Monarch of summer

By Beth Sullivan

Back in 2013 we wrote about the plight of the Monarch butterfly, and how the loss of habitat had brought on a decline in population.  Now, four years later we still have to worry  about Monarchs.

Those of us who were lucky enough to run freely through gardens and meadows during summer months, years ago, remember the Monarch Butterflies as the keystone of the season: ever present, drifting lazily on the breeze, never seeming to be in a hurry and always brightening our summers. They would begin to arrive in our area in June; dates always varied depending on weather conditions and southerly breezes. We could count on several generations of Monarchs in our area each year.

This year has been different. The Monarchs have not arrived in the numbers of the past. We never seemed to have the early first wave. We have had few if any eggs and caterpillars on our milkweed patches through the early and mid-summer weeks.

The wintering grounds in Mexico are in danger. The Monarch population there is rapidly decreasing. Some of their necessary stopping-over places have been hit by serious drought; there is increasing use of herbicides which reduces the milkweed populations and insecticides which wipe out caterpillars. As the population moves up from wintering grounds in Mexico they stop, feed, mate and lay eggs. Each successive generation makes its way farther north. Only now, in late summer, are we noticing more Monarchs, slowly filtering into our meadows of goldenrod and wild milkweed.

Life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly

During summer it's a challenge to find the eggs and when possible, save them from mowing by bringing the leaves indoors, watching over them until they hatch and then begin the daily runs to find new milkweed leaves to feed the rapidly growing and ravenous ( and always “pooping”) caterpillars! ( photo 1) That phase can last a couple of weeks.

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The next stage, the chrysalis formation, seems to happen behind your back or while you blink. If you are really lucky and attentive, you get to see the process: First they will find a sturdy stick to adhere to by creating a web-like, silken material to suspend themselves upside, down in the letter J formation. (photo 2) Then they straighten down and begin a fine quivering for just a short time and then they become still. (photo 3) It is then that the striped caterpillar skin begins to split from the bottom, its head end. (photo 4) In less than a minute, the skin spits entirely up, and beneath it, the pale clear green of the chrysalis casing is exposed. (photo 5) For a short time you can almost discern the features, head, proboscis, folded wings, of the changeling within.(photo 6) Soon the case hardens and becomes ringed with a crown of gold dots. (photo 7)The chrysalis is complete and we wait…and watch…for about 10 days. 

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One day, the coloring changes. The skin of the chrysalis becomes transparent and the black and orange colors of the Monarch are visible. (photo 8) In that day, the emergence will occur. The chrysalis will wiggle, and skin will split. This time the splitting releases the butterfly within. (photo 9) It is wrinkled and compressed. It will hang from its case for several hours until fluid from its body fills the veins in its wings to harden and strengthen them. (photo 10) 

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 It is very vulnerable during this time and needs protection, but by the end of that day, the Monarch will be able to fly off, seek out its nectar sources from our gardens and meadows. 

Hopefully it will find a mate and a milkweed patch to continue the cycle. As summer comes to an end and frost threatens, the Monarchs congregate along the shorelines, meadows and dunes that are covered with goldenrod blossoms. They will feed heavily before instinct takes them on a Northerly breeze, on their way back to wintering grounds on the mountainsides of Mexico.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

Learn more about the Monarch butterfly at the Project Monarch Watch website.

Read more about the decline of the Monarch here.

Preservation, greenways and wild animals among us

By Beth Sullivan

By now we have all read about the beautiful Coyote or hybrid Coyote/Wolf/Dog that wandered through Mystic and Stonington within the last week. The number of articles, posts, photos and exclamations about this sighting is an example of how interested and concerned we are with the wildlife that we may encounter. It also underscores the need to help these creatures find a balance was we have moved into their space.

Raccoons are quite comfortable in edge habitats. 

