Animal and Plant Interactions

Observations: What animal species or guild seems to be abundant in my ecosystem?

Vernal Ponds are forested neighbors to Wetlands. As a good neighbor, they serve as temporary pools of water and provide habitat for salamanders, frogs, toads, aquatic beetles, aquatic insect larvae, and even birds such as wood ducks. Since Vernal Ponds are isolated from rivers or lakes, they dry up annually and are flooded seasonally. You will not find fish in this habitat. Due to the summer season, my Vernal Pond is slowly drying. The species I see now may not be here during the Spring season when spring rains fill the pond and serve as a prefect habitat for amphibians, invertebrates and turtles to lay eggs. 

Even in the middle of summer, I still have several species that thrive during these times. I was able to witness a Green Stink Bug feeding from the fruit berries of a Bittersweet Nightshade vine. I noticed that the Stink Bug spent several minutes feeding on the fruit, all the while I was quickly trying to take photos of this Hopperlike Insect. Using the mouthpart, know as a proboscis which acts like a straw, the Green Stink Bug is able to suck out the fruit juice for nutrients. If you look at my picture below REAL CLOSE you can see the proboscis! 

Species Identification:

Common Blackberry- Rubus allegheniensis- Common blackberry is a shrub-like wildflower. It is most easily identified by its juicy, black, clustered berries and pinnately-compound leaves. White petal flowers are in a raceme structure and supported by very prickly, robust stems. Flowers are about 1” wide and the petals are longer than the sepals. Commonly found in dry fields and open clearings.

Bittersweet Nightshade- Solanum Dulcamara -is a beautiful flowering Vine. Solanum species have a flower that resembles a Sun and its Rays. This plant is toxic. Only certain species are adapted to withstand this toxicity. The Bittersweet Nightshade has a purple flower with a yellow center. The flower has berries that are oval in shape. When the berries are ripe, they turn red. The Bittersweet Nightshade thrives in rich, wet soils with plenty of nitrogen. The Vernal Pond, with all its decaying matter on the ground provide the perfect nutrients.

Green Stink Bug- Acrosternum hilare- has a bright green colored shield shaped back. It is thinly outlined by yellow, orange or reddish edges. In this picture it is visible that the three outermost segments of his antenni are marked with black. The Green Stink Bug gets its name due the amount of foul smelling discharge they exert when disturbed. Both adults and nymphs possess large stink glands on the underside of their body. This Bug thrives in areas such as, cropland, fields, orchards and gardens. These habitats can all be found adjacent to or near the surrounding Vernal Pond. It is considered a pest and causes damage to Corn and Soybean. Both of those crops are rotated seasonally in the adjacent farm field to the South and East of the Vernal Pond.

Ramshorn Snail- Biomphalaria- this small to medium size snail is an air-breathing, freshwater snail, from the family of Planorbidae. After much research, I am unable to identify the species of this snail. A Ramshorn Snails calls this discordial shell home. This snail has a dark brown shell was slowly moving across the dirt road. It was headed in the direction of the Vernal Pond. I watched the snail make its way by sticking out its head and neck, securing itself on the ground in front of itself and pulling the shell forward to meet its current position. This snail has one pair of slender tentacles and it is found throughout North America. Their ideal habitats are ponds, lakes, slower streams or rivers, usually in aquatic plants.  They feed on bacteria. 

Creative Additions: Insects discovered near the Vernal Pond

 

Ecotones near The Vernal Pond

Observations: As I walk down the dirt road towards the Forest Learning Center, I can't help but think about all the ecotones surrounding the Vernal Pond.  Ecotones are the areas of transition between two biological communities. The Forest Learning Center is located within the Vernal Pond boundaries and is a central point to all of the forest action. The Vernal Pond is open and airy in the understory of the Red Maples. The ground is moist but not wet, in fact it appears to getting dryer as the weeks go by. I can walk all around within the Vernal Pond. I can see all the vibrant ground cover growing quickly in fertile soil. 

To the West of the Vernal Pond is a dense forest full of a beautiful variety of hardwoods, however a man-made road serves as the ecotone. The road divides the two areas quite discreetly. You can still see subtle remnants of the vernal pond to the West but the dense forest becomes much more discrete. This gravel road would be considered a low degree of convolution, but if you remain on the path, it quickly transitions into another Ecotone. 

To the North of the Vernal Pond, the path straddles between an open patch of dry meadow and is surrounding by forest. Here the degree of convolution is also noticeable and the mowed path discretely blends in with the small meadow habitat. The common milk week is found in abundance here, along with meadow grasse. The forest discretely surrounds the prairie and the vernal pond. 

To the East and South of the Vernal pond, the ecotone transitions to a soybean field. The only divide I've between the agricultural field and the vernal pond is the forest tree line, which filled with bushes, small trees, and sprinkled with a few large trees. 

Species Identification:

Tall Bellflower Campanula americana is also known as American Bellflower. The blue-violet flower is star shaped in a leafy spike. Blooms provide a bright late-summer accent to moist thickets. It grows from three to five feet in height and has a straight stalk. It is a native plant to North America. The Tall Bellflower straddled the man-made road. I am sure it loved the abundance of sunlight along the dirt road and discovered it flowering in the adjacent areas along the north side of the trail. 

Japanese Beetle Popilla japonica is a non-native species has iridescent copper-colored elytra (hardened Forewing) and bright metallic green thorax and head. 5 spots of white hair dot the side of the abdomen with 2 white tufts at the tip. Japanese beetles feed on foliage, flowers, and fruit. Foliage is typically skeletonized buy consuming only the leaf material between the veins, I noticed this right away in my observations. The Japanese Beetle is most often found in woods and meadows, so that makes the location along the trail prime feasting. This beetle was busy eating and didn't seem to mind my disturbance. 

