Ursula "Uzzy" Arztmann on LinkedIn: #butterflies #grasslands #declined #law #biodiversityloss #receliouzzy | 46 comments (2024)

Bark Bird The Brown Creeper is a bark bird - a ghost of sorts, a spirit of our woodlands, a true druid flitting about in modern times. If you're an armchair birder that happens upon one for the first time you'd probably think you just discovered another continent. I recall my first, in my teens walking along a brook behind my house. I had took a double-take as the bird was going down-up the tree backwards. It would stop every once and a while and use its recurved pincer-beak to grab some imperceptible insect speck from under a flake of bark. It's hard to keep track. They climb up to a certain point - usually around the 40 foot level - and than fly down to the base of another tree and start the forage anew. A bark vacuum, gleaning and cleaning away insects from a trees skin like a remora fish on a shark.I took the image below from deep within a cold, leafless, bottomland swamp in north central New Jersey this past weekend. If you're patient and observant most wooded habitats will host a few. The key is looking up and down trees - slowly - as you walk. Like I said, these guys are woodland spirits - eye-tricking apparitions in our woods all around us. PS - Check out the tail-prop - common use of that toolhttps://lnkd.in/eDX2MAx3

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Happy National Weed Appreciation Day!What do Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), Ironweed (Vernonia sp.) and Carolina frostweed (Crocanthemum carolinianum) have in common? Besides being beloved by pollinators, they are all Florida native wildflowers whose common name bears that one little word with so much baggage - 'weed'! A word whose definition is so subjective, it can simply mean a plant growing in a place we don't want it to or it can be a symbol of perseverance in a plant that you just can't keep down! Often liberally applied to both native and non-native plant species, the moniker is not a useful indicator for a plant's nativity. Ultimately, the term weed forces us to confront our own bias and relationship to the nature around us. We encourage you to embrace native wildflower 'weeds' whether you find them out in natural areas or even in your own lawns! Learn more: Spring "weeds" are for the bees!: https://lnkd.in/dPCVrZ8sWildflowers and Weeds: Exploring What Native Means: https://lnkd.in/eqvdk3VS

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Question - What have the following list of animals all got in common?Badgers, voles, moles, bats, beavers, deer, owls, grouse, buzzards, woodpeckers, kestrels, kingfishers, adders, frogs, toads, lizards, snakes, newts, butterflies, moths, beetles, bees, wasp, spiders, slugs and snailsAnswer - They are all found in habitats where there are trees planted by The Woodland Trust and which are supported by our amazing customers.Planting trees is great for our environment, but just as important are the natural habitatscreated to support our diverse variety of woodland wildlife and organisms.Right tree, right place - The Woodland Trust plants native trees in The UK in places where they will be most effective.Planting the right mix of species at the correct density is importantfor native biodiversity to flourish including fungi, flowers, grasses, mosses, lichens, and fernsWe gave this little dormouse a gentle wash and blow-dry before we took his picture for this post 😉 THANKS to The Woodland Trust and a HUGE THANKS to our customers who continue to support tree planting and natural habitats in The UK#woodlandtrust #carboncapture #sustainableprinting

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The black rat snake, scientifically known as *Elaphe obsoleta*, is a non-venomous colubrid snake species commonly found in North America. It's recognized for its sleek black coloration, though it can sometimes have shades of gray or brown. As an adept climber, it's often spotted in trees, barns, and buildings in search of prey such as rodents and birds. Black rat snakes play a beneficial role by helping control rodent populations. They are relatively docile and are not a threat to humans, but their appearance can be mistaken for venomous snakes, leading to unnecessary concerns. These snakes are protected in many states due to their ecological importance.#HumaneWildlifeRemoval #SafeHavenAvianGroup #WildLife #FoodSafety

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Honey bees are known for their construction ofperennialcolonialnests fromwax, the large size of their colonies, and surplus production and storage ofhoney, distinguishing their hives as a prizedforagingtarget of many animals, includinghoney badgers,bearsand humanhunter-gatherers. Only 8 survivingspeciesof honey bee are recognized, with a total of 43subspecies, though historically 7 to 11 species are recognized. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees#bee #honeybee #pestycontrol

