Archive for category: Species Profile

Scientific Name:               Dryocopus pileatus
Common Name(s):         Pileated Woodpecker

©Joshlaymon ©Robert J Banach

Identification:

Pileated Woodpeckers are in the woodpecker family, Picidae. Members of this family are found throughout the world except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and Madagascar. Being around the size of a crow, Pileated woodpeckers are the largest extant species of woodpecker in North America, and the third largest in the world. They are black with a white stripe down their neck and males are larger than females, with a red line between the bill and throat. Their most prominent feature is the red crest or mohawk, for which they get their name “pileated” meaning “capped.” It can be distinguished from other woodpeckers in the area by its prominent red crest and large size.

Range:

Pileated woodpeckers are found in deciduous forests of Eastern North America, the Great Lakes, and Boreal forests of Canada.

Ecology:

Pileated Woodpeckers are insectivores and commonly make almost rectangular holes in trees to retrieve their prey. Their diet is mainly composed of carpenter ants and beetle larvae, but they will also eat fruit, nuts, and berries, including poison ivy berries. They will forage in both standing and fallen trees for food. Some research has concluded that pileated woodpeckers do better in habitats that have been cleared of invasive bush honeysuckle and buckthorn, which help them to forage more easily on the ground and lower levels of the forest.

Pileated woodpecker males excavate nests in dead trees in April to attract females and raise young. Once offspring have fledged, these nests are abandoned; they are not used for subsequent years of breeding. Pileated woodpeckers stay in their habitat year-round and are not migratory. They defend their territories from other woodpeckers by chasing away, jabbing with bill, striking with wings, and calling.

The abandoned nests of Pileated woodpeckers are used by many other songbirds and small mammals as homes, screech owls and wood ducks among them. Therefore, many species rely on Pileated woodpeckers as ecosystem engineers who create housing throughout forests they inhabit. For this reason, they are an important species to consider when understanding the health of a forest.

Special Notes:

Here in Bella Vista Pileated Woodpeckers are quite common in the forested areas. Keeping dead trees can help to attract them and other birds and mammals that are closely associated with them.

Scientific Name: Verbascum thapsus

Common Name(s): Mullein, Common Mullein, Wooly Mullein

©Jane Shelby Richardson ©AnRo0002

Identification:

Mullein is in the family Scrophulariaceae commonly known as the figwort family. Their defining characteristic is having flowers which are zygomorphic, or having bilateral symmetry, which means that when cut in half vertically the petals are mirror images. It is in the Genus Verbascum, which is composed of over 450 mullein species. Species in this genus, form as a rosette of leaves on the ground, which later send up a tall flowering

stem.

Common mullein is a biennial plant and completes its lifecycle in two growing seasons. In its first year, the plant is a low-growing, vegetative rosette. Leaves of the most common species appear hairy, are felt like to the touch. The leaves are oblong-to-lanceolate in shape and mature at 4 to 12 inches in length and 1 to 4 inches in width. In the second year, a stalk grows from the base and reaches heights between 5 and 10 feet. The leaves alternate and switch sides of the steam as they grow and decrease in size as they ascend upward. The leaves are cauline and grow directly from the steam without a petiole.  At the top of the stalk there are yellow flowers with 5 petals, which are grouped densely on leafy spikes.  The plant’s flowers open 3 to 5 at a time and open in the morning and close mid-day. The stalk length on this plant is indeterminate and based on nutrient conditions.

 

All species in this Genus originated from Europe and Asia, with two being very common and widespread throughout the United States: moth mullein (V. blattaria) and common mullein (V. thapsus). Moth mullein is not easily confused with common mullein since it is much shorter and does not have hair like structures on stems or leaves.

Range:

Mullein is native to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. It was first introduced into North America in the 1700’s. It had become so well established by 1818, that it was listed as a native species in books written about East coast flora in North America. By 1839, it had reached the Midwest and by 1876, it had expanded to the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada.

 

Ecology:

Common mullein blooms throughout the summer from bottom to top. Mullein is most effectively pollinated by bees, as their flower morphology does not accommodate other insects as well. Alternatively, they are autogamous, which means they self-pollinate just prior to closing, if not accomplished by insects. The flowers produce a fruit shaped like a round capsule, which splits in two when matured. Each plant creates 100,000 to 200,000 seeds and mature seeds fall a few feet from the parent plant when the stalk is moved by the wind or a large animal. Common mullein does not have a method to disperse seeds over long distances, so populations tend to grow in dense stands.

