Pretty Pea Partridge

Pea partridge is one of my favorite native plants of all time.  I was first introduced to it at Nahant Marsh three years ago, and we have been friends ever since.

It has small yellow flowers on reddish stalks, with reddish-brown centers.  Its long leaves are made up many compound leaflets.  Once we met, I began seeing it everywhere.

Pea partridge can grow in thick clusters, providing superior cover for birds and other wildlife, which can move easily through these stands.  Such ease of movement is not possible through stands of similar but invasive plant species.

Pea partridge is a plant we can be really happy about.  It is pleasing to the eye, and good for the soil.  It is important in honey production, and as a food source and egg depository for butterflies such as the common sulphur.  It is also eminently useful to larger wildlife.

The pea pods ripen by late fall.  They eventually burst, and there small black seeds are dispersed.  The cool thing about these seeds is that they are highly waterproof, helping them to last well through the winter months.  Not only do they winter well, but they are high in protein and low in fiber, making them easily digestible - perfect for bobwhites and other game birds.

Butterfly Milkweed

Today's picture is of butterfly milkweed.  This is a native plant with an appealing bright orange color.

Butterfly milkweed attracts not only butterflies, including Monarchs, but bees, wasps, beetles, and hummingbirds as well.

Contrary to its name, this particular variety of milkweed does not have a milky sap.  Common names for it include Canada root, chigger flower, and pleurisy root (due to its healing propensities).  It's scientific name is Asclepias tuberosa.  This comes from the the name of the Greek god of healing, and tuberosa, meaning swollen, knobby or tuberous.

It Came from the Swamp!

Another Greek god?  Absolutely!

Swamp milkweed is designated as Asclepias incarnata.  Asclepias comes from Asclepius, the god of healing. This makes sense because milkweed is known for its use in many healing remedies.  Incarnata refers to the somewhat flesh-colored blooms, and is related to the word "incarnate", which means "in the flesh".

Swamp milkweed is just one kind of milkweed.  As pictured below, it is generally pink, varying in shades lighter and darker.  

It is most at home in moist soil, has a stronger fragrance than you might expect, and is beloved of Monarch butterflies.  In fact, it is a crucial source of food for them, and they lay their eggs on this plant.  It grows wild, but there are many cultivated varieties as well.

It is also called Swamp Silkweed and Indian Hemp.

A Goose Story

When I was walking on the bike trail the other day, I noticed a lone goose ahead of me.  He was walking in the same direction that I was.  He had a chain link fence on his left, and the river on his right.

A flock of his compatriots were happily feeding in a grassy field beyond the chain link fence.  The fence had just started a few feet behind me.  He must have wandered around the end of it before I came along, and accidentally gotten separated from his flock.

A bicyclist came at him from the other direction.  The goose got agitated, but the wise cyclist gave him a wide berth and quickly moved past.  I was surprised that this goose did not fly over the fence to be with his fellows.  That's what I would have done.

The goose kept looking over at his family and friends, honking.  As I continued my walk, approaching closer to him, he began really crowding the fence, looking up, down, and all around for a way through it. No such luck.  If he could have climbed through one of those tiny little holes, he would have.  He desperately wanted to get away from me and back to his people.  In a word, he was distressed.

I wondered if I would be able to get past him without being attacked.  You might laugh, but Canada geese can be very aggressive.  They have been known to attack people when they feel threatened.  So I was cautious.

I thought to myself that if I could get past him, then maybe I could herd him back the other way, to where the fence ended.  Then he could rejoin his group.  Otherwise, if he continued in his original direction, he would be cut off from his family by half a mile of fence or more, as it circled around a factory and out of sight.  I knew he would be ok in the end, but we humans like to feel helpful, and I could see myself as the hero of the day - "Woman Helps Goose Reunite With Family!"

The goose took matters into his own wings, and out of desperation he fled down the rocky embankment and  into the river.  He was now completely out of sight of the other geese, but at least he was heading back in the  right direction.  He eyed me suspiciously as he paddled vigorously away.  I wished him luck and continued my walk, wondering how it would all turn out for him.

Twenty minutes later as I returned along the same path, I saw him again, back on the bike trail.  He was very near the end of the chain link fence, and I felt great hope that he would soon be reunited with his feathered friends - if he could just get around the end of that barrier!  He was facing the wrong way, however, and I wondered what kind of goose thoughts he was thinking.  Was he just sunbathing, or was he still confused about how to get to the other geese?

Suddenly, another goose appeared, having flown over from the grassy field.  The two of them had a brief, loud reunion, and then swooped away to a nearby pond.  Finally he was back among his own kind!  I shouted congratulations to them, and felt happy in my heart.  No one likes to be in forced separation from their family.

