Cherry, Bee, Fungus, Lichen

Flowers of East Asian Cherry (Prunus serrulata).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

We have a venerable East Asian Cherry (Prunus serrulata) in our back yead.  It leafs out and flowers early each spring.  It is also the first tree in our yard to lose its leaves in the fall.  By the first week of March its branches are laden with thousands of pink flowers.  These in turn attract swarms of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and other early pollinators.  On sunny spring days the tree is abuzz with the bees.  The tree also attracts birds throughout the year feeding on the abundance of insects there.  But other, more subtle forms of life are also in the cherry.

Video of Honeybees (Apis mellifera) visiting

East Asian Cherry in the spring.

Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Video by Diane Coggin.

A Honeybee pollinating East Asian Cherry.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) feeding amidst 
the flowers of East Asian Cherry.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

A winter storm blew through our neighborhood last week dumping two and a half inches of rain, knocking out the power for 12 hours and dropping untold numbers of sticks and branches into our yard.  One of these branches, from our East Asian Cherry, was encrusted with fungi and lichens.   

The most colorful of these fungi was Witch’s Butter (Tremella mesenterica).  This bright yellow blob was emerging from cracks in the bark.  The Witch’s Butter fungus breaks down dead wood, so this branch was dead while still attached to the tree. 

Witch's Butter (Tremella mesenterica)
emerging from the branch.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Giraffe fungus (Peniophora albobadia) is another wood decaying fungus that made a striking display on the branch.  It makes brown patches rimmed by white, much like the spots on a Giraffe (Giraffa sp). 

Giraffe Fungus (Peniophora albobadia)
growing on the branch.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

At least three different lichens were also on the branch.  Lichens are symbiotic organisms made up of a fungus and a photosynthetic alga.  A single, one-inch clump of Usnea strigosa, Beard Lichen, was on the branch.  This lichen grows about 1 inch per year, so the branch was probably dead for at least a year before it was blown from the tree in the storm. 

Beard Lichen (Usnea strigosa).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

There were several clumps of the foliose lichen Parmotrema perforatum on the branch.  This gray green lichen has a leaf-like structure with black filaments called cilia along its margins.  These cilia probably act to catch dew for the rootless lichen.

Parmotrema perforatum with cilia.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Several Common Button Lichens (Buellia erubescens) were growing on the branch.  This is a crustose lichen that grows tightly appressed to the bark of trees.  Common Button Lichens are light gray with black spore producing structures called apothecia. 

Common Button Lichen (Buellia erubescens).
Rowan County, North Carolina.  

Even in winter, when we think not nothing is happening in a tree, much is still going on.  It is a wonder that a single dead branch from a cherry tree could play host to so many different fungi.  But visual examination only scratches the surface of this diversity because most fungi are microscopic. This branch, blown from a tree by a storm, is an inspiration to look closely at the natural world.

Trumpet Creepers and Catbriers

 

Spines on the stem of Smilax sp.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Vines has been much on my mind of late.  Last month I wrote about Grape Vines, in September Kudzu, and Poison Ivy in 2020. I will continue this theme with Greenbrier (Smilax sp.) and Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) in this blog.

Smilax rotundifolia showing leaves, spines and tendrils.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Leaf of Smilax bona-nox.
Palm Beach County, Florida. 

There are over 300 species of Smilax worldwide with a mainly tropical distribution, but some species are found in temperate areas.  North America has about 20 species of Greenbrier and Europe has 4. Smilax vines may be woody in older sections, but the stems are mostly green, hence the name Greenbrier.  Many species of Smilax have hooked spines on the stem giving rise to another common name, Catbrier.  I have walked through tangles of Smilax vines and come out with so many scratches that I looked like the loser in a cat fight. These spiny tangles provide small animals shelter from predators. Smilax spines and tendrils also help the vine clamber over other plants.    

Smilax auriculata with male flowers.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Female flowers of Smilax rotundifolia.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Greenbriers have separate male and female plants and their greenish-white flowers appear in spring.  The female Smilax produces dark purple or red berries that are favorites of birds.  While hiking along the southern coast of France we found Mediterranean Smilax (Smilax aspera) with brilliant red berries. Greenbriers have underground stems, the rhizomes, that contain starch and were used by Native Americans as an important food source.  The growing tips of the Smilax vines are edible too, resembling asparagus.   

Smilax rotunifolia fruits.
Rowan County, North Carolina.

Mediterranean Smilax (Smilax aspera) leaves and flowers.
Cap Bear, France.

Fruits of Mediterranean Smilax
Cap Bear, France. 

