Fall Favorites

Monarch

There are miles of trails to walk at Sandy Creek Nature Center, a wonderful nature park in Athens, Georgia, where I like to spend a lot of time, and where I also volunteer. I find that each trail there is special for different reasons. Some are just peaceful and beautiful. Others are good for finding certain birds, or flowers or fungi, or to hear the whack of a beaver tail at dusk. Some trails have good logs to roll and look for salamanders, some trails lead to the creek, and others have good loops to walk with school kids. I like them all. But in the fall, my favorite trail is also the shortest, the loop that runs through the restored Piedmont Prairie--a small and sunny, open space, filled with wildflowers and tall grasses. A haven for insects and spiders, birds, snakes, frogs, rabbits and rodents. This trail can take you two minutes or two hours, depending on how much time you want to spend looking and listening. I find that it is a perfect element to include in a hike with 4th Grade classes who have come to learn about the solar system and see a planetarium program. On our trail hike, I like to talk to the kids about the changing seasons and how the living things are preparing for winter. The leaves on the trees are changing color. Fruit on the trees and vines and grasses and flowers are ripening. Birds are feeding on the flowers and grass seeds as they prepare for migration. Spiders that hatched in the spring are now reaching maturity, their webs stretched across paths and loaded with insects. Their egg sacs will appear as the weather cools. There's always a lot to see. I think that the kids have a good time, and hopefully they learn a lot. I try to share my enthusiasm, too, because I love it all. But I also have a special love for butterflies, so I hype that up a lot. And, the Prairie in the fall also happens to be a great place for seeing butterflies, which makes it one of my favorite places to visit and share. 

Leaf footed bugs and nymphs on Passion Vine

Poke Berries

Empty Cicada shell

Green Lynx Spider

Robber Fly

The loop through the Prairie is a different experience every year. One year you will find Praying Mantises hiding in the tops of the tall plants. In another, Bird Grasshoppers pop every which way across the trail and over the tall grasses. Or the Orbweaver Spiders may have staked out stations along the entire trail, hiding behind the zigzags in their webs. This year, Passion Vines grew in profusion, attracting Gulf Fritillary butterflies in large numbers, and growing so robustly that they covered the path. Passion Vine is the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary butterfly, and they come to lay their eggs on this particular plant. The park naturalists closed the loop for a few weeks to give the tiny Fritillary caterpillars a chance to eat and grow and go through their metamorphosis. Left undisturbed, butterflies of all kinds busily fed on the Passion Flowers, Frostflowers, Milkweed, Thistles, and other nectar plants. 

Gulf Fritillary, drinking nectar

Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on Passion Vine tendril

Passion Flower

Mating Fritillaries next to empty Chrysalis

Fruit from Passion Vine

Last week I took 2 groups of energetic 4th graders on a larger loop through the woods that ended with a walk through the Prairie. As we cleared the shady forest and entered into the sunny and grassy area with its tall flowers, I prepped the kids by telling them how that they were about to experience something spectacular. And both times, as we came near, I knew that they were suitably impressed. I could tell by all the squeals and wows! I get it, because I feel the same way, every time. There is something magical about walking into a butterfly meadow.  We saw dozens of yellow and black Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, (the state butterfly of Georgia, by the way) and many, many Gulf Fritillaries, as well as a Monarch, a Viceroy, various Skippers, Satyrs, Azures, Hairstreaks, and a Red Spotted Purple. It was a great show and gave me a chance to fit in my standard message about how important it is to have green spaces--sanctuaries for nature, as well as for people. This is an important lesson for preparing the way for the next generation of environmental stewards. You protect the things you know. And who wouldn't want to protect a magical place like this? 

Silver Spotted Skipper

American Painted Lady and Ailanthus Web Worm Moth

Clouded Skipper

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female, dark form)

Red-spotted Purple

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (male)

Friendly Reminder

Family of Florida Sandhill Cranes at Barr Hammock near Gainesville

Yesterday I was digging through my t-shirt drawer, weeding out the ones I never wear anymore, and uncovered a sock that was tucked inside the neck of a shirt. I just about shouted for joy! It was my long lost sandhill crane sock that had disappeared sometime after a trip to Florida at Thanksgiving. I was really sad that I had lost it and finding it made me so happy that I was smiling and in a good mood for the rest of the day. It's a little hard to explain, but I have a strange emotional attachment to some of my socks and earrings. They each give me comfort in some way. The sandhill cranes were one of the things I missed most about moving away from Florida (besides family and friends, of course!) and these silly socks were a friendly reminder of the birds I had grown to love during our time living there.

Headline News: Beloved sock, found again!

Gainesville might be famous for the Gators, but it should also be known for the cranes. Sandhill cranes are a huge part of the natural history of Florida and of Gainesville. According to the All About Birds website run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "the earliest Sandhill Crane fossil, estimated to be 2.5 million years old, was unearthed at the Macasphalt Shell Pit in Florida." The cranes that come to Florida spend their summers in the Great Lakes region and fly south roughly along the I-75 corridor, arriving in November and December. They are a separate subpopulation from the cranes that migrate and gather in the spring to refuel in famously huge numbers (500,000 plus) at the Platte River in Nebraska. (There is also a threatened sub-species called the Florida Sandhill Crane that lives in Florida year round and raises young there. They are somewhat smaller than the migratory cranes.)

