For November’s Wisconsin endangered species, I’ve chosen the humble and obscure Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly (Spinadis simplex). I’m calling attention to this species as a Thanksgiving to the lesser known, ordinary creatures whose value is greater than they or we might think - much like the majority of organisms who live out their brief but precious lives in obscurity – including most of us humans!
We know something about their aptly named Order, Ephemeroptera, but little about this particular species. How ironic, given that they are one of the oldest existing winged insects! The Order is called Ephemeroptera because the winged adults are short-lived. All insects in this Order are unique for 3 reasons – their ancient lineage, they have winged subimagos (last non-adult life stages), and their wings point straight up. And, these insects are especially vulnerable to poor water quality http://www.earthlife.net/insects/ephemer.html .
About Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly itself, we know little. We can only say where it’s been found, in Grant, Crawford, Iowa, Richland and Columbia counties in Wisconsin, and that it prefers large, fast-flowing rivers where nymphs live among wood or other solid substrates over sand in deep water http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=18&SpecCode=IIEPH19010 . The specifics of its distribution and life cycle are unknown. What a great opportunity for someone to study this mayfly, and bring it and themselves into the limelight!
Threats to its survival are wetland destruction, shoreline development, water pollution, and alteration of waterflow by impoundments or destruction of nearby vegetation http://dnr.wisconsin.gov/org/land/er/wwap/plan/pdfs/04_0_Invertebrate_SGCN.pdf.
Conservation efforts to combat these threats will also benefit other sensitive species, as well as all living things that value clean water – including us!
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show your appreciation of Wallace’s Deepwater Mayfly and other endangered species, and thank your local and national conservation organizations for working to save them, by being generous with your time and money. Here are just a few of the many organizations that could use your thanks: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm , http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . and http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/ Share your knowledge and awareness with friends, families and acquaintances! Help save the world!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
October's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Massasauga Rattlesnake
The Massasauga Rattlesnake’s, or Eastern Massasauga’s (Sistrurus catenatus) story is like the Fugitive’s – a species unjustly convicted of and punished for horrendous crimes it didn’t commit. The Massasauga Rattlesnake is a shy, retiring creature that has been vilified over the years. There are no records of anyone killed in Wisconsin by a Massasauga Rattlesnake since the 1900s. By contrast, thousands of Massasauga Rattlesnakes were killed in the late 1800s in the Milwaukee area as the city was expanded, and there were bounties on rattlers until as late as 1975. At the sight, sound, and even thought of rattlers many of us feel so much fear – to the point of killing them, and to the point of not studying them thoroughly enough to truly understand them! The Massasauga is even helpful to people, because it primarily preys on mice, voles and other small rodents. And, they thoughtfully (and self-protectively) most commonly don’t use venom on people - 60% of poisonous snake bites to people don’t contain venom - which is saved for their prey.
1. How has the Massasauga Rattlesnake become endangered? As you might have guessed, it has been a victim of our fears. The killings during settlement and then the bounties dangerously lowered their population. Animals that have become over populous because of our destruction of top predators – raccoons and skunks –newly introduced species such as hogs, as well as foxes, hawks, and eagles, prey on the Massasauga. The Massasauga is a favorite venomous species pet, so they are being illegally captured. Off-road vehicles on their habitat is harmful to them. Though the primary reason for their being endangered today, is that we are indirectly killing them by destroying their wetland habitats. Because of our lack of knowledge about the Massasauga, we’re not sure how to manage their existing habitat.
2. What do we know about the Massasauga Rattlesnake? They are found in isolated spots in southeastern, central, and west central Wisconsin.
When the soil temperature is high enough, Massasaugas become active. During their active season, from April to early, mid October, they live in floodplain habitats along medium to large rivers, especially near river confluences – which is why the Ojibwa called them Massasauga, meaning great river mouth – where they favor open canopy wetlands, such as sedge meadows, fresh wet meadows, scrub carr and adjacent upland prairies and old fields. They enjoy warm, humid, overcast days and sun themselves in concealing vegetation. They are primarily active during the early morning, but also on summer evenings.
