Seasons
Spring 2012
The Greening of Maplewood
Our Changing World
By Virginia Gaynor, Natural Resources Coordinator To understand Maplewood’s natural world, it’s helpful to travel back in time – geologic time. So imagine you’re in Maplewood, millions of years ago. You’re adrift on a vast continental sea. Seas advance and retreat, depositing sediments that solidify into layers of sedimentary rock. This became the bedrock that underlies Maplewood today – sandstone, shale, dolomitic limestone, and dolostone. Fast forward to the Maplewood of 12,50020,000 years ago and you’re standing on a mile-high glacier. The ice sheet that traveled here from the northeast brought with it granite, sandstone, and basalt; the ice sheet from the northwest carried limestone and shale. When the climate warmed the glaciers retreated northward, depositing boulders and glacial till (rocks and soil) and carving the landforms we have today. The materials left by the last glaciers are the parent material for the soils in Maplewood, a
diverse palette from sandy and gravelly to heavy clay and organic peat. Soils, topography, and climate set the stage for plant life. In the cool years following the glaciers’ retreat, spruce trees thrived here. As the climate warmed, these were replaced by pine and oak. Continued warming brought prairies and then cooling shifted the area back to trees. More warm years shifted the landscape back towards savannas and woodlands.
to the decline of some animals. But today, Maplewood is home to a diverse suite of reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, and mammals. Some are common like raccoons and cardinals. Occasionally people have the thrill of seeing a mink or a coyote. This past year, several residents reported watching fox kits play in our Neighborhood Preserves. Animals that had disappeared from the area, such as wild turkey, have re-established in the past several years.
If you’d been among the early settlers seeking farmland in Maplewood in the late 1850’s, you would have looked out over a landscape of wetlands, oak woodlands, and oak savannas (scattered oaks with prairie grasses and wildflowers). These are the primary native plant communities of Maplewood. Farming and development dramatically altered our landscape, but remnants of our native plant communities can still be found today in parks, natural areas, and backyards.
Change has been the one constant in the story of nature in Maplewood. Our chapter today is the story of stewardship. Small urban natural areas need help recovering from the heavy impacts of urbanization. The City is committed to a long-term effort to manage and enhance its natural areas. We salute the many residents that help on public lands or care for backyard natural areas – removing buckthorn and invasive species, planting native wildflowers and grasses, and improving habitat for insects, birds, and wildlife.
Plant communities, of course, are habitat for animals. At the time of white settlement, species like elk and wolf inhabited Maplewood. Habitat loss and hunting led
Exploring Maplewood Native Plant Communities
Oak Woodland - Oak woodlands thrive at preserves like the Priory and on private lands.
Oak Savanna - Small savannas at Wakefield Park and Priory Preserve are our best remaining examples.
Wetlands – Maplewood has over 300 wetlands of many different types.
Nature Rocks!
By Ann Hutchinson, Lead Naturalist
A geologist once jokingly told me, “Never take rocks for granite!” So, What is a rock? Rocks are combinations of minerals. Minerals are made up of inorganic matter - individual elements or combinations of elements, with a specific, ordered chemical composition. For example, quartz is always made up of one part silicon to two parts oxygen that are bonded together in an ordered, repeating pattern that gives it a specific shape. Rocks are categorized in this manner:
Granite Glacial Erratic
Fish Creek cuts through layers of sedimentary limestone and sandstone.
Igneous rocks are volcanic in origin. Their chemical makeup is determined in the magma and in the cooling process. Rocks that cool quickly result in basalts like those along Minnesota’s north shore, whereas the coarse granite around St. Cloud reflects slow cooling below the earth’s surface. Sedimentary rocks are formed by rocks that have been weathered by wind, rain, sun, and ice into tiny particles of sand, silt or clay. Over thousands or millions of years, they slowly cement together in layers. Examples of sandstone layers are found along the exposed bedrock of Battle Creek and Fish Creek in south Maplewood. Metamorphic rocks are igneous or sedimentary rocks that were subjected to heat, pressure, or chemical changes. For example, limestone can be reformed into marble, shale can be changed to slate. Morton gneiss from the Minnesota River Valley is among the oldest rocks in the world at 3.6 billion years.
