Draba Pollinators

The Draba cuneifolia have been in bloom for over six weeks now.  They went unscathed through a week long bout of cold weather that included single digit low temperatures, heavy frost and a covering of snow.  They baked through several sunny afternoons of temperatures above 80°F, stood beneath the pounding of two inch downpours, and some even spent a few hours submerged during an uncommon upland flooding event.  Despite all this, the plants have continued to produce blooms and in turn, seed pods have been forming.

Draba cuneifolia is an annual species that depends on its seed crop to produce the next generation of plants.  The flowers are capable of self-fertilization, so seeds will be produced even without pollen being moved between flowers.  However, sharing pollen is essential for the maintenance of a genetically diverse plant population, and the number one mover of pollen for these little Drabas is insects.  I recently spent some time sitting in the Draba patch, photographing the many pollinators visiting the flowers.  The rapidity at which the insects moved from flower to flower, along with it being a typical windy March afternoon, made it difficult to get many clear photos. The video above shows what conditions were like, but even though I only captured a few good images, the variety of pollinator species that I saw was amazing.

Draba flowers are tiny, but they must be good nectar producers.  Most flower visitors behaved just like this small native bee, only stop moving when you are drinking.

Another small native bee.  Small bees were the most common insect found on the flowers.

A Paper Wasp.  

Paper Wasps were the only insects large enough to move from plant to plant without flying.

Several species of flies were present.

Flower Flies were the most common of the fly species.

Plant Bugs were the only insects that spent any length of time at a single flower.  This one fed here for several minutes.  When it finally moved on, it went no further than the next open bloom.

I saw two of these day flying moths.

Not a pollinator, but this Carolina Wolf Spider is definitely interested in all of the activity only inches above its burrow.  Some of the flower visiting insects came by low to the ground, but none ever came within reach of the spider.

Carolina Wolf Spider with Eggs

The entrance to the Carolina Wolf Spider burrow is surrounded by a small forest of White Clover.  I periodically prune back the leaves directly over the burrow, but try to make a minimal impact so as not to discourage the spider from maintaining its residence in the burrow.

When I sneak in to have a look at the spider, I usually end up seeing nothing but an empty hole.  A glimpse of quick movement beneath the clover leaves is my most common confirmation that the spider is alive and well.

This morning, I got a glimpse of the spider far down in her burrow.  She is sitting at a point where the burrow makes a sharp turn to the left.  This turn makes it easy for the spider to retreat completely out of sight.  I have been eagerly awaiting some sign that she has produced a clutch of eggs.  According to everything I have read about this species, eggs should appear this spring.

During my evening visit to the spider, I noticed this white object at the mouth of the burrow.

In typical wolf spider fashion, the spider has enclosed its clutch of eggs in a silk envelope which is now attached to her abdomen.  Where she goes, so go the eggs.

The eggs should hatch sometime next month.  Following a time enjoying the care and protection of their mother, the young spiders should leave the burrow and begin life on their own.  This is the event I’m hoping to witness.  It is unlikely that the young spiders will stream from the burrow in a single mass.  I expect there to be a period of time where young spiders will be seen exploring around the burrow entrance or moving around the general vicinity of the burrow.  It’s also possible that the young will make short excursions from the burrow and then retreat back inside upon sensing danger.  I’ll keep making a daily check.  If I’m lucky, I should see the family leaving home and striking out on their own.  To read earlier posts about this particular spider, click HERE.

Rain and Flooding

Blue Jay Barrens is about as wet as it can get.  A long sequence of storms moving through during the past week has dropped nearly six inches of rain over the area.  Storm clouds moved through once or twice every day.

The soil, already fully hydrated by over six inches of rain in March, quickly became saturated and the output of each storm had nowhere to go but to run overland to the creek.  A storm yesterday afternoon produced 0.8 inches of rain in 15 minutes.  The result was a flash flood, the third this week.

Water from the township road carried red clay particles to the pond.  It looks like a bowl full of mud, but the water clarity is not as bad as it appears.

A closer examination shows the water to still be fairly clear.  The clay tint makes the dark Wood Frog tadpoles easy to see. 

The tadpoles have just recently taken on the traditional tadpole shape and become free swimming.  If these rains persist, there will be no problem of the pond drying up before the tadpoles transform into little hoppers.

The diversions around the vegetable garden have been working overtime this spring.  The garden sits in a level area that was formed by eroded soil being trapped by an elevated roadway.  Without the diversions, water would inundate the garden after every rain.

After each storm, I check to see that the female Carolina Wolf Spider is alive and well.  So far, she seems to have been unaffected by even the heaviest of rains.

Small upland waterways swell to wide streams as the water quickly rushes downhill.  After each rain event, I try to get down to the creek to see how the increased water flow moves through the channel.

The quickest way to the creek is over the hill.  Even in the driest, most well drained locations, water still stands on the surface.

Five minutes after the rain has stopped, concentrated water flow is still pouring from small woodland watersheds along the creek. 

Water running from these woodland areas is generally clear, but it carries a heavy load of leaves.  The result is a mosaic of bare ground and thick piles of leaves.  This will influence the pattern of plant growth through the rest of the year.

I’m always relieved when I see the bridges still intact.  All but one of the bridges have been replaced to an elevation above the record flood level.  If we do get a flood capable of tearing out this bridge, I hope I’m here to see it, because it will be a truly rare and terrifying event.

Calm and scenic features, such as a small waterfall, are covered over by the flood.  It’s always a surprise when the water drops and the creek resumes its earlier appearance. 

Water pools in the flood plains as it waits for a chance to seep into the ground.  This soil is very well drained and normally allows rapid water infiltration.  Its appearance now makes you think of vernal pools and amphibian breeding, but given a day without more rain, it will pass all of this water into the creek.