Female Massasauga Rattlesnakes are pregnant from late July through August. They prefer dry to dry-mesic prairies during this incubation period. They give birth to 8 to 20 young, live rather than eggs. Their young are usually born beneath a log, in a wood pile, or abandoned mammal burrow, where they will stay for 4 or 5 days, until shedding into more protective skins.
The beginning of hibernation is dependent on air temperature. Unlike other snake species, each snake hibernates alone. They prefer crayfish burrows, built in river bottom dugouts with above ground mud chimneys, in which they choose the at or near water level spots. They will also use mammal burrows, sawdust piles, or old root canals.
3. What does this mean for habitat management? It will have to encompass the Massasauga Rattlesnake’s needs at different times of year and at different times in its lifecycle – through its active time including basking, its hibernation, and its reproductive times and youth. Allowing meadows and wetlands to fill in with vegetation will compromise their active habitat. Managing to leave some open canopy is necessary for basking. Prescribed burning, mowing and herbicide application should only be done during their hibernation http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_Article_Lookup.asp?id=924 . During hibernation, recent research shows that lowering water levels (drawdown management) in wetland habitats during the fall may harm them. Impounding, or containing, sedge meadows and wetlands will also be detrimental to the Massasauga during hibernation. And it’s important that crayfish are allowed to flourish, so the Massasaugas can use their burrows.
4. What can you do to help? Tell everyone you know that the Massasauga Rattlesnake is not aggressive towards people! Let them know all the interesting facts about them and reveal their true natures! See this artful photo, where the Massasauga looks like a work of art itself http://k41.pbase.com/u13/eddie_sanchez/upload/38428436.DSCN5316.jpg (I’ve based my poster on it). Donate to the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm (all of my information about the Massasauga comes from their website – where you can find out even more interesting facts about them http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=49&SpecCode=ARADE03011 , under Detailed Information). Donate to and volunteer with conservation organizations, to support their work helping endangered species, even some that don’t seem, at first glance, worth saving!
1. How has the Massasauga Rattlesnake become endangered? As you might have guessed, it has been a victim of our fears. The killings during settlement and then the bounties dangerously lowered their population. Animals that have become over populous because of our destruction of top predators – raccoons and skunks –newly introduced species such as hogs, as well as foxes, hawks, and eagles, prey on the Massasauga. The Massasauga is a favorite venomous species pet, so they are being illegally captured. Off-road vehicles on their habitat is harmful to them. Though the primary reason for their being endangered today, is that we are indirectly killing them by destroying their wetland habitats. Because of our lack of knowledge about the Massasauga, we’re not sure how to manage their existing habitat.
2. What do we know about the Massasauga Rattlesnake? They are found in isolated spots in southeastern, central, and west central Wisconsin.
When the soil temperature is high enough, Massasaugas become active. During their active season, from April to early, mid October, they live in floodplain habitats along medium to large rivers, especially near river confluences – which is why the Ojibwa called them Massasauga, meaning great river mouth – where they favor open canopy wetlands, such as sedge meadows, fresh wet meadows, scrub carr and adjacent upland prairies and old fields. They enjoy warm, humid, overcast days and sun themselves in concealing vegetation. They are primarily active during the early morning, but also on summer evenings.
Female Massasauga Rattlesnakes are pregnant from late July through August. They prefer dry to dry-mesic prairies during this incubation period. They give birth to 8 to 20 young, live rather than eggs. Their young are usually born beneath a log, in a wood pile, or abandoned mammal burrow, where they will stay for 4 or 5 days, until shedding into more protective skins.
The beginning of hibernation is dependent on air temperature. Unlike other snake species, each snake hibernates alone. They prefer crayfish burrows, built in river bottom dugouts with above ground mud chimneys, in which they choose the at or near water level spots. They will also use mammal burrows, sawdust piles, or old root canals.
3. What does this mean for habitat management? It will have to encompass the Massasauga Rattlesnake’s needs at different times of year and at different times in its lifecycle – through its active time including basking, its hibernation, and its reproductive times and youth. Allowing meadows and wetlands to fill in with vegetation will compromise their active habitat. Managing to leave some open canopy is necessary for basking. Prescribed burning, mowing and herbicide application should only be done during their hibernation http://dnr.wi.gov/news/DNRNews_Article_Lookup.asp?id=924 . During hibernation, recent research shows that lowering water levels (drawdown management) in wetland habitats during the fall may harm them. Impounding, or containing, sedge meadows and wetlands will also be detrimental to the Massasauga during hibernation. And it’s important that crayfish are allowed to flourish, so the Massasaugas can use their burrows.
