Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Winter's Art: Ice Formations

Behold, the wonders of nature!  Winter is one of the best seasons to view beautiful snow and ice formations that occur over fields, engulf trees, and grow at lake shores.  Not only do they make for stunningly beautiful photos but the processes by which they form are very interesting as well!  In this edition of Turtle Talk, we’ll explore examples of unique ice formations that you can observe right outside your own front door!

Let’s begin with something that may be familiar—hoarfrost!  Originating from Old English, the word ‘hoar’ roughly translates to ‘showing signs of old age’.  When we think of snow and ice formation, the three phases of water come to mind: ice, liquid, and vapor (or gas).  As temperatures rise above 32oF/0oC, ice melts into liquid water and then evaporates into water vapor when water molecules have enough energy (in the form of heat) to break away from their bonds.  Water boils and jumps from liquid to vapor at 212oF/100oC; however, we commonly see melting and evaporation occur when temperatures are below freezing and the sun is out, warming the earth’s surfaces.  The sun, therefore, is responsible for causing this liquid-to-vapor phase change by delivering the energy needed in the form of small energy packets known as photons.  Interestingly, hoarfrost crystals form when water vapor flash-freezes into ice, skipping the liquid water phase entirely.  The delicate hoarfrost crystals typically form on a clear, windless, cold, and humid night and give trees the appearance of having white beards—thus the signs of old age.  Unfortunately, they are short-lived, often succumbing to the wind and the heat of the sun.

Compared to hoarfrost, rime ice is a little-known, yet beautiful, formation that occurs much less frequently.  Resembling an ever-thickening fog at its birth, rime ice forms as supercooled water droplets freeze on-contact with a surface, such as a tree branch or a spider’s web, that is below 32oF. 


Due in part to its unique molecular structure and to the inclusion of foreign air particles, supercooled water remains in its liquid form when temperatures are below freezing.  As these droplets flash-freeze when contacting a cold surface, they form tiny, delicate, needle-like formations that sprout and grow outward from its surface.  Rime ice can be classified as either hard—a very dense ice formed in strong winds—or soft, having formed as a fragile, sugar-like crystal when winds are calm.  Rime ice crystals are best observed in the wee early morning hours, just as the sun is peaking out over the horizon!

Ice doesn’t just form sharp, spindly crystals; however, they can be round as well!  Ever wonder what those tiny little pellets of snow falling from the sky are called?  It’s not hail and it’s not sleet… it’s Graupel!  These small, opaque pellets range from 2-5mm in diameter and form as ice crystals fall through supercooled water droplets in clouds.  As the crystals tumble through the cloud, the supercooled water droplets adhere and bond to the ice crystals forming small round pellets.  Snow pellets (as they are also called) differ from hail in that they are softer and crumble under pressure, unlike these next ice formations, which can be found on shores around the world, including those of the Great Lakes!

Another round ice formation, the unique ice ball phenomenon, has been made famous in recent years by The Weather Channel and local meteorologists explaining their formation.  When temperatures are just below freezing, pressure from waves beneath the surface of ice sheets formed just offshore, continually break off chunks of ice of varying sizes. 

These pieces either pile up resembling broken shards of opaque glass or they are slowly churned and rolled by gentle waves into spheres.  As ice continues to build up, the ice balls (also known as ice eggs) continue to form and are eventually pushed onto shore where they continue to collect in numbers.  Ice balls can grow to more than a meter in diameter and can easily weigh more than 50 pounds.  These unique ice formations can be seen on the beaches of Finland, Russia, northern Germany, and the shores of Lake Michigan!


Like ice balls, you don’t need to go far to find volcanoes in Wisconsin!  Ice volcanoes form when waves push water up through a hole in an ice sheet that developed on the shore of a lake.  As newly-laid water continues to freeze around the hole, it forms a conically-shaped mound.  Increasing pressure from high-energy waves beneath the surface of the ice forces water up through the hole in the mound causing it to spurt out of the top, just like a volcanic eruption! 


