Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
June 2020 - December 2021
“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” — Gaylord Nelson
Common Loons
Photo by Naseem Reza Chambers Island A favorite bird of many, these incredible animals are excellent divers. They use their torpedo-like bodies to move swiftly beneath the water, diving to depths of 150 feet or more. While they are perfectly evolved for life underwater, on land it is a different case. Some believe that their name is derived from an old Scandinavian word, lómr, meaning a lummox or awkward person, with the pronunciation changing to loon over the years. The loon’s grace and speed underwater does not translate to land, making these birds easy targets and incredibly vulnerable to changes in the lake ecosystem. The introduction of zebra and quagga mussels into the Great Lakes has led to algae blooms, which tend to be toxic to waterbirds. Common loons visit Door County while migrating north, and many see them as symbols of pristine wilderness. Migration is a treacherous time for all birds. Wild places like Door County Land Trust nature preserves offer an abundance of food and shelter—without man-made threats—making their migration far more likely to be successful.
June 2020
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Clintonia (Blue Bead Lily) blooms at Kangaroo Lake and Richter Forest Nature Preserves
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Rise 5:03a / Set 8:33p Wild strawberries bloom
Pitcher’s dune thistle blooms at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
Door County Land Trust founded (1986)
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Flag Day Look for Sandhill Crane chicks at Kangaroo Lake and Little Lake Nature Preserves
Thick-spike wheatgrass can be seen throughout the dune area
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Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Chickadees are hatching
Pine snakes are active
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Pitcher plant blooms
Look for silverweed in lowlying wet dune areas
Steelhead trout fry emerge from gravel beds in creeks
16 Columbine blooms Door County Land Trust protects a 420-acre conservation easement in Southern Door (2004)
22 Yellow and Pink Showy Lady’s slippers bloom
Winter wrens hatch
Blue flag iris blooms at Kangaroo Lake and Little Lake Nature Preserves
First Door County Post Office opens on Washington Island (1854)
Black-eyed Susan blooms at Oak Road Nature Preserve
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Yellow and black garden spiders hatch Jack-in-the-pulpit, hawkweed, and oxeye daisy bloom
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Gay Star flower blooms on forested dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve wings begin to bloom
Dragonflies and damselflies begin to emerge
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Strawberry Moon
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Yellow and Pink Moccasin Lady’s Slippers bloom at Bayshore Blufflands and Little Lake Nature Preserves
Gaylord Nelson’s Birthday (1916)
Look for turtles laying eggs
World Environment Day
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Shrubby potentilla blooms
Heins Creek Nature Preserve established (2012)
Hummingbird moths emerge
Look for Jack-in-the-pulpit throughout Door County
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Summer Solstice
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Woodcock chicks begin to forage on their own
Fawns stay close to their mothers
Golden carpet blooms in the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Pine sawyer beetles emerge
Sand violets bloom at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
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Sarsparilla blooms at Gilson-Peterson Natural Area
Lady tresses orchids blooms
Look for one-flowered shinleaf at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
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Loons are nesting
Pagoda dogwood blooms
Father’s Day
Indian paintbrush blooms
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Chinook salmon begin to appear in Door County waters
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Charlotte Lukes’ Birthday (1944)
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Dunewort fern begins to emerge
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Door County Land Trust
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Goat’s beard blooms
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Dune coreopsis blooms
Columbine and wood lily blooms
Look for Thimbleberries throughout Door County
Tadpoles emerge from water and begin to breathe
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Dwarf yellow Lady’s slipper orchids bloom
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Luna moths emerge
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Cecropia moths emerge
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Ninebark blooms at Lautenbach Woods and Domer-Neff Nature Preserves
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“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” — John Muir
Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly
Photo by Ken Mierzwa Once believed to be extinct and now found in only four states, the Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) is among the most endangered dragonflies in the United States. The largest population is found here—in Door County, Wisconsin. Hine’s emerald dragonflies are habitat specialists, living in areas of groundwaterfed wetlands over limestone bedrock, and are very sensitive to environmental changes. They serve as excellent water quality watchdogs, are part of our nation’s natural heritage, and add beauty to our world. The greatest threat to the Hine’s emerald dragonfly is habitat destruction. Most of the wetland habitat that this dragonfly depends on for survival has been drained and filled to make way for urban and industrial development. To help their chances for survival, the Door County Land Trust is working to directly protect Hine’s emerald habitat as well as upland areas that contribute to critical wetland habitats for breeding and larval development. Protecting the wetlands crucial for the survival of the Hine’s emerald dragonfly also benefits our human communities by protecting the quality of our drinking water.
July 2020
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Independence Day
Arrowwood shrubs bloom Swallowtail butterflies arrive
Cicadas begin to emerge
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Buck Moon Rise 5:10a / Set 8:37p
Hine’s emerald dragonflies begin mating
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Damselflies and dragonflies hatch from local creeks
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Fall shorebird migration begins
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White-tailed deer fawns explore new foods
St. John’s wort and daisy fleabane bloom
Common milkweed blooms in sand dune areas
Look for harebells blooming in sand dunes
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Stonecrop blooms
Cicadas can be heard
June bugs emerge
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Jupiter is closest to Earth
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Joe-Pye weed blooms at Three Springs and Oak Road Nature Preserves
Saturn is closest to Earth
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Painted turtles begin to hatch
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Turkey hens are molting
Evening primrose blooms in the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Eaglets fledge their nests
Song sparrow chicks hatch
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Common yarrow blooms at Domer-Neff and Bayshore Blufflands Nature Preserves
Cedar Waxwings fledge their nests
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Kalm’s lobelia and blue vervain bloom in wet areas at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Wood frogs and leopard frogs gorge on invertebrates Swamp milkweed blooms
Delta Aquarids meteor shower peaks shortly after midnight
Dogwood, hawthorn, and elderberry blooms
Northern Flickers pair up
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Look for monarch butterflies on milkweed
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(Eid) al Adha begins at sundown
Wild bergamot (bee balm) blooms at Oak Road and Domer-Neff Nature Preserves
Look for Indian pipe at Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve
18 Sandhill crane chicks learn to fly
Oakes’ evening-primrose blooms
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Work begins on the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal (July 1872)
Evening primrose blooms
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Sturgeon Bay Steel Bridge opens (1931)
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Bobolinks begin to migrate south
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Door County Land Trust www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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Jewelweed pods ripen
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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“While I recognize the need for global support for the environment, I have always thought that the slogan ‘Think Globally, Act Locally,’ is an important plan of action for everyone.” — Warren Knowles
Common Terns
Photo by Naseem Reza at Newport State Park Don’t let the name fool you, Common Terns are anything but common. In Wisconsin, the Common Tern is listed as an endangered animal—but here in Door County you’ll occasionally spot them fishing on a summer’s day. As Door County’s waters fill with small fish in spring and summer, these birds find a veritable feast to feed their newly hatched young. They’ll even snack on invasive fish, like the Eurasian round goby pictured above. These terns have a wingspan of 30” and distinguished from other terns by their coral-red bill with a black tip and their orange feet. Common terns build their nests on undeveloped sand and pebble beaches, so beach goers and shoreline development have greatly impacted their ability to nest and successfully raise young. Door County Land Trust protects nearly a mile of undeveloped shoreline throughout Door County, ensuring nesting habitat remains intact for the Common Terns and other shoreline nesting birds like the endangered Piping Plover which has been found nesting recently along Green Bay shorelines. Protecting shoreline habitat and potential nesting sites ensures these species will continue their aerial fishing shows.
