American Persimmon

Posted on October 20, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting southern Illinois this month, I encountered this fine tree and tasted its fruit, which happened to be in season.

American Persimmon is native to most of the eastern half of the United States. It grows in full sun and a wide variety of soils. The dark green leaves are your stereotypical “leaf shape,” so aren’t much help by themselves for identifying the tree. It grows wild, but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans.

This tree can be 60 feet tall, but normally it doesn’t reach more than 20 feet. The trunk and branches are thin with grey-brown bark that is said to resemble reptile scales. The principal uses of the wood are for golf-club heads, shuttles for textile weaving, and furniture veneer.

American Persimmon is dioecious, which means some trees only produce male flowers and some trees only produce female flowers. The fruit is round, usually orange-yellow, and about two inches in diameter. Both the tree and the fruit are referred to as Persimmons, with the latter appearing in desserts and other cuisine.

During the spring, the flowers provide a rich source of nectar for Honeybees, Bumblebees, Small Carpenter Bees, Digger Bees, Mason Bees, Leaf-cutting Bees and Cuckoo Bees. Raccoons, Foxes, Black Bears, Skunks, Turkeys, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, Catbirds, American Robins, Pileated Woodpeckers and Mockingbirds eat Persimmon fruit. The fruit is high in vitamin C, and extremely astringent when unripe.

Known scientifically as Diospyros virginiana, Diospyros means “divine fruit” in Greek.

American Persimmon is also known as Common Persimmon, Eastern Persimmon, Simmon, Possumwood, Possum Apples, and Sugar Plum.

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Ringed Salamander

Posted on October 12, 2023 by tspuckler

While herping in the St. Louis area last weekend, I found a salamander that was definitely a highlight of my week-long herping trip.

Above, the ground color ranges from grayish black to black. The belly is normally slate gray to buff yellow. A series of bold, narrow white or yellow rings usually extends over the back but may be broken at the midline. The rings never completely encircle the body. This amphibian is usually 6 to 7 inches in total length.

The Ringed Salamander is a species of mole salamander native to hardwood and mixed hardwood-pine forested areas in and around the Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

It is found in damp, wooded areas, usually under leaves, rotting logs, or in abandoned ground holes of other organisms – often near shallow ponds. Highly fossorial (adapted to digging), adults are commonly found in subterranean refuges.

This salamander is increasingly rare and perhaps endangered. This is likely a result of its restricted range and specific breeding habitat needs. In Autumn, stimulated by heavy rains and cool temperatures, they migrate by night to fishless woodland ponds, where they may congregate by the hundreds for breeding.

It was awesome to encounter this strikingly colored salamander that is mostly cryptic and underground most of the year.

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Prairie Ringneck Snake

Posted on October 7, 2023 by tspuckler

While exploring a glades habitat in Missouri, I came across a few examples of this fine serpent. Ringneck Snakes are easily recognizable by their small size, uniform dark color on the back, bright yellow-orange belly, and distinct yellow ring around the neck.

The Prairie Ringneck Snake tends to live in open or partially open canopy settings including bluff prairies, open rocky road cuts (usually southerly exposed), old fields with rocky structures at the surface or along railroad grades where access to underground retreats and overwintering habitat is suitable.

These snakes are highly secretive, spending much of the day under flat rocks, pieces of bark or in and under large woody debris. In the Spring and Fall, they usually remain in open-canopy conditions, but move to more shaded and moist places as Summer approaches.

When alarmed, this species will coil its tail and expose its brightly colored underside. When captured, it usually does not bite (though this one did), but will discharge a pungent, unpleasant musk from glands at the base of the tail.

These snakes not only take shelter under rocks but also find prey there — primarily earthworms, but also slugs, soft-bodied insects and small salamanders. Although they are completely harmless to humans, these snakes have weak venom in their saliva which they use to subdue their prey.

Prairie Ringneck Snakes are egglayers, with females laying 1-10 eggs and averaging four per clutch. There is evidence that this species may nest communally. Eggs are laid in abandoned small mammal burrows or under large flat rocks and hatch in late August or early September.

We usually think of snakes as fierce predators, and no doubt that is how earthworms, slugs, and insects view this species. But small snakes like this are equally as important as a food for other predators — including mammals, birds and many more.

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Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshopper

Posted on September 29, 2023 by tspuckler

While hiking through open fields in Missouri, I noticed several examples of this cool insect. This large, brown grasshopper is about 1-1/2 inches long and most often seen from late Summer into Autumn. This rather drab-looking creature belongs to the family known as the Short-horned Grasshoppers. It occurs throughout the eastern and central United States in open woodlands, grasslands, dry fields and prairies.

When approached, it is quick to retreat and fly away. When it flies away, it shows its bright yellow or orange hind wings and makes a rattling noise. The sound produced in flight is a behavior known as crepitation.

