Welcome to summer at the Center! Enjoy a marvelous hike on our trails during the season of blooming flowers, colorful butterflies, energetic animal activity, and full foliage in our woodlands.
In this issue of Panorama, get to know the landscape of Southeast Wisconsin as you read about its geologic history. Understand the time scales of rock formations, fossils, and how `humans have adapted to the remains of ancient geological activity. Explore our Raptor Program’s STEAM curriculum and how we educate our students in its broadly applicable concepts. Learn about the properties and purposes of biological pigments found in plant structures, especially flowers. Discover the animal and plant life you’ll find on our summer trails. Get to know your options for sustaining the Center for future generations through planned giving.
This summer, enjoy the Center in the evening hours, Monday – Thursday through August, when we will be open until 8:00pm. We’re happy to present Sound Waves, our summer concert series showcasing local musicians, at our Bluff Pavilion. Performances take place on Mondays in July, from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. See our website for the line-up.
When you attend the Wisconsin State Fair this August, be sure to visit us at We Energies Energy Park. Our raptors and other animal ambassadors will be there throughout the 11-day fair. Flight Night, a unique beer tasting event where you’ll also meet our birds of prey, returns to the Center on Thursday, September 19. Get your tickets now!
As you may know, our Bluff Pavillon Courtyard is now surrounded by three distinct native gardens. Woodland habitat on the south side, covered by trees, seasonally features Dutchman’s breeches, foam flower, and Jacob’s ladder. In the west side’s savanna habitat, we planted meadow species, including columbine, Michigan lily, and woodland phlox. Full sun conditions on the north side are ideal for a pollinator garden, where a variety of insects will utilize purple milkweed, blazing star, and pale purple coneflower.
Our beautiful new courtyard and gardens create an immersive, open-air learning space. In the next few months, you’ll see new classes being taught by our resident Horticulturist and Master Gardener, Sandy Manning. She will offer many different types of instruction including on-site tours of the woodland, savanna, and pollinator gardens. Also watch our weekly updates for gardening blog posts!
When you’re hiking our trails this summer, stop in our Visitor Center to purchase a cooling Pete’s Pop or healthy Outpost Natural Foods snack. While there, peruse our Nature Store for gifts for the nature lover in your life, even yourself! You’ll find local and sustainable items curated for all ages, including art, books, pottery, jewelry, branded clothing – something for everyone! We’ve recently brought in new educational products for kids, perfect for summer engagement. Be sure to check out our new custom floral t-shirts, featuring native plants.
We look forward to seeing you on the trails soon!
Front cover: Purple coneflower in a Center prairire
Admission
FREE admission to Members
Adult: $10 | Youth: $7 (ages 3 — 17) 2 and Under: Free | Military: $7 1111 East Brown Deer Road | Milwaukee, WI 414-352-2880 | www.schlitzaudubon.org
Schlitz Audubon is an independent, locally supported partner of the National Audubon Society.
Experience the Magic of Summer!
LAINE COTTELEER Naturalist
Summer in Wisconsin is a wonderful time to explore some of nature’s most beautiful sights. The unfurled leaves of deciduous trees provide shade from the sun, and the forest, prairies, and ponds are alive with wildlife.
When you hike our forest trails, be sure to look out for the spindly legs and white freckles of baby white-tailed deer hiding low in the foliage, carefully hidden by does while they scout for food. The deer aren’t the only summer mothers emerging. You may see American Goldfinches in their nests, ready to raise their brood of chicks.
As the gray treefrog stops calling, hear the green frog calling through July, like bow strings snapping and light airy trills carrying over the pond. In July and August, listen to the deep croak of the American bullfrog. American bullfrogs live as tadpoles for one to three years and can be seen swimming in many ponds around the Center!
The frogs aren’t the only sensational singers gracing us this summer though. Late in August, Wisconsin is visited by millions of migratory birds passing through the area. Warblers fill our skies for the second and last time this year as they head to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. We can also begin to see more of our powerful hawks moving south including our Broad-winged and Red-shouldered Hawks.
With warmer temperatures, we see more insects returning, hatching, and emerging close to our homes. Monarch butterflies have already begun their great journey north in search of blooming milkweed on which to dine and lay eggs. Darner dragonflies skim gracefully across the ponds during the day, while warm and dark nights are illuminated by fireflies as they dance across the sky. The landscape will be full of symphonic buzzing as cicadas serenade us with their wings. This summer, a 13-year brood and a 17-year brood, the famed Brood XIII, will appear at the same time in the United States. Visitors to the Center will have the opportunity to observe Brood XIII along with the traditional, annual cicada.
