Jack-in-the-Pulpit

 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) in flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Preacher Jack stands in his green chapel, sermonizing in spring and in fall is transformed. 

Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema triphyullum) is a perennial spring wildflower that grows in eastern North America.  Arisaema triphyllum is in the Araceae, the Arum family.  This family has many well know plants including the New World rainforest/houseplant Philodendron hederaceum.  Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is another plant in this family. It grows in Sumatra and produces the largest flower in the world. Titan Arum is also called the corpse plant because it releases the odor of rotting flesh to attract its pollinators. Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), another Araceae, grows in North American and as its name suggest also produces a strong smell to attract pollinating insects. 

 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit with flower and trifoliate leaves.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit has three-part, compound leaves and in North Carolina flowers in March and April.  And oh, what a flower Jack makes. This complicated flower consists of a spathe (the pulpit) which is a sheath that wraps around and makes a hood over the spadix.  The spadix (Jack) is a cylinder in the center of the spathe and contains hundreds of tiny, separate male and female flowers.  The spadix produces an odor that smells like fungus to attract the pollinators, fungus gnats.  The gnats follow the smell into the spathe where they collect pollen to take to the next flower. 

 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower with spathe and spadix. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Most of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit that grows in our area make a yellow-green spathe and spadix.  There are more colorful ones out there with maroon stripes on the spathe and a purple spadix.  

Jack-in-the-Pulpit in October
with its bright red fruit.
Rowan County, North Carolina.  

After pollination, the fertilized female flowers in the spadix develop into fruits. By fall, Jack-in-the-Pulpit bears red berries.  These fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals who disperse the seeds in their droppings. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a long-lived plant with some specimens surviving for over 20 years.  They grow in rich woods and floodplain forests.  Jack-in-the-Pulpits are protected from herbivores because they contain the toxin calcium oxalate.  Calcium oxalate crystals are pointed and cause abrasions when eaten and the chemical itself induces a burning sensation. 

 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit will emerge soon, preaching his sermon in the woods. 

Winter Birding in Minnesota

 

A Long-eared Owl (Asio otus).
Hennepin County, Minnesota.

Minnesota in winter.  Even the thought is cold. But, Diane and I joined a small group that traveled to northern Minnesota in late January to look for birds.  We were seeking birds of the frozen north, birds that find Minnesota in winter a favorable clime.  Owls were a main attraction for us but we found much more. 

Our group of nine came from Florida, Michigan and North Carolina.  We were led by Kevin Burke of Ventures Birding Tours based in Asheville who led us for five days in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  In Minnesota we spent time around Minneapolis, Duluth, the Sax-Zim Bog and the north shore of Lake Superior near Two Harbors.  We also birded just across the state line in Superior, Wisconsin.

THE ENVIRONMENT

Hiking in the Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 
Trip leader, Kevin Burke is in the front.  
Photo courtesy of Kevin Burke. 

Our faithful 12 passenger van in the Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

Sunrise over the Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

Double sun-bows with sundogs.
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 
Photo courtesy of Diane Coggin 

Frozen shoreline of Lake Superior.
Two Harbors, Minnesota. 

Blue ice in Lake Superior.
St. Louis County, Minnesota.

  

A brief snowstorm in the Sax-Zim Bog. Minnesota.

THE BIRDS  

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). 
Two Harbors, Minnesota.  

We found a group of Bohemian Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) feeding on European Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia) near the shore of Lake Superior.  Large flocks of these waxwings wander northern Minnesota in winter eating the last of the fruit.

Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea).  
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota.

Common Redpolls (Acanthis flammea) are tiny finches found throughout Minnesota in winter. They forage in the woods and fields but also visit feeders.

Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni).  
Hennepin County, Minnesota. 

Hoary Redpolls (Acanthis hornemanni) are closely related to Common Redpolls and the two
may be lumped into one species soon.  Hoary Redpolls are seen much less frequently than the aptly named Common Redpolls. 

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus).  
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

The Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is the northern counterpart of the Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis).  These small birds are friendly and fearless. They are a common feeder bird and they cache seeds to eat later.

Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis).  
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota.  

The Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) is a bold relative of the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) who will often follow hikers in hopes of a handout.  The common name of this bird was changed from Gray Jay to Canada Jay in 2018.  This reversed the name change from Canada Jay to Gray Jay that took place in 1957.  For the record, the bird in this picture was NOT in Canada.

Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis). 
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota.  

The Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) is a predatory songbird that feeds on insects, reptiles, small mammals and birds. It has a strong hooked beak but lacks the strong feet and talons of raptors. Instead, Northern Shrikes kill their prey by impaling them on thorns or barbwire.