Fossils. In Lilydale Park in St. Paul, the Mississippi River has eroded through an ancient sea bed of limestone, exposing a variety of fossils that are easily found. You can obtain a permit to collect them by contacting St. Paul Parks. Rock hunting can be fun! Visit local old gravel pits for agates, quartz, and granite. Always call for permission to collect on private or public land. Visit the Minnesota Geological survey’s website for photos and identification of typical rocks and minerals: www.mngs.umn.edu/virt_egg/secondpg.htm
Fish Creek Wildflower Hike
Co-sponsored by Friends of Maplewood Nature FRIDAY, MAY 4, 6:30 - 8:00PM Discover the beauty of the early spring woodland wildflowers. FREE! Register at 651.249.2170 or info@maplewoodnaturecenter.com
Maplewood is fortunate to have diverse natural areas for native wildflowers. Many are showy whereas others are retiring and hard to find. For instance, the autumn coralroot, a tiny six-inch high orchid was recently discovered at the Nature Center. Woodland Ephemerals Early spring wildflowers, such as bloodroot, are called ephemerals because they push through the soil, flower, attract pollinators, and set seed before new tree leaves close the canopy. Other woodland wildflowers that are adapted to shade, such as Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Wild Geranium, emerge later and mingle with the ferns and other woodland understory plants. Wetland Wildflowers With many different types of wetlands in Maplewood, we have a great diversity of wetland wildflowers. The large yellow flowers of marsh marigolds light up wetland edges with a golden glow in spring. These wildflowers provide abundant nectar for native bees. Look for the large heart-shaped leaves growing in rich mud along streams and wetlands. Seasons 2
Bloodroot
photo by Myra Smisek
By Jan Hayman, Naturalist
photo by Myra Smisek
Native Wildflowers
Marsh Marigold
Blazing Star
Prairie Wildflowers The long flower wands of blazing star bloom in sunny prairies in mid to late summer. Two species, rough and meadow blazing star, are important nectar flowers for butterflies. You can start a monarch wayfaring station with these easily grown plants in your home gardens in full sun. There are many ways to learn about our native wildflowers. Sign up for a hike through the Nature Center. Check out this Minnesota wildflower website: www.minnesotawildflowers.info. Buy native wildflowers to include in your garden. Explore our local natural areas. Some of the best Maplewood locations for wildflowers are the Nature Center, Joy Park, Jim’s Prairie, Applewood Preserve, Lake Phalen shoreline restorations, and Battle Creek Park.
Discover Birds photo by Karen Cramer
By Ann Hutchinson, Lead Naturalist
My favorite thing to do in spring is grab a pair of binoculars and see who’s arriving! The annual spring migration is the best time to watch birds because they are at their most colorful and distinct, and therefore easier to identify. Maplewood, part of the Mississippi River flyway, an extremely important migration route, is a great place to look for raptors, herons, and warblers. See if you can spot the following birds in your neighborhood. Raptors are important predators in the food web. Did you know it has been estimated that one barn owl could eat 11,000 mice in its lifetime (ten years)? These flying mouse traps help keep the rodent population in check, saving thousands of dollars in crop damage. Red-tailed hawks hunt mice along the open grassy habitat of our highways such as Highway 36. Be sure to watch for these large birds with reddish tails as you’re riding in the car.
photo by Jim Holmes
Yellow Warbler
Herons, including Great Blue Herons, often fly long distances from their Mississippi rookeries to feed on frogs, snakes, fish, and crayfish in shallow lakes and ponds. The less common, secretive Black-Crowned Night Heron can be found roosting along the wooded wetland edges. Warblers, vireos, and many other songbirds migrate in sync with insect hatches. You can spot these small birds darting among branches in search of the first hatching flies and midges. Besides being colorful and entertaining, these songbirds help keep trees healthy by consuming caterpillars and other insect pests. Young yellow warblers spend just ten days in the nest thanks to a tree caterpillar diet provided by their parents.
