi%2BteamArl%2BBioblitz%2B2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cIvk7wQspf8/W7_4ijoOUvI/AAAAAAAAC6M/5MPJRL5OxWA-8PqB81d26u8XR3-yYXFegCLcBGAs/s400/Firths%2BRobin%2Band%2BPenny%2BFungi%2BteamArl%2BBioblitz%2B2018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BioBlitz Mycology (Fungi) team discusses a discovery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-34026223027885951212018-09-13T12:07:00.000-04:002018-09-13T12:07:15.608-04:00Arlington Bioblitz 2018<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CAw64l2BJfA/W5p1fsv_PkI/AAAAAAAAC5M/5VHrKXBv0rQaIZ6JAtJjqiYgu4_HkePPQCLcBGAs/s1600/Bioblitz%2B2017%2Bteam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="1275" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CAw64l2BJfA/W5p1fsv_PkI/AAAAAAAAC5M/5VHrKXBv0rQaIZ6JAtJjqiYgu4_HkePPQCLcBGAs/s400/Bioblitz%2B2017%2Bteam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the 92 people who participated in Arlington's first Bioblitz in 2017, which tallied 1245 observations of 468 different species, including this Giant Puffball Fungus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A bioblitz is a quick, but intense, biotic survey completed within a 24 hour period. Consider it a snap shot in time of what plants and wildlife are found in a certain place during that period of time. While this is certainly not a complete record of what lives there, it provides a vital look at what is there during that period. If you get enough snap shots, then you can get a clear picture of what’s there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The Arlington Bioblitz is part of a much larger and longer survey of what we have in Arlington. Over at least a two year period, the results of this and even more surveys will help us know what we have, and compare it to what we have recorded before or what was historically present. This information will help shape the new update of the County’s Natural Resource Management Plan. You can’t manage and preserve what you don’t know you have, so this info is vital. You can see the previous County Board approved plan here: </span><a href="https://projects.arlingtonva.us/natural-resources-management-plan/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://projects.arlingtonva.us/natural-resources-management-plan/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you’d like to see the technical report (granted also in need of updating using new survey information) that resulted from our previous county biotic surveys, please check here: </span><a href="https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wildlife-arlington/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://projects.arlingtonva.us/wildlife-arlington/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The Arlington Bioblitz will kick off many more surveys where we will check on previous records and see how those plants and animals are doing (and get an idea of how our Natural Resources Management Plan has done). But we may also find new flora and fauna that can influence what the new Natural Resources Management Plan update will include. Some of this will be done by County staff, some by contracted experts, and much more with the aid of volunteers and citizen scientists.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This is where the general public such as you comes in. We hope you can join us that day (and stick around to help with the surveys that follow) to record what you see. Join a Bioblitz survey team. Perhaps you have an expertise and can help lead a team. Perhaps you can help be an extra pair of eyes or help record what is seen. We plan to use the iNaturalist application to collect most of the data. This where regular folks along with experts can record sightings, often using a photograph that can serve as a voucher of what was seen and which can be verified by others. More on this neat process here: </span><a href="http://www.inaturalist.org/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.inaturalist.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> with a tutorial found here: <span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKGj8gGGxs68%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&data=02%7C01%7C%7Caa0cd4b1031a4fe2159708d6198fbb74%7C803548041fdf428e9f5f5091e994cf54%7C0%7C0%7C636724502440245089&sdata=fJFUn0HN1NrXp%2FNwAcccCZdcv9QFbF6OlX8fiR9K2RU%3D&reserved=0"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGj8gGGxs68&feature=youtu.be</span></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Please not that we will have our headquarters at