Night visitors

This animal was healthy in appearance, calm in its demeanor, and not obviously diseased. Yet it was not where it belonged. More and more wild animals that have been pushed out of their area by our encroachment and development are becoming adapted to living on “the edge”. The edge where the woods meet the field, where the field meets a yard or a street, where the yard meets a neighborhood and that neighborhood turns into a town. The species that are most successful are those that have learned how to adapt. Think of our night-visiting Raccoons and Opossums. Think of wild Turkeys and Crows. Think of White-tailed Deer. They have become part of our suburban existence, not just rural residents. Now think of the others that seem to threaten us or our pets more: Fishers, Bobcats, Coyotes and Bears. They are also learning how to adapt, to survive, but it is also threatening their very own existence that they are becoming too adapted, too comfortable in close proximity to our homes and roadways.

Bobcats are secretive but sightings are becoming more common. Photo by Rick Newton.

Foxes prefer shrubby fields and hedgerows. Sometimes they will den near human dwellings. Photo by Rick Newton.

This underscores the increasing need to preserve land-land to be homes, habitats and safe zones for these species. If you look at an aerial map of the area covered by Avalonia Land Conservancy’s preservation efforts, you are at first struck by the general forested nature of where we live. But zoom in closer and it is obvious that all the new developments, homes, roads, business centers, are encroaching and breaking up the forest, creating more edges.

Larger areas of deep woodlands and varied habitats give animals room to travel safely.

Creating greenways for habitat

One of our main conservation strategies is to create greenways. Link parcels of land together to form corridors that wild life can travel more safely. Sometimes a greenway will follow a watercourse, a wetland corridor that protects a watershed as well as providing safe haven for wildlife. If you look at that map in a bit more detail, you will see that Avalonia has played a part in preserving lands and creating a number of greenways. In Groton, The Moore Woodlands and Town’s End connect with other protected lands to form a large cross town trail system that is accessible to people and wildlife as well. In Mystic/Stonington a large block of Aquarion Water Company land, Denison Society land, which is for now, open space, connects to Nature Center land, and several adjoining Avalonia Properties : Mistuxet Hill, Pequotsepos Brook Preserve, Perkins Wildlife Corridor, White Cedar Swamp and Deans Mill Preserve. This greenway protects our watersheds, brook sources which flow to Long Island Sound, and provides homes and habitats for numerous species of wildlife.

In Groton several organizations have partnered to create a long greenway of trails and open space.

In Stonington, a large amount of Avalonia protected open space protects the Stony Brook watershed, from our Stony Brook Preserve, through Fennerswood, to Paffard Woods and then to the Admiral Fife Naval recreation Area .

Avalonia has connected several parcels in North Stonington to provide a large corridor of diverse habitat.

In North Stonington a lovely large complex is comprised of Erisman Woodlands, Babcock Ridge and the Henne Preserve .

Each of these connected parcels took a great deal of effort to put together. The beneficiaries, of course, are all of us and future generations who will enjoy the vast open spaces. But the greatest beneficiaries will be the species of wildlife that would really prefer their large block of woodlands and wetlands, to the concrete world of down town Mystic.

See and read about the Coyote sighting in the Stonington-Mystic Patch.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

Collaborating for Waterfowl Conservation

By Beth Sullivan


Last year at this time, Dave Lersch, from Delta Waterfowl, walked with me along the impounded marsh at our Anguilla Brook Preserve in Pawcatuck. He was thrilled to see perfect Wood Duck habitat, and we were happy to reveal that we had a member family planning to make, erect, and monitor houses for us on that preserve. Those houses went up a little late last year for nesting use, but we are hoping the returning wood ducks will be checking out the new offerings this season. We will be making a trip out to check in the next week, now that the snow is off the trails and ice is off the marsh.

Wood Ducks are normally very secretive but can be lured out to feed on seeds and grasses. Photo by Bob Dewire.

Dave then contacted stewards Anne Nalwalk and Mac Turner in North Stonington and investigated the Deer Run Preserve as well as the Henne Preserve. Both are beautiful wooded wetlands, perfect for wood ducks.

