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To some extent, they also attract bees and insects, but I noticed in one patch that the bumblebees seemed to prefer the less abundant white clover that was growing along a mowed trail. That’s no big problem for the vetch, though, since they can also spread vegetatively.
The hardiness of the vetch, the fact that they cover the ground well and their rapid growth all make them a preferred soil stabilizer on banking around new highway construction. The problem is that they are actually an invasive species from Eurasia and Africa and will often spread from areas where it does some good to agricultural fields and areas set aside for native species to grow.
While walking through the upper part of the Duck Egg County Forest in Vernon County, I noticed that a large area of fields had been treated with herbicide. A sign near the treated area explained that the herbicide had been applied to control the crown vetch, which had taken over much of the open, formerly agricultural land now managed by the county.
The crown vetch, like most invasive species, was crowding out native species that would have grown on that same field, providing more familiar cover and food for turkeys, smaller birds, insects and animals. The sign also noted that native prairie plants will be planted on the treated area this fall to restore it to a more natural state.
Here is a case of an invasive plant that is widely used by some government agencies while efforts have to be done to control it by other government agencies. Hmmm.
Aphid roundup
Near another small patch of crown vetch growing near a flowage in the middle of the vast Black River State Forest in Jackson County, a milkweed plant harbored an interesting collection of insect life on its upper leaves. Last year I mentioned finding a similar gathering on a different kind of plant in Crawford County and it is worth watching for if you are out and about.
What caught my attention first were an abundance of aphids, some brownish, some dark green, some light green and some covered with a woolly covering of white. I’m not sure what all those various shapes and colors are all about, especially since female aphids often reproduce without mating, simply passing on their own genes to the offspring. Perhaps there was more than one species there.
There certainly was another species crawling around amongst the aphids though and at first glance it would appear that the much larger ants were preying on the aphids. But I knew from past experience that the ants crawling freely among the aphids were actually protecting and caring for the little sap-sucking bugs, rather like cowboys with their herds of cattle.
Those ants were one of many species that have formed close symbiotic relationships with aphids. The larger, strong-jawed worker ants protect the aphids while the aphids provide a nutritious secretion when stroked by the antennae of the ants. As the ants bustled about, they also used their antennae to communicate with each other, exchanging subtle information known only to the ants themselves.
Maybe they were saying “sick aphid in sector C2,” or “dangerous movements detected near the top of the plant — let’s go check it out.” It’s another delightful mystery for nature watchers, making a study of the comings and goings of all those tiny creatures well worth the time.
Deer to the woods
While exploring Goose Island with my young nephews a couple weeks ago, one critter that we didn’t see was the whitetail deer. That was no big loss since they sometimes see them in their own backyard. But I was secretly pleased because it indicated that the island’s whitetails are behaving more like wild deer.
Tom Hermann, wildlife biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, confirmed my hopes. He said that the herd-reduction hunts held on Goose Island in the last couple years are producing the desired results. The decreased herd numbers allow each deer to have more natural food available, helping them and the plant life as well.
“Decreased illegal feeding of deer along the roads has also helped to allow the deer on Goose Island to lead more normal lives,” he said.
Another controlled hunt by physically challenged hunters is planned for December of 2008 and the results of the combined efforts will be evaluated afterwards to determine a long-range management plan for the island’s deer.
I actually felt rather privileged to see a couple bucks foraging on the south end of Goose Island one evening in June. It was especially good to see them feeding naturally in the woods rather than begging along the road for handouts as many of them used to do.
Though harder to see, I still noticed that the bucks’ antlers were growing and branching. They were covered in a living fuzzy tissue called velvet, which will be rubbed off in late summer when the antler growth is finished.
Hopefully the deer on Goose Island will eventually reach healthy and stable numbers so they can remain wilder on the island. That will benefit the whole island and its visitors so when we take our kids to visit Goose Island, the excited words, “Oh look, mom, a deer,” will really mean something.
Whaditiz
It was the blossom of the prickly pear cactus, surprisingly a Wisconsin native plant.
Contact Jim Solberg at (608) 782-2560 or
nitefrogger@charter.net.
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