In August and September, many summer flowers are blooming. Jewelweed is a lovely orange flower with a fun surprise. When the seed pouch is touched the seeds burst out, spreading far and wide for new plants to sprout from. Goldenrod can also be seen blooming in our meadows and prairies, pairing up closely with purple flowers such as New England Aster in a colorful display that attracts pollinators and nature lovers alike.
Nature comes alive in summer. You have more time to experience its beauty, we’re open in the evening! The Center is open until 8:00pm Monday - Thursday through August, allowing visitors to take in all that our sensational summers have to offer.
Green Frog on the shore of Mystery Lake
EDUCATION
CASSIE RINCON Family Programs Manager
While hiking the trails during the growing season, many people enjoy the brilliant colors displayed by plants and flowers. Most of the colors that we see in plants are created by pigments. Each of these pigments has a different molecular structure which absorbs and reflects the color wavelengths in white light differently. The reflected colors are the ones we can see. A good example of this is the rainbow that appears when sunlight hits a prism or water droplets.
The most familiar pigment is chlorophyll, responsible for photosynthesis. This pigment takes in light from the sun, absorbing red and blue wavelengths and reflecting a green color. It then uses the sun’s energy to create sugar and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water. The sugars created are used within the plant to grow other parts, including the flowers and their pigments. Like an artist mixing paints on their palette, the wide range of colors seen in the flowers are created from a mixture of these pigments.
Another common group of pigments are the carotenoids, which absorb blue to blue green wavelengths and reflect yellow, orange, and red. These pigments are found in pollen and the reproductive parts of a flower such as bright orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). These warm colors signal to pollinators that there is nectar available in the flower. In addition, carotenoids are found in leaves and are used to help dissipate extra light energy as heat, protecting the leaf during photosynthesis. In fall, once the green chlorophyll pigment is no longer synthesized, leaves turn yellow, and we can see the carotenoids.
There are two groups of pigments that have a similar color range and share similar functions but are not found together in the same plants. These two groups are the betalains and the anthocyanins. Betalains can be broken down into two subgroups, the betaxanthins that reflect yellow to orange, and the betacyanin that reflect red to violet. This group can be found in the north ern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) which is found in bogs in
Wisconsin, beets, and Swiss chard. The anthocyanins are part of the flavonoids group and reflect red, blue, and purple colors.
Both of these pigments welcome pollinators to the flowers, as well as provide color to fruits so animals will find them attractive and help disperse the seeds within. They also act as a form of sunscreen for the plant. However, though their functions are similar, the red color of the betalain in a beet is different that the red color of the anthocyanin in a radish because the different hues within these pigments can be affected by the temperature and the acidity in the plant. In hydrangeas, changing the pH of the soil alters the colors of the flowers they produce. Basic soil creates more pink flowers, and acidic soil creates more blue flowers.
Besides anthocyanins, there are other pigments in the flavonoids group, including chalcones and aurones. These two pigments are also known as anthochlor pigments which reflect yellow and UV wavelengths, seen in cosmos (Cosmos sp.) which are found in many gardens. While people can see the yellow coloration, insects that can see UV light will see pigmentation leading them to a flower’s nectar and pollen.
Having this range of pigments is beneficial to plants for attracting insects to help with pollination. However, because some insects also damage plants, they have another type of pigment to help aid in their defenses. Tannins, which are also part of the flavonoid group, are found in the flowers and bark of witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). They often reflect a brown color and are bitter to taste. This pigment not only protects the plant from insects, but it also protects it from fungi and bacteria.
Pigments have been used for thousands of years by people to color natural fibers like wool and linen, to tan cow hides into leather, and more recently to be used as coloration for food products. As we enjoy the colors during the growing season, we can appreciate what pigments do for plants in addition to providing their pretty hues.
GEOLOGIC HISTORY of SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN GEOLOGIC HISTORY of SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
CRAIG MATTSON | Communications Specialist
With contributions from Tom Finley, Jacob KempinskI, and Melanie Ziolecki
The landscape surrounding the greater Milwaukee area has taken many forms and changed many times throughout the millennia. There are distinct periods, lasting millions of years, during which the land, rocks, water, and wildlife were composed in dramatically different ways and existed within highly distinct climates. Remnants of those ancient times can be observed throughout the Milwaukee area, including at Schlitz Audubon, allowing viewers to wonder at the dramatic changes our local environment has undergone.
