The Nature of Delaware

By Joe Sebastiani, Seasonal Program Team Leader

Each fall, at about this time, a strange white blob, about the size of a volleyball, starts growing from the side of a silver maple tree near the entrance to Ashland.  If you take the walkway from the parking lot to the center, you can’t miss it.  A week or so after it appears, it develops long, stringy strands that dangle downwards like little fingers.  This beautiful, but slightly scary sight is a Bearded Tooth mushroom (Hericium erinaceus).  Among its other names are Lion’s Mane, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyr’s Beard, and Pom Pom Mushroom.  If you want to see it, you’d better hurry up.  Soon it will start to rot and insects will damage it.  But right now, it looks really cool. 

This Bearded Tooth, a type of mushroom, is currently growing along the entrance walkway to Ashland Nature Center.

This is an edible mushroom, but only when it is young and first appears.  It is said to have a similar texture to seafood like octopus and squid and the flavor of lobster.  In Chinese cuisine, where they call it the “Monkey Head Mushroom”, it is substituted for pork or lamb.  Apparently, this fungus is saprobic and parasitic, meaning that it feeds by decaying dead wood in the tree, but also attacks living tissue for nourishment.

It is easy to see why another name for this fungus is the Hedgehog Mushroom. I took this photo looking up at the fungus.

This fungus is found in Europe, Asia, and North America.  Apparently it is quite rare in Europe.  Do you want to try it without the hassle of finding and picking it?  Here is a website I found where you can purchase “canned Monkey Head Mushroom” from China.  Good luck!  And don’t pick the one at Ashland!! 

Maybe you can find this mushroom for sale in a can!

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By Brenna Goggin: Environmental Advocate

Monday, August 8^th started out like every other day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and summer campers were arriving to tackle all of the state’s environmental issues, or at least try. The first day campers learned how the legislative process works, listened to School House Rock (“I’m just a bill…), and debated their first piece of legislation.

Day two started out with a long drive down to Lewes to learn about wind energy and tour the University of Delaware’s 2-megawatt wind turbine. Did you know that this wind turbine produces enough power to meet all of UD’s Lewes campus energy needs and powers about 120 homes in the area?  Since some of our campers received letters from their constituents (they were elected officials after all!), they had several questions regarding the dangers wind turbines pose  to birds and bats, the cleanliness of wind energy, and how it compares to other energy sources like fossil fuels. Graduate student Blaise Sheridan walked the campers right up to the turbine to explain how the energy travels from the turbine to the power station. Blaise and Chris Petrone also took us through a kite exercise to show how the wind currents are stronger and therefore can produce more energy the higher up they are.

Conservation Action Force campers walk towards the University of Delaware Wind Turbine near Lewes.

Day three and four were spent learning about climate change, the food cycle, and sustainable agricultural products. The campers went through several hands-on activities to learn about the greenhouse effect, the importance of even small creatures in the circle of life, and how to build your own sustainable, eco-friendly farm. Ideas ranged from raising yaks to dinosaurs, but the main task of the day was to control the waste, runoff, and other environmental side effects of farming in a safe and economical way.

Finally, we traveled to the Delaware state capitol to bring our issues to the attention of people with power! Campers toured Legislative Hall, met with Senator Bushweller to discuss some of their environmental concerns, and learned the history of the first state. In the afternoon, the camp made a presentation to Deputy DNREC Secretary Dave Small where their issues and concerns were voiced. 

The grand finale of the camp was to take action for the environment and speak to legislators at the Delaware State Capital.

In the end, the Conservation Action Force campers learned current environmental issues through hands-on activities, and gained experience with effectively voicing their concerns.  In this way, environmental education comes full circle.

If you have a conservationist in the making at home, consider this camp in 2012!

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By Joe Sebastiani, Seasonal Program Team Leader

In my opinion, the greatest wildlife spectacle that occurs in the northern Delaware Piedmont is the fall migration of the Broad-winged Hawk.  Ashland Hawk Watch at the Ashland Nature Center, is the perfect location to witness the amazing sight of hundreds or thousands of these raptors migrating through in a single day.  This is the week to venture to the Hawk Watch to witness this amazing migration exhibition!

Broad-winged Hawks are moving through Ashland Nature Center this week. Visit the Hawk Watch to view hundreds or even thousands in a day. Photo by Matt Sileo

The Broad-winged Hawk is a raptor of extensively forested areas, such as those in New England and eastern Canada.  Very few Broad-winged Hawks are thought to nest in Delaware due to the extent of deforestation here.  Thousands of Broad-wings from up north migrate in large groups that may contain hundreds of birds travelling together.  These birds pass through the northern Delaware Piedmont on their way to South America for the winter.  Their movement through Delaware lasts about a week to 10 days.  Few Broad-wings migrate along the coastal plain of Delaware.

Here are the numbers from this past week.  On September 16, we observed 2,910 Broad-winged Hawks pass Ashland.  On the 17th, we saw 579, and on the 18th…278.  We are reasonably sure that more are on their way, due to thousands of birds still being reported at hawk watch sites further north.  Treat yourself to a taste of fall and witness migration as it happens through the beautiful Broad-winged Hawk.

This perched Broad-winged Hawk was a bird that nested in northern Chester County, PA in 2008. These crow-sized raptors feed on frogs, mice, birds, snakes, and other things they find on the forest floor. Photo by Joe Sebastiani

The Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project between the Delaware Nature Society, Delmarva Ornithological Society, and the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife - Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.  Ashland Hawk Watch is free and open to the public, and operates daily with staff and volunteers on-site from September 1 through November 30.  For the latest Ashland Hawk Watch hawk migration data, visit the HawkCount website.  There is still plenty of hawk-watching left to do this fall.  Take some time to enjoy the views and the raptors at the Ashland Hawk Watch.   