Species that produce sound also have hearing organs. In crickets and katydids, these “ears” are on the front legs. In grasshoppers, they are on the sides of the first abdominal segment. Many grasshoppers produce ultrasonic mating calls (above the range of human hearing). In some species, the sounds may be as high as 100 kHz. (Human hearing extends to about 20 kHz.)

When resting, this species often blends exceptionally well with soil. Its wing pattern puts it in a group known as Bandwinged Grasshoppers, which are usually heavy-bodied and bear enlarged hind legs. The head of this grasshopper often appears enlarged and broadly rounded.

Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshoppers feed on various grasses. They do not seem to occur in abundance anywhere and therefore they are not considered a pest species.

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Brown Pelican

Posted on September 22, 2023 by tspuckler

While visiting South Carolina, I saw several examples of this comically elegant bird with an oversized bill. It is the smallest of the eight pelican species, but is often one of the larger seabirds seen in their range.

Brown Pelicans feed by plunge-diving from high up, using the force of impact to stun small fish before scooping them up. They are fairly common today — an excellent example of a species’ recovery from pesticide pollution that once placed them at the brink of extinction. These are a very gregarious birds; they live in flocks of both sexes throughout the year.

These birds incubate their eggs with the skin of their feet, essentially standing on the eggs to keep them warm. In the mid-twentieth century the pesticide DDT caused pelicans to lay thinner eggs that cracked under the weight of their incubating parents. After nearly disappearing from North America in the 1960s and 1970s, they made a full comeback thanks to pesticide regulations.

The Brown Pelican is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands. It nests in colonies in secluded areas (often on islands), vegetated land among sand dunes, thickets of shrubs and trees and mangroves.

It mainly feeds on fish, but occasionally eats amphibians, crustaceans, and the eggs and nestlings of birds. Brown Pelicans residing in Southern California rely especially heavily on the Pacific Sardine as a major food source, which can compose up to a quarter of their diet. In level flight, they fly in groups with their heads held back on their shoulders and their bills resting on their folded necks.

The Brown Pelican the official state bird of Louisiana, appearing on the flag, seal and coat of arms.

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Red-bellied Cooter

Posted on September 15, 2023 by tspuckler

This is an aquatic turtle with a dark, highly domed shell and a distinctive red belly. It can be found basking along the edges of ponds, streams and rivers throughout the Potomac River and in coastal portions of Maryland and Virginia.

They are not native to Ohio, but I frequently see them in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. These examples are probably released pets.

Red-bellied Cooters are also called Redbelly Turtles. They get their name from their reddish plastron (the underside of their shell).

This reptile is usually found in areas with deep, fast-moving water, with a muddy bottom and lots of aquatic vegetation. Red-bellied Cooters will sun themselves on rocks and logs to control body temperature, but will disappear into the water when alarmed. In Winter, this turtle hibernates in the mud at the bottom of rivers.

Males can have a shell length of 10 to 12 inches long; while females have shell lengths of 11 to 13-1/2 inches. They can weigh up to 12-1/2 pounds. Red-bellied Cooters are estimated to live more than 50 years. Females reach maturity at 13 to 20 years, while males reach maturity at a younger age.

Females begin nesting activity from late May to early June. They typically nest within 300 feet of the water’s edge. Their nest holes are dug at about four inches deep. This species typically lays 10 to 20 eggs that hatch in 70 to 80 days.

Like some other species of turtles, Red-bellied Cooters have temperature-dependent sex determination. Nests with warmer temperatures produce females, while cooler nests produce males.

The diet for this species is herbaceous (they consume only vegetative matter), consisting of submergent aquatic macrophytes, such as hydrilla, brushy pondweed, eel-grass, arrowhead, and mud plantain.

Although it does not belong in my home state of Ohio, it’s always a neat experience to come across one of these impressive reptiles while out hiking.

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Rainbow Darter

Posted on September 8, 2023 by tspuckler

While investigating a creek in Ohio, I turned up a few of these small, but colorful fish. Rainbow Darters only grow to be about 3 inches long. They can be a very brightly-colored creatures, depending on their sex and whether it is breeding season.

Females have brown stripes, while males usually have blue stripes that are separated by orange coloring. The first dorsal fins usually have red coloring close to the body, with a blue fringe. However, in female rainbow darters, this coloring is not very well developed and may simply appear as thin lines.

Rainbow Darters inhabit small rivers and streams in eastern North America. They have been widely located in vast numbers in the Ohio River Valley and the tributaries of the Great Lakes. They are also found throughout the Mississippi River, as far north as Minnesota and as far south as southeastern Louisiana.

This species prefers the fast-moving currents of shallow riffles in creeks and small rivers. They also have a preference for gravel or rocky-bottom streams. Typically adult fish are found in faster and deeper running waters, while younger rainbow darters are more common in slower, shallower areas and pools.

Rainbow Darters are considered shy and stay hidden for most the day between or along rocks unless they are looking for food or reproducing. They feed on a variety of aquatic insect larvae, small snails, and crayfish. They also feed on various fish eggs, typically either minnow or lamprey eggs.