Feeling lucky?  Consider yourself fortunate if you come across the extremely rare occurrence of blue ice on the Great Lakes!  Blue ice is normally associated with glaciers but can also be found in the

Antarctic and, on rare occasions, on Lake Michigan.
  It forms when snow on top of the ice is compressed—squeezing out any air bubbles—causing the ice to increase in density.  Air bubbles tend to scatter incoming light, reflecting it back into the atmosphere, thus making ice and snow appear white in color.  White light is known as being polychromatic in that it contains all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum.  As air bubbles are removed from the ice through compression, and density increases, ice crystals enlarge, lengthening the path light must follow as it is absorbed.  As this path increases, light waves begin to react differently when they reach the ice and are no longer just reflected away as white light. 

Colors with longer wavelengths (red through green) become absorbed in the ice, whereas cool colors (blue and violet) with shorter wavelengths are scattered and reflected outward making the ice appear blue.  The older and denser the ice, the bluer the color appears and, quite possibly, the more luck you’ll have!

Although many of us would prefer warmer weather to the cold of winter, this is the only time of year to experience nature’s awe-inspiring displays of incredible ice formations!  While this short list only scratches the surface, there are many more unique ice formations that can be found here in Wisconsin and around the Great Lakes.  For example, check out the delectable pancake ice formation here!  Maple syrup, anyone?!


It's a Hoot--The Animal Joke of the Week!

Q: What time does a duck wake up?

A: At the quack of dawn!


Riddle Me This...

I grow down as I grow up.  What am I?

(A: esooG)


Phenomenal Phenology!

Here's what's happening this week:


  • White-tailed deer bucks are shedding their antlers!
  • Great Horned Owls begin nesting
  • Skunk cabbage begins blooming
  • Belted Kingfishers begin to arrive
  • Song sparrows begin to arrive
And, we've already received reports of Eastern Bluebird arrivals!  


Critter Corner
Last week's photo was of an Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), a very common mammal
native to North America. Eastern Gray squirrels build their nests--called dreys--using moss, dried grasses, feathers, and leaves as insulation. Nests can be high in the crook of a tree's trunk and limb or inside a hollow space in a tree, also known as a tree cavity. Known as scatter-hoarders, these tree squirrels spend all autumn gathering and scattering small caches of food (primarily nuts like
acorns, hickories, and walnuts) in the ground near their nests for the winter. In addition to using natural landmarks and their incredible sense of smell to find their caches (and those of other squirrels), grey squirrels experience an enlargement of their hippocampus--the primary memory section of the brain--beginning in late summer as they begin the mad dash to stash their loot. Who says a larger brain doesn't make you smarter? These clever squirrels will even pretend to burry food to make more work for other squirrels who might be watching! Unfortunately for squirrels, not all caches are found during the winter months and many of the nuts they leave behind buried in the soil sprout in the spring as baby trees! This is why grey squirrels (and fox squirrels) are said to be natural forest regenerators--a nice little ecosystem service that helps our forests continue to grow and support the ecosystem!


Can you guess this week's critter?
That's all for this week! Thanks for reading!
Stay wild & free & healthy as can be!
-CT

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

What's With Weather & Woolly Bears?

What’s black and brown, fuzzy, and curls in your hand when it’s picked up?  You guessed it—a woolly bear caterpillar!  The larval form of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Pyrrharctia isabella, also known as the woolly bear or woolly worm caterpillar, is found in northern Mexico, throughout the US and the southern third of Canada.  There are even reports of these moths being found in the arctic!

 This extraordinary species lives for a whopping 14 years beginning in an egg, where woolly bears will spend up to two weeks before hatching in either May or August.  Once freed from their eggs, the hungry little caterpillars begin to eat… everything!  Woolly bears are considered generalists, meaning they will consume a variety of leafy plants, including herbs, shrubs, and trees!  In contrast to this, the monarch caterpillar is a specialist, primarily feeding on milkweed plants, which give the monarchs their toxicity.  Unlike monarchs, woolly bears are not toxic and, therefore, are not aposematic—they don’t sport bright colors and patterns associated with the warning signals of toxicity like monarchs do. 


