THE BUZZ N’ BLOOM QUARTERLY Volume 4, Issue … · tion, whether it be snow shoe-ing, cross ......
-
Upload
trinhquynh -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of THE BUZZ N’ BLOOM QUARTERLY Volume 4, Issue … · tion, whether it be snow shoe-ing, cross ......
Winter comes upon us all too
quickly, but there are so many
natural delights to be had with
this season. I find the best thing
about this season is how quiet it
is in the woods. Places that are
often packed in the summer
take on a different ambience,
and sometimes I find it easier to
see wildlife around me rather
than have the distractions of
people.
Juncos or cardinals against a
backdrop of snow. The stems of
the dogwood. The berries of
crabapples. Winter takes on a
superficially monochromatic
tone, but when looking more
closely you see the flashes of
color against that backdrop
which often times produce
shades of blue, green and pur-
ple.
Winter makes places wild again,
when the environment takes
over and recharges before
spring. Even though this is a
hard time of year for most or-
ganisms, there is also a visceral
beauty that can be enjoyed in
knowing humans are not as
present.
Winter is also a time for recrea-
tion, whether it be snow shoe-
ing, cross country skiing or ice
fishing. At Lake Katherine we
rent snowshoes and we allow
cross country skiing. Sometimes
there can be no better way to
enjoy a day in winter than
skiing or snowshoeing around
lake Katherine. We also have
our annual winter event, Win-
terfest, on February 8th. To
embrace what winter has to
offer, get out of the house and
enjoy the season.
Volume 4, Issue 4
TH E W IN TE R I SS UE
December 2013
Contributors: Gareth Blakesley
Cecilia Govrik
Shamim Graff
Michael Littman
Jim Reichel
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Winter Gardening 2
Species Spotlight 2
Media Review 2
Conservation 3
Science 3
Recreation 3
Education Programs 4
Updates 5
Turning Leaves 6
Calendar 6
THE BUZZ N’ BLOOM QUARTERLY
ed completely independent of
Darwin, and was based on his
work in the Malay Archipelago.
While suffering from Malar-
ia in 1858 in Indonesia he came
upon the idea of natural selec-
tion as the mechanism for evo-
lutionary change. He wrote a
paper detailing this idea called
the “Sarawak Law.” This idea
came to him partly because in
the Malay Archipelago he found
a clear line between species on
one side of the archipelago and
N A T U R A L I S T : A L F R E D R U S S E L W A L L A C E 1 8 2 3 - 1 9 1 3
those on the other side of the
line. This line later become
known as the “Wallace Line,”
basically separating Asian type
species from Australasian type
species. Different species were
filling the same types of ecologi-
cal niches on either side of this
line, yet had no other relation.
His book The Malay Archi-
pelago is one of the most
revered travel writings of all
time and has never been out of
print.
For more information on this
fascinating man check out
http://wallacefund.info/
Born in 1823, Alfred was a
naturalist explorer and biolo-
gist. He is famous for discover-
ing the theory of evolution by
natural selection. In fact Darwin
had heard of his findings and
quickly published his work,
Origin of Species, before Wal-
lace was able.
Wallace’s work has been
overshadowed by Darwin, but
his contribution to science are
manifold. No less because his
theory of evolution was originat-
Page 2
M E D I A R E V I E W : C H A S I N G I C E
W I N T E R G A R D E N I N G
ly glaciers are disappearing. One
camera even needed to be re-
oriented multiple times because
so much of the glacier had re-
treated that it was no longer in
frame.
Throughout the film, the science
behind glacial retreat is ex-
plored, along with its ties to
climate change. Real-world im-
ages vividly illustrate these con-
cepts.
As compelling as the photo-
graphs and videos of the glaci-
ers are, Balog’s personal story is
equally compelling. The docu-
mentary takes the viewer
through the struggles that Balog
faced in order to achieve his
goal. Camera failures. Health
issues that kept him from the
field. Terrifying mo-
ments in helicopters
and at the edge of
glaciers. Through his
story, and the reflec-
tions of his family and
colleagues, it is clear
how passionate he is
about EIS and getting
the message of cli-
mate change out to
the world.
