Largescale Stoneroller

Posted on October 11, 2024 by tspuckler

This was a neat fish that I caught a few examples of while on my visit to southern Illinois. The Largescale Stoneroller may attain a length of 12 inches, but is usually about eight inches long. It is a dark-brown minnow with patches of brown or black scattered over the body. Its fins are short and rounded and its bluntly rounded snout projects beyond its mouth.

It is found natively in many of North American streams, rivers, lakes, and creeks. This fish inhabits well-oxygenated waters with low turbulence and a reduced flow of water. This species can tolerate waters that are polluted and therefore it does not have much competition in some habitats. It has been introduced to other areas of the United States, probably as escaped bait fish.

The Largescale Stoneroller’s lower jaw has a hard edge that is used for scraping algae when feeding. It is a herbivorous fish which eats diatoms, green algae, and blue-green bacteria, with a tendency to ingest less sand and silt than its relative the Central Stoneroller.

This creature prefers upland habitats above the Fall Line where they spawn from early March through April. Males excavate spawning pits in shallow water by moving stones with their mouths or pushing them with their heads.

It was fun to find a new fish and the Largescale Stoneroller certainly is an interesting one.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Wrinkled Grasshopper

Posted on October 4, 2024 by tspuckler

While exploring a glade in Missouri, I found a couple of these intricately marked insects that I had never seen before. This is a large, heavy bodied grasshopper that feeds primarily on short grasses, especially Bluegrass and Japanese Brome.

This species inhabits prairies, pastures, open woodlands, roadsides, alfalfa fields, and almost any grassy area within its geographic range. Unlike other grasshoppers, it is most commonly found in areas with dense grass. Its pattern helps to conceal it when it hides in tangles of vegetation.

The Wrinkled Grasshopper occurs across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, as far west as southwest Montana, eastern Wyoming, and Colorado, and southward into Mexico. It is absent in Canada, New England, and the Great Lakes states.

This is one of those creatures with a common name that seems a bit “off”. The “wrinkled” name came from the species name that was in use at the time, but not quite interpreted right. That species name actually referred to the roughened, sometimes ridged upper surface of the insect’s back. In reality, this is one of the smoothest and least “wrinkled” of the Band-winged Grasshoppers.

Wrinkled Grasshoppers overwinter as eggs. Adults are mostly seen in July or August into October or November in much of their range, and sometimes through Winter in the southernmost part of their range. When flying, its hind wings display yellow, orange, red, or pink with a dark curved band running around outer edge and with a dark spur from this band near the front margin of the wing.

Males are usually active, alert, and difficult to approach or catch. Females are powerful fliers as well, but may rely on camouflage instead of trying to escape, taking to the air only as a last resort. Wrinkled Grasshoppers were indeed a fun find with on my trip to the Midwest.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Silky Dogwood

Posted on September 27, 2024 by tspuckler

Silky Dogwood represents a group of shrub dogwoods native to Ohio that have a strongly multi-stemmed growth habit and are always found in nature as a shrub rather than a tree. They are found throughout all of Ohio, and grow to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide under optimum conditions as a single specimen. At this time of the year their berries are ripe.

This tree prefers moist to wet sites in soils of various composition and pH. It adapts to dry soils, poor soils, or soils that are wet in Winter and Spring, and dry in Summer and Autumn. Silky Dogwood is a host plant for the Spring Azure Butterfly. Its flower have also been found to support several specialist bee species.

The mid-Spring flowers of Silky Dogwood are flat-topped, and white but without the large, showy bracts that are characteristic of Flowering Dogwood. The blooms form in clusters, which are visited by a variety of bee and butterfly pollinators.

The blue-black fruits mature in mid-Summer and are quickly consumed by birds, squirrels, and other woodland mammals. More than 45 types of songbirds and game birds have been documented consuming Silky Dogwood’s berries. Indeed, at Beaver Marsh in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the berries seem to be disappearing quickly.

Silky Dogwood has simple, opposite leaves that turn a brownish-red color in the Fall. Because of its preference for wetter areas, Silky Dogwood is sometimes referred to as Swamp Dogwood.