August 2020
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Rise 5:37a / Set 8:13p
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Sturgeon Moon
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Wintergreen blooms Young frogs, toads, and salamanders emerge from wetlands to live on land
White camas bloom in places where lakeshore dunes transition to forest
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Great spangled fitillary butterflies emerge
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Look for Gray goldenrod and dune goldenrod blooming at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
Yellow-jacket wasps become very active
Flying ants begin to emerge
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Bottle gentian blooms
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Hazelnut fruit begins to ripen
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Black-eyed Susan’s bloom
Look for Tennessee Warblers migrating through
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Grass-leaved goldenrod blooms on the dunes
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Large-leaf aster blooms
Goldenrod, echinacea, and yellow asters bloom
Bumble bees are very active
American Bitterns begin migrating south
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19 Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program signed into law (1989)
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Bank Swallows begin to migrate south
Look for Venus in the eastern sky before sunrise
Warren Knowles Birthday (1908)
Nodding onion blooms along the forest edge at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
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Perseids meteor shower peaks
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Door County Land Trust
Queen Anne’s lace and heal-all bloom
17 Door County Land Trust awarded the ‘Seal of Accreditation’ for adherence to the highest national standards for excellence and Three Springs Nature conservation permanence Preserve established (2016) (2008)
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Roy Lukes’ Birthday (1929)
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6 Little brown bat pups begin to emerge from the maternity roost at Three Springs Nature Preserve
Grass of Parnassus blooms
Brewer’s Blackbirds begin migrating south
10 Monarch butterfly caterpillars mature on milkweed
Sea rocket blooms on the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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22 Nighthawks begin to migrate south National Honey Bee Day
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Monarchs begin migration to Mexico
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“Through generations of evolution our native landscape becomes a part of us... In this little world is found all that makes for a full life. Here we learn tolerance and charitableness, peace and friendliness.” — Jens Jensen
Waxy Cap Mushrooms Photo by Dan Eggert at Heins Creek Nature Preserve
During autumn, the wildflowers of summer are gradually replaced by the colorful and varied fungi of Door County’s forests. Hidden below the leaf litter of quiet forests or in the mossy nooks of tall trees, mushrooms sprout in multitudes of colors, shapes and sizes. Did you know that all mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms? For fungi that produce them, the mushroom plays a similar role to a flower or fruit, helping explain their striking colors and designs. Unlike flowering or fruiting plants however, mushrooms lack chlorophyll. Charlotte Lukes explains it best, saying “Mushrooms are nature’s recyclers. When normal plants that have chlorophyll—which mushrooms don’t—end their life, like a tree falls down, that tree will lay there forever unless mushrooms start to break it down and return it to soil.” Mushrooms extract nutrients from the soil, decaying plant matter, or by exchanging nutrients with other living plants. Waxy cap mushrooms, like the ones above, are some of the most colorful fall mushrooms you will find on a Door County hike. They usually open during periods of cooler weather in forests, bogs, and patches of moss.
September 2020
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Orb spiders actively weaving glistening webs in the morning dew
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Rise 6:18a / Set 7:16p
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Labor Day
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Ovenbirds and Northern Waterthrushes begin migrating south
Tree Swallows begin to migrate south
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13 Lesser fringed gentian and bottle gentian bloom at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve Jens Jensen’s Birthday (1860)
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Dogwood shrub fruit ripens
21 Look for Ruby-crowned Kinglets migrating south Peak of fall fungi emerging after rains
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Arrowwood shrub fruit and wild grapes ripen Fall Equinox
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Pine Warblers migrate south Bike-to-Work Day
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Dekay’s brown snakes look for indoor shelter
Lake trout move into shallow water preparing to spawn
Door County Land Trust receives Wisconsin’s ‘Land Trust of the Year’ award (2004)
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Golden-winged Warblers migrate south
Ruffed grouse broods begin to disperse
Chinook salmon begin migrating back to Strawberry Creek at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
Patriot Day
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Elderberry fruit ripens Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown
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Village of Sister Bay purchases Pebble Beach with Door County Land Trust and community support (2019)
Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks established (2008)
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Great Blue Herons begin migrating south
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Ospreys begin migrating south National Cleanup Day
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Snakes, turtles and frogs move toward brumation (amphibian hibernation) locations to overwinter
Look for giant puffball and ink-cap mushrooms
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White-tailed deer bucks begin to shed velvet
Neptune is closest to Earth
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Maple, ash, and wild black cherry leaves begin to turn color
Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
New England aster blooms now through October
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Dark-eyed Juncos begin to arrive
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Yom Kippur begins at sundown
Look for beech drops under beech trees throughout Door County
Eastern Wood-Pewees begin migrating south
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3 Native American Menominee tribe displaced from the Door Peninsula in the ‘Treaty of the Cedars’ (1836)
Baltimore Orioles begin to migrate south
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Corn/Harvest Moon
Blackburnian Warblers begin to migrate south
Great Egrets begin migrating south
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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“Conservation is a great moral issue, for it involves the patriotic duty of insuring the safety and continuance of the nation.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Orb-weaver Spider
Photo by Andrew Pirrung at Three Springs Nature Preserve
October 2020
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Long-jawed orb-weaver spiders have the best of both worlds—water and land. These water walking spiders are faster on water than on land and will hunt a variety of insects, including flies, and lacewings. Their name comes from their large chelicerae or fangs, which are often longer than their combined head and body. You’ll find them building webs of concentric circles within the grasses and shrubs near open water and wetlands, which are great places to catch a meal. While most spiders have webs that are chaotic and disorganized, these spiders and other true orb-weavers are the only spiders with such precise web-building skills. Females will weave their own webs, while males are often “squatters” who’ll move in to take over another spider’s web. Courtship for the spiders involves locking fangs for up to 20 minutes. Adults mate frequently, and the female lays multiple egg sacs in the late summer, with the most recent male courter as the most likely father of the offspring. The eggs overwinter and young spiders hatch in the springtime, with no mothering or protection whatsoever. The young spiders will shed their exoskeleton as they grow into adults, with each generation living less than a year.
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Common Loons fall migration peaks Tamarack trees begin to turn golden at Three Springs Nature Preserve
Chinook salmon spawn at Heins, Hibbard, and Stony Creeks
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White-tailed deer bucks are starting to make scrapes and rubs into November
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Columbus Day
2- and 3-year old needles on conifers change color and drop off
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Northern Shrikes begin to arrive
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Ding Darling’s Birthday (1876)
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www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Lake whitefish congregate in North and Moonlight Bays to spawn
Wood frogs hibernate on the forest floor as their hearts slowly stop and blood crystallizes
Peshtigo Fire burns the southern half of the Door Peninsula (1871)
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3 Red-backed salamanders court and form monogamous pairs
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Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers begin to migrate south
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Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is first illuminated (1868)
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22 Northern diver duck migration peaks for Canvasbacks, Redheads, Scaup, and Ring-necked ducks in bays along Lake Michigan and Green Bay
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Tamarack needles turn smoky-gold and drop off
Bohemian Waxwings begin to arrive
Turkey Vultures begin to migrate south
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White Cliff Nature preserve established (1998)
Pine snakes begin brumation underground Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthday (1858)
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New England asters bloom
17 Daniel Lyons canal schooner and cargo of 20,000 bushels of wheat sinks off the shoreline at Legacy Nature Preserve (1878)
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Common Redpolls begin to arrive Hawthorn fruit is completely mature and ripe
International Day of Climate Action
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Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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Brown trout cruise the shorelines
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Orionids meteor shower begins
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Average peak of fall color
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Fall color at 50%-70%
Draconids meteor shower peaks in early evening
Orionids meteor shower peaks after midnight
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Frogs, snakes, and turtles undergo brumation Fall color approaches 75%-100%
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Witch Hazel flowers at Richter Community Forest
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Winter regrouping of Ruffed Grouse begins to take place where food and cover is abundant
Pine Grosbeaks begin to arrive
Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands designated by Ramsar Convention as ‘Wetland of International Importance’ includes Three Springs Nature Preserve & land protected by conservation partners (2014)
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Harvest Moon
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Look for Mercury in the western sky just after sunset Rise 6:51 am – Set 6:23p
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Lake trout spawning peaks on shallow and deep reefs in Lake Michigan
Blue Moon Halloween
Coyotes increase daytime activity as nights become colder
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“In every out-thrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” — Rachel Carson
— Rachel Carson Bohemian Waxwing
Photo by John Van Den Brandt at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve In its never-ending search for fruit, the infrequently sighted Bohemian Waxwing is attracted to Door County’s remnant Boreal forests, cedar swamp forests, and old fields. Their name is a reference to their nomadic lifestyle; Waxwings wander from tree to tree seeking berries in the winter months. Their nomadic nature makes it difficult to predict if, and when, they will show up in your yard. But they are fruit connoisseurs, making Door County’s orchards and native shrubs an ideal buffet during their spring and fall migration. Door County’s protected lands offer a variety of nutrient- and calorie-dense native berries like juniper, hawthorn, sumac, serviceberry, and winterberry that keep these birds fueled through the fall and winter months. Bohemian Waxwings are social birds that form large, compact, and noisy groups— sometimes numbering in the thousands—as their flocks scour Door County’s winter landscape looking for fruit and preparing them for spring migration to their arctic breeding ground.
