by Winding Pathways | Jul 17, 2015 | Mammals, Nature, Pests
Chipmunks are one of the most common backyard wild animals. These small striped rodents enjoy living in shady yards that have some form of structure for them to hide in or around. Sometimes people confuse them with thirteen lined ground squirrels, which are about the same size but prefer to live in large lawns in the open sun.
Several species of chipmunks live in the United States. Most are in the West and the most commonly encountered species is the Eastern Chipmunk that frequent yards.
Chipmunks love retaining walls and woodpiles, especially those that have many nooks and crannies. They are efficient diggers and sometimes make so many tunnels that a wall slumps or collapses and a woodpile teeters over.
The small mammals eat seeds, fruit, and an occasional insect. They are efficient tree climbers and harvest fruits like cherries on the uppermost slender branches. Chipmunk heaven is a shady yard with a retention wall and bird feeder to provide a daily seed banquet.
Some people resent chipmunks because of their incessant tunneling. Box trapping and moving the animals rarely reduces the population of a species that has many babies. Keeping bird seed off the ground and contained in feeders may reduce a chipmunk population somewhat. Hawks and snakes enjoy dining on these small mammals. Encouraging predators to share the yard will help keep chipmunk numbers in check.
We like the chipmunks that live in our backyard at Winding Pathways. They’re beautiful animals that make us smile when we spot one with cheek pouches crammed with seeds. They’ve undermined our low rock wall in a few places, but we just repair it and consider the damage a small price to pay for the wonderful entertainment chipmunks provide on summer days.
by Winding Pathways | Jul 6, 2015 | Nature, Trees/Shrubs
Each summer a small tree in our yard produces more delicious cherries than we can harvest and eat.
Tart cherries are outstanding yard trees. They are small, attractive, need little care and begin bearing fruit when only a couple of years old. Trees self-fertile, meaning it’s not necessary to plant two or more for cross pollination. Few insects or diseases bother them but sometimes birds, especially robins, take a fancy to the bright red fruit. Birds prefer mulberries to cherries so we keep a mulberry in the yard as our decoy tree to keep birds from filching cherries.
Commercial nurseries sell two general types of domestic cherry trees-sweet and sour (sometimes called tart or pie cherries). Sweet cherries don’t like subzero winters and are best grown in places warmer than our Iowa yard. The fruit is commonly sold in grocery stores and is delicious fresh. Most varieties need a second tree for cross pollination. In contrast tart cherries don’t seem to mind occasional 25 below zero temperatures and thrive in the north. Rarely sold fresh in stores, tart cherries can usually only be purchased canned. To enjoy delicious fresh tart cherries grow your own.
Two common tart cherry varieties we like are Montmorency and Dwarf North Star. Both produce tasty fruit. Sometimes the fruits are sweet enough to eat right off the tree. But usually their tartness makes them best when used in pies, cobblers, and other baked goods. We like them in our morning oatmeal.
The downside of cherries is the time it takes to pick and pit the small fruits. It can be tedious. Dwarf trees reduce or eliminate the need for ladders, making picking safe, fast and easy. We used to hand pit the fruits using fingers to squeeze the large seed out of each cherry. After a few years of this slow process we bought a cherry pitting device that speeds and eases the process, but it still takes time.
Pitted cherries freeze well. Put a big handful in a plastic freezer bag, squeeze out the air, seal the bag and put it in the freezer to retrieve months later when the urge for cherry pie arises.
by Winding Pathways | Jun 21, 2015 | Chickens, Garden/Yard, Nature, Trees/Shrubs
As we welcome summer we also begin to indulge in Iowa’s natural harvest of berries and cherries. Mulberries must be ripe because purple colored bird droppings mark lawns and sidewalks. Scat from raccoons and coyotes are full of seeds. Mulberries are great to eat out of hand and we get great laughs from the purple tongues and fingers that result from our munching them.
Black Raspberries, or “Black caps”, are ripening. Red raspberries big as your thumb fall into your hands and cherries hang tantalizingly just beyond reach on the most slender branches. If the weather stays warm but moist, we will have excellent blackberries come mid-July into August.
Squirrels and birds naturally have an advantage over humans and our chickens make sure that they clean up any cherries that escape the squirrels. But we are out with the best of them harvesting the fruits of an Iowa summer, indulging in fresh berries by the handful and freezing some for winter.
Take time to walk a trail and have fun with summer’s bounty.
by Winding Pathways | Jun 7, 2015 | Bugs, Labyrinths, Nature, Wonderment
We walked as 19 individuals in a single community waiting with anticipation for the first glimpse of the magical firefly dance. From ages two to mid-sixties with a healthy mix of 20 somethings visiting the Indian Creek Nature Center for the first time, we shared, questioned, chatted and on entering the sacred space surrounding the Prairie Labyrinth, approached reverently. As we began, Teri P read the powerful verses from Longfellow’s Hiawatha about the night and the fireflies:
“All the air was white with moonlight, All the water black with shadow,
And around him the Suggema, The mosquito, sang his war-song,
And the fire-flies, Wah-wah-taysee, Waved their torches to mislead him;
And the bull-frog, the Dahinda, Thrust his head into the moonlight,
Fixed his yellow eyes upon him, Sobbed and sank beneath the surface;
And anon a thousand whistles, Answered over all the fen-lands,
And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, Far off on the reedy margin,
Heralded the hero’s coming.”
