BioBlitz Results (July 13, 2013)

Birds, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Spiders and more!

Thanks to all who helped us out! See you at our next BioBlitz in August 2014!

Experts who attended: Kurt Mead, Jim Lind, Larry Weber, Sparky Stensaas, Mike Hendrickson Participants included Sarah Beaster, Julie King, Kari Meyer…Thanks for coming!

The predicted thunderstorms never materialized and we had a decent day with clouds, light winds and in the 80s…Not ideal but we’ll take it.

Locations Surveyed

Pine Warbler Woods (old Cotton School Forest): birds, spiders, butterflies, plants, fungus

Yellow-bellied Bog (Peary Rd and CR52): birds, butterflies, plants

Stone Lake Road & Stone Lake: dragonflies, birds

Admiral Road bog roadside: birds, insects, butterflies

Owl Avenue site: birds, butterflies, insects

Whiteface River at Kelsey: dragonflies, birds

Little Whiteface River at Pine Rd & Blue Spruce Rd: dragonflies, birds

**LISTS OF ALL SPECIES CAN BE FOUND BELOW THE PHOTOS

Very pale immature Red-tailed Hawk along CR29 (note central adult tail feather coming in)

Eyed Brown Satyrodes eurydice Yellow-bellied Bog

Aspen Scaberstalk Leccinium insigne Pine Warbler Woods

Kurt Mead shows participants how to ID male (front) and female Ebony Jewelwings.

Unidentified flatid leafhopper Probably Metcalfa pruinosa Yellow-bellied Bog

Silver-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene Yellow-bellied Bog

Sharp-tailed Grouse (one of three) along Cranberry Rd

Dogwood Borer moth Synanthedon scitula Admiral Rd (A moth that mimics a wasp!)

Sandhill Crane pair along CR52/Arkola just west of CR7

Filmy Dome Spider Neriene radiata Pine Warbler Woods (note the “dome” web it hangs beneath)

Candy-striped Leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea Owl Ave

Cladonia species of lichen Pine Warbler Woods

Twinflower at Pine Warbler Woods

Peniophora rufa fungus on downed aspen branch Owl Ave

Long Dash Polites mystic on Wild Iris Pine Warbler Woods

Predatory Stink Bug nymph Apateticus cynicus Admiral Rd (specializes on capturing caterpillars)

Trees

Black Spruce White Spruce Balsam Fir Red Pine White Pine Jack Pine Balsam Poplar Big-toothed Aspen Quaking Aspen Red Maple (common at Owl Avenue feeder site) Silver Maple (Whiteface River banks at CR29 bridge) Basswood (Whiteface River banks at CR29 bridge) Northern Red Oak (Whiteface River banks at CR29 bridge)

Fungus

Peniophora rufa fungus (orange buttons on aspen branches) (Owl Avenue feeder site) Aspen Scaberstalk fungus (Leccinium insigne) or Dark-stalked Bolete (Leccinium astrostipitatum) (Pine Warbler Woods) Bolete (either Bitter Bolete Tylopilus felleus) or King Bolete Boletus edulis) (Pine Warbler Woods) Hedgehog (old) Hydunum repandum or Bankera violascens (Pine Warbler Woods)

Lichen

Cladonia species (Pine Warbler Woods) Cladonia fimbriata Trumpet Lichen (Yellow-bellied Bog)

Butterflies

Sparky Stensaas and Larry Weber (author of Butterflies of the North Woods) prowled several areas including Pine Warbler Woods (Cotton School Forest), Bug Creek Road (lots of blooming Spreading Dogbane), Owl Avenue, and Admiral Road (near winter feeders). The warm temps helped keep the “flutter-bys” active, but clouds and wind possibly hindered some species. Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Papilio canadensis (quite common) Harris’s Checkerspot Chlosyne harrisii (Mike Hendrickson) Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis (Larry Weber) Silver-bordered Fritillary Boloria selene Eyed Brown Satyrodes eurydice (Yellow-bellied Bog roadside) Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa Monarch (only 2 (!) seen all day by Sparky (LOW) Northern Crescent Phyciodes selenis (dozens! Most common non-Skipper of the day) Long Dash Polites mystic (pair performing courtship (?) on Wild Iris at Pine Warbler Woods in wet meadow) European Skippers Thymelicus lineola (dozens along Bug Creek Rd nectaring on Spreading Dogbane) Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor

Moths

Virginia Ctenucha Ctenucha virginica Dogwood Borer moth Synanthedon scitula (a wasp mimic…and lifer for Sparky!) Crocus Geometer Xanthotype sospeta probably

