Prairie Notes #143 - Aster-nauts
Prairie Notes are monthly photo/journal observations from Tandy Hills Natural Area by Founder/Director, Don Young. They include field reports, flora and fauna sightings, and more, mixed with a scoop of dry humor and a bit of philosophy.
They are available free to all who get on the FOTHNA email list.
Aster-nauts
Prairie Notes #143
November 1, 2018
01) Aster-nauts
02) Field Report - October
03) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
04) VOTE the Environment
05) New Species of the Month
06) Monarch Moment
07) Gustuf Young's Music Project
08) Pollinator Frenzy Video
09) Prairie Proverb
01) Aster-nauts
A kind of second spring continued at Tandy Hills in October. Spring-bloomers are popping up like it's April all over again. (Purple Paintbrush!!!) But it was a fall-blooming plant that really caught my eye more than any other, thanks to the frenzy of pollinators it attracted: The common, Aster.
I read that, of herbaceous plants, Fall-blooming, Aster and Goldenrod support the most pollinators. Both are important source of nectar and pollen for a number of species including, Monarch butterflies migrating south. I now have visual proof of this.
In late October, after the rain finally stopped and the sun came out, I spent a 4-day period observing a small patch of Late Purple Aster (Symphyotrichum patens). Each day, more species appeared. It was a jaw-dropping experience. I started out just noticing the big butterflies and moths. Looking closer, however, I was stunned to see the variety of species, like so many, Aster-nauts, inhabiting a little, Aster-world.
I ended up spotting more than 40 species of critters including, bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps, beetles, spiders and other bugs. No other plants attracted this kind of sustained pollinator activity. Documenting this miraculous event with photos became a minor obsession of mine. I took hundreds of pics, culling them down to the best shot of each species. You can see ALL of them below.
I came away from the experience with a newfound appreciation for the sheer variety and quantity of pollinators and the vital role they play in the web of life at Tandy Hills. Come on in and see for yourself before winter sets in.
DY
02) Field Report - October
Fall is beautiful at Tandy Hills. There was lots to see and experience in October. Take a walk in my mud boots...
03) PrairieSky / StarParty Report
Another rain-out in October. We have one more chance in 2018 on, November 10. Plan to attend if the sky is clear. FW Astronomical Society rep, Pam Kloepfer, describes what you can expect to see in the night sky:
"November sees the summer constellations disappearing in the West and the winter ones rising in the East. Prominently on display will be the magnificent easily-seen “W” of Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper are circumpolar constellations; they revolve around Polaris, the north star, never setting below the horizon. In the eyepiece, one might snag a view of the Andromeda Galaxy or M31, the closest large galaxy to our own Milky Way! Saturn and Mars are the only two remaining planets visible in the night sky, with Saturn setting early in Nov. The Moon will be a lovely slim waxing crescent."
04) VOTE the Environment
Until I got pollinator fever, this was going to be the top story of this issue. You know how important it is to protect our environment. Nature is a comfort that sustains us, especially in dark times. Make sure you do your do dilligence by honoring the natural world and your place in it on November 6.
Need inspiration: I recommend watching a short message from 10-year old, Robbie Bond, founder of Kids Speak for Parks, where he urges adults to vote for public lands. See it HERE:
https://www.patagonia.com/midterm-elections-2018.html?utm_source=em&utm_...
05) New Species of the Month
It was a wild one out on the prairie in October. There were more than 10 new species documented at Tandy Hills. Some have, um, interesting names. All are posted on the Tandy HIlls iNaturalist Project page. Here's my list as of, October 30:
Texas Bow-legged Bug, Hairless Bee Fly, Eumenes bollii Wasp, Euodynerous Hidalgo Wasp, Fractured Western Snout, Bi-colored Striped Sweat Bee, Palpada vinetorum Bee, Bordered Patch Butterfly, Arcigera Flower Moth and the Ponderous Spur-throat Grasshopper.
See them all HERE:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/tandy-hills-natural-area-stratford-...
06) Monarch Moment
Everyone remembers their first time. My first time to see a Monarch Butterfly chrysalis in the wild was October 29. It dangled like an exotic Christmas ornament from a stem of tall grass, a lovely shade of yellow/green with a gold-colored necklace encircling it. I wasn't sure what it was at first. Maybe something from another galaxy? It turned out to be one of nature's most amazing miralces.
07) Gustuf Young's Music Project
Gustuf Young, is a sensitive young man familiar with Tandy Hills from his many visits there with wife Bethy and their two kids. Bethy is the founder of the Forest School, a group of home-schooled kids who meet at Tandy Hills every Tuesday. On October 12, Gustuf released an album of music inspired by Tandy Hills. He has thoughtfully arranged for all profits from its sale to go to Friends of Tandy Hills. How cool is that? Here's what he says about the project:
"This is an ambient album made to benefit the preservation of the Tandy Hills Natural Area. It was made using field recordings on-site in Tandy Hills, a synthesizer and a piano in multiple sessions. If you go there, you can hear all these sounds of babbling brooks, chattering insects and twittering aviaries for yourself. Take a walk down the many paths for each is an adventure."
This album of beautiful, contemplative sound can be listened to for free or downloaded and purchased HERE:
https://asperkraken.bandcamp.com/releases
Thank you, Gustuf, for supporting FOTHNA!
08) Pollinator Frenzy Video
The above mentioned, Aster-nauts, that first caught my eye were a trio of Sleepy Orange Butterflies whose manic, aerial dance was a sight to behold. And you. too, can behold them in this 37 second video, HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfSWg2vWM4I
09) Prairie Proverb
“I feel a wonder and comfort on this prairie similar to when I was a child, when prairie was once backed up to my house and the creek next to it. Civilization eventually tore it down to make way for subdivisions and strip centers but this place (Tandy HIlls) brings the wonder back.”
Prairie Notes© is the official newsletter of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. All content by Don Young except where otherwise noted.
