Newsletter title

April 2013

In This Edition

Docent Events

—Anita Springer

Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Docents are invited to attend the annual Butterfly Count on Saturday, May 18 at 8:30 a.m. The first annual bird hike led by Rusty Johnson will take place at 7:00 a.m., and the first annual wildflower hike led by Dwight Thomas will take place at 9:30 a.m. All docents are invited to attend. We ask that you pre-register by calling Kay Krebbs at 918-855-7189.

You are also invited to a painting party on Saturday, June 8. The staff have erected some new pipe fence that needs to be painted. We will gather at the Visitor’s Center at 10:00 a.m. Please wear clothing that you wouldn’t mind discarding if the painting gets a little wild and crazy. Bottled water will be available on the porch at the Visitor’s Center before you go out. As a reward for your hard work, we will cook hamburgers and hot dogs at about 1:00 p.m. at the Foreman’s House (Stucco House); all you need is to bring an appetite and RSVP to me, so we know how much food to prepare.

New Docent Training will take place on April 20 and April 27. I will invite the new docents to join our painting party. The new docents will be required to work with an experienced docent their first year. If you look at the schedule and find that you suddenly have a partner, please do not delete your sign up before contacting me.

Please take a moment to check the docent work schedule and sign up for a day that fits with your schedule. If it were not for you, the Visitor’s Center would be closed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Prairie Watching: Spring Plants

—Dwight Thomas

False Wild Indigo by Dwight Thomas

This year the prairie has been slow to develop its show of Spring wildflowers. I was disappointed when I was there on April 6, 2013, in that I found only the tiny Spring Beauties and Bluets along with the more noticeable Verbena. Everything else was still waiting. The weather was unusually cold in March, but we know that the prairie will bloom soon. We can look forward to seeing the milkweeds, the evening primroses, and the larkspurs in all their showiness. I always look forward to seeing the false wild indigos. They just can’t be overlooked when they are in bloom because they stand tall and elegant above the early growth of the prairie grasses.

Michael W. Palmer in his publication, The Vascular Flora of the Tallgrass Prairie, Osage County, Oklahoma in CASTANEA 72(4): 235–246, December 2007, lists three species of false wild indigos. They are in the Fabaceae familiy and the genus Baptisia. They are really peas with typical pea flowers and seed pods. Both the individual flowers and the seed pods are larger than most those of most other legumes. The three species found in the tallgrass prairie preserve are:

  1. Baptisia alba (L.) Vent.
  2. Baptisia australis (L.) R. Br. ex Ait. f.
  3. Baptisia bracteata Muhl. ex Ell.

B. alba has white flowers, B. australis has royal blue flowers, and B. bracteata has cream colored flowers, so the species can easily be distinguished from each other. Commonly, they are named by their color: white false wild indigo, blue false wild indigo, and cream colored false wild indigo. They are not the true indigo plant from India, but the blue flowers have been used as a source of blue dye.

B. alba and B. australis have an upright growth habit with single or multiple tall flowering racemes. B. bracteata has a more compact growth habit, and its long flowering racemes do not stand upright. They remain noticeable for several weeks as the elongated racemes bloom flower by flower. The plants contain alkaloids that make them mostly unpalatable to grazing animals, but the seed pods and seeds are sometimes used by wildlife for food. They are legumes, so they have the typical legume capability of fixing nitrogen.

They are an important part of the prairie flora, but they are more than science for us. They provide one of the truly beautiful sights on the prairie. Hope you get to see them.

False Wild Indigo by Dwight Thomas

 

A Day at the Visitor’s Center

—George Neurohr

I volunteered to staff the Visitor’s Center Saturday, March 16, 2013. My wife and I spent Friday night at Osage Hills State Park in our camp trailer and started for the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve about 8 a.m. It was a nice March morning with high wispy clouds, a light breeze, with a temperature in the 40s. We drove in on CR 4220 from Hwy 99. I like to take my time with windows down to listen to the birds and watch for deer, turkey, etc. along the edges and for signs of the seasons along the road. Today there were hawks and vultures soaring. Up closer there were Northern Harriers cruising, red-tailed hawks soaring and perched, and a roughleg hawk up close enough to identify. As we turned north past the electric transformer station there were groups of bison cows, yearlings, 2 and 3 year olds and some young bulls grazing and moving. Some of the yearlings were running, bucking, and playing, rubbing on a cutbank and just enjoying life.