 Although woolly bears can be found throughout the summer, they are more commonly observed in the fall as the August generation travels across paths and roads seeking a good over-wintering hideout.  These little guys find refuge in places such as logs, under bark, and in rock cavities, which help protect them from the bitter cold of winter.  Additionally, woolly bears have a unique quality to their physiology that allows them to freeze solid throughout the winter and survive to thaw in the spring!  In fact, these caterpillars can survive in -76oF temperatures!  How, you ask?  Well, this species is one of many that produces a kind of antifreeze in their tissues called a cryoprotectant.  This compound effectively lowers the freezing point, allowing the caterpillars to survive extremely cold temperatures, even after becoming a woolly bear-sicle! 

 The woolly bear carries on this ‘start and stop’ life cycle for most of its life, molting each year, until it finally garners enough resources to form a fuzzy brown cocoon in the spring.  After spending a month in their cocoons, they transform into pupas (a process known as pupation) and emerge as beautiful orange moths!  Then the race is on and the woolly bear moths have 24 hours to track down a mate and lay eggs before their life cycle finally comes to an end and they die.  As a moth, woolly bears are so driven to fulfill their niche, they don’t eat a bite during this stage of life! 

 Did you know woolly bears are famously known to predict the weather!  Well, almost.  From 1948 to 1956, Dr. C.H. Curran—then, the curator of insects at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City—began experimenting with woolly bears.  Each year, Curran collected woolly bears and counted their segments, noting the number of segments with spiny black hairs and those with brown.  Woolly bear caterpillars have 13 segments in total and around a third of them make up the rust-colored band in the middle, which widens when woolly bears molt.  If, on average, the woolly bears had more black on them, he predicted the coming winter would be horrendous.  However, if, on average, the caterpillars were more brown than black, Curran predicted a milder winter.  After making his predictions, he reported them to a friend at the New York Herald Tribune, who incidentally published Curran’s winter forecast in the paper, which is why woolly bear caterpillars are one of the most recognizable in the country, next to monarch caterpillars!  After eight years of counting, predicting, and analyzing winter weather results—Curran is said to admit that there just might be something to this old tale! 

 So, the next time you see a woolly bear caterpillar crossing the road, help it to the other side and take note of its coloration—was its brown band wide or narrow?  Were you able to forecast the winter weather accurately?  Let us know in the comments below!


It's a HOOT--The Animal Joke of the Week!

Q: What did the judge say when the skunk walked into the court room?

A: Odor in the court!


Riddle Me This...

I can fly, I can walk, and I can swim but I don't get wet.  What am I?

(A: wodahs s'drib a)


Phenomenal Phenology!

Here's what's happening this week:

  • Red foxes begin mating
  • Canada geese begin to arrive
  • Beavers begin mating


Critter Corner!

Here's an easy one... this will get you warmed up for next week's challenge!



That's all for this week!

Stay wild & free & healthy as can be!

-CT


Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Spring Flowers, Dandelions, & Fawns!

April Showers
Bring May Flowers!

And we've definitely had enough showers to help our flowers grow!  This is the perfect time for a spring flower scavenger hunt!  Can you find the plants below on your hike?  Be careful where you step, though--there are a lot of other plants just coming up out of the ground, including baby trees!



Spring woodland plants take advantage of all the sunlight that makes it to the forest floor before the trees grow their leaves!  Since they are the first to germinate and flower, they are the first to feed bees and other hungry forest-dwelling critters such as chipmunks and deer.  Their importance in the ecosystem highlights the need to remove invasive plants so they don't out-compete these native species!

Want to be able to identify more native plants?
Check out this handy little app--Picture This!  Just point and click and it will identify the plant for you!  Get the first week free!
                          

Making a case for the dandelion. 

Most people view dandelions as a pesky weed; however, they are loved by people all over the world and have been used as food and medicine for hundreds of years.  Aside from being an early spring flower loved by many pollinators (like honey bees!), they do wonders for lawns!  Their deep tap roots can grow down to depths of 15 feet reaching nutrients like calcium deep in the soil and making them available for other plants as well!  Its roots loosen packed soils, reduce erosion, and aerate the soil.  The friendly dandelion has been used medicinally to help increase the efficacy of the digestive system and to help filter toxins from the body!  They pack quite a nutritional punch--more than most of our domestic vegetables!  One plant can live for years offering all of these services and at their end, they even help fertilize the soil!  So think twice about ridding the lawn of those pretty bright yellow flowers and remember all the great things they offer us and other wildlife!