Dave with Anne Nalwalk and BeeGee with nest boxes to be installed at Deer Run Preserve

Here is Dave’s report:

Ducks Today and Ducks Tomorrow

In a joint effort between Avalonia Land Conservancy and the Connecticut Chapter of Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Wood Ducks and other avian species will find much more accessible and safer nesting opportunities in Avalonia wetlands. Whereas much of the effort to sustain populations of waterfowl migrations focus attention in northern plains states and in Canada, Connecticut has its place in producing waterfowl that will breed, raise their young, migrate, and return to their origins to begin the cycle again. Dave Lersch, Chapter Chairman for Delta Waterfowl in Connecticut said, "Avalonia properties are some of the most potentially productive habitat for duck production. If we can help to increase their nesting success, we can dramatically increase populations of Wood Ducks and other birds that migrate along the Atlantic Flyway." Delta Waterfowl Research in North Dakota and Canada have shown that installing nesting structures reduce predation will increase nesting success by threefold.

Delta Waterfowl volunteer with three sturdy nest boxes ready to install.

One of the attached photos shows Chapter Co-Chair John (JP) Farnell putting the finishing touches on a Wood Duck nest box in Avalonia's Deer Run Preserve at Prentice Brook, Northwest Corner Road, North Stonington.. Within one hour after erecting the box, he observed a mating pair of Wood Ducks swimming under the nest. Additional Wood duck nest boxes are being erected on other Avalonia properties.

Nobody home, yet!

Approximately 11 species of birds, including Kestrels and Screech Owls, may also use these nests. The exact location of each nest box will be documented with the DEEP and checked and cleaned each year in the Fall/Winter months. The DEEP keeps records of bird types using the nests and the size of the clutch, among other data.

A Screech Owl find the nest box a perfect fit.

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dditional information about Delta Waterfowl Foundation may be found on their web site at www.deltawaterfowl.org.
 

Habitat Conservation

While Delta Waterfowl is an organization the promotes safe and responsible hunting, they also concentrate on and fund habitat restoration and conservation. We appreciate their support for our conservation goals even though we do not allow hunting on our preserves.

Habitat at Henne is perfect for Painted Turtles and Wood Ducks.

We will keep an eye on these boxes and make reports as the season goes on. There are diagrams and plans for building Wood Duck sized houses on line. Even if you don’t have the perfect territory for that target species, you may be rewarded by a Screech Owl or Kestrel if you position it right!

A young steward installs a predator baffle below a nest box on Anguilla Brook Marsh Preserve.

Thank you Dave and John and Delta Waterfowl.


Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.

To Be Thankful 2014

By Beth Sullivan

We live in a time and place that gives us a great deal to be thankful for. As an Avalonia representative, advocate, and steward, I have learned a lot in the last year, and some of that is related to what we have, and what we give thanks for.

Avalonia conserves land so future generations can experience it

We live in a beautiful part of the country. The variety and diversity of habitats and wildlife is amazing. Think of what you see every day as you go about your daily business. Think of the view to the water, a hillside in autumn, a woodland trail, or a clean clear stream. And think about what the alternatives could be: pavement and development, pollution or even lack of access.

We work to preserve the view and access to nature.

We provide a place for quiet contemplation.

We are thankful that Avalonia Land Conservancy exists to protect and conserve these elements of our daily life that we may take for granted. We are thankful that these areas will remain for the next generations to enjoy and appreciate.

Many Help Us

In order to protect them we need help. We are grateful to all the connections we have made in the last years. Collaborations have helped us purchase land, and also to maintain and manage it. We could not have accomplished as much as we have without the help of DEEP, NRCS, USFWS, Mystic Aquarium, to name a few. We have received funding from numerous sources that has allowed us to do bigger projects, for greater good. We collaborate with educational institutions, too numerous to mention that study, investigate, and supply us with information that helps us understand the best way to manage our lands for the benefit of the wildlife: from New England Cottontails to Horseshoe Crabs, and from Piping Plovers to Box Turtles.

Collaborations and connections help us succeed.

Protecting habitat protects wildlife.

We are grateful for all the stewards who step up to help us on our properties. Many times they go unrecognized as they work quietly and efficiently to keep trails open, brush cut, walls repaired, invasive species under control, and litter picked up.

We thank those who work behind the scenes, not in the field but in the offices, trying to figure out finances and budgets and strategic plans and accreditation standards. They are all volunteers dedicated to helping the organization grow and function smoothly.