November 2020
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Rise 6:28a / Set 4:37p 1 Daylight Savings Time Ends
2 Door County Land Trust creates the Grand Peninsula and Northern White Cedar Giving Circles to enable greater land protection and stewardship efforts (2012)
Shorter day length spurs White-tailed deer rut season as bucks begin fighting for does
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Hine’s emerald dragonfly larvae burrow into crayfish holes to overwinter
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Pygmy shrews forage for insects and feed non-stop throughout the winter
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Look for evidence of Fisher tracks and their prey
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www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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Election Day
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Brown trout begin entering creeks to spawn Taurids meteor shower peaks after midnight
Coho salmon spawn in creeks
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Veteran’s Day
Brown trout spawn in Lake Michigan tributaries
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Some mammals who do not truly hibernate enter torpor, sleeping until a warm winter spell, including bears, skunks, raccoons, and oppossums
Beaver Moon
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Penumbral lunar eclipse Give the gift of land with a gift membership to Door County Land Trust
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Ahnapee and Western Railway connects Sturgeon Bay to Algoma (1892)
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Northern flying squirrels share nests to conserve body heat but continue to forage and glide through forests all winter
Look for the tracks and slides of Northern river otters along shorelines, streams and wetlands
First of the Dust Bowl storms begin in the Midwest (1933)
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Door County Land Trust celebrates 1,000 acres protected (1999)
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Short-tailed weasels (ermine) begin to turn white for the winter
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Explorers Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers spend the winter in the county with the Potawatomi Indians (1665)
Woodchucks hibernate in elaborate burrows ‘til food becomes plentiful in the spring
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River otters fish for suckers, minnows, carp, sunfish, and bass or hunt mice, voles, and red squirrels if openings in ice are smaller than 3”-4”
Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve established (1996)
Door County Land Trust
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Thanksgiving Day
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True hibernating mammals including woodchucks, ground squirrels, and bats will not be seen again until spring
Thank you for helping to protect Door County’s exceptional lands and waters...forever!
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“As a child, my feet were wet more often than they were dry.” — Carl Scholz
Snow Covered Tracks Photo by Andrew Pirrung at Three Springs Nature Preserve
December 2020
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December’s daylight hours shorten, and the sun lies low on the horizon, creating spectacular sunrise and sunset shadows across fields and through open forests. Wetland walks will show where waters freeze and where springs prevent ice from forming. Frost columns and ice needles emerge creating miniature ice sculptures on forest floors. Easterly winds and frozen nights create stunning hoar frost that adorns the trees. Crisp silence is magnified in contrast to the sounds of frozen trees creaking, of falling twigs pattering, and of woodpeckers rhythmically hammering throughout the woods. The chickadee’s bright chirp and curious personality make it an instant best friend. Ruffed grouse roosting low in juniper shrubs make themselves invisible, frantically flushing only for coyotes and the unwitting hiker. Green watercress in streams and the red feathers of cardinals and woodpeckers punctuate an otherwise subdued palette of winter colors. Look to the sky for stunning aurora borealis in the north and for the Orion constellation in the southwest sky. Listen for owls who’ve returned from their arctic summer grounds.
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1 Consider making an online donation for #GivingTuesday at DoorCountyLandTrust.org/ donate
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Rise 7:12a / Set 4:08p
Look for Red-headed, Redbellied, Hairy, Downy, and Pileated Woodpeckers
Geminids meteor shower peaks after midnight
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Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve established (1995)
Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter visible in the west just after sunset
Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve land donated (2001)
Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve established (2001)
Nationwide ban on DDT pesticide takes effect (1972)
28 Roy Lukes documents the first opossums known north of Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal crossing the frozen canal (1987) Endangered Species Act Passed (1973)
Ruffed Grouse feed on American highbush cranberry and Hawthorn fruit
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Look for the hop-hop-slide Morse code tracks of river otters along shorelines, creeks, and wetlands
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Domer-Neff Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary established (1997)
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Cold Moon
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Door County Land Trust publishes A Guide to the Places We Protect (2012)
Christmas Eve
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First conservation easement protected (1986)
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Kwanzaa
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Watch for fisher tracks roaming the wooded landscape and along creek bottoms
Orion returns to the night sky through early March
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Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve established (2009)
Carl Scholz’s Birthday (1927)
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Look for Hoary Redpolls and White-winged Crossbills Winter Solstice
Environmental Protection Agency begins operation (1970)
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Porcupines remain active all year and spend the winter in the top of an evergreen tree
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Look for Pine Siskins
A second white-tailed deer rut brings out bucks looking for does who weren’t successfully bred in the prior month
Geminids meteor shower begins
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Door County Land Trust www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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New Year’s Eve
Thank you for supporting Door County Land Trust!
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“...phenology may eventually shed some light on that ultimate enigma, the land’s inner workings.” — Aldo Leopold
Icy Sunrise
Photo by Dave Heilman at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve The crystalline cold of January brings clear cyan skies set against white snows and bare branches on sunny days. Days without sun are just as likely to bring a softly sifted snow, as they are to bring a bitter blowing wind that blankets the county in lake effect snow. Snow builds up in the shady, protected areas of cedar and pine trees, and follows wind lines through more open forests. Ice fisherman wish for calm, cold days that rapidly form smooth ice, but often January winds break freshly forming ice, creating hummocks of fragmented ice sheets along the shorelines. Under the cover of ice, whitefish school to feed on underwater shoals. Many fish seek the depths where water temperatures aren’t yet as cold as near the surface. Above ice, snowy owls have returned to hunt, and river otters play hunting and fishing games, undeterred by even the coldest days of winter. True hibernating animals are fast asleep in their dens, blissfully unaware of the blustery winter above them.