I don't know for sure, but I think this particular goose was born just this spring, and was a novice at dealing with such barriers.  Baby Canada geese stay with their families for a year before going off on their own, and they are never so happy and comfortable as when they are with their flock.  I was glad to see the end of his little drama, and couldn't help but extrapolate to human relationships.  Sometimes in life we wander off course and find ourselves separated from our friends and family.  Once we realize this, we may look back on our life regretfully, and wonder how to get back.  There is usually someone else who sees our situation more clearly than us, and could help us if we would let them.  I hope that if any of us find ourselves in such a situation, that we will go directly to the source of all help - our loving Heavenly Father - and seek for inspiration to know what we are to do.

Great Neck!

The great blue heron stands about four feet tall, give or take a little.  This one, at the local marina, appears to be not yet fully mature, as he seems to be missing the white on his crown.  At any rate, he was standing tall and proud on the dock, pretty much master of all he surveyed.

A couple of moments later, he had retracted his long, powerful neck into an "s" shape, and looked like a totally different bird. 

I assure you that this is the same bird in both photographs - just in different poses.

This second pose is the heron's hunter pose, and the neck is ready for springing action.  

Herons hunt and eat fish, snakes, frogs, small birds, and insects.  They also hunt rodents such as gophers and rats in fields.  They are premier hunters, combining indomitable patience with precision striking ability.

And the Winner Is...

Dear Readers,

Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and participation as you helped me celebrate the achievement of my 100th blog post milestone.  I loved the increased interaction with you wonderful readers.  You guys are great!

Read all about it!  Found on the Trail readers are a special brand of AWESOME!

Thank you to all who entered!  The long-anticipated results are in!

We had two top entries - both scoring 100% on the quiz.  (Way to go!)  At random, in a scientifically controlled process that took place in our kitchen, one person out of that group was randomly selected to receive the much-vaunted prize.

It is, therefore, with great delight that I announce to you the winner of the 100th Blot Post contest for Found on the Trail.  Let it be known throughout the blogosphere that the winner is.... Stacey!  Woot!  Woot!

Newsflash!  Stacey wins the prize!  Hip!  Hip!  Hooray!

Stacey is a long-distance reader, an astute observer of nature, and an intrepid nature adventuress.  Congratulations to her!  She will be receiving five free notecards printed with the pictures of her choice.  Hurray!

Xstream Cleanup 2012

Xstream Cleanup is a local project here in the Quad Cities where volunteers clean up garbage in and along the local streams and rivers.  This annual project has been going on since 2004 and has literally removed TONS of trash from the waterways around here - everything from sunken barges, tractors and pianos to barbecue grills, bowling balls, and messages in bottles (over 60 and counting).

I Live Here!  And I am going to help keep it clean!

Here are some of the community-wide stats for this year:

658 Tires

16 Appliances

16 Bicycles

22 Pieces of Furniture

37 Televisions

16 Mattresses

Also pulled out were tarps, barrels, chain link fencing, road construction signs, gun parts, a holster and bullets, a knife, kiddie pools, strollers, a wedding dress, a Batman belt, carpet, a toilet, car batteries - bumpers - windshields - fenders, and yes, even the proverbial kitchen sink.

This year there were 1,476 volunteers, and members of our scout troop were in the mix.  

In total, 47,496 pounds of garbage were removed from the rivers and connecting waterways in the Quad Cities area.

Our troop site, at Pigeon Creek Park, produced plenty of trash for the picking.  Some was on shore...

... and some was out in the water, making it much more difficult to remove - what with the drag weight of the mud and water.

Tires and barrels, which looked like they should be easy to roll out of the river, were held down in the mud under the water with a powerful hold.

Our biggest find was a sealed 55 gallon drum.  It was sunk over halfway in the mud, and for a while we weren't sure we would be able to get it out.

Teamwork and determination finally got that barrel rolled up onto the shore.  

It was too big and heavy to transport through the brush to the parking lot, so the site was flagged for pickup by the Living Lands & Waters cleanup barge.  We were just glad that whatever is in it didn't leak out into the river.

With the drought, a lot more trash was visible on the banks and in the shallow water than in past years.  It was a great day, and the weather was perfect.  

Everyone out there was happy to be working and helping, even if they did get wet and dirty.

I think our most unexpected find was an Isabel Bloom pumpkin.  She was a local artist whose sculptures are iconic in this area.  Her studio remains in business here in the Quad Cities.