THE AGES OF THE EARTH
Based on radiometric data, scientists believe the earth formed around 4.54 billion years ago. The first continents began to coalesce over 3 billion years ago, and at times formed supercontinents. The most recent was called Pangaea. Roughly 200 million years ago, due to plate tectonics, Pangaea gradually broke up into the seven continents we identify today.
Geologic formations in Wisconsin are visible from as far back as 3 billion years. The oldest rock found here, granite gneiss, was discovered near Wisconsin Rapids and dates to 3.268 billion years old. Such rocks are tell-tale signs of intense volcanic activity. Much of what’s recorded in Southeastern Wisconsin is from a more recent time. As the location of Wisconsin changed as the continents drifted, fossil evidence shows that shallow seas existed here as well.
Geological time is divided into eras: the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Each of these eras is subdivided into shorter periods. The rock records in Southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee date from the early Paleozoic era, which started about 540 million years ago. The three periods in the Paleozoic era visible here are
ROCK LAYERS BENEATH MILWAUKEE
During excavation of the MMSD Deep Tunnel Project, which serves as a reservoir for excess stormwater during intense Milwaukee rainstorms, several layers of rock that Milwaukee is built upon were revealed. The tunnels reach depths of 275 - 340 feet, far into the bedrock; revealing once-hidden details from those three periods of the Paleozoic. These periods together range between 488 and 358 million years ago. There are no rocks younger than the middle-Devonian period in Wisconsin due to factors such as erosion, glacial activity and general lack of deposition. The rocks and their contents from the three visible periods are exposed in numerous areas throughout the Milwaukee area and can be found during short hikes to familiar places.
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
The Ordovician period, 488 - 443 million years ago, left behind the oldest rock formations that we can observe locally. This period was marked by a warm shallow ocean that covered much of the state. Such seas rose and fell several times throughout the Paleozoic Era. A common sedimentary rock from this period is dolostone, composed of the minerals calcium and magnesium carbonate. Close observation of dolostone today, sometimes called dolomite, yields evidence of once-abundant sea life.
Sandstone is another prevalent sedimentary rock found throughout the region from the Paleozoic era. Sandstone, indicative of wind and water erosion, was also coupled with volcanic ash that was blown into Wisconsin from eruptions on the east coast 450 million years ago! The ash shows up as thin clay layers. During this time, the sea bottom was rich with carbonate deposits of corals, clams, brachiopods, and crinoids: all of which can be found as fossils today.
deposited were limestone, shale, and dolomite. Sedimentary rocks of this period left strong building material that is commonly used today. The transition from limestone to dolomite erased some of the fossil record, though evidence of life from the Silurian Sea abounds. Fossilization left calcium-rich deposits which are still visible.
Fossils from this time include bivalves, visible as shells, cone-like cephalopod shells, from ancient relatives of squid, gastropods, which are snail shells, and trilobites, which are small arthropods that are now the Wisconsin state fossil. Crinoids, ancient sea lilies, are often seen individually as circular fossils in rocks, which accumulated at the bottom of the sea.
For the first time, coral reefs formed, some over 10 meters tall. These can be seen in numerous Milwaukee locations, including near American Family Field and the nearby Milwaukee Soldiers Home, and at Schoonmaker Reef, spanning six blocks from 62nd to 68th Streets north of State Street in downtown Wauwatosa. Schoonmaker Reef is also important because, in 1862, it was the first reef to be defined in North America. When visitors to the Lake Michigan shoreline go rock and fossil hunting, they may also discover individual coral pieces, such as honeycomb coral, chain coral, and tube coral.
DEVONIAN PERIOD
Oceanic conditions continued into the Devonian Period, which lasted from 419 to 358 million years ago, and by the end of it the inland waters likely retreated. Though there is no record of the end of the Devonian Period in Wisconsin, states adjacent to Wisconsin don’t possess evidence for the remaining presence of an ocean.
During this period, which is exposed in the rock record in the northern parts of Milwaukee, the earliest modern vasular plants developed. Many of the same fossils from the Silurian Period are visible in Devonian rocks. The Devonian Period is visible in exposed rock at Estabrook Park, near the shore of the Milwaukee River. Together with the Silurian rock, the Middle Devonian Milwaukee Formation forms a continuous, 650-mile bedrock layer all the way to Niagara Falls, New York, called the Niagara Escarpment.
