Spring phenology
Go to phenology of: Summer Fall Winter Special
Events
Here's a very basic sampling of the kinds of natural events you can
observe as you visit the Lakeshore Nature Preserve in the spring. Please
use these suggestions as a starting place for investigations of your
own. Once you've started experiencing the world through the eyes of a
phenologist, you'll be amazed at the things you suddenly see that you've
somehow never noticed before!
The plumber who
turns on the irrigation for Eagle Heights Gardens knows when it is warm
enough by using phenology: "when the bloodroot and dutchmans breeches
are in bloom it is time to turn on the water soon therafter...!"
| One of the earliest signs
of spring in the Preserve (and in Madison generally) is the thawing
of Lake Mendota. Watch closely to try to identify when this happens. |
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| It may seem like so ordinary an event
that it doesn't feel like legitimate phenology…but it really is.
Watch for your first robin! |
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| Coots are one of the first species of
birds to arrive in the early spring (and one of the last to depart
in the fall). They're easy to identify, so are a good
species to learn if you're just getting started as a birdwatcher. |
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| You can watch the comings and goings
of butterflies all through the warm months of the year, so get to
know a few that you're sure you can identify them, and add them to
your phenological record book. The first butterflies start arriving
in March. |
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| Ferns are ancient plants, whose tenure
on earth goes back to the days of dinosaurs and beyond. They come
up relatively early in the spring, unfurling their fronds in a remarkably
beautiful spiraling structure known as a fiddlehead. Pay close attention
when you see them; the next time you see them, they'll look very
different indeed. |
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| The sandhill cranes are among the most
dramatic birds that seasonally visit the Preserve. They typically
arrive in March, so keep an eye out for the first one you see each
year. |
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| One of the earliest seasonal events for
watching birds is when redwing blackbirds arrive and the males start
putting on dramatic displays from tree branches and cattails to mark
out their territories. This generally occurs sometime in March. |
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Watch for garlic mustard plants appearing
and blooming early in the spring.
This is among the most aggressive
of the invasive plants that you'll see in the Preserve, and the
most vigilant efforts have to made to try to control it. But the
speed with which it appears and blooms in the spring is worth observing,
since it's among the reasons this plant is so successful in competing
with native plants.
The earliness and vigor of its growth is one reason it is able to shade out
native
plants and kill them. It also is extremely prolific in seed production. |
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| Early spring is the time for controlled burns in southern Wisconsin
prairies, as
soon as the snow is gone and the grasses dry out enough to burn. Prairie
fires
take careful planning, and the conditions (such as temperature and wind
direction)
have to be just right. If you're lucky, you may catch the burn team at work
in
the Biocore Prairie. |
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| Watch Willow Creek in April, and you
may see painted turtles sunning themselves on logs in the middle
of the stream. |
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| One of the more unusual of Wisconsin's
spring wildflowers is the Jack in the Pulpit, which looks like no
other flower in early spring…and will become a cluster of red berries
in the late summer and early fall. |
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| Be sure to look and listen and watch
for migrating birds in spring.
Spring warblers like this Yellow throated warbler can be notoriously
difficult to
identify, but their stop here during migration is a big event in the
Preserve and
a reminder of how important this green corridor is for neo-tropical species
that
literally depend upon its protection for their survival. Even if you can't
identify
the species, you can still enjoy their songs and celebrate these harbingers
of
spring. |
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| Sandhill cranes nest in the Class of 1918 Marsh and hatch their young in
May.
Be careful not to disturb the nest or birds but do keep a eye out for the
parents
and their one or two young (called "colts") as they parade near the marsh
and
Biocore Prairie. |
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| Watch for the goslings of Canada Geese
in May. |
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| Mallard ducks are so common that many
Madisonians take them for granted. So make the species more interesting
by thinking about it phenologically: watch for when the ducklings
hatch in May. But please don't feed them! |
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| Among the easier spring wildflowers to
find and identify in the Preserve are wild geraniums. Watch for them
in May. |
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One of the most magical events of
the year is when the lights of fireflies start blinking in the
woods and fields of the Preserve—and in back yards across all of
Madison.
Pay attention! You definitely don't want to miss this
one, and if you have children, this will be among their most
unforgettable memories. |
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Among the greatest threats to the native
plants of the Preserve is the invasive garlic mustard.
Student volunteers and members of the Friends of the Lakeshore Nature
Preserve make extraordinary efforts each year to pull this plant in May
before
it blooms and goes to seed. …which means that you can add the appearance of people carrying
bags full of weeded garlic mustard plants to your annual phenological
calendar!
See more about invasive plants
Find out how to volunteer |
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| Among the most beautiful flowering trees in the Preserve are the apples in
the
old orchard near the Art and Anthropology Kilns. Watch for apple blossoms in
May. |
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Photo credits:
All photos: Glenda Denniston except
Turtles sunning, Cathie Bruner
Sandhill crane, unknown source.
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