Fresh Afield

If you’re like me and have ordered plants or seeds from mail-order nurseries in the past, you’ve probably received several plant catalogs in the mail recently. It’s almost therapeutic to see those luscious ripe tomato photos on an icy winter’s day. They are visual encouragement that the earth will warm and your garden will again bear fruit, albeit not as perfect as the ones pictured in the catalogs.

Don’t forget about Missouri’s wildlife when planning your spring plantings. If you manage rural acreage for wildlife or have a back corner of your residential lot available, the 2009-2010 Seedling Order Form from the George O. White State Forest Nursery should have a place among your catalogs. The state nursery, operated by the Conservation Department in Licking,  has provided low-cost shrub and tree seedlings for planting in Missouri for more than 60 years.

The bare-root seedlings are one to three years old, depending on the species. These plants are smaller than what you would typically purchase for home landscaping needs. Most species are sold in lots of 25 seedlings of the same species, but several bundles of mixed species are also available, such as the conservation bundle, wildlife cover bundle, pecan variety bundle and quail cover bundle. Many of the plants are nut or fruit-producers of value to native wildlife. Evergreens have wildlife value and can also be planted to create windbreaks.

Plants can be shipped in February, March, April or May and orders are accepted as late as April 30. The nursery will sell out of popular species, so order early or allow substitution of similar species. Orders may be placed online , mailed to the nursery, or faxed to 573/674-4047.  A discount is available for holders of Conservation Heritage Cards.

Thinking about spring planting now won’t make the winter any shorter but it might help to reassure you that these icy days will not last forever. You can make future winters easier for your local wildlife by planning  now for additional plantings of food and cover on your landscape.

If you doubt that the world is getting smaller and more interconnected all the time, consider the case of the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) . This small mollusk (less than two inches long) is native to Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia. It was introduced into the United States through the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s. It may have been brought here intentionally as a food item or accidentally with a shipment of Asian oysters. Asian clams rapidly spread to water bodies around this country and have been known from Missouri since the 1950s.

Several weeks ago, groundskeepers at Springfield’s Rivercut Golf Course noticed dozens of leaking sprinkler heads used to water the grasses on the course. Investigation of the problem led to the discovery of broken pieces of Asian clam shells in the malfunctioning sprinkler heads. Last year’s flooding of the James River caused floodwaters to back up onto the golf course, reaching the lake used to store water for the irrigation system. The clams probably multiplied quickly in the lake and eventually were pumped into the irrigation pipes that feed the sprinkler heads.

Can you imagine the harried invasive species biologist who goes to the golf course to forget about the incessant bad news of spreading invasive species only to encounter the Asian clam sabotaging his weekend getaway? He can run but he cannot hide!

Asian clams have caused many more serious problems since arriving here, leading to costs of a billion dollars a year for cleaning and removal from intake pipes in the water and power industries. Several nuclear reactors have been shut down temporarily for removal of clams in their cooling systems. They have even damaged concrete when the river gravel added to the cement was infested with the small clams. Ironically, most dispersal of the clams, other than by passive movement of water, has been by people.

If you were hoping for a positive note at the end, you’ll have to wait for a blog on a different topic than invasive species , where good news is nearly nonexistent.

Photo above courtesy of  Shawn Liston, Audubon of Florida, Bugwood.org

A reporter recently told me that the word “landscaping” appeals more to people today than “gardening” because it sounds like less work. I doubt that was on author Dave Tylka’s mind when he wrote the book “Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People” in 2002. But judging by the great new information on taking care of native plants, and the addition of more easily found natives on the list of gardeners’ choices, it looks like this newly revised book from the Missouri Department of Conservation definitely has “easier” in mind.

Of course, nature doesn’t always respond in picture-perfect ways. The purple coneflowers I planted at the front of my garden are tall and flopping over, not standing perfectly like the ones on the book cover. I love those charts, though, that include tips on how each plant helps wildlife, what’s special about it, what sun/soil conditions it needs. It’s not as easy as putting plastic flowers around the yard (something a friend’s neighbor did), but planting perennials once that last for years of blooms isn’t as tough as adding new annuals each year. (If you want to see more information on particular native plants, you can also go to our Grow Native! website.)

The subtitle of the book is “How to use native Midwestern plants to beautify your property and benefit wildlife.” The 182 colorful pages help you do just that for $18 (plus sales tax and shipping where applicable). The books are available online, at our nature centers or by phone toll free at 877-521-8632.

One last note. After hearing about the distinction between “landscaping” and “gardening,” I’m curious what you think. Does one word appeal more than the other? Is it because it suggests more work or something else?

Missourians care about the outdoors, whether they focus on its water, nature, soil, wildlife, air, fish, forests, natural communities, outdoor recreation or some mix of these. It’s their strong concern that brought us back  from the brink of destruction of forests,  pollution of rivers, erosion of rich farmland soil, decimation of deer, turkey, and eagles.