Trumpet Creeper is a robust woody vine native to eastern North America.  This vine can grow up tree trunks into the forest canopy, or up cliffs or buildings to reach heights of over 30 feet. It has large compound leaves and produces brilliant orange, tubular flowers in summer.  

Leaves of Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)
growing on a wall.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Flowers of Trumpet Creeper.
Clarke County, Georgia.

Trumpet Creeper fruit.
Davidson County, North Carolina.

Ripe Trumpet Creeper fruit showing seeds.
Davidson County, North Carolina. 

Winged seeds of Trumpet Creeper.
Davidson County, North Carolina.

Trumpet Creeper flowers are an important nectar source for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). The fruits of Trumpet Creeper are about six inches long and in the fall, they release small, winged seeds.  Trumpet Creeper is widely planted in gardens and will grow on trellises and up walls. We have a Trumpet Creeper growing next to the chimney of our house where its short roots attach the vine to the bricks. 

Trumpet Creeper growing on a cliff.
Davidson County, North Carolina.

Trumpet Creeper growing up a wall. 

Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Trumpet Creeper roots attached to a brick wall.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Greenbrier and Trumpet Creeper are important sources of food and shelter for wildlife. But beyond that, these vines are beautiful and interesting members of the floral kingdom.

Smilax sp spines.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

 

 

Encounters with the Snakebird

 

Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) sunning.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm  Beach County, Florida. 

If I had grown up in Peoria or Palo Alto, Snakebirds would not have been in my history.   But I spent my formative years in Pompano Beach, Florida and Snakebirds were part of the landscape.  I saw them in the canals, rock pits and the Everglades of my youth.  Anhinga is their proper name, but my father called them Snakebird or Water Turkey.  

Female Anhinga.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Anhingas are odd birds with odd names.  The name Anhinga comes from the Tepu language of Brazil meaning “Devil Bird”.  The nomenclature gets even more interesting when considering the bird’s scientific name, Anhinga anhinga.  Notice both the genus and species names are the same.  This is what is called a tautonym in the world of taxonomy.  While tautonyms are prohibited in botanical nomenclature they are allowed in animals.  Many common animals, like the American Bison (Bison bison) and Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), sport tautonyms.  To make things even more complicated there are three other species of Anhinga found around the world, but they are not called Anhingas, they are named Darters.

Male Anhinga preening.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Female Anhinga.
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

Anhingas are large, dark water birds with a long neck, webbed feet and dagger-like beaks. Male Anhingas are black with silver feathers on the back and wings.  Female and immature Anhingas are brown with light brown heads and necks.  Both sexes have long fan-like tails tipped with brown that resemble those of Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo).  Anhingas swim underwater where they feed on fish and other small animals they impale on their sharp beaks.  They often swim with just their S-shaped neck above the surface of the water.  This habit led to the common name, Snakebird.

Anhinga swimming with its snake-like neck above water.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Anhingas are denizens of southern swamps, but their range extends south into Mexico, Central American, some Caribbean islands and South America.  My records show we have encountered Anhingas 119 times.  Most of the observations have been in Florida but we have seen Anhingas in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Texas. We have also found them in the American tropics of Belize, Costa Rica and Panama.  Since Anhingas are often found in warm locales they need ways to keep deal with the heat.  Swimming is one way to cool off but Anhingas can also flutter the gular pouch on their necks to dissipate heat, much like a dog panting. 

Anhinga swimming with its body submerged. 
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida.

Video of a male Anhinga cooling off by gular fluttering.

Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

On our trips to Florida, we will often see an Anhinga perched on a branch drying its wings in the sun. Most waterbirds apply oil to their feathers to waterproof them and promote buoyancy.  The oil is produced by the bird’s uropygial or preen gland at the base of the tail.  Preening cleans the feathers, removes parasites and oils the feathers.  But Anhingas have vestigial uropygial glands that produces little oil, so their feathers take up water as they swim.  While this helps them stay underwater, Anhingas must dry their feathers before flying again.    

Anhinga sunning.  Its uropygial gland is visible just above the base of the tail.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida.

Anhinga in flight.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida.

Anhingas are quite elegant on the wing. We see them soaring on high on thermals where they look like a flying cross with their long wings, neck and tail.  Anhingas build nests of loose sticks where they raise their broods of dinosaurian babies.  The young Anhingas start with a coat of white down that is gradually replaced by darker feathers.  Young Anhingas feed by sticking their sharp beaks down the parent's throats, a dangerous looking exercise.  