We arrive at the Visitor’s Center where all seemed well. I got the keys and unlocked the front door at about 9:30 a.m. I pushed on the door, but it wouldn’t open. There was something wedged against the bottom of the door. I pushed a little harder but it wouldn’t budge. Then I remembered there is now a side door. I was glad the locks are keyed the same, so I entered by the side door and what do you know? the fold up doorstop on the front door had folded down and it works real good stopping the door. I raised it up after we got settled, so I could let the visitors in.

It had been a while since we had been to the Visitor's Center. The new arrangement looks good, more open. New machinery made me a little nervous though; credit cards and all that. But I took my time and read the directions. It turned out OK. That rolling chair reminded me of some horses I’ve ridden. You can’t just take your time getting on. You better cheek him around, get a hold, and step on otherwise he’s going to be trying to get out from under you.

The morning was slow. No one showed up. The meadow below the HQ was full of robins and killdeers apparently after worms etc. The red-bellied wood peckers were busy in the trees along with blue jays making their presence known. Black birds and sparrows were busy around the buildings. It won’t be long till the swallows are back. There is always something new to see. For a couple years there was a pair of red-tailed hawks nesting in a sycamore tree down on the creek that you could watch with binoculars from the front porch. Last year the nest came down and I didn’t see them back this year.

After we had a quiet lunch the visitors decided we needed some company. From about 12:30 till 4:30 we had visitors pretty steady one group after another. Good sales of souveniers, gifts, etc. Everyone saw bison and most were interested in what The Nature Conservancy was doing. We had some good conversations about bison, cattle, grass, fire, and prairie chickens. There were quite a few new visitors, but many others had been there before. Many were planning to return later in the spring to see green grass and new calves. Most people enjoyed the displays and spent some time working their way around the room. The mural, skins, skulls and bones, patch burning, tree rings, binders of pictures, all get attention. The hiking trails are of interest to many. Some like the short bottom loop others like the 1 or 2 mile version. It’s good to see all the sights you can on foot.

I always enjoy the day at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Just need to have more time to spend there.

Visitor's Center Kiosk

—Andrew Donovan-Shead

Earlier this month, Anita told me that the kiosk stopped working. As I haven’t been able to get out there to diagnose the problem, I’m not sure which bit has failed. Anita said that it presents a black screen, so I suspect the touchscreen monitor.

Failure in a system like this is inevitable, being a question of when instead of if. Overall, the kiosk has done well running continuously unattended for more than four years while surviving periodic electrical interruptions

During re-orientation this year, Katie Hawk, The Nature Conservancy Communications Director for Oklahoma, said that the Conservancy wants to add content to the kiosk. To do this, a more powerful computer will be required with connection to the Internet to allow remote maintenance by the Conservancy information technologists. Since there are plans to upgrade the system in the immediate future, the kiosk will remain inoperative as it isn’t worth the effort to resurrect.

Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

—Nicholas Del Grosso

The Greater Prairie Chicken is a bird of the tall grass prairies. In addition to the Greater Prairie Chicken there are two other subspecies, one is extinct and the other is on its way to extinction. There were once millions of these birds spread across the tall grass prairie ecosystem. Lewis and Clark mentions this bird in their diaries and the Corps of Discovery dined upon them during their sojourn. Samuel Clemens was familiar with them in Missouri and as Mark Twain he included a recipe for prairie chicken in one of his stories. Theodore Roosevelt recounts hunting them in North Dakota during his brief foray into the cattle business before settling down to a life in politics. In Oklahoma Greater Prairie Chicken hunting was a social event. During the 1980’s I can remember hunting prairie chicken up by Copan and after the hunt having breakfast sponsored by the Copan Chamber of Commerce. Those times are now just memories; Oklahoma did away with Greater Prairie Chicken hunting in 1997 because of declining populations.