January 2021
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New Year’s Day
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Jacksonport Polar Bear Plunge Cottontail rabbits and white-tailed deer browse on tree and shrub buds
National Environmental Policy Act signed into law (1970)
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Rise 7:27 a / Set 4:21p
Quadrantids meteor shower peaks after midnight
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Little Lake Nature Preserve established (2006)
10 Early ice-fishing for whitefish and brown trout begins in protected bays and harbors of Green Bay
17 Look for frost columns or ice needles in wetland areas at Threee Springs, Kangaroo Lake, and Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserves
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Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
White-tailed deer “yard up” in cedar swamps
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Black-capped Chickadees begin spring courtship song
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Look for aurora borealis in dark sky areas year-round
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Wolf Moon
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Governor Warren Knowles signed the Wisconsin law banning the use of DDT (1970)
Kangaroo Lake designated as a State Natural Area
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Ice shelves, ice volcanoes, and pancake ice form along Lake Michigan
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Listen for Great Horned Owls hooting and claiming territories at Lautenbach Woods, Richter Forest, and Bayshore Blufflands Nature Preserves
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8 Look for Ruffed Grouse “snow roosting” as snow depths increase
Bats cycle through torpor interrupted by brief waking periods when their body temps return to normal for a few hours
Oak Road Nature Preserve established (2006)
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7 Look for hoar frost on sunlit mornings at Three Springs, Bay Shore Blufflands, Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, and Legacy Nature Preserves
White-tailed deer bucks begin dropping antlers
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Aldo Leopold’s Birthday (1887)
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Epiphany
Listen for Barred Owls hooting and claiming territories at Three Springs, Detroit Harbor, and Heins Creek Nature Preserves
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Door County Land Trust
5 Feed suet, black-oil sunflower seeds, shelled peanuts, cracked corn, millet, and Nyjer/Niger seed
Look for Mercury low in the western sky just after sunset
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Wednesday
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Look for the coldest winter days this week and next
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Ruffed Grouse are “snow roosting”
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“Here without knowing it we were still at school; every wild lesson a love lesson, not whipped but charmed into us. Oh, that glorious Wisconsin wilderness!” — John Muir
Tundra Swans
February 2021
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Photo by Melody Walsh on Washington Island
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The arrival of Tundra Swans in Door County, some of the most majestic migrating birds, signals that spring is not far behind. All white, with a 7-foot wingspan, these large yet graceful animals usually rest in Door County for two to three weeks before continuing north to the low Arctic region. While visiting the peninsula, Tundra swans look for large, isolated wetlands with vegetation and open water for food and shelter. Protected areas like Door County Land Trust’s Oak Road Nature Preserve offer ideal habitat that supports a rich variety of aquatic plants for the swans to eat as well as a quiet place to rest. Each spring, protected vernal wetlands across the peninsula fill with water and become stopping points for migrating waterfowl and breeding amphibians. Protecting Door County’s exceptional land and water is important not just for our native wildlife, but also for all the migratory species that depend on the peninsula’s water quality, shoreline, and forests. Charlotte Lukes says, “Keep your eyes and ears open for the swans. Learn where to go to observe and enjoy them. Every second of your time and energy will be repaid a thousand times over by the swans’ performances.”
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2 United Nations international agreement to protect wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Iran creating Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971)
Look for coldest winter days with sun pillars and halos at sunrise and sunset Emma Toft’s Birthday (1891)
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Rise 7:00a / Set 5:06p
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Red foxes begin mating
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Valentine’s Day
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White-tailed deer turn to browsing cedar and white pine after browsing all deciduous tree buds within reach
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National Science Day
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Deepwater cisco (Bloater) spawn in 400 feet in the middle of Lake Michigan President’s Day
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‘Treaty of the Cedars’ proclaimed, requiring Menominee Indians to move from the Door Peninsula to west of the Wolf River (1837)
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Burbot spawn under the ice in Green Bay
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Watch for Ruffed Grouse feeding on buds of deciduous trees and shrubs, highbush cranberry, and hawthorn berries
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Record low of -29° F (1917)
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Ash Wednesday
Chinese New Year
Door County’s average seasonal snowfall is 48-50”
Ring-billed Gulls begin to arrive
Look for ice formations and ice volcanoes along shorelines of Lake Michigan
Look for skunk cabbage shoots and blooms
Rabbits feed on blackberry and raspberry stalks
Beavers begin mating
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Good ice-fishing for brown trout and whitefish in waters of Green Bay
Door County Land Trust www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Wednesday
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Tuesday
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Great Horned Owls begin nesting
Opossums give birth from now through June to joeys that will live in their marsupial mother’s pouches for up to 100 days
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Snow Moon
Wisconsin Soil Conservation District Law passed (1937)
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“His love of forests, nature and gardens no doubt influenced his love of the land he was to purchase and maintain in its natural state.” — Leonard Apfelbach Jr., grandson of Ferdinand Hotz
Spring Bloom
Photo by Colleen McCarty at Three Springs Nature Preserve
March 2021
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As the Earth passes closest to the sun this month, its rays rapidly melt the ice-covered wetlands, thaws the forest floor, and begins the spring cycle of new life. Snowmelt fills the vernal pools, an open invitation for Sandhill Cranes and Great Herons to fish and hunt for newly awakened invertebrates and larvae. American Woodcocks return to their wetland breeding grounds where the male birds create spectacular aerial dances as a courtship ritual. Just as the tree saps rise and new leaf buds form, Sapsuckers and Pine Grosbeaks arrive as if by clockwork. Migrating ducks will stop to rest in Door County’s bays as they follow the shorelines north to their summer homes in the arctic—though some will stay here as well. Streams and creeks fill beyond their banks, attracting steelhead to spawn. Northern pike take advantage of the high waters to satisfy their voracious appetites for fish and amphibians by hunting in otherwise inaccessible waters. In the last days of March, the true harbinger of spring, the Eastern Bluebird, will arrive to seek a mate, court, build a nest, and raise its feathered family—all in one summer—which will be here faster than anyone can imagine.
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Tundra Swans migrate from their Chesapeake Bay wintering grounds over Door County to the Arctic circle for nesting Daylight Savings Begins at 2am
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Each opossum consumes as many as 5,000 ticks per season
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Northern pike begin spawning in tributaries and road ditches swollen from rain and snow melt
21 Listen for Woodcocks peenting and watch aerial mating flights at dusk at Solitude Natural Area
Worm Moon Palm Sunday
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Door County Land Trust protects Grand View Scenic Overlook and Park and transfers to Township of Liberty Grove (2012)
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Earliest “Ice Out” recorded in Sister Bay (2016)
22 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers begin to arrive as sap rises in sugar maples World Water Day
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Big brown bats begin to arrive
Leopard frogs emerge from their winter burrows
Wood ducks and Hooded Mergansers arrive, look for them at Oak Road Nature Preserve
Door County Land Trust protects Shivering Sands and transfers to WI-DNR (2012)
Maple sap flows when day temperatures are above 40 degrees
Look for Hooded Mergansers and Pied Billed Grebes at Three Springs and Oak Road Nature Preserves
Painted turtles and groundhogs emerge from hibernation
30 Listen for Wood frogs calling and breeding the first day and night over 50 degrees at Ephraim Nature Preserve at Anderson Pond
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Friday
Listen for Chorus frogs and Spring peepers now through the first week in April at Three Springs and Little Lake Nature Preserves Salamanders and newts emerge
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Isra al Mi’raj begins at sundown
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Spring Equinox
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Pileated Woodpeckers pair up Robins return World Frog Day
26 Look for migrating waterfowl (Goldeneyes, Scaup, Mergansers, Teal, and Buffleheads) resting in Lake Michigan near Three Springs, Legacy, and Detroit Harbor Nature Preserves
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Remove ice shanties from Green Bay and inland lakes
Northern Hawk Owls and Snowy Owls begin migrating north to the Arctic
Steelhead begin to enter creeks
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Look for Mercury low in the eastern sky just before sunrise
Watch for the first Sandhill Cranes and Woodcocks to return
Brewer’s Blackbirds begin to arrive
Ahnapee and Western Railway runs its last train from Sturgeon Bay (1986)
Ruffed Grouse begin drumming
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Canada Geese pair up
Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets begin to arrive
Pine Grosbeaks begin to migrate north
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Mink begin mating
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World Wildlife Day
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Ferdinand Hotz’s Birthday (1868)
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White-tailed deer bucks have finished shedding antlers
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Rise 6:15a / Set 5:45p
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Goldeneyes and other diving ducks can be seen along Door County shorelines
Civilian Conservation Corps formed (1933)
Door County Land Trust
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Passover begins at sundown
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Dutchman’s breeches bloom at Lautenbach Woods and Richter Forest Nature Preserves Bluebirds and Bonaparte’s Gulls begin to arrive
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“As long as there are young people with the light of adventure in their eyes or a touch of wilderness in their souls, rapids will be run.” — Sigurd Olson
Blue-spotted Salamander
April 2021
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Photo by Nancy Aten near Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve
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This colorful critter is one of four salamanders known to Door County. Blue-spotted salamanders are slender-bodied and grow no larger than 4-5 inches, making it larger than the red-backed salamander and rare four-toed salamander, but smaller than the spotted salamander, which aside from yellow spots and size, it closely resembles. One of the most important and inconspicuous members of the forest community, the Blue-spotted salamander burrows into the forest floor or under rotting logs for shelter where they consume sowbugs, crickets, snails, slugs and worms. These salamanders in turn become food for other members of the forest community, such as birds and small mammals. Though they are woodland creatures, they are also amphibians and require healthy woodland ponds to reproduce and survive. Blue-spotted salamanders are indicative of a healthy woodland and clean water. It’s no surprise they are found all over Door County—if you gently (very gently!) lift the right rock or lucky log. Their presence is a reminder of the connection between conservation of the forest community and our responsibility to protect Door County.