Young Anhinga on nest. 
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Parent feeding a juvenile Anhinga. 
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Video of adult Anhinga feeding baby.

Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

The Anhinga is another species that is extending its range and increasing its population due to climate change.  In the 1800s Anhingas in the United States were limited to coastal regions of the Southeast.  Wilmington, North Carolina was the northern limit of the Anhinga nesting range in the 19^th century and they were rarely seen on the Piedmont.  Now Anhingas breed throughout the Southeast and are reported in summer from New York to Oklahoma. More locations in the northern United States can expect Snakebirds in their future.  Anhingas are so distinctive, with their snaky neck and turkey tails, they always impress wherever they are found. 

Anhinga.
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Fruit of the Vine

 

Muscadine Grape (Vitis rotundifolia). 
Lincoln County, North Carolina. 

Vines are trailing or climbing plants with long stems.  Vines with woody stems are technically called lianas while those with herbaceous stems are just vines.  One of the world’s best-known vine (liana) is Grape (Vitis sp.).

Vineyards of Common Grapes (Vitis venifera).
Collioure, France.  

People domesticated grapes (Vitis vinifera) about 8000 years ago in the Middle East.  The versatile fruit of this vine can be eaten raw, dried into raisins and, of course, fermented into wine.  The earliest known wine production was in the mountains of Iran about 5000 years ago and the drink has been going strong ever since.

 North America has about 25 species of Vitis. The Viking, Leif Ericsson found Fox Grapes (Vitis labrusca) growing along the coast of what is now the Canadian Maritimes in about 1000 AD. This plant so impressed the Viking explorers they called the region Vinland. The Fox Grapes were so abundant, the Vikings immediately began to make wine on the newly discovered continent.  

Fox Grape vines with flowers (Vitis labrusca).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Fox Grape fruits.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Grapes are classified in the family Vitaceae and there about 8 native species in the Southeastern United States.  Grapes are borne on woody, deciduous vines.  Grapevines flower in spring, making green, wind- pollinated flowers.  These develop into bunches of juicy, dark purple berries by late summer.  These fruits are feasted upon by many mammals and birds. Grape seeds pass through the digestive tract of these animals unharmed and are deposited some distance from the parent vine to establish new plants.  

Young vines of Muscadine Grape growing on the forest floor.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Muscadine Grape Vine rambling.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Grape seeds require full sun to germinate, then the young vines grow across the ground seeking vertical support.  Grapevines scramble onto other plants and use tendrils to attach to branches. Grapes need bright sun to thrive, so they live at forest edges although some vines are found deep in the woods.  

Young Muscadine Grape tendril.
Clayton County, Georgia. 

Vitis sp. growing into the forest canopy.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Grapevines in mature forests do not grow to the trunk of the host trees like other vines but seem to vault directly from the ground to the canopy. How do they get into the tops of tall trees?  There are a couple of explanations for this strange observation.  One is the vine could have grown into the canopy on smaller trees that have died.  Another explanation is the grapevine might have grown onto the tree when it was a sapling and rode up into the canopy as the tree got taller. 

 

Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa)
is an invasive relative of grape.
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa) is an invasive member of the Vitaceae that is found throughout Eastern North America.  This native of East Asia is also a woody vine and it produces grape-like berries.  Porcelain Berry vines can have purple, blue, green and porcelain white berries all in the same cluster.  Like grapes, the Porcelain Berries are distributed by birds and other animals.  It has become a serious pest in some areas, shading out native shrubs and small trees.    

Porcelain Berry vines and fruits  growing in a tree canopy.
Guilford County, North Carolina. 
Drone photo courtesy of Dr. Joe Poston

Grapes and humans have a long history.  The vine was taken under domestication early in the agricultural revolution and has traveled around the world with people.  Grapes contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to the United States economy each year and wine is produced in every American state. Before modern sanitation, is was often safer to drink wine than water.  In addition to the protection from water-borne diseases, wine also contains alcohol, a mind-altering substance. These two important features of wine probably led to its place of importance in many world religions. Beyond the economic and cultural impacts of grapes, they are keystone species in natural ecosystems.  I will continue to explore other vines in upcoming editions of this blog. Thanks to Dr. Jay Bolin for his generous help with grape identification. 

Muscadine vine with woody tendril.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Life in the Saltmarsh - Part 2

 

Saltmarsh in summer.
McIntosh County, Georgia. 