For more facts about this amazing little flower, click on the links below!


It's a Hoot--The Animal Joke of the Week!
What is a snake's favorite subject?
-Hissstory

Riddle Me This...
As small as your thumb,
I am light in the air.
You may hear me
Before you see me,
But trust that I am 
There.
What am I?
(A: dribgnimmuh detaorht-ybuR)

Phenomenal Phenology!
Here's what's happening in our area this week:
  • Beavers are birthing their kits!
  • Black-eyed Susans begin blooming!
  • American Woodcock (in decline) chicks hatch!
  • Monarch Butterflies (vulnerable to critically imperiled) begin arriving!
  • Blanchard's Cricket Frogs (endangered) begin calling!
  • Karner Blue Butterflies (endangered) begin to emerge!

                                        Critter Corner!
Last week's critter was none other than the White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)!While different varieties of deer can be found all around the world, the White-tailed deer is native to North, Central, and South America!  Male deer, known as bucks, begin growing antlers in the spring and early summer.

Antlers are bones that grow from the skull of the buck and are covered in a soft fuzzy tissue known as velvet.  Velvet contains veins and arteries that deliver nutrient-rich blood to help the antlers grow.  In the fall, the velvet is scraped off when bucks rub their antlers against trees.  Bucks will use these antlers to defend their right to mate with does during rut season, which typically takes place in late October through November.  Antlers grow larger each year and can be very heavy for bucks to carry, causing the deer to use up a lot of extra energy!  Luckily, antlers fall off (like losing a tooth) during the winter months and can be found in fields and forests, usually with small teeth marks from mice chewing on them as a source of calcium.  Contrary to popular belief, the condition of the deer's teeth is a much better way of aging a deer rather than its antlers since antler size is related to diet and heredity.

This time of year, something magical is happening!  Fawns (baby deer) are being born to does (female deer)!  Fawns are born with white spots and a lack of scent to help protect them from predators.  They are also born with an instinctive behavior to lay and be still so they cannot be seen!  Does will often leave their fawns lying in thickets of tall grass and graze (eat) several hundred yards away so they do not give the location of their fawns away to predators!  On your next visit to River Bend, watch for itty bitty deer tracks in the mud--they're usually accompanied by their mother's much larger tracks!  If you find a fawn, do not go near it--you don't want to startle it!  Observe it from afar and be in awe of one of nature's amazing wonders!     


Can you guess this week's critter?
Snapshot Wisconsin & River Bend Nature Center

That's all for this week!  Enjoy your spring flower hike!
And as always...
Stay wild and free and healthy as can be!
-CT







Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Let's Go Birding!

Birds play a very important role in every ecosystem around the world!  They help spread the seeds of plants and trees and eat lots of insects!  Right now is the perfect time to go birding at River Bend!  There are species of birds who stick around all year long while others are just passing through or staying for the summer!  Did you know that River Bend has six different types of wood peckers?  The Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers can be found at the feeders all year round!  Red-headed woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sap-suckers, and Northern Flickers migrate through Wisconsin, calling River Bend their home for the summer!  Can you identify our woodpeckers from the pictures below?
Here are a few hints:
The Red-headed Woodpecker has a red head!
The Yellow-bellied Sap-Sucker has a yellow belly!
The Downy and the Hairy look like twins, but the Downy is much smaller than the Hairy!
The Red-belled Woodpecker doesn't have a red belly but has some red on its head!
The Northern Flicker is the most colorful and most uniquely-designed!


Birds can sometimes be hard to identify because males, females, and juveniles (young birds) can all look different!  Males tend to be brightly colored so they can attract the attention of female birds!  Females tend to be a lot less colorful--their plumage (feathers) usually has lots of browns and grays to help them blend in--or camouflage themselves--in their surroundings.  This is very important because it keeps nests and chicks hidden behind the camouflage of their mother--protecting them from predators!  From the pictures below, can you guess which is the male and which is the female scarlet tanager?