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Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Wednesday
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Suckers run at Heins Creek and Three Springs Nature Preserves
5 Look for Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons at Three Springs, Oak Road and Detroit Harbor Nature Preserves
Sigurd Olson’s Birthday (1899)
11 Wild leeks emerge Look for skunk cabbage shoots and flowers at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
Friday
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Wisconsin Conservation Congress convenes for community participation
Northern flying squirrels are nesting and will give birth to 3-4 young soon
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Fiddlehead ferns emerge at Detroit Harbor and Heins Creek Nature Preserves
Mallard ducks are nesting International Dark Sky Week
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Brown trout and lake trout move to feed in shallow nearshore waters Common Redpolls begin to migrate north
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Bloodroot begins blooming
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Look for Ruby-crowned Kinglets as they migrate to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Canada
Snakes come out of brumation (reptilian and amphibian form of hibernation)
Northern Shrikes begin migrating north
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American Bitterns begin to arrive
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Ramadan begins at sundown
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Bohemian Waxwings begin to migrate north to the Arctic
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Door County Land Trust
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Pink Moon
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Look for mourning cloak butterflies on sunny days above 5o degrees
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Civilian Conservation Corps begins work in Wisconsin (1934)
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Hepatica begins to bloom
Caspian Terns begin to arrive
Rough-legged Hawks begin migrating north
American White Pelicans begin to arrive
Walleyes begin spawning in creeks
Rainbow trout move up tributaries to spawn
Elderberry buds begin to open
Dark-eyed Juncos migrate north to the Arctic
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Trout lily leaves emerge at White Cliff, Richter Forest, and Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserves
Spring duck migration peaks at Oak Road, Detroit Harbor, Legacy, and Three Springs Nature Preserves
21 Bank Swallows begin to arrive Buds open on maple trees John Muir’s Birthday (1838)
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Baltimore Orioles arrive
Look for black morel mushrooms
Spring peepers and wood frogs become vocal
Pine Warblers begin to arrive
Bobolinks begin to arrive
Listen for the call of Loons on their way to northern lakes in the bays of the county
International Dark Sky Week
John Audubon’s Birthday (1785)
Blackberry and raspberry shrubs are coming up
Black morels can be seen across the county
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Earth Day
Northern Waterthrushes and Ovenbirds begin to arrive
First national Earth Day is organized by Wis. Senator Gaylord Nelson (1970)
Marsh Marigold blooms at Heins Creek Nature Preserve
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Tamarack leaves are emerging at Three Springs and Oak Road Nature Preserves
Wood Thrushes and Scarlet Tanagers begin to arrive
30 Look for marsh marigolds along streams and wetlands Arbor Day
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“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” — Rachel Carson
Dwarf Lake Iris
May 2021
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Photo by Dave Heilman at Little Lake Nature Preserve
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A rare and special find, the vivid blue, showy flowers of Dwarf lake iris are truly beautiful. This attractive shoreline species is among the best known of all the endangered and threatened plants of the Great Lakes region, where it has become a symbol of plant rarity and conservation in both Michigan and Wisconsin. Dwarf lake iris is endemic to the Upper Great Lakes region, where it grows primarily along the edges of shoreline boreal forests near other rare coastal species, such as Houghton’s goldenrod, Pitcher’s dune thistle, and piping plovers. They tend to grow along shaded trails, preferring habitat like ancient dune ridges or the shady transition of dune to forest— which perfectly describes their Door County habitat. Dwarf lake iris was listed as federally threatened in 1988 and is listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Continued protection of the places where Dwarf lake iris is found will benefit many plants and animals, including humans. Protected coastal dune and wetland areas contribute to healthy waters for drinking, swimming, fishing and more.
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Rise 5:37a / Set 7:56p Golden-winged and Blackburnian Warblers begin to arrive
3 Wis. Wetland Gem status awarded to Kangaroo Lake and Three Springs Nature Preserves and Shivering Sands Natural Area (2009)
Latest “Ice Out” recorded in Sister Bay (1972)
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Mother’s Day
4 House Wrens and Eastern Wood-Pewees begin to return
Red Fox kits emerge from their dens and venture out
Ospreys return
10 Dwarf Lake Iris blooms
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Willows leaf out
Hummingbirds return
Tamarack needles and cones emerge
Canadian tiger swallowtail butterflies begin to arrive
Barred owls are very vocal and easy to call in
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Sturgeon begin spawning Mallards hatch
Look for Tennessee Warblers migrating through
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Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
Detroit Harbor Nature Preserve established (2004)
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Last sighted Snowy Owl (2015) Memorial Day
Temperature dependent frog eggs are hatching into tadpoles
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Lakeshore Migration Corridor designated by National Audubon Society as Important Bird Area includes Three Springs, Ship Canal, and Legacy Preserves (2007)
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Endangered Species Day
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22 Canada Geese goslings hatch
Yellow perch spawning peaks
Yellow morels can be found in state parks
Bike-to-Work Day
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Ruffed Grouse males drum their wings and fight for hens
White-tailed deer fawns are being born
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American Woodcocks hatch
Look for wild asparagus
Rachel Carson’s Birthday (1907)
Look for yellow swallowtail and monarch butterflies
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International Migratory Bird Day
Wild geranium blooms
Wild turkeys finish mating and begin incubating eggs on nests
Yellow Lady’s Slipper blooming peaks around Egg Harbor
Apple tree flowers buds open
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Average last frost date
Smallmouth bass move to warm shallow water to nest and spawn at Detroit Harbor
First hay cutting begins
Look for dragonflies
Black ash leafs out Wild asparagus ready to harvest along roadsides
Gaywings, wood violets, and trout lillies bloom Bracken fern begins to unfurl
Look for newborn deer fawns
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Brown morel mushrooms can be found in state parks
Large-flowered trillium blooms at Kangaroo Lake and Richter Community Forest Nature Preserves
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Trilliums bloom
Birch and Serviceberry trees leaf out
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American Wetlands Month
Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers hatch and fledge their nests
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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“Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality, and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.” — Gaylord Nelson
Pitcher’s Dune Thistle Photo by Julie Schartner at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
A federally threatened plant, the Pitcher’s Dune Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) is among Door County’s most noteworthy plants. From late June to mid-July, the only native bloom on the dunes is Pitcher’s thistle. The Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve is home to one of the largest colonies of Pitcher’s thistle, which is found, almost exclusively, along Lake Michigan shoreline. With help from the Chicago Botanical Garden, volunteers and researchers keep a close watch over young seedlings, tracking them til they bloom and set seed five to seven years later. Each plant blooms and sets seed once before it dies. Door County Land Trust is actively restoring habitat on the dunes to protect these endangered plants from threats posed by invasive species. Without Pitcher’s thistle, pollinators like native bees do not have a steady food source, and 9 of the 29 dune pollinators at this site would be lost. Door County’s cherry and apple orchards rely on native pollinators too. The effect of losing the Pitcher’s dune thistle causes ripples far beyond our shorelines.
