Newsletter title

August 2013

In This Edition

Annual Docent Appreciation Luncheon

—Anita Springer

Wow! What happened to summer? We are inviting all our past and present docents to the annual Docent recognition luncheon.

It is once again time to get together to share our stories, receive a pat on the back, have a great lunch from, I think, Bad Brad’s and hear another one of Harvey’s great stories of the Osage. The date for this wonderful soiree is on Saturday, September 28. We are hoping to pull together a hike before lunch to work up an appetite. The hike would begin at 11:00 am with lunch being served at 12:00 pm. We don’t know whether we will be at the Foreman’s House or at the Research Building, but I will let you know next month in the newsletter. Please RSVP to me by email (ams.springer@gmail.com) or modile ’phone (918-214-6672) or by ’phone to Kay Krebbs (918-855-7189). This Fall is going to be very busy at the preserve with a Fall Hike scheduled for October 5 and the 20 year anniversary celebration of the first bison release is on Friday, October 18. Docent Day at Roundup is scheduled for Saturday, November 2.

Please take the time to look at your schedule and the docent work schedule for September–December and sign up.

Prairie Road Crew: September 21

—Dennis Bires

All Tallgrass Prairie Docents and friends are encouraged to participate in this fall’s roadside clean-up on Saturday, September 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We will drive and walk the Preserve roads under the blue autumn sky, making the prairie views even prettier, removing litter. Relaxing on the Bunkhouse porch at lunchtime is another enjoyable part of the day. Bring rugged shoes, water bottle, and lunch for this worthwhile project.

Fall Painting Work Day: October 12

—Dennis Bires

Our Tallgrass Spring Painting Work Day was such a good time this year there has been lots of Docent demand for a Fall repeat event. Bob Hamilton and I have relented, and we are planning a cattle-guard-and-sign-post painting day for Saturday, October 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with a one-hour break for lunch at noon. That happens to be just days before the 20th Anniversary of the 1993 Bison Release, to be observed the following Friday. Expect lots of comments at that commemoration about cattle guards and sign posts.

Assemble at the Visitor’s Center, wear clothes and shoes that you don’t mind having smudged with Rancho Red paint, bring along some lunch, and we will provide the rest. If there is a better place to spend a splendid October day than next to the waving tallgrass, we don’t know what it is, so join us for a rewarding project.

Prairie Watching: Purple Wildflowers

—Dwight Thomas, Ph.D.

In July, I highlighted some of the yellow wildflowers that have made the prairie so beautiful this year. At the end of the article, I predicted that purple wildflowers might take over for the remainder of this year. Well, there are still yellow wildflowers, and they are still holding on to their dominance: There are various sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) and sunflower relatives (such as Silphium spp.) in bloom, and recently, the Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata [Michx.] Greene) began to make the prairie yellow with its flowers. It won’t be long until Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) covers large parts of the prairie with shades of yellow.

Dotted Blazing Star by Dwight Thomas

But, in defense of my purple prediction, large stands of Ironweed (Vernonia baldwinii (Torr.)) began blooming in August. This dark purple composite (Asteraceae) is tall with brightly colored flowers; not lilac or any other light shade of purple, not blue tinged with red or red tinged with blue, but intense purple. The flowers are all disc flowers that form in a bunch at the top of the plant and are often visited by various butterflies. Its leaves are long and wide lance-shaped that sometimes also have a tinge of purple. It has large rhizomes that spread in all directions, which allows it to grow in thick stands. It will continue blooming until frost. I have read in several places that it is bitter tasting and is avoided by birds and herbivores, but none of the sources cites any research references to this fact.

Ironweed by Dwight Thomas

There are a number of other showy purple wildflowers that are found in large stands or clumps throughout the year, but I like Liatris best. This genus is also a member of the Asteraceae with only disc flowers. Michael Palmer in The Vascular Flora of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, CASTANEA 72(4): 235–246, lists four species of Liatris that can be found on the Preserve; we can easily see them blooming in succession until frost. They begin blooming in July with Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya Michx.) and Scaly Blazing Star (Liatris squarrosa (L.) Michx. var. glabra (Rydb.) Gaiser), continuing with Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera Michx.) in September, and Dotted Blazing Star (Liatris punctata Hook.) later in September until October. These, like Ironweed, have intense purple flowers yet the flowers stand tall in spikes rather than in bunches.

