Stay ConnectedNature isn’t just “out there” in some pristine, far-off location. It’s all around us, including right outside our doors.
Hi, my name is Shannon Trimboli and I’m here to help people in the eastern U.S. create thriving ecosystems where they live, work, and play.
Join us as we ignite our curiosity and natural wonder, explore our yards and communities, and improve our local pollinator and wildlife habitat.
Learn more at: https://www.backyardecology.net/podcast
Copyright: © 2023 Shannon Trimboli, all rights reserved
I am frequently asked about growing native plants in small spaces or in typical suburban yards with HOA or city ordnances. And I'm not the only one who's getting those questions. I hear and see those same questions being asked throughout the native plant and pollinator communities. That's why I was so excited to talk to this week's guest on the Backyard Ecology podcast.
In this week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we are talking with Kate Brandes. Kate has worked as a geologist, environmental scientist, native plant program manager, and professor. She has also written the book, Native Plants for the Small Yard: Easy, Beautiful Home Gardens that Support Local Ecology.
Several years ago, Kate worked at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington, PA. While there, she oversaw the grant-funded Landscaping for Communities and Wildlife Program. This program was designed to get native plants into the Lehigh Valley community. Their approach drew, not only on gardening and native plants expertise, but also on sociological research on why we make the choices that we make with our yards and gardens. This was a brilliant approach which helped contribute to the program's success.
During out discussion, Kate and I talk about the program she oversaw, the native plant gardens that were established in public spaces throughout the community, and the book that resulted from the program. The book, Native Plants for the Small Yard, is a valuable, free resource for anyone who is struggling with the questions of how to use native plants in small yards or in a way that is consistent with HOA and other ordinances or guidelines. The approach they took with the Landscaping for Communities and Wildlife Program can also serve as a valuable model for those interested in creating similar initiatives in their own communities.
Links:Flower flies, a.k.a. hover flies, are common garden visitors, but they are often overlooked. The reason they are so often overlooked is because they are extraordinary mimics, usually of bees or wasps. Their mimicry is so good, that flower flies are often mistakenly identified as bees in social media posts, magazine articles, newsletters, and sometimes even books.
In this week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we are talking with Dr. Jeff Skevington and Michelle Locke. Jeff and Michelle are co-authors authors of the book Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Northeastern North America. Their book covers the flower flies found from the Mississippi River across to the east coast and from Kentucky north all the way into Greenland. However, the book includes full distribution range maps for each species, so it will still be relevant for many areas outside of its primary focal range, especially in the eastern half of the continent.
Our conversation covered many different topics including the life history of flower flies, where and when to look for them, and some fascinating behaviors like hilltopping and migrating. We also talked about how to identify flower flies, starting with how to know you are looking at a flower fly and not a bee or wasp. Michelle and Jeff are both extremely knowledgeable. I learned a lot from our conversation.
Even though flower flies are important pollinators, there is still much that we don't know about them. It's really hard to manage for a species, or protect it if necessary, without basic information like knowing its full life history or population numbers and distribution. Yet, basic information like that is unknown for many species of flower flies. Multiple times throughout our conversation, Jeff and Michelle mentioned simple ways we could help fill in those knowledge gaps.
Links:Frogs and toads are so much fun to observe and learn about. In the eastern U.S. we are lucky because we have enough water that they can be found virtually anywhere. Some species may be very specific in their habitat needs, but others are fairly general and can be found in urban areas as well as more rural areas.
In this week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we are talking with Dr. Cy Mott. Cy is an associate professor of biology at Eastern Kentucky University. His focus is on amphibian ecology, which of course, includes frogs and toads. (Toads are actually a subgroup within frogs. So, all toads are frogs but not all frogs are toads.)
During our conversation, Cy shared with us the important roles that frogs and toads play in the ecosystem. He also talked about the threats that frogs and toads face. This led to a discussion about some of his current research on the impacts of bush honeysuckle on aquatic habitats and tadpole survival. I found his research and the potential implications of that research very intriguing.
