Previously Mowed Field

Mowing does not leave a permanent, easily recognizable signature on the land.  Plants grow back and the area once again takes on a natural appearance.  Those familiar with the stages of natural succession that occur within a field, would suspect that there was a reason for the absence of woody species growing above the grasses, but the tracks of the mower have disappeared.  Last year at this time, the field to the left of the trail was in a condition identical to the recently mowed field on the right.  By next year, both fields should be displaying a similar appearance.

Indian Grass dominates during the autumn and winter seasons.  The seed heads of the early summer wildflowers have long since been overtaken by the stalks of tall prairie grass.

Despite the outward appearance of being a solid stand of Indian Grass, there are pockets of short grasses such as Little Bluestem and Side Oats Gramma scattered about the field.  From a distance, the tall grass effectively blocks these small openings from view.

In many areas, other grass species grow stem to stem with the Indian Grass, but lack the visual impact to be noticeable at a distance.  Here Little Bluestem and Prairie Dropseed occupy the spaces between the Indian Grass stalks.

A narrow valley running through the field provides perfect growing conditions for a stand of Canada Goldenrod. 

At one point in its transition from grain crops to prairie, the field was a monoculture of Goldenrod.  On the hillsides, where the soil was shallow and dry, prairie species gradually outcompeted the Goldenrod.  Now Goldenrod is confined to the deeper soils of the valley.

On November 17, three inches of wet snow brought the Indian Grass nearly to the ground.  Fortunately, the snow melted quickly and the grass stalks returned to an upright condition.  Rain just prior to the snow hydrated the stalks so they were able to bend without breaking.  Had the stalks been dry and brittle, they would have broken under the weight of the snow and stayed down permanently.

Not long after the snow, a storm front with wind gusts of 50 miles per hour whipped the stalks around for nearly a full day.  Stalks remained upright, but most seeds fell to the ground.

Whitetail deer commonly bed down in the thick stands of Indian Grass.  Judging by the number of beds I’ve seen in the field, the deer must frequently build new beds for their use.  Either that or I have seriously underestimated the size of the deer population.  Maybe they are like rats and every visible deer means there are a hundred you don’t see.

Of course, despite all of my efforts to eliminate them, there are some small cedars taking hold down in the grass.  Still, it will be several years before I will need to once again cut little cedars from this field.  Until that time, I can just enjoy the sight of an open grass field at least visibly free of woody invaders.

Indian Grass 2012

This is the time of year to enjoy the tall grass prairie.  The Indian Grass at Blue Jay Barrens has reached its peak for the year and will get no taller.  It’s a joy to go out and get lost among the towering grass stalks.

The grass is looking particularly healthy this year.  Winds associated with passing weather fronts move the grass in waves across the field.

Despite its apparent vigor, the grass has behaved oddly this year.  Stalks from last year’s stand are still present.  Early summer rains normally cause the base of the dead stalks to decompose.  The stalks then topple.  By summer’s end, the stalks are hidden from sight.  The intense early summer drought kept things so dry that the old stalks never fell.  In the shot above, the area in the foreground was mowed during the winter, so all of the stalks were cut and laid down.  The area behind was left untouched and the light brown of old stalks is clear to see.

The second thing of note this year is the height of the grass.  Bluebird nest boxes should now be hidden by the grass.  The top of the nest box is right at five feet above the ground.  Most of the grass falls well short of that height.  The tall grass experience is just not the same when the grass just barely makes it up to your shoulder.  Not much chance of getting lost in grass like that.

A rain storm during grass bloom provided conditions that were just perfect for pollination and seed set.  Despite its short height, the grass produced normal sized heads.  I’d say that the grass had a successful season.

Unlike last year’s staggered ripening schedule, the Indian Grass this year is all developing at the same rate.  Everywhere I checked I found developing seed at the milk stage, meaning that the center of the seed contains a white liquid.  It won’t be long before the seeds harden and begin to turn brown.  It appears that sparrows spending the winter in the fields will have plenty of grass seed on which to feed.

1.5

Storms moving ahead of the cold front brought 1.5 inches of rain to Blue Jay Barrens early yesterday morning.  Except for the 0.1 inch of rain that accumulated over a drizzly Labor Day weekend, things have been completely dry since the first week of August.  The plants were quick to take advantage of the moisture and droopy leaves became fully extended within a few hours.

The restored vigor of the plants along with the cool breeze and fluffy clouds made it feel like early September.  This may be the first time this year that the weather and plant conditions actually matched the calendar.  Maybe the remainder of the year will follow a little closer to normal.