EVIDENCE FROM GLACIATION
Wisconsin was also an intermittent center of glacial activity over the last 100,000 years. Some scientists believe we are still living in an Ice Age, within an interglacial period, or time be-
tween glaciers. The last glacial period, termed the Wisconsin Glaciation, began approximately 100,000 years ago. It advanced from Quebec into the state 26,000 years ago and completely retreated by 10,000 years ago. Glaciers covered northern and eastern Wisconsin and left broken material from the Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian Periods in the Milwaukee area. Details of post-Devonian geologic activity likely were erased from the record. The western part of the state, called the Driftless Area, escaped being covered by the glacier and has a completely different topography from the rest of Wisconsin.
GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND HUMAN SETTLEMENT
Much human activity within the state, both that of indigenous people and settlers from Europe, has been influenced by the topography, as well as rock and mineral deposits. Food procurement and production, hunting, transportation, and other economic activities have all been dependent on the geologic remains of the past. Windblown silt accumulated across the landscape and was carried by glacial rivers, creating layers of loess, which became Wisconsion’s rich soil, a boon for the agriculture of indigenous people and settlers alike.
Human settlement was also greatly impacted by the sheer number of water bodies that were formed. Transportation systems were created on Wisconsin rivers and lakes. Rivers also powered mills and generated power. Lake Michigan, which was carved out of shale during the Wisconsin Glaciation, has had an important role in transportation and settlement throughout the region.
When people from Northern Europe emigrated to Wisconsin, they brought knowledge of how to use ancient rocks, including making construction materials from the abundant limestone. Silica-rich sand is still mined and can be used to make glass.
GEOLOGICAL REMNANTS AT SCHLITZ AUDUBON
For a walk through history right here at Schlitz Audubon, visit our recently constructed Bluff Pavilion Courtyard, which is made of locally sourced limestone from Beaver Dam. A close look at the pale-colored rock reveals small, fossilized worm holes made by ancient creatures. Fossil hunters on the Lake Michigan shoreline regularly discover fossilized crinoids, coral pieces, brachiopods, and find many types of ancient rocks. Even the rock that forms our Visitor Center is made from ancient limestone, deposited during the Paleozoic. The geologic activity of Wisconsin has left its mark in the region and can be observed throughout our nature center.
How STEAM Initiatives Invigorate Learning
ALEXA CUSHMAN Raptor Educator
The STEAM framework in education refers to teaching and learning concepts based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM studies encourage a blending of technical instruction with creativity and curiosity in science-based fields.
Our Raptor Program has developed four STEAM raptor classes to assist students of all ages in engaging with these exciting fields of study: Adaptations, Biology, Conservation, and Physics of Flight. These offerings take a hands-on approach to group learning and collaborative problem solving. They also include a close encounter with a raptor!
In Adaptations, students in elementary to high school attempt to solve a problem regarding animal adaptations. At younger ages, they might be asked what a dog would need to survive in the ocean. Students then use their group problem-solving skills and creativity to draw pictures of the adaptations a dog would need to survive in this scenario.
For middle and high school students, we explore how different shaped beaks determine what food a bird eats. In small groups, students pick a “beak” type represented by similarly shaped objects: chopsticks, clothespin, tweezer, or spoon. They determine the type and amount of food their “beak” was able to successfully pick up. As a class students will discuss and calculate the average success rate of the different beaks.
Another topic explored in our Adaptations program is camouflage, which is showcased by Zari, our Great Horned Owl. Students also meet two raptor ambassadors at the end of the program, allowing them to observe the remarkable physical and structural adapta-
tions of these live animals firsthand.
In Physics of Flight, students as young as Pre-K and as advanced as college study different aspects of flight. Pre-K and Elementary students learn about lift through wing and feather exploration. Students design and assemble their own flapping birds and practice flapping their “wings” in different patterns to mimic bird flight. Middle school students observe the four principles of flight: lift, weight, drag, and thrust. Each small group is given a wing and a silhouette from a species of raptor and must determine how their raptor species flies. After sharing our findings, we watch videos of their raptor species flying and compare it to what we discovered.
High school and collegiate students practice calculating speed and velocity by timing how long it takes Tallulah, our Turkey Vulture, to fly from one handler to the next. All Physics of Flight programs feature two of our raptor ambassadors; Tallulah, who performs a flight demonstration, and one of our several raptor ambassadors who no longer fly due to wing injuries. Students then use the information they learned during the program to critically think about why a wing injury affects a bird’s ability to fly.
With education at the core of our mission at Schlitz Audubon, the Raptor Program is excited to offer STEAM raptor programs. With the assistance of our raptor ambassadors and guidance from our raptor educators, we hope these programs facilitate interdisciplinary learning and problem solving for all ages!