Even with binoculars it can be difficult to identify birds if you can't see them through the leaves!  However, another great way to identify birds is by listening to their songs!  While the leaves on the trees may hide them from view, their songs help individuals of the same species find one another!  For instance, cardinals are known to mate for life.  The male and female pair find each other not just by sight but by listening for each other's song!  To hear the male cardinal's song, click the link below!


There are many resources available to help you become an expert birder!  The best resource is talking with other birders!  Many nature centers, including River Bend, host regularly scheduled public bird walks!  Come to walk in the woods and share your love of birds!  Here are some additional resources to help you on your way!


Smart Phone App: Merlin Bird ID  &  eBird Birds of Wisconsin Field Guides
(download and print!)







Next time you're hiking at River Bend, see how many birds you can find and identify!  Then, add your birds to the outdoor kiosk at the trailhead just outside the main building.
Happy Birding!

There's a very special bird migrating to town very soon--the Ruby-throated Hummingbird!  They will be very hungry when they arrive and many flowers won't be ready for them to feed on yet.  Here's how you can help--build and hang a hummingbird feeder!  Click on the link below for easy instructions and recipes.

DIY Humming bird feeder and Recipe

It's a HOOT--Animal Joke of the Week!
Q: What do you call a girl with a frog on her head?
A: Lilly

Riddle Me This...
I create my lair
With earthen string
And dispatch my prey 
With a biting sting!
What am I?
(A: REDIPS)

Phenomenal Phenology!
These are some natural events happening this week:
  • White-tailed does are giving birth to fawns!
  • May apples are beginning to bloom!
  • Mallard ducklings are hatching!
  • Green Frogs are beginning to call!
  • Morel Mushrooms are up!
Critter Corner!
Last week's critters were a mating pair of Wood Ducks!
Wood Ducks are quite possibly Wisconsin's most beautiful duck species!  In this photo, the male is on the left and the female is on the right.  Wood ducks can be found on bodies of water near forested areas around Wisconsin.  Wood ducks are so named because they make their nests in large cavities high up in the trunks of trees.  It's a cozy little nest, lined with soft down feathers, which will eventually cradle up to 15 eggs!  When the ducklings are ready, the mother will call them and they will eventually jump out of their nest into water or onto the forest floor, landing on a soft pile of leaves!  Wood ducks eat a variety of foods including aquatic plants they find while foraging in lakes and ponds as well as nuts and fruits in the woods where they live.  They especially like acorns from oak trees and will spend lots of time looking for them in the leaf litter and eating them right off the tree itself!  If you want to help wood ducks--build a wood duck nest box and hang it on the trunk of a tree or on a pole!


Can you guess this week's critters?
River Bend Nature Center & WiDNR's SnapShot Wisconsin
That's all for this week!  To all the moms out there--Have a very happy Mother's Day!
Stay wild and free and healthy as can be!
-CT










Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Back Yard Invasives for Kids!

Calling all detectives!  We're on the search for a few culprits who have stirred up a lot of trouble in our backyards!  These rascals are known as 'invasive species' and are wanted for their mischief!  They bully the other native plants and sometimes they even kick them out of the backyard altogether!  This is a terrible thing because native plants are an important part of the forest ecosystem--other species rely on them for food and they perform important jobs such as cleaning or purifying water, ridding it of nasty chemicals!  Sometimes these invasive species--if they're not removed quickly--can take over an entire habitat and destroy the biodiversity of the ecosystem.  That means animals and other plants won't be able to survive in the habitat and they leave to find a place they can live in.  This is very bad because without biodiversity, the ecosystem isn't as resilient or tough and won't be able to heal after disaster strikes!  These are the big three invasive baddies below!


Garlic mustard is a master of deception!  It grows small and seemingly harmless during its first year collecting energy from the sun and storing it!  The next spring, it re-emerges and uses this energy to grow small white flowers and seeds, which will spread like crazy by the wind and water!  Before you know it, an entire area is covered with garlic mustard and there's no room for the other plants!  It's very easy to pull out of the ground, however, but it must be placed in a garbage bag and thrown out or it will come back!