Cy and I also discussed how to make our yards more frog and toad friendly. You can create a pond or vernal pool if you want, but it isn't necessary. There are plenty of other ways to provide habitat for frogs and toads. We also talked about some of the different species that we could find around our homes or in other locations, and recommendations for how to start learning to identify the different species you find.
In the eastern U.S., we have around 45 species of frogs and toads. Frogs and toads are fairly well studied in the U.S., especially compared to some of our less-charismatic organisms. However, even with as well-studied as frogs and toads are, a new species was still identified not too long ago near New York City. To me, this just continues to show the importance of paying attention and sharing our observations.
Links:This week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada.
In this episode, we continue to just geek out about lightning bugs. Once again, this is a very informal conversation that includes stories and more educational content. If you haven't listened to the previous episode, then I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 15, which is part 1 of this conversation.
We ended the previous episode talking about the larvae of the Pyractomena or Spring Tree Top Flasher fireflies and how they are so special because they pupate on the sides of trees where we can see them. And they do this in the late winter / very early spring, basically the late Feb. or early March timeframe in Kentucky and Tennessee. We jump right back into that conversation with Lynn describing some of Pyractomena's mating behaviors and why they might choose to come out so early.
Much of the story of lightning bugs and fireflies revolves around the theme of just paying attention, making observations, sharing what you see, and asking questions. People doing those things have led to the discovery of new species like the synchronized fireflies of the Smokies and the Low Country Ghost. Other people have been able to help better document the range of a given species like the Pink Flashers. Those activities have also led to recognizing previously overlooked behaviors like the fireflies nectaring on milkweeds. There's so much out there to learn and discover if we're willing to open our eyes and pay attention.
Lightning bugs, like many other insects, also face some threats. The main threats to lightning bugs are light pollution, pesticides in the soil, soil compaction, and habitat loss. Lynn talks about these threats and realistic ways that we can make our yards more firefly friendly. She takes a very balanced approach that basically boils down to being aware of how your actions might affect lightning bugs or other organisms and then making the best choices for you and your situation. I, for one, appreciate that balance. Lynn also shares some tips for observing lightning bugs.
Again, if you missed the first part of this conversation, then I encourage you to go back to episode 15 and listen to it. In that episode, Lynn shared the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming "The Lightning Bug Lady." We also talked about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes.
Links:For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing. I grew up calling them "lightning bugs," but somewhere along the line picked up the term "firefly." Now I use both terms interchangeably. It doesn't matter what you call them, these flashing insects have the ability to bring out the child in all of us.
In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. She is also sometimes called "The Lightning Bug Lady," and with good reason as you'll quickly learn when you listen to this episode.
Our conversation is very informal and includes lots of stories mixed in with more educational discussions. This episode is a little different than previous episodes because it is the first in a two-part series. Lynn is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has so many great stories that I couldn't fit everything into one episode. So, we'll start our conversation in this episode, and then conclude our conversation in the next episode.
Often, we tend to think of lightning bugs as all being the same, but they aren't. In the eastern U.S., we are very rich in lightning bug species and we're still identifying new species. One of the things that I love about lightning bugs is that we can enjoy them on so many different levels. We can sit on our porches or in our lawn chairs and just appreciate their beauty. We can run around in our bare feet and catch them. We can learn the different flash patterns and begin identifying the species that we are seeing. Or anything in between.
In this episode, Lynn shares the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming "The Lightning Bug Lady." We also talk about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. In the next episode, we'll continue our life history discussion. We'll also talk about some exciting recent discoveries, threats to fireflies, ways we can make our yards more lightning bug friendly, and tips for observing fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes.
Links:Clovers are often suggested for lawn alternatives or for incorporating into our yards to make them more pollinator friendly. Clovers can also play important roles in agriculture either in grazing systems or as cover crops in row cropping systems. In addition, they are a favorite of deer and rabbits. However, most (if not all) of the clovers in these systems and that we typically think of are exotic species. Our native clover species are not nearly as well known.
In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Jonathan Kubesh. Jonathan is a PhD student at Virginia Tech University who is studying clovers. Jonathan brings a unique perspective to this topic, because although much of his work focuses on native clovers and native clover conservation, his field of study is in agriculture and agronomy. This allows him to serve as a valuable bridge between the two fields and areas of interest.
