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Stillman Newsletter STILLMAN NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 1995 Monarch Migration: A Milkweed Marathon --Mark Spreyer his time of year the word migration forty years answering that question. The California brings to mind V's of Canada Geese honk- wintering area of the western population of monarchs ing their way south and flocks of fall war- has been known for many years but the goal of the blers moving through the night. Birds are not the eastern population remained undiscovered until 1975. only migrants though, the orange-and-black monarch The key to unraveling the mystery was Dr. Urquhart's butterfly is also beginning a journey south. Unlike monarch banding project. As early as 1937 Dr. most birds, the monarch only has a one-way ticket. Urquhart experimented with printed labels to be The southward bound monarchs begin their lives glued to the butterfly's wing. By 1952, Dr. on northern milkweeds. In late spring, individual Urquhart had worked out a successful labeling eggs are laid on the underside of milkweed leaves. system and began enlisting the help of other A female monarch may lay as many as 600 eggs in butterfly enthusiasts in his banding effort. her brief lifetime. In three to twelve While at the National Audubon days the eggs hatch, releasing hungry Camp in Wisconsin, I had the opportunity caterpillars brilliantly cloaked in to try my hand in banding monarchs, an bands of black, yellow, and white. idea which first struck me as ludicrous. The Children often find the zebra-like procedure involves rubbing the scales off a por- larvae munching on milkweed leaves. tion of the butterfly's lower wing, near its body, (Monarch caterpillars can easily be them gently squeezing the adhesive label onto kept in a jar regularly supplied the transparent membrane. With the help of with fresh milkweed.) volunteers across North America, the over- After reaching a length of two inches, the cater- wintering sites of eastern monarchs were discovered pillar changes into a pupa and forms an exquisite to be tiny patches of fir forest scattered in the moun- jade-green chrysalis with a line of gold spots. tainsides of central Mexico. The whole population of Approximately two weeks later, the adult monarch monarchs that summer in the eastern two-thirds of emerges from the now transparent chrysalis and starts North America can be found clustered on approxi- searching for a mate. There can be as many as three mately 2,000 acres of Mexican landscape. generations of monarchs in one summer. How Fast and How Far Where Do Monarchs Migrate To? Can a Monarch Fly? Dr. Fred Urquhart, zoologist (Emeritus) at the Dr. Urquhart's study produced many surprising University of Toronto's Scarborough College, spent findings. One milkweed sprinter covered 80 miles in STILLMAN NATURE CENTER 33 WEST PENNY ROAD • SOUTH BARRINGTON • IL • 60010 one day. Marathon prizes go to the monarchs that NIGHT HIKE cover thousands of kilometers in the autumn. For Join us for this outdoor alternative to haunted example, one flew from Ontario to Mexico, a distance houses. Walk our trails, hear stories, and gather of 1,870 miles, in a little over three months. around the campfire. At Stillman, you won't hear More importantly, it was learned that the fall screaming monsters but you might hear a hooting migrants were usually hatched late in the summer and owl. Since space is limited, please call 428-OWLS that the females remained infertile until they reached to make reservations. their wintering grounds. These monarchs either reproduce in Mexico or soon after they begin their Date: Friday, Oct. 27 northward migration in the spring. The offspring of lime: 7:30PM these butterflies are the ones that reach midwestern Fee: None milkweed fields. The northbound migrants, like their southbound predecessors, are only issued one-way BUILD YOUR OWN BIRD FEEDER tickets. So, the next time you hear about the mystery Try your hand at making bird feeders out of migration, pause and give the monarch butterfly its common materials. There's no better way to add due. This species of insect is indeed the monarch of color to your yard than by attracting winter birds to migration. your own feeder. Date: Sunday, Nov. 5 lime: 2:00PM PROGRAMS Fee: An empty two-liter bottle. BIRDING BANDING OPEN HOUSES BIRD SEED SALE Watch Mark Spreyer, a licensed bird bander, as The Barrington Natural History Society is he measures, weighs, and records data about our res- preparing for its annual bird seed sale. All ident and migratory birds. Catching birds is not proceeds from the bird seed sale are donated always predictable, so come prepared to hike the to conservation organizations including the trails. If it is raining, the demonstration will be Stillman Nature Center. cancelled. These will be the last banding open If you want to help Stillman while feed houses until next spring. ing the birds, please call 639-0823 for a bird Date: Sundays, Sept. 3 & Oct. 