Swamprises

This week my ecosystem was filled with the presence of homo sapiens.  The most noticeable change upon entering my ecosystem was the mowing that took place sometime this weekend.  It was hard to differentiate if it was hay that was laid along the trails or just dead vegetation from areas that achieved higher growth.  Many of the cup plants had fallen victim to the mower, missing much of their stalk or being felled completely.  While some it was clear will not be flowering again this season, others held on for dear life, now just at eye level with a frog or snake.  In the inner parts of the prairie, much remains the same.  Cup flowers still dominates and the prairie dock reaches high enough to look over the surrounding vegetation.   The bee balm is starting to show some wear in spots where the flowers are slowly shedding, petal by petal.

The disturbance of the trail seems to have brought a host of amphibians out from their more protected surroundings.  I felt that with nearly every step I was kicking up a frog or toad and once what appeared to be a salamander that swiftly disappeared upon recognizing my presence.  The cooler weather seems to have made some of the frogs more docile as a couple allowed me to snap pictures for more than a couple minutes.  Fewer birds were present around the swamp than the last couple of weeks, which I hypothesize could be due to the presence of Canadian Geese.

It was the company of the many frogs that lead me to this weeks creative piece, a short poem:
To the dark, to the dark
Past greener fields dove
To the dark, to the dark
Shelter, comfort, home

To the dark, to the dark
As it holds on for life
To the dark, to the dark
Natures constant fight

My ecosystem contains many apparent ecotones.  The first and foremost being the separation of the swamp vegetation and the prairie, further accentuated by the trail cutting between the two.  Additionally, you can see the transition between prairie and forest, along with between swamp and forest.  I would consider these ecotones to be convoluted in the sense that they are not straight lines, but kind of bend.  I would consider the later ecotones to be diffuse in that they have at least 3 months to the growing season and are slightly more heterogeneous.

Fowler's Toad

Bufo fowleri

Characteristics: Small native toad ranging from 2-3' with females larger than males.  They can be variable in color, brown, tan, grey, green/olive and sometimes reddish.  Fowler's toads look similar to American toads, but can be distinguished in a number of ways.  A pale stripe is typically found running down the middle of it's back.  Dark, large spots on back contain 3-4 warts.  Chest is typically pale white with a single dark spot.  Habitat includes wetlands and woodland boarders, favoring more sandy soils due to digging burrows in which they hide during the day.

Adaptations: Use of sandy soils allows this nocturnal toad to burrow during the day making it less noticeable to predators.  Like many other toads, is capable of secreting toxins that deter predators along with the ability to puff their bodies with air to seem larger.  Have adapted to eat a wide variety of insects, but will not eat earthworms like the American toad.

Sources: Fowler's Toad - North Carolina. (n.d.). Amphibians and Reptiles of North Carolina - Davidson Herpetology Laboratory. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/anurans/Buffow/Buf_fow.htm;  Fowler's Toad. (n.d.). Connecticut Wildlife. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.wildlifeofct.com/fowlers%20toad.html

 Silky Dogwood

Cornus amomum

Characteristics:  Native shrub that can grow to 10" tall in optimal growing conditions.  Leaves are opposite, oval or elliptical shaped with prominent veins.  Throughout the season, leaves turn from green to red and develop spots.  In mid-spring, flowers are white with flat tops and showy bracets.  Produces a blue-ish fruit that is a favorite of birds, squirrels and other woodland animals.  Twigs are often thin and can have a reddish tint to them, especially around the fruit.  Is capable of adapting to nearly any environment, but does best in moist to wet ecosystems.

Adaptations: Has adapted well to soils that are poorly drained, making it common place along the edges of swamps.  Also capable of surviving in pH ranging from 5.0-7.0.

Sources: Ohio Trees. (n.d.). Silky Dogwood. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from ohiodnr.com/forestry/trees/dogwood_slky/tabid/5363/Default.asp; ''Indigo' Silky Dogwood. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/MI/pmc/IndigoSilkyDogwood.pdf 

Northern Leopard Frog

Rana pipiens

Characteristics: Native frog ranging from 3-5' in size.  Green to brown in color with creamy white underside.  Dorsolateral folds present.  Has 2-3 rows of dark rounded spots with light boarders, spots occur from head to legs.  Snout slightly pointed.  Are opportunistic eaters that will go after anything that will fit in their mouths (ie. insects, smaller frogs, birds, etc.).  Typically found in wetland environments, however during summer season will venture into well covered grasslands or prairie.

Adaptations: Ability to eat nearly anything allows it to thrive in swamp like conditions.  Movement from water to meadows in warmer months allows for a wider variety of foods.  Series of zigzag hops make Northern Leopard Frogs difficult to capture.

Sources: Leopard Frog. (n.d.). Marshall University. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://muwww-new.marshall.edu/herp/toads_frogs/leopard_frog.htm; Northern Leopard Frogs, Northern Leopard Frog Pictures, Northern Leopard Frog Facts - National Geographic. (n.d.). Animals - Animal Pictures - Wild Animal Facts - Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic. Retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/northern-leopard-frog/ 

Red Maple

Acer rubrum

Characteristics:  Native deciduous tree that achieves medium sized growth, roughly 2-5" per year.  Opposite, toothed leaves with 3-5 lobes, whitened and hairless underneath.  Young tree bard is smooth and grey getting broken and darker as it ages.  Twigs appear reddish in color with small shiny lenticles.  Buds also appear reddish, sometimes green, are blunt and several scaled.  Produces the smallest seed of all native maples.  Flowers appear in short clusters and are typically red, rarely yellow.  In fall leaves turn fiery red and one of the earliest deciduous trees to change.  Common in a variety of habitats ranging from swamps to dry slopes.

Adaptations:  Highly adaptable to wet sites where black ash and cottonwood are established.  Tolerance of wetter soils makes this tree good for erosion control.  Also capable of surviving in wide range of pH.

Sources:  Plant Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Red Maple. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_acru.pd;  Petrides, G. A. (1972). A field guide to trees and shrubs; field marks of all trees, shrubs, and woody vines that grow wild in the northeastern and north-central United States and in southeastern and south-central Canada, (2d ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.