At the Summit on the Future of Missouri Outdoors held last week in Columbia, people gathered from across the state to translate their interests into a renewed, unified call. I sat there marveling at the mix of interests—urban, rural, farm, business, recreation, education. And yet, as most agreed, those attending still didn’t represent the diversity that Missouri is now or even less what it will be 75 years from now. Nonetheless, it’s a start.

As he opened the Summit, Governor Nixon noted the importance of the outdoors to the quality of our lives. Directors of Missouri Departments of Conservation, Natural Resources, Agriculture and from the US Forest Service/Mark Twain National Forest and US Fish and Wildlife Service in Missouri shared their views on what it will take to work together and involve all Missourians. (Missouri agency people in photo from left: Agriculture, Conservation, USFWS, USFS, Natural Resources)

By looking ahead at what our future could be and then stepping back to the present, the group was able to suggest what actions now are most important to bring that vision of quality outdoors to life. Here are some of the priority goals the group picked (as I recall from my notes):

1) Get the message out that a healthy outdoors is essential for quality of life.

2) Conserve plants, animals and natural communities on public and private land so they are diverse, healthy and resilient.

3) Create stable funding for quality outdoors

4) Have an up-to-date state water plan and make it widely available

5) Next time you go outdoors, take someone with you (Help others connect to nature/the outdoors)

Sharing a passion for something is the best way to keep it alive and well in the hearts and minds of others. The Conservation Federation of Missouri served as an catalyst to pull people with a passion for the outdoors together. (Video from the opening talks will be posted on their website as soon as we get the digital files transferred to them.) There is plenty to do to ensure healthy nature/outdoors in the future.  The next step will be to give that passion some form so it’s not just ideas but also actions.

The Northern bobwhite quail has declined in Missouri since the mid-1950s, by more than seventy percent in the last thirty years. The long-term decline resulted from changes in land management. The landscape has changed from a patchwork of small farms with small fields, brushy areas and open woodlands to fewer, larger farms with larger fields, clean fencerows and dense forests. Other factors leading to declining habitat quality are the increased use of densely-growing cool-season pasture grasses and the chemical control of insect and plant pests.

Quail need patchy habitats with a mix of bare ground and more dense cover, along with seed-bearing plants and insects. They must have suitable areas for nest sites and brood-rearing and cover to protect the birds from predators. Without suitable habitat available, the quail’s plight is made worse by extended periods of winter ice and snow. Unusually wet periods during spring and early summer, such as we had last year, also take a toll on young quail chicks.

Quail nesting in Missouri should be in full swing right now. After a 23-day incubation period for the eggs, young quail will be hatching later in May. The newly hatched chicks can easily succumb to exposure from frequent rains and cool temperatures. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some warm and drier conditions during late May and June. We’ll need good habitat and a little luck with the weather to see good numbers of quail chicks fledged this year.

Today there are multiple efforts underway to reverse the long decline in the quail population. Quail respond well to certain habitat management practices . These practices are increasingly being implemented on public and private property in Missouri. “Habitat is the Key”  is the slogan for the growing body of information on restoring quail populations. What we do to improve quail populations will, at the same time, help a host of other ground-nesting Missouri birds that share the same needs as quail.

Who is a likely Missouri Master Naturalist? The only consistent characteristic is that they’re adult Missourians interested in learning about nature in Missouri and how to keep it healthy—and applying what they learn where they live. Chapters can be found in 9 cities.
This is a program of the Missouri Conservation Department and University of Missouri Extension. Unlike some of the earlier volunteer programs I’ve mentioned in the past few blog posts, there is a small fee to take the 40 hour course that prepares members for the volunteer efforts ahead. Master Naturalists get involved in a great variety of projects. Sample projects include collecting seed for restoring prairies, presenting pre-school programs, controlling invasive plants, and checking on bird populations.

Here’s what a few Master Naturalists have said about the program:

“Great program to connect to the world around you and meet down-to-earth, fun-loving people.”

“After spending 45 years in aviation, I’ve been to hundreds of classes but none could hold a handle to this training.”

“Great way to learn about your native as well as great conservation practices.”

When you think of healthy living, do you think of healthy trees? It’s easy to forget the difference they make for us—until suddenly they’re torn apart in an ice storm, shattered by lightening, or they die from drought. Add to those natural causes new invasive threats like the emerald ash borer and gypsy moth and suddenly you realize Missouri trees need all the help they can get.

Whether you just have a few trees in your yard, many in a city park, or forest nearby, you can do something to help Missouri’s trees by volunteering as a Missouri Forestkeeper. It’s network supported by the Missouri Department of Conservation and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri. It’s a statewide program, so no matter where you live in Missouri you can sign up and start monitoring your chosen area of trees.

You can do it as an individual or as a group such as scouts, a school class, or a neighorhood association. Missouri trees make our lives better in so many ways. Forestkeeper volunteers can help our forests not only now, but leave them healthy for future Missourians, too.