Don't let the beauty of multiflora rose distract you!  She bites!  If you get too close she'll prick you with her thorns!  She looks and smells lovely with her small white and pale pink flowers but she'll spread throughout the habitat in a blink of an eye, pushing out all other plants!  This wolf in sheep's clothing must be dug up and thrown out!  But be careful, wear thick gloves or she'll leave her mark on you!

Finally, the leader of the pack--Buckthorn--is a devil in disguise!  It looks a lot like a young cherry tree and before you know it, it's formed a dense, impenetrable patch that's grown 25 feet tall!  Unfortunately, this dense thicket blocks wildlife from passing through the forest freely and blocks sunlight from reaching the forest floor, killing other plants and young trees!  Like its partner, multiflora rose, it also grows nasty thorns that will do plenty of damage if you cross its path!  If that wasn't enough, it produces toxic berries that make birds sick and kills the helpful 'fun-guys' (aka: fungi) in the soil that help keep other plants and trees healthy!  Luckily, he can be easily spotted--buckthorn is the first to grow leaves in the spring and the last to let them fall, which means he can be found even in winter!  This one's hard to manage, though!  It either needs to be dug up or girdled--removing the bark in a ring shape around the tree will certainly eliminate it for good!

Although we have a terrific team of land restoration specialists at River Bend who dedicate themselves to removing invasives and planting natives, we still have a lot left to eradicate!  This is an on-going battle that will last forever as long as species continue to move into new territories and try to take them over!  On your next hike, see if you can spot any of our invasive culprits--can you remember what they are and why they need to be taken out?  What about your backyard--is it free of invasives?  If you find an invasive in your yard, make sure you've identified it correctly and tell a parent or guardian so they can help you take care of it--many hands make light work!  Good luck on your search and destroy mission!

It's a Hoot--The Animal Joke of the Week!
Q: Where did the sheep go on vacation?
A: The Baaaaahamas!

Riddle Me This...
I travel very slowly
When gliding along the ground
Maybe my shell weighs me down
In your garden I am found
What am I?
(A: LIANS)


Phenomenal Phenology!
It's going to be quite a week!  Look for these springtime changes this week:

Jack-in-the-pulpit
  • Little brown bats arrive!
  • Whooping cranes lay their eggs!
  • Jack-in-the-pulpit blooms!
  • Wild geranium blooms!
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive!
  • Orioles begin arriving so put out that grape jelly and orange halves!
  • Purple Martins arrive!

Critter Corner!
Last week's animal was the American Mink (Neovison vison)

This tough little mustelid (weasel family relative) is a semi-aquatic species spending time both on land and in fresh water near rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes!  It has a dense coat that is specially designed to repel water and keep the mink warm both in and out of the water!  Minks are carnivorous mammals that eat a variety of animals including frogs, fish, muskrats, birds, rodents, and crustaceans!  This is a very intelligent species that can be trained to hunt muskrats for fur trappers!  The next time you're out on the Root River, keep an eye on the trunks of downed trees stretching into the water--you might just spot a mink hunting for its next meal!

Can you guess this week's mystery critter?

River Bend & SnapShot WI DNR

That's it for this week!
Stay wild and free and healthy as can be!
-CT













Back Yard Invasives for Adults!

In this edition of Turtle Talk, we'll be discussing invasive plant species and what you can do in your own backyard to manage them successfully!  If you are looking for the children's edition--please check out the "Back Yard Invasives for Kids!' for related activities and more outdoor fun at the link below!

https://turtletalkrbnc.blogspot.com/2020/04/back-yard-invasives-for-kids.html


Invasive species can be a real nuisance if not consistently managed--their ability to spread, push out native plants, and the fact that, for the most part, they don't support area wildlife make invasive plants hazardous to everyone's health!  In short, they kill the diversity of an ecosystem, which destroys its resilience--its ability to 'bounce back' after a threat has wreaked havoc on it--and diminishes its capacity to provide ecosystem services!

Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions from neighbors trying to identify and manage invasives on their properties.  Unfortunately, ignorance of the ecology of a forest ecosystem and the inability to identify and properly manage invasives will do a lot more damage long-term.  So here's a run-down of the top three invasive species you're libel to see in our neck of the woods and what you can do about it.  Get ready to roll up your sleeves--I guarantee they're going to put up a fight and this isn't going to be easy!