The Indian Grass looks good, but it’s still a couple of feet shorter than normal.  Instead of standing a couple of feet above my head, the grass almost matches my height.  I can easily walk through the stand without having my view blocked by thick grass stalks.

Besides being short, the grass stand is not as dense as normal.  That means it will be easy to see small cedars in the field after the plants die for the season.  Unless we’re covered by snow all winter, I’ll get out and cut those invading cedars.

The rain came at the perfect time to help the Indian Grass.  The grass is just now flowering and needs that moisture in order to produce a good seed crop.  With so many plants aborting their seed production because of drought, the Indian Grass seeds are desperately needed to sustain the flocks of sparrows that winter in the tall grass stands.

The shorter grasses in the driest areas also perked up after the rain.  These areas are in perfect shape for winter cedar maintenance.  The plants grew so little because of the drought that they didn’t even hide the small cedars.  I think my little loppers are going to be very active this winter.

Puddles formed in the creek bed, but 1.5 inches was not nearly enough rain to restore stream flow.  I’m anxiously awaiting the return of stream flow, because that will mean our well level is on the rise and we can ease back on the water rationing.

Walking the Indian Grass Field

I took a walk in the field just to enjoy the tall Indian Grass stalks.  During the next few months the dried stalks will disappear as their bases decompose and the dead grass falls to the ground.  Once they are down, the stalks quickly decompose and provide nutrients for new growth.  The transformation from dead growth to living is an unobtrusive process that leaves you wondering where all of that dead material went.

Despite a regular schedule of rain and wind storms, the Indian Grass has remained upright all winter.  A cold wind, combined with grass talks whipping my face, makes the walk a little less comfortable.  That turbulence is just a surface event.  Down in the grass, the wind remains calm and the environment is much more comfortable.

A small cedar hidden in the tall grass has been a roost site for some small bird.  The Indian Grass fields always contain a variety of birds.  Occasionally they’ll utilize a small shrub as a night time location, but more typically they’ll just find a convenient spot down in the grass.  I stopped taking nighttime walks through the Indian Grass long ago.  I felt bad about spooking the birds from their overnight roosts.

The most obvious sign of wildlife in the Indian Grass is the network of deer trails that criss-cross in all directions.  The deer create the trails, but all wandering wildlife species seem to utilize them.  Some trails have remained in place for several years, while others are created and abandoned seasonally.  They sometimes remind me of a county and township road system. 

Deer beds are located throughout the field.  These beds are located a little distance off the trails.  This is likely a strategy to avoid detection by predators that may find the trails to be a convenient way to travel the fields.  Most beds are located on the slopes or ridgetops where the ground is more likely to be dry.  A deer bedded down in the Indian Grass can avoid visual detection, be protected from the wind and benefit by the insulating ability of the grass stalks. 

The Third Inch - A Snow Day

I’m talking about receiving the third inch of snowfall for this winter season.  A fast moving system came through yesterday morning and delivered the half inch of snow needed to bring us up to the three inch mark.  Temperatures stayed around 32 degrees, so the snow was wet and stuck to whatever it touched.  There was just enough to change the appearance of the landscape and put a highlight on certain features, like the mowed trails that leave the yard area.  It was also enough snow to cancel any plans I had for mowing or clearing activities.

It was bad enough that the snow stopped me from working, but then it went on to highlight some of the things I still have to accomplish.  A cap of snow identified each Teasel seed head in the field.  Teasel is one of those invasive plants that I need to get under control.  Fortunately, Teasel numbers are negligible in most areas.  This just happens to be the most prominent patch.

Indian Grass is still standing tall and straight.  It takes either a heavy snow or hurricane force winds to bring this grass to the ground.  The Indian Grass stands have been full of sparrows all winter.  The sparrows spend a lot of time on the ground searching for the grass seed that fell to earth a few months ago.

Big Bluestem doesn’t have the strength or durability displayed by the Indian Grass.  In this mixed stand, much of the Big Bluestem has fallen over.  A few inches of wet snow will take it all down.  I see a lot less sparrow activity in the Big Bluestem areas.

Wet snow really enhances your ability to see individual tree branches in the woods.  The dark of the wet wood makes a beautiful contrast to the bright white snow.  The effect changes a tangle into a collection of individual parts.  It reminds me of my early days with coloring books.  I would trace the lines with my black crayon before filling in the colors.  I liked the contrast and the stained glass window effect.

Temperature of the creek water doesn’t change very rapidly.  However, my perception of the water’s temperature does go through some erratic fluctuations.  I walked past this spot the day before the snow and because of the bright sunlight, my impression was of a cool water stream.  When I see the gray sky and watch the water flowing between snowy banks, I get the sense of a frigid creek.  Fortunately for the creek creatures, their environment doesn’t change as often as my mood.

