Wildside

Tree of the Week: Bladdernut

Now we turn to a second plant identification discussion from arborist Carrie Paulus: this one of a native small tree or large shrub.  The above photograph is credited to Carrie.  She saw this small tree with husband Bill at Lake Hope State Park on Mother’s Day.  It is bladdernut, Staphylea trifolia.  It is not rare in Ohio woodlands, but often it is not noticed.

 

  Bladdernut eludes the usual mnemonics for native woodland trees with opposite leaf arrangement such as MAD BUCK (maple, ash, dogwood, buckeye) or BAMEV DOGWOOD (same along with tree-sized euonymus and...

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Authors
Jim Chatfield

Fire Walk With Carrie

Is this a cross between the weird David Lynch genre and early Stephen King horror?  No. I was meeting with an arborist extraordinaire earlier today and when we exhausted our arboricultural topics she showed me a picture of what she purported to be, scarlet campion.

 

  I thought not – and for once was right – it was fire pink, Silene virginica.  She encountered this great woodland wildflower with her husband Bill at Lake Hope State Park in southeast Ohio on Mother’s Day. It is unusual to see such brilliant red color in the spring and summer woods.

 

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Jim Chatfield

Act Now to Attract Colorful Visitors to your Yard

Each year in late April and early May many colorful migrating birds move through Ohio, often visiting suburban yards.   Some may only stay a few days before pushing on, others linger longer, and if you are lucky, a few may set up shop!   My favorite visitor is the Baltimore oriole, a bright orange and black bird.   Oranges, grape jelly, and nectar are known to attract this species.  
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Mimi Rose

Did You Know? It's Bat Week!

What IS Bat week, you ask? Bat Week is an annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature. This year, Bat Week is right now! It started October 24th and runs through October 31st. Bat Week is organized by a team of conservation organizations and government agencies from across the United States and Canada with the goal of raising awareness and promoting conservation of bat species around the world.

 

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Authors
Marne Titchenell

Help Needed in Gray Fox Study

Calling all trappers! Trappers who catch gray fox this season are asked to contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife if gray foxes are caught. The Division of Wildlife is pursuing a gray fox study and requests the help of trappers in capturing study animals. Foxes caught that are deemed suitable for collaring and release will receive $40.00. NOTE: Only gray fox caught in the following counties are eligible: Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Gallia, Fairfield, Guernsey, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross,...

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Authors
Marne Titchenell

White-tailed Deer Road Watch

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) provide abundant recreation opportunities for hunters and wildlife watchers. Unfortunately, they can also cost us millions of dollars every year. How? Imagine you are driving down a poorly lit road at night when all of the sudden a deer appears on the road in front of you. Despite your honking and screeching breaks, the animal remains frozen in its tracks, exhibiting to perfection 'a deer in headlights'. Deer vehicle collisions are incredibly dangerous and often costly. So listen up motorists, now is the time when deer are on the move and...

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Authors
Marne Titchenell

Weed of the Week: Stinging Nettle

  At Johnson Woods Nature Preserve near Orrville in Wayne County, there are many wonderful plants including towering oaks and beeches and sourgums.  There are birds including barred owls that are a hoot to hear in matched pairs from across the preserve.  This past weekend the fungi were having a real coming out party following recent rains.  Squirrels, including black squirrels, were clucking away. And stinging nettles were fruiting; something I had never noticed before.  

 

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Jim Chatfield

Woodland Plants of this Week: The Other Impatiens

   Two species of impatiens have carried on in eastern woodlands despite the roar of impatiens downy mildew on bedding impatiens in our landscapes.

There are some reports of their susceptibility to the downy mildew pathogen Plasmopara obducens, but it has not been reported on these species in Ohio. Woodland walkers are sure to recognize these other impatiens, though you may know them by other names, such as jewelweed or touch-me-nots. Their given Latin names are: Impatiens capensis, with orange flowers and Impatiens pallida, with pale yellow flowers....

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Jim Chatfield

Wee Beasties

  During the course of this summer a number of beasts of various sizes have passed by my lens. These often turn into bygl-alerts, for example 17-year cicadas and monarch butterflies. A few have not qualified – until now. Here are just a few beauties of the summer bestiary.
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Jim Chatfield