Central Stoneroller

Posted on December 26, 2015 by tspuckler

After spending a bit of time exploring this creek, a caught a cool fish. The common name for this fish, “central stoneroller,” comes from the behavior of the male excavating a nest by moving gravel with its nose.

These are moderately stout, brownish colored minnows with small eyes and short, rounded fins. The snout is bluntly rounded and projects beyond their nearly horizontal mouth. Their mouth is white.

The Central Stoneroller is found throughout Ohio in moderate to high gradient streams with sand to gravel bottoms. They prefer riffle areas where riffles and pools alternate in rapid succession. Adults range in length from 3 to 5 inches, but they can reach 7 inches and males are generally larger than females.

They feed by scraping algae and and other organic matter from rocks and logs with the spade-like extension of their lower jaw. It is classified as a grazing minnow in its feeding behavior, and large schools of these fish often feed together.

The Central Stoneroller belongs to the Minnow and Carp family of fish. It goes by several other names: Dough Belly, Racehorse Chub, Rotgut Minnow, Steel-backed Chub, Stone Luger, Stoneroller, and Tallow-mouth Minnow.

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Red Squirrel

Posted on December 19, 2015 by tspuckler

The Red Squirrel is a small squirrel (compared to the Gray Squirrel and Fox Squirrel) with reddish to reddish-gray fur on top and a white underside. It has white around its eyes. Its tail is not as long or bushy as the tail of other tree squirrels. In the Summer, the red squirrel may have a black stripe on its sides.

Its curved front claws and powerful hind legs make it a very good climber and jumper. The Red Squirrel can reside in pine, deciduous (trees with leaves) and mixed pine-deciduous forests.

This mammal eats a wide variety of foods including insects, seeds, bark, nuts, fruits, mushrooms and pine cones. In the Autumn it will remove green pine cones from trees and store them in the ground. It also stores nuts and seeds in piles or under logs, at the base of trees and underground.

It doesn’t always find or eat all of the seeds and nuts it has stored. Because of this, the Red Squirrel plays an important role in spreading seeds throughout the forest. This animal also drinks tree sap from maple trees. It bites a tree until the sap flows out and returns to drink it after the water in the sap has evaporated.

The Red Squirrel is very vocal and chatters, growls and screeches. You can usually hear more of these forest creatures than you can see. Its bright eyes, perky disposition and chattering, rattling call add to the “personality” of the forest.

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Northern Map Turtle

Posted on December 12, 2015 by tspuckler

Walking along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath this Summer I encountered a turtle that I had never seen in the wild before. Its Latin species name is geographica and both this and its common name “map turtle,” refer to the markings on the skin and shell.

Part of the difficulty in finding this turtle is that it prefers to live in large rivers and is very wary, diving into the water at the slightest disturbance. It prefers large bodies of water and areas with fallen trees and other debris for basking. These turtles are more often found in rivers than in lakes or ponds.

Northern Map Turtles are more carnivorous than most other water turtles. Adult females have wide heads and broad, flat crushing surfaces in their mouths which they use to feed on molluscs, their primary prey, as well as insects and crayfish.

It is not unusual to see these turtles walking around under the ice, for they are among the very last turtles to go into hibernation – if they go at all – and among the earliest to reappear in spring.

The female of this species attains a shell length of about 10 inches, while the male’s seldom exceeds five inches. These reptiles are found throughout the eastern half of the USA and northward into southern Canada. In addition to being called Map Turtles, they are also known as Sawback Turtles. Whatever you call it, it was awesome to see this reptile in the wild!

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Bald-faced Hornet

Posted on December 5, 2015 by tspuckler

It may be December, but a walk through the woods can still yield insect life, if you are willing to turn a few logs. Earlier in the week I found this hardy creature.

This insect gets the first part of its name from the ivory-white markings on the face. Despite the second part of its name, the Bald-faced Hornet is not a “true” hornet, rather it is a a type of yellowjacket.

Fertilized queens like this one overwinter in protected places such as in hollow trees, rock piles, under bark and in the walls and attics of buildings.

In springtime, she collects cellulose from rotting wood by chewing it. She then adds her saliva and creates a paste to make a papery material with which to construct a football shaped, grey paper-like nest.

The queen creates a few brood cells within the nest and deposits eggs in them and feeds the larvae when they hatch. This Bald-faced Hornet built her nest on my deck in the summer.

Though they don’t have much of a “fan base,” Bald-faced Hornets are considered a beneficial insect because they reduce populations of unwanted insects (including other yellowjackets) and pollinate flowers when they are searching for nectar…and I think they are a cool creature to come across on a December hike.

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Yellow-bellied Water Snake

Posted on November 28, 2015 by tspuckler

This is the most commonly encountered water snake on my recent trip to southern Illinois. It is named for its yellow belly. Its coloration is mainly gray or greenish with little or no pattern.

Like other species of water snakes, Yellow-bellied Water Snakes give birth to live offspring. The young are pale gray, with a pinkish cast on the sides, with squarish, alternating blotches. These markings begin to disappear during their second year.

Yellow-bellied Water Snakes are a species that is found in swamps, lakes and ponds – where it can be seen basking on overhanging branches or logs in the water.

Water snakes are not constrictors; they simply overpower their food. This species has a preference for frogs, toads, tadpoles and salamanders – but it also eats fish and crayfish.

The Yellow-bellied Water Snake is less aquatic than the other water snakes. During hot, humid weather, it will travel considerable distances away from water. It is unique among water snakes in that it often flees onto land, instead of diving underwater when approached like most species of water snakes.

