Spiderwort in bloom (photo by Arlene Koziol)
About a dozen volunteers assembled at Erstad Prairie on the morning of the 4th of July for Goose Pond's first volunteer seed collecting of the year. The plant was spiderwort, a perfect plant to kick off the season. It's easy to identify, no stooping, abundant (at least where Graham pointed us), and an important link in a healthy prairie chain of grasses and flowers. We had a temperate two hours of picking before the heat rolled in.
Volunteers collect spiderwort seeds Goose Pond Sanctuary (photo by Maggie Honig)
While spiderwort was everywhere, we could not match last year's spiderwort bonanza. Graham, the land steward at Goose Pond, said he had never seen anything like it. Nevertheless at the session's end we had 4 big barrels of seed heads. Four barrels on the 4th, nice and a reminder of one of the great summer movies of all time. Jaws was towing 4 barrels, to the horror and amazement of the crew of the Orca.*
We collected spiderwort last year on the 4th. We have the makings of a fine and fun tradition at Goose Pond. The parades, brats, hamburgers, s'mores, and fireworks come much later in the day and evening. Spiderwort is a nice way to warm up. After wandering around the prairie for two hours I felt I earned a bratwurst.
The day was invigorating, mostly because we were in the midst of natural beauty and abundance, some realized and some just about to happen. Lots of bright orange butterfly milkweed joined the spiderwort and we saw six monarchs in these happy breeding grounds. We also saw huge patches of sundial lupine. We did not see but were pleased as punch to learn that tiny Karner blue butterfly caterpillars were nestled in the lupine (the plant absolutely necessary for the endangered butterfly's continued existence) preparing to become the late (delete) July and August flight.
Karner blue butterfly on a lupine leaf in Minnesota (Joel Trick/USFWS)
We volunteers probably have a few weeks before collecting begins in earnest. Spiderwort is kind of our spring training. Put me in, Coach, I'm ready to play Centerfield.
Stay cool and hydrated.
Topf Wells, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance volunteer and member of advocacy committee
* Turns out there is a barrel controversy concerning Jaws. Many folks like me remember the dialogue which indicates the shark is pulling 4 barrels. But careful watchers are sure the number is three. At any rate, no predator made off with our barrels or ate any of us.
Image courtesy of google
** Our dog Philly, the springer spaniel, was just diagnosed with anaplasma, a tick borne disease but readily treated with antibiotics. I sighed with relief until this unhappy syllogism crossed my mind.
1. Anaplasma is carried by the deer tick.
2. For several years, all of Philly's outdoor time is in our backyard. (She's pretty old and tours of the backyard and checking in with the as elderly rabbits suits Philly just fine).
Ergo 3. Deer ticks inhabit our backyard.
Ugh.
We're used to checking for ticks in places like our sanctuaries. Our house is in a West side Madison subdivision that was built in the 50s. As urban as it is, it has some wilder park lands to the west and south. It's no longer an expanse of manicured lawns. We have more gardens, berry patches, chunks of restored prairie plants, and thickets of shrubs. Most of these are good changes (I just saw a monarch exploring my neighbor's milkweed) but they create tick habitat.
Be careful out there, even if out is just your backyard. Make sure your kids and grandkids don't bring any uninvited arthropods into the house.