The snow has only been on the ground for a couple of hours, but the turkeys have already scratched it up in their search for food. I wonder if I could instill in them a golfer’s etiquette and get them to replace their divots.

Their search must have been unsatisfying, because they formed a single file line and hurried up to the yard to scrounge beneath the feeders.  I followed their trail back to the house, a distance of about 1,000 feet and noticed that none strayed from the column during the journey.  By the time I made it to the yard, they had eaten and moved on.

The day never got any brighter, but the snow ended by late morning and had melted away before the end of the day.  Hopefully we can now cycle back into some sunny weather.

Snow

Blue Jay Barrens got its first snow of the season on January 2.  A total of two inches accumulated before noon and the rest of the day was a mix of wind, sun, clouds and snow showers.  You would have thought we were finally settling in to winter, if it weren’t for the predictions of a rapid warm-up back into the 50’s.

The flakes were large, but they were dry enough to settle down through the Indian Grass without sticking to the stalks.  There was enough warmth left in the ground to partially melt the snow and allow it to settle into a denser layer.

Ant mounds are always easy to see after a snow. Their snow cap will melt as soon as the sun emerges.

Snow on the ground makes it easy to view the trees and shrubs in the woodland understory.  The presence of a Sycamore on a steep slope is usually an indication of a wet weather spring.  These moisture loving trees can survive on the steep slope because of the added water provided by the spring.  The spring flow is often not enough to sustain a large tree, so the Sycamore will likely not grow to extreme proportions.

A snowy background provides the best conditions for illustrating the sprawling growth habit of the Fragrant Sumac.  The trunk of this low growing shrub may reach 20 feet long, but that length sprawls along the ground and drapes over other woodland shrubs.  In some situations this plant can become aggressive enough to displace other vegetation and produce a Fragrant Sumac monoculture.

New fallen snow always enhances the esthetic qualities of the creek.  I’m anxious for the snow to melt quickly, so the creek will be in shape to be beautified by the next new fallen snow.

Robins were busy digging in the wet leaves lining the creek and its tributaries.  I haven’t yet seen them gathered in large flocks.  Most groups contained around a dozen individuals.

The tall grass does a good job of hiding the snow, but it’s easy to see in the areas of sparse vegetative cover.  The afternoon skies showed a few patches of blue that gave the appearance of a pleasant day.  The strong wind and below freezing temperatures made you feel otherwise.

The clouds looked to be coming in as waves, but they were actually moving to the south in columns.  Each band stayed intact and moved quickly from right to left across the sky.  I could imagine the bands stretching all the way to Lake Michigan, which appears to have provided the moisture for this event.

Goldenrod Forest

Too many people treat Goldenrod as a weed.  I’ll admit that it will quickly take over an abandoned field and can create acres of a seeming monoculture.  You really can’t fault it for that since it’s a native plant just taking advantage of conditions we’ve created.  I’ve always thought of Goldenrod patches as four foot tall forests.  Life in the Goldenrod Forest exists in distinct layers.  At the top are organisms living among the flowers, below this are those that interact with the leafy part of the plant, next come stem borers and gall makers followed by life on the forest floor.

It’s during the winter that ground level life flourishes in the sunlight.  Goldenrods produce a chemical agent that inhibits the growth of other plants.  The plants that do grow alongside the Goldenrods are those that are resistant or tolerant of the chemical inhibitor.  It’s not surprising that most of these resistant species are not likely to cause undue competition for the Goldenrods.

Ferns grow in abundance on the floor of the Goldenrod Forest.  Spleenworts in particular produce some luxuriant growth.  I see this same species growing in the deciduous woodland and the cedar thickets, but those populations don’t come close to producing the density of plants found among the Goldenrods.

Thick carpets of moss cover the ground in some areas.  The moss beds are identical to those found in the standard woodlands.

Other low growing species have also found a home among the Goldenrod stalks.  Blue-green Sedge is common in the field, but the most vigorous plants seem to be those surrounded by Goldenrods.  The sedge is probably benefiting by the absence of competitive plants that grow in areas not affected by the Goldenrod’s chemical growth control.

Despite its aggressive nature, Goldenrods are only a transitory population in the field ecosystem.  They are eventually replaced by other species capable of resisting the chemical growth inhibitors.  At Blue Jay Barrens, Indian Grass has been rapidly encroaching on the Goldenrod Forests.  Where once the Goldenrods covered many acres, only scattered patches remain.  A couple of these patches seem difficult for the Indian Grass to infiltrate, so the Goldenrod Forests should remain for many years to come.