Before we get too in-depth, let's take a look at some terms that commonly describe both animal and plant species around the world.

Native-This species can be found either locally or regionally (including whole continents) and is firmly apart of the ecosystem in some way or another.  It is important that these species remain in the ecosystem as they supports a link in the food web and, again, provide ecosystem services (pollination, water filtration, etc.) in some capacity.
Endemic-In addition to being native to the area/region/continent, it cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  Typically this is a very specialized species that it is designed to live within the confines of the habitat's physical characteristics such as climate, amount of annual precipitation, elevation, and latitude (amount of sunlight).  Furthermore, it most likely plays an equally specialized role in supporting the ecosystem.
Naturalized-This describes an introduced species or migrant who was able to establish itself within the ecosystem without placing pressures on other organisms and actually adds to the support and diversity of the ecosystem.
Invasive-These organisms, like naturalized species, were either introduced to or migrated to the current ecosystem in which they can be found.  Unlike naturalized species, these species stress other organisms within the ecosystem and can be either generalists (surviving on several different food resources) or specialists that feed on only one species, such as the Emerald Ash Borer.  Invasive species can have a small effect on an ecosystem or completely dismantle it by unraveling a delicate food chain or completely eliminating a link altogether.

As the climate continues to change, we are seeing a north-easterly migration by many different plant and animal species.  This invasion of new species can make distinguishing a species from something that will merely naturalize itself into the environment from a species that will really pose a significant risk and damage the ecosystem--very, very difficult.  For the most part, the species naturally migrating out of their native habitat are doing so because their native ecosystem is no longer suitable to support it.  In short, they are migrants looking for a better life in a more suitable habitat!

Enemy #1: Garlic Mustard
While the leaves of this plant might be tasty on salads, don't be fooled--this species can spread like fire over a habitat!  The tricky thing about this particular invasive plant is that it has developed ways around herbivory (or plant predation)--remember, if you're treating this plant, that's like preying on it so you might not be successful the first time around!  Garlic mustard rears its ugly head in early April where it appears to be a small plant growing low to the ground.  It has a shortened two-year life cycle where first-season plants do not seed but rather store energy from the sun in order to seed during their second year!  This plant likes disturbed soils and shade, which is why it is often found in wooded habitats.  One of the difficulties in identifying invasives (or any organism for that matter) is that they look different as they mature.  Additionally, they can look a lot like native species causing accidental takes to be more frequent.  This is also true of garlic mustard--while it may appear small at first, it can grow to be 2-4 feet tall, produce small white flowers in its second year followed by seed pods that break open and spread seeds via wind and water.  

Unfortunately, this plant is guilty of pushing out native plants and pumping antifungals into the soil, thus destroying the fungal connections between plants and trees within the habitat.  While spraying weed-killer can be an effective way of treating an area of first-year plants, it can also have a devastating affect on the soil and native plants as well.  Additionally, if the plant has already flowered and gone to seed, it's really too late to spot treat with spray.  I've also seen folks take a trimmer (or weed-wacker) to a grove of first- and second-year plants.  While that might improve the aesthetics of the forest, this is a very short-term disruption to the plant's maturity and it will just regenerate leaves within a few weeks.  

Garlic mustard wages a multi-year war, so if you're serious about getting rid of it (and making your management easier for years to come) the only way to truly control the plant is by pulling, bagging, and dumping it in the trash.  They should not be left in the forest as they may root back into the soil and seeds will drop from dried pods.  The success of this method comes from not only removing the above-ground parts of the plant, but by also removing the roots of the plant as well.  Typically these plants are very easy to pull from the ground by grasping it low at the base of the plant, beneath leaves and any stems, wiggling it a little, and then pulling upward.  Many hands make light work--this is where kids come in!  They tend to be excellent garlic mustard detectives and, if turned into a contest, great and eager 'pullers'--especially if there's a reward involved.  And, yes, I speak from experience here!  