4. What can you do to help? Tell everyone you know that the Massasauga Rattlesnake is not aggressive towards people! Let them know all the interesting facts about them and reveal their true natures! See this artful photo, where the Massasauga looks like a work of art itself http://k41.pbase.com/u13/eddie_sanchez/upload/38428436.DSCN5316.jpg (I’ve based my poster on it). Donate to the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm (all of my information about the Massasauga comes from their website – where you can find out even more interesting facts about them http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=49&SpecCode=ARADE03011 , under Detailed Information). Donate to and volunteer with conservation organizations, to support their work helping endangered species, even some that don’t seem, at first glance, worth saving!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Kirtland's Warbler
Why did I pick the Kirtland’s Warbler (Dendroica Kirtlandii) for my September Wisconsin species? Actually, my daughter did – I let her choose because her birthday is in September. She says it was love at first sight – she thinks Kirtland’s is cute because of its diminutive size and bright, contrasting colors. It was also her idea that I model my drawing on this photo of the warbler http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/images/bird_id/kirtland%27s-warbler-lg.gif , with a bubble coming out of its beak, saying LOST. Brilliant!
What interests me about this warbler?
1. Although there are no records of Kirtland’s having nested in Wisconsin before http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/47268492.html, this species is federally endangered and there is suitable habitat in Wisconsin. Its reproductive success in Wisconsin in Adams and Marinette County and presence in other Wisconsin counties is the result of an intense process of aiding a species in decline - an inspiring story of hope and perseverance. In 2008 the Kirtland’s Warbler, for the first time since the 1940s, has nested outside of Michigan, producing at least 10 nestlings in Wisconsin. See here for past and present accounts of Kirlands in Wisconsin http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/ This, thanks to a many faceted effort -- the difficult and dedicated research, monitoring and management of this species by a variety of people in a variety of places.
Government, scientists, industry, a public foundation and lay people have come together to help save this species. The Plum Creek Timber Company allowed government agencies onto their land, the U.S. Department of Agriculture traps the cowbirds (300 were trapped where the warblers successfully nested), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor nests, trap, band and run field trips http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1 and http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/kiwa/2009Summary.html. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin http://www.wisconservation.org/ (see and hear here – you’ll follow a volunteer’s discovery of a new Kirtland’s) also helped, particularly with volunteer coordination and organization of statewide surveys. Many volunteer birders helped survey warblers. In fact, one documented the first nesting Kirtland’s in Wisconsin.
And, of course it would be impossible for Kirlands to recover in Wisconsin if they weren’t doing well in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsula,s from where they are spreading and the Bahamas, their primary wintering place. The Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team http://warbler.kirtland.edu/ gives a sense of the geographical vastness and complexity of the effort. It is made up of people from the Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bahamas Department of Agriculture, and The International Institute of Tropical Forestry, just to name some of the partners.
2. The story of the Kirtland’s Warbler’s decline is a convergence of two circumstances - its reliance on a now shrinking habitat to breed, a young jack pine forest between 4 and 20 years old, and the spreading range of its foe, the cowbird http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm .
Suitable habitat is crucial. Warblers make their nests on the ground, hidden by the low-hanging, closely packed branches which only young jack pines provide. And jack pines can only regenerate with fire, when the cones release their seeds that then sprout on the now fertile ground. As the trees age, their lower branches self-prune, no longer protecting the Kirtland's warblers nest.
Along with this range contraction came the proliferation of the brown-headed cowbird in its remaining habitat. It traditionally followed buffalo herds on the Great Plains, feeding on insects disturbed by buffalos' hooves. Being peripatetic, the cowbird laid eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving these unwitting adoptive parents to care for their young. When logging opened up land in the Midwest, cowbirds migrated too, and began laying eggs in warbler’s nests. Cowbirds hatch earlier and are larger and more aggressive than warblers, so the warbler nestlings don’t stand much of a chance.