Our Members make Avalonia Successful 

Most importantly we need to thank our members and donors. Without your financial support, we would not have the ability to acquire the land as an investment in our future. We could not afford to manage and protect it. Like so many other non-profit organizations, we rely on the goodness and generosity of those who believe in our basic mission, to acquire, protect and manage the lands we cherish, so that the future generations (of wildlife and humans) will benefit.

Volunteers in the field, or marsh get the job done.

Thanks to all. Beth

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.

Planning for the Future : Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan

By Beth Sullivan

On November 8 several of us from Avalonia attended a meeting, with Ct DEEP biologists, to discuss issues confronting the wildlife here in CT: specifically Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), habitats that are imperiled along with their flora and fauna, identifying threats, both specific and broad to our wildlife and the beginnings of action plans that can be initiated to prevent further declines.

Free flowing streams are imperiled in CT.

The CT DEEP website

There is a wealth of information on the CT DEEP website. Personally, I love seeing that some of my tax dollars are going to issues I feel strongly about: conservation of land and wildlife. On the website, it is easy to get lost in all the varied areas of interest. The information about the discussion today can be found here. These dedicated wildlife biologists are working to identify species, abundance, threats, needs, and are asking for the public’s help to give them ideas of what we perceive are the greatest needs.

A salt marsh along the Stonington shore.

As a non-profit, all volunteer land trust, for us it was pretty easy to generalize: FUNDS! Funds for research, funds for staff, funds for stewardship, funds for acquisition. Without funding, so much is at stake. We cannot begin to protect the least or greatest of these species without the funds to do so.

Building public awareness

The next biggest need identified was public awareness. We all expressed great concern and frustration that not enough people seem to care. Or at least they don’t show up and demonstrate that they care. There was seating today for more than 30 people. There were really only 5 attendees if we don’t count the involved but captive staff of the Stonington Free Library! How do we get people concerned, interested, and involved? Good PR helps, and education would be fantastic. But even those things take money and time-and more people to do those things.

Avalonia is trying to do everything on a shoestring, with a small dedicated core of volunteers who act as executives, decision makers, PR staff, educators, wildlife watchers, stewards and laborers, and writers of plans and grants.

The good news is that even on that shoestring, Avalonia has succeeded in preserving over 3200 acres, most of those include the very habitats that the DEEP was talking about today.

We have many forested preserves that include wetlands, bogs, seeps, and vernal pools. Take a peek at Paffard Woods for forests with vernal wetlands and flowing streams. In the future there may be an effort to remove a downstream dam or create a fish ladder to improve the health of the Stony Brook that runs along its western edge all the way up to Fennerswoods and beyond. Free running streams are one of the habitats of concern.

Vernal pools are a very unique habitat.

Go to any of our coastal properties, from Stonington to Groton and even up to Ledyard along the Thames River to discover tidal wetlands, salt and brackish marshes and intertidal beaches, flats and shores. Avalonia holds offshore Islands: Sandy Point and South Dumpling that are of special concern for nesting shore birds.

The fragile habitat at Sandy Point needs protection.

Knox Preserve is unique as a Maritime Shrubland, and it also boasts coastal sandy habitats as well as mixed warm and cool season grasslands.

An example of coastal shrublands at Knox Preserve.

The Henne Preserve is a most wonderful example of a freshwater inland swamp, some of which is forested with Red Maple, some is shrub swamp, and some freshwater meadow and marsh.

Hoffman Preserve boasts mixed hardwoods and coniferous groves.

Dense evergreen groves can be found at Hoffman Preserve.

The Peck Callahan Properties are now prime to become early successional shrub to young forest land that will be habitat not just for the New England Cottontail but all the other species that depend on that special and quickly disappearing habitat.

Everyone can help

To start your own action plan, support Avalonia if you are in our area, or support your local land trust if you are not. Get involved. Make a statement; make a commitment. Look at the DEEP website and see what you can identify with and then go out onto a preserve and see what you think. See what strikes a chord and think how you can invest in your future by supporting land conservation in whatever way you can.

It is a good investment.

Photographs by Beth Sullivan.