Natural Connections

Stiff muscles after a day spent in nature can make a person feel old, but nature can also make us feel young. Compared to a butterfly, our lifespan is enormous. Compared to the stars, we are less than infants. The sense of discovery, excitement of learning new things, delight in following our curiosity, and freedom from the constraints of polite society all contribute to our feelings of joy and vibrancy and youthfulness in nature—no matter what our true age.  

When a sixth grader asks, “Why is grass green?” I’m pretty sure they don’t expect an answer that dives into chemistry and evolutionary history. And yet, that’s what they’ll get! While many of us—even scientists and educators—have a logical (but incomplete) answer ready to go, a little more digging turns up connections to blood, the nuances of photons, and even a mysterious ancestor that may or may not have existed in the deep past.

Eastern hemlock thrives in the deep shade of its elders, while paper birch craves almost full sun. These evergreen and deciduous trees could hardly be more different…until you look more closely at their tiny, winged seeds and the nurse stumps where they each find purchase. In this week’s Natural Connections we’ll explore the relationship between this odd couple while snowshoeing on the beautiful Forest Lodge Estate.

Pileated woodpeckers are impressive birds with chisel-like beaks and striking red, white, and black markings. They eat a variety of insects, fruits, and other mysterious items they might find on the slender twigs of a boxelder tree outside our office window. Learn more about these unique “tree cleavers” in this week’s Natural Connections.

This week a stack of old books revealed a treasure. Bound in blue cloth with gold writing, “Sharp Eyes: A Rambler’s Calendar of Fifty-Two Weeks among Insects, Birds, and Flowers,” written by William Hamilton Gibson in 1891, offered delightfully verbose descriptions of a walk in nature. In the WINTER section, Gibson called snow, “a great white page storied with the doings of the little wild folk which few of us ever see.” Gibson also wrote admiringly of squirrels, saying that “his sensitive plumy tail in every movement expressive of its homage to the line of beauty.” Enjoy this time capsule!

Wolves are common in the Northwoods, even if we rarely see them. That’s why Naturalist Emily Stone was thrilled to find big wolf tracks on her driveway, and plenty of wolf sign in her woods. From cozy wolf beds, to a trail filled with raised leg urinations, there’s lots to learn from tracking her new neighbors.

Least weasels are the world’s smallest carnivores. With long skinny bodies, they hunt little mammals under the snow, in that magical space we call the subnivean zone. From North Africa to northern Russia, and even here in Wisconsin, these tiny predators stealthily reduce our populations of mice and voles, all while looking cute. Learn more about them from Naturalist Emily Stone in this week’s Natural Connections!

Sledding is one of Naturalist Emily Stone’s favorite winter activities. She’s not alone. Otters, bears, and even ravens and crows also enjoy sliding down hills on snow. Scientists know that play, including sliding, is somehow connected to young animals surviving longer. Playtime might even help adults reduce stress and boost their immune system. Grab a sled and let’s go!

Back in the 1970s, Gary Siegwarth stuck a carton of ice cream in a snowdrift. “I thought it was the perfect hiding place from my siblings,” Gary told me, “Turns out the ice cream cache quickly metamorphosized into a subnivean shake… Gary had discovered the Subnivean Zone. This week, I’ve tucked thermometers into the snow in a less sticky way of observing the same magical phenomenon.