3. Another interesting thing about the Kirtland’s Warbler is that once it was discovered, in the United States in 1850, it took awhile before anyone found out where it lived and bred http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html . Its breeding range wasn’t discovered until over 50 years later, in 1903, when a nest was found in jack pine habitat. And nearly 30 years later, in 1879, Kirtland’s was discovered to over winter in the Bahamas, and later the Turks, Caicos and Hispaniola Islands. Just think how much there is yet to discover in our own Wisconsin backyards, about species we still know little about!
4. What are people doing to help Kirtland’s now? Cowbirds continue to be trapped and Kirtland’s banded and monitored. The vegetation where they breed will be analyzed to determine ideal breeding habitat. And 134,000 acres of jack pine will continue to be managed on a 50-year rotation, yielding at least 38,000 acres of young jack pine in which Kirtland's can nest. Wildlife managers will revisit known habitat and search out new, and manage accordingly. Census work in jack pine stands in Burnett, Douglas, Washburn, Bayfield, Vilas, Oneida, Marinette, Jackson and Adams counties will search out singing male Kirtland's warblers and potential new breeding sites, so conservation efforts can expand. http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1
5. And, finally, here’s what you can do to help the Kirtland’s Warbler. Pick up some general bird identification skills at Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s web site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1053 Learn more about Kirtland’s and become a volunteer yourself! Donate to the organizations cited above! Tell your friends and family about Kirtland’s fascinating life history and road to recovery, and how people like you made it happen! Help change the world, one species at a time!!
What interests me about this warbler?
1. Although there are no records of Kirtland’s having nested in Wisconsin before http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/47268492.html, this species is federally endangered and there is suitable habitat in Wisconsin. Its reproductive success in Wisconsin in Adams and Marinette County and presence in other Wisconsin counties is the result of an intense process of aiding a species in decline - an inspiring story of hope and perseverance. In 2008 the Kirtland’s Warbler, for the first time since the 1940s, has nested outside of Michigan, producing at least 10 nestlings in Wisconsin. See here for past and present accounts of Kirlands in Wisconsin http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/ This, thanks to a many faceted effort -- the difficult and dedicated research, monitoring and management of this species by a variety of people in a variety of places.
Government, scientists, industry, a public foundation and lay people have come together to help save this species. The Plum Creek Timber Company allowed government agencies onto their land, the U.S. Department of Agriculture traps the cowbirds (300 were trapped where the warblers successfully nested), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitor nests, trap, band and run field trips http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1 and http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreenBay/kiwa/2009Summary.html. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin http://www.wisconservation.org/ (see and hear here – you’ll follow a volunteer’s discovery of a new Kirtland’s) also helped, particularly with volunteer coordination and organization of statewide surveys. Many volunteer birders helped survey warblers. In fact, one documented the first nesting Kirtland’s in Wisconsin.
And, of course it would be impossible for Kirlands to recover in Wisconsin if they weren’t doing well in Michigan’s northern Lower and Upper peninsula,s from where they are spreading and the Bahamas, their primary wintering place. The Kirtland's Warbler Recovery Team http://warbler.kirtland.edu/ gives a sense of the geographical vastness and complexity of the effort. It is made up of people from the Michigan DNR, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bahamas Department of Agriculture, and The International Institute of Tropical Forestry, just to name some of the partners.
2. The story of the Kirtland’s Warbler’s decline is a convergence of two circumstances - its reliance on a now shrinking habitat to breed, a young jack pine forest between 4 and 20 years old, and the spreading range of its foe, the cowbird http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm .
Suitable habitat is crucial. Warblers make their nests on the ground, hidden by the low-hanging, closely packed branches which only young jack pines provide. And jack pines can only regenerate with fire, when the cones release their seeds that then sprout on the now fertile ground. As the trees age, their lower branches self-prune, no longer protecting the Kirtland's warblers nest.
Along with this range contraction came the proliferation of the brown-headed cowbird in its remaining habitat. It traditionally followed buffalo herds on the Great Plains, feeding on insects disturbed by buffalos' hooves. Being peripatetic, the cowbird laid eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving these unwitting adoptive parents to care for their young. When logging opened up land in the Midwest, cowbirds migrated too, and began laying eggs in warbler’s nests. Cowbirds hatch earlier and are larger and more aggressive than warblers, so the warbler nestlings don’t stand much of a chance.
