Crystallofolia

The other day a friend and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. We got to see something that is a cold weather phenomenon known by several names.

Crystallofolia on dittany (Cunila origanoides). All the following photos show this phenomenon on the same species of plant shown here.

Ice doodles, frost flowers and ice ribbons are all names that have been attributed to these beautiful and ephemeral frozen sculptures. Not all these terms are the most accurate as these have nothing to do with frost and they really aren't flower or ribbons, though the names are very descriptive. Professor Emeritus Robert T. Harms (1932-2016) from the University of Texas at Austin, proposed the name, crystallofolia. Taken from Latin and Greek roots, it simply means "ice leaf". He does not take credit for this as original thought though. He points out that the term "eisblatt", which means the same thing, was used in the past by German botanists.

Regardless of what name we affix to them they are beautiful, interesting and rare. Like salamanders to a vernal pool in the spring, conditions have to be just right in order for these icy creations to form. Dr. Harms lists only a few native North American plants have been documented as being able to produce the ice formations. They include, dittany (Cunila origanoides), frostweed (Helianthemum canadense), white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica) and marsh fleabane (Pluchea odorata). Why some plants support this phenomenon and others do not is not yet settled by scientists. However, the process by which the ice is formed is known as ice segregation. I won't try and distill that process here, as I will freely admit to not quite grasping the physics of it myself. However, Dr. James R. Carter, Professor Emeritus of Illinois State University, explains the process in an excellent article about ice flowers published in American Scientist. The article is titled, Flowers and Ribbons of Ice. Here is the link, but in the case that it becomes outdated, simply use your favorite search engine.

The science behind the these sculptures is fascinating and worth learning about. These are also rare enough that they provide ample motivation to explore the outdoors on cold mornings. In the meantime, enjoy a few more photos of these amazing crystallofloia.

Posted by: Robyn Wright-Strauss

2020 Adams County Christmas Bird Count

An eastern towhee (Pipilio erythrophthalmus) puffs up in honor of another CBC.

 The Adams County Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 19, 2020.  This annual count finds birders in predetermined locations recording every bird they encounter, sight or sound.  

A pair of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) watch over their new nest site.

Eleven territories make up the Adams County circle.  Upwards of 22 people searched the fields and woods and neighborhoods of the county finding 76 species between 6:30am and 5:30pm on count day.  The weather was cooperative and the numbers of birds did not disappoint.  The total number of individual birds found that day was 23,625.  That's a lot of birds to count!

American tree sparrows (Spizelloides arborea) visit our area only in winter.

All habitats are searched for specific birds.  Ducks of course, as well as eagles are found near the rivers.  Fields are hang out spots for many sparrows like the American tree, white-crowned and field sparrows.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  Photo by Rich McCarty

Forests are checked for wintering visitors like hermit thrushes, brown creepers and golden-crowned kinglets.

Golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa) exposes its bright head stripe when excited.

Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

This red-breasted nuthatch is another winter visitor can be found in pine stands, but more easily found visiting bird feeders eating suet and black oil sunflower seed.

Purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus)

Although many of the winter visitors can be hard to find, this year produced large numbers of seed eating birds like purple finches and evening grosbeaks.  The latter has not be found on CBC in over 25 years but 8 were seen this year. 

  

Large numbers of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were found this year including this colorful young male.

This years count had record numbers of 9 species:  ring-necked duck, black vulture, American woodcock (new this year), red-shouldered hawk, red-headed woodpecker, northern flicker, European starling, swamp sparrow and red-winged blackbirds.

Winter wrens (Troglodytes hiemalis) are extremely hard to find, and see. And harder to snap a shot of!

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Above and below are a couple of our resident birds found every year on the count, so they rarely get cameras pointed in their direction.  But some birds like the downy woodpecker and American goldfinch have been counted all 40 years the count has taken place in Adams County.

American goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

One of the best places to count many birds at once is a house with bird feeders.  There you can find many common residents, or if you get lucky, find a wintering  rarity like the yellow-bellied sapsucker.

Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)

Not to be confused with the red-bellied woodpecker below, which also has yellow on its belly, but red as well.  Yellow-bellieds have no red on their belly.  And most male woodpeckers have red on their heads, but it doesn't make them red-headed woodpeckers.....I know, confusing.

Red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Every year some unusual birds show up and make the count exciting.  This year was the first time that American woodcocks (not pictured, only heard) were displaying right before dark as they would in March.  Never heard before in December, and new for the count, this was a pleasant surprise.  And this did not occur just in one field, but two!  Miles apart!

Here are the birds recorded on Dec. 19, 2020:

Canada goose  544

wood duck  1

American black duck  17

mallard  154

green-winged teal  1

ring-necked duck  186

bufflehead  1

lesser scaup  3

hooded merganser  27

ruddy duck  1

N. bobwhite quail  1

wild turkey  39

pied-billed grebe  1

great blue heron  10

black vulture  417

turkey vulture  5

northern harrier  1

coopers hawk  2

bald eagle  6

red-shouldered hawk  22

red-tailed hawk  45

killdeer  17

American woodcock  3

rock pigeon  177

mourning dove  640

barn owl  1

eastern screech owl  6

great horned owl  13

barred owl  4

belted kingfisher  11

red-headed woodpecker  33

red-bellied woodpecker  79

yellow-bellied sapsucker  4

downy woodpecker  41

hairy woodpecker  17

norther flicker  72

pileated woodpecker  27

American kestrel  55

eastern phoebe  2

blue jay  350

American crow  411

Carolina chickadee  120

tufted titmouse  103

red-breasted nuthatch  7

white-breasted nuthatch  53

brown creeper  6

winter wren  5

Carolina wren  64

golden-crowned kinglet  15

eastern bluebird  89

hermit thrush  5

American robin  560

brown thrasher  2

northern mockingbird  24

European starling  16121

cedar waxwing  9

yellow-rumped warbler  39

American tree sparrow  12

field sparrow  19

fox sparrow  12

dark-eyed junco  206

white-crowned sparrow  9

white-throated sparrow  128

song sparrow  75

swamp sparrow  42

eastern towhee  29

northern cardinal  281

red-winged blackbird  273

eastern meadowlark  33

common grackle  1341

brown-headed cowbird  204

house finch  8

purple finch  27

American goldfinch  101

evening grosbeak  8

house sparrow  148

White-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)

In all, it was a great day to be outside hunting for as many bird species as possible, and our number reflected it.  Thanks to all the dedicated participants that brave the winter elements every year to record numbers for long term data curated by the Audubon Society.  

Posted by: Mark Zloba

EOA Nature Nuggets

 

Getting up close and personal with some wildlife can get well….creepy. Many kinds of animals, especially insects, have alien-like qualities. Or, at least they have served as inspiration for aliens in TV and movies to the point that now we see them that way. The ways they have evolved, the adaptations they have and the ways they experience the world around them can be so very different from us – we can’t help but to see them as other-worldly. Take a look at some of these interesting and sci/fy like creatures from this past post.

EOA Nature Nuggets

 

Ohio Brush Creek serves as a conduit for Bald Eagles hunting for fish in the wintertime. While not an everyday occurrence, it is not unusual to see a bald eagle perched in a tree somewhere along the creek. While eagles are well known for being fish eaters, they are also scavengers. Road kill, dead fish and birds are all things an eagle will take advantage of. A dead deer is real prize for hungry animals in winter. Check out all the animals one deer can feed from this past post.