Prairie Blazing Star by Dwight Thomas

The plants stand up to three feet tall with the flowering spike at the top, except for Rough Blazing Star that has flower heads scattered along the nodes of the stem. Usually there are a few stems growing from the base of each plant. The leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, often giving the plants a round-brush-like appearance. They grow from a woody underground stem that most often looks like a bulb in all of the Preserve species except for Dotted Blazing Star. Its underground stem is more like a woody rhizome. Dotted Blazing Star also has a bushier appearance with multiple stems growing from the base of the plant and is normally only about two feet tall. However, remember the height of the plant is often dictated by the amount of moisture available during the growing season. Dotted Blazing Star is more of a western species growing in abundance West of the Preserve, while the other species are found more abundantly East of the Preserve; on the Preserve, it is usually found in the drier, rockier locations.

Rough Blazing Star by Dwight Thomas

These will provide us with a purple show from now until frost. Prairie Blazing Star is already past, but you can see the dried spikes still standing purple. These species can be found readily throughout the Preserve, and I have found large populations of all but Scaly Blazing Star. One of my favorite locations for Prairie Blazing Star is along the Bison Loop, County Road 4450, where the road leaves the Preserve via the North exit. Scaly Blazing Star is not as abundant, but I have found it near the changover from Prairie to Cross Timbers along County Road 4220. A good spot to view Rough Blazing Star is West of the Preserve Hiking Trail that leads Northwest from the Gazebo. Dotted Blazing star is found in many places, but a good place to look for it is along County Road 4201 where the road rises over a rock outcrop; there is a pond on the South side of the road at that location.

Liatris spp. also attract a variety of butterflies and other insects. I hope you enjoy this visual purple repast when you visit the prairie.

Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis

—Nicholas DelGrosso

The Eastern Bluebird is truly a bird for all seasons in Oklahoma and especially at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. In the summer, this bright blue bird, with its chestnut red breast and white belly, holds its own against the varied color pallets of the visiting tanagers, buntings and warblers. In the fall, the Bluebird is a flash of color reminding one of a bright blue summer sky among the reds and yellows of the changing leaves. During the winter season, it stands out among the subdued grays and browns of the bare trees lining the creek beds. To see a Bluebird is to brighten the most dismal winter day.

Bluebirds by Nicholas DelGrosso

In the field, we see so many Bluebirds that it’s hard to believe we almost lost this harbinger of happiness. The Bluebirds’ interaction with man has had its ups and downs. As the Eastern forests were cleared for settlement, the Bluebird benefited from the introduction of pastures, orchards, and home sites into the environment. These changes supported the nesting and foraging activities of the Bluebird. The use of wooden fence posts to mark field boundaries provided additional nest sites. All these changes led to an increase in Bluebird numbers in the east through the mid-1800s. By the end of the nineteenth century, a series of man-made actions reversed the positive Bluebird / Human equation. Some of these adverse actions included the introduction of the European Starling and the English House Sparrow, increased use of harmful pesticides, replacement of wooden fence posts with metal posts, clearing of field borders and fence rows to increase cropland acreage and a growing human population. Fortunately, these adverse trends were recognized before they became too late to reverse. It was also fortunate that the Bluebird accepted artificial nesting structures. I can still remember the nesting box campaigns of the 60s and to this day, I still place Bluebird boxes on my fences to attract this bright bird to my yard. The ongoing recovery of the Eastern Bluebird demonstrates how sound research and wildlife management practices can be used to increase the survival of an individual wildlife species.

Today, Eastern Bluebirds can be found east of the Rockies in the United States and Canada, and down to central Mexico. In Oklahoma, populations are year-round residents, but northern birds tend to migrate to more southerly latitudes for the winter. During the past 14 annual Christmas Bird Counts at the Tallgrass Prairie, Bluebirds have averaged 54 individuals each year. I have seen them singly foraging in trees along creek beds and in mixed flocks with gold finches working the fields.

