Author: marlenecondon@aol.com

Nature News | Marlene A. Condon Apr 30, 2021

The male Tree Swallow is one of the most gorgeous animals that I have ever laid eyes upon. Its back is a stunning glossy blue-green that contrasts with its pure white undersides.

Tree Swallows are birds of open country (fields in the East and prairies out West) where they can easily forage for insects that are in the air from spring through fall. Yet these birds normally nest in the cavities of trees. Where snags (dead trees) are not readily available, they will take advantage of bird boxes that have been set out for bluebirds.

Thus, people’s fondness for bluebirds has helped Tree Swallow populations to increase as well. Chickadees, titmice, and wrens are some of the other species of birds that might also take up residence in a box built to bluebird specifications.

If you are alert and can remember to check the sky late in the afternoon during the month of March, you might spy Tree Swallows returning from their winter journey south. While many species migrate at night, Tree Swallows move during daylight hours.

Tree Swallows feed upon berry or berry-like fruits, which allows them to return to their nesting grounds earlier in spring than many other insect-eating birds. If cold weather lingers and prevents the emergence of insects, Tree Swallows will not starve.

However, when the weather has warmed and insects are active, a male Tree Swallow will escort his mate (he usually has a new one each year) around the territory he has staked out. After the female has chosen from the potential nest sites, she gets to work on building a nest while the male watches over her, helping very little with the nest construction.

Composed of grasses, plant stalks, pine needles, moss, and other plant matter, the nest will usually be lined with chicken or goose feathers after the first eggs are laid. A study several years ago suggested that these feathers provided warmth for the developing chicks that helped them to grow more quickly. Those chicks from nests without feathers took longer to mature.

From four to seven eggs are laid and then incubated by the female for 14 to 15 days. Both parents feed the nestlings that will be ready to leave the nest after about three weeks. But if these baby birds are in a bluebird box, they may be trapped and will die.

Unlike bluebird nestlings, Tree Swallow chicks need help to climb out of boxes. Therefore, if you think your bluebird boxes might be used by Tree Swallows, either make a “ladder” of little blocks up the interior wall containing the exit hole, or attach a small piece of hardware cloth to the interior wall below the hole. You could also roughen up the inside surface of the wall containing the exit hole, which will make it easier for any young bird to make its way up and out of the box.

Please spread this information to anyone putting out bird houses to help keep Tree Swallows safe!

Nature News | Marlene A. Condon, April 3, 2021

There are so many excellent cultivated flowers (those that are planted by humans and would probably not occur naturally) that serve wildlife well that I wanted to continue the discussion from last month’s column.

Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus spp.) makes seeds that finches love, but of course, you must resist the urge to clean up the garden. Instead, leave these dried plants in place to feed birds throughout fall and winter. Petunias (Petunia spp.) are especially good nectar sources for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Cosmos (Cosmos spp.) flowers are popular in American gardens and especially popular with American Goldfinches that sometimes take the seeds while they are still green. Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) is one of my favorite plants, and it’s a favorite of hummingbirds as well.

Spiderflower (Cleome spinosa) lures bees and hummingbirds to its blooms during the day and sphinx moths at night. If you watch around dusk, you may be lucky enough to observe these large moths paying a visit. The first time that you see one, you might think it’s a hummingbird! Mourning Doves eat Cleome seeds that are contained in spidery looking seed pods; hence, the common name of this plant.

Lantana (Lantana camara) is a woody flowering plant that does well in a pot. Its blooms often appear in a variety of colors simultaneously. My favorite kind shows yellow, red, and orange hues, or varying shades thereof. The assortment of colors lets insects know which blooms have been pollinated and thus contain no more nectar for them. It’s been shown that butterflies learn to recognize this situation and do not waste time visiting the nectar-less blooms. I originally grew this plant to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but it quickly became apparent that it also served as a magnet for bees, butterflies, and moths.