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvironment.arlingtonva.us%2Flocations%2Fglencarlyn-picnic-pavilion-1%2F&data=02%7C01%7Caabugattas%40arlingtonva.us%7Cd6e142ebb2754dba373008d6197d43d0%7C803548041fdf428e9f5f5091e994cf54%7C0%7C0%7C636724423134420061&sdata=RhEZSu7u%2F6phd%2BUjH4sZFxcOnSzfyU%2B4qZfbB2%2BfSpU%3D&reserved=0"><span style="border: 1pt windowtext; color: #277c3a; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Glencarlyn Park Picnic
Pavilion #1</span></a></span> ( 401 South Harrison St, Arlington VA
22204) <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and will restrict our observations to that park.</span> A project for this
Bioblitz has been setup in iNaturalist, which will be our primary recording
tool. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Want to lead a team or get even more info? Check out the County web page: </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenvironment.arlingtonva.us%2Fevents%2Farlington-bioblitz%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Caa0cd4b1031a4fe2159708d6198fbb74%7C803548041fdf428e9f5f5091e994cf54%7C0%7C0%7C636724502440245089&sdata=%2FgmmCc2d3rzLATcbTEhuLTbl9A39R53SYc4sVimmyBU%3D&reserved=0" originalsrc="https://environment.arlingtonva.us/events/arlington-bioblitz/" shash="Lfpgvla9WzXLYx3Ct3CDzuSZXPMoPAE7/6xpqjZIDG4L0si4AO6Nch4W6e3Wojiik+aGacPNGOwQO/gZ7UXAJBWIqNyz+kLKvm4j0EWmkptVs/4ixOoU9ViUZSvUnVMSi83O2vUfEzYagwxh+2NEC2+4TW8V/tcHrlRygXL8DKw="><span style="color: #0563c1;"></span></a><span style="color: #0563c1;"><a href="https://environment.arlingtonva.us/events/arlington-bioblitz/ ">https://environment.arlingtonva.us/events/arlington-bioblitz/</a></span><a href="https://environment.arlingtonva.us/events/arlington-bioblitz/ "><a href="https://environment.arlingtonva.us/events/arlington-bioblitz/"> </a></a></span> or contact Arlington County Parks Natural Resources Manager Alonso Abugattas at either AAbugattas@arlingtonva.us or by phone at 703-2287742. Participating in a bioblitz is not only a lot of fun, but provides some valuable citizen science. To join a team sign up here: <span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.signupgenius.com%2Fgo%2F60B0B4FA8AB22A31-20181&data=02%7C01%7C%7Caa0cd4b1031a4fe2159708d6198fbb74%7C803548041fdf428e9f5f5091e994cf54%7C0%7C0%7C636724502440245089&sdata=FjfzpRXjdyqojxMdAaGwx5GDpazbJOxBMryBTNTHFYo%3D&reserved=0"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0B4FA8AB22A31-20181</span></a></span> Recording these nature discoveries helps us know what we have and how we can better protect them. But it is also a great hands-on way to learn from experts and one another, all in a social and informative manner.</span></div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-70243343709868090062018-05-08T10:39:00.001-04:002018-11-26T13:36:04.346-05:00City Nature Challenge 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-724G46No_64/WvDE4rORV1I/AAAAAAAAC4U/GMLOsZK71oULR_d3DEMb4Q99IA6vuCvkgCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="758" height="170" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-724G46No_64/WvDE4rORV1I/AAAAAAAAC4U/GMLOsZK71oULR_d3DEMb4Q99IA6vuCvkgCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BDC%2BLogo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A friendly global challenge was issued this year: Which cities could engage the most people to record the most observations of wildlife and plants, and find the most species over 4 days, April 27-30? There were</span><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">68 cities worldwide who answered the call. These cities tallied </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">441,888
observations by 17,329 people. Of these, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">63 cities
used iNaturalist resulting in 423,845 observations of 18,116 species by 16,544
people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The free iNaturalist app is now the standard way for bioblitzes and other citizen science (the involvement of the general public in scientific research and data collection) projects to record information. The beauty of the app is that with a simple uploaded photo, crowd sourcing can then help identify the organism and the observation is recorded so that worldwide any researchers can data mine the info they need. You never know what piece of data you could be providing some researcher somewhere in the world. You don't even need to know what you're reporting (though the iNaturalist app has a neat suggested identification feature to provide likely ID possibilities) due to the crowd sourcing that allows other perhaps more knowledgeable people to provide their ID skills. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NAsElCaIj4/WvEDltGPNEI/AAAAAAAAC4s/_LoPGgIUXUsz5xS5oaqud5pd1Ai4a8GugCLcBGAs/s1600/Xystodesmid%2BApheloria%2Bvirginiensis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5NAsElCaIj4/WvEDltGPNEI/AAAAAAAAC4s/_LoPGgIUXUsz5xS5oaqud5pd1Ai4a8GugCLcBGAs/s400/Xystodesmid%2BApheloria%2Bvirginiensis.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the groups I led found cyanide producing Xystodesmid millipedes, <i>Apheloria virginiensis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The DC Metro