As with most of the “shrub dogwoods” that occur in the fields, forest edges, stream borders, and fencerows of the eastern United States, the growth habit is usually an upright, dense shrub in youth, which becomes a spreading, sprawling, open and loose collection of mature branches and vigorous suckers with age.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Posted on September 20, 2024 by tspuckler

We often get these fine birds at our feeders and flowers. In some cases they will fight over their food supply and in others, a bird may perch nearby and chase away any incoming hummingbirds while emitting mouse-like, twittering squeaks. An aerial acrobat, hummingbirds beat their wings so rapidly they can fly forward, backward, and even hover in place.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is mainly seen in my home state of Ohio during the warmer months of the year. It generally spends the Winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America in the Summer to breed. It is the most common hummingbird in eastern North America.

Adult males have an iridescent ruby red throat patch; the iridescence is highly directional and appears dull black from many angles. Hummingbird legs are short with no knees, so they can only shuffle to move along a branch. These birds have one of the highest metabolic rates of any animal, with heart rates up to 1260 beats per minute, breathing rate of about 250 breaths per minute even while at rest.

Weighing less than a nickel, it is a master of flight. Beating its wings 60 to 80 times a second, this tiny sprite creates a blur of motion and a whirring, insect-like sound. They expend a great deal of energy during flight, so they need to feed almost constantly, each day consuming up to half their weight in sugar. This bird uses its long, needlelike bill to eat flower nectar, preferring red or orange tubular flowers such as Trumpet Creeper, Cardinal Flower, Spotted Jewelweed, and Beebalm. It also eats insects and occasionally drinks tree sap.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are solitary. Adults of this species are not social, other than during courtship (which lasts a few minutes). As in all hummingbird species, the female Ruby-throat provides all the care for the young, which quickly outgrow their little nest and fledge after two to three weeks.

This creature prefers habitats where there are a lot of flowers, such as fields, parks, backyards, and open clearings in forests. We enjoy and look forward to there Summertime visits each year.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Rose Gentian

Posted on September 13, 2024 by tspuckler

While walking on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, I noticed pink splotches of color in an otherwise mostly green field. It was a new wildflower to me that I don’t recall ever coming across before.

Its eye-catching display of pink, gold and magenta attracts the human eye as effectively as it attracts bees for pollination. What makes this flower unique is its central lime-green star, outlined in magenta.

This plant can grow up to three feet tall and has stout, square, smooth stems. Each Rose Gentian has many branches that can bear a multitude of flowers. It occurs naturally throughout much of the eastern United States.

It prefers low, moist areas at the edges of rocky, open woods and fields where it has exposure to the sun. It tends to grow in loose groups rather than tight clusters. Rose Gentian’s leaves are stalkless, opposite, and broad-oval to heart-shaped; they are about an inch and a half long.

After flowering, its flower stalks may become brown while its seed capsules remain green. The seed capsules, are about 1/3 inch long, lack internal partitions and contain many tiny seeds that can be wind dispersed or carried by moving water.

Rose Gentian’s scientific name is Sabatia angularis – it is named in honor of Liberatus Sabbati, an Italian botanist and gardener in the 1700s. Its flowers are sweet-scented and long-lasting.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Two-striped Grasshopper

Posted on September 6, 2024 by tspuckler

While hiking in Brecksville Reservation, I sometimes come across these cool insects. They are commonly found in North America, with high quantities inhabiting Canadian prairies and farmland.

A pair of pale yellow stripes running along the top of it body from above its eyes to the hind tip of its wings identify this species. This characteristic also gives this species its other common name, the Yellow-striped Grasshopper.

The Two-striped Grasshopper is polyphagous, which means it is capable of eating a wide variety of foods. Its diet includes diversity of grasses, forbs, trees, shrubs, and many cultivated plants.

It is a large insect. Females, like this one, can seem enormous compared with the males. The smallest females are larger than the largest males.

A grasshopper about 1 inch long can leap 20 inches. If a person 5 feet tall could jump that well, he or she could leap from one end of a basketball court to the other.

In addition to leaping, grasshoppers are also known for their musical talents. Many communicate by sound and have unusual ways of making their songs.

The Two-striped Grasshopper is highly adaptable and occupies many habitat types. It prefers habitats with lush vegetation, but is also associated with disturbed sites along roadsides, field borders, gardens, and agricultural sites.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Ringless Honey Mushroom

Posted on August 30, 2024 by tspuckler

This is an eye-catching organism that I saw while visiting Brecksville Reservation.