The companion web-
site has a photo gal-
lery, resources about
climate change and a
list of ways the film
can be viewed:
www.chasingice.com.
The documentary Chasing Ice
follows photographer James
Balog’s quest to show the world
the real-life effects of climate
change. In 2007, he created the
Extreme Ice Survey (EIS), a pro-
ject dedicated to capturing the
retreat of glaciers around the
world.
Balog and his team set up cam-
eras across the northern hemi-
sphere, pointed at individual
glaciers. Each camera was
equipped with a timer allowing it
to photograph the glacier once
an hour during daylight hours.
The images that EIS captured
are equally stunning and alarm-
ing. Photos taken from the exact
same location over the span of
a few years show just how quick-
Volume 4, Issue 4
It’s that time of year when we
think everything goes dormant
for the year. Usually the avid
gardener will clear all dead
brush away and have a clear
garden. This year, however,
consider leaving a few things.
Rather than cutting all the per-
ennials back, leaving some
plants will help provide refuge
for beneficial overwintering.
They can also provide food and
shelter for birds that may come
to your garden. Often there will
be seed remnants that a varie-
ty of birds can feed on. Also
having a few plants in your garden
that provide shelter and “winter
interest,” such as evergreens,
crabapples and varieties of dog-
wood such as red osier will
provide color and shelter.
S P E C I E S S P O T L I G H T : O W L S
Though many birds migrate
during the winter, great horned
owls remain in Illinois through-
out the winter. Winter is an
important time for great horned
owls. During late fall and early
winter, male owls return to their
territories, preparing for the
approach of breeding season.
By late winter, male owls will
begin courting a female, hoot-
ing at her from a distance. As
she responds, he will move
closer, eventually perching next
to her. After a short flight to-
gether, the owls will mate, usu-
ally on the ground.
The female will lay her eggs
within the male’s territory, us-
ing an abandoned nest. If no
nests are available, the owls
will force other birds off their
nest. Females will incubate the
eggs for approximately 30 days,
keeping them from freezing
during the cold winter tempera-
tures. Males will sometimes sit
on the nest, allowing the fe-
males a chance to hunt.
The arrival of young owls also
signals the arrival of spring. The
parents will continue to care for
the owlets until they are fledged
in the summer months.
The Buzz N’ Bloom Quarter ly
Wintertime is buckthorn
removal time. You can
remove buckthorn at any
time of year, but winter is a
great time for this as it is
not growing and allows one
meant an unlimited supply of fillets, deep
fried in a tasty batter when we got back to
our cabin.
Ice fishing in a way is specialized calling;
you have to love the outdoors, and enjoy
the company of others while being misera-
bly cold unless you are lucky enough to
have a real shanty. I really don’t know
what that is like, but hearing others talk
fishing while having plenty of room, a nice
bench to sit on, and lots of heat, it sure
sounds like a reason to try it again.
Page 3
C O N S E R VA T I O N S C I E N C E
Most people
are familiar
with the
brown and
black striped
woolly bear caterpillar, frequent-
ly seen during the fall. Popular
in folklore, it has long been be-
lieved that a wide brown band
predicts a mild winter, while a
narrow brown band predicts a
harsh winter. In reality, coloring
can vary with age and environ-
ment, with older caterpillars
typically having wider brown
bands.
During the winter this caterpillar
freezes solid, its cells protected
by a chemical similar to the
antifreeze in your vehicle. This
adaptation allows them to sur-
vive through the winter, even in
the Arctic.
In the spring, the caterpillar
emerges to continue feeding. It
then spins a cocoon and will
emerge about two weeks later
as the Isabella tiger moth.
The extremely cold weather this late No-
vember brings back great memories of ice
fishing. Ice fishing is the curiously strange
pastime that brings mini tent cities to local
ponds and lakes, even in our neck of the
woods. I’ve only been ice fishing one time
in my life. To the best of my recollection, I
was in college, invited by a buddy who
needed a ‘wing-man’ at his potential broth-
er-in-law’s bachelor party. I went because I
simply thought it would be a fun road trip
and similar to camping. In actuality, I had
no idea what kind of situation I was getting
into. Our destination was Northern Minne-
sota Lake Winnibigoshish.