If you prefer warmer temperatures and you’re looking for the bright side of Tax Day, April 15 is also the average day of last frost in central Missouri. If you live in southern or northern Missouri, the respective dates are March 31 and April 20. The next frost that we should see in central Missouri will occur around October 20, the average day of first frost in the fall. That means that, for those plant species that won’t tolerate frost, we have a growing season of just over six months.

We do have a number of wildflowers and spring-flowering trees that don’t wait until frost danger has passed to begin blooming. I saw bluebells and harbinger of spring in bloom several weeks ago. Redbuds have been flowering as have serviceberry, leatherwood, wild plums, bloodroot, spring beauty, trilliums and jack-in-the-pulpit. Coming along shortly after the 15^th should be sassafras, bellwort, pussytoes, flowering dogwood, buckeye, violet wood sorrel, wild ginger and many others. A smaller group of plants may not flower until after frost returns in the fall, including such late-bloomers as the October-flowering downy gentian.

If you enjoy seeing Missouri’s spring wildflowers, the latter half of April and the first half of May are the prime viewing time. Grab a field guide and hit the nearest trails. Moist areas along lower slopes and along streams will produce the greatest wildflower show. Our forest wildflowers are taking advantage of the fact that, with the forest canopy not yet leafed out, sunlight is reaching the forest floor and supplying them with energy for growth, flowering and seed production. Some will have produced their seeds and withered before the heat of summer arrives. For those early forest wildflowers, the six month growing season is of little benefit because they will lose the sun’s rays by mid-May. There will be fewer blooms on the forest floor after leafy tree branches have blocked out most of the sunlight. Only forest plants that tolerate considerably less light will be flowering from late spring through the summer.

The emerging leaves of oak, hickory and maple trees can be as beautiful as a spring wildflower when the forest canopy contains every possible shade of muted browns, yellows, reds, grays and greens. Perhaps the fall foliage driving routes should be also be publicized for their spring beauty in early May. Don’t let these next few weeks get by without making some first-hand observations of the reawakening of Missouri’s plants.

As I was strolling around our “swamp” yesterday, an American bittern suddenly flew out from its hiding place among the dried cattails. This was the second time in a decade or more that I’ve seen one of these incredible birds.

I call it the “swamp” because my father-in-law designed the shallow series of ponds to attract wetland birds and other wildlife. And it worked!

The American bittern looks the size of a small turkey. Their brown and white streaking of feathers helps them blend in perfectly among the tall, dried grasses in wetlands. They make a really odd gulping sound—totally unlike a typical trilling bird song.

It’s ironic, though, that the other spot along these ponds where a bittern hid before is now bare. It was covered with phragmites, a tall type of grass that can be very invasive. (In fact when I was in New England last summer, phragmites was taking over a lot of the coastal marshes.)

Even though the bitterns may like the way they can hide in this tall stuff, its dense crowding makes it less than ideal for other plants. We had it burned last winter and now that shoots are coming up, we’ll get it sprayed with an herbicide. So the bitterns will have to content themselves with hiding among the cattails. But I hope  maintaining the shallow pools with their wealth of diverse plants, frogs and bugs will continue to give birds like the bittern a place to live. As a landowner, it’s a blessing to be able to attract and support all sorts of wildlife—especially when the main investment is time and a little thought for the plants that are placed or allowed to grow there.

What has happened to all of the ___ (fill in the blank)? That’s a question that I hear frequently from concerned citizens. The blank may be filled by squirrels, rabbits, birds at my feeders or other wildlife. Invariably, the question catches me by surprise because the animal that is “missing” is often a common species that is widespread and abundant in Missouri.

As a landowner and nature observer myself, I can empathize with the people who notice the absence of certain species. In some years, my residential lot will have abundant rabbits; in other years they will be scarce. I can’t remember a year when squirrels were not pests at my bird feeders but I do get reports of their sudden absence from others’ properties. I try to resist the temptation to respond that “They are all over my place – come and get them.”

I think there is an element of human nature that makes us want to apply our personal, local observation to the larger landscape. The questions are always difficult to answer because there is seldom a problem with the overall population of the species. I never know the details of what has happened at the specific locality cited that might impact the local wildlife. Something as simple as the destruction by a predator or lawnmower of one rabbit’s litter of young could change the perception of the local rabbit abundance that year from plentiful to scarce.

With squirrel declines, the numbers present in a particular year may be more the result of the nut crop last year than the present crop. This lag time can confuse observers who notice plentiful food sources but few squirrels to take advantage of it.

As with most wildlife issues, healthy habitat is the key to keeping animal populations strong and resilient. If habitat requirements are met, wild populations will still have down years but will respond more quickly when food sources are plentiful again. Declining habitat quality often occurs slowly and cumulatively so that we don’t even realize that the landscape no longer provides for wildlife’s needs. It’s sort of like those clothes that we haven’t worn in a while that seem to have shrunk while hanging in the closet. We can keep our properties wildlife-friendly by periodically evaluating the land to assure that we are providing the food, cover and water that wildlife need. Maybe we can turn that “What happened to all of the _____” into “Look at what we have now!”