Snow Fleas (you read that correctly)

Cedar Bog, snowy and dormant on a cold winter day. I had a meeting in Dayton last Sunday, and took the opportunity to make a quick stop at "the bog" (which is actually a fen) on the return trip. It's always good to become familiar with various habitats at all seasons, so I popped in to Ohio's favorite fen to make a few wintertime photos and a circuit of the boardwalk.

The famous Y-split in the trail, which was blanketed by several inches of snow. As I paused here to compose an image, I was surprised to spot a small spider balloon by on a silken strand. The arachnid siphoned off my attention, and I paused to watch the animal swing over to a sapling, alight, and slowly clamber up the branch. This made me recall an exchange that I'd had a few days before with Jim Dolan, about the various insects and spiders that can sometimes be rather plentiful in snowy wintertime woodlands.

Seeing the spider reminded me to peel my eyes for one of the strangest insectlike animals of winter, so I shifted from landscape mode to macro mode.

Boom! Not eight feet from where I saw the spider, the crystalline surface of the snow appeared to be dusted with pepper. Snow Fleas!

They may be small, but Snow Fleas rank high on the scale of intriguing "bugs". When I made these photos, the air temperature was 31 degrees and the "fleas" were hopping about like Mexican jumping beans. This find was just too good to pass up photographically, so I galoshed my way back to the car and rigged up the macro lens and flash unit. Upon returning to the scene of the fleas, I threw my coat down on the boardwalk to serve as a snow blanket, and prostrated myself before the tiny animals. These arthropods measure only a millimeter or so, and are too wee for even Canon's very competent 100 mm macro lens. I did the best that I could, and thought expensive thoughts regarding this BIZARRE LENS.

Snow Fleas, of course, are NOT fleas at all. They will not hop on you or your dog, bite, or otherwise annoy you in any way, shape or form. These curious critters are springtails, in the Class Collembola. And they're not  technically insects, although they once were placed in the Class Insecta. Apparently there are two species in these parts, both in the genus Hypogastrura, and I believe this is H. nivicola. We'll just call 'em Snow Fleas. They're referred to as springtails because of a barlike appendage on the animal's undersurface that is held under tension. When suddenly released this bar snaps the springtail high into the air, in a rather out of control fashion.

So why are they hopping around on the surface of the snow, on a subfreezing day? Good question. Snow Fleas are decomposers, feeding primarily on decaying leaf litter and apparently are active throughout the winter, snow or not. For reasons unclear to me, they are well known for their habitat of massing atop the snow's crust, as seen in these photos.

Scientists have looked into the physical mechanisms that allow Snow Fleas to operate in the dead of winter. Their bodies are infused with a glycine-rich protein - an antifreeze of sorts. Apparently Snow Flea protein is utterly unique, and is being studied for possible synthesized spin-offs that could have utility to humans, such as cryo-preservation of organs.

Snow Fleas are common enough, and if you find yourself traipsing around a snowy woods, keep an eye out for the Lilliputian beasts. They're easy to miss - from afar or even near their collective masses look like niger seed sprinkled across the snow. They often seem to collect around the bases of trees or along logs.

After watching the Snow Fleas for a while - there were probably thousands - my thoughts turned back to that cold spider that I had seen. I wonder if it, and perhaps other predators unexpected in winter's midst, remain active and prey on the "fleas".

More Short-eared Owls (because you can never have too many owls)

Photo: Dane Adams

A Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus, flops its way over a Hardin County grassland. The owl's fierce visage is somewhat neutralized by its amusing mothlike flight. At least they may be amusing to us - large bipeds have little to fear from these hooters. Put yourself in the paws of a small rodent, and the owls are no laughing matter, as we shall see.

I recently wrote about the Lawrence Woods Short-eared Owls, HERE, and then later received a report from Cheryl Erwin that even more owls had appeared at this locale and were at least on occasion hunting well before dusk. That sounded positive for obtaining photos, and better admiring the owls' curious antics, so I stopped by a few days ago. Dane Adams visited the following day, and made some of his always outstanding images, some of which he was kind enough to allow me to share.

This is the entrance drive to Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve, and the owls can usually be seen quite well from this road. Although the preserve's centerpiece is the big woods, seen in the backdrop, there are hundreds of acres of meadows that are frequented by birds of prey.

The Short-eared Owls have a penchant for perching on the fenceposts adjacent to the lightly traveled county road that abuts the preserve's north boundary. It didn't take long to spot an owl teed up and ready for photos.

Short-eared Owls are the extroverts of the owl world, and generally pay people little mind. With a modicum of basic courtesy, they can be admired without bother. As long as one stays in the car, and doesn't approach too closely, the owls will utterly ignore their admirers. This is NOT true of most owls, such as the closely related Long-eared Owl. CLICK HERE for some pointers on how to admire the spookier owl species without disrupting them.

Support your local state nature preserves. Ohio is fortunate to have over 100 preserves which collectively support most of the floral and faunal biodiversity found in the state, including the rarest of the rare. CLICK HERE to become an active supporter of the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves.

