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Debunking Nature Superstitions

Posted on September 13, 2024

Ahhh Friday the 13th, we meet again. Every year (and sometimes twice, or even three times), this foreboding day inspires people all over the world to avoid things like ladders, mirrors, and black cats to prevent being cursed with years of bad luck.

Along with these well-known superstitions, there are several that are specifically tied to nature. Some of these superstitions perpetuate harmful stereotypes for a few of our favorite creatures, while others are simply silly and fun. Read on as we debunk the serious, the silly, and everything in between!

Superstition #1: If you disturb this spider’s web, it will weave your name into the new one.
According to an old folk tale, if you disturb the web of a yellow garden spider, it will weave in your name when it rebuilds the web, spelling trouble for you. This is impossible for a host of reasons (the main one being that spiders can’t spell). Although it can't write your name, this spider does form a cool, zig-zag pattern called a stabilimentum in the center of its web.

Superstition #2: Bats “vant to suck your blood."
You can thank our friend Bram Stoker for this one. While vampire bats exist, they are not found in the U.S., and they are the exception—not the rule. Of over 1400 bat species, only three are sanguivores (animals that consume the blood of other animals). These vampire bats are found in arid and humid regions of Mexico, Central America, and South America. They normally feed on livestock and very rarely bite humans. In Michigan, we have 9 species of insect-eating bats, such as the red bat shown below.

Superstition #3: If you step into a ring of mushrooms, you will become invisible and fairies will force you to dance forever.
While we don’t know anyone this has happened to, permanent invisibility is difficult to disprove… All jokes aside, circular formations of fungi (often called “fairy rings”) are a novel sight, and they’re formed in an interesting way. Check out this video to learn more!

Superstition #4: Toads give you warts.
This is a widely distributed claim, but it’s not true. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is only carried by humans. The wart-like bumps you see on toads are glands containing a toxic liquid that they secrete when feeling threatened. Go forth and touch toads freely! Just wash your hands afterward—and don’t lick them.

Superstition #5: It’s bad luck for a black cat to cross your hiking path.
If you see a black cat on a Chikaming Open Lands preserve, it’s probably just Shadow, our Education and Outreach Coordinator’s black adventure cat (who is very respectful and always wears his leash).

Well, unless it’s this black cat. Someone dumped this bedazzled black panther at Robinson Woods last year. Watch out! It just might reappear during this year's Enchanted Forest…

There you have it! Now get out there and enjoy nature without fear, Friday the 13th or not!

Managing the Lean, Green, Invasive Machine: Phragmites australis

Posted on September 5, 2024

Yesterday, COL staff met up with volunteers and Kowabdanawa odë kė staff for an “experimental” workday at Grand Beach Marsh Preserve. The purpose? Controlling non-native Phragmites (Phragmites australis), an aggressive invasive species that forms dense patches in wetlands, ditches, and along the banks of rivers and streams, colonizing the areas and crowding out native plants. In this particular case, the Phragmites is invading a coastal plain marsh, a globally rare ecosystem chock full of amazing (and rare) native plants. Boooooooooo.

What Do We Mean by “Experimental”?
During the workday, we tried a new invasive control method for the first time. This method is called “spading,” and it goes like this:

Position a spade at a 45-degree angle, 5cm below the ground at the base of the plant. Stomp on the spade to drive it into the soil, aiming to sever the rhizome. Remove the plant from the ground. Collect, bag, and dispose of all plants.

During late summer and early fall, Phragmites plants translocate their energy below ground to store in their rhizomes during winter. We hope our spading will limit the energy storage and weaken the rhizomes (plus, we're disposing of any seed heads in the process, which can’t hurt). While this method is totally herbicide-free, it is also labor-intensive. Oh yeah, and one more thing—we’re not really sure if it’s going to work.

Say what?! We're NOT SURE? Then why on earth would we use our time and human resources this way?

Science, of course!

A Grant That Goes Both Ways
We recently received a grant from the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (GLPC) through the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). to fund one year of Phragmites treatment at three of our properties: Nokmes Creek, Dayton Wet Prairie, and Grand Beach Marsh. The purpose of the grant is twofold: to help us reduce populations of Phragmites on our preserves and for the GLC to collect data that helps them understand the best ways to control Phragmites.

The GLPC will use the data to improve their Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF)Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF), a collective learning program anyone managing Phragmites can join. PAMF exists to help change the way Phragmites management is done throughout the Great Lakes basin and leads to approaches that maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of Phragmites management.

So, as a grantee, we’re not only treating Phragmites; we’re also contributing to an ongoing study that will help people all over the Great Lakes region effectively manage it! That's what we call a nature high five (which makes people cringe...but we don't care)!

When Will We Know if It Worked?
Next July. We’ll do a second round of spading again next June when the Phragmites is in its growing phase. Then, in July, we’ll conduct our annual Phragmites monitoring and hopefully draw some conclusions about the efficacy of spading. We’ve actually been working on Phrag control at this site using other methods since 2017, and we’ve made significant progress:

With 8 years of data on this site, we should be able to deduce whether the spading was effective. Stay tuned!

Learn more about Phragmites and best management practices here.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Grant/Cooperative Agreement No. G23AC00436.

​Who You Gonna Call?

Posted on August 23, 2024

Summer isn’t over yet, but we’ve already seen a ghost on the preserves…ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora), that is!

Often mistaken for a fungus due to its white, nearly translucent appearance, this freaky find is actually a non-photosynthetic flowering plant that lacks chlorophyll.