If you'd like us to bring birds into your classrooms through one of our STEAM programs, visit the School Programs page on website or reach out to our registrar at registration@schlitzaudubon.org.
Leave a Legacy through Planned Giving
CRAIG MATTSON Communications Specialist
Supporting the Center through planned giving is an easy way for people who believe in our mission to leave a legacy. Our Evergreen Society recognizes a group of visionary benefactors who cherish nature and conservation, and who have included Schlitz Audubon in their estate plans.
If you decide to become a member of the Evergreen Society through planned giving, we will work with you to determine which aspect of the Center means the most to you and ensure that this area will benefit from your donation.
You may be passionate about our renowned Raptor Program, which presents 600 programs featuring live birds every year to reach 70,000 people throughout Southeast Wisconsin.
Education could be your area of focus: Our naturalists teach children throughout the Greater-Milwaukee area, touching the lives of 20,000 students a year. With the assistance of scholarship funds, 5,000 of these children receive high-quality nature-based instruction annually.
You could choose to direct your planned gift to the land itself! Our beautiful 185 acres includes ponds, prairies, forests, and wetlands that staff and volunteers preserve and carefully restore, providing habitat for numerous species of wildlife and inspiring our visitors with their beauty.
These are just a few of the many ways you could direct your generous donation. Gifts that are not designated to a specific program area or project will be put toward the Center’s area of greatest need.
Schlitz Audubon will work with you to determine which area of the Center will benefit from your support. We will also work with
There are several ways to provide a lasting gift to support your favorite facet of Schlitz Audubon:
• Bequest through a Will or Trust
• Retirement Plans, such as a 401(k),403(b), or IRA; health savings accounts; donor advised funds; brokerage accounts; and other financial accounts
• Charitable Gift Annuity
• Life Insurance
your financial advisor or other professional to set up the appropriate documentation for your gift, no matter which option you choose. Even if you feel you only have modest means to share, you can still include Schlitz Audubon in planned giving — you need only believe in our mission.
We are grateful for the generous spirit and commitment of our Evergreen Society members. These planned gifts have a significant impact on the Center.
For more information on planned giving, contact Carrie Becker, our Director of Development, at giving@schlitzaudubon.org.
2024 Women of Influence Winner
Congratulations to Helen Boomsma, our Executive Director, for receiving a 2024 Milwaukee Business Journal Women of Influence award in recognition of her vision, leadership, and commitment to providing the community with environmental education and enriching experiences in nature.
In Memory Of
Bonnie Behee-Semler
Robert Amich
Cyndie Chiuminatto
Chloe Chiuminatto
Kathleen Dean
Randy Dean
Sloane Isabelle Faber
Allene & Chuck Faber
Emma Louise Hatcher
Nora Orgovan
Paul Michael Hauer
Carol & Michael Hauer
Carl Liedtke
Linda & Neal Bardele
Robert & Pamela Hazod
Stephanie Heidler
Tom & Kitty Miller
Sharon & Rob Minton
Holly & Jeff Morris
Steve Manning
Larry & Geli Golopol
Faith Miller
Richard Miller & Cynthia Mieszala
Charlie Mowbray
Terrence & Leslie Cooley
Lillian Picard
Anonymous (4)
Daniel & Sherry Billig
Geoffrey Bock
Debbie & Todd Eisenberg
David & Julie Feingold
Lisa & Michael Firestone
Steven Frahm
Wendy & Gary Frankel
Charles & Kimberly Gabaldon
Anne & Fred Geldon
Lillian Picard cont.
Helene Greenblatt
Andy & Linda Keesing
Emily & Neil Kishter
Lauren & Andrew Kline
Debbie & Michael Lessans
Lori & Stuart Levin
Debbie & Bruce Menditch
Daniel & Paula Odenheimer
Scott & Marcie Prill
Vicki Ross
Audrey & Stuart Rubin
Millie & Mel Rumerman
Linda & Neil Shiffman
Edward Shoulkin
Jann Sidorov
Joy & Jon Stern
Jodi & Peter Susser
Janet & Solly Thomas
Ben Uphoff
Hugo Voogd & Linda MacLeish
Howard Pollack
Susan & Maury Berger
Arnold Radtke
Anonymous
Clifford & Susan Baker
Michael Daun
Gregory & Carrie Sommersberger
Gretchen Shiparski
Kathryn Mross
Edwin P. Wiley
Ted Wiley
Gifts listed in this issue were received between 1/1/24 – 3/31/24