Then, we walked. Each tapped the drum. The children ran eagerly searching…searching and returned somberly. Adult Pilgrims stepped into the labyrinth and fell into silent reverie.
But the night was not. As nature does when given the chance, the evening filled our senses. We wove in and out along the path to the center looking with soft eyes upon the emerging summer prairie. Knee-high grasses cascaded to the ground. Virginia Mountain mint scented the air. Creamy Penstamen turned their tubular faces to the setting sun while butterflies gathered one more sip before dark. Field sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, robins, geese winging overhead called in succession and in the distance tree frogs tuned up for the night chorus. The west glowed faint orange like early evening fireflies do. The earth gave way beneath our foot falls. But, no where did we spy the enchanting flicker of a lightning bug.
In Center, we stood silently after the Firefly poem from “Song From the Sandhills” by Paul F. Long of Kansas. Remembering. Evenings full of magical light as these Coleoptera of the night etched their dance on our memories. In corn fields before potent sprays. In hedges and taller grasses between yards before hedge clippers and riding lawnmowers. In front yards and back yards before monoculture craze took over.
Then, one by one each of us caught a glimpse of a faint glow deep in the grasses. We pointed. Nodded. Smiled. Shared silently. More and more the winking in the prairie woke us up as the fireflies began their dance and story of intrigue – one of code talk, mystery, “femme fatale”, and murder! As the evening darkened and cooled, their lights changed to luminescent green, the pace picked up and the males began to appear higher up in the air. Escorting us out of the Labyrinth.
We walked happily back to the Center as the frogs and toads in the pond chanted, “It’s OK, let them glow, go slow, go slow.” (Virgil Ellis)
by Winding Pathways | May 27, 2015 | Bugs, Nature
Few insects are as visible as fireflies winging over a lawn while blinking their lights on and off. Nearly everyone loves summer’s silent firefly light show, and they are a special delight for children.
Also called lightning bugs, these insects are most common in the eastern half of North America. Firefly larvae live under bark, wood, and leaves in shady damp locations. Although they are luminous people rarely see these larvae lights hidden in woodsy debris. Immature fireflies devour insects and other small ground dwelling creatures. Adults don’t feed. They fly around flashing their lights solely to attract a mate. Some firefly species blink yellow, while others blink green.
A delightful childhood experience is chasing and catching evening fireflies to watch them blink their lights on and off in a jar. Close examination reveals that they are brown or blackish beetles about a quarter to a half-inch long. After a bit of viewing free the captives and let them continue to spangle the night with friendly light.
Fireflies are one of many desirable insects killed by insecticides. Better to shun spray and enjoy these remarkable and beautiful animals.
Join Marion Patterson for a Firefly Labyrinth Walk at Indian Creek Nature Center on Friday, June 5th. Register through the Nature Center. 1-319-362-0664 or on-line
by Winding Pathways | May 27, 2015 | Nature
Take a walk on a damp morning following an overnight rain and worms will likely be crawling on the sidewalk
Nightcrawlers and other worm species are common in rural and urban areas throughout much of North America. Worms are so abundant that most people are amazed to learn that they are not native.
Most worm species originated in Eurasia and were inadvertently brought to this continent in soil surrounding nursery stock. Tiny eggs may have hitchhiked across the ocean in scraps of dirt. No matter how they got here worms arrived in early settlement days and quickly spread.
Nightcrawlers are the most visible worm species because they are large and often come to the surface. Most other species stay below ground. Crawlers are the most common worm sold for fish bait, and anglers dumping extra ones on the ground probably helped this animal expand its range.
Worms are frequently praised for their ability to aerate soil and break down plant residue into “castings”, or worm manure. Plants readily use this fertilizer, making worms the friend of farmers and gardeners. There’s no doubt that mixing by millions of earthworms helps make soil soft, rich and permeable to water. Ecologists take a dim view of these exotic invaders, which can reduce forest leaf litter and alter plant life in pristine ecosystems.
Going “nightcrawling” is a fun activity for children, whether or not the family goes fishing. Nightcrawlers come to the surface on damp spring nights to mate. Each individual is both male and female, and two join together to swap sperm before laying eggs. Visit the lawn after dark on a drizzly evening and quietly shine a dim flashlight’s beam on the ground. Two worms lying next to each other are likely mating. Leave them alone but gently grab any single worm and drop it in a can for future fish bait. Often a crawler will keep its tail in the ground. If a gentle pull doesn’t free it briefly stop tugging, and it will likely relax its grip and be easily captured. Be stealthy. Worms are spooked by vibrations in the ground, so wear soft shoes or go barefoot and move quietly.
Fish, birds, and many other animals eagerly devour worms, and they are now an important ecological component of lawns, gardens and farms.
