In this issue:
- Featured seasonal happening
- 3rd Annual Pollinator Photo Contest
- Upcoming programs
- Recent happenings & opportunities
- Tales From the Trails
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The Dog Days of Summer... |
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We’ve had a pretty hot summer and as we enter what are often called “the dog days of summer,” we shift from bird song to insect song. One species of daytime musicians are the Dog Day Cicadas (Neotibicen canicularis). Photo courtesy Hilton Pond
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The Dog Day Cicadas are one of about 3,000 species of cicada have been recorded on all continents except Antarctica and on many islands in tropical and temperate regions. In the U.S. and Canada, about 170 species have been found. The exact range of Tibicen canicularis is not well known, but it is the only cicada in northern areas that sounds like a buzz saw.
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“Dog-day” is a reference to the "dog days" of late summer when this species of cicada is heard singing, the time when the Dog Star (Sirius) is above the horizon in the northern hemisphere within the Big Dog constellation Canis Major. Unfortunately, although it is above the horizon, it is up during the daytime and is not visible in summer in the northern hemisphere.
Unlike last year’s Brood X 17-year periodical cicada, Dog Day Cicadas are annual cicadas which emerge each year. Their buzzing from the treetops began around the July 4th holiday and will continue until fall. The male dog-day cicada sings from tall trees in hopes of receiving an invitation from a female to mate. It pays to advertise: the louder and more consistent male “musicians” have a better chance to get the attention of the females. Dog-day cicadas are strictly diurnal (active in daytime) and the singing will abruptly cease as dusk moves into darkness, only to start-up again at daybreak.
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The typical male song lasts for about 15 seconds. The first six seconds is a gradual build-up of the buzzing call that peaks to a crescendo that lasts for another six seconds, before rapidly tapering off to silence about 3 seconds later. Individual males make softer sounds as they approach a receptive wing-flicking female for mating.
Photo courtey of Joltthecoatl
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After mating (above), females use their long, sharp, saw-like ovipositors to make slits in small tree branches, creating pockets for eggs in the branch (right). Each pocket may contain 20–28 eggs. Eggs are elongate and pearly white in color. The female continues laying eggs in rows along the branch. She may lay from 400 to 600 eggs in her lifetime at various sites.
(Photo courtesy of Te Ara)
Six to 10 weeks later, the white antlike nymphs emerge and drop off the tree branch onto the ground below. They typically burrow 6–18 inches into the soil and begin feeding on plant roots until they mature 3 years later.
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Cicadas nymphs remain underground, sipping “root beer,” and molting through five instars before resurfacing. Above ground, they molt for the last time into the adult form. Adults cicadas live for four to six weeks, feeding on tree sap with their long, beak-like mouthparts. (Photo by Philip Weis)
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An interesting aspect about dog-day cicadas is that they are one of folklore legends' predictors of weather. There are several age-old observations that have been used to estimate weather over the years, Groundhog’s Day being one of them. If a groundhog emerges from its hole on February 2nd and sees its shadow (on a sunny day), there will be six more weeks of winter. Consider dog-day cicadas the anti-groundhog. The passed-down warning is that after the first call of the dog-day cicadas, there will be six weeks until frost.
Ohhhh....so soon.....?
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2022 Pollinator Photo Contest! |
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The Environmental Interpretive Center is now accepting entries in its 3rd annual Pollinator Photo Contest!
The University of Michigan-Dearborn has been certified as a Bee Campus USA affiliate by the Xerces Society since 2019 for its efforts to promote pollinator education and conservation.
Following the success of the first two contests, the EIC is once again sponsoring a photo contest featuring pollinators and their flowering plants, such as 2021 Award Winner Jonathon Maurice's "At Work." (above)
Visit the Pollinator Photo Contest website for more information and submission guidelines. You can also enjoy previous years' submissions set to music in videos compiled by Dr. David Susko. We look forward to viewing your submissions!
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Young Naturalists Program
After a 2-year wait, our staff is excited to be offering the 9-month Young Naturalist Program once again. Children ages 9-12 will join their peers in exploring the natural world in a series of hands-on program sessions, September through May. All but one session will take place from 9:30AM to 12PM on one Saturday per month.
Various session topics will include pond study, maple sugaring, wildflowers and trees, insects and spiders, birds and migration, creatures of the soil, and owl prowl. We will also be on hand to enjoy and note the changes in nature through the seasons. Experienced naturalists will lead all the sessions.