June 2021
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Look for turtles laying eggs Dunewort fern begins to emerge
13 Hummingbird moths emerge Thick-spike wheatgrass can be seen throughout the dune area Father’s Day
7 Wild strawberries bloom
Striped coral root orchid begins to emerge
Door County Land Trust 35th Anniversary (Founded 1986)
Pitcher’s dune thistle blooms at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
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Flag Day
Thimbleberry blooms
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Chickadees are hatching
Gaywings begin to bloom
Pine snakes are active
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Pitcher plant blooms
Look for silverweed in lowlying wet dune areas
Steelhead trout fry emerge from gravel beds in creeks
5 Yellow and Pink Moccasin Lady’s Slippers bloom at Bayshore Blufflands and Little Lake Nature Preserves
Gaylord Nelson’s Birthday (1916)
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Sarsparilla blooms at Gilson-Peterson Natural Area
Charlotte Lukes’ Birthday (1944)
Pink moccasin flower orchid blooms
Columbine blooms
Pagoda dogwood blooms
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Golden carpet blooms in the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Summer Solstice
Door County Land Trust protects a 420-acre conservation easement in Southern Door (2004)
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Yellow and Pink Showy Lady’s slipper blooms
Winter wrens hatch
First Door County Post Office opens on Washington Island (1854)
Black-eyed Susan blooms at Oak Road Nature Preserve
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Door County Land Trust
30 Dragonflies and damselflies begin to emerge
Ninebark blooms at Lautenbach Woods and Domer-Neff Nature Preserves
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Look for Jack-in-the-pulpit throughout Door County Heins Creek Nature Preserve established (2012)
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Shrubby potentilla blooms
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Loons are nesting
Blue flag iris blooms at Kangaroo Lake and Little Lake Nature Preserves
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Indian paintbrush blooms
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Chinook salmon begin to appear in Door County waters
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Look for Sandhill Crane chicks at Kangaroo Lake and Little Lake Nature Preserves
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Cecropia moths emerge
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Clintonia (Blue Bead Lily) blooms at Kangaroo Lake and Richter Forest Nature Preserves
Dwarf yellow Lady’s slipper orchids bloom
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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Yellow and black garden spiders hatch
Jack-in-the-pulpit, hawkweed, and oxeye daisy bloom
Look for one-flowered shinleaf at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Fawns stay close to their mothers
Pine sawyer beetles emerge
Sand violets bloom at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve Strawberry Moon
Woodcock chicks begin to forage on their own
Goat’s beard blooms
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Luna moths emerge
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Columbine blooms
Polyphemous moths emerge
Wood lily blooms
Dune coreopsis blooms
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Tadpoles emerge from water and begin to breathe
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“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” — John Muir
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird on Milkweed Photo by Naseem Reza at Chambers Island Nature Preserve
The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the smallest bird found in Door County. Despite their tiny size, they consume twice their body weight in food each day. Most of the food is immediately converted to energy, allowing the birds to fly backwards, upside down, hover, and dart at top speed. They eat nectar from many flowering native plants and are attracted especially to those that produce red, purple, and dark pink flowers. Because of their voracious appetites, Ruby-throated hummingbirds are important pollinators, visiting hundreds of flowers per day to prepare for their extensive migrations each spring and fall. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird comes to Door County to breed from its wintering grounds in South Florida and Central America. Ensuring quality food sources from native plants makes a difference for these pollinator birds and many other insect species as well. The quality and quantity of protected lands in Door County directly influence the populations of these birds, including the Ruby-throated hummingbird, on a global level.
July 2021
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August 2021
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Evening primrose blooms in the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve Hine’s emerald dragonflies begin mating
Sturgeon Bay Steel Bridge opens (1931)
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Work begins on the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal (July 1872)
Damselflies and dragonflies hatch from local creeks
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White-tailed deer fawns explore new foods
St. John’s wort and daisy fleabane bloom
Common milkweed blooms in sand dune areas
Look for harebells blooming in sand dunes
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(Eid) al Adha begins at sundown
Dwarf rattlesnake orchids bloom among mosses and hemlock trees Turkey hens are molting
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Eaglets fledge their nests
Sandhill crane chicks learn to fly Dogwood, hawthorn, and elderberry blooms
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Joe-Pye weed blooms at Three Springs and Oak Road Nature Preserves
Jewelweed pods ripen
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Stonecrop blooms June bugs emerge
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Arrowwood shrubs bloom
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Evening primrose blooms
Common yarrow blooms at Domer-Neff and Bayshore Blufflands Nature Preserves
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Oakes’ evening-primrose blooms Northern Flickers pair up Buck Moon
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Bobolinks begin to migrate south
Kalm’s lobelia and blue vervain bloom in wet areas at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
Wood frogs and leopard frogs gorge on invertebrates
Swamp milkweed blooms
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Look for monarch butterflies on milkweed
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Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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Cedar Waxwings fledge their nests
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Cicadas can be heard
Common milkweed blooms at Bay Shore Blufflands, Oak Road, and Legacy Nature Preserves
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Look for turkey poults
Begin pulling spotted knapweed
Painted turtles begin to hatch
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Song sparrow chicks hatch Rise 5:09a / Set 8:38p Independence Day
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Wild bergamot (bee balm) blooms at Oak Road and Domer-Neff Nature Preserves
Look for Indian pipe at Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve
Look for red waxy cap fungi after rains
“All of us who are interested in the natural environment are faced with the same responsibility. We must learn about the world around us and take care of it.” — Roy Lukes
Monarch on Rough Blazing Star Photo by Glenn Ocock near Kellner Fen Natural Area
A natural symbol of summer, monarch butterflies can be spotted easily by their striking orange wings with white-spotted, bold, black lines. They can most often be found sailing over milkweed patches and feeding on wildflower nectar. Sadly, though a widely loved species, monarchs are currently being evaluated for a place on the Endangered Species List. Monarch populations in Door County have dropped by more than 80 percent in the last 20 years. The decline in monarchs can be traced to several causes, including deforestation in their migratory home of Mexico, severe weather, and habitat loss. Monarchs are specialists, laying their eggs exclusively on native milkweed plants. Commercial agriculture and rapid development have led to the equally rapid decline in the native milkweed population—an absolute necessity for monarchs. Door County Land Trust and conservation partners across the peninsula are working to protect butterfly habitat and reintroduce native plants—and you can help too! Planting native flowers like blazing star and milkweed create a pollinator buffet for monarch butterflies, birds, and bees.