Milkweeds are essential to the existence of the Monarch butterfly whose caterpillars eat the leaves. You may know that these “cats” ingest a poisonous substance from the milky juice of milkweeds, and that these heart poisons sicken birds and other vertebrates when they prey upon Monarch larvae or adults. As a result, such predators quickly learn to avoid Monarchs and this minimizes predation upon them.

However, not all milkweeds are created equal. Many gardeners prefer to grow the small orange-blossomed native milkweed known as Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), rather than the much larger Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). But, only certain Asclepias plants contain large amounts of poison, and Butterfly Weed isn’t one of them. Break a stem and you will see that its juices run clear, meanings it produces relatively nonpoisonous adult Monarchs that are then at increased risk of predation. It is much better for these butterflies if you can grow Common Milkweed.

I’ve mentioned only insects and birds that benefit from the preceding list of flowers, but remember that many other kinds of animals benefit by preying upon these nectar-seeking organisms (and yes, these critters should be welcomed to prevent overpopulations) or by using the plants for cover as they move about the yard.

Nature News | Marlene A. Condon, Mar 5, 2021

During lawn-mowing season, wildflowers in yards and along roadsides are cut often, leaving nothing for our pollinators to feed upon. Therefore, it’s very helpful to grow an assortment of flowers for their benefit. You can assist these insects even if you don’t have a yard, but do have a sunny space for planter pots or boxes.

My favorite flowers for container growing are Lantana (Lantana camara) and French Marigolds (Tagetes patula). Marigolds are annuals easily started outdoors from seed after the last frost date. Lantana is a tender perennial that can be grown outdoors only during the frost-free months of the year. It becomes woody by the end of summer and needs to be brought indoors if you want to keep it going until warm weather returns.

In cultivated flower gardens, Zinnia (Zinnia spp.) and Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) are easy-to-grow annuals that can be started from seed after the danger of frost has passed. Most annuals tend to bloom all summer. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) are perennials that are quite popular with several species of butterflies. Perennials are often sold as seedlings, but you can start these species from seed. An additional bonus to growing any of these plants is that you can provide food for birds.

By allowing the marigolds, zinnias, cosmos, and coneflowers to go to seed (no deadheading required!) and leaving the plants standing, you may get a chance to observe American Goldfinches picking out the seeds to feed their young in late summer. Goldfinches are highly unusual in that they mostly feed chicks regurgitated seeds instead of insects. Lantana blooms are extremely attractive to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that will visit along with numerous kinds of bees and butterflies for nectar.

Seeds or seedlings of all these plants can be found at nurseries, grocery stores, farm-supply stores, some department stores or through mail-order nursery catalogs. If you don’t want to spend money, don’t use herbicides in your yard and embrace the wildflowers that show up on their own. Three of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in spring that are popular with pollinators are Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea), and Hoary Bittercress (Cardamine hirsute). These plants are extremely important because they supply some of the first-available nectar for insects coming out of hibernation. You can use a wildflower guide to identify them.

Some flowering shrubs that attract butterflies are blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) and Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora). If you plant blueberry bushes, you’ll get fruit for yourself (unless you allow squirrels and birds access), and beautiful red fall color (my favorite!). Buckeye will provide you with tall spikes of white flowers that attract all kinds of pollinators.

Two caterpillar food plants that can be grown easily are Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) for Monarchs and False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) for Red Admirals.

Some of these plants also attract moths, such as day-flying clearwings and early-evening sphinx moths. Watch your plants at all hours and you’ll be amply rewarded for your gardening efforts.

Nature News | Marlene A. Condon, Feb 5, 2021

Signs of spring can be evident by mid-to-late February, depending upon the weather.

Migratory Canada Geese (often mistakenly referred to as “Canadian” Geese) begin to head to the far North in anticipation of nesting as soon as possible. The warm season at such high latitudes is short, so these big birds only have a small window in which to raise their families.

The geese follow warming temperatures (on average, 35 degrees and above) that indicate a retreating snow line. I’ve most often observed these birds in their V-formation honking high in the sky in very early morning and very early evening, but I’ve also heard them on the move overnight.

