Natural North Dakota: Recent Episodes
Prairie Public
Hosted by Chuck Lura, a biology professor at Dakota College in Bottineau. Chuck has a broad knowledge of “Natural North Dakota” and loves sharing that knowledge with others. Since 2005, he has written a weekly column, “Naturalist at Large,” for the Lake Metigoshe Mirror. His columns also appear under “The Naturalist” in several other weekly newspapers across North Dakota.
Natural North Dakota is supported by NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center and Dakota College at Bottineau, and by the members of Prairie Public. Thanks to Sunny 101.9 in Bottineau for their recording services.
Hear Natural North Dakota on Prairie Public on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:35am CT.
Most North Dakotans are familiar with some adaptations birds and mammals have to get through the winter. But what about the invertebrates — insects, for example — and the plants? They have adaptations as well.
February is here! With January in the rearview mirror, the cycle of the seasons continues its inexorable change. Although the excitement of spring seems a long way away, there is probably more going on than most people realize.
Have you been feeding the birds this winter? Setting out a few bird feeders with a variety of food items can provide for some good bird watching during those cold winter days. And it helps the birds, of course.
What is the most abundant mammal in North America? I saw that question used in trivia recently. The answer was deer mouse. I am not so sure about that, in part because deer mouse is used to refer to a genus of mice as well one of the species of the genus. Either way, deer mice are certainly one of the contenders.
Santa Claus is not the only thing that comes down a chimney. Some of you may have seen the recent story about the barred owl that came down the chimney of a home in Virginia and proceeded to perch atop the Christmas tree.
I recently heard a sermon in which the preacher reflected on his observing a pileated woodpecker and the beauty of the natural world. For him, it was a spiritual experience. It led me to muse about the importance of experiencing nature in our spirituality and overall wellbeing.
If you were to ask most older adults what was the most common butterfly when they were kids they would, almost to the person, say monarchs. But those days are gone. You may have missed it, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing federal protection for the monarch.
Are you wishing the days were longer? If so, your wish will be answered. For people that live in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year — the winter solstice — falls on Saturday, December 21, this year. The days will then begin to lengthen until the summer solstice in June.
There are not very many plant families that have milky sap. Milkweeds certainly come to mind, as well as some members of the aster family such as the dandelion and western salsify. The spurge family also produces milky sap and includes a few species native to North Dakota and some other noteworthy species.
Have you been seeing more deer and road kills as you travel about over the last month or so? Most people probably attribute the visibility and accidents to the rut or deer’s breeding season. But there are several other factors that are also involved with the increase in deer visibility and accidents this time of year.
The Geminids Meteor Shower is coming up soon, as is the Ursids Meteor Shower. Although we are coming up on a full moon on December 15, which will interfere with visibility of some of the weaker meteors, these meteor showers are still worth checking out.
“Gobble, Gobble!” Thanksgiving is coming up next Thursday. The turkey, of course, will be center stage as Americans dive into this annual gustatory feast.
I was perusing through Theodore Roosevelt’s book “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail” (1888) recently, and ran across his description of burning coal veins. He wrote that the burning coal veins were one of the more interesting features of the badlands.
CBS Sunday Morning aired a story a couple weeks ago on people searching out larch trees in the western mountains during the fall to observe their golden colored needles. Although there are no larch native to North Dakota, an introduced species is grown as an ornamental in the state.
I recently noticed some rose bushes loaded with rose hips. Most people think of rose flowers as adding beauty to the summer months. But the rose hips add interesting color to the fall and winter landscape. Seeing all those rose hips made me think that it is time to brew up a batch of rose hip tea.
I recently saw an advertisement for spider web decorations for Halloween. Although real spider webs are common and easily observed, we largely ignore them unless one is located in a prominent position in or near our homes, in which case they are often promptly removed.
When it comes to the sounds of plants, wind through the conifers and the quaking of aspen leaves are often mentioned. But I suspect that for many North Dakotans, the rustling of cottonwood leaves are even more iconic and may evoke some vivid memories.
No doubt many North Dakotans hear a loud, gurgling call emanating from overhead during spring or fall, and look skyward in search of the source. After a bit of searching, you finally identify the source as a flock of large birds, way up there! If the flock is lower, long legs might be visible sticking out behind them. Ahh, the call of sandhill cranes!
Many newspapers and other media will run stories about the leaves turning color on the trees before falling. Many of these news items will explain how chlorophyll breaks down, and the other colors (pigments) that were there all along become visible. They may compare the color change to “removing the chlorophyll mask” from the leaves.
If you are up for a little stargazing, now might be a good time to do so. There is a new moon coming up on October 2, so with the relatively warm temperatures and clear skies, conditions could be quite good. Plus, the Orionids meteor shower is about to begin.