Area did very well indeed in this global event:</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Its 22,809 observations was 5<sup>th</sup>
place overall, behind San Francisco which started the competition 3 years ago
(41,737 observations), Dallas/Fort Worth (34,218 observations), San Diego
(33,448 observations), and Klang Valley/Greater Kuala Lumpur (25,287
observations). Just behind DC were Houston followed by New York. Coming in last
was Palmer Station Antarctica which understandably only had 36 observations (but
27 species with only 3 people in Antarctica of all places!), just behind Buenos Aires (170 observations of
96 species with 18 people) and El Salvador with 220 observations of 52 species using only
6 people. Globally 124 new species were added to the iNaturalist data base that
had not been present before, with Hong Kong providing 57 of them. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As far as participation, the DC
region again did wonderfully! It came in 4<sup>th</sup> place overall with 876
participants who made observations. This was behind San Francisco (1,532 observers),
San Diego County (1211 observers), Boston (992 observers), and just ahead of
Los Angeles (which also started the competition 3 years ago with San Francisco,
with 855 observers). With over 40 planned DC regional events over the competition period,
it turned out those group events really paid off.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> The </span>DC Metro Area also did remarkably well with its
species count, considering some tropical places have much more biodiversity. The DC Metro
Area came in 8<sup>th</sup> overall with 1,855 species observed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P8fdljuISc/WvECkEJjjwI/AAAAAAAAC4k/as2TtymxHpQrqoW1MsUQYyKuH2jDKLPJgCLcBGAs/s1600/adder%2527s%2Btongue%2Bfern.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3P8fdljuISc/WvECkEJjjwI/AAAAAAAAC4k/as2TtymxHpQrqoW1MsUQYyKuH2jDKLPJgCLcBGAs/s400/adder%2527s%2Btongue%2Bfern.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Among one of neat findings was this Southern Adder's Tongue Fern at Huntley Meadows Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Arlington had a good showing overall
as well for the DC region it was included in. Of the over 40 DC Metro Area planned events, Arlington led or had a
leading partner role in 25 of them. Within Arlington County itself, 134 observers
tallied 3,957 observations and identified 644 species. The top observed species
for Arlington were the American Robin (reported 46 times) and Virginia Creeper (reported 46
times). Some unusual sightings will need to be investigated and verified as they might prove to be very interesting. While
some are positive, the observations of potential new invasive plants are also
important to know about, and a few were indeed reported. Overall, a very respectable showing and demonstration
of Arlington’s commitment to citizen science. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This City Nature Challenge proved to
be a fun and friendly competition that did show that the DC area has great
diversity and interest in citizen science. While it will take a while to digest
what these nature observations will add up to as far as research contributions,
the overall interest and caring of the environmental community was front stage
on a worldwide scale. This event was also a great dry run and warm up for
Arlington’s BioBlitz scheduled for Saturday, September 15<sup>th</sup>, 2018.
Hoping it can be great event with lots of participation and observations as
well. So mark your calendars now so you can participate! As for next year's City Nature Challenge, we will hopefully learn more about that date soon so we can gear up and do even better next time around!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On a personal note, the Capital Naturalist
was proud to be a City Nature Challenge partner and to have led multiple events in the DC Metro Area.