Male Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator).
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

Pine Grosbeaks (Pinicola enucleator) are medium sized birds that make their living extracting seeds from the cones of pine and other conifers.  The male is bright red on the head and breast with dark wings and white wing bars. Female Pine Grosbeaks are yellowish green on the head and rump. Pine Grosbeaks also frequent bird feeders in winter. 

Male White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) feeding on
Tamarack (Larix laricina) cones.  
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

White-winged Crossbills (Loxia leucoptera) eat seeds from the cones of Black Spruce (Picea mariana) and Tamarack (Larix laricina).  These trees are abundant in the bogs and White-winged Crossbills use their crossed mandibles to removed the seeds.  The color pattern of male and female White-winged Crossbills is similar to that of Pine Grosbeaks.   

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are found through much of of the United States.  They look strikingly different on a background of snow rather than in the understory of a forest where we usually see them. 

Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus).
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) is one of the specialty birds of the bog we were seeking.  There is a lek in the bog where the birds show up even outside the breeding season.  It took three attempts at this site but we ultimately found one of these large, chicken-like birds. 

Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa).
Sax-Zim Bog, Minnesota. 

The Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) is one of the main reasons people visit the Sax-Zim Bog in winter.

These giant owls have a wingspan up to five feet, striking yellow eyes and white feathers below the face that make a "bowtie". Great Gray Owls have a large facial disk that a funnels sound to the ears and helps this predator find rodents under the snow. 

Long-eared Owl.
Hennepin County, Minnesota.

On our first day we were lucky enough to see four Long-Eared Owls (Asio otus) perched in the same tree.  Most Owls are solitary but Long-eared Owls will roost in groups like the one we found.  They have yellow eyes and a prominent facial disc with bright orange patches.  The ears of Long-eared Owls are really tufts of feathers.  Several species of owls have ear tufts and they are thought to help the birds blend in with their surroundings.  Long-eared Owls use their acute sense of hearing to catch voles and other small mammals beneath the snow in winter. 

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus).
Douglas County, Wisconsin. 

The Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) is the iconic owl of the north and is another reason people travel to this area in winter.  These owls are unmistakable, they are large, white and have black markings.  Their bright yellow eyes peer from the white facial disk. Snowy Owls are found in the arctic in both the Old and New World.  Our group was fortunate to see three different Snowy Owls.  Two were near the airport in Superior, Wisconsin and the third was in the Sax-Zim Bog. The world population of Snowy Owls is declining but the reasons are not clear.  I will hazard to say global climate change is playing a major role.  

Minnesota in winter was a real experience.  As a southerner, I was very concerned about going to one  the coldest places in the country.  But, good advice from friends and Ventures Birding had us well prepared.  We had the proper equipment, an experienced guide and we had a marvelous time.  

The Life of Vultures

 

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) soaring. The underside of the
 primary and secondary feathers of Turkey Vulture wings are silver. 
Palm Beach County, Florida.

Vultures get a bad rap.  Their dark feathers and naked heads are not very appealing.  Their diet of carrion may even be appalling.  In western cultures vultures are viewed as ill omens, representing death, but ancient Egyptians held and Hindus still hold vultures to be sacred.  Vultures have a fascinating biology with adaptations for eating dead animals. They are masters of soaring.  Vultures can catch thermals and ride to high altitudes with little expenditure of energy.  From these great heights they scan the earth for their next meal.  Sometimes large number of vultures can be seen soaring together.  A group of soaring vultures is called a kettle.  The collective noun for a group of feeding vultures is, appropriately, a wake. 

A kettle of Turkey Vultures rising on a thermal.

Horry County, South Carolina. 

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) in flight.
The feathers at the tips of the wings are silver.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.  

Two species of vultures live in eastern North America, the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) and the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus). Vultures are raptors related to hawks and eagles.  Like hawks and eagles, vultures have hooked beaks for tearing their food. Unlike hawks and eagles that have powerful toes and talons for capturing and killing prey, vultures have weak toes with blunt talons because their prey is already dead. Both species of eastern North American vulture lack feathers on their heads and necks.  The bare head makes it easier to keep clean after feeding inside a dead animal.  Both Black and Turkey Vultures have perforate nostrils.  When viewed from the side you can see through the nostril.  

Turkey Vulture showing its perforate nostril. This species
of vulture has a highly developed sense of smell. 
Horry County, South Carolina. 

Turkey Vultures are large birds, with a wingspan of about 6 feet.  At a distance, Turkey Vultures appear black, but closeup they are dark brown.  The flight feathers of the wings are sliver beneath and the contrast with the rest of the wing is striking.   Turkey Vultures soar with their wings held up in a shallow vee, a dihedral, and rarely flap.  Turkey Vultures have naked, red heads. This gives the Turkey Vulture its name because it resembles the head of the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo).  Unlike most birds, Turkey Vultures have a well-developed sense of smell.  They can detect a rotting animal by smell then zero in on their meal visually.  Natural gas pipeline companies use the Turkey Vulture’s sense of smell to help detect leaks in their lines.  Natural gas itself has no odor so the refiners add an odoriferous compound, ethyl-mercaptan, so the users of gas appliances can tell if there is a leak.  This chemical is also emitted by a rotting animal and a leak in a natural gas pipeline attracts Turkey Vultures.  A kettle of vultures above a pipeline can alert the gas company of a leak.