Non-photosynthetic? No chlorophyll?! How does it get nutrients?

The answer involves a dramatic, underground love triangle.

I’m Not Haunting You, I’m Parasitizing You!
Technically, ghost pipe survives by stealing nutrients from trees…but it doesn't steal them directly. It takes them from a third-party source: mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants (in this case, trees). The mycelium, or “roots,” of the fungi intertwine with those of the trees. The fungi take carbohydrates from the trees, and in exchange give the trees moisture and nutrients from the soil.

Here’s where the love triangle happens: the ghost pipe tricks the fungi into thinking it’s going to form one of these mutually beneficial, “mycorrhizal” relationships. Instead, the ghost pipe saps the nutrients from the fungi's mycelium and gives nothing in return. This means that ghost pipe is a parasitic plant.

Where Does This Phantom Appear?
You can find ghost pipe from June to September in deep, shaded woods at low to moderate elevations. Spooky, right? It’s also important to note that this plant is small—only about 4 to 8 inches tall—so it's easy to miss.

If you happen to find ghost pipe on your next hike, remember to take only pictures! “Parasitic” has a negative connotation, but ghost pipe doesn’t sap enough nutrients to cause its host(s) significant harm. 

Ghost pipe is native, ephemeral, and just plain cool to find—so please leave it for others to stumble upon and wonder about!

Get Ready, Gazers!

Posted on August 9, 2024

The Perseids meteor shower peaks annually in mid-August and is known for producing bright, fast-moving meteors. During the peak, stargazers can expect to see up to 50-100 meteors per hour under clear skies!

What exactly causes this meteor shower?
The Perseids happen every year when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by a large comet called Swift-Tuttle. As Earth passes through this trail, bits of debris going over 100,000 miles per hour collide with the planet’s atmosphere. When the bits of debris hit the atmosphere, they disintegrate, creating the colorful, fiery streaks of light we call “meteors” or “shooting stars.”

When is the best time to view this meteor shower?
Overnight during the peak (Sunday, August 11 – Monday, August 12), when Earth is passing through the most dense area of debris in the tail of Swift-Tuttle. For the biggest bang for your buck, find a spot with no artificial light and wait until after the moon sets at midnight.

Where should you look?
Up! One of the best parts about this meteor shower is that it’s easy to view. Simply look up, and we bet you’ll see something. Better yet, take someone with you and monitor different parts of the sky. Whoever sees the most meteors wins. The prize? Bonus wishes and bragging rights, duh!

Not willing to stay up late on a work night?
That’s okay, this meteor shower is reliable enough that you should be able to catch a good amount of action overnight in the days leading up to the peak (Friday, August 9, and Saturday, August 10). Or, if you just don’t feel like venturing out in your jammies, check out the livestream here.

Happy gazing!

Galerucella Beetles vs. Purple Loosestrife

Posted on June 28, 2024

Land Protection Lesson #1: Just because something is pretty doesn’t mean it's good.
Such is the case with another “beautiful” bloom that’s beginning to put on its annual show in COL preserves: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). If you’ve ever kayaked the Galien River Marsh, visited Chris Thompson Memorial Preserve, or simply driven down Red Arrow Highway during summer, then you’ve seen (and maybe even admired) this invasive plant before. Growing anywhere from 4-10 feet tall, this plant sports spikes of bright magenta flowers, often clustered together to form broad swaths of hot pinkish-purple. Purple loosestrife is native to Asia and Europe and was introduced to North America in the 19th century, likely as an ornamental plant. Since then, it has spread rapidly, outcompeting native plants and disrupting local ecosystems.

Managing Purple Loosestrife
Like other invasive plants, purple loosestrife can be managed using manual methods, like digging or hand-pulling. However, this can be time-consuming and isn’t a viable option for large, high-density, or difficult-to-access populations. 

Chemical control is another option, but it also takes considerable time and comes with downsides. For example, while herbicide would kill the loosestrife, it could also harm beneficial plants in the process. That’s never desirable, but we especially don’t want that to happen in an area that we’ve seeded with native plants, like Chris Thompson Memorial Preserve.

Luckily, there is a third, all-natural method we use to control purple loosestrife at COL: biological control!

Welcome to the Field Crew, Galerucella Beetles
Enter the Galerucella beetles, the small but mighty warriors in this ecological drama.

These beetles were first introduced to North America in 1992 as part of a 5 to 15-year program to control purple loosestrife. The program was a success, and the beetles continue to be used as effective biological control today. We've released Galerucella beetles at COL preserves a few times now: in 2008 and 2014 in the Galien River Marsh, and in 2021 and 2024 at Chris Thompson Memorial Preserve.

How Does it Work?
Female beetles lay their eggs on the leaves of the loosestrife, and when the larvae hatch, they begin munching away. This feeding not only stunts the growth of the plants but also reduces their ability to produce seeds. Better yet, the beetles feed almost exclusively on purple loosestrife, making them an excellent tool in managing invasive species while preserving the integrity of native ecosystems. Over time, a significant population of Galerucella beetles can drastically reduce the density of purple loosestrife in an area. While the beetles aren’t likely to eradicate a population of purple loosestrife, their ability to prevent it from becoming a dominant species is worth celebrating!

Thanks, Beetles!
Galerucella beetles as biological control are an environmentally-friendly option that saves staff time and reduces the need for herbicide usage. So, next time you spot a patch of purple loosestrife, think of the valiant beetles working behind the scenes to keep nature in balance. They’re a wonderful example of how even the smallest creatures can make a big difference in protecting our natural world.