It’s that time of year! The fall equinox occurs this year on Sunday, September 22. At precisely 7:43am CT, the sun will be directly over the equator.
For many, be they native North Dakotans, transplants, or those just passing through, it often takes some time to warm to the wide-open spaces of the North Dakota landscape. Although there is a lot of cropland, I suspect that for many people, the wide-open expanses of prairie are a large part of what calls people to love and appreciation of the landscape.
Sharp-tailed grouse season opens up on September 14. To quote Morris Johnson and Joseph Knue from their Feathers from the Prairie (1989), “no other upland bird has been in the state so long or in such numbers.”
September is upon us! As you have probably noticed, the days are getting shorter and cooler. The birds have started migrating, and the fall foliage will soon start to come out.
Are you seeing yellow? As you look out on the North Dakota landscape this time of year, it seems that there are yellow flowers everywhere. It is the color of the season!
Much of central and eastern North Dakota is pothole country. As you look out at all those sloughs, it appears that the vast majority of them are dominated by cattails. Those sloughs have been changing more than most people realize.
When traveling across North Dakota and looking out at the rangeland, some people see just a bunch of grass. However, it is much more than that! An important step in understanding the ecology of our rangelands is to have a working knowledge of what range ecologists call ecological sites and their associated ecological site descriptions.
Driving down the roads in North Dakota this time of year, particularly gravel roads, one is likely to occasionally see a sunflower in bloom with broad leaves, producing a flower head, and growing to around 3 to 6 feet tall. That is probably the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus), the same species that is grown in the sunflower fields.
Traveling across North Dakota, particularly areas northeast of the Missouri River, you'll occasionally see signs near wetlands that identify the area as a Waterfowl Production Area, or WPA.
This time of year, the prairie landscape is awash in color. Two of the more commonly known wildflowers, prairie coneflower and purple coneflower, will soon be flowering across the state.
When was the last time you laid back and savored the cosmos on a warm summer night? The stars, of course, are brightest during a clear night with a new moon. There was a new moon on July 5, so we are heading toward a full moon on July 21.
I mentioned in last week’s Natural North Dakota that estimates for how many seeds a cottonwood tree could produce in a year may range up to 48 million. Clearly all those small seeds do not develop into cottonwood trees. But a very small number do fall on the ground with the right conditions of soil, moisture, sunlight, little competition, and other factors to become the next generation of cottonwood trees. It is a different story for some other plants — acorns from oak trees, for example.
If the cottonwoods in your area have not started releasing their cotton, they will be soon. It is that time of year!
If you spend time around marshes during the summer months you are likely to become familiar with the yellow-headed blackbird. The name of this bird is quite descriptive, but it is occasionally referred to (with tongue firmly in cheek) as a “black bodied yellow bird.”
I encourage you to consider a trip to the International Peace Garden this summer. There is much to see and do there, including exploring a little Natural North Dakota and Manitoba in the Turtle Mountain aspen forest.
Summer is upon us! It seems that every year, questions come up on how to identify poison ivy, and what to do if a dog has been sprayed by a skunk. A little reminder of identification of poison ivy and treatment of skunk spray might be helpful.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of North Dakota website lists eight species of snakes documented in the state. I assume that most North Dakotans are familiar with many of these snakes, but I suspect that few have ever heard of or seen a smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis).
Whether it's watching robins in the yard, seeing an eagle soar overhead, or trying to identify a bird making that sweet call from some thick brush, birds seem to draw our interest. But many among us may not be aware of a couple aids that can help enhance our birding experiences.
I was perusing Robert Stewart’s Breeding Birds of North Dakota (1975) recently and noticed that he listed three species of gulls nesting in the state: California, Franklin’s, and ring-billed. He also noted that herring gulls were nesting on Stump Lake back in 1884.
A keystone species can be loosely defined as a species that has a disproportionately large effect on a community. They are critical components. They hold things together. And their removal from a community can set off a series of events that change the community into something quite different.
If the pasque flowers are not in bloom near you, they will be soon. And there are other wildflowers as well, including Draba and prairie smoke. Beauty often comes in small packages, and the spring wildflowers will help brighten your day.
One of the common signs of spring is when we look up at the trees and see something different up there. The trees must be leafing out! Spring is officially here! But much of what we see up there is more likely flowers.
Both grasslands and birds are rapidly decreasing in Canada — less than 15% of the native grasslands remain. To address the issue, Birds Canada has developed the Bird-Friendliness Index.
If you like to watch falling stars, this next month or so is a good time to see them. The Lyrids meteor shower will start soon, and it overlaps with the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. Between the two, the show will run to the end of May.
Shortly after beginning their journey down the Missouri River in April of 1805 after spending the winter at Fort Mandan, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal about an animal that Captain Clark had recently observed: “Captain Clark walked on shore today and informed on his return, that passing through the prairie he had seen an animal that precisely resembled the burrowing squirrel, accept in point of size, it being only about one third as large as the squirrel, and that it also burrows.”