Dragonflies

Odonatists extraordinaire Kurt Mead (author of Dragonflies of the North Woods) and Jim Lind spent the day sweeping for winged dragons in six locations. The calm winds and warm temps helped but the sun did not make an appearance. The best location was along Stone Lake Road where the dynamic duo found 16 species (!) including Brush-tipped Emerald. Kurt says, “Kennedy’s and Brush-tipped Emeralds are always exciting.  Also, the relatively high number of Prince Baskettails was exciting, which are not very common this far north.” Here is the list from the day:

Common Green Darner Anax junius Ashy Clubtail Gomphus lividus Racket-tailed Emerald Dorocordulia libera Prince Baskettail Epitheca princeps Common Baskettail Epitheca cynosura Spiny Baskettail Epitheca spinigera Kennedy’s Emerald Somatochlora kennedyi Brush-tipped Emerald Somatochlora walshii Chalk-fronted Corporal Ladona julia Frosted Whiteface Leucorrhinia frigida Twelve-spotted Skimmer Libellula pulchella Four-spotted Skimmer Libellula quadrimaculata Common Whitetail Plathemis lydia Saffron-winged Meadowhawk Sympetrum costiferum White-faced Meadowhawk Sympetrum obtrusum River Jewelwing Calopteryx aequabilis Ebony Jewelwing Calopteryx maculata Emerald Spreadwing Lestes dryas Marsh Bluet Enallagma ebrium Hagen’s Bluet Enallagma hageni Eastern Forktail Ischnura verticalis Sedge Sprite Nehalennia irene

Amphibians

Boreal Chorus Frog (PIne Warbler Woods)

Spiders

Filmy Dome Spider Neriene radiata (Sparky at PIne Warbler Woods) Dewdrop Spider Neospintharus (Argyrodes) trigonum (Larry W. at Pine Warbler Woods) Harvestman/daddy longlegs species Wolf Spider Pardosa sp. possibly P. milvina (Owl Ave) Conical Trashline Orbweaver Cyclosa conica Tuftlegged Orbweaver Mangora placida Furrow Orbweaver Larinioides cornutus Humpbacked Orbweaver Eustala anastera Grass Spider Agelenopsis sp. Crab spider species Linyphid Cobweb Weaver species Theridion species Slender Running Crab Spider Tibellus oblongus Dwarf Spider species Erigone species

Other Insects

Predatory Stink Bug nymph Apateticus cynicus (large and colorful! Predator of caterpillars) Stiletto Fly? white Citrus Flatid Planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa? (Yellow-bellied Bog) Deer Fly Orange-tailed Bumble Bee Bombus ternarius Scentless Plant Bug possibly Stictopleurus punctiventris bush katydid nymph Scudderia species (Owl Ave) grasshopper (Owl Ave) Diamond-backed Spittlebug Lepyronia spumarius (Owl Ave) Candy-striped Leafhopper Graphocephala coccinea (Owl Ave) Black Firefly Lucidota atra (Owl Ave) American Hover Fly Eupeodes americanus possibly (Owl Ave)

Birds

Guide and Sax-Zim Bog Winter Bird Festival founder, Mike Hendrickson graciously donated his time, birding across the bog today. Additional species added by Sparky Stensaas and Jim Lind.

Mallard Sharp-tailed Grouse (3 on Cranberry just N of Sax Rd) American Bittern Northern Harrier (including one carrying food) Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk (very pale immature) Sandhill Crane (family group just W of CR7 on CR52/Arkola) Killdeer Upland Sandpiper Wilson’s Snipe Mourning Dove Black-billed Cuckoo (1 singing in Meadowlands, 1 CR7 N of CR52 at curve) Great Gray Owl (2nd hand report. Location unknown) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker American Kestrel Eastern Kingbird Eastern Wood-Pewee Alder Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Blue-headed Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo Blue Jay Gray Jay Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven Barn Swallow Cliff Swallow Tree Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Sedge Wren Winter Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet American Robin Hermit Thrush Veery Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing American Redstart Black and White Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Canada Warbler (2nd hand report) Chestnut-sided Warbler Common Yellowthroat Magnolia Warbler Mourning Warbler Nashville Warbler Ovenbird Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Chipping Sparrow Clay-colored Sparrow LeConte’s Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow Song Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Indigo Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Purple Finch House Finch American Goldfinch MAMMALS Snowshoe Hares (3 on Nichols Lk Rd., baby in Yellow-bellied Bog) Eastern Chipmunk Porcupine Red Squirrel Meadow Vole (in beak of Am. Kestrel!) White-tailed Deer