This program is tailored for children who have a strong interest and curiosity about the natural world and who wish to explore nature outdoors within a mutually supportive peer setting.
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Home School Programs
The Environmental Interpretive Center welcomes families who pursue homeschool education for their children. In addition to single visit programs for all ages and grade levels, which can be requested by going here, the Center will be offering a 9-month program series for elementary school children that meets once a month, as well as 9-month, in-depth program for secondary school students that meets weekly. Register here for the homeschool programs.
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Fall Migration Walks!
Don't forget about the return trip south for our spring migrants! Join Rick Simek at the EIC on Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM for a leisurely 2-hour bird walk to look for what Roger Tory Peterson dubbed "confusing fall warblers." For example the Chestnut Sided Warbler below: spring plumage left; fall plumage right. No worries--with Rick as your guide, you'll be up for the challenge!
Walks are planned for Sept. 10, 17, & 24, and Oct. 1.
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Photos by Bruce Wunderlich |
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Recent Happenings and Opportunities |
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Kids Do Science at the EIC Summer Science Camp!
It is not often that children get to use scientific methodology to study a plant or animal in its natural environment. In a collaboration with the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, this summer a group of middle school-aged children from southwest Detroit came to the Center to do just that, and more.
In an inquiry-based, EIC naturalist-facilitated team effort, the children developed, directed, and conducted their own outdoor scientific investigation. The site for their research was the campus Environmental Study Area.
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The children’s science-oriented activities for the week also included a hands-on exploration of pond life, as well as an introduction to GIS (Geographic Information Systems), for which they put together GIS story maps (click the links below) about their science study and its findings. One team studied frogs (left) and the other studied Poison Ivy (above)--with no cases reported! (Photos by A. Kott and D. McLeer)
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EIC Rain Garden Restoration
The native gardens outside the EIC are getting a much-needed revamp. Lacking the necessary management during the two-year closure of the UM-D campus, aggressive native plants such as Canada Goldenrod and Wild Bergamot took over large portions of the space.
To restore the compromised native plant diversity, our staff has spent a good deal of time this spring and summer replanting portions of the garden. EIC Summer Sustainability Intern, UM-D student Valerie Osowski, is leading the restoration project. We hope you take the time to visit and enjoy the revamped garden space!
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Lend a hand on Stewardship Saturdays that take place from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the third Saturday of the month. Pick one or more days to come out and help.
This year-round, ongoing effort will help address the many threats posed by various invasive plants to habitat health and quality. Each month will bring opportunities for removal of various invasive plants according to current best management practices, etc.
Children must be at least 10 years of age to participate. For more information or to register for Stewardship Saturdays, please contact Rick Simek, the EIC Natural Areas Manager, at rsimek@umich.edu or call 313-583-6371.
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Treading Carefully for Toadlets! |
If you happen to be walking the trails of the Environmental Study Area (ESA) over the next few weeks, you may want to walk slowly and carefully. If you look at the path’s surface before you set each foot down, you may notice tiny but fully developed adult American toads (aka “toadlets”) trying their best to hop out of the way. They blend in well with the soil surface, so look closely! (Photo by EIC staffer Alexis Kott)
In my 28 years as a naturalist at UM-Dearborn, I have never seen so many toadlets as this summer. Why so many?
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My hunch is that that two key environmental factors combined to give this extra boost to the American toad population in the ESA. For starters, last year’s heavy rains created lots of rainwater-filled depressions in the ESA. Lasting through the winter and into spring, these vernal ponds provided ample breeding opportunities for the mature adult toads to lay their eggs this year. (Photo by Mary Holland)
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In addition, due to the sudden very warm temperature spike on April 25 and 26, when daytime highs reached 79 degrees and 84 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, the mature male and female toads didn’t dilly-dally when it came to emerging from their winter hideaways and hopping on over to their breeding pools. The males could be heard calling throughout the ESA on those days. As evidenced by the number of toadlets out this summer, a lot of concentrated mating and egg laying must have taken place! |
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A healthy population of native amphibian species, such as the American toad, is a positive reminder of the habitat health within the ESA. We hope you take some time to enjoy viewing this wonderful example of how the ESA supports native species abundance and local biological diversity!
-Rick Simek
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Venturing outdoors and encountering nature is good for your health. Our trails are accessible daily from sunrise to sunset, so please visit our Environmental Study Area. Check out our Remote Learning Activities & Resources page for ideas to create a “Neighborhood Nature Journal” and “Family Nature Walk” activities!
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