3. Another interesting thing about the Kirtland’s Warbler is that once it was discovered, in the United States in 1850, it took awhile before anyone found out where it lived and bred http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html . Its breeding range wasn’t discovered until over 50 years later, in 1903, when a nest was found in jack pine habitat. And nearly 30 years later, in 1879, Kirtland’s was discovered to over winter in the Bahamas, and later the Turks, Caicos and Hispaniola Islands. Just think how much there is yet to discover in our own Wisconsin backyards, about species we still know little about!
4. What are people doing to help Kirtland’s now? Cowbirds continue to be trapped and Kirtland’s banded and monitored. The vegetation where they breed will be analyzed to determine ideal breeding habitat. And 134,000 acres of jack pine will continue to be managed on a 50-year rotation, yielding at least 38,000 acres of young jack pine in which Kirtland's can nest. Wildlife managers will revisit known habitat and search out new, and manage accordingly. Census work in jack pine stands in Burnett, Douglas, Washburn, Bayfield, Vilas, Oneida, Marinette, Jackson and Adams counties will search out singing male Kirtland's warblers and potential new breeding sites, so conservation efforts can expand. http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2009/04/warbler.htm http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=5BB8F06F-03E9-2DCC-38C152B14D3029F1
5. And, finally, here’s what you can do to help the Kirtland’s Warbler. Pick up some general bird identification skills at Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s web site http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1053 Learn more about Kirtland’s and become a volunteer yourself! Donate to the organizations cited above! Tell your friends and family about Kirtland’s fascinating life history and road to recovery, and how people like you made it happen! Help change the world, one species at a time!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
August's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Prairie White-Fringed Orchid
I chose the prairie white-fringed orchid, Platanthera leucophaea, for my August Wisconsin endangered species because it ends flowering and fruits in August. What interests me most about orchids are their great popularity with us humans and their unique ecological relationships with other species.
One of the reasons orchids are so popular is that they’re the dogs of the plant world – they are the second biggest family of flowering plants, with 725 genera and 10,000 to 15,000 different species. Because they are easily hybridized, they can look strikingly different from one another (some look as if they come from another world!), and some are easy to grow and care for.
1. The prairie white-fringed orchid is one of the largest and showiest native North American orchids. Experience it for yourself at these websites: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLLE2, for a lovely feathery photo and http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html for a stunning close up. My drawing is based on this photo http://www.ojibway.ca/orchids.htm Read a more detailed description of the prairie white-fringed orchid here http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=PLALEU To get a handle on its taxonomy and North American distribution, go here
http://plants.usda.gov/java/stateSearch?searchTxt=prairie+white+fringed+orchid&searchType=Comname&stateSelect=US55&searchOrder=2&imageField.x=82&imageField.y=10 and for its distribution in Wisconsin, http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=20&SpecCode=PMORC1Y0F0.
2. These orchids rely on the nocturnal hawkmoth (Sphingidae http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WIsphinx.htm - these are impressive in their own right) for pollination in order to reproduce, and their flowers are fragrant at night to accommodate them. The orchids rely on fungus living in the soil to become established in the soil and grow. Once the orchids have leaves, they aid the fungus as well! Adult orchids don’t have well-developed root systems and require these mycorrhizae for water and nutrition, especially when they’re under stress.
3. Why is this species endangered? It has declined in the US by more than 70%, mainly due to habitat loss for cropland and pasture. The remaining orchids are primarily threatened by continued habitat loss, specifically alteration of hydrology, fire protection, and development, as well as non-native species, illegal collection, herbicide drift and. possibly pesticides which may harm the hawkmoth
4. Which management practices can help these species survive? Restoration of mesic prairie through proper water (no ditching or draining and restoring water table levels) and fire management is essential. To this end, invasive and woody species must be removed for they dry out the habitat and prescribed burning is needed for seedling establishment and favorable fungus growth.
5. Read about how the WI DNR in partnership with private citizens and our own Madison Audubon Society have come together to save this orchid.
