Friday, October 13, 2023

Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana)

 


Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana), in the Lily family, is an eastern species, growing primarily up through the Appalachians, the mountains of New York and New England, and north into Canada.  This one was found at Cranberry Lake, in the northern NY Adirondacks, on October 8th (from my archives). It's a forest wildflower with edible rhizomes that resemble the taste and odor of cucumbers. The Iroquois also used it medicinally. Sometimes mice eat the seeds and berries. 

[Canon digital Rebel, EF 18-200mm zoom at 50mm, 1/125 sec., f/11, ISO 200, electronic flash, Center-weighted Average metering.] Ref. # D075319

Saturday, October 7, 2023

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)


Bright-red foliage makes the sumac an October standout. The long, feather-compound leaves have 11 or more toothed leaflets and resemble walnut leaves. The sumacs in my backyard have 13 pairs of opposite leaflets plus one at the tip. Sometimes you can find green, yellow, orange and red leaves all on the same small tree.

The common species is the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), named for its resemblance to fuzzy deer antlers before the velvet shreds. As the leaves fall away, the dense spikes of bright red fruits on female trees add a much needed dab of color to an increasingly drab New York landscape. The hairy seeds are acidic (specifically malic acid) and this helps them last into the winter as other fruits disappear. Because the dry sumac berries are thin fleshed, birds may ignore them until other foods become scarce. On the other hand, the acidity allows you to make pseudo-lemonade from the fruit clusters. Be sure to strain out all of the seeds.

Sumac is naturally introduced into old fields via seeds dropped by birds. Once started, a sumac begins spreading by underground runners, but it is a short-lived shrub or small tree and the center of the developing sumac grove soon dies.  By then other shrubs and trees are beginning to colonize the abandoned land and sumac has a hard time growing in any shade. Sumacs seldom exceed 15 feet in height so they fade away as other trees take over. The dead sumac “skeletons” resemble mule deer antlers.

Native Americans found many medicinal uses for sumac.  Leaf tea was used to treat asthma and diarrhea or gargled for sore throats.  A drink made from the bark could stimulate milk production in new mothers.  The roots provided remedies for dysentery and bleeding.  Berries were turned into cough syrup or made into tea for lung ailments, and Indians were the first to make sumac “lemonade.”


Monday, October 2, 2023

Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)


 Virginia-creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a.k.a. woodbine, can turn bright red in late summer and early fall. It's a climbing or sprawling woody vine sometimes found in association with Poison Ivy. The distinguishing factor is the number of leaflets. Creeper normally has five, while Poison Ivy has three. ("Leaves of three, leave it be; Leaves of five, let it thrive.") Creeper's scientific name is Greek meaning "five-leaved virgin-ivy." The alternate name, woodbine, can also refer to several honeysuckles, other creepers, and Virginia clematis.

The creeper's dark-blue berries are similar to wild grapes, a group of plants often growing in the same habitats (woodland edges and floodplains). Note the creeper's heavy, red fruit stems and compound leaves. This is an important distinction because the creeper's berries are considered poisonous due to a concentration of oxalic acid. Grapes, which are in the same family, Vitaceae, have single leaves with pointed lobes and dangling clusters of edible fruits.

The photo above was taken at the Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah, Wayne County, New York, on Sept. 20 at 6 pm (from my archives). Canon XTi, EF 100mm f/2.8 macro, 1/30 sec., f/11, ISO 200

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)


Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), a.k.a. Swamp Birch, is native to northeastern North America and it's the largest North American species of birch. Its scientific name means "Birch of the Alleghenies," referring to the dissected plateau along the west side of the Appalachian's Ridge-and-Valley province. It can reach an age of 300+ years in Adirondack old-growth forests while one in Allegany County, NY, measured 439 years old in growth rings. 

The bark on young trees is smooth and some shade of brass, bronze or light copper with horizontal lenticels which are pores for exchange of gases with the atmosphere. As it grows, the bark begins peeling and curling in horizontal strips. (The one above was growing in Old Forge, NY, Oct. 8th, from my archives.) As the trunk matures, the bark darkens and cracks into ever-larger flakes, although thin branches may still have yellowish-brown, shreddy bark.