Turkey Vulture perched. Although Turkey Vultures
appear black in flight they are really dark brown. 
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

A pair of Turkey Vultures flying in formation. 
Vultures often congregate in large groups. 
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Black Vultures are slightly smaller than Turkey Vultures with shorter wings and tails.  Black Vultures have less surface area for soaring, so they must flap more often than Turkey Vultures to stay aloft.  Black Vultures have black feathers and bare black heads.  They also have a patch of silver feathers near the end of their wings so are easy to distinguish from Turkey Vultures in flight. Black Vultures do not have the finely developed sense of smell of Turkey Vultures but what Black Vultures lack in sense of smell they make up for in aggressiveness.  Black Vultures often follow Turkey Vultures and displace them on a dead animal.  

Black Vulture in flight. 
Palm Beach County, Florida.

Black Vulture on the ground. 
Marion County, Florida. 

Vultures play an essential role in ecosystems.  They quickly dispose of carcasses and prevent the spread of disease. They can safely eat dead and even diseased animals because their digestive systems inactivate pathogenic microorganisms. Vultures quickly recycle nutrients in the environment and reduce greenhouse emissions.  A study of Turkey and Black Vultures in central Florida showed they can completely skeletonize a pig carcass in eight hours. 

Black Vultures feeding on carrion.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

While American vultures are experiencing a population increase, the vulture populations in India are crashing.  The number of Indian vultures has decreased by 90% in the last 40 years.  This population decline was caused by the use of an anti-inflammatory drug as a veterinary treatment for domestic animals.  While this medicine was beneficial to the domestic animals, it was lethal to vultures that would scavenge the treated animals. The decline in vulture population has caused social disruptions too.  The Parsis are a distinct ethnic group in India and they practice Zoroastrianism, a religion that originated in ancient Persia.  The traditional funeral practice of Indian Parsis is to place their dead on stone towers, the Towers of Silence, where vultures consume the deceased.  With the decline in vulture numbers the Parsis have modified the Towers of Silence to include solar concentrators to heat the remains and dry them as they are eaten by smaller scavengers like crows and kites.  While vultures could remove the flesh from a body in a day, the process now may take weeks.  Another side effect of the loss of vultures in India is an increase in other scavengers like feral dogs and rats.  These animals can transmit rabies and plague and are a public health hazard.  

A Black Vulture warily watching a group of humans.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Despite their distasteful habits, vultures are interesting creatures that provide essential ecosystem services.  They are large birds and they are magnificent flyers that can inspire the viewer, at least from a distance.   

Spirals

 

Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). This flowering head is made of 
           hundreds of small flowers.  The disc flowers in the center 
are arranged in Fibonacci numbers of spirals. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Spirals abound in nature. They appear in spiral galaxies and DNA molecules, pine cones and snail shells, vines and sheep horns.  Biological spirals are all related to growth and have a deep mathematical basis.

 

Logarithmic spiral.
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logarithmic_spiral

White-lipped Globe Snail (Mesodon thyroidus).  This snail's
shell is in the form of a logarithmic spiral.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

One spiral that appears again and again is the logarithmic spiral.  This spiral starts at a central point and increases in diameter with the distance between turnings of the spiral increasing exponentially.  Snail shells are classic examples of logarithmic spirals.   The oldest part of the shell is at the center of the spiral and as the snail grows it increases in size and adds more shell to spiral.  Another logarithmic spiral occurs in the horns of wild sheep.  Dall Sheep (Ovis dalli) are white sheep of the subarctic mountains of North America.  The rams have large logarithmic spiral horns they use in batter each other in the mating season.  The winners of these battles get to mate with the ewes. The oldest part of the horn is the tip and new material is added at the base where the horn contacts the head of the sheep. 

Dall Sheep (Ovis dalli) ram with
 its logarithmic spiral horns. 
Chugach National Forest, Alaska. 

A mathematical concept related to the logarithmic spiral is the Fibonacci sequence.  Each number of the Fibonacci sequence is produced by adding the value of the two previous number.  The start of the Fibonacci sequence is 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…

 

Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus).  The flowers are
arranged in Fibonacci numbers of spirals.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

The flowering head of sunflowers and daisies and are made up of hundreds of closely packed flowers and later fruits.  These flowering heads show many logarithmic spirals.  The number of spirals in the head is one of the Fibonacci sequence of numbers.  There are spirals that run both clockwise and counter-clockwise.   