The picture above is of a lot line near my house--on the left is a property that has managed its garlic mustard for more than 30 years.  The property to the right of the fence line is covered with early first- and second-year garlic mustard plants that have been allowed to grow and establish over several years where management was absent.  Obviously, this poses a problem for the property owner on the left as they will see a 'spill over' affect from the neighboring plants making it increasingly more difficult to manage in coming years.  (On a side note, if you are actively removing sticks and downed tree limbs from your wooded area--STOP!  As these twigs and limbs are broken down by various species of fungi, they return nutrients to the soil and strengthen fungal relationships between soil and plant/tree life, thus combating the effects of garlic mustard!)

Enemy #2 Wanted Dead (not alive!): Multiflora Rose
If you're a hiker that likes to get off the beaten path like I do, then you'll understand the horrors of walking past one of these thorny beasts!  While not as prolific as garlic mustard, multiflora rose prefers well-drained soils to spread its 500,000 seeds per year in a multitude of habitat types ranging from open forest to prairies to roadsides.  What's worse is these seeds stay viable in the soil for 10-20 years!  Unfortunately, as with many invasives, this one was introduced through the garden market as a shrubby fence, to help with soil erosion, and even to provide food and cover for wildlife.  This last point is funny because that's also one of its biggest problems--it can grow so thickly that it prohibits wildlife from entering and pushes out native plant life.

It's a short little shrub with an attitude sporting husky thorns to prevent herbivory.  However, birds and other animals do eat and distribute its seed-bearing berries, which develop after producing showy little white-to-pale pink flowers.  When managing this beauty of a beast, it's best to wear thick gloves.  There are several effective ways of managing this invasive--the best being to dig it up, roots and all or it will regenerate its stems.  Continuously mowing over the plant for 3-4 years will effectively eliminate the plant as well.  Additionally, performing prescribed burns will also work, however, roses may tolerate this management technique and resprout in communities where fire is common on the landscapes (ie: prairies and grasslands).

Enemy #3: Buckthorn
You may be familiar with this nasty invasive--it grows thorns in its early years and develops into a large shrub (or small tree) growing up to 25 feet tall.  It takes advantage of the growing season by being the first to leaf out in the spring and the last to lose its leaves, making it relatively easy to identify in early winter.  Its small round bluish-black berries look deceptively delicious to hungry birds late in the winter but it packs a dangerous punch causing diarrhea and ultimately weakening birds already struggling to survive harsh winters.  This is why there are few birds where large patches of buckthorn have taken over.

Like multiflora rose, it prefers well-drained soils and will establish itself quickly in the same environments.  While it is easy to identify female buckthorn by its berries, it can be difficult to correctly ID their male counterparts.  Additionally, buckthorn is commonly mistaken for young cherry trees; however, a small cut into the bark will reveal an orangish tint to the cambium wood just inside the bark, whereas cherries will show a reddish color.  Unfortunately, this species is highly prolific and, when allowed to spread and establish, can block wildlife routes and sunlight from reaching the forest floor, killing tree seedlings and other plant life.  If that wasn't enough, it releases toxic chemical compounds that hinder the growth of nearby plant and tree life, changing the growing conditions of the soil in which it grows, and effectively eliminating any and all competing species.  

So how do we get rid of this one?  It's number three on the list for a reason--it's one of the most difficult to manage successfully.  The cut and treat method applies after identifying the species in early winter and involves cutting it at the base and reapplying a strong stump treatment (with glyphosate) several times.  Other techniques involve digging it up, grinding up the stem and roots, or performing prescribed burns to eliminate seedlings.  Finally, girdling the larger trees by removing at least six inches of bark in the form of a ring around the trunk will also be effective and can be done anytime throughout the year. 

Unfortunately, it's not enough to eliminate these species--we need to immediately plant native species in their place, otherwise invasives will merely see the open space as a vacancy and attempt to fill it!  In other words, managing for invasives is a full-time job and involves two phases: extraction/elimination and planting.

So there you have it--the three big baddies of Wisconsin's invasive species!  As the climate changes and our population continues to develop land and travel outside of our own ecosystems, more and more invasives will emerge.  Only time will tell which species will be a nuisance and which will be accepted in their new homes.

Thank you for reading!
Stay wild and free and healthy as can be!
-CT