It seems that every year when spring comes around, we are ready to go outdoors. Nature has much to offer, but all too often summer arrives, and we realize we did not get to enjoy the spring like we had hoped.
The next time you travel on Highway 83 between Minot and Bismarck, or other areas along the east side of the Missouri River, take a closer look at the landscape of the Coteau Slope.
The short days of winter are starting to fade away as the days continue to lengthen. And next Wednesday, March 20, is the spring equinox.
If you have never been to the petrified forest in Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit, you might want to consider doing so this year. And even if you have been there before, another visit to see these remnants of another time is a worthwhile experience.
I recently happened upon the above map of the Red River Watershed. I suspect that the watershed is much larger than most of us would think.
One of Prairie Public’s more popular television shows is Nature. Some of you may have seen the episode a few weeks ago on shorebird migrations. The show addressed how shorebirds navigate the trip, the risks of migration, and how human activity is creating problems for the birds. One of the shorebirds featured was the marbled godwit on its migration from Panama to the Dakotas.
January is in the rearview mirror, as is a good portion of February. And whether Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow or not, no self-respecting North Dakota groundhog would stick their head out of the burrow in early February. Any thoughts of spring are premature. Or are they?
The Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up next week, February 16-19. This annual citizen science effort is a collaboration between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada to help scientists better understand the bird population dynamics and movements.
I recently saw a news article about a 240-pound lake sturgeon caught in the Detroit River in 2021. That’s a big fish! Perhaps someday North Dakota will produce a lake sturgeon of that size.
Most North Dakotans are familiar with the great horned owl. But I suspect few are familiar with the short-eared owl — even though, of the half-dozen or so owls native to the state, the short-eared owl is most closely associated with the wide open spaces of North Dakota prairie.
In the 1890s, a group of Shakespeare enthusiasts released 100 European starlings in New York City’s Central Park so that all the birds in Shakespeare’s works could be observed there. The rest, as they say, is history. By the 1920s they had spread west to Michigan and Wisconsin. The first documented starling in North Dakota came on March 30, 1938 near Upham, ND.
I recently came across a page about clams, or freshwater mussels, from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. It reminded me of a time, a few years ago, a cabin owner at Lake Metigoshe found a clam in the sediment near his cabin and asked me to identify it. This clam, “Sam the Clam,” was becoming a local celebrity. I could not identify it, but with the help of Dr. Andre DeLorme at Valley City State University it was tentatively identified as a giant floater (Pygandon grandis).
Have you ever wondered what traveling the North Dakota landscape was like during the winter a couple hundred years ago? The journals of David Thompson, fur trader, explorer, cartographer, and surveyor, give some insight. Thompson was hired by the Northwest Company to identify potential trading post locations around the 49th parallel. During the winter of 1797, he led an expedition from present-day Manitoba to the Mandan Villages.
2023 is drawing to a close, and 2024 will begin on Monday. But of course, the new year hasn't always been determined by a calendar date.
I recently listened to a podcast about the ecological problems associated with feral pigs in Canada. These feral pigs have been called the most prolific invasive mammal in Canada, and the situation is being described as "spiraling out of control."
It may surprise you, but wolverines are native to North Dakota, particularly the area in and around the Pembina Hills. Alexander Henry obtained pelts of wolverines at his trading post near Pembina in the early 1800s from in and around the Pembina Hills, Pembina River, Park River, and Red River.
Cottonwoods can be found across the state along streams, shorelines, floodplains, wet meadows, and similar habitats. They have also been planted in shelterbelts, boulevards, and yards. And of course, they are very fond of having their roots tap into groundwater.
Perhaps you’ve been noticing some ducks on the marshes as you traveled over the summer months. If so, I’d bet that one of the most common ducks you saw was a small duck with a white crescent running down on the front side of its head. That is a male blue-winged teal. And if they haven’t left already, they will soon.
Hope for a clear sky next Thursday, August 31: There will be a full moon! But this is not your typical full moon — this will be a Full Moon, Supermoon, and Blue Moon all at once.
The emerald ash borer is an exotic insect. It was first documented in the United States in Michigan in 2002, and has been spreading since. Our native ash trees are very susceptible to this insect pest, which can kill a green ash in as little as three years.
If August had an official color, it would have to be yellow. It seems that everywhere we look right now, yellow flowers predominate.
Have you been on the Maah Daah Hey Trail? If not, you really owe it to yourself to check it out, if you are able. And even if you have been out there, this summer or fall might be a good time to visit again. It has some spectacular scenery and wildlife to enjoy.
Have you noticed any falling stars recently? The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower started on July 12 and will run through August 23. The peak viewing period is this weekend (July 29-30), with perhaps twenty meteors per hour.