I’m even prouder to have had a good showing overall, with my 533 observations
putting me in 5<sup>th</sup> place on the DC area leaderboard overall, and my 282
species identified placing me in first place in that category for the region. better yet, it allowed me ample opportunities to be outdoors with like-minded people having fun making nature discoveries. What's not to like about that? So here's to citizen science, future bioblitzes, City Nature Challenges, and all the other ways to make fun nature discoveries in our wonderfully diverse region! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nGp94Pumqzk/WvDANQNVhJI/AAAAAAAAC4I/AztPuIAHAaIe4LYwwygQ53_r6yJ5UcyzwCLcBGAs/s1600/CNC%2BScreenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nGp94Pumqzk/WvDANQNVhJI/AAAAAAAAC4I/AztPuIAHAaIe4LYwwygQ53_r6yJ5UcyzwCLcBGAs/s400/CNC%2BScreenshot.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The City Nature Challenge DC Leaderboard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
</div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7457205109032775199.post-79860956152451369732018-02-26T00:27:00.003-05:002022-02-22T11:36:13.702-05:00National Invasive Species Awareness Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XpA35irDAl4/WpMnZQP22lI/AAAAAAAAC2w/OZoVoZZkH6Ucmn2qBHn6KSCUUGbyFUbiwCLcBGAs/s1600/NISAW-logo09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="650" height="158" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XpA35irDAl4/WpMnZQP22lI/AAAAAAAAC2w/OZoVoZZkH6Ucmn2qBHn6KSCUUGbyFUbiwCLcBGAs/s400/NISAW-logo09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Please note the beginning of National Invasive Species Awareness Week (February 28 - March 4). Invasive species are non-native organisms that, often because they're free from natural controls they had in their native lands, cause ecological, economic or human harm in the new lands they've been introduced into. They often have several traits in common besides freedom from their original natural controls. They often for example reproduce very quickly and out compete native fauna and flora. Though some, such as many exotic invasive plants introduced for the horticultural trade, may look harmless, they can cause great harm. The National Wildlife Federation estimates that 42% of threatened and endangered species are at risk due to invasives. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Arlington County, like all our region's jurisdictions, recognizes these threats. In fact, page 21 of the Arlington County Board approved Natural Resources Management Plan has this statement: "Invasive plant species represent the greatest and most immediate threat to the continued survival of Arlington's natural lands and native plant communities." Arlington, like so many neighboring jurisdictions, has committed many resources and efforts to manage invasives. </span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCG8tTZRhmM/WpMqTYiCvZI/AAAAAAAAC28/L_xemVhgx90STWV0YWmw0YVMO7Rj00EjACLcBGAs/s1600/RIP-Logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="333" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCG8tTZRhmM/WpMqTYiCvZI/AAAAAAAAC28/L_xemVhgx90STWV0YWmw0YVMO7Rj00EjACLcBGAs/s400/RIP-Logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Again like many jurisdictions, Arlington has an Invasive Plant program as part of our Natural Resources Management Unit. It has a dedicated budget and a rolling 10-year invasives management plan based on ecological priorities and citizen interest to maximize our limited resources. You can find out more about it here:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability-and-Environment/Trees/Invasive-Plants" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Invasive Plants – Official Website of Arlington County Virginia Government (arlingtonva.us)</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Arlington's program uses mechanical, biological, chemical, and cultural methods to manage invasives. In addition to staff and contractual services, the County also depends heavily on volunteers to help. Called RiP (Remove Invasive Plants), the volunteer program has weekly events and dedicated, trained volunteers. We invite you to participate (through the link above) and also note that a great many other jurisdictions have similar programs, including many that call themselves Weed Warriors. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Many environmental groups also have their own programs they use to cooperate with local governments. One such program was launched by the TreeStewards and Arlington Regional Master Naturalists. It focuses on calling attention to the problems English Ivy causes. You can check out the "Choking Hazard" brochure here:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2013/11/choking-hazard-brochure.pdf" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2013/11/choking-hazard-brochure.pdf</a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GxW3Cm9-Z5c/WpMq2eRi_gI/AAAAAAAAC3E/jQ4NHqXDnssGWg4GYg4pWNYDNiPxWoCrACLcBGAs/s1600/choking-hazard1-300x103.