 

Common mullein can be found in a variety of soil types but are very shade intolerant. Its deep taproot allows them to live in low water environments. Mullein does best in disturbed soil, as disturbed soil brings seeds from the under layers to the top. The seeds need plenty of light to germinate, so they need to be near the surface. If they are buried, they can remain viable for decades. Populations of common mullein often reappear in soil that has been recently upturned, or the top layer eroded away. Localized populations can be short-lived in undisturbed areas where they disappear into the seedbank until the next disturbance. Common mullein is common in neglected meadows, pasture lands, along fence rows, roadsides, vacant lots, wood edges, forest openings, industrial areas, powerline right of ways, and along open riparian corridors. Interestingly, common mullein can increase soil quality over time, since they have a deep root that can help break through and aerate compacted soil. Additionally, after their second year of growth, they die and compost into the soil adding nutrients to the top layers.

 

Mullein is an interesting plant historically, as it was brought to North America in the 1700’s for its pharmacological uses. It has been used to treat respiratory ailments, skin issues, digestion problems, hemorrhoids, sore throat, coughing, muscle and joint pain, insomnia, allergies, ear infections, asthma, migraines, inflammation, gout, and constipation.  The leaves have been used for at least 2,000 years and go back as early as first century Rome. The leaves are steeped into tea as well as used to create extracts and syrups. The seeds contain rotenone, which is widely used as a pesticide as a fish toxicant.

 

Special Notes:

Here in Bella Vista, mullein is very common along roadsides or newly disturbed lots where seeds have been brought to the surface layer of soil. It can sometimes be found along streams and on dams of our lakes.

 

 

Scientific Name: Passerina ciris

Common Name(s): painted bunting, Mexican canary, painted finch, pope, nonpareil

Dan Pancamo

Identification:

Painted buntings are songbirds in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). They are often regarded as the most beautiful bird in North America and are given the nickname nonpareil meaning “without equal.” In the second year of life, the male comes into his breeding colors with a dark-blue head, green back, red bottom, and red chest. The females and juvenile males are a vibrant green and yellow color which helps them to camouflage.  They are 4.5 to 5.5 inches in length and weigh about half an ounce. They have a wingspan of 8.3 to 9.1 inches.

Range:

Painted Buntings have two subspecies based on their breeding locations (red/orange) which results in subsequent genetic variation.  Passerina ciris ciris breeds in the Southeastern United States.  Passerina ciris pallidir breeds in the South-central United States and Northern Mexico.  Painted Buntings overwinter (blue) in tropical forests or densely vegetated savannas in Southern Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, the Coast of Mexico, and Central America.  Between seasons they travel overnight to reach new territories.

 

Ecology:

Painted Buntings live in thickets, woodland edges, riparian (vegetation along streams) areas, brushes, and shrubbery.  They breed in hammocks (usually hardwood ‘islands’ surrounded by wetlands) and scrublands.

 

Painted Buntings mainly feed by hopping around and foraging for food such as seeds of grasses, sedges, and forbs.  In the winter they exclusively eat seeds.  During breeding season, especially when females are nesting, they seek-out small invertebrates such as spiders, snails, grasshoppers, and caterpillars.  Interestingly, they sometimes pick off insects caught by spider webs.

 

Mating season begins in late April and extends through the beginning of August, but most activity occurs mid-May to mid-July.  Males arrive one week prior to females to establish territories.  Males are most visible during mating season as they sing on exposed perches to advertise their territory and alert females of their presence.  In addition to singing, male buntings will fly in a bouncing manner that is similar to butterfly flight.  They also have an upright display of fluffing feathers, bowing, and wing quivers that are used to attract females.

 

Females weave their nests into low, dense vegetation.  Each brood is around 4 eggs which are grey-white with spots of brown.  The female incubates the eggs for 10 days.  Young are born underdeveloped “altricial” and require parental care.  Females alone will care for the young after hatching.  Young fledge 12 to 14 days after hatching.  Females lay another brood 30 days after the first set hatches.

 

Special Notes:

You can see Painted Buntings along roadsides, on forest edges, and in gardens.  The males are especially noticeable at the peak of their mating season when they display for females.  Painted buntings stay in Arkansas from late April until August and begin migration to their wintering habitat late August to early September.

 

Scientific Name: Glaucomys volans
Common Name(s): Southern flying squirrel

©MimiMiaPhotography

Identification:
Southern flying squirrels are the size of a chipmunk, between 8 to 12 inches in length, with tail, and weigh 1 to 5 ounces. Their fur is soft and silky with a gray-brown overcoat and white undercoat. They are distinguished from the grey and fox squirrel by their larger eyes, longer limbs, and flaps of skin between legs that allow them to glide. These skin flaps (pataguim) run between the front and back ankles. Smaller back flaps also connect their back ankles and tail. Additionally, the hair on their tails is fanned out horizontally to aid in gliding. There is no difference in appearance between males and females.