USGS Map of Crane Migration. Note that the scientific name for the Sandhill Crane has recently changed from
Grus canadensis to Antigone canadensis

Sandhill cranes are beautiful and large birds (3-4 feet tall) with long legs, a huge wingspan, long bills and a striking red patch on the forehead. They live in families or pairs, but during migration and winter gather together in large flocks. They prefer marshes and fields where they can feed on seeds, roots, bugs and small critters. The marshes give them protection from predators. Over the years, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just outside of Gainesville, with its wet prairie and wide open spaces, has been a preferred wintering ground. Their breeding ground is far to the north where they spend the summer. For the cranes that migrate to Florida, this means Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and up further into Canada. When the cold and snowy weather arrives in the fall, like all good snowbirds, they head down south. 

A Beautiful Bird

Red Splash

That big bill is good for probing the soil

The cranes arrive in bunches, usually flying in at night. I read that they can fly 170-450 miles per day, probably depending on a good tail wind and whether they find good resting and feeding spots along the way. More cranes keep arriving all month and the flocks grow bigger. After a few weeks it will be common to see large V's of cranes taking off together around mid-morning from their nighttime resting spots to the marshes and farm fields where they pick through the muck and animal feed.

Searching hard for food. Got to get every last bit!

Coming in for a landing

They stick around in sunny Florida, fattening up until February or March, then start the trip back north to breed. They usually lift off mid-morning, maybe because the thermals are better for flying. They circle overhead, waiting as the groups gather, and then they leave in waves, like squadrons of fighter planes moving out. As with arrival, leaving goes on for a few weeks.

Squadrons heading out

Heading north again

Both our homes in Gainesville were under the flyway and I'm not sure if I can count the number of times I was outside working in the yard or out running errands or walking and heard the unforgettable sound of cranes calling. I would stop whatever I was doing and just stand watching them as they flew overhead, calling and answering in their familiar trumpeting voices. I felt a thrill but also felt sadness as I said goodbye for the season, wishing them well on their journey. Until next fall, friends.

Sometimes endangered Whooping Cranes will join Sandhills, as this one did on the UF campus one year. The Whooping Crane is the tall all white bird in the center

In 2008-9 an exceptionally large number of cranes wintered at Paynes Prairie. People estimated that there were 8000 cranes in Gainesville that year. It was an amazing sight. You should see the mess left when a big flock of cranes has spent the winter. The ground was all turned up and every green sprout and seed and slug had been pull out in their furious search for nutritious food. It looked like it had been rototilled. But the plants grew back again, though the cranes really had changed the landscape that year. When the huge flocks headed back north that spring, the sound as they flew and honked overhead was like a roar from a stadium. I remember being so excited that I grabbed the phone and called my mom and dad in California so they could hear it, too, forgetting that there was a time difference. I'm pretty sure I woke them up, but it was for a good reason. Click here for to see a short video and hear just 2 cranes calling to each other. Multiply that sound by several thousand and you can get the idea.

Flying in

Feeding. See how they have turned the soil?

More landing

Over the last several years, fewer cranes have been wintering in Gainesville. Whether this is due to flooding from hurricanes, loss of habitat along the way, climate change, better food elsewhere, is not clear. It is also not clear if they will return to the area in large numbers again. I don't believe that the population is suffering, but they might just be relocating. This year I heard that more were reported at Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. Thousands of cranes still make the trip down to points south and to Florida, and the non migratory population will stay as long as they can find good habitat. Overall, the success story of the sandhill crane is heartening. At one time there were fewer than 1000 left. But due to conservation efforts they have thrived. They still face threats from habitat loss, pollution, hunting and climate change, but their numbers are currently strong. My friends in Gainesville say that the cranes are gathering and heading north again and people around Kennesaw, north of Atlanta are seeing them now, too. Unfortunately here in Athens, we are far enough away from their flyways that we don't often get to experience the huge flocks flying overhead. I saw one lone crane flying over Athens last fall but never heard the rattling call that thrills my heart. For that experience I still need to head closer to I-75. Even better, maybe one day I can visit the Platte River in Nebraska in the spring. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to hear the sound of 500,000 plus cranes calling. Meanwhile, my socks are mementos of the cranes I love. But I worry that they will wear out one day. Maybe I need to find something a bit more permanent to hold onto. Like a tattoo? Hmmm.