When was the last time you saw a snapping turtle? Snapping turtles are one of four species of turtles native to North Dakota.
Have you ever noticed what looks like a mass of spit on a plant in the woods, on the prairie, or in your garden? I suspect that most of you probably have seen it, but probably gave it little attention. It is called spittle, and it’s produced by a type of insect called a spittlebug.
I recently read about the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Turtle Mountain Conservation Delivery Unit and Plant Materials Center collaborating to provide interested tribal members information on how to grow sweetgrass in their gardens.
In 1907, the state of North Dakota designated the “Wild Prairie Rose” as the North Dakota State Flower.
Were there chimney swifts before chimneys? Of course! It might surprise you, but historically, chimney swifts nested in hollow trees, cliff faces, caves, and the like. But things changed for the chimney swifts when Europeans settled the area and built homes with chimneys.
Are you enjoying these long summer days? The days have been lengthening since the winter solstice back in December. And the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, is coming up soon.
If you haven’t been to Lake Metigoshe State Park, this summer should be a good time to go. Lying around fourteen miles northeast of Bottineau, the park is tucked away on the eastern shore of Lake Metigoshe’s north lake. It is a great place to enjoy a little natural North Dakota.
The northern lights have been unusually active over the past few months. And it appears we may be in for more frequent shows over the next few months.
Some birds are known to lay their eggs in another bird’s nest. They then go off while the “host” parent, or parents, get stuck with all the parental care of these young, often at the expense of their own offspring. And brown-headed cowbirds are notorious for this practice, called brood parasitism.
Wood warblers are known for their bright and interesting colors. They’re a bit smaller than the sparrows we commonly observe. Most are on their way north to the coniferous forest to nest, but some species will stay and nest here in North Dakota. If you have noticed one of these small birds has a prominent yellow rump patch, it is a yellow-rumped warbler. They are one of the more commonly observed wood warblers we see during the spring migration.
We hear about sightings of whooping cranes in the state during their spring and fall migration, but how fortunate to be able to see these magnificent and rare birds?
Gardening and landscaping with native plants can provide aesthetically pleasing environments, provide plants for native pollinators, reduce our carbon footprint, help preserve native biodiversity, and produce more environmentally sound and sustainable landscapes.
It seems that every spring when the ice comes off ponds and marshes it is not long before these bodies of water are the source of a cacophony of croaks, quacks, trills, and chirps from frogs and toads.
We had a new moon earlier this week, on April 20. So, with the darkened night sky, it is a good time to do some stargazing. Plus, we have the Lyrids Meteor Shower running through April 25.
Have you heard of snow fleas? When I first heard of them, I thought I was being set up for a joke. But they are for real! Snow fleas are small, about a tenth of an inch long. And because they are small and dull colored, they are seldom observed even though they are active over much of the year. But it is around this time of year that they are perhaps the easiest to spot.
The heavy snow this winter has led to lots of speculation of spring flooding on rivers and streams across the state. Floods, of course, can cause horrendous damage to property within the floodplain. That aside, many among us may have never learned that flooding is a natural process, and seasonal floods that inundate the floodplain are a natural part of healthy rivers.
“Home, home, on the range, where the deer and the jackalope play.” That anthem of the American west that we are so familiar with is where the deer and the antelope play. What is not well known is that the original version was where the deer and the jackalope play.
With all the snow this winter, there is increasing speculation about spring flooding, as well as winterkill in some of our lakes — particularly some of the more shallow lakes. Winterkill occasionally occurs in some North Dakota lakes. Some people will blame thick ice for winterkill, and that may be a factor, but the most common cause of winterkill in North Dakota lakes is too much snow on the ice for too long a time.
The sun has some power these days. And it will come as no surprise to some of you that the spring equinox and the first day of spring is coming up on Monday, March 20. That day, and during the fall equinox in September, the sun will pass directly overhead on the equator.
Spring might seem a long time away, so it may come as a surprise that Great Horned Owls are likely already nesting near you!
In 1908, a railroad station in McHenry County, North Dakota, was platted and incorporated. We know the town as Upham, located about 50 miles northeast of Minot. But, unlike many towns that were named for the founder or early settler, Upham was named in honor of geologist Warren Upham.
Have you ever noticed how the hilly topography of Turtle Mountain is much the same as the Missouri Coteau, that band of hills that runs along the north and east side of the Missouri River? If so, it is because they are the same geological landform — largely dead-ice "moraine," or collapsed glacial topography.
The Orion Nebula is the closest and most active area of star formation in the Milky Way. It is often compared to a stellar nursery or maternity ward. The dimensions of this thing are mind-boggling -- it is around 1,300 light years away and about 30-40 light years across. In terms of actual miles, a light year represents 6 trillion miles.