Range:
The southern flying squirrel is native to the eastern half of the U.S. and some parts of southeastern Canada.

Ecology:
Southern flying squirrels favor large dense deciduous oak-hickory forests with full, mature trees and are especially numerous near water. More specifically, they prefer old forest with dead or rotten trees to nest in. They can fit into a hole the size of a quarter, so have a lot of options for dens. They nest high in trees in hollowed out holes which are usually old woodpecker dens. They can have 4 to 6 kits in the spring and sometimes another litter in late summer. Individuals usually live 5 to 6 years.

Southern flying squirrels live in the same habitat and eat the same food as Fox and Grey squirrels, so to reduce resource competition, they forage at night when these other squirrels are sleeping. They forage for nuts, fruits, buds, tree bark, and mushrooms like other squirrels. Unlike the Fox and Grey squirrel, they eat moths and beetles regularly. They are especially adept at helping to reduce beetle infestations in bark.

Since they forage from the tree canopy to the forest floor, they use large flaps of skin to glide which aids in forage speed. The Southern flying squirrel glides by fanning out its body to reduce falling speed and alternately moving their front and back legs to control which directions they fall.

Special Notes:
Here in Bella Vista Southern flying squirrel enjoy our mature woodlands with plenty of woodpecker holes. They can be hard to spot due to their nocturnal nature. Be prepared for some nighttime excursions if you want to see one!

Scientific Name: Sylvilagus floridanus 
Common Name(s): Eastern cottontail 

© The High Fin Sperm Whale                           © The High Fin Sperm Whale

Identification:
The eastern cottontail is the most common rabbit species in North America.  Its fur is grey-brown or red-brown with white fur on the underside.  They have large hindlegs with long ears, and a short white fluffy  tail with a rusty patch on the top.  They have large distinct black eyes.  The males tend to be larger than the females but there is overlap in size.  Typically, they range in size from 14 to 19 inches in total length.  The young are called kits.  They have a white blaze on their forehead for the first few weeks of life.   

Range:
The Eastern Cottontail is native to most of the eastern, midwest, and southern United States.  It is considered native to most of Arkansas and the Ozarks.   

Ecology:
The eastern cottontail primarily lives in open grassy areas, clearings, thickets associated with fence rows, and old fields with shrubs on the edges.  You can find them along hedges and fences in suburban areas and on the open edges of forested areas.  Their diet primarily is composed of grasses and herbs and the occasional insect.  Eastern cottontails’ typical range is around 1.5 acres, but some adults have been observed traveling up to 40 acres for adequate food.  Males typically have a larger home range since they actively search for females.   

 Cottontails are an extensive food source for most predators including cats, dogs, foxes, coyotes, racoons, minks, hawks, snakes, owls, weasels, bobcats, and corvid birds (e.g., crows & magpies).  They tend to live in grassland with shrubs, fence lines, or debris nearby to use as cover when predators (or perceived predators) approach.  These rabbits run up to 18mph in a zig-zag pattern to confuse or out-maneuver their predators.  Sometimes, they will freeze when approached to blend into their surroundings since often predators are more likely triggered by a moving target.  Similarly, they tend to rest during the day and are crepuscular (i.e. active during sunrise and sunset) or nocturnal feeders when visibility is low.   

 Eastern cottontail breeding is dependent on warm temperatures, rather than time of year, and they have a short gestation time of 28 days.  The eastern cottontail female will build a nest for her kits by digging a shallow, slanted hole and lining it with fur from their underside.  Once the kits are born, the mother will carefully lay grass on top of the kits to serve as camouflage.  Nests are typically found in grassy areas close to shrubs or other herbaceous cover.  Kits are born blind.  The mother will spend most of the day foraging.  She only needs to come back to the nest twice a day to feed the kits.  Kits open their eyes around day 5, start moving out of the nest around day 14, are independent at 5 weeks, and are sexually mature at 2-3 months.  Females will rear 1 to 7 litters per year with an average of 5 kits per litter.  Eastern cottontails in captivity can live past 10 years; however, in the wild they rarely make it beyond 15 months, due to predation. 

Special Notes:
Here in Bella Vista, you can sometimes find nests of kit cottontail rabbits built in hayfields or on undisturbed portions of your lawn or garden.  Eastern cottontails love to eat native vegetation and flowers.  Finding adults will require patience as their crepuscular activities along with their skittish nature make them difficult to observe.