A Florida Sandhill Crane family I saw at Circle B Bar Reserve last spring

Kindred Spirits

Cook's Trail

Earlier this fall I was the winning bidder for an item at a silent auction to raise funds for our local nature center (Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens). The item? A guided day hike to the place of our choosing by one of Athens' most famous trail blazers, Walter Cook! I bid on the item because I thought hiking with an experienced person like Walt would be a great way for my husband and me, 2 relative newcomers to Georgia, to get acquainted with the local hiking scene. Walt and I tried originally to set up a day for a hike somewhere in the mountains while the fall leaves were still beautiful, and before hunting season started, but our busy travel schedule kept getting in the way. Finally he and I settled on a date in December. Walt had several ideas for local trails and made sure I knew that he also had a few favorite BBQ places in mind for lunch after the hike. I had no idea we were signing up for the full package! In the end, Walt decided on a trail and lunch combo that kept us closer to Athens so we wouldn't have to travel too far or watch for hunters. We would be hiking the north end of Cook's Trail and the Oxbow Loop in Sandy Creek Park, about 5 miles, followed not by BBQ, but by tasty Mexican lunch at a roadside eatery near the park. (It was delicious!) I was secretly thrilled because the trail we would hike was built by him and named for him and we were going to get to hike it with him! How cool is that??

Silent Woods

Chilly Morning

Walt shows Art where we'll be going

I had heard a lot about Walt over the year we've been in town, but somehow we never seemed to cross paths, even though we know a lot of the same people and hang around in some of the same nature circles. He is a retired Forestry Professor from UGA with a passion for beautiful forests, parks and trails. He has built countless trails all over Georgia and the Southeast. He was also one of the co-founders of Sandy Creek Nature Center in the 1970's where I am a happy volunteer trail guide, member and new board member. I have a deep respect for many people in the nation who had the vision to come together to purchase land and build nature centers during that time in our history. There was a real sense of connection with the land and new understanding of the importance of ecology and environmental education, combined with a strong community spirit and belief in the future generations. Much of the construction at Morningside Nature Center in Gainesville, Florida--another one of my favorite parks--was also done then.

Cook's Trial Marker and one of Walt's Benches

Because we didn't know each other yet, we agreed to meet at the gate of Sandy Creek Park. He said we should look for his little red car. When my husband and I pulled into the gate that cold morning and saw his little red car, covered with liberal and conservation bumper stickers just like our car, I knew we were going to get along fine. He led us through the park to the the trailhead and we made our introductions and headed off on our adventure. Walt seemed a little surprised that we didn't bring our kids with us. He had scoped out the trail the day before and as we later found out, had flagged a number of things he thought would be of particular interest to kids. I explained that our kids have grown and flown the coop, but that I loved fun nature discoveries and that he should still share them with me!

Trifoliate Orange with Long Thorns--Cool for Kids (And Us!)

A Rotted Tree Stump with Thick Walls 

Empty Cocoon

It was a quiet morning in the park and we only ran into 2-3 other people on the trail. It was peaceful and the light was beautiful. Did I mention that it was cold? Temperatures didn't get much over 40 that entire day and in the morning there was still frost covering the grass and leaves. Slow sections of the stream were frozen and clusters of frost flowers (not actual flowers, but ice extruded through the stems of hollow plants) dotted the banks. The birds were quiet most of the morning, getting louder as the sun warmed the woods.

Frosty Grass

Frozen Creek

Free Standing Frost Squiggle in the Path

Frost Flower with a Brave Spider

Delicate Frost

As we walked (rather briskly, I might add--I had to run to catch up whenever I stopped to take photos!) Walt talked about the history of the trail and the nature center. He told us about the people who had the brilliant idea to buy the property, and the determination that it took to raise funds and do the hard work. He told us about the aesthetics of managing forests and about carving trails with hand tools--shovels, saws and clippers. He showed us special trees and favorite views from the trail. He pointed out benches and bridges that he had designed and the ones he hadn't that didn't work as well. He told us about the people with whom he had walked and who had said, "we need a bench here".

Archway over the Trail

Cold Blue Heron on the Frozen Pond

Tall Trees

Aerial Roots from Muscadine Grape Vines

Some Kind of Seed Pod on a Vine--Milkweed Family?

We talked about our families and our histories, about the importance of parks and nature education, and about how difficult it is to protect them. He stopped a few times to measure trees and another time took us into the now dry flood plain to measure the height of the roots of the trees, showing signs of the drought. He knew exactly how long the stretch of Christmas Ferns was along the Oxbow loop because he had measured it. He knew this trail like an old friend.

Measuring Trees

The Water has Dried Up

Stand of Christmas Ferns that Stretches Across the Entire Hillside

When he saw something particularly pretty or interesting he would pull out his camera to photograph it. Of course, I had my camera working the whole time. We were both getting shots of one pretty and mossy log and he told us that his philosophy was that beauty can be found where you look for it, in the small things. I blurted out, "I feel exactly the same way!" and I knew we were going to be friends long after this walk.

Cluster of  Mushrooms

More Tiny Mushrooms on a Cold Morning

Lush and Gorgeous Mossy Log

Near the end of the hike he came to a place where he had stashed a beaver gnaw stick the day before, with the idea of giving it to our kids. I kept it for myself, instead, a special memento from a beautiful day.

Nearing the End of the Trail

My Gnaw Stick