Pine cones also show the Fibonacci sequence in the rows of scales.  These logarithmic spirals allow efficient close packing of flowers and scales. 

Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) cone.  The scales of the cone are
                                                 arranged in clockwise and counter-clockwise spirals.  This cone has 8                                                       counter-clockwise spirals, a Fibonacci number. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

The same Shortleaf Pine cone as above showing 13 clockwise
spirals.  13 is another Fibonacci number. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Leaf arrangement in many plants also exhibit an aspect of the Fibonacci sequence.  The ratio of Fibonacci numbers approaches the golden ratio, 1:1.618... This ratio appears in many natural objects, in art and in architecture.  This ratio, designated phi (φ), is an irrational number and was used by the ancient Greeks in the design of the Parthenon, by Leonardo da Vinci in the composition of the Mona Lisa and in many other instances by artists both ancient and modern.  The Fibonacci spacing allows the plant to efficiently collect light for photosynthesis by spacing each successive leaf at an angle of about 137^o.  This angle is derived from φ and is called the golden angle.    

Haircap Moss (Polytrichum strictum).  The leaves are arranged at the
golden angle to allow for optimal photosynthesis. 
Denali State Park, Alaska. 

Agave sp. showing the golden angle arrangement of leaves. 
Biltmore House, Buncombe County, North Carolina. 

Some spirals in nature do not increase in diameter but take the form of a helix.  The tendrils of Passionflower (Passiflora sp.) allow this herbaceous vine to ramble over other plants.  A number of woody vines like Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) grow in a helical pattern on a supporting tree.  The vine attaches to a trunk and spirals up, seeking more light higher in the tree.  As the vine wraps around the trunk it applies force to the tree and distorts its growth into a complimentary helical form.  Later, the vine may die and leave behind a helical tree trunk that is a favorite of walking stick makers. 

Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea) with a helical tendril.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

A tree trunk with a helical vine wrapped in a spiral.
Georgetown County, South Carolina. 

Helical tree trunk after the spiral vine has died.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Spirals are all examples of evolutionary solutions to problems faced by living things. Spirals solve problems of growth, of optimal space filling and of energy collection. These mathematical solutions are achieved by organisms that cannot think. I find it interesting these mathematical adaptations are also so aesthetically pleasing. 

 

Pipsissewa

 

Pipsissewa (Chimaphila  maculata) flowering
in summer.  Rowan County, North Carolina. 

In mid-winter my thoughts turn to Pipsissewa.  Pipsissewa is a small evergreen herb that grows in the understory of eastern North American forests.  Pipsissewa is an interesting name because it is at the center of an etymological controversy.  One source says Pipsissewa is derived from the Cree indigenous language and means “to break into pieces”.  Pipsissewa has many medicinal uses including as a treatment for kidney stones, thus the breaking into pieces.  Another explanation says Pipsissewa comes from the Eastern Abnaki tribe and means, “flower of the woods”.  Other common names for this plant are more descriptive.  It is also called Spotted Wintergreen, which is odd because it is not spotted, but it is green in winter.  Another name is Striped Wintergreen, which is quite accurate.  The scientific name of Pipsissewa is Chimaphila maculata.  Chimaphila is from the Greek meaning winter loving and maculata is Latin for mottled (not striped).  

Pipsissewa leaves in winter.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pipsissewa is classified in the Ericaceae, the same family as Rhododendron and Blueberry. The plants stand a few inches tall and the bright green leaves are marked with white veins.  Pipsissewa prefers to grow in dry, acidic soil beneath trees.  I think of Pipsissewa as an herb but it is technically a sub-shrub. It has a woody underground stem and with its short stature Pipsissewa qualifies for the odd category of sub-shrub.  In spring, each plant produces one to a few white, nodding flowers.  These flowers are pollinated by bees and as the fruit develops it rotates to face upward.  When mature, the fruit is a brown, five-part capsule that contain around a thousand of tiny seeds. 

Pipsissewa with flower buds.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Closeup of Pipsissewa flower buds.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pipsissewa has many traditional medicinal uses beyond treating kidney stones.  It has antibacterial activity and has been used to treat urinary tract infections.  It can be applied to the skin as a treatment for ringworm and ulcers.  The many biologically active compounds produced by Pipsissewa may also account for another common name, Rat Bane.  These same compounds are probably why deer avoid Pipsissewa even as they are devastating other woodland plants.  

Dry Pipsissewa capsules in winter.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Closeup of Pipsissewa capsule.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

A second species of Pipsissewa, Chimaphila umbellata, grows in the southeast but is rarer than C. maculata.  I like Pipsissewas because they brighten the summer with their flowers and are a splash of green even in winter.