One of the more popular citizen science efforts is the Great Backyard Bird Count, and it is coming up on February 17-20. It is an effort between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada to help scientists better understand the bird population dynamics and movements. Last year, participants turned in over 350,000 checklists from 192 countries around the world. These observations are helping scientists identify population trends, range expansions or contractions, how birds are doing in urban or rural areas, and more.
The birds have been busy at our bird feeders this winter! The bulk of birds do not consume the seeds at the feeder -- Chickadees and nuthatches come in, get one sunflower seed, and quickly fly away. Blue jays fill up with several seeds before flying away. These birds are flying off to a safer place to open and/or consume the food, or perhaps cache it.
We don’t give it much thought these days, but grizzly bears historically ranged across most of North Dakota.
For the casual observer it can often be difficult to distinguish quaking aspen from paper birch. That topic came up in a conversation recently. A friend mentioned that he cannot comfortably differentiate the two species. Both species are medium sized trees with light bark, but once a person learns what to look for, differentiating the two can become quite easy.
On January 6, 1805, the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition trapped a fox that was apparently hanging around Fort Mandan. Russell Reid, in his book Lewis and Clark in North Dakota (1988) speculated it could have been a swift fox. Most North Dakotans are familiar with the red fox. But the swift fox, also known as kit fox or prairie fox? Not so much, if at all.
With the leaves off the trees, winter can be a good time of the year to do some woodpecker watching.
Snow is an interesting phenomenon: As a water droplet freezes, it forms a hexagonal lattice that resembles a stop sign, but of course with six sides instead of eight. The ice crystal may continue to grow if water vapor around it continues to condense and freeze on the surface. Eventually, it makes a snowflake.
If you feed the birds during the winter, you may notice some differences in the species visiting the feeders from year to year. Some species, such as chickadees, are consistent visitors. But other species, such as siskins, seem to vary considerably — and during some years they seem to show up en masse, indicating some sort of invasion or "irruption" — meaning a sudden change in the population density.
It might surprise you, but rodents are the largest group of mammals, constituting a little over 40% of all mammal species – more than 30 of which can be found in North Dakota. That includes mice, voles, rats, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, beavers, muskrats, and porcupines. It is an amazingly diverse group.
It is time to check the nighttime sky. That is because the Geminids Meteor Shower is on now. The Geminids are widely regarded as the best meteor shower of the year. It started on the seventh and will run to the seventeenth with the peak viewing period coming on the night of December 13 and early morning hours of the 14th.
Winter is here. And for many of us it is the time of year to just stay indoors, hit the couch, and forget about getting outdoors to enjoy nature until spring. But give some consideration to getting outdoors and enjoying some of what nature has to offer during the winter months.
What kinds of squirrels live around your home area? I am thinking of tree squirrels, not ground squirrels such as the flickertail. Three of the more common tree squirrels in North Dakota are the fox, eastern gray, and red.
If you are looking for some good reading on life in Dakota Territory from the 1860s, you might want to check out Military Life in Dakota by Philippe Regis De Trobriand. De Trobriand was in command of Fort Stevenson in Dakota Territory from 1867-1869. His journal covers a wide range of topics about his time at the fort, ranging from observations on the space and solitude, mosquitoes, bison, prairie fires, grasshoppers, northern lights, and food. Now with Thanksgiving coming up next week, his observations on food offer us some interesting food for thought.
Sometimes also called a specklebelly, the greater white-fronted goose nests in the far north of North America as well as Europe and Asia. They are gray-brown with a white rump. And as you might expect, they have a white forehead which also runs down along the sides of the beak, thus the common name white-fronted goose.
Have the boxelder bugs been bothering you this fall? They have been inspecting lots of homes in search of a nice warm place to spend the winter.
The animals are getting ready for winter. We often think of birds heading south and resident mammals putting on their winter coats. But what about the insects?
Have you noticed any beaver dams and ponds in your area recently? Beavers are often vilified for plugging up culverts and constructing dams that flood cropland, roads, and the like. And of course, they draw our ire when they drop or girdle our trees. So, it is no surprise that beavers are often shot or trapped, and dams and lodges destroyed. But in many cases, beaver activity can be quite beneficial.
Are you familiar with bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)? It is a woody vine that can be found twining up trees and shrubs in woodlands and groves throughout North Dakota. It seems to go largely unnoticed during the summer months because it is buried in with the other green foliage. And there is not much that would catch your eye. But this time of year, particularly once the leaves have fallen, the bright orange fruits are much easier to spot.
The Orionid Meteor Shower is putting on its annual show now. It started on October 2 and will go to November 7. The shower will peak on the evening of October 21 and early morning hours of the 22 with perhaps twenty or so meteors per hour. We are fortunate to have a crescent moon during the peak viewing period, so if the sky is clear, we could be in for a good show.