Botton Bush Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It is native to eastern and southern North America. Flowers are white and round with ball-like heads. It is a common bush in wetland habitats, including swamps, floodplains, riparian zones, and moist forest understory. This bush was thriving along the roadside of the Vernal Pond and it noticed it in several different places. It may also be referred to as common buttonbush, button-willow and honey-bells.

Turkey-tail Trametes versicolor is a common polypore mushroom found throughout the world. Usually overlapping or in rosettes, with small, leathery, thin, stalkless caps. Versicolor means 'of several colours', describes the fungus that displays different colors. Semicircular in shape and can be spoon or kidney- shaped. Found on dead deciduous wood or in wounds of conifers. It gets its name due to the shape and multiple colors that are similar to those of a wild turkey. I found the Turkey-tail in one specific spot on the North edge of the Vernal Pond. It was so striking and beautiful. 

Creative: Below you will find the Plants and Animals found along the trails near the Vernal Pond

References: 

Lincoff, G. (1981). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Milne, L. (1980). National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Newcomb, L. (1977). Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.

A vernal pond at the Learning Center Forest

At last! I have come to the place where it all started. 

In 2017, I took a tour of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center in Wolf Lake, Indiana. As I was exploring the grounds with my guide Jonathan, we passed by a vernal pond. While we were there, students were actively dipping in the pond for aquatic life. I had no clue species like this even existed. In a place that appeared so dead, there was life forms in the water- flourishing. So today, as I start to write my blog about the vernal dipping ponds, Jonathan, now my instructor, informs me that this station is a central part of the Learning Center Forest.

OBSERVATIONS:

I started down the trail from Merry Lea towards the vernal pond, I was surrounded with the buzzing and humming of busy insects & butterflies, dashing in and out of my view. I was happy to discover the Learning Center structure again. For this time it has provided me with a quite spot to sit and rest while I sit to listen and observe the sounds of the forest. I quickly tuned into the call of a Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata),who didn't seem to mind that I was there and sang the whole time. The Blue Jay must have been stopping for a short break, because his common nesting habitat is usually amongst the oak trees. 

As I start to do my survey of the area, I noticed the vernal pond is dominated by one species of tree, the Red Maple tree (Acre rubrum). Red Maples thrive in moist, lowland  areas. Their decaying matter of fallen leaves and branches, blanketed the bottom of the vernal pond. To my surprise, I found only a few flowers that were in bloom. The Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata), which is part of the Parsley Family and is a typical plant found in swamps and low land meadows. And the Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris), which is also found in wet soils. 

Just then, I saw from the corner of my eye this bright red dragonfly- the Streak-winged Red Skimmer (Sympetrum illotum) or as I like to call it Big Red. Its complimentary color contrasted beautifully with vibrant shades of forest green. Big Red sat there for a long time letting me snap away picture after picture. Streak-winged Red Skimmers are found near pond edges and adults feed on small flying insects. Big Red sat there patiently for me until I captured the right shot. 

IDENTIFICATION:  

Blue Jay photograph from Audubon Society www.audubon.org

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a bright blue above with much white and black in the 

wings and tail; dingy white below; black facial markings; prominent crest. With a rich variation of calls, a raucous jay-jay, harsh cries and queedle-queedle. Although they seem to travel throughout the year, they are migratory and travel and large loose flocks and both spring and fall. They often bury seeds and acorns, and since many are never retrieved, they are in effect tree planters

Red Maple tree (Acre rubrum) is a medium to large tree with an oval, spreading crown. Leaves are opposite on twig with simple, borne singly on long red stems. Lobes 3-5, hand-like, with sharp V-shaped notches between main lobes. The bark is pale grey and smooth when young and becoming dark brown to gray, furrowed and then scaly with 

maturity. Twigs are slender, shiny red to reddish brown with numerous tiny warty bumps. Fruit is drooping, paired, propeller-like; broadly V-shaped or U-shaped and up to 1" long. Red Maples are found all throughout Indiana. 

Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) has upper branches that are smooth except for scattered thorns. It is a  bushyshrubs without long arching flowering stems.  The Swamp Rose has leaflets with very fine teeth, dull green; prickles stout and usually hooked. Stipulates are very narrow. Plant is 2 to 8 feet high. 

Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) is found in freshwater swamps and damp Meadows. Leaflets are lance sheet with numerous teeth; Ambrose flat, 2 to 4 inches wide. Stem 

branching, usually modeled with purple. Gross 3 to 6 feet high all parts are deadly poisonous to taste. It is found in swamps and low meadows. Grows summer and fall.

Streak-winged Red Skimmer (Sympetrum illotum) has a hairy head and thorax and is reddish brown. The thorax has two white spots on each side.The abdomen is red with a row of pale spots on each side. Wings are clear with reddish brown beans. Mated pairs fly in tandem above the water. After mating, the pairs go separately to the rest and nearby Twigs. Adults are active mid June to late July.

CREATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS:

                                          REFERENCES:

Farrand, John Jr. (2000, February) National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds Eastern Region. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 

Jackson, Marion T. (2003) 101 Trees of Indiana A Field Guide. Indiana University Press.

Milne, Lorus and Margery. (2000, February) National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 

Newcomb, Lawrence. (1977) Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Company.

Photos are from the Author, unless otherwise stated

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