Southeastern saltmarshes are like a string of emeralds strung along the coast.  They are found up coastal rivers, lining estuaries and in the lee of barrier islands. The water in saltmarshes is brackish with a mix of fresh water from rivers and seawater coming in on the tide.  Saltmarshes are highly productive ecosystems and in the southeast this productivity starts with the flowering plant Saltmarsh Cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora. Other plants, animals and microbes contribute to the stunning biodiversity of this unique habitat. 

Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) starting a saltmarsh oyster bar.
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

A large oyster bar at low tide.
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are bivalve mollusks that colonize the mud of the marsh and often form large bars.  Oyster bars stabilize the saltmarsh by catching sediment and slowing erosion.  Since mature Eastern Oysters are attached to the mud their food must come to them.  Eastern Oysters are filter feeders, taking in large volumes of water, straining out plankton and releasing the filtered water back into the marsh.   Eastern Oysters are eaten by many animals including people.  Ancient wisdom held that we should eat oysters only in months that have the letter R in them.  In other words, do not eat oysters in May, June, July and August.  There were a variety of good reasons to do this in previous centuries when all oysters were wild harvested and refrigeration was nonexistent.  Oysters spawn in the warm months and this gives them a bad taste.  Also, the filter-feeding oysters could accumulate toxic red tide organisms and slow transportation could deliver spoiled oysters to market.  Now, oysters are on the menu year-round with rapid refrigerated transport and farmed oysters that are sterile and do not spawn. 

American Mink (Neogale vison) hunting on a rock jetty
adjacent to a saltmarsh. 
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

American Minks (Neogale vison) are mammals related to weasels and otters.  They inhabit much of North America including the edges of saltmarshes where they catch fish, invertebrates, rodents and birds.  American Minks make dens in burrows, among tree roots or in crevices between rocks where the females raise their young.  Domestic American Minks are still grown on farms and are skinned to make fur coats.     

Male Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crab (Minuca pugnax). 
The crab is standing by the mouth
of his burrow and surrounded by mud balls.
Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

Atlantic Marsh Fiddler Crabs (Minuca pugnax) live in the mud of the marsh.  Females Fiddler Crabs have two small front claws, and the males have one large claw, the fiddle, and one small front claw.  Both males and females use the small claws to pick up particles of mud and eat the algae that coats the sand grains.  The crabs then roll the cleaned grains into mud balls and deposit them on the surface of the marsh.  Male Fiddler Crabs use their large claw to show off for females and fight with other males. This combat between males gave this crab its specific name pugnax, from the Latin for fight.  Pairs of Fiddler Crabs mate in burrows and the larval forms are released into the water at high tide. Larvae live a planktonic existence until they transform into the adult form of the crab.   

 

Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus).
Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

Another crab of the saltmarsh is the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus). Blue crabs have the most apt of scientific names which translates from the Latin as tasty, beautiful swimmers.  They are beautiful and delicious.  Blue Crabs have a greenish brown carapace and blue claws and legs, including the rear paddle-shaped swimming legs.  Blue Crabs are caught on the Gulf and east coasts of the United States. Chesapeake Bay has traditionally been the heart of the Blue Crab fishing industry but overharvesting and pollution have reduced their numbers.  Many Blue Crabs eaten at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore are trapped in Louisiana.  

Seaside Sparrow (Ammospiza maritima).
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

Several species of sparrows are saltmarsh specialists.  Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima) live in saltmarshes from Texas to New England.  These hefty sparrows have a large, pointed beak, a streaked breast, and a yellow spot in front of the eye.  Seaside Sparrows feed on Spartina seeds and insects they catch on the marsh grass.  

Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta) on
a causeway next to a saltmarsh. 
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

Saltmarsh Sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta) also inhabit saltmarshes.  We see Saltmarsh Sparrows wintering in the southern marshes, but these birds breed in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern coastal states.   Saltmarsh Sparrows are brown with streaks on the breast, orange on the face and gray cheeks. The population of Saltmarsh Sparrows has declined over 80% in the last 25 years.  Threats to this sparrow include habitat loss and sea level rise.   

Saltmarsh with Spartina behind the dunes.
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. 

As with most good things, climate change is threatening saltmarshes and their inhabitants.  Sea level rise caused by the melting icecaps is the most imminent threat to saltmarshes.  The sea on the North Carolina coast has risen about one foot since 1950 and is now rising about an inch every two years.  Higher sea levels pour more salt water into the marshes.  Higher seal levels will inundate the marsh and higher salt concentration will kill the Spartina. Salt marshes can invade higher ground, but it is unlikely the newly formed marshes will keep up with the loss.  With every visit to a saltmarsh I am dazzled, but I also feel like it is slipping away.