June 11, 2023: Fern Weather

A stretch of cool, damp weather is just what ferns and other wetland-dwelling plants love, so they were in their element this week.

Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)

The cinnamon fern is identifiable by its distinctive cinnamon-colored central fronds that grow straight up, surrounded by large green fronds, both of which can grow up to five feet high in fertile wetlands.  When these ferns emerge in spring as fiddleheads they resemble the edible ostrich fern, but cinnamon fiddleheads have a white, fuzzy covering over them.

Don't eat fiddleheads that have this white, fuzzy covering.

In comparison, ostrich ferns have a thin, brown, papery covering.  Even the edible ostrich fern can contain toxins, but not enough to cause problems.  The cinnamon fern has sufficient toxins that if eaten can cause nausea and other symptoms.  

The Jack-in-the-Pulpit is often found in cultivated gardens, but it also grows wild in the Lakes Region.  I found this one at the edge of a drainage ditch along a dirt road.  It took me a minute to figure out why it didn't look quite right:  its leaves had been chomped off by a deer.

Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Note the bare stalks where the leaves have been eaten off the top.

Another plant that favors cool and damp is the false Soloman's seal.

False Soloman's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)

Later in the summer the pretty white flowers will produce deep-red berries which are edible, but with a large pit and little flesh, they're not worth much more than a sample of one or two as you pass them by.

One more spring flower blooming now is the bluebead lily.

These will have large, blue berries in mid-summer, but they are not edible.

Thanks to Amy Wilson's good eye, we finally confirmed that the female of the loon pair that nests in Harris Cove has returned.  Reports are that the pair continues to poke around the islands looking for a safe place to build a nest but still hasn't settled on a site.  The Loon Preservation Committee biologist visited Wicwas again this week and confirmed that all is well on the northern nest.  

One of the Harris Cove loons caught itself a really nice meal one morning.

A fish this size might be a whole meal.

It had to spend several minutes beating it up enough to dare to swallow it.

A loon doesn't want a fish this large flailing around in its gullet.

It looks to me like the fish was a black crappie.

That's a favorite pan fish for humans too!

May 12, 2019: Happy Mother's Day!

Did you get your fiddleheads yet?

Fiddleheads push up through warming soil

The ferns have been pushing up through the spring earth, and though I don't harvest them myself, Picnic Rock Farm has had them and they've been awfully good.  And fiddleheads are highly nutritious, packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, iron, manganese, and copper.  It's a short season, so if you want some you need to act quickly.

The fern above is a cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea - how appropriate for it to have "mom" in its name), which is not the preferred fern to eat;  that would be the ostrich fern (Matteuceuia struthiopteris) which has much less husk that needs to be removed.

Another plant growing rapidly is the aspen which has the largest leaves right now, and based on the abundant flowers is probably a major source of pollen at this point.

Aspen burst out leaves and flowers early in the season

Other trees have only buds or small leaves, which provides an opportunity to see birds flitting around in their branches, eagerly devouring the early insects after their long flights from distant wintering grounds.

Only buds and blossoms on this tree

A yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) hunts amid bare branches over the lake

Another nature-watcher had a visit from one of our most vibrant song birds, the scarlet tanager.

Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea)     Photo by Anne Crane.

This beautiful bird probably just returned from its flight across the Gulf of Mexico, having spent its winter down in south America.  Ann noted it's the first time she's seen a scarlet tanager at the lake.  Thanks for sharing!

If you pass by the dam at the outlet of Lake Wicwas you are likely to see a Canada goose on patrol.

The gander patrols its nesting grounds

I'm pretty sure there's a nest there along the shoreline based on the way it stood its ground (water?) as I paddled by, protecting the female which would be on the nest incubating eggs.

It was nice to get out on the water again for my first excursion of the year.

Though sometimes you don't even have to leave your house, as nature comes to you.

A lone turkey struts down the road

Linda watched this young deer right through the window.

One or two more warm days and the landscape in the Lakes Region will transform quickly from bare branches to the lime-green of early summer.  Only a short window remains to get out and enjoy the world before the onslaught of biting insects arrives.

To all the mothers out there, I hope you have a special day!

June 11, 2017 - Green is the Word

What a fabulous weekend!  Kayakers, fishermen, waters skiers, hikers, motorcyclists - everyone was out enjoying all that the lakes and mountains of the Lakes Region have to offer.

Verdant hills and aqua blue water

Lake fun on a hot summer day

There was only one really wet day this week, but it was a doozey and the lake level went right back up again, so no loon nesting yet.  A few lake tours this week determined there are three loons on the lake and one of them is the long-term resident female, proven by a good look at her bands when she was preening.

The banded female loon on a house-hunting tour

Two bands on her left leg

They sure are limber birds, able to reach every inch of their bodies with their beak to pluck old feathers and spread oil to keep themselves waterproof.

The contortionist

Lots of rain followed by sun and heat means lots of green as vegetation grows fast and lush.  Ferns love this weather.

Cinnamon Fern

The pale green leaves of the alder are contrasted against chocolate brown cones.

Alder tree with female catkins

These cones are the female catkins of the alder, the male catkins are long, soft, and light.

Plants don't don't have a monopoly on the greens - check out this iridescent Six Spotted Green Tiger Beetle:

Six Spotted Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)

That one has a pretty easy name to remember, although all six spots can be hard to see.  The tiger beetle is harmless, unless you're a caterpillar, ant, spider, or some similar small insect on which they feed - not a bad neighbor to have.

Here's another green bug, also with a catchy name.

Assassin Bug (Zelus luridus)

This beetle looked somewhat familiar;  when I checked pictures from other sightings I found why it looked different:  it must have just emerged from its nymph phase as it had little tiny wings still developing.  Compare it to the mature insect.

I wrote about this interesting bug a few years ago, how it injects its prey with a poisonous enzyme that liquefies the insides of its victim so it can suck out the nutrients with its proboscis.

On that pleasant note, lets look at a non-green species, but one in a family that also thrives in wet conditions - mushrooms.

Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria)

This fungi has hallucinogenic properties - it contains the psychoactive compound muscimol - but it's also considered poisonous, so let's not try it out.  There will be many more mushrooms emerging in the coming weeks.

Now that spring has moved aside and summer is finally here it's time to enjoy the green that is all around us.

Even the hummingbirds are wearing green

June 5, 2011

Things were a little cool around Lake Wicwas this week, and I’m convinced the lake cooled back down since the warm temperatures over Memorial Day weekend.  The air temperature was in the low forties several mornings, with mist coming off the water.  The cooler weather is prolonging the flowers, with lady slippers still blooming, and the bunchberries looking very healthy and fresh.

Bunchberry

Cinnamon Fern

I also noticed these ferns - Cinnamon Ferns - that have spires shooting up from the middle of them.  I had not seen this type of flower before.

The most exciting news is that the loons have taken up a nest!  This picture is a little blurry because I took it a long ways off, and then blew it up quite a bit.  But you can clearly the see the loon sitting comfortably on its nest, as shown by it sitting with its head up high.  When a loon on a nest is concerned, it ducks its head down low against the water, probably trying to less conspicuous, as well as preparing to dive into the water if needed. 

Loon Nest

The water level has stabilized nicely, with an additional board put back in the dam.  In fact the water rose a couple of inches, and is right at full level.  One can see how a loon nest is so sensitive to water level and waves, being so close to the water line.  Loons can barely walk on land, so they  always make their nest right at the shore's edge.  So it will be important to be careful with boat wakes to keep the waves out of the nest!  About all we can do to help a successful nesting is keep away, boat carefully, and hope for the best.