This is the last bridge needing to be repaired and elevated.  It has been moved and battered by flood water many times over the years.

Downstream of the bridge is the area blocked by a log jam a couple of years ago.  Since the removal of the jam, water now flows freely through the channel.

Since I wait for the lightning to clear the area before venturing out after a storm, I usually miss seeing the water at its highest level.  At the peak of the flood, water left the creek channel and moved overland.  This area was scoured clean when the water was suddenly blocked by the formation of a log jam and forced out here.  It’s likely that a new channel will be formed here someday.  I could have left the log jam in place and let the new channel form, but this little area has a nice collection of woodland flowers that I would like to enjoy for a while longer.

The third of three large bridges is now well above flood level.  This bridge was repaired using sections of decking from two older bridges.  I think this one is elevated and anchored well enough to withstand any flood.

I find still photos of rapidly moving water to be lacking in impact, so I have included a short video that captures the movement and sound of the angry creek.  It is also available for viewing on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Spider in the Hole

Early last November, the Carolina Wolf Spider residing at the edge of one of my vegetable garden beds, sealed off the entrance to her burrow in preparation for surviving the cold winter season.  The earthen seal remained undisturbed through the winter.  On March 16 of this year, the seal was removed and the burrow reopened.

Heavy snow flattened Butterflyweed stalks and effectively erased signs of the burrow entrance.  Had I not placed a white marker stone a few inches from the burrow, I would have had a hard time deciding just where I should be watching for the reappearance of the burrow.

On March 21 I caught my first glimpse of the spider.  I was happy to see that she had survived the winter with no noticeable negative effects.  With no nearby standing cover, it’s hard to get close to the burrow without scaring the spider back inside.  The spider is just about dead center in this shot.

Fortunately, the spider was quick to reemerge from its burrow, so I had plenty of photo opportunities. 

This spider is a female who would have been hatched in the summer of 2013.  She attained her adult size last summer and should have mated sometime in the fall.  That means she should be producing eggs this spring that will hatch in early summer.  I’ll be keeping a close eye on her in hopes of witnessing some of the young leaving the burrow later on.

Spider Burrow Closed for the Winter

For the past two months, I’ve been keeping a watch on the Carolina Wolf Spider found living in a burrow in one of my vegetable garden beds.  This is how she looked two weeks ago, sitting at the entrance to her burrow.  The pose is her normal position when venturing out during the day, her legs resting on the lip of the burrow entrance.  From the side it’s easy to see the eye that sits far back on the side of the head.  At the first sign of approaching danger, she drops quickly into the burrow.

The spider’s burrow is located at the edge of a garden bed that is currently growing a large stand of Butterfly Weed.  The burrow is in the green patch of clover in front of the dried flower stalks.

A couple of days ago, I glanced over to check on the spider and noticed something odd about the burrow.

The entrance has been blocked by soil.  The seal was constructed by material brought up from inside the burrow. 

Carolina Wolf Spiders hatch during the summer and reach about half of their adult size before winter sets in.  They overwinter and complete their growth the following summer.  Mating occurs in the fall.  Mature males will die soon after mating, but females will overwinter and produce eggs the following spring.  This spider has sealed herself into the burrow and is settling down to ride out the winter.  Hopefully, the spider will reopen her burrow in the spring and the hole will be home to a large batch of spiderlings next summer.

Carolina Wolf Spider

Regularly reading blogs that discuss plants and animals in your area is a great way to learn of things you should keep a watchful eye out for.  Without Jim McCormac’s post about the discovery of the Carolina Wolf Spider in Adams County, I would never have recognized this face when I saw it.

Back in April, I mentioned this spider hole dug into one of my vegetable garden beds.  It’s located in a portion of growing bed that has been given over to an ever expanding clump of Butterfly Weed.  The hole has continued to grow in size through the summer and is now larger in diameter than a quarter.  The diameter of the quarter is 24 mm, so this is quite an impressive hole.

I occasionally give the hole a look when I work in the garden, but it has always appeared lifeless. 

Yesterday evening, I found this blocking the entrance.  A Carolina Wolf Spider.  From the size, I think this is probably a female.  This is a large spider that digs and lives in a large burrow. 

These spiders primarily hunt by waiting at the entrance to their burrow and grabbing passing insects.  I tried to coax the spider out of its burrow by using the end of a grass stalk to simulate an insect.  The spider was uninterested and refused to move into the open.

I don’t have any of the sophisticated equipment mentioned in Jim’s post, so I have to use more mundane methods of enticing finicky creatures into the open.  My first complete sentence is reported to have been “Let’s go fishing” and through the years I’ve fished for some unusual quarry.  I see no reason not to fish for spiders.  Using a Tenebrio beetle larva, aka mealworm, I prepared my tackle for deep soil spider fishing.

I first tried the mealworm on the edge of the burrow.  I suppose I had already annoyed the spider too much with the grass stalk.  It wouldn’t rise to the bait.

I sent the bait on down the hole.  You can see the furry bulk of the spider hiding in the shadows.

The strike was sudden.  I quickly took up the slack to keep the spider from backing down the burrow.

The spider was a strong opponent, but I worked her up to the top of the burrow.

With only her hind legs keeping contact with the burrow wall, she held firm and refused to advance any farther.  Her fangs are firmly imbedded in the mealworm.

In a flash, she’s gone with my bait.  If I feed her often enough, she might overcome her shyness and allow for a better viewing.  Most of the descriptions for this species refer to features found on the underside of the body.  I guess I'll also have to teach her to roll over.  For more information on this fascinating species, check out Jim’s blog.