Ringless Honey Mushroom grows in clusters, often in large numbers, at the bases of trees, especially oaks. It is common in urban yards. Sometimes it looks like it’s growing right out of the ground, but it is actually growing from low stumps, roots, or other buried wood.

It is most commonly observed from September to November. It can be identified by its convex cap, which is then flattened, featuring a margin that is uplifted with age. The cap is yellow-brown to honey brown, and it lacks a ring on its stalk. There are at least 10 species of this fungus.

Ringless Honey Mushrooms exist most of the time as a network of cells (mycelium) penetrating the tissues of living trees, frequently killing their hosts by damaging the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients. This particular species may be an exception, however, living on dead, not living, wood. When ready to reproduce, the mycelium forms mushrooms, which produce spores that are released to begin new mycelia elsewhere.

As the fruiting bodies (mushroom caps) begin to deteriorate, numerous insects swarm to them. The mushrooms provide food for a variety of small insects and other arthropods, which in turn become food for birds, salamanders, toads, and other animals.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Ghost Shrimp

Posted on August 23, 2024 by tspuckler

Ghost Shrimp are relatively small invertebrates, reaching a maximum size of only two inches. Their see-through bodies and frenetic food-searching behavior make them fun to watch.

While the Ghost Shrimp’s body is transparent, an orange-to-yellow colored spot is often visible in the center of the tail. The body is segmented, and features ten sets of legs. The first four sets of legs have tiny claws that aid the shrimp in feeding.

This crustacean is naturally found in freshwater ponds, lakes, and streams in the coastal plain of North America east of the Allegheny Mountains, from Florida to New Jersey. They are most abundant in dense beds of submerged vegetation. This creature is considered a keystone species based on the services it provides to its habitat.

The diet of Ghost Shrimp is dominated by algae, though they are scavengers and consume a wide variety of tiny food items. It is nocturnal, remaining hidden among the vegetation by day, and emerging at night to feed. It is an important prey item for a number of birds and fish.

They are common aquarium pet due to their unique appearance – they also known as Jumpers, Glass Shrimp, Grass Shrimp, Glass Prawns, Hardbacks, Daggerblades and Popcorn Shrimp.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Lady’s Smock

Posted on August 16, 2024 by tspuckler

While hiking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, I noticed this small wildflower. It is a perennial herb native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, and has become naturalized in North America as a result of cultivation.

Its other common name, “Cuckoo Flower,” derives from the formation of the plant’s flowers at around the same time as the arrival each Spring of the first Cuckoo Birds in the British Isles.

In the United States it tends to be found in man-made or disturbed habitats, river or stream floodplains, forests, fields, swamps and wetlands. I usually see it growing in partial shade at the edges of meadows.

In British folklore Lady’s Smock is said to be sacred to the fairies, and so it was considered unlucky if it was brought indoors. It was not included in May Day garlands for this reason.

This plant is also known as Meadow Bittercress, Mayflower and Milkmaids.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Killdeer

Posted on August 9, 2024 by tspuckler

A shorebird you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, and parking lots. I often see them at Canalway Center in Ohio and recently came across babies at the edge of a public park.

Killdeer have the characteristic large, round head, large eye, and short bill this is common to all plovers. They are especially slender and lanky, with a long, pointed tail and long wings.

Widespread and conspicuous, the Killdeer calls its name as it flies over farmland and other open country like fields, airports, lawns, river banks, mudflats, and shores. It is often found on open ground, such as pastures, and large lawns located a great distance from water.

Typically they run a few steps and then pause, then run again, pecking at the ground whenever they spot something edible. They feed on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, fly larvae, and many others; they also eats spiders, earthworms, centipedes, crayfish and snails.

Killdeer nests are simple scrapes often placed on slight rises in their open habitats. Killdeer may make several scrapes not far away from each other before choosing one to lay in. This nest duplication may help to confuse predators.

Although the Killdeer is frequently around human habitation, it is often shy, at first running away rather than flying. When a Killdeer stops to look at an intruder, it has a habit of bobbing up and down almost as if it had hiccupped. Killdeer are some of the best-known practitioners of the broken-wing display, an attempt to lure predators away from a nest by feigning injury.

Third Eye Herp
E-mail

Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

Largescale Stoneroller

Wrinkled Grasshopper

Silky Dogwood

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Rose Gentian

Two-striped Grasshopper

Ringless Honey Mushroom

Ghost Shrimp

Lady’s Smock

Killdeer