If you live in the Quad Cities and have never done the Xstream Cleanup before, put it on your calendar for next year.  Gloves and trash bags are provided, and you walk away with a free event t-shirt and a sense of satisfaction at having done something to help our lands and waters.

Morning Details

I met up with this lady duck at the Bettendorf marina.  I walked around the corner of the dock, and there she was.  I froze in my tracks.  She gave me the eye - and what a pretty eye it was!

She's just a duck, I know, but I liked seeing the close up details, like the dark line running through her eye, and the drop of water at the end of her bill.  I liked seeing the deep orange of her legs and feet, and the webbing between her toes.

She was gracious enough to allow a few photographs, and then she stepped into her other natural element...

... and sailed away.

Common Reed

The scientific name for the common reed is not so common.  In fact, it's a lot of fun to say.  It is "Phragmites australis".  Say it.  Say, "Phragmites!"

Summer

The common reed, which is very tall and grows in wetlands, is one of the most common plants worldwide.  The only continent where you can't find it is - you guessed it - Antarctica.

Summer

It has been used to make thatched roofs for cottages, baskets, mats, musical instruments, brooms, arrows, and spears.  It has also been a food source for humans and animals.

Winter

There are two basic kinds of Phragmites australis here in North America.  Invasive, and non-invasive.  The invasive kind seems to have started along the eastern seaboard and worked it's way west, as with so many other invasive species.

Winter stand

I have no solid idea which kind I have captured in these photographs.  They are difficult for a layman like me to tell apart.  The native species usually grows in less dense stands, has lighter leaf coloring, and more red coloring along the nodules and stems.

For an excellent field guide on this matter, go to the following web address:

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pdf/phau1-powerpoint.pdf

The two women who wrote this treatise, Jil Swearingen and Kristin Saltonstall, have done a superior job in their writing and their use of photographs and drawings.

Quacking Around

Duck,

Duck,

Duck,

Duck,

Goose!

Alligator Corn

.

Know what this is?  Sure you do!  You've probably seen these distinctive American lotus seed pods along the river.  When I researched them, I found all sorts of colloquial names for the seeds:

Alligator Corn
Alligator Buttons
Duck Acorns
Rattlenuts
Yockernuts
Pondnuts

And they are edible by more than just ducks and alligators!

The seeds can be eaten raw, boiled or roasted, and can be added to soups.  They can even be popped - due to their oil content.  Older seeds can be ground into flour, from which a paste can be made to bake into pastries.

It's not just the seeds that make their way into the kitchen.  The stamens can be made into tea, new leaves can be eaten as a green, and the roots can be stir-friend, baked, or stuffed.

Who knew?

Actually, American Indians knew.  The lotus was a food staple for many of them.

For an interesting article on lotus seeds, check out eattheweeds.com where Green Deane is touted as the "Most Watched Forager in the World".  He has an article on these particular wild edibles at http://www.eattheweeds.com/american-lotus-worth-getting-wet-for/ .

Please Enter to Win!

Dear Readers,

So far we have had two submissions for the 100 Posts Celebration contents.  I would love to have many more.  Please take a look at the 100 Posts Celebration post and check out the ten question quiz there.  Send your answers to me at sloughsleuth@gmail.com .

Most of the questions can be answered by looking back in the last twenty-five posts.  Email me or post questions in the comment boxes if you get stuck.  I do give hints!  I would love to have more participants, so please give it a try.

The prize to the top winner will be five note cards printed with the photo or photos of theirchoice from my blog.  If there is a tie, a winner will be randomly selected from the top pool of contenstents.

You still have time to enter.  Submit your entries by midnight on Thursday, September 20, 2012.  Here's hoping that many of you will send in your answers!

Sincerely,
Demeter, the Slough Sleuth

Lotus Leaves

Look at this mosaic of lotus leaves.

They make a little wilderness of shelter, shade and shapes.

I love the enormous concave leaves.  They remind me of elephant ears, the way they flap in the wind.

Don't get lotus leaves mixed up with lily pads as I did at first.  Water lilies are in a different family altogether.  Lily pads have a cut in them, like a piece of pie that has been cut out, like this:

Lotus leaves have no such division, although when decaying, they may look as if they do.  Here are some lotus leaves beginning to decay, as the season fades.

When we were walking among these lotus plants on some docks off the Ben Butterworth Parkway, Hyperion noticed water droplets rolling around inside some of the leaves, forming and reforming.

They sparkled like gems and raced back and forth as the waves under the leaves rose and fell.

This one, in particular, looked like a perfect marble.  Note the spherical shape.

It reminded me of a ball of mercury, such as we used to play with in our high school chemistry class.  The natural world holds endless surprises.