Bluebirds by Nicholas DelGrosso

Eastern Bluebirds have a varied diet of insects, including caterpillars, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, and spiders. They also relish wild fruits. During the summer, 68-percent of their diet is comprised of insects. For a number of years, my Bluebird boxes were tenanted by House Sparrows. However, when I planted blackberry and raspberry bushes near the fence line, Bluebirds began to occupy the boxes. They were apparently attracted to the easy access to fruit and insects. Bluebirds are ground feeders preferring short, sparse vegetation which aids them in spotting ground-dwelling insects. They can spot an insect from 60 feet or more away. They usually sit on a fence post or treetop to spot an insect and swoop down into the grass to make the catch. Eastern Bluebirds are monogamous and will generally stay together throughout the breeding season. This usually starts anytime from mid-March to early April. The male will display at the nest box entrance to attract a female. This is the extent of his contribution to the nest building. Once a pair bond has been established they will stay together for more than one season. This is a general rule based on field observations; however, some birds may switch mates during a breeding season to raise a second brood. Both sexes defend territories. The female will defend the nest site. In fact, this year I observed a particularly aggressive female nesting in one of my boxes. She successfully defended the box against a pair of House Sparrows. This was early in the nest selection process and though she had been bringing nest materials to the box she had not yet laid her clutch. Anytime the Sparrows got within five feet of the box she would attack and pursue the Sparrows. After several pursuits, the Sparrows gave up and left the area. My berry bushes are within 25 feet of this nest box and the male aggressively defends the bushes and the intervening garden. I have also seen him chase and pursue American Robins out of the area. Once other birds became aware of this No Other Bird Land they tended to avoid it.

Bluebirds by Nicholas DelGrosso

Typically, it takes from four to six days to construct the nest from dry grasses, rootlets and weed stems. The cup itself is lined with fine grasses. The male starts nest selection by showing the female several possible sites. The female may start nest building at several sites, but will finally concentrate her efforts at the one she will lay her eggs. The Bluebird prefers to build her nest in woodpecker holes, dead or rotting trees and in nest boxes.

European Starlings and House Sparrows compete with the Bluebird for these sites and are usually more aggressive about driving the Bluebird from nesting areas. In fact they will destroy eggs and kill hatchlings to drive the Bluebirds from the nest box. The female Bluebird will lay from three to five pale blue eggs. The female will incubate the eggs which will hatch in eleven to nineteen days. Both sexes will feed the hatchlings which will fledge in nineteen days. As the chicks fledge, males will tend to be the first fledglings to leave the nest box.

Bluebirds will remain in family groups for up to three weeks. Families usually flock together until fall, at which time they merge with other family flocks to migrate and forage during the winter. In the spring, adults tend to return to the same breeding territory year after year, however only a small percentage, 3- to 5-percent of the young birds return to their birth area to breed. Most fatalities occur in the first year of life. Bluebirds generally live from six to ten years.

Here are some tips to attract Bluebirds:

  1. When placing your nest box, make sure they are a good distance from buildings and human habitation. This will help prevent Sparrows and Starlings from using them.
  2. Make sure the box is 4 inches square with a 1.75 inch opening and no perch.
  3. Try placing dried fruit and/or chopped peanut kernels on a platform type feeder to attract Bluebirds.
  4. Bluebirds love mealworms. Place them in a feed tray alive and you will attract Bluebirds.

The major Bluebird predators in Oklahoma are House Sparrows, European Starlings, and American Kestrels, black rat snakes, black racers, fire ants, domestic cats and raccoons. When a predator approaches, the male Bluebird will make a song-like cry. If the male is away, the female will begin to sing; trying to attract a protective male back to the territory. Both male and female will also flick their wings and warble when predators are nearby.

Bluebirds are beautiful birds and fun to watch. If you can attract a pair to your yard, you will have an educational experience from display to feeding activity. You can also see these birds at the Visitor’s Center porch, perching on the fence posts and diving into the grass for insects. Wherever you may see Bluebirds, they positively put on a great show — thus the Bluebird of Happiness!

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.

2013January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—2013
2012January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2012
2011January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2011
2010January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2010
2009January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2009
2008January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2008
2007January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2007
2006—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2006
2005January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2005
2004—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2004
2003—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December—2003
2002—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2002
2001January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2001
2000January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December2000
1999January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1999
1998January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1998
1997January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1997
1996—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1996
1995—January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December1995

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.