Yellow Birch seeds cannot penetrate leaf litter, so they germinate on mossy logs, decaying stumps and cracks in boulders. When it begins on wood, the birch is left standing on stilted roots after the base rots away. On boulders, its roots snake across the surface and down the sides to reach soil. (The one below [detail above] was growing in the Adirondacks beside the Moss Lake loop trail, accessed from Big Moose Rd., NW of Eagle Bay, New York, Sept. 25th, from my archives)

Friday, September 29, 2023

Red Maple (Acer rubrum)


Red Maple (Acer rubrum), a.k.a. one of two Swamp Maples or soft maples, is probably the most abundant native tree in the eastern U.S. The species can adapt to a wide range of site conditions from bottomland swamp forests to upland mountain slopes. It does well in young forests where it can get some sun, but shade-tolerant species crowd it out of mature and old-growth forests. This particular Red Maple was growing beside the Moss Lake loop trail between Old Forge and Inlet in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Trail access is from Big Moose Rd. NW of Eagle Bay. (Sept. 25th)

Friday, March 31, 2017

Sign up for eBird

A Mallard pair has staked out a territory along Canandaigua Outlet Creek where it passes near the Manchester Gateway Trail in Ontario County, NY. (photo © Dave Spier)
The checklist with map link is at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35383015

Note: If you ever participated in Project FeederWatch, the Great Backyard Bird Count, or any of the seven other Cornell Lab of Ornithology citizen-science projects, you can sign in to eBird with the same username and password. If you do not have these, the first step to using eBird is to create a free account. When you try to submit observations, first you'll reach the sign-in page, https://secure.birds.cornell.edu/cassso/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Febird%2Flogin%2Fcas%3Fportal%3Debird

eBird sign-in page -- look for "Create an Account" on the right side
Look toward the lower right for "Create an Account" and click that link to eBird's website account page, https://secure.birds.cornell.edu/cassso/account/create?service=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Febird%2Flogin%2Fcas%3Fportal%3Debird

eBird's Create an Account page

Here you will fill in your name and email address, pick a user name (just for signing in) and finally create a password. Important, write down and save that information with your laptop, computer or mobile device. If you ever change your email address, please update it in your eBird account so we can contact you, for example to discuss a rare bird sighting or send you a password reset.

The basic instructions are also at the beginning of this article, http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1972661-how-do-i-enter-sightings-in-ebird which then continues through the steps for submitting your bird checklist via the website.

If you have a mobile device, there is a free eBird App that would be useful for future travels. Here's a set of instructions: http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/2411868

If you have any questions, please email me at ebirder_14432@yahoo.com

About eBird

adult male Pileated Woodpecker on homemade suet log - © Dave Spier
complete eBird checklist at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S35380190

About eBird

eBird allows you to keep all of your birding records in a way that makes them available to scientific research and conservation. The eBird motto is 
"Global tools for birders, critical data for science." (and it's free!)

The following is adapted from the eBird website About page (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/)

Record the birds you see
Keep track of your bird lists
Explore dynamic maps and graphs
Share your sightings and join the eBird community
Receive rare bird alerts
Contribute to science and conservation

Overview
Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird gathers data from birders around the world to develop basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of space and time scales. eBird’s goal is to harness the vast numbers of bird observations made each year by recreational and professional bird watchers. In return, birders have free and permanent storage of all their sightings and birding lists (such as life, country, state, county, etc.).
Each participant's observations join those of others in an international network. eBird then shares these observations with a global community of educators, land managers, ornithologists, and conservation biologists. This data set is becoming the foundation for a better understanding of bird distribution across the western hemisphere and now beyond.

How Does it Work?
eBird documents the presence or absence of species, as well as bird abundance through checklist data. A simple web-interface, or the alternative mobile app, engages tens of thousands of participants to submit their observations. Results can be viewed via interactive queries on the eBird website. Users are encouraged to participate by providing internet tools to maintain their personal bird records and enable them to visualize data with interactive maps, graphs, and bar charts.
A birder simply enters when, where, and how they went birding, then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing. eBird provides various options for data gathering including point counts, transects, and area searches. Automated data quality filters developed by regional bird experts review all submissions before they enter the database. Local experts review unusual records that are flagged by the filters.

To get started using eBird, see these articles:
entering data via website: http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1972661
entering data via mobile app: http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/2411868
I'll elaborate in future blog posts starting with creating a free account.

Data Accessibility
eBird data are stored in a secure facility and archived daily, and are accessible to anyone via the eBird web site and other applications developed by the global biodiversity information community. For example, eBird data are part of the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN), which integrates observational data on bird populations across the western hemisphere. In turn, the AKN feeds eBird data to international biodiversity data systems, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In this way any contribution made to eBird increases our understanding of the distribution, richness, and uniqueness of the biodiversity of our planet.

For more information on birds, including photos and sounds, visit All About Birds.
Explore Data has an interactive range map for any species (zoomable to your location).
map link: http://ebird.org/ebird/map/ and type in a species

Corrections, comments and questions are always welcome at ebirder_14432@yahoo.com 
or connect through my Facebook page. (http://www.facebook.com/northeastnaturalist)