While the term "clover" is often loosely used for several different genera of plants, true clovers all belong to the genus Trifolium. In the eastern U.S., we have approximately 10 different species of native clovers in the Trifolium genus. We also have a number of exotic species, such as the familiar white clovers that can be found in our yards and fields.
Many of our native clovers are threatened or endangered. Some of our native clovers are tied to very special soil conditions and habitat types such as the limestone glades in the Nashville, TN area or the shale barrens which can be found in parts of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Other native clover species are tied to disturbance regimes that no longer exist, such as fire or short-term, intensive grazing by bison or deer.
In our conversation, Jonathan and I discuss many different topics. A large part of our conversation is devoted to native clovers. Our discussion about native clovers covers their biology, the conservation efforts surrounding them, how agriculture and horticulture may play a role in those conservation efforts, the importance of keeping good records, and the valuable role of historical collections and herbarium records in helping to discover new populations and in guiding restoration efforts.
Jonathan and I also talk about establishing clover yards and some of the factors that you might want to consider when deciding whether a clover yard is right for you. Like with so many other things in life, there isn't one single answer that will fit all situations. However, Jonathan does an excellent job of discussing possibilities for different situations and for pointing us towards how to find more specific local help for determining the best option for our own unique situations.
Links:Like many people, I grew up with a healthy…. apprehension (ok, fear) of wasps. And, of course, I've seen all the memes on social media vilifying wasps and calling them names that I'm not going to repeat on this podcast.
But, those fears and concerns are mostly unfounded and misplaced. Wasps generally aren't going to bother you, especially when they are on flowers, and they definitely aren't the evil villains they are often portrayed as. Instead, they are a vital part of the ecosystem that helps control many different insect and arachnid populations, as well as, helps with the pollination of some plants.
In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Heather Holm. Heather is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author. As of this recording, her book, Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants, has just been published. Because wasps are such diverse organisms, her book focuses on the wasps that we are most likely to find visiting flowers.
Of course, I had to start our conversation by asking Heather the obvious question – "Why wasps?" Her answer was that as pollinator gardens become more popular, more people are beginning to notice wasps visiting the flowers. Her goal with this book is to help people better understand and appreciate those wasps, instead of being afraid of them.
In many ways, wasps are just like bees. In fact, bees evolved from wasps. Most adult wasps feed on nectar and other sugary substances like honeydew and tree sap. However, unlike bees which gather pollen to feed to their larvae, wasps hunt for prey to feed their larvae. The specific type of prey they hunt for depends on the species of wasp.
Wasps can be very specific with the prey they capture. For example, the cicada killer only hunts cicadas. In some cases, the cicada she captures may be 2-3 times her size! Another species of wasp, called the queen ant kidnapper ant, only eats queen ants that still have their wings and are coming back from their nuptial flights. There are also a number of wasp species that hunt spiders.
Just about every type of insect, plus spiders, is on the menu for some species of wasp and this has led to a wide diversity of wasp species. There are way more species of wasps than bees. And because their prey is so specific, you may find several different species of wasps nesting in close proximity to each other because their different diets mean that they aren't competing with each other.
Like bees, most of our wasps are solitary which means that each female must create and provision her own nest(s). This doesn't leave them much time, or desire, to defend their nests. Also like bees, wasps can be found nesting below ground, in standing dead trees, in logs, and in pithy or hollow stems. Some wasps even build nests made entirely of mud. Some of these mud structures can be very beautiful and delicate pots that look like they should be ceramic vessels in a dollhouse.
Despite their many similarities to bees, wasps are a group of animals that many people love to hate. However, they are rarely as bad as they are made out to be, especially when they are feeding on flowers. As Heather puts it, "the flower restaurant isn't defended." And in some ways, wasps can be easier to identify than bees. If you want to identify the wasps that you find on your flowers, Heather suggests taking lots of pictures including a top-down view, a sideview, and a head-on view. Using your flash can also be helpful for picking up details and reducing the blur if the wasp doesn't sit perfectly still for you.
I encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about wasps, including how to identify them, to take a look at Heather's book. And if you aren't quite ready to venture into the world of wasps, then I still encourage you to take a look at Heather's website. It is a treasure trove of free educational resources on pollinators, especially native bees. (In addition to her new wasp book, she has several other books on bees, pollinators, and native plants.)
Links:Bee wolf (Philanthus gibbosus) drinking nectar and serving as a pollinator Photo credit: Heather Holm
Vernal pools are a special type of shallow wetlands that fill with snow melt and rain in late fall through early spring, then dry up sometime during the summer. Because they dry up, they are sometimes overlooked or dismissed as "not very good wetlands." However, they serve an important role in the ecosystem and can be teeming with all kinds of life.
In this episode, we talk with Tom Biebighauser about vernal pools. Tom is a wildlife biologist, wetland ecologist, educator, and author. He has written multiple books about vernal pools and has made a career of restoring and creating wetlands. Throughout our conversation, Tom shares many stories about creating vernal pools on his own property, on other people's properties, and at schools.
Almost by definition, vernal pools don't contain fish, because fish wouldn't be able to survive when the vernal pool dries up. However, because they don't have fish, vernal pools are extremely important breeding sites for frogs, toads, salamanders, and many aquatic invertebrates. In more permanent bodies of water, those animals and their eggs, tadpoles, and larva would face a significant threat of being eaten by hungry fish, but that's obviously not a risk in a place where there aren't any fish.
In many states, 90% of our wetlands have been drained and filled. This is especially true for vernal pools, probably because they do dry out for part of the year. Vernal pools are often relatively small – sometimes only the size of a living room or even smaller. They are also very shallow, usually only inches to maybe a foot or so deep, and have gently sloping sides.
One of the reasons that wetlands are often drained is for mosquito control. However, mosquitoes typically aren't a problem around vernal pools because the mosquito eggs and larvae are eaten by everything that is in the vernal pool. If a vernal pool or wetland holds water for more than a couple of months then it will attract frogs, dragonflies, damselflies, and other mosquito predators.
Many people are probably familiar with the concept of rain gardens and may even have a rain garden already. However, vernal pools differ from rain gardens in that vernal pools hold water for several months, while rain gardens go dry much faster. Because rain gardens typically only hold water for a few hours to a few days, they don't develop the complex ecosystems of a vernal pool.
There are lots of opportunities to create vernal pools around our homes, on our school grounds, or in other places within our communities. The cost of creating a vernal pool can range from practically nothing, to a few hundred dollars, to several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the vernal pool you want to create, the type of soil you have, and how much labor you want to do yourself. However, in many cases there are funds available to help cover the costs of creating vernal pools or other shallow wetlands. Tom has written several books that walk you through how to create vernal pools. His books plus lots of free resources and guides are available through his website.
Links:The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual citizen science / community science project hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Birds Canada. This international project takes place all over the world for four days every February. In 2021, it will happen February 12-15.
In today's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Becca Rodomsky-Bish, Project Leader for the Great Backyard Bird Count, about the project, its importance, and how we can participate. We also talk about some tips and tools for people who may enjoy watching birds, but are just starting to learn how to identify them.
In 2020, approximately 270,000 people from across the world participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. Approximately 100,000 to 160,000 of those were from North America. One of the cool interactive features on the Great Backyard Bird Count's website is a map that lights up the locations of new submissions as they are entered. As the weekend progresses, you can see the globe light up with people participating in the project.
Despite its name, the Great Backyard Bird Count isn't restricted to just your backyard. You can participate anywhere including at home, at a city or county park, at a state park, in the local schoolyard, etc. It's also possible to do the count from a stationary location, such as a comfy chair by the window, or while walking your favorite trail.
Participants in the Great Backyard Bird Count are asked to identify and count the birds that they see for a minimum of 15 minutes. You can do multiple counts and you can count for longer than 15 minutes if you would like. After making your observations, you enter your data into eBird which is an online database of bird observations from around the world. You can enter your data either on your computer or on your mobile device, depending on your personal preference.