No doubt many of you are familiar with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Published in 1962 the book warned that continued widespread and indiscriminate use of pesticides could result in extensive ecological damage, including the death of songbirds, resulting in a “silent spring” when no songbirds would be heard. It is hard to imagine such a thing. But it looks as if we may be experiencing quieter springs.
It is official! The autumnal equinox occurred last Thursday at 8:03 PM Central Daylight Time. That was when the sun was directly over the equator. So fall is here. And of course, the days will shorten until the winter solstice in December. Then the days will begin to lengthen through the spring equinox and on to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in June.
It is that time of year. Labor Day is in the rearview mirror and thoughts are turning to fall. And fall in North Dakota often leads to thoughts of flocks of birds on their fall migration.
If you haven’t seen some shaggy mane mushrooms (Coprinus comatus) growing near your home lately, they probably will be soon. They are often seen popping up after a good rain in grassy areas such as parks, lawns, and the like during late summer and into fall, although they may grow at other times. They are one of North Dakota’s more common and interesting mushrooms.
I suspect that most everyone is familiar with salamanders. North Dakota has one native salamander, and that is the eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). They can be found statewide. They are about 6-8 inches long, have smooth moist black or maybe a ripe olive colored skin, with pale yellowish spots or blotches.
Most all of you old-timers can probably recall that monarch butterflies dancing in the breeze was a common sight across North Dakota in your childhood. They are not so common these days. The western population is down over 90% since the 1980s while the eastern population is down 84% from 1996-2014.
There are about a half-dozen or so sunflowers that call North Dakota home. One of the more interesting sunflowers from an historical perspective is Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani).
When we think if parasites, we usually do not think of plants. It might surprise you, but North Dakota is home to several parasitic plants.
We occasionally hear about beavers being compared to engineers. Well, pocket gophers have been recently compared to farmers! Based on recent research conducted by scientists at the University of Florida it appears that at least the southeastern pocket gopher is tending, or “farming,” the underground plant parts they harvest to eat.
I have been reading Theodore Roosevelt’s “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail.” It is an interesting read about life in the North Dakota badlands in the 1880s. In chapter three, The Home Ranch, Roosevelt describes the quiet surrounding the ranch: “There are few sounds to break the stillness. From the upper branches of the cottonwood trees overhead, whose shimmering, tremulous leaves are hardly ever quiet, but if the wind stirs at all, rustle and quiver and sigh all day long, comes every now and then the soft, melancholy cooing of the mourning dove, whose voice always seems far away and expresses more than any other sound in nature the sadness of gentle, hopeless, never-ending grief.”
If you like to watch meteor showers, the next few weeks could be a real treat. That is because the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower has already begun, and the Perseids Meteor Shower will overlap with it.
While walking the shoreline of a pond recently I was suddenly hit with the strong smell of mint. I apparently had stepped on some field mint (Mentha arvensis). Field mint can be found over much of North America in wet meadows, shores, and similar wet habitats. It is quite common here in North Dakota. It grows to perhaps a foot tall, has opposite lanceolate to ovate leaves, and clusters of tiny pink to lavender flowers ringing the stem at the nodes (where the leaves are attached).
We have a full moon coming up on July 13. Not only that, but this full moon is also a supermoon. So, you might want to make a point of doing some moon watching the evening of the 13th.
It must be a good year for cottonwoods. I have heard several comments about all the cotton wafting in the wind this summer. Occasionally someone will ask why some cottonwood trees always produce cotton while others do not. Cottonwood is rather unusual in that they are dioecious, meaning the plant is either a male or female. It is the female trees that produce the cotton.
When one looks out on those North Dakota pastures an observer may see “just grass.” It might surprise you, but North Dakota is home to around 150 species of grasses. Some of course are introduced, but the vast majority is native, ranging from buffalograsss to sloughgrass.
Summer is a good time to do a little star gazing, and we are heading toward a new moon on the 29th, so if the skies are clear, stargazing should be quite good for the next couple weeks.
We often hear birds singing or calling. But many times, the birds remain hidden amongst the vegetation, so identifying the bird is difficult. But now with the help of Merlin, a free app developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, we can identify those birds. In this case it is a common yellowthroat, a yellow colored warbler with a black mask that is often heard while hidden in the vegetation on the margins of wetlands.
Duck nests have been a topic of discussion in the Prairie Public radio department recently. Director of Radio Bill Thomas and Producer Skip Wood were surprised to learn they each had a hen mallard nesting in their yard, but the location was a bit disconcerting. Except for a small pond on the Concordia College Campus, the nearest water (the Red River) is around 10-12 blocks away. So why does a duck nest so far from water?
Canada anemone and several other members of the buttercup family are or will be blooming soon. The buttercup family consists of over 2,000 species widely distributed around the globe. They may be characterized as mainly herbaceous plants with alternate leaves that may be compound or lobed. And although the number of petals and sepals may be quite variable, in some cases the petals are absent, but the sepals look like petals. Another interesting aspect of the flowers in this family is the many pistils (and stamens) that are clustered at the center of the flower.