The Greater Prairie Chicken is a remarkable bird. I have seen it flying lickety-split down a fence line in the early morning with four or five hunters trying to bring the speedster down. It is always a joy to see flights of six or seven birds winging across the gray sky in the early morning, or to flush birds in the tall grass. But until last week I did not have a true appreciation for this bird. Jan Wilson and I were on an isolated country byway, looking for a Prairie Chicken lek at 7:00 A.M. on a cold rainy morning. I had long ago engaged the four wheel drive on the truck because of the muddy gumbo roads. As we started up a rise, to our right we could see birds silhouetted against the breaking dawn skyline. I slammed on the brakes and we counted 16 chickens on the lek. As we opened our doors to pull out our spotting scopes you could hear their booming sound from close to a ¼ mile away, it was awesome. It sounded as if someone was blowing into a half-filled glass Coke bottle. The sound awakened primal memories of what our ancestors must have heard on those long ago predawn African savannahs where our species originated.

Prairie Chicken Lek by Nicholas Del Grosso

The males were displaying, posturing and chasing. They were oblivious to our intrusion being more interested in the activity on the lek then in us. Every so often two males would square off with heads lowered, feathered horns up and fans spread. They would both jump 2 to 3 feet into the air, looking like the opening of a cock fight. The dominant male would then chase away the challenger. The females were loafing around watching the excitement.

Male Prairie Chickens by Nicholas Del Grosso

For me this was a transformative experience that made me imagine what it must have been like even 100 years ago. I thought about the absent millions of birds who in the spring predawn light raised their ear-like feathers above their heads, inflated their orange sacs on the sides of their throats and stutter-stepped around making that primal hooting moan. Anthropologists even hypothesize that the chicken’s spring dance may have inspired the Plains Indians dances.

Today The Greater Prairie Chicken is in decline because of habitat loss, hunting, predation, harsh climate, disturbance and changes in agricultural practices. To a Prairie Chicken, prime real-estate means slight rises and slopes, something readily available at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and surrounding areas. They also like open horizons, this is important in lek location because it makes it easier to be heard. Open sightlines are also important because it assists the chickens in seeing predators. Trees and tall structures are a bane to Prairie Chickens. Such devices are roost locations for aerial predators and evolution has bred this fear of tall structures into the Greater Prairie Chickens psyche. Studies have shown that most prairie chicken hens avoided nesting or rearing their broods within a ¼ mile of power lines and within a 1/3 mile of improved roads. Prairie Chickens also avoid communication towers, wind towers and rural farms.

In addition to the threat of an altered habitat, the Greater Prairie Chicken is on the menu of a number of predators. This list includes raptors, foxes, skunks, raccoons, snakes, coyotes, dogs and cats. If this list isn’t long enough add the Ring-neck Pheasant which has thrived by parasitism of the Greater Prairie Chicken nests, resulting in diminished nest success for the bird with potential to increase its decline where this competitive relationship exists.

The weather can also adversely effect Greater Prairie Chickens. A wet spring with drenching rains can kill chicks, while drought can destroy food and make it difficult for chicks to survive. Weather is a big factor affecting recruitment. You can have a successful breeding season, but if the chicks do not survive population numbers decline.

The breeding season begins in late March and runs throughout April. On the booming sites the males display for the females and sort out dominance. Dominant males will occupy the center of the lek with the younger males on the periphery. Only one or two of the most dominant males will do 90-percent of the mating. The lek is the center of the Greater Prairie Chicken universe. Research has documented that after breeding occurs the female will establish her nest within ½ to 1 mile from the booming ground. The female will build her nest on the ground in a shallow depression lined with vegetative matter. She will lay between 5 to 17 eggs and it will take between 23 to 24 days to hatch. The young are raised by the female and fledge in one to four weeks and are totally independent by the 10th to 12th week. The young will reach sexual maturity by one year of age. It has been demonstrated that females who nest early in the season have greater nesting success than late nesters.

Cover plays an important role in the life cycle of the Greater Prairie Chicken. It starts off with breeding cover; this should be areas of high visibility with low-lying vegetation (5 to 6 Inches). The next phase is nesting cover, which should be medium height (23-24 inches) made up of dense grasses such as little bluestem, big blue stem, switchgrass and Indian grass. Brood-rearing cover is next in the life cycle; this is characterized by disturbed areas with grasses and forbs such as medium grazed pastures, hayfields, burned, and second year growth. Finally winter cover is necessary; it must consist of tall sedges and grass, which can accumulate snow for burrowing or provide cover from predators and are located near croplands and other winter food sources. Ideally, habitat should be interspersed with tall and mixed grass prairies. Nesting, brood rearing and winter cover should be centered within five miles of the booming ground. Total habitat should be at least 2 square miles. Continuous tracts of grassland habitat are best, but the size requirement may be met by blocks of at least 160 acres with a minimum width of ½ mile. A truism in finding the Greater Prairie Chicken in any season is ...find the lek and chickens will be within a two mile radius centered on the lek.