I enjoy encountering these reptiles, which are quite different looking than the Northern Water Snakes I commonly see in my home state of Ohio.

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Great Egret

Posted on November 21, 2015 by tspuckler

While visiting southern Illinois and searching for reptiles and amphibians along the banks of the Big Muddy River, I came across a number of these majestic birds.

The Great Egret is a member of the heron family. This bird is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed to stop the slaughter of herons for their showy plumes. It is our second largest heron; only the Great Blue Heron (shown in photo above with Great Egrets) is bigger.

In the early 20th century, they were almost hunted into extinction for their long, attractive feathers that were commonly used as decoration for ladies hats, but their numbers have increased over most of its range and they continue to expand their territories. During the breeding season, both males and females grow long lacy, delicate and flowing plumes on their backs that curl over their tails.

With a wingspread of 55 inches, their wings are longer and wider than most other white herons. During the day, they forage alone or in mixed flocks, catching fish by standing motionless in the water. The neck has a characteristic kinked S-curve. When prey comes within striking distance, they spear it with their long, sharp bill. The largest part of their diet consists of fish, frogs and crayfish.

A group of egrets has many collective nouns, including a “congregation,” “heronry,” “RSVP,” “skewer,” and “wedge” of egrets.

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Bird’s Nest Fungus

Posted on November 14, 2015 by tspuckler

While I was doing a little yard work this week, I came across something tiny, yet awesome. They look like tiny cups filled with a few dark seeds or, as their name implies, tiny bird’s nests.

There are several different species of this Bird’s Nest Fungi in northeast Ohio, but they all belong to the same family, Nidulariaceae. The scientific name is derived from the Latin word “nidus,” meaning nest.

Bird’s Nest Fungi feeds on decomposing organic matter and is often seen growing on decaying wood and in soil enriched with wood chips or bark mulch. These were living where a tree had been cut down almost a year ago and only its ground up stump remained. Like so many fungi, most of the organism is hidden from view. The fungus spends most of its life as a series of nearly invisible threads among strands of decaying wood. The threads secrete enzymes which have the ability to digest wood.

The cuplike nests which are visible are fruiting bodies which contain spore-filled eggs. The nests act as “splash-cups.” When a raindrop hits one at the right angle, the walls are shaped so the eggs are expelled to as much as a yard away from the cup. This unique little fungus is an evolutionary masterpiece and it was very cool to see it for the first time ever in my backyard.

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Autumn Meadowhawk

Posted on November 8, 2015 by tspuckler

Even though it’s November, I’m still seeing a fair number of dragonflies when I go hiking. Most are Autumn Meadowhawks. Their common name refers to the late flight season of this species. This insect lives in a variety of habitats, including marshes, bogs, ponds, lakes and slow-moving streams.

These are small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the North America. Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate in mid-air. Dragonflies catch their insect prey by grabbing it with their feet.

Nearly all of the dragonfly’s head is made up of its eyes, so they have incredible vision that encompasses almost every angle, except right behind them. Each compound eye contains as many as 30,000 lenses. A dragonfly uses about 80% of its brain to process all this visual information.

At this time of year when insect life if nowhere near as plentiful as it was a few months ago, seeing one of these brightly colored creatures is a welcome encounter.

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Golden Mouse

Posted on October 31, 2015 by tspuckler

While hiking on Snake Road in southern Illinois a few weeks ago, I came across a couple of examples of this very interesting mammal. These small, golden rodents are adapted to, and occur chiefly in, forested areas. Tangles of trees, vines, and brush seem to be a preferred habitat. They are rarely encountered in or near human habitations.

Unlike most mice, the Golden Mouse is semi-arboreal. Its semi-prehensile tail helps balance and stabilize it. As the mouse travels along vines and branches, the tail is used for balance. When the mouse pauses, the tail encircles the branch or vine.

They build nests and feeding platforms above ground in understory trees and shrubs. Young are born in nests that usually are a few inches to 15 ft above ground in bushes and vines.

Insects and spiders make of about half their diet. They also eat a variety of seeds including Sumac, Wild Cherry, Dogwood, Greenbriar, Poison Ivy and Blackberry.

This species occurs in the southeastern United States and I have never encountered one before. Coming across these cool creatures was an unexpected surprise.

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Black Cherry

Posted on October 25, 2015 by tspuckler

This is the largest of the native cherries and the only one of commercial value, it is found throughout the Eastern United States – including my backyard. Black Cherry is an aromatic tree; its crushed foliage and bark have distinctive cherry-like odor and bitter taste, owing to the same cyanide-forming toxic compounds found in the wood and leaves.

Its valuable wood is used particularly for furniture, paneling, professional and scientific instruments, handles and toys. The sweet-smelling inner bark of the Black Cherry Tree is used to make black cherry syrup, often an ingredient in commercial cough medicines.

This was one of the first New World trees introduced into English gardens, it was recorded as early as 1629 in Europe. Black Cherry is valued for its ornamental features, specifically its cherry blossoms. The tart fruit of the black cherry tree is an important source of nutrition for many animals and the leaves are eaten by several species of caterpillars.

The bark of young trees is smooth and reddish-brown, maturing to an interesting scaly texture.

It’s hard to imagine a tree that has more to offer than Black Cherry!

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Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Yearly Archives: 2015

Central Stoneroller

Red Squirrel

Northern Map Turtle

Bald-faced Hornet

Yellow-bellied Water Snake

Great Egret

Bird’s Nest Fungus

Autumn Meadowhawk

Golden Mouse

Black Cherry