At one point, a female Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, attempted to cross the big meadow. Big mistake. The harrier was like a Blood attempting to infiltrate Crip turf. Several Short-eareds immediately scrambled skyward, barking like annoyed terriers, and gave chase. In this distant photo of the action, the harrier is at the far right, about to suffer another owl strafing. It was just bushwhacked by the owl at the far left. Mrs. Harrier did not linger long.

Photo: Dane Adams

An owl carts off a little furry hotdog with legs, a Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus. These small rodents have lemmingesque boom and bust years, and this apparently is a boom year. Watch the snowy ground at your feet for a bit at a place like Lawrence Woods, and you'll see one of the little rodents make a dash across the snow. Raptors quickly figure out where the voles are high in number, and move in to capitalize on the mammalian bonanza.

It does not behoove the long term survival of a Meadow Vole if it shows itself. Not that they live long anyway, but if one foolishly sticks its nose above ground, it's odds of ending up as an owl pellet rise exponentially. Therefore, voles craft tunnels under the snow and grass; sort of like rodent subways. But every now and again a vole must come topside and that's when the ever vigilant owls are there to pounce. CLICK HERE to learn more about these important rodents.
 

I made this image from the vehicle, from 75 or so feet off using my Sigma 150-500 telephoto lens. That was obviously plenty close enough to admire the animal, and make some nice images, but not near enough to pester the bird. In fact, to momentarily divert its attention to look at the camera, I had to squeak like a mouse. I suppose you might say that squeaking at an owl is pestering it, but I don't think so. The owl briefly stabbed me with those glaring yellow eyes, then resumed its constant scanning of its surroundings.

Photo: Dane Adams

One can never have too many owls in their life, and should you wish to enrich your owl quotient, don't forget the Ohio Ornithological Society's upcoming Owls of North America Symposium. All are welcome, and all of the details are RIGHT HERE.

New book! Common Spiders of North America

A beautiful lime-colored Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia viridans, keeps close watch over her spiderlings. Spiders are among our most abundant, ecologically important, and interesting groups of animals. I shot the above image in Georgia. You'll not see this species in Ohio, but if you travel south and bumble into one of these spiders, you'll surely wonder what it is.

This book will be a great help in identifying the Green Lynx Spider, and 468 other spider species that occur commonly in North America.

Common Spiders of North America, by Richard Bradley, with illustrations by Steve Buchanan. University of California Press, 271 pages.

Bradley is a professor at Ohio State University, and has made a serious study of the eight-legged crowd for several decades. In the course of his studies, he's examined untold thousands of specimens from all quarters of Ohio and beyond, and spent scores of hours afield studying the animals. His expertise shines through in Common Spiders. All 68 families of spiders are treated, and the author has done a masterful job of including the species that are most commonly encountered, and asked about. If you are a spider enthusiast, or even an arachnophobe who can handle seeing spiders in print, this book is for you. There is absolutely nothing like it.

The world of spiders is full of crazy and impossibly cool creatures. This is one of the "ant mimic" jumping spiders. It really, really resembles an ant - so much so that that's what most casual observers would dismiss the spider as, unless they looked closely. I photographed this one in Pennsylvania. The text of Common Spiders delves into the quirks and oddities of the spider world, such as this ant-jumper. The book is really a natural history treatment, in addition to being an identification guide. Introductory material does a great job of describing spiders in broad terms, then tightens down to a user-friendly key which should allow you to place your mystery spider into the appropriate group. The meat of the book is the spider accounts, which are arranged by family. Each family section has a well-crafted and succinct overview of the family, often spiced with interesting facts or trivia. Depending on the family and its diversity, there will be anywhere from one to many species accounts that follow the family description.

The illustrations are incredible, and worth the price of admission alone. Artfully rendered by Steve Buchanan, these paintings transform the book into an objet d' art. Just as the best (in my opinion) bird guides utilize illustrations because they can depict a perfect composite of the bird in question, Buchanan's illustrations allow us to see details that would be much harder to show with photographs. The above is one of the plates that shows jumping spiders. Symbols indicate male or female, and both sexes and sometimes even variations within a species are shown. There is nothing else available, insofar as I am aware, that shines such a clear, gorgeous light on spiders as do these illustrations.

Bradley singles out particularly fascinating spider families via inset boxes, and discusses their habits. The page above digs into the incredible Bolas Spiders, and brings out the almost unbelievable hunting techniques employed by the female spiders. It is these profile boxes, in part, that transform the book into a natural history treatment in addition to an ID guide. I'm glad that Bradley regularly detours down more detailed side roads so that we can learn more about the fascinating behavior of spiders. All too many guides stop abruptly at the pertinent identification field marks, and those of us with the desire to know more about the animal are left hanging.

Common Spiders of North America is not a field guide. It's a 7" x 10" hardbound book with a fair bit of heft to it. You'll not be slipping it into your back pocket. That's probably not an issue, though - with the proliferation of digital cameras and cameras imbedded in smart phones, most would-be users can just snap a photo of a mystery spider, and consult the book later.