It is a shame that this remarkable bird was once common across the central United States, from Canada through Texas and east to the Atlantic. In Oklahoma the greater Prairie Chicken was once found in the eastern 2/3s of the state. Today that area has collapsed to Payne and Noble counties north to Kay and Osage counties and east to Craig county. Unfortunately the numbers of the Greater Prairie Chicken in Oklahoma have decreased by 80- to 90-percent over the past two decades. Across its current range the Greater Prairie Chicken has not faired well, but the two subspecies have faired worse. The Heath Hen, Tympanuchus cupido cupido, once ranged on the pine plains of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The extinction process was one of continual collapsing habitat, with the last concentrations present on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. The last Heath Hen died in 1932 making this subspecies extinct. The Atwater’s Prairie chicken Tympanuchus cupido attwateri of coastal Texas had the same problem of collapsing habitat. It is fairing only slightly better with fewer than 50 birds present in the wild in 2005. These numbers are being fortified in recent years by the release of captive-raised individuals. However, with diminishing habitat what are the chances of this subspecies survival? The Greater Prairie Chicken is concentrating in the Flint Hills as habitat in its former range is degraded by development. The Greater Prairie Chicken evolved in a tall grass environment, without this habitat we could lose this subspecies also. That loss would be a blow to one of the last sounds of wildness on the prairie. The sound of the wolf is gone from the plains, the primal moan of the Greater Prairie Chicken is declining, it would be a shame to have only the sound of the adaptable coyote as a last reminder of wildness in a civilized world.

Docent Coverage Of Season Days

—Andrew Donovan-Shead

Docent Coverage of Season Days Docent Coverage of Season Days Summary

Other Places to Visit

Here we provide some links to other places worth visiting.

Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Visitor’s Center Latitude & Longitude

Here is the latitude and longitude of the Visitor’s Center that you can give to visitors for entry into their GPS navigation device.

Kiosk Maintenance

The manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the touch-screen recommend use of a soft dry cloth only. This proved inadequate for smeared fingerprints. Soft-paper kitchen towels work well, slightly damp with a small drop of soft handsoap. Application of a dry kichen towel removes any residual moisture.

Over time, a matter of several weeks continuous operation, I have noticed that calibration of the touch-screen drifts away from the initial set-point. If you notice that the cursor isn’t under your finger when you touch the screen then restart the kiosk by unplugging it from the wall, waiting a few moments and then re-inserting the power plug. It will restart and recalibrate.

This link points to the complete Kiosk Maintenance Manual.

Back Issues

Some printed back issues of the Docent Newsletter, to February 2009, can be found in the two green and one blue-black zip-binders, stored in the Perspex rack by the file cabinet in the office of the Visitor’s Center.

All back issues are available electronically via the links shown below. All newsletters prior to December 2007 are available in Portable Document Format (PDF), which means that you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to read these files. All newsletters from December 2007 onwards are in HTML format that is easily read using your web-browser.

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1998—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—1998
1997—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—1997
1996—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—1996
1995—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—1995

Selected Topics Index

This persistent index of selected topics should make finding articles of interest easier. The list will grow as I move further into the past and it will grow as I add interesting topics from each new newsletter. Iris McPherson lent me the paper copies of the newsletter from the very early years of the docent program; I ran them through a scanner equipped with a document feeder, saving them as PDF files, then added them to Back Issues section above. Let me know of any dead links that you discover. Also, please lend me any paper copies of the newsletter that are missing so that I can scan and add them to the list of back issues.

Newsletter Publication

Deadline for submission of articles for inclusion in the newsletter is the 10th of each month. Publication date is on the 15th. All docents, Nature Conservancy staff, university scientists, philosophers, and historians are welcome to submit articles and pictures about the various preserves in Oklahoma, but of course the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in particular.