Don’t be confused by the local Canada Geese that move around during the daytime hours between ponds, feeding areas, and nighttime roosts. These birds don’t travel high in the air as there is no need to do so.

I find the sight and sound of migrating birds enthralling because these animals are traveling very long distances using their own muscle power. It’s also awe-inspiring to consider their determination to get “home” to reproduce, having to endure they-know-not-what along their route.

Birds aren’t the only ones whose activities are ramping up in the early months of the year. If the winter has not been extremely harsh and signs of warming are evident by February or March, some amphibian species come out of hibernation and immediately head to ponds to mate and lay eggs. Considering that these animals are cold-blooded, it’s an amazing feat to become active this early.

If you want to try to see Spotted Salamanders, visit a natural pond or wetland on nights when a warm rain is falling; the air temperature should be at least in the upper 50s to low 60s. Wood Frogs, on the other hand, can become active even when temperatures are only in the high 40s! Spotted Salamanders are silent, but

Wood Frogs let you know they are out of hibernation: The males get to the ponds first and call like crazy to let the females know where they are.

These species can be difficult to see in the wild, but if you live in an area where they exist and you put in an artificial pond, you may attract them right to your yard to reproduce. Small ponds made of plastic or fiberglass can be purchased at some home-improvement stores and plant nurseries, or you can make your own by using rubber lining.

Books tell us that, from a distance, the calling of Wood Frogs can be mistaken for the quacking of ducks, but the first time I ever heard them, I thought they were Canada Geese migrating. I was looking in the air for distant geese when I realized the “honking” was coming from a ditch full of water below the road on which I was exercising. Discovering those Canada Geese-sounding frogs in the same season as Canada Geese were flying northward remains one of my favorite and most cherished nature memories.

©Marlene Condon

January 2, 2021

Humans are often not aware of how important their sense of smell is until they lose it, or it is somehow diminished. When you have trouble smelling, you quickly realize that your sense of taste is affected, which can make food much less appetizing. It can cause you to lose interest in eating, something that is not uncommon in older folks who may become malnourished as a result.

Many forms of wildlife are also very dependent upon their sense of smell in order to stay well nourished. The group that contains the most numerous kinds of animals that rely on this sense is undoubtedly that of the insects.

You may be aware that fragrant flowers evolved in order to attract insects (and sometimes other creatures, such as nectar-drinking bats) to them for pollination. This is especially evident in those flowers that open during the hours of darkness or late in the day and remain open all night.

If you have ever grown the original, old-fashioned Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana alata) or Large Moonflower Vine (Calonyction aculeatum) and you walked near the plants after the flowers had unfurled their petals, you should have noticed the strong perfume they give off. In fact, these plants are often sold with other nice-smelling flowers to create a “Fragrance Garden.”

Although Flowering Tobacco blossoms open early enough for hummingbirds to visit and help with pollination, the flowers of Moonflower Vine usually open so late that night-flying nectar-seeking insects are the main pollinators.

Sometimes the fragrance given off by blooms is not particularly noticeable to humans because our olfactory senses are not sensitive enough to detect the molecules that are wafting through the air. However, if you place your nose up close to a blossom, you may be able to detect its scent.

I find Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) wildflowers enchanting because the flowers open quickly enough at dusk that you can watch the petals spread apart. When I first observed the unexpected movement of these blooms, I was delighted; the whole process just seemed so magical (I have a scientific mind, but also a little girl’s heart).

Sphinx moths arrived very quickly at the newly opened blooms, which surprised me. Astonished that the moths had found the flowers so fast, I wondered if they were detecting an odor I had not while standing near the plant. I bent over, put my nose right up to the blossom, and sure enough, a subdued perfume was being released by the primrose.

Of course, this result is not conclusive. The sphinx moths may have detected the yellow blossoms by sight, or they may have used a combination of both sight and smell in order to zone in on this source of food. Whatever the answer, the natural world is full of surprises for us to notice, assuming we look!

Common Evening Primrose can easily be seen in Virginia, growing alongside highways and byways, and even in your yard if you allow “volunteer” plants to join your garden specimens.