You'll also have to dig rather deeply into your wallet to make a copy of Common Spiders your own. It lists for $60.00, definitely at the high end of the monetary spectrum for such fare. Parting with a half-dozen tenspots is really a small price to pay for such a novel book, though, and I highly recommend it. My copy is in hand, and I've enjoyed paging through it. And I really can't wait until warm weather returns scores of spiders to the landscape, and I can better put Common Spiders of North America through its paces.

PICK UP A COPY HERE.

Owls, and new book

I haven't had time to sit down and create anything of substance for a while, but there's stuff waiting in the wings. A new book is out and it is utterly dynamite! I'll post some info and thoughts on that later, along with some cool owl stuff.

Blogger is also having a snit, and in one of its uncooperative photo uploading moods. Hopefully it'll be in a better digital frame of mind upon my return today, which will make life in the Blogosphere much easier.

Weasel in the basement! Weasel in the basement!

Just when you think you've seen it all... A short time back, I made THIS POST about a Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata, that cam-masters David and Laura Hughes had filmed in the outback of Monroe County, Ohio. So today, a comment rolls in on that post, as follows: "Hey Jim, I'm from upstate NY, I just came across a long tailed weasel in its white winter coat in my basement. Any suggestions as to what to do with it. Thanks Ron".

Well, I was a bit flummoxed, I don't mind telling you that. And also possibly a bit suspicious. It seemed too ludicrous to be true. Being a bit of a practical joker myself, when I encounter major oddball occurrences I can be a bit skeptical...

 Photo: Ron Shephard

 

Ron wasn't pulling the figurative wool over my cynical eyes after all - a bit later he piped along this photo, taken with his iPhone in the dim recesses of his basement. How'd you like to pop downstairs into the subterranean recesses of your dwelling, and spot a tubular white weasel eyeballing you from the rafters? Never mind, most of the readership of this blog would probably think it was cool. But if you were a normal person, it would likely startle the bezeezus out of you.

 

 

 Video: Ron Shephard

 

Ron shot this short vid with his trusty iPhone - smart phones do it all, get one if you don't have one. We see the weasel peering out from some shelving, undulating from side to side. It's swaying because that's what weasels do when they're trying to better detect the scent of something, prey usually. Ron can at least be grateful that he is larger than the weasel, or a meal he might be.

 

And why is this creature white? Long-tailed Weasels occupy a massive range that extends from southern Canada all the way into northern South America. In the northernmost reaches of their distribution, they change from brown to snow-white come winter. I am not 100% certain, but I believe Ohio is on the edge of the white-to-brown weasel shape-shifting. Weasels in northern Ohio tend to whiten up, while our southern weasels remain brown. Even when they turn white, as Ron's beast has, Long-tailed Weasels retain their black-tipped tail.

 

Video: Ron Shephard

 

Look at the little speedster go! Ron's very logical query was "what do I do with it?". My possibly rather unhelpful reply was to herd it into a box or sack and take it outside. Right. Seems like a good idea but rounding up weasels is easier said than done, as you might suspect after watching the above video. Hopefully the weasel will find its way back out through whatever portal it entered the basement.

 

On a positive note, Ron reports fewer mice.

 

Good luck with the weasel, Ron, and many thanks for sharing your story with us. Let me know what happens...

 

First bird of 2013 is a loud one!

(bad photo, but the best I could muster on short notice)

Many birders eagerly anticipate the first bird that they see in each New Year. Some even attach various omens or tidings to their inaugural New Year's Day sighting, to the degree that they will go out of their way to avoid having some "bad" bird be the first of the year. I, too, always make note of my first year-bird, but tend to just accept whatever it may be without undue superstition.

This morning - first day of 2013 - I must admit to being pleased to hear the rousing chorus of a Carolina Wren ringing from the backyard bushes. Normally I must settle for a European Starling, and I certainly rank these jaunty little wrens several notches above the starling on the avian social scale. Funny thing is, I haven't heard a Carolina Wren around here for months.

Beaver, oiling up

The following video shows something that I bet you've never seen. It was definitely new to me. Those ultimate cam-masters, David and Laura Hughes, sent along a new crop of animal videos from one of their magical Monroe County game trails. This one depicts a Beaver, Castor canadensis, maintaining its pelage. Dave and Laura had sent along another Beaver video previously, and I expounded a bit about their engineering feats IN THAT POST.

This time around, the Beaver has the good manners to stop right in front of the trail cam, plunk down, and begin oiling its fur. Beavers have a pair of glands located near the tail - the castor glands - that exude an oily water-repellent secretion known as castoreum. The castoreum is the fourth tier of protection insulating the animal from the icy waters of winter. A beaver has a dense layer of fat, overlain by a dense cloak of short underfur. Overtopping that are longer and coarser guard hairs. The final protective coat is the castoreum, which we see the beaver applying in Dave and Laura's video. With all of these protective layers in place, water has no chance of penetrating to the Beaver's skin, and the furry engineers can operate with impunity, even in the frigid winter waters.

People have found uses for castoreum, too. It is used in various products as a food additive, and also in some perfumes. Glamorous models strutting the runways scented with Beaver castoreum probably do not know that fur trappers also use the pungent mask as a lure for other animals.

Thanks, as always, to David and Laura for allowing me to share their work.