Spring 2005

By Jack MacRae

Here's what's debuting on nature's stage in Chicago Wilderness

EARLY SPRING

Crappie Dads
Black crappies are good dads. These small fish will lovingly construct a nest out of the fine gravel and sand in the shallow, vegetated edges of our ponds and lakes.

A male crappie’s unfaithful mate will lay a few thousand eggs, and then ditch him for another male. Unperturbed, dad will devotedly stand guard over the many thousands of eggs and newly hatched small fry.

I still snicker when people rhyme crappie with happy.

	Southern two-lined salamander. Photo by Michael Redmer.

The Edge
During a warm, drizzly April night, a female southern two-lined salamander will emerge from her streamside home in the leaf litter and slip into the cool running water. She will lay several dozen small white eggs, placing them in small clusters under rocks or leaves in the flowing stream. Maternal instincts are present; the mother-to-be will keep an eye on the eggs, doing what a little salamander can do to keep away bad guys.

The southern two-lined salamanders living along Rayns Creek in Will County are special. They represent the furthest northwest population of their species. Two-lined salamanders are common, in appropriate forest habitat, throughout the southeastern U.S.

MIDDLE SPRING

Green Day
Green herons migrate back to Chicago Wilderness by the third week of April. They play on a smaller stage than their big blue cousins, usually shunning the bustling rookeries and preferring to nest in a more intimate setting. Their nests are a simple platform of sticks, seemingly too flimsy to support two to six rather large eggs.

In a display of remarkable animal ingenuity, green herons across the world — Cuba, Japan, Peru, Florida — have been observed using bait to attract fish. Green herons will drop small leaves, feathers, twigs, and live insects atop the water, then lie in wait for the lured prey.

American redstart. Photo by Earl W. Horn.

Simply Red and Black
After spending the winter in the tropical Caribbean, American redstarts will return to the region in May. Only a few will stay and nest locally — most redstarts seem to have a preference for the buggy forests to the north. Growing up in the Chicago Wilderness, my earliest memory of a warbler was the American redstart that gleaned insects from the leaves of the walnut trees in our backyard. He was a handsome bird, black with large red-orange spots that he flashed often.

Redstarts are a favorite for students of bird behavior. Thousands of research hours have been spent observing their active and varied foraging techniques.

LATE SPRING

Grackle Sacs
Most birds keep tidy nests. Removing eggshells, stray feathers, and bits of food is serious business for new bird parents. And of course, there’s loads of excrement. Some baby birds defecate every time they eat, up to 13 times a day. Fortunately, nature provides little disposable bags to help make housekeeping easier. Fecal sacs are tough little mucus membranes that hold a young bird’s waste in a tidy pouch, easily carried and disposed of by the responsible adults.

Grackles are notorious for dropping their fecal sacs over water, making them very popular with people who have swimming pools and koi ponds.

Truly dedicated naturalists might want to take a closer look. There are two parts to basic bird poop — the dark fecal matter (a product of the gastro-intestinal tract) and the white, uric acid portion (produced by the kidneys). Fascinating!

	Spiderwort. Photo by Richard Mascola.

Heavenly Blue Morning
Slackers who sleep late don’t have the pleasure of seeing spiderworts at their most dazzling. The rising sun and morning dew seem to make these deep blue flowers sparkle. During the early afternoon, the petals turn to a slimy ball of blue goo. A beautiful new blossom will appear the next morning.

Spiderwort is a common June bloomer of prairies and sunny woodlands. The scientific name, Tradescantia, is to honor John T. Tradescant, the swashbuckling 17th-century British fighter of pirates, museum curator, and Royal Gardener to King Charles I. Tradescant and his son were responsible for bringing many of the first plants from pre-colonial Virginia, spiderwort among them, to the legendary flower gardens of England in 1616.