1 seed order blank. lime: 9:00 AM to noon Fee: None WINTER HOURS BEGIN IN NOVEMBER TREE I.D. OR THIS BUD'S FOR YOU! In September and October, Stillman will be open As the leaves begin to turn color, join Stillman's Sundays from 9 AM to 4 PM. naturalist as he shows you how to identify some of Starting in November, Stillman will be open our midwestern trees. Easy to remember tips and Sundays from 1 PM to 4 PM. simple hand-outs will keep you from barking up the wrong tree! Come prepared for the weather and STILLMAN NATURALIST SPEAKS bring your questions. TO CONSERVATION GROUPS Date: Sunday, Oct. 8 I'll be doing a number of evening owl programs lime: 2:00PM in the area during October and November. These Fee: None organizations welcome visitors. So, if you're curious, please feel free to come to one of these meetings. As of this writing, I'm missing some of the details on PRAIRIE UPDATE the meeting places. So, as the date approaches, -- Dania Sapp either call me or contact the sponsoring organiza- tion directly. Our prairie restoration effort, is divided into three half-acre plots. The third plot was seeded last Date Conservation Group Location June, just in time to benefit from the heavy rains 10/3 Izaak Walton League S. Elgin that followed. Thanks to the work of volunteer Jill 10/19 Prairie Woods Audubon Barrington Library Kohler, plants that had been started in Stillman's 10/24 Evanston Bird Club Evanston cold frames were also added to this 11/16 McHenry County Audubon Woodstock plot. These transplants included butterfly-weed, round-headed A% I'll also be doing a starling program for the bush-clover, and leadplant. Lake-Cook Audubon Society on Nov. 14. They This summer the second plot, meet at the Heller Nature Center in Highland Park. which was first planted last year, was filled with blooming black-eyed susans THANK YOU and wild bergamot. In addition, butter- fly-weed and tall coreopsis were also Since I arrived at Stillman last winter, I have discovered. watched an on-going battle between an immovable Finally, the first prairie plot, object and an irresistible force. In this case, the originally planted in 1993, is immovable object is the aggressive, exotic shrub 1 4:5 now home to prairie-dock, ', " J'A A 1,, known as buckthorn. The irresistible force is the compass-plant (see illustration), "buckthorn beaver" otherwise known as volunteer stiff goldenrod, flowering coreopsis, showy tick-tre- Roger Laegeler. Week in and week out, Roger foil, plus several varieties of asters and grasses. comes, saws in hand, and cuts and cuts and cuts Of course, our evolving prairie did not happen buckthorn. It is said that his piles of cut buckthorn without help. Seed collecting, burning, and trans- branches will soon rival the Sears Tower in size. planting go on throughout the year and are all Efforts to restore native plant communities at important ingredients for a successful prairie restora- Stillman owe a deep debt to Roger Laegeler. tion. If you would like to volunteer in our restora- Of course, Roger is not the only volunteer wag- tion effort, contact Stillman at 428-owls. In the ing war on buckthorn. This summer, Dania Sapp, meantime, please enjoy the prairie's flowers when Sue Allman, Jill Kohler, and Barb Davidson have all you next visit the Stillman Nature Center. worked hard to clear away unwanted shrubs. Stillman has also benefitted from the help of two high school students. This spring Barry Carp helped maintain and repair our trail of bluebird boxes. He also assisted me in erecting a Great GIFT MEMBERSHIPS Horned Owl nest. During the summer, student Andrea Shidle worked hard to weed Stillman's but- terfly garden and cold frames. If you love nature and are looking for an A special thank you to our neighbor Earl unusual gift idea, give a gift membership to McNeil whose donation made a potentially danger- the Stillman Nature Center. Our newsletter ous portion of our driveway much safer. His compa- will provide a year-round reminder of your ny applied many inches of blacktop that elevated thoughtfulness. And don't forget, it is tax the east driveway and made the approach to Penny deductible. Just check the appropriate box Road less treacherous. on the membership form and fill in the This is only a partial list of the thanks we owe recipient's name and address. A membership many of you. Look for more thank yous in our next form is on the back of this newsletter. newsletter. C (80L) 01009 11 `uVu!iluil psou Auuad Isam EE Jelueo eJnleu NA /1111 ALEXANDER STILLMAN NATURE CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS Susan Allman, President • William Brough, Vice President John Albanese, Treasurer • Jennifer Rose, Secretary • Eva Combs, Legal Advisor Michael Graft • Susan Hargreaves • Jim Kaltsas • George Sawicki Frank Spreyer • Helen Withrow Mark Spreyer, Naturalist & Newsletter Editor Jill Kohler, Newsletter Illustrator If you aren't already a Friend, please consider joining us.
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