Black-Crowned Night Heron
About 200 songbird species pass through our area on their way north while others remain to nest in trees and shrubs in woods and yards. Videos of birds and their calls can be found at www.birds.cornell.edu. Beginning Bird Identification For Adults
Beginning Bird Identification classes begin April 5th. Contact the Nature Center to register at 651.249.2170 or www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/nc. Barn Owl
Volunteer Spotlight: Dick Miller
By Oakley Biesanz, Volunteer Coordinator
Maplewood offers five citizen-monitor volunteer programs, collecting and sharing natural resource data with scientists at county, state and national levels. Results help wildlife and improve natural areas. Resident Dick Miller has been a citizen science volunteer since 2006 at Maplewood Nature Center and Neighborhood Preserves. Dick began as a Bluebird Monitoring Volunteer at Applewood Preserve. Dick says, “It’s nice to be able to help the birds that depend on nest cavities. You do see more bluebirds where people put up bluebird houses – it’s a successful program! “ Soon he volunteered as a Frog Monitor with his wife as his monitoring partner. “We go out Frog Monitoring three times during the year, in late evening, and stop at ten ponds.” Frog species are identified by their calls and noted on data sheets.
The Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas is a recent addition to his list of volunteer jobs. The project compiles evidence and creates maps of all nesting bird species throughout Minnesota. Dick’s interest in birds began when he was a kid. “Birding is a bit of a treasure hunt,” he says with a grin. “The first time I ever saw a prothonotary warbler was at the Nature Center. It landed so close that I couldn’t even use binoculars. For the Breeding Bird Atlas, I record if there is a bird flying with nesting material, or any other evidence of nesting. For this survey, I go through the Priory Preserve, Jim’s Prairie, the Nature Center, neighborhoods and the 3M pond looking for good habitat where birds might be nesting.” To see a bird list created by Dick for the Nature Center and Applewood Preserve visit www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/nctrails. Without citizen volunteers like Dick Miller, the City wouldn’t be able to continue our important work in tracking wildlife and habitat. If you are interested in becoming a citizen monitor, contact the Nature Center at 651.249.2170.
Seasons 3
By Ann Hutchinson, Lead Naturalist
Looking across the vast blooms of water lilies, it is hard to imagine the Nature Center land was once a potato field. The Nature Center was established in 1979, but this site wasn’t always “natural.” Years of drought and wet have changed it from marsh to meadow and back several times. At one point in the 1940’s, when the land was owned by a developer named Sterling, one of the wetlands was used as a tree nursery. Hydrologists think this was possible due to the drought of the late 1930’s. In the late 1950’s and 1960’s more houses were built within the Nature Center’s 98-acre watershed, and stormwater runoff was directed to the pond from those streets and homes. There is no spring, and the outlet on the southeast drains eventually to Battle Creek and then to the Mississippi River.
photo by Mike Steinmetz
Maplewood Nature Center From Marsh To Meadow: A Cycle Of Change
Two Great Horned Owls Roost on Large Cottonwood
Animals come and go as the climate and habitat dictate. When the pond was full of water in the 1980’s, naturalists often spotted diving ducks such as scaups and even a loon or two. Small fish had moved in and crayfish were abundant. Drought came again and the boardwalk was dry docked in 1989-90. As the drought continued, the marsh turned to meadow and soon a family of red fox moved to the island. Regular spotting of kits provided evening entertainment. Deer cavorted in the new meadow, relishing tasty sprouts from the long drenched seedbank. Great horned owls nested in the large cottonwood, preying on the abundant rodents now living in the grass flowering in the former muck.
Field Vole is Dinner for Owls
Finally, spring rains came in the early 1990’s and filled the pond again. It was then that we noticed the lily pad invasion. Although the American water lily has a gorgeous white flower, it reproduces by thick, underwater stems and sends up new pads that quickly cover the pond. Now when we have a dry year the water evaporates quickly leaving large areas of muck. During one of these spells, we noticed some trash in the muck. It was a license plate from 1958!
Lily Pads Carpet the Pond in June
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
(KRCOS) are made up of minerals. ______________ (AGLIERSC) scoured the rocks, helping to create soil. ______________ Wildflowers need (LSIO) to grow. _______________ White footed deer mice munch on (ERFOWLS) and seeds. ______________ One Barn (WOL) can eat 11,000 mice in ten years. ______________ Red (XFO) eat mice, birds, berries, frogs, and turtle eggs.___________ Warblers (ETA) insects for dinner. ______________ Monarch butterflies drink (NECART) from blazing star flowers.__________ In (TNAURE), everything is connected! ______________
Seasons 4
Printed on 50% post-consumer recycled paper
By Oakley Biesanz, Naturalist
Answers: 1. Rocks 2. Glaciers 3. Soil. 4.Flowers 5.Owl 6.Fox 7.Eat 8. Nectar 9. Nature
Nature Word Scramble: Unscramble the words to find out how…