Winter Creek

Backyard Winter Creek

Saturday, 1/03/15:

After 2.3" of rain overnight, more water than I've seen yet this winter is flowing through the little creek that runs at the back of our yard.

A little blue sky while on our afternoon walk.

Sky was overcast most of the day, but some blue shown through during our afternoon walk.

Temperature range:  51°/40°.    44° @ midnight.  .8" rain today.  2.8" rain for the month.

Summary:  Rain fell during the early morning ... overcast AM ... mostly cloudy to overcast PM ... light to moderate south wind ... laying/switching during evening.

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Winter Creek

Sunday. 12/28/14

Cloudy in the morning.  Slow clearing during the afternoon.  This is what the sky looked like around 2:30 PM.

Temperature below freezing overnight, but not a lot of moisture.  Just a droplet of ice still clinging to some wild highbush blueberries.

Mushrooms growing at the base of an oak.  Looks as if something has been eating on them.

Clouds to the north during our late afternoon walk.

Mostly clear sky to the south.

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Sunday. 12/28/14

Nature Notes: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Identification:  A medium-sized woodpecker, white strip running up its side and "messy" black and white barring on its back.  The throat and crown are completely red on a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker while the female throat is white.  Both have a pale yellow underside.  (These are not very good ID photos.  Cornell Labs has much better.)




Range:  The Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker is the only woodpecker in eastern North America that is completely migratory.  Females tend to migrate farther south than males, often traveling as far south as Panama.  Here in the Ozarks, we are in the bird's winter range.

Food:  A sapsucker eats fruit and forages in tree bark for insects, but is most noted for consuming tree sap.  It bores distinctive rows of holes in tree trunks and limbs.  From these holes, it laps (not sucks) sap with its brush-like tongue.  In the summer, a sapsucker feeds on the “phloem” sap, the sticky fluid that carries the nutrients produced in the leaves downward to other parts of the tree.  This sap is much thicker and contains more nutrients than the “xylem” sap tapped by humans in the spring for making syrup.  Researchers speculate that a sapsucker's saliva contains some kind of anticoagulant that inhibits the tree from sealing over the holes and stopping the sap flow.  A sapsucker will often choose to tap a wounded or weakened tree.  The sap of these trees may contain more amino acids and proteins.  Many other birds and other critters partake of the sap flows created by sapsuckers. (The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has much more information on Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.)

Photo by Cephas via Wikipedia.

The White Birch above shows the distinctive rows of holes bored by a sapsucker.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers overwintering here readily eat from our suet feeder.

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Nature Notes: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Recovering from striking a window.  Flew away soon after this photo was taken.

The White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is a common species.  At one time or another during the year, it is found throughout most of North America.  It over-winters here in the Arkansas Ozarks.  White-throateds are the only sparrow among our yard birds during the winter.

Habitat:  Cornell Labs says, Look for White-throated Sparrows in woods, at forest edges, in the regrowth that follows logging or forest fires, at pond and bog edges, and in copses near treeline. In winter you can find these birds in thickets, overgrown fields, parks, and woodsy suburbs. They readily come to backyards for birdseed.  We have several weedy, waste spaces at the edge of our yard.  During the fall and early winter, flocks of White-throateds forage in these dried weeds.  As winter wears on, we see more of these sparrows under our tube bird feeders and in our tray feeder.  While primarily ground feeders, these sparrows also partake of the pseudo-suet (cornmeal, peanut butter and lard) mixture we offer.

White-throated Sparrow scratching through the debris in our tray feeder.

According to the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center these common birds exhibit a characteristic that is rare in birds, they show genetically-based plumage polymorphism. In other words, these sparrows come in two different color forms, or morphs.

During the breeding season, the morphs are most easily distinguished by the colors of their crown stripes. The "white-stripe" morph typically has distinctly contrasting black and white crown stripes and bright yellow lores (the area between the eyes and the base of the bill), while the "tan-stripe" morph has duller black (or dark brown) and tan (or pale brown) stripes and less vivid lores.