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="103" data-original-width="300" height="137" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GxW3Cm9-Z5c/WpMq2eRi_gI/AAAAAAAAC3E/jQ4NHqXDnssGWg4GYg4pWNYDNiPxWoCrACLcBGAs/s400/choking-hazard1-300x103.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> There are also several regional efforts and resources available. One such resource is the Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council (MAIPC) in which Arlington staff serves as the Virginia state representative. You can find out more about it here: <a href="http://www.maipc.org/">http://www.maipc.org/</a> and you can check out the excellent invasive plant lists they've developed here:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> <a href="https://www.invasive.org/maweeds.cfm">https://www.invasive.org/maweeds.cfm</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Much more locally is the newly formed NoVA PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management). Arlington applied for and was awarded a matching $140,000 grant to form this multi jurisdictional partnership. Arlington hired and housed the coordinator and oversaw the grant. It includes not just governmental partners but also groups and businesses, such as master naturalists, Earth Sangha and Dominion Energy. It is centered along the whole 45 miles of the W&OD Trail. The grant aims to map habitats and come up with an invasives management plan for the trail. It featured multiple pilot projects to create meadows in Arlington and Falls Church and to foster cooperation between all the partners.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Arlington is also on the steering committee for the newly forming NCR-PRISM (National Capital Region Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management). This is the expansion of the existing DC Cooperative Weed Management Area to include more of the region and to expand its efforts beyond just invasive plants. It will focus its efforts on a new program sponsored by the Department of Interior's National Invasive Species Council (NISC) called "Invader Detectives." Arlington staff was also involved with assisting in developing this program which will hopefully later on go nation wide if successful in the DC area. It will feature citizen scientists looking for potential new invasives of all types on watch lists so the principles of Early Detection, Rapid Response can be tried.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> To throw yet more terminology out there, EDRR (Early Detection, Rapid Response) is the principle that the best way to deal with exotic invasive species is to do so when they're detected early enough that they do not have a firm foot hold yet. Eliminating invasive species while they have not yet gotten established is the most cost effective way as the population is small and the odds of success in keeping the problem from spreading is best.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> This can really work. Here's an example. Arlington County has the dubious distinction of being the first location in Virginia for a potential new invasive shrub, Castor Aralia (<i>Kalopanax septemlobus</i>) in June of 2012. We however quickly eliminated it before it spread and got established (it had been in a 15' colony). We were lucky it had not spread more where control efforts could have been much more costly and the ecological damage done much worse. More on Arlington County's EDRR program can be seen here:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability-and-Environment/Trees/Invasive-Plants/Invasive-Plants-Early-Detection-and-Rapid-Response" target="_blank">https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Sustainability-and-Environment/Trees/Invasive-Plants/Invasive-Plants-Early-Detection-and-Rapid-Response</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnyBXpQBNnA/XHAn71y-N_I/AAAAAAAADFc/p-8SmXo2zhYOe1o2ovjEKDylOXE66MEkQCLcBGAs/s1600/castor%2Baralia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xnyBXpQBNnA/XHAn71y-N_I/AAAAAAAADFc/p-8SmXo2zhYOe1o2ovjEKDylOXE66MEkQCLcBGAs/s400/castor%2Baralia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EDRR target species Castor Aralia. Photo taken just after a voucher specimen was collected and the colony was eradicated from an Arlington County Park. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> Hopefully this blog article has helped to make you more aware of invasive species and the local efforts to manage them. As you can see there are lots of ways to get involved and get better informed. To find out even more about National Invasive Species Awareness Week, webinars and events check out the website: <a href="https://www.nisaw.org/">https://www.nisaw.org/</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></div>
Capital Naturalisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08552243732770888229noreply@blogger.com2