August 2021
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Look for yellow finger oral, Boletus, and fly agaric fungi
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16 Door County Land Trust is awarded the Seal of Accreditation in recognition of adherence to the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence (2016)
Caspian Terns begin migrating south
Baltimore Orioles begin second song
Red-backed salamander eggs hatch
Bottle gentian blooms
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Three Springs Nature Preserve established (2008)
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Nighthawks begin to migrate south
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Sea rocket blooms on the dunes at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
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Door County Land Trust Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
Monarchs begin migration to Mexico
Yellow-jacket wasps become very active
Flying ants begin to emerge
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Grass-leaved goldenrod blooms on the dunes Bumble bees are very active
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Black-eyed Susan’s bloom
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Look for Tennessee Warblers migrating through
American Bitterns begin migrating south
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Goldenrod, echinacea, and yellow asters bloom
Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program signed into law (1989)
Look for Gray goldenrod and dune goldenrod blooming at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
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Bank Swallows begin to migrate south
Perseids meteor shower peaks
Warren Knowles Birthday (1908)
End of snowshoe hare mating Nodding onion blooms along the forest edge at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
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Little brown bat pups begin to emerge from the maternity roost at Three Springs Nature Preserve
Roy Lukes’ Birthday (1929)
Queen Anne’s lace and heal-all bloom
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Grass of Parnassus blooms
Brewer’s Blackbirds begin migrating south
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Monarch butterfly caterpillars mature on milkweed
Great spangled fitillary butterflies emerge
Large-leaf aster blooms
Sturgeon Moon
Young frogs, toads, and salamanders emerge from wetlands to live on land
White camas bloom in places where lakeshore dunes transition to forest
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Wintergreen blooms
National Honey Bee Day
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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Hazelnut fruit begins to ripen
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“Everyone is entitled to a home where the sun, the stars, open fields, giant trees, and smiling flowers are free to teach an undisturbed lesson of life.” — Jens Jensen
Autumn Sunrise
Photo by Andrew Pirrung at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve As summer nights become cooler and days shorten, Door County settles into a slower pace. The frenzy of bumble-bees and hummingbirds gives way to a slow drift of wildflower seeds and the steady stockpiling for winter. Near the end of September, the first frost of autumn will settle in Door County’s cooler places along coastal wetlands, marking the exodus of birds seeking insects, flowers, and fresh fruit for nourishment. The bounty of native plants, shrubs, and trees offers an abundant harvest of nuts and berries for birds preparing to migrate south, as well as for mammals who gorge themselves in preparation for a long winter’s nap. Without fur to keep them warm, or wings to migrate south, frogs, snakes, and turtles seek cover and begin brumation, when their bodies naturally slow and become dormant in the colder temperatures. Insects too will either seek shelter or lay their eggs, preparing for the next generation to emerge in springtime. Fall rains bring out dormant fungi that begin the decomposition of leaves, enriching soils for falling seeds.
September 2021
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Rise 6:16a / Set 7:18p
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Labor Day
Ovenbirds and Northern Waterthrushes begin migrating south
Golden-winged Warblers migrate south
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Rosh Hashannah begins at sundown
Tree Swallows begin to migrate south
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Eastern Wood-Pewees begin migrating south
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White-tailed deer bucks begin to shed velvet Lesser fringed gentian and bottle gentian bloom at Sturgeon Bay Ships Canal Nature Preserve
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Jens Jensen’s Birthday (1860)
Dogwood shrub fruit ripens
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Arrowwood shrub fruit and wild grapes ripen Fall Equinox
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Look for Ruby-crowned Kinglets migrating south
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Great Egrets begin migrating south
Peak of fall fungi emerging after rains
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www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Dekay’s brown snakes look for indoor shelter
Lake trout move into shallow water preparing to spawn
Door County Land Trust receives Wisconsin’s ‘Land Trust of the Year’ award (2004)
First Juncos begin to arrive on Washington Island Chinook and pink salmon enter creeks after fall rains and begin to spawn
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11 Elderberry fruit ripens Look for beech drops under beech trees throughout Door County
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18 Village of Sister Bay purchases Pebble Beach with Door County Land Trust and community support (2019)
Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks established (2008)
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New England aster blooms now through October
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Chinook salmon begin migrating back to the stream where they were hatched or stocked including Strawberry Creek at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
Maple, ash, and wild black cherry leaves begin to turn color
Pine Warblers migrate south
Door County Land Trust Snakes, turtles and frogs move toward brumation (amphibian hibernation) locations to overwinter
Yom Kippur begins at sundown
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American highbush cranberry fruit matures
Dark-eyed Juncos begin to arrive
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Native American Menominee tribe displaced from the Door Peninsula in the ‘Treaty of the Cedars’ (1836)
Blackburnian Warblers begin to migrate south
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Baltimore Orioles begin to migrate south
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Orb spiders actively weaving glistening webs in the morning dew
Ospreys begin migrating south
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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National Cleanup Day
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Great Blue Herons begin migrating south
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Look for giant puffball and ink-cap mushrooms
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“Land, water and vegetation are just that dependent on one another. Without these three primary elements in natural balance, we can have neither fish nor game, wild flowers nor trees, labor nor capital, nor sustaining habitat for humans.” — Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling
Swimming Upstream Photo by Dan Eggert at Heins Creek Nature Preserve Essay by Dave Tupa
Each fall, Door County’s streams fill with spawning pairs of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Although not native to the Great Lakes, Chinook were introduced in the 1960s to help solve problems resulting from the invasion of alewife. Once a pair has found a suitable stream location, the female will turn on her side, undulate, and clean the gravel (called a spawning redd). The male will protect her by chasing away any other males. When she is ready, the female deposits eggs into the gravel, while the male deposits milt on the eggs. Fertilization is instantaneous. The female will cover the eggs with gravel. After spawning, the adults die, decompose, and provide nutrients for invertebrates that feed the developing salmon. Eggs hatch in about 45-50 days. New hatchlings (alevin or sac fry) will spend several months in the gravel and then spend several more months feeding before developing into smolts. The smolting process is very important as they imprint on their home stream. The smolts eventually enter the lake to feed for several years until they are mature and return to their home stream to spawn, completing the life cycle.
October 2021
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Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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New England asters bloom
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Tamarack trees begin to turn golden at Three Springs Nature Preserve
Chinook salmon spawn at Heins, Hibbard, and Stony Creeks
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Columbus Day
White-tailed deer bucks are starting to make scrapes and rubs into November
Turkey Vultures begin to migrate south
17 Daniel Lyons canal schooner and cargo of 20,000 bushels of wheat sinks off the shoreline at Legacy Nature Preserve (1878)
Coyotes increase daytime activity as nights become colder
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Witch Hazel flowers at Richter Community Forest
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8 Peshtigo Fire burns the southern half of the Door Peninsula (1871)
Rough-legged Hawks begin to arrive
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Harvest Moon
Northern Shrikes begin to arrive
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Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers begin to migrate south
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Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is first illuminated (1868)
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Ding Darling’s Birthday (1876)
Brown trout cruise the shorelines
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White Cliff Nature preserve established (1998)
22 Northern diver duck migration peaks for Canvasbacks, Redheads, Scaup, and Ring-necked Ducks in bays along Lake Michigan and Green Bay
Average peak of fall color
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Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthday (1858)
Hawthorn fruit is completely mature and ripe
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Bohemian Waxwings begin to arrive
Tamarack needles turn smoky-gold and drop off
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Pine snakes hibernate underground
Wood frogs hibernate on the forest floor as their hearts slowly stop and blood crystallizes
Lake whitefish congregate in North and Moonlight Bays to spawn
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Fall color at 50%-70%
Fall color approaches 75%-100%
Winter regrouping of Ruffed Grouse begins to take place where food and cover is abundant
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Frogs, snakes, and turtles undergo brumation
2- and 3-year old needles on conifers change color and drop off
Pine Grosbeaks begin to arrive
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6 Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands designated ‘Ramsar Wetland of International Importance’ at Three Springs & partner lands (2014)
Common Loons fall migration peaks
Red-backed salamanders court and form monogamous pairs
Halloween
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Look for Mercury in the western sky just after sunset
International Day of Climate Action
Door County Land Trust
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30 Lake trout spawning peaks on shallow and deep reefs in Lake Michigan
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“I can assure you I liked noe country as I have that wherein we wintered; for whatever a man could desire was to be had in great plenty; viz. staggs, fishes in abundance, and all sorts of meat, corne enough.” — Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Going to Seed
Photo by Tom Jordan at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve When explorers Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers spent the winter in the county with the Potawatomi Indians in 1665, they would have found the lands heavily forested and the waters teeming with native fish. Potawatomi Indians on Washington Island and in settlements near Heins Creek and Sturgeon Bay lived richly on the abundance of the land and waters—and generously shared their good fortune with explorers. Explorers, in turn, shared news of the abundance with French furtraders, who then began to build and network from outposts in Door County. Access from the waters of Green Bay through the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers gave access to the Mississippi—the great river highway of its time. By the 1830s fur trading was in decline, leading some outposts into farming for their livelihood. Today, the American pine marten (not found at all in Door County) remains endangered in Wisconsin, and other animals, like weasels, mink, fishers, river otters, and badgers are rarely seen. Thanks to protected wild places, animals like these can enjoy the rich abundance of the land and waters, just as the explorers did 355 years ago.