It seems like every spring we wait in eager anticipation for the migrating birds to return. Whether it is seeing the first robin, geese overhead, warblers, or watching the first hummingbird and oriole at the feeder, it is a much-anticipated event. Now, with the help of the BirdCast website, we can gain a better understating of these birds’ migrations and perhaps a better idea of when they will show up in our area.
Have you ever heard of No Mow May? Some cities around the nation are beginning to change ordinances to allow homeowners to refrain from mowing their lawns during the month of May. The objective is to provide better habitat and flowers, including dandelions, for the bees and other pollinators during the early growing season.
Go outdoors around sunrise this time of year, and you are likely to hear birds seemingly singing from everywhere. It is as if they were all trying to tell us something, which they are. It is mostly the males telling us that they are staking their claim to a territory and that they are looking for a mate.
Are the aspen leafing out near you? Do some seem to be busting out from winter while others, well, not so much? I am occasionally asked this time of year why there is so much variation in when the aspen leaf out, and also why this difference seems to occur in patches. Some have speculated the differences are due to variations in soil types, soils moisture, temperature, or perhaps exposure to sunlight.
The signs of spring continue to grow, and one of the signs of spring that is often overlooked is when the warblers start to show up. If they have not started to show up in your area already, they will be soon.
It is time to be on the lookout for falling stars, or should I say meteors for the next few weeks. That is because the Lyrid Meteor Shower, annually runs from April 16-25. The peak viewing period will come on the evening of April 22 and early morning of April 23 with perhaps 20 or so meteors per hour. The moon is going to interfere with some of the more faint meteors during the peak viewing period, but if the sky is clear, it will be worth taking a look.
While traveling down the roads this time of year, the road ditch looks rather dull with the snow gone and the brown grass. But occasionally one may see what looks to be long, sinuous, and perhaps branching clippings of grass or something, roughly two inches or so wide, and several feet long. They can be quite abundant and conspicuous in spots. What is going on here?
“The chance to find a pasque-flower is a right as inalienable as free speech.” That much quoted passage from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac has been on my mind lately. Nothing symbolizes spring on the North Dakota prairie more than the flowering of the pasque flower or wild crocus. And if the pasque flowers are not already blooming near you, they will be soon.
The spring equinox is behind us. Spring is officially here, and that means the activity on our prairies, woodlands, marshes, and lakes will be ramping up soon if it hasn’t already. And the next month or so is one of the best times of the year to get out and enjoy nature.
Not so many years ago the sighting of a bald eagle was an uncommon to rare occurrence in North Dakota. Now, of course, these magnificent birds are much more frequently observed, even during the winter months. You may have missed it, but eagles have been the news recently, and all is not well with them.
As most North Dakotan’s know, the Red River and its tributaries flow into Hudson Bay while the Missouri River and its tributaries flow into the Gulf of Mexico. It might surprise you but there are several major drainage basins in the state. The maps I have seen vary somewhat, but often place the Missouri Coteau within the Missouri River drainage and the Prairie Coteau and Turtle Mountain in the Hudson Bay drainage even though they are largely pothole country with closed drainage.
Most of us are familiar with the hooting of great horned owls. But we hear them a lot more than we see them. It is amazing that they can stay so well hidden. But if you have an interest in seeing them, now might be a good time to begin looking for them in earnest. That is because they have started to nest, and the young should start hatching in about a month or so. With the deciduous trees still bare, the owls are about as observable as they get.
Here we are in the last days of February. A walk in the woods or across the prairie might give us the impression that there is not much activity this time of year. It may not be conspicuous the casual observer, but many of the mammals have been quite active for some time already. And there is not much leisure time in their future.
We have had our fair share of cold weather this winter, with temperatures well into the twenty to thirty below zero range. Although many among us are more than ready for warmer temperatures, we also seem to fall back on that old saying that the cold temperatures “keep the riffraff away.” Those cold temperatures might also be helping keep the emerald ash borer away.
If you enjoy nature, consider getting involved with a citizen science project. You will learn more about nature and at the same time help scientists collect important information. Citizen scientists are helping monitor the water quality of lakes, rivers, and streams, monarch butterfly migrations, snowpack in the mountains, and reptile and amphibian populations and movements, to name a few.
If you have been noticing some flocks of what looks to be sparrows getting up in front of your vehicle while driving through the country this winter, you might want to take a closer look next time. Many among us dismiss these flocks of small sparrow-sized birds as, well, sparrows. But rather than being brown, these flocks of small birds may be quite white. If so, there is a good chance they are horned larks or perhaps snow buntings.