...both male and female white-throated sparrows exhibit this polymorphism. Moreover, an individual almost always pairs with another of the opposite color morph for breeding. And despite the fact that images of the white-striped morph are more frequently presented to illustrate the species, the two color morphs actually occur in relatively equal numbers in the population. Most interesting is that behavior differs between color morphs, especially during the breeding season. Both male and female white-stripe birds are more aggressive than tan-stripe birds. In fact, white-striped females will even sing and contribute to territorial defense, whereas tan-striped females do not. In contrast, tan-striped birds of both sexes provide more care to their young than white-striped birds do.

Since the White-throated sparrows I've photographed are in their winter plumage when it's more difficult to distinguish morphs, I'm not really sure if they are white or tan stripe.  Perhaps my more experienced birder readers can make that determination.

White-throated Sparrow diving into our suet feeder.

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White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

We have American Goldfinches year around, but have many more during the winter.  They are one of our most common feeder birds.  When the Goldfinches start really getting into their breeding plumage in the spring, most head north.


"The goldfinch’s main natural habitats are weedy fields and floodplains, where plants such as thistles and asters are common. They’re also found in cultivated areas, roadsides, orchards, and backyards. American Goldfinches can be found at feeders any time of year, but most abundantly during winter."  (From The Cornell Lab of Ornithology where there are many more photos and more information about these beautiful little bird.)

I'm not much of a birder, but I believe the top photo is a male and the bottom a female.  If anyone with more experience disagrees, I'll be glad to make a correction in this post.  Both birds were at the feeder hanging outside our dining nook window.  Many people feed thistle seeds to Goldfinches and I'm sure the birds enjoy them, but our Goldfinches have never refused the sunflower seeds we feed.  

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American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

The claws on the front feet of this critter leave little doubt it is 

well adapted for digging.

Nine-banded Armadillos live in my world -- or do I live in their world?  Neither of us is native to the Ozarks, though armadillos have inhabited the Earth much longer than humans.

The Nine-banded Armadillo's ancestors lived quite comfortably in South America until around three million years ago when the formation of the Isthmus of Panama allowed them to start moving north.  They've been heading north ever since.  Armadillos were first recorded in south Texas in the early nineteenth century.  Many researchers thought the dillers' northward migration would be severely limited by cold weather.  Armadillos have a slow metobolic rate, little fat and lack the ability to regulate their body temperatures as well as most mammals.  However, Nine-banded Armadillos proved to be much more adaptable than early researchers thought.  By 1995 the species had become well-established in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and had been sighted as far afield as Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. A decade later, the armadillo had become established in all of those areas and continued its migration, being sighted as far north as southern Nebraska, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana.  (There is also ample evidence humans introduced armadillos into several southern states where they thrived.) (Source:  Wikipedia)

That I was able to take these photos during the middle of the afternoon, illustrates one of the  Nine-banded Armadillos' adaptations to colder temperatures.  They are normally nocturnal, but when the weather is cold, dillers remain in their underground burrows all night and come out to forage during the warmer parts of the day.

The bands on the Nine-banded Armadillo's carapace

are the basis for its common name, but it can actually have between

7 and 11 bands.  I only count eight bands on this individual.

Armadillos are primarily insectivores.  They dig up and eat a wide variety of bugs, larvae, grubs, etc.  However, stomach content analysis has show dillers will eat pretty much any small critter that doesn't get out of their way, including small reptiles, amphibians and birds.  Their digging behavior often makes armadillos unpopular among gardeners and those dedicated to having beautiful lawns.  I have no interest in maintaining a convention lawn, but do find it exasperating when a diller "tills" a well-mulched vegetable garden bed.

A previous post shows an armadillo litter out foraging.  (Armadillo litters are always identical quadruplets.)  Other sources of more information than you ever really wanted to know about these unique critters include Mammals of Texas, Biogeography of  the Nine-Banded Armadillo and Armadillo Fact File.

