Heat

 

Hot weather is very miserable for humans and this year is breaking records. Swamp coolers don't work as well, streets are too hot for the dogs to walk on. There is stress on humans, and also all organisms in an ecosystem, although that can show in different, unexpected ways.

This time of year is when the insects are able to grow to impressive sizes. This spruce sphinx moth is one of the biggest insects and sometimes are hunted by local hawks.

Crab spiders, wolf spiders, and jumping spiders as some of the most visible arachnids seen during the day. This one shows signs of missing legs, a common sacrifice insects use to avoid predation, especially by birds. This strategy, called autotomy is also common in insect courtship as well.

This unusual insect is a thread legged bug. Its hard to see its two front legs which are held up like a praying mantis (raptorial). This is a pretty cryptic species, but many of this type hunt spiders.

The Klug's velvet ant is a wasp that parasites other wasp's eggs. The stiff hair and tough armor probably help the wingless females fend off attacks from wasps and ants it encounters while hunting for burrows of other wasps. While it has a reputation for a painful sting (nicknamed cow killers) this fact is not the most interesting thing about them. They have rows of hair called "felt lines" that not only release irritant venom, but also releases noxious smelling chemicals if they bothered by ants or other predators.

Grasshoppers are so common that not many people think about them other than that they are pests. This seems like such a strange concept; much of our knowledge of common insects is how to destroy them. Many cultures eat grasshoppers, oddly this idea has yet to take off in the US.

There is a lot of interest in eating this invasive pest, which are currently repopulating along the unlined acequias by the river. New Mexico does not have much of a tradition of crayfish boils, which is a bit of a shame considering how many there are right now. These arthropods are tough and versatile animals, burrowing into the mud to wait out cold and dry conditions, while being able to hunt and scavenge on anything they can find.

Many insects have a very short window of time to find mates and reproduce, they take their search for mates very seriously. The ten lined june beetles use huge, sensitive antennae to sniff out females who are still maturing underground

The giant cicada killer wasps are also in a race to find emerging cicadas to paralyze and lay eggs inside of. While ferocious looking, they are completely obsessed with their tasks and barely notice the humans around them.

There are many types of insect hunters, some of the most voracious are the dragonflies, like this meadowhawk which specializes in patrolling along areas of vegetation, rather than darting out over open water from a ambush site.

 

 Robber flies are seen during the hottest months of the year and can hunt in a very similar fashion. They are some of the largest types of flies that can often be seen hunting bees.

 They are coming to the end of the breeding season, but the summer tanager males are still displaying and calling to keep their territories, but only if you know where to look. This bird has a reputation for shyness, but I have to admit, that is not my experience in Corrales.

 

 This poor picture shows one of the younger great horned owls against the evening sky. These huge birds have fully fledged but are not quite ready to live without their parent's hunting skills just yet.

There are many lizards around in this heat, many of those you will see have regrowing tails. This is often because of domestic or wild predators. While the tail will regrow, it has a detrimental effect on the overall population, especially in areas of high predation. Domestic pets are a well known cause of death of lizards, birds, and small mammals of all kinds. Both dogs and cats cause mortality. While there is no chance we will run out of fence lizards any time soon, this is one more stressor on the environment that we did not need.
 

 

Travel

 “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta.

 Recent travel to Canada gave me a chance to see how much the world elsewhere is the same, and yet different. This shouldn't really be a surprise, after all, the globe only has a maximum circumference of 25,000 miles and our atmosphere is only 3.5 miles thick.

However, a big part of the nature we all see outside each day is actually managed by other humans, from other places. Sometimes from across the globe.

Both New Mexico and Canada have deer. For obvious reasons, this picture shows a black tailed deer. This sub species of deer is only found in the coastal areas of the Northwest and prefers forested areas with lots of shade. The species of deer in New Mexico is often the white tailed deer, which can be found just about everywhere, but also likes forests.

Some people will know this bloom as a pea plant, or at least a legume capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil. The sweet pea has traveled with people everywhere that there have been gardeners, as the blooms are not only beautiful and fragrant, but also tough and adaptable. However, these are not actually edible (people still argue about that). These blooms were growing on the coast of the Salish sea, in British Columbia, but they are also found here in Corrales in certain places where grass is allowed to grow tall.

Also found in both locations is the cottontail. However, this one from Canada has very small ears and is the Mountain, or Nuttall's cottontail. In New Mexico, the ubiquitous cottontail found wherever there is short