Make Believe Naturalist

The Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) is named for the large eyespots on their wings. They are named after the Greek myth of the Cyclops, Polyphemus. These moths can be found throughout the US and occasionally in Canada. They are most common in the eastern US with populations also on the west coast. The caterpillars feed on leaves of broad-leaved trees and shrubs. Larvae eat their egg shells after hatching and their freshly molted skin. Adults do not eat and live for only 4 days. live a maximum of only 4 days. Their entire life cycle averages about 3 months in length (10 days as eggs, 5 to 6 weeks as larvae, 2 weeks as pupa, and about 4 days as adults). If they overwinter as pupa, this life cycle increases in length.

Polyphemus moths mate the same day that they emerge from their cocoons, usually occurs in the late afternoon. Females emit pheromones that can be detected up to a mile away, to attract males. Females lay their eggs shortly after mating.

Sources:

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Antheraea_polyphemus/

Seen: August, 2019 Redwood Falls MN

The grapevine beetle, (Pelidnota punctata) also known as the spotted June beetle is a large member of the Junebug family. It's about 1 inch long and has 6 small black dots on the wing covers. The adults feed on grape foliage but aren't usually a significant pest. Larvae live in rotting wood and burrow into soil to pupate. They emerge after one or two years.

Sources: https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2008/7-30/grapevinebeetle.html

Seen: July 2019, Ely MN

Orange Hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) is an invasive, noxious weed in Minnesota. Originally a native of Europe, it invades northern moist pastures, forest openings, abandoned fields, especially clearcuts and roadsides in disturbed areas as it is an early succession plant. Its largest distribution is in northeastern Minnesota. This plant causes a loss of native plant diversity in infested areas. It's flowers can be orange or yellow in color. Their seeds can remain viable in the soil for 7 years! Similar to dandelions, orange hawkweed lives most of its life as a basal rosette of leaves before sending up its typically leafless flowering stalk.

Sources: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/herbaceous/orangehawkweed.html

Seen: July 2019, Ely MN

The Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor) is one of the smallest members of the skipper family, a group of small or medium sized butterflies. The brown headed green caterpillar turns into a brown and white chrysalis before emerging as the orange adult. The Least Skipper uses a variety of grasses as host plants, which may be the reason for its population success. This species can be found all over New England from Maine down to Florida. As you move west it's distribution is patchier, it can only be found in eastern MN but populations can be found as far west as Montana.

Its usually seen flying low through tall grasses near ponds, small lakes, rivers, or streams. It rarely gets higher than a couple feet and it typically stays close to a water source.

Sources: https://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/130-least-skipper

http://www.gardenswithwings.com/butterfly/Least_Skipper/index.html

Seen: July, 2019 Ely MN

The Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) can be easily distinguished from other species of turtles by it's long tail, bumpy shell and it's friendly disposition. That's obviously a joke, snapping turtles earn their names by being notorious for their strong bite and long neck that allows them to reach out and snap at unsuspecting prey and people. Their jaws are actually designed to cut, not crush, so watch out. It is the largest species of turtle in Minnesota, with adults weighing just under 50 lbs! This one here is not quite there yet and is probably around 2 years old.

It is found throughout the eastern 2/3 of the US, as well as in South and Eastern Canada. They prefer slow moving, shallow waters, like lakes and swamps. They can, however, live on the edge of deeper lakes and rivers.

They have few predators as adults (except for humans, trapping for meat is legal in MN if you have a license), but their eggs are commonly preyed upon. They reach sexual maturity around 5-7 years old and they can live for about 30 years in the wild. Mating occurs in both the spring and the fall. Females lay 25-50 eggs, a majority of which are eaten before they hatch.

Juvenile snapping turtles eat insects, worms, snails, small fish, and aquatic vegetation. Adults can eat crayfish, fish, frogs, salamanders, other turtles, small mammals and young water birds. One third of their diet is actually aquatic vegetation. They are also scavengers and clean up dead animals and fish.

Sources: http://mnzoo.org/common-snapping-turtle/

Seen: July 2019, Ely MN

So based on the number of leaflets I think we are looking at Large-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) if I am correct in this, then this is an invasive species! :-( you can tell the difference between the native Wild Lupine and this invasive Large-Leaved Lupine is the number of leaflets. The native species has 7-11 (and is a smaller plant) and the invasive species has 9-17.

So based on the number of leaflets I think we are looking at Large-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) if I am correct in this, then this is an invasive species! :-( you can tell the difference between the native Wild Lupine and this invasive Large-Leaved Lupine is the number of leaflets. The native species has 7-11 (and is a smaller plant) and the invasive species has 9-17.

Large-Leaved Lupine is native to the Western US but was introduced to Minnesota by gardeners. They escaped cultivation and were also intentionally planted along roadsides- especially along the north shore of Lake Superior. Up north large mono-cultures have formed and are now spreading west and south. As pretty as these flowers are they are taking over native landscapes and are an important reminder that just because something is pretty, doesn't mean it's good.

Although bigleaf Lupine normally prefers cool, subalpine climates and damp to wet soils, like most successful invasives they are very adaptable. It can also tolerate full sun and seasonally drier soils, in fact it can even prefer acidic, nutrient-poor soils which gives it a competitive advantage over other plants.

This plant does have many beneficial characteristics in its natural habitat however! These flowers attract hummingbirds. They can also be used for prairie or wetland restoration. They are deep rooted and suitable for erosion control and soil stabilization. Also, as a native legume, they can be used in revegetation of logging roads or clear cuts as nitrogen fixers.

Sources: https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/large-leaved-lupine

Seen: June 2019, Ely MN

The Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is a tiny tan colored tree frog. A Spring Peeper begins its sleigh-bell-like chorus right around the beginning of spring. They can be found in wooded areas and grassy areas near wetlands in central and eastern Canada and the United States.