Upon arrival, we drove our caravan of
trucks out onto the lake where a two-lane
road had been plowed — nothing short of
amazing if you’ve never seen it. You quick-
ly realize it must be safe if dozens of other
brave souls are doing it.
When we arrived at our fishing area, it was
time to get out the augers for drilling holes
in the ice. I was expecting some elbow
grease workout to manually dig our hole,
but the massive 30 horse power drills be-
ing used only took about three seconds to
“get ‘er done.”
Next was the “shanty” or tent. Most expe-
rienced folks had solid plastic or wood
structures equipped with heaters and
boards and carpet. Being novices and
having no clue, my buddy bought a small
tent-like shelter that turned out to be too
snug for both of us. As we huddled under
this flimsy cloth, both of our backs were
keeping it from sitting flat on the ice, so no
matter how we contorted our bodies we
couldn’t quite keep one side from tilting;
leaving a few inches near one of our feet
exposed to the elements.
Now I’ve been cold in my life (one Sunday
afternoon in January at Soldier Field rings
a bell), but the outside temp was about 20
degrees below. I was lucky enough to
have a friend lend me his ultra warm boots
for just this occasion, but I was still frozen.
The only time I didn’t feel the chill was
when the occasional schools of Perca fla-
vascens (Yellow Perch) were schooling by
or just after I sipped a little Kentucky Wind-
age, but that only lasted about three
minutes.
In about four hours of fishing, my partner
and I only managed to catch about five or
six perch, but luckily we were able to take
part in the spoils of the larger group, which
R E C R E A T I O N : I C E F I S H I N G
to clear new areas
without having
ongoing growth.
So why clear buck-
thorn? It’s an inva-
sive species from
Europe originally
planted in the US
as a fence tree. Birds loved
the seeds and started
spreading them. It has no
major herbivores, pests or
diseases in
the US.
Page 4 Volume 4, Issue 4
L E A R N I N G A T T H E L A K E — L K N C B G P R O G R A M S
For program details and registration information, call the LKNCBG Nature Center at (708) 361-1873. Pre-registration and payment is required.
Little Explorers
How Deep is the Snow? After “playing” with a variety of measuring tools children
will hike outdoors to “measure” what they find. Everyone will make and take
home a decorated measuring stick project.
Day Date Time Cost Min/Max Prgm#
Thursday January 9 9:30am $5.00 3/10 #216
Friday January 10 9:30 am $5.00 3/10 #217
Saturday January 11 10:30am $5.00 3/10 #218
Have a Heart for Animals We’ll have a party and feed the animals that live in Lake
Katherine’s lower level. Children may pet and hold the animals too. Parents bring
your camera.
Day Date Time Cost Min/Max Prgm#
Thursday February 13 9:30am $5.00 3/10 #219
Friday February 14 9:30 am $5.00 3/10 #220
Saturday February 15 10:30am $5.00 3/10 #221
Touch, Smell & Taste Our world has tastes and textures as well as smells. Explore
with us as we encounter a variety of items with our eyes closed both inside the
building and outside on the preserve. A take home sensory project is included.
Day Date Time Cost Min/Max Prgm#
Thursday March 13 9:30am $5.00 3/10 #222
Friday March 14 9:30 am $5.00 3/10 #223
Saturday March 15 10:30am $5.00 3/10 #224
Exploratory Thursdays
Each week kids in grades K-2 will explore a featured
subject through hands-on experiences. Discovery
activities may include games, nature walks or possi-
ble tasting of related food items.