It was great to be able to capture a few of these cool creatures while out in the field.

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Slippery Elm

Posted on September 1, 2023 by tspuckler

Slippery Elm is named after its slick, mucilaginous inner bark, which was chewed by the Native Americans and pioneers to quench thirst when water was not readily available.

This tree may reach 60 feet tall by 50 feet wide, when found in the open. It grows best and on moist, rich soils of lower slopes and flood plains, although it may also grow on dry hillsides with limestone soils.

In Spring, Slippery Elm is one of the first trees to come into flower, its wind-pollinated flowers are produced before its leaves, usually in tight, short-stalked clusters of 10–20.

Slippery Elm’s flowers soon develop into rounded samaras. The reddish-brown fruit is slightly notched at the top and the single, central seed is coated with red-brown hairs.

The inner bark of this tree is used for a number of herbal preparations, many of which relieve throat and digestive issues. The light, fluffy bark is commonly used as a binder for making herbal pills.

For me, the thing about this tree that is most unexpected is the leaves, which are broadly elliptical and are sandpapery rough on both the upper and lower surfaces.

This tree’s other common names include Red Elm (in reference to its reddish brown heartwood), Gray Elm, Soft Elm, Moose Elm and Indian Elm.

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Banded Garden Spider

Posted on August 25, 2023 by tspuckler

This is a neat spider that I have not only found while out and about, but also have occasionally seen in my backyard. For me, Banded Garden Spiders are not as commonly encountered in Ohio as Black and Yellow Garden Spiders, although they inhabit similar locations.

This orb weaver produces a large, concentrically patterned web in areas of tall grass and shrubby vegetation. The web is strong and capable of holding fairly big and active insects like wasps and grasshoppers. The webs of these arachnids have both sticky and non-sticky silk. Non-sticky silk is used for the threads which radiate from a central point like spokes on a bicycle wheel. The spiral threads are composed of the sticky silk that captures the spider’s prey.

A behavioral study of web construction determined that the majority of Banded Garden Spiders orient their webs along an east-to-west axis. The spiders hang head-down in the center of the web with their abdomens facing south. Since the underside of the spider is mostly black, the position of both web and spider is believed to maximize solar radiation for heat gain, which is an important consideration for spiders that are active late in the year.

At about an inch in length (not including its legs), the Banded Garden Spider can usually be observed resting in the center of the web, although it may drop readily if disturbed. Its body’s background color is a pale yellow with numerous lateral bands of black. The legs are also a pale yellow with darker spots or bands.

Banded Garden Spiders use a “wrap-and-bite” strategy to quickly dispatch their prey. When a victim becomes entangled in their web, the spider rushes over and wraps the prey in a thick shroud of dense webbing. They it bites through the victim’s exoskeleton. The bite delivers neurotoxic venom that halts its prey’s struggling and necrotoxins that dissolve its food’s insides.

Banded Garden Spider adults can be found from mid- to late Summer through the first freeze. Their egg sacs are deposited in early Fall and consist of several hundred eggs. The immature spiders emerge the following Spring.

The Banded Garden Spider is a colorful and fascinating creature that I look forward to seeing every Summer.

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Everlasting Sweet Pea

Posted on August 18, 2023 by tspuckler

I often see this plant on the edges of roadsides in the Summer months. Everlasting Sweet Pea is an old-fashioned, herbaceous perennial climbing vine with beautiful, bright flowers that grows up 10 feet tall.

A non-native, it was introduced from Europe as a horticultural plant because of its showy flowers.

This plant’s habitats include meadows with history of disturbance, woodland edges, sites of old homesteads, vacant lots, fence rows, and gardens. It has distinct stems that look “winged” on each side.

Everlasting Sweet Pea produces pink or white flowers in summer. Its flowers are clustered in groups, about one inch long, in the typical pea-flower configuration, with a large standard (upper petal); rose-purple, rose-pink, or white. Despite their name, the flowers are not fragrant.

Bumblebees pollinate the flowers. Butterflies visit the flowers for their nectar, but do not pollinate them. Fabricius Blister Beetles, the caterpillars of the Oithona Tiger Moth and some herbivores feed on the leaves. However, the seeds of Everlasting Sweet Pea are poisonous.

The flowers are followed by hairless flattened seedpods, about two inches long and half an inch wide, with several seeds inside. The seedpod, which is initially green, gradually turns brown, splitting open into curled segments, flinging out the seeds.

This old heirloom vine was grown by Thomas Jefferson and it also known as Perennial Pea-vine, Everlasting Peavine, and Perennial Sweet Pea.

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Tim Spuckler's Blog

Reptile Ramblings and More

American Persimmon

Ringed Salamander

Prairie Ringneck Snake

Autumn Yellow-Winged Grasshopper

Brown Pelican

Red-bellied Cooter

Rainbow Darter

Slippery Elm

Banded Garden Spider

Everlasting Sweet Pea