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Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

Nature Notes: Frost Flowers

From a previous post:  Frost flowers occur when the air temperature is below freezing but the ground remains unfrozen.  Here in the Ozarks, that is a fairly common wintertime event.  Our ground never freezes deeply and usually thaws between cold snaps. Some dried weed stems continue drawing moisture up from the ground.  A frost flower forms when water inside a plant stem freezes, expands and is extruded through cracks in the stem forming thin ribbons of ice. Air bubbles trapped in the ice make it appear frothy white. The extruded ribbons of ice are often much more petal-like than the ones pictured here.  Because the stem cracks are irregularly  shaped and the ice pressure inside the stem varies over time, the extruded ice curves and bends.  Like snowflakes, no two frost flowers are ever alike.

Not all plants form frost flowers.  Two of the more common ones that do are yellow ironweed ( Verbesina alternifolia) and white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica). In fact, white crownbeard also is commonly called frostweed.

Another previous post featuring frost flowers, including the shot used to illustrate frost flowers on Wikipedia.

Editors Note (1/13/11):  I'm honored that the frost flowers in this post inspired the following poem by Kris Lindbeck.

You woke up

to frost flowers:

dry weeds

becoming miracles

over one cold night.

Thank you, Kris.

(You can follow Kris on Twitter or visit his blog Haiku etc.)

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Nature Notes: Frost Flowers

Nature Notes: Baldfaced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata

Baldfaced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata

(Photo:  Marvin Smith on 10/25/09)

IDENTIFICATION: Black with white markings on the head, thorax, and the last few segments of the abdomen ... wings smoky ... like other Vespidae, wings are folded lengthwise when at rest ... males and worker females are around 5/8" long ... queens are larger.

LIFE CYCLE: A fertilized female (queen) overwinters, then begins a new nest in the spring. She lays eggs that develop into non-fertile female workers. Once these workers become adults, the queen only lays eggs which the workers tend and feed. Several generations of workers are produced. Late in the summer or in early fall, the queen lays eggs that develop into males and fertile females. As winter approaches, all the hornets except for mated females die. The mated females overwinter in protected habitats such as cracks and crevices. They become the next season's queens and begin the process again. In the deep south it is possible for the hornets to remain active all year.

NESTS: Hornets construct large, inverted pear-shaped paper nests that are usually attached to tree limbs. Small branches may be included in the nests to give extra support. The grayish brown nest has two to four horizontally arranged combs and an entrance hole at the bottom. Workers chew weathered wood and old boards to create the "paper" for the nest. This is the reason for hornets' large, powerful jaws.

(For photos of a hornets' nest -- and a humorous tale about its procurement -- check out MObugs.)

FOOD: Adults are commonly found on flowers where they drink nectar. They will also feed on fallen, over-ripe fruit. Workers feed developing larvae a sugary solution they produce and also pre-chewed insect bits. Larvae also feed adults a sweetish secretion from their mouths.

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Nature Notes: Baldfaced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata

Nature Notes: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Female Pipevine Swallowtail  (Photo: Marvin Smith on 11/03/09)

In the East and California, Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor) are seen mainly in the spring and summer. However, here here in the South they are more common in late summer and fall. In Mexico they fly year round.

Adult B. philenor nectar from a wide variety of flowers and are usually found in open fields or open spaces bordering woodlands. The female in the photo above was nectaring from the zinnias that brighten our vegetable garden.

Male Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly
(Photo: Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org)

The inner hindwings on male Pipevine Swallowtails are more iridescent than those on females. B. philenor mimics several other butterflies including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female, dark phase), Black Swallowtail (female), Spicebush Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple and Diana Fritillary. BugGuide provides comparison images that help differentiate between these butterflies.

Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar
(Photo: Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org)

Larvae/caterpillars feed on Aristolochia species. Larvae presumably take up toxic secondary compounds from their hostplant. Both larvae and adults are believed toxic to vertebrate predators, and both have aposematic (warning) coloration. (BugGuide)

Pipevine Swallowtail chrysalis
(Photo: Sturgis McKeever, Georgia Southern University, Bugwood.org)

In temperate regions, Pipevine Swallowtails overwinter as pupae (in a chrysalis). In mid-season, the butterfly spends about two weeks in this pupal stage.

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Nature Notes: Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)