One hour programs—3:45-4:45pm
Min/max: 3/10 Cost:$5.00
Date Title Prgm #
January 9 Christmas Trees #231
January 16 Snow & Ice #232
January 23 Rocks & Minerals #233
February 6 Mammals in Winter #234
February 13 Animal Valentine Party #235
February 20 Birds in Winter #236
March 6 Fish #237
March 13 Turtles in Spring #238
March 20 Snakes in Spring #239
After School Programs
Programs for school age children from 3:45—4:45 PM on Wednesdays. Min/max: 3/10 Cost $5.00
Snowshoeing – Take a hike outdoors with
our snowshoes (snow or no snow). After-
wards enjoy hot cocoa with marshmallows.
Grade Date Prgm#
K-2 January 8 #201
3-5 January 15 #202
Snowy Scenes — Create a snowy scene
using Ivory soap and treasures that we col-
lect outside on our hike.
Grade Date Prgm#
K-3 January 22 #203
Bird Café — We will be making a variety of
bird feeders for our feathered friends. On
our hike we will hang some outside for the
birds at Lake Katherine.
Grade Date Prgm#
3-5 February 5 #204
Valentine’s Party for Our Animals — As a
special treat, children will handle our caged
animals while learning some interesting
animal facts. Each child will create a special
valentine to give to their favorite animal.
Please bring fresh vegetables to share with
the animals (parsley, green peppers, toma-
toes, strawberries).
Grade Date Prgm#
K-3 February 12 #205
Bird Café — Learn the strategies that birds
use to find food and keep warm in the win-
ter. Make a variety of bird treats to take
home and attract birds to your backyard.
Grade Date Prgm#
K-2 February 19 #206
Winter Weeds — Winter weeds beautify the
landscape with their various colors and
shapes. Make a weed centerpiece to take
home.
Grade Date Prgm#
4-5 February 26 #207
Bulbs — What is a bulb? How do they grow?
Learn how to plant them, look up close
what they look like inside, and make a pro-
ject to take home.
Grade Date Prgm#
4-5 March 5 #208
Erin Go Bragh — Watch the waterfall turn
green with your family at 4:00. Then join the
special fun at the nature center at 4:15 for
green river floats, and a special “paddy
day” project to take home.
Grade Date Prgm#
K-5 March 17 #209
Celebration of Spring — The flowers at Lake
Katherine are starting to come out, lets go
on a spring scavenger hunt! We will be
making a craft, and observing things that
are changing this season on a hike.
Grade Date Prgm#
K-2 March 19 #210
Turtles — Visit the many different kinds of
turtles that we have in the nature center.
We will look up close at their similarities,
and compare the differences. Students will
help feed and care for the turtles.
Grade Date Prgm#
3-5 March 26 #211
Page 5 The Buzz N’ Bloom Quarter ly
ComEd Smart Ideas® Earth Month Grant Wraps Up
Energy Efficiency Improvements will have Lasting Impacts
This past May, Lake Katherine was
awarded a $5000 Earth Month grant
from ComEd to make energy-efficient
updates to our buildings and promote en-ergy conservation to our visitors. The 6-month project is now coming to a close, but luckily the changes we’ve made at the park will have lasting impacts.
Saving Energy
Grant funds were used to purchase 95 LED bulbs for the Nature Center and Clubhouse, reducing the lighting energy consump-tion from 10,740 Watts to only 1428 Watts—an 86% reduction! New Energy Star-rated ceiling fans were also installed in the Club-house and will be 50% more efficient than the old fan/light fixtures.
Educating the Community
Throughout the duration the grant, Lake Katherine has been sharing energy con-servation tips via its newsletters and social media sites. Informational materials from ComEd and the U.S. Department of Energy have also been on display in the Nature Center. Our energy educational materials have reached thousands of people this year, and the energy conservation display will re-main in the Nature Center and continue to educate visitors each day.
New Energy Star-rated ceiling fans (above right) replaced old fans (above left) that were no longer working properly.
LED bulbs replaced old incandescent and halogen bulbs throughout the buildings.
November 2013
You can save energy and money by making small changes like Lake Kathe-rine did in your own home.
Learn more at www.energystar.gov.
After determining the
branching structure, and nar-
rowing further the possible spe-
cies, examining the bark pat-
terns can give vital information.