Two projects, both in Rock County under the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) - the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid and the Tallgrass Farm Projects, adjacent to privately owned Fair Meadows State Natural Area, contain one of Wisconsin’s largest populations of the prairie white- fringed orchid, which has become even more numerous under this collaborative management http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wlip/projects/rock.htm and http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/index.asp?SNA=416 .
On the Orchid Project site, LIP funds invasive tree and brush removal, herbicide treatment of reed canary grass, and prescribed burning. A section 6 grant helps with permanent protection. The landowner contributes time and personal equipment. A follow-up management plan, specific monitoring and project evaluation criteria are included. Mesic prairie is being restored in former agricultural fields and apple orchards.
The Tallgrass site is managed through controlled burns, brush clearing, invasive weed control, stewardship, and increasing diversity by seeding and planting native plants.
The WI DNR and Madison Audubon Society have collaborated at two sites, the Faville Grove Sanctuary and Snapper Prairie. At Faville Grove, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities of more than half of those acres. MAS has worked with NRCS to fill ditches and artificial drainage swales. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the former fence lines, buying local genotype seed, and mowing and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 37% match of volunteer on-site by hand seed collection and planting of more than 100 native species, weed control, and prescribed burns.
At Snapper Prairie, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the property line and weeding, mowing, and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 36% match through volunteer labor for on-site by hand seed collection and backseeding of more than 100 native species, and weed control. Find details here (the 4th & 5th projects) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/wlip/projects/jefferson.htm and at MAS’s website http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/sanctuaries.htm
To learn about and see how prairie white-fringed orchid seeds are germinated as a way to conserve them, read this interesting account by a WI DNR employee, who then plants them on his farm, where he is doing a prairie restoration http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html .
If you’re tempted to grow this orchid on your own property, look here http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2001/jun01/orchids.htm , and get an idea of an orchid’s very exacting habitat requirements for soil, fungi, light and moisture. If you’re lucky enough that your habitat meets these requirements, plant on!
A non-profit conservation group, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, funds projects through its WI Foundation Endowment http://www.wisconservation.org/index.php?page=Endowed_Funds. The Koshkonong Corners SNA Fund was created by John Van Altena and Connie Brouillette, partly to fund the management of land supporting the prairie white-fringed orchid.
6. What can you do to help? Educate friends and family! Oppose development and support protection and proper management of white fringed prairie habitat! Volunteer! Support the organizations that disseminate important information about this species and help protect this species, such as the Center for Plant Conservation, which is responsible for much of the info on my blog http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3520 (donate here: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/SupportCPC.html )as well as the very informative http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Platanthera+leuc ophaea (donate here: http://www.natureserve.org/supportUs/index.jsp ). Also support and learn more about the American Orchid Society http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About and its conservation efforts. Get involved with the WI Natural Resources Foundation http://www.wisconservation.org/
Support your WI DNR http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and your Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/join.htm in their mission to save the prairie white-fringed orchid.
Help save the world!
One of the reasons orchids are so popular is that they’re the dogs of the plant world – they are the second biggest family of flowering plants, with 725 genera and 10,000 to 15,000 different species. Because they are easily hybridized, they can look strikingly different from one another (some look as if they come from another world!), and some are easy to grow and care for.
1. The prairie white-fringed orchid is one of the largest and showiest native North American orchids. Experience it for yourself at these websites: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLLE2, for a lovely feathery photo and http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html for a stunning close up. My drawing is based on this photo http://www.ojibway.ca/orchids.htm Read a more detailed description of the prairie white-fringed orchid here http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=PLALEU To get a handle on its taxonomy and North American distribution, go here
http://plants.usda.gov/java/stateSearch?searchTxt=prairie+white+fringed+orchid&searchType=Comname&stateSelect=US55&searchOrder=2&imageField.x=82&imageField.y=10 and for its distribution in Wisconsin, http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=20&SpecCode=PMORC1Y0F0.