Tiny and well camouflaged they grow to be about 1.5 inches and their tan color helps them blend in with their surroundings. Although they are good climbers, they spend most of their time on the ground, often hiding under leaf litter during the day. They are also primarily nocturnal, feeding around dusk, which only adds to the difficulty in finding them. They live about 3 years in the wild. Like the wood frog, spring peepers are very tolerant of the cold. They can withstand freezing during winter hibernation due to “antifreeze” in their blood.

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Amphibians/Spring-Peeper

Seen: June 2019, Ely MN

Ruh roh, an invasive! The Ox-eye Daisy aka the common daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is actually from Europe. The live in part shade or sun. Like many invasive they overtake disturbed soil and are thus often found along fields, trails, and roads. It can easily crowd out native flora, a large daisy can produce 26,000 seeds per plant (smaller specimens produce 1,300 to 4,000 seeds). Tests have shown that 82% of the buried seeds remained viable after six years! Not only that, but 1% were still viable after 39 years! Oxeye daisies need cold winters to initiate blooming. The plant also reproduces vegetatively with spreading rootstalks. They are resistant to many herbicides. Sheep, goats and horses eat the oxeye daisy, but cows and pigs do not like it. 

Sources: https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/ox-eye-daisy

Seen: June 2019, Ely MN

This Modest Sphinx Moth (Pachysphinx modesta) was about the size of my hand! Females lay eggs on leaves of host trees (poplar, aspen, cottonwood and willow). The eggs hatch in about 9 days. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate and overwinter in shallow burrows in the ground.

Adults can be found in June and July up the north; April to September in Gulf states. The larvae are present July to November.

Sources: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Pachysphinx-modesta

Seen: June 2019, Ely MN

The Three Banded Ladybug (Coccinella trifasciata) is native to the United States. Coccinella is the most familiar genus of ladybug. Its name comes from Latin coccineus, meaning scarlet. These beetles eat lots of aphids but can also feed on pollen and nectar.

The females lay yellow-orange oval shaped eggs in clusters on leaves or stems. Eggs hatch into alligator-shaped larvae and undergo four larval instars before pupating and emerging as an adult.

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/51703-Coccinella

Seen: Summer 2019, The North American Bear Center

The American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) where do I even begin? Native to Minnesota, the black bear evolved with a prey mindset and is a skittish animal. Lucky Ted Tasha and Holly, pictured here, are the four ambassador bears at the North American Bear Center. 90% of a black bear diet is vegetation, the other 10% is protein and a tiny portion of that might be meat. They can live to be in their 30's but are often killed by hunters around age 2 or 3. Mating season is June but they do not become pregnant until November due to delayed implantation. Hyperphagia begins in August when they are eating as much as possible to prepare of hibernation.

This just scratches the surface about all the interesting facts about black bears.

Source:

Seen: June 2019, Ely MN

The Pearl Crescent Butterfly (Phyciodes tharos) is one of the most common and widespread butterflies in the eastern United States. They can be found in open fields, roadsides and urban landscapes. They often feed with their wings widely open. Their favorites nectar plants are a variety of annuals like Zinnias and Marigolds. As caterpillars their favorite host plants are Asters. Courtship involves a chase and wing fluttering rituals followed by copulation.

Sources: https://www.butterfliesathome.com/pearl-crescent-butterfly.htm

https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/insects-arachnids/butterflies/find-a-butterfly/(id)/40

Seen: April 2019 Ely, MN

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) is native to Minnesota and likes wet, muddy, humus-rich soil. They grow as 2-5 bright yellow flowers on stout naked stalks at the ends of branching stems, usually rising a bit above the leaves. They grow in wet woods, marshy hollows, stream edges and you'll often see them in bloom in wetlands in the spring.

If you are into foraging, the early spring greens are edible if cooked. The young leaves need to be boiled 2-3 times changing the water each time until barely tender. You can chop them up and season and eat them. Tightly closed buds can be pickled after boiling them in the same way as the leaves. Heads up: the adult leaves can be toxic in large quantities.

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAPA5

Seen: May 2019, Ely MN

Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis) is an early blooming flower native to Eastern North America. It can be found growing in wooded areas from Minnesota to Maine to Northern Florida west to Alabama. Hepatica grows well in partial shade to full shade. The flowers are usually blue or a light purple, but some white variants can be found in southern areas. They may also be various shades of pink. Each flower comes up from the ground on its own stem, which is covered by long fine hairs and is several inches tall.

The genus "Hepatica" refers to the 3-lobed leaf that supposedly resembles the liver. Because of this, early herbalists assumed the plant to be effective in treating liver ailments. This is how it acquired the nicknames liverleaf and liverwort.

Sources:

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/hepatica_nobilis.shtml

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HENOO

Seen: April 2019, Sherburne Wildlife Refuge

The Coral Spot Fungus (Nectria cinnabarina) is a fungal species of plant pathogen that causes cankers on broadleaf trees. It thrives in the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It can be found all year round. The infection mostly only impacts plants that are already weakened because it is known to be a rather weak pathogen. The causal fungus is very commonly found growing as a saprophyte (meaning it is a fungus that feeds on detritus) on dead wood. Spores from the pink pustules on the bark are dispersed by rainfall.

Coral spot fungus treatment isn't possible. There are no effective fungicides. Smaller branches and those that have been pruned or broken are usually the ones that begin dying after they are infectes. Once the branch has died, you see the actual fungus. It will produce pink or coral-colored small blobs on the dead wood.

Sources:

 https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/coral-spot-fungus-information.htm