Is the bark platy or rectangular
as with loblolly pine, blocky as
with persimmon, smooth as with
red maple, furrowed as with
ashes, or scaly as with river
birch? Generally the bark will be
one of these types.
Next to examine is the
twigs, the terminal portion of a
branch that grew during the
current or preceding year. What
is the size or stoutness of the
twig, the color, and the cross-
sectional shape? Does the twig
have lenticels (small openings in
the bark for gas exchange)? Is
the twig hairy, smooth, or
rough? Does the twig or branch
have corky ridges (irregular pro-
tuberances on the bark)? What
does the pith (the soft central
portion of the twig or branch)
look like? Is the cross-section of
the twig round, triangular, or
square? Do the twigs have
spines, prickles, or thorns? The-
se features will be discussed in
most tree identification books.
Take care to examine the
buds, terminal (the bud at the
tip of the branch) and lateral
(the bud occurring along the
side of the branch). The size and
position of the buds are all clues
to help identify the species. Are
the buds sticky? Are the buds
naked or have scales? Every
“...we became travellers,
collectors, and observers,
in some of the richest and
most interesting portions
of the earth.”
- Alfred Wallace
7402 West Lake Katherine Drive
Palos Heights, IL 60463
Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic
Phone: 708.361.1873
Fax: 708.361.2978
The phrase “winter botany”
usually means the identification
of woody species in winter. This
is based on careful examination
of several plant characteristics
which are readily identifiable in
winter, particularly the charac-
teristics of twigs. In most cases,
winter identification is every bit
as reliable as identification in
the growing season. As with
identification in the growing
season, habitat is the first clue
in identifying the plant in ques-
tion. When I say habitat I mean
moisture regime – dry (xeric) to
moist (mesic) to wet (hydric).
Knowing the habitat will narrow
the list of possible species con-
siderably.
After determining the habi-
tat, the next step is to distin-
guish the diagnostic character-
istics – branching structure,
bark, twigs, buds, scars (such as
leaf or fruit/twig), and fruits.
Branching structure should be
one of the first things to look for:
is it opposite or alternate based
on visible branches or by leaf
scars? If the branching is oppo-
site there are only four native
tree families that have opposite
branching. These are maple,
ash, dogwood, and buckeye.
There is one non-native species,
the princess tree. If the branch-
ing structure is alternate then
other characteristics are need-
ed.
www.lakekatherine.org
Lake Katherine is owned and supported by the City of Palos Heights and managed by the Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic
Gardens, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.
The Natural Resources
Management Committee’s
mission is to promote,
improve, and fundraise in re-
gards to all matters pertaining
to Lake Katherine's natural
resources.
Page 6 Volume 4, Issue 4
2 0 1 4 E V E N T S — M A R K Y O U R C A L E N D A R S !
characteristic will help narrow
the number of possible species.
Look at the leaf scar, the
distinct area left on a branch
after a leaf has fallen. Leaf
scars can be highly variable in
shape, size, and arrangement.
Leaf scars can be horseshoe
shaped, U-shaped, crescent-
shaped, shield-shaped, half-
round, triangular, three-lobes,
heart-shaped, V-shaped, circu-
lar, or even oval.
Last, but not least, one
should look at the fruits if any
are still on the specimen or have
fallen nearby. The fruits may be
fleshy such as peaches, apples,
or rose hips, or the fruits may be
dry and either split open (like
pods) or do not split open (like
ash or maple “helicopters,”
nuts, and acorns). There are
also the fruits of conifers and
cone-bearing species.
Every characteristic will
help narrow the list of possible
species so eventually you will
only have one. The more charac-
teristics you are able to distin-
guish, the easier it will be to
identify the species you are
looking at.
I have condensed this infor-
mation from James E. Perry’s
and Douglas A. DeBerry’s An
Introduction to Winter Botany
found at http://www.vims.edu/
c b n e r r / _ d o c s / c t p _ d o c s /
In t roduc t ion toWin terBota -
ny.PerryandDeBerry.pdf.
V O L U N T E E R T O D A Y
C H E C K O U R W E B S I T E F O R
D E T A I L S