November 2021
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Hine’s emerald dragonfly larvae burrow into crayfish holes to overwinter
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Pygmy shrews forage for insects and feed non-stop throughout the winter
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Look for evidence of Fisher tracks and their prey
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Give the gift of land with a gift membership to Door County Land Trust
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Veteran’s Day
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Look for the tracks and slides of Northern river otters along shorelines, streams and wetlands
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Door County Land Trust celebrates 1,000 acres protected (1999)
First of the Dust Bowl storms begin in the Midwest (1933)
Look for wildlife tracks in fresh snow
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Taurids meteor shower peaks after midnight
Coho salmon spawn in creeks
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Brown trout begin entering creeks to spawn
Beaver Moon
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Ahnapee and Western Railway connects Sturgeon Bay to Algoma (1892)
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20 Explorers Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers spend the winter in the county with the Potawatomi Indians (1665)
Woodchucks hibernate in elaborate burrows ‘til food becomes plentiful in the spring
24 River otters fish for suckers, minnows, carp, sunfish, and bass or hunt mice, voles, and red squirrels if openings in ice are smaller than 3”-4”
Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve established (1996) Hannukkah begins at sundown
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Short-tailed weasels (ermine) begin to turn white for the winter
Door County Land Trust www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
2 Door County Land Trust creates the Grand Peninsula and Northern White Cedar Giving Circles to enable greater land protection and stewardship efforts (2012)
Rise 6:36a / Set 4:29p 7 Daylight Savings Time Ends
Weasels begin to molt as their coats turn white camouflaging them in winter snow
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Shorter day length spurs White-tailed deer rut season as bucks begin fighting for does
28 Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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Thanksgiving Day
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27 Some mammals who do not truly hibernate enter torpor, sleeping until a warm winter spell, including bears, skunks, raccoons, and oppossums
True hibernating mammals including woodchucks, ground squirrels, and bats will not be seen again until spring
Thank you for helping to protect Door County’s exceptional lands and waters...forever!
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“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” — John Muir
Hairy Woodpecker
Photo by John Van Den Brandt at Chambers Island Nature Preserve
December 2021
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Frequently heard first and then seen, the Hairy Woodpecker can be found year-round flitting between trees, drilling holes in search of insects. These adaptable birds live in forests, woodlands, and shady groves near wetlands, but need mature woodlands to carve the perfect home—a deep nesting cavity. The Hairy Woodpecker name is a misnomer, having no actual hair on its body, only feathers. Woodpeckers are evolutionary marvels, with tongues up to 4 inches long and zygodactyl feet, with two toes facing forward and two toes facing back to help grip trees. Woodpeckers use their long tongues to reach for insects, especially wood-boring beetle larvae—insects that otherwise may do considerable damage to their host trees. In addition to their diets helping control populations of tree pests, the holes carved out by Hairy Woodpeckers are often used later by smaller birds like chickadees or squirrels. Hairy Woodpeckers have an endlessly busy agenda on snowy winter days that are one of winter’s simple delights. You may find yourself mesmerized by their bold, vibrant colors contrasting with winter’s muted tones.
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Weasels stay warm by lowering their metabolism and curling into balls inside their burrows but do not hibernate
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Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
A second white-tailed deer rut brings out bucks looking for does who weren’t successfully bred in the prior month
Look for Red-headed, Redbellied, Hairy, Downy, and Pileated Woodpeckers
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Domer-Neff Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary established (1997)
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Look for Hoary Redpolls and White-winged Crossbills
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Cold Moon
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Winter Solstice
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Richter Community Forest Nature Preserve land donated (2001)
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Nationwide ban on DDT pesticide takes effect (1972)
28 Roy Lukes documents the first opossums known north of Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal crossing the frozen canal (1987) Endangered Species Act Passed (1973)
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Look for bobcat tracks at Three Springs and Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserves
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Door County Land Trust publishes ‘A Guide to the Places We Protect’ (2012)
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Christmas Bird Count from now through January 5
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Christmas Eve
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Christmas
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Watch for fisher tracks roaming the wooded landscape and along creek bottoms
Lautenbach Woods Nature Preserve established (2001)
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Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve established (1995) Listen for Saw-whet, Short-eared, and Snowy Owls
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Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve established (2009)
Carl Scholz’s Birthday (1927)
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Porcupines remain active all year and spend the winter in the top of an evergreen trees
Ruffed Grouse feed on American highbush cranberry and Hawthorn fruit
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Environmental Protection Agency begins operation (1970)
Door County Land Trust www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
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Look for Pine Siskins
Kwanzaa
Protecting Door County’s Exceptional Lands and Waters...Forever
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Look for the hop-hop-slide Morse code tracks of river otters along shorelines, creeks, and wetlands
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First conservation easement protected (1986)
New Year’s Eve
Thank you for supporting Door County Land Trust!
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Nature notes on each day of the calendar remind you of the Door County wonders that you’ve helped to protect and of those memorable places that inspired your love for this cherished place. From the stony shoreline at Little Lake Nature Preserve to the grassland overlook of Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks, find yourself transported into the inner workings of nature. Door County’s 80-mile stretch from north to south spans the 45° latitude line. Coastal wetlands along Lake Michigan are bathed daily in cool, moist lake air. The predominant winds from the west tend to bring warmer, drier air to uplands along the Green Bay shoreline. At higher elevations, the karst bedrock of the Niagara Escarpment is barely covered by soil, yet in low-lying wetlands, soils are rich with humus. All these changes—from the micro-climate differences of temperature, humidity, and precipitation to the adaptations of plants and animals based on day-length, angle of the sun, forest density, surrounding vegetation, and more—provide an element of chaos in what would otherwise be a clockwork annual cycle of nature. But, it is just these small variations, from the top of the bluff to the bottom, from one side of the peninsula to the other, that create the incredible web of diversity found in Door County. Any piece of the web cannot stand alone; we aim to protect it in its entirety. Wherever you are, we invite you to discover anew Door County’s diversity which we must remember, cherish, and protect for the next generation. Door County Land Trust is a member-supported local land conservation organization protecting and stewarding Door County’s exceptional lands and waters...forever. All are invited to join the effort. With your help, we’ll leave a better place for future generations.
www.DoorCountyLandTrust.org
Join us in thanking our Business Members! N
B F S I GUARDIAN F I N A N C I A L
LARRY BRUNETTE - MARY MORROW
This calendar is generously supported through the membership contributions of local businesses. Please patronize these local businesses, and when you do, thank them for their support of Door County Land Trust! Alibi Marina and Harbor Guest House Ashbrooke Hotel Blue Dolphin House Brilliant Marketing Brown County Graphics Door County Eye Associates Door County Nature Works Door County Premium Rentals Door Landscape & Nursery EcoDoor, LLC
Ecology First Light Arts, Jim Perry Glidden Lodge Beach Resort The Garden Lady, Beth Coleman Gills Rock Stoneware Grasse’s Grill Impressions Printing and Graphics Out of the Woods Woodworking, Curt Wessel Pinkert Law Firm, LLP
RentShadowLawn.com Ross Estate Planning Sunnypoint Landscape Terra Cottages Dr Timothy Tishler, DDS True North Real Estate Wagon Trail Campground Washington Island Ferry Line Wickman House Restaurant