2. These orchids rely on the nocturnal hawkmoth (Sphingidae http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/WIsphinx.htm - these are impressive in their own right) for pollination in order to reproduce, and their flowers are fragrant at night to accommodate them. The orchids rely on fungus living in the soil to become established in the soil and grow. Once the orchids have leaves, they aid the fungus as well! Adult orchids don’t have well-developed root systems and require these mycorrhizae for water and nutrition, especially when they’re under stress.
3. Why is this species endangered? It has declined in the US by more than 70%, mainly due to habitat loss for cropland and pasture. The remaining orchids are primarily threatened by continued habitat loss, specifically alteration of hydrology, fire protection, and development, as well as non-native species, illegal collection, herbicide drift and. possibly pesticides which may harm the hawkmoth
4. Which management practices can help these species survive? Restoration of mesic prairie through proper water (no ditching or draining and restoring water table levels) and fire management is essential. To this end, invasive and woody species must be removed for they dry out the habitat and prescribed burning is needed for seedling establishment and favorable fungus growth.
5. Read about how the WI DNR in partnership with private citizens and our own Madison Audubon Society have come together to save this orchid.
Two projects, both in Rock County under the Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) - the Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid and the Tallgrass Farm Projects, adjacent to privately owned Fair Meadows State Natural Area, contain one of Wisconsin’s largest populations of the prairie white- fringed orchid, which has become even more numerous under this collaborative management http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wlip/projects/rock.htm and http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/index.asp?SNA=416 .
On the Orchid Project site, LIP funds invasive tree and brush removal, herbicide treatment of reed canary grass, and prescribed burning. A section 6 grant helps with permanent protection. The landowner contributes time and personal equipment. A follow-up management plan, specific monitoring and project evaluation criteria are included. Mesic prairie is being restored in former agricultural fields and apple orchards.
The Tallgrass site is managed through controlled burns, brush clearing, invasive weed control, stewardship, and increasing diversity by seeding and planting native plants.
The WI DNR and Madison Audubon Society have collaborated at two sites, the Faville Grove Sanctuary and Snapper Prairie. At Faville Grove, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities of more than half of those acres. MAS has worked with NRCS to fill ditches and artificial drainage swales. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the former fence lines, buying local genotype seed, and mowing and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 37% match of volunteer on-site by hand seed collection and planting of more than 100 native species, weed control, and prescribed burns.
At Snapper Prairie, MAS acquired 265 acres and has been restoring the hydrology and plant communities. LIP is funding tree and brush removal along the property line and weeding, mowing, and herbicide to control invasive species. MAS is providing a 36% match through volunteer labor for on-site by hand seed collection and backseeding of more than 100 native species, and weed control. Find details here (the 4th & 5th projects) http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/wlip/projects/jefferson.htm and at MAS’s website http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/sanctuaries.htm
To learn about and see how prairie white-fringed orchid seeds are germinated as a way to conserve them, read this interesting account by a WI DNR employee, who then plants them on his farm, where he is doing a prairie restoration http://www.orchidconservationcoalition.org/pr/bluestempleucophaea.html .
If you’re tempted to grow this orchid on your own property, look here http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/html/stories/2001/jun01/orchids.htm , and get an idea of an orchid’s very exacting habitat requirements for soil, fungi, light and moisture. If you’re lucky enough that your habitat meets these requirements, plant on!
A non-profit conservation group, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, funds projects through its WI Foundation Endowment http://www.wisconservation.org/index.php?page=Endowed_Funds. The Koshkonong Corners SNA Fund was created by John Van Altena and Connie Brouillette, partly to fund the management of land supporting the prairie white-fringed orchid.
6. What can you do to help? Educate friends and family! Oppose development and support protection and proper management of white fringed prairie habitat! Volunteer! Support the organizations that disseminate important information about this species and help protect this species, such as the Center for Plant Conservation, which is responsible for much of the info on my blog http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3520 (donate here: http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/SupportCPC.html )as well as the very informative http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Platanthera+leuc ophaea (donate here: http://www.natureserve.org/supportUs/index.jsp ). Also support and learn more about the American Orchid Society http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About and its conservation efforts. Get involved with the WI Natural Resources Foundation http://www.wisconservation.org/
Support your WI DNR http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and your Madison Audubon Society http://madisonaudubon.org/audubon/html/join.htm in their mission to save the prairie white-fringed orchid.
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