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It's #ForbFriday! This week, we are highlighting Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis), a widespread forest herb across much of the Eastern United States. While likely not a hiker or field biologists favorite species to encounter in the wild, this species is an incredibly important forest plant for native wildlife!Wood nettle is best known for the small and stiff urticating hairs that sting and irritate the flesh when brushed up against. The irritating hairs, while inefficient against invertebrate herbivores, are useful in deterring mammalian herbivores like deer and rabbits. These members of the Urticaceae, or nettle family, produce unique small green flowers and plants are monoecious, producing either male or female flowers on each plant. While they are wind pollinated, so not as commonly visited by pollinators, they are the host plant for a number of insects including the well known Comma (Polygonia comma), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), and Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) butterflies. While you may not choose to plant a Wood Nettle in your yard today, consider keeping some around for the native insects in your region. As always, protect native plants by staying on the trail, and never remove plants from the wild.🌱 What is a forb? A #forb is an herbaceous (non-woody) flowering plant, excluding grasses which also flower, but are termed "graminoids." Like and follow our page, and Brinton Run Preserve for future Forb Friday highlights!📸: NALT Biologist, Sara Johnson#nativeplantsoftheunitedstates #nativeplants #nativeplantsoftheus #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #easternnativeplants #southeastnativeplants #plants #nativeplantsruntheworld #landconservation #conservation #privateland #privatelandconservation #forbfriday #urticaceae #nettles #forb #plantconservation #nalt #northamericanlandtrust #flowers #wildflowers

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It's #NationalBisonDay! Did you know the American bison is the largest land mammal in North America? Adult males can weigh in at a whopping 2,000lbs, while calves can weigh 30-70lbs at birth! These grazing titans rarely eat forbs, like wildflowers, but prefer young, tender grasses and can consume more than 30lbs of grass in a day. In Texas, there are two State Parks that are home to bison: Caprock Canyons State Park and San Angelo State Park—but don’t get too close, they can run at speeds up to 35mph and jump up to 6ft high!Bison are also vital to the health of prairies and grasslands. Their hooves work the soil to make space for new plants to grow; their droppings provide nutrients for micro-organisms living beneath the surface; their wallowing behavior creates depressions that collect water and provide habitat for insects and amphibians; and native grass seeds can stick to their fur and disperse as they move. These ecosystem engineers do it all!Learn more about this iconic keystone species: https://nature.ly/3ZQWn35📹: Bison at Caprock Canyons State Park.

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Every few years, some species of trees and shrubs produce a bumper crop of their fruits or nuts. The collective term for these fruits and nuts is 'mast,' so we call this a mast year. Dropping fruit and nuts is how trees self-propagate, but their long-term survival can be compromised when animals eat all of the fruits and nuts. These boom cycles of massive production occur on an unpredictable and irregular timeline, allowing for wildlife to eat all they can, squirrel away some for winter, and still have some left over to potentially mature into young trees.One of the most recognizable trees, an oak, can drop up to 10,000 acorns during a mast year! It's a very location-specific phenomenon — not all oak trees everywhere have mast years at the same time — but there has been mast production reported in several areas of the US this fall. Have you noticed an abundance of acorns on the ground in your area?#MastYear #Acorns #MightyOak #TreeSmarts #PlantFacts #PlantPower #Forest #Fruit #Landscape #Nature #Tree #NatureLovers

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There are three types of zebra that can be found in the wild i.e;Grévy's zebra, plains zebra, and mountain zebra.The zebra’s skin is black or dark brown, while its coat is striped in black and white.They feed on bark, fruit and leaves. They typically spend more than half their day grazing, and their teeth are well-adapted for munching on tough, coarse grasses that can be difficult for other herbivores (or plant eaters) to digest.Know more about other wildlife with ushttps://lnkd.in/eRPVJT4

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Nestled among the wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.) and butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), the partridge peas (Chamaecrista fasciculata) are in full bloom here at the farm. This easy going native is definitely one you want in your landscape. Drought tolerant and flexible with soil conditions, the partridge pea is a happy-go-lucky self seeder. Partridge pea blossoms tend to be a favorite of bees and butterflies do enjoy sipping its nectar. Important for wildlife, partridge pea also serves as a host plant for cloudless giant sulphurs, orange sulphurs, gray hairstreaks, little yellows, ceraunas blues, and io moths. It is fun to remember that one of the plant’s alternate names is “sleeping pea”–and then to learn that it is a host plant for the sleepy orange butterfly!Deer and rabbits do tend to browse the foliage, but that’s just the nature of things! Plants are food for them, too. This pea’s seed abundance also makes it an important cold season food source for songbirds and game birds.

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