One thing that Becca stressed was that anyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. You don't have to be an "expert birder." If you enjoy watching birds, but aren't real confident about identify them, that's ok. We all started somewhere, and we're all still learning new birds. The good news is that there are lots of tools available to help you. Field guides are one option and is the option that many of us who have been watching and identifying birds for awhile first learned how to use. However, today there are other tools available as well.
One of those tools is an app created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The app is called Merlin and it guides you through the identification process by asking you a series of questions. Based on your answers, it will offer you a few possible identifications for the bird that you are looking at. As of this recording, I haven't personally used Merlin, but I've been told by multiple people that it is pretty good at helping you get to the correct identification.
Even after the Great Backyard Bird Count is over, you can continue to add your bird observations to eBird. The lists created in eBird can be extremely valuable sources of information. As individuals, we can use them to help us keep track of our personal observations overtime and in different locations. At a larger scale, scientists can also use the observations entered into eBird to help answer broader ecological questions.
Even something as simple as knowing what birds are found in a given area can help us understand what the habitat in that area looks like because certain bird species may only be found in certain habitats. Not finding certain birds in an area can also be important information, especially if those birds were once found in that area. That's one of the ways that long-term databases or lists of birds observed in a single location over a long period of time can be very important in identifying trends or population changes over time.
To date, there have been over 100 scientific papers published using eBird data. The research in many of those papers likely wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of individuals like you and I to citizen science / community science projects like the Great Backyard Bird Count or eBird. Researchers, like everyone else, can only be in one place at a time. However, if we are all helping to make observations and reporting data, then we can do so much more. Not only does the information we gather make it easier to spot changes occurring right now, but it can also be used in the future to answer questions that we may not even know to ask yet.
Links:We're lucky in the eastern U.S. because bodies of water are pretty common. For most of us, if we don't have access to a creek, stream, river, pond, etc. in our immediate backyards, then we likely have access somewhere nearby in the surrounding community. This means it can be relatively easy for us to explore those waterways, and for many of us part of that exploration at some point included catching crayfish or other aquatic organisms.
In this episode, we talk with Mael Glon, a PhD candidate at the Ohio State University in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology. Our conversation with Mael focuses on crayfish biology, ecology, diversity, and a variety of other crayfish-related topics.
Although we might think of crayfish as being mostly just a reddish-brown color, that's not always the case. They can also include other colors such as turquois blue, golden yellow, bright red, and mossy green. Some species, especially the burrowing crayfish, can be very showy and absolutely gorgeous.
We can often identify a crayfish species by looking at characteristics like those color patters, the size and shape of the claws, or where the specimen was found. However, for closely related species that look very similar, other characteristics or techniques must be used to accurately identify the species. One of those techniques is to look at the gonopods of the reproductively active males, but while that technique can be very precise, it also has obvious issues.
Crayfish can be considered keystone species in many aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems because so many things eat them. However, their importance isn't limited to just being a prey species. Some of our crayfish fall into a group commonly known as the burrowing crayfish. These are the crayfish that burrow underground and often form the mud chimneys that are found around the edges of ponds and streams or in wet meadows. Crayfish burrows are commonly used by a wide variety of animals besides the crayfish that built them.
We have around 400 species of crayfish in North America. The majority of those are in the eastern U.S. and parts of the southeastern U.S. are considered a global hotspot for crayfish biodiversity. Recently, Mael and his colleagues added to this biodiversity by identifying and naming two new crayfish species found in Alabama and Mississippi. Identifying and recognizing new species at the scientific level is important because, when it comes to conservation, one large population of a single species is going to be viewed and managed differently than a population consisting of two or three species, each with much smaller ranges.
Unfortunately, many of us aren't aware of how diverse and special our crayfish populations are. I just think that it's sometimes hard to recognize or appreciate the biodiversity that occurs in our own communities because to us it's "normal" and therefore "nothing special." That's one reason why sharing what we are seeing on platforms such as iNaturalist can be beneficial, because sometimes it takes someone else's eyes and perspective to help us realize just how special something is that we may see every day.
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