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An adult Northern Mockingbird perches in a thicket. Image by Derek Stoner.

As I walked over the bridge to the DuPont Environmental Education Center (DEEC) recently, I saw a gray bird with a long tail and flashes of white on its wings.  These fieldmarks are the hallmark of our resident Northern Mockingbirds.

Mockingbirds, often called “Mockers,” can mimic other bird songs and man-made devices like cell phones. They are one of three birds in our area that are mimics, in the bird family known as Mimidae.  The other mimics are Brown Thrasher and Gray Catbird.

These birds have a series of phrases that are repeated 2-6 times before going on to another song. They often have over 150 distinguishing songs and can actually learn new ones throughout their lifetime. Both male and females sing, but it’s the single male that is usually found continually singing, even into the nighttime.  Mockingbirds also make a scratchy “chat” call to warn off intruders or when they are disturbed.

A young Northern Mockingbird investigates a Tiger Moth caterpillar crawling by. Image by Derek Stoner.

Mockingbirds are very territorial and have been known to chase animals and even people from their area, especially if they have a nest nearby.  They eat a wide variety of fruit and insects.  The area under the DEEC bridge is perfect Mockingbird habitat with open areas loaded with insects and native bushes loaded with fruit.

A fledgling Northern Mockingbird stretches its wings. Image by Derek Stoner.

Because the female lays 2-6 eggs and can have offspring 2-3 times during the summer, the five Mockingbirds in our area are probably from the same family.

As you walk over the bridge at DEEC, take a look and see if you can observe one of our resident Mockers.

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By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator

On Sunday, September 4th, the culmination of more than eight months of hard work and volunteer effort will be celebrated with the Grand Opening of the Middle Run Birding Trail.  Eagle Scout candidate Joel Rice planned and organized the project which enhanced the early-successional habitat at Middle Run and created a specially-designed trail that showcases the very best locations for viewing birds and other wildlife.

Tours of the Trail will be offered at 9:30am and 11:30am, and a Ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 11:00am.  Throughout the whole morning, visitors will be taking part in the Third Annual Bio-Blitz as they document the birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other creatures to be found along the trail. 

Here is a preview of what is around right now to be found:

A White-eyed Vireo loads up on fruit (Autumn Olive) at Middle Run Natural Area, at Trail Marker #5 on the Middle Run Birding Trail. Image by Derek Stoner, August 30, 2011.

 

Fall migration is in full swing right now for a variety of songbirds and raptors.   Hikes along the Middle Run Birding Trail in the past week brought sightings of birds like American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Wood-peewee, Bobolink, Blu-gray Gnatcatcher, and this….

An adult male Scarlet Tanager molting from breeding (red) plumage to non-breeding (yellow) plumage. Image by Derek Stoner, August 30, 2011.

… a gorgeous male Scarlet Tanager in a very interesting transitional plumage.  Brilliant red mottled with patches of yellow, this bird is in the process of molting out of its breeding plumage to its non-breeding colors that it will wear through the winter it will spend somewhere in South America. 

A Great-Spangled Fritillary and a Tiger Swallowtail enjoy the nectar of a Bull Thistle at Middle Run. Image by Derek Stoner, August 26, 2011.

Butterflies are out in force at Middle Run right now, taking advantage of the many sources of late summer nectar: Bull Thistle, Goldenrod, Aster, Butterflyweed, and Milkweed.  In the past few days, butterflies like Buckeye, Red-banded Hairstreak, and Wild Indigo Duskywing are the notables among the more common species like Monarch, Great-spangled Fritillary and Tiger Swalowtail. 

Come out and help us find more butterflies, birds, and other interesting animals along the Middle Run Birding Trail!

The Grand Opening of the Middle Run Birding Trail will take place at the main parking lot of Middle Run Natural Area off of Possum Hollow Road in Newark, DE.  Look for the yellow signs and follow the gravel driveway to the parking area at the end of the driveway. 

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By Sally O’Byrne:  Teacher Naturalist and Board Member of the Delaware Nature Society and Hawk Mt. Sanctuary

In the last week of the DNS summer camp calendar, I took a group of kids, aged 11-15 to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, on the Kittatinny Ridge of the Appalachians.  It was the first week of their fall raptor migration count, so we hiked to the North Lookout to look for migrating birds, met some of the resident raptors used for education, and helped in a major conservation activity – building an erosion control check on a trail.  We also met with Keith Bildstein the Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science, who was just back from the Falkland Islands where he studied the Striated Caracara, and we were treated to a personal presentation of this ‘cutting edge’ research.

Here we are on our hike to the North Lookout.

We stayed in Adirondack Shelters for three nights and cooked our meals at a stone fireplace.  All water was hauled to the site – with the rocky soil on the path, we appreciated the need to repair the trail.

Here is the Adirondack Shelter where we made camp at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

On the last morning, we took a different trail to the North Lookout where we found historic shotgun shell remnants from the days that raptors were shot by the hundreds from the mountaintop.  When we got to the top in early morning, we were greeted by a juvenile turkey vulture – a fitting end to a great week.

Here we are working on rebuiding a trail for Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

This is a popular camp for 11 to 15 year olds that fills up every year.  Keep this one in mind if you know a child of this age who might enjoy this kind of experience next year. 

At the end of the week, we had observed lots of raptors, talked with scientists, enjoyed camping on the mountain, and contributed to the organization through a conservation project. Several of our campers this year were repeats from last year.

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