I noticed a tunnel through the snow recently that the casual observer would likely attribute to the activity of a mouse. It might surprise you, but there are around twenty small mammals that the casual observer may simply dismiss as “a mouse.” Most, or perhaps all, are active throughout the winter months.
We have had a few days this winter when the sundogs have been quite prominent in the morning and evening sky. Although not rainbows, the basic principles are similar. The scientific name for sundogs is parihelia (singular parahelion). They often appear during cold winter days when ice crystals are abundant in the atmosphere and the sun is low in the sky.
Most North Dakotans know that the Red River forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota. But other aspects, such as knowledge of the source of the river, and where it goes after flowing into Manitoba are perhaps less well known.
Picture a bright, brisk, sunshiny winter day with a fresh blanket of snow. Now picture a red fox in its winter best trotting across that landscape. A friend recently described that sight to me. His excitement was quite apparent.
We had a hawk recently buzz our bird feeder. The birds at the feeder scattered for cover, and from what I could see, it was a failed effort by the hawk to get a meal. It happened so quickly that it was tough to positively identify the hawk, but it probably was a Cooper’s hawk.
A quiet calm seems to come over the landscape during the winter months. But there is more going on than one might think. Many of the birds from summer have gone south, of course, but several species are permanent residents. And mammals remain as well, but their activities may be rather inconspicuous, particularly those living under the snow and ice. Few hibernate.
One of the joys of winter is watching the birds at our bird feeders. When was the last time you sat back, relaxed, and just watched the birds at the feeder?
The winter landscape can look rather empty and bleak this time of year. And although the animals can seek shelter in burrows, under snow, or other protected places, the trees have no choice but to stay put and tough it out. But unlike most trees native to North Dakota that shed their leaves in the fall the evergreens such as pine, spruce, and juniper retain them.
Much of North Dakota is pothole country, and the Missouri Coteau, that band of hills that borders the Missouri River on the east is prime duck country. Tucked away in Kidder County a bit south and east of Dawson, North Dakota is Slade National Wildlife Refuge which provides important habitat for ducks and other wildlife.
It is time to look skyward at night again. Some of you may have been noticing some meteors recently. The Leonids Meteor Shower began on November 6th and will run through the 30th. The shower will peak on the night of November 17th and early morning hours of the 18th with perhaps 15 meteors or so per hour. A nearly full moon, however, will make only the brightest of meteors clearly visible.
“The Father of Waters.” When most people hear or read that phrase, they more than likely think of the Mississippi River. But why not the Missouri River? I have been thinking about that after reading John Madson’s Up on the River: An Upper Mississippi Chronicle. In the book, Madson wonders why it was the Mississippi River that was designated to continue on from St. Louis to New Orleans and not the Missouri River.
Are you familiar with mima mounds? They are low circular mounds of soil on some landscapes in Oregon, Idaho, and other areas of the United States, mostly west of the Mississippi River. Mima mounds, or something very similar, have been observed in Rolette County. They are mentioned as “freckled areas” in North Dakota Geological Survey Bulletin 58, Geology of Rolette County, written by Dwight Deal (1971).
The birds are heading south! The fall migration in on. Animals basically have three ways to respond to the upcoming winter: migrate, hibernate, or stay and endure it. For the majority of our birds, heading for more suitable climates is the best option.
Over the years I have occasionally heard that clucking sound in the Turtle Mountain forest. It sounds as if it were the call of a bird. I had heard the call of a cuckoo many years ago and thought maybe that was what I was hearing. But I could never seem to spot the bird, and when I listened to recordings of both the black-billed and yellow-billed cuckoos it just didn’t fit.
I have been noticing the milkweed pods in the road ditches and elsewhere this fall. The mature pods with those wind dispersed seeds seem to catch our attention this time of year.
You may want to check for clear skies the evenings of October 6-10. That is because the Draconids Meteor Shower will be putting on its annual show. It is not one of the better meteor showers, but if we have comfortable temperatures and the skies are clear, it is worth checking out.
Fall is officially here. Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, school has started, and of course the equinox occurred on the 22nd. With the coming of fall, many among us wait in eager anticipation for the leaves to turn color. Every year about this time we get anxious to see the trees put on their annual color display. The fall colors are delightful, and they seem to garner much of our attention and media coverage. But do not lose sight (pun intended) of the sounds of fall!
I recently read a study about the Dakota skipper. The Dakota skipper is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of around one inch. Coloration is variable between the sexes with the upper wing surface of males a towny-orange to brown while females are a darker brown and spotted. The underside of males is dusty yellow-orange and females gray-brown with spots.
Have you ever heard of milk sickness? It is caused by consuming contaminated milk containing a toxin from the white snakeroot plant (Ageratina altissima). I had not heard of the sickness or the plant until recently, assumedly because the sickness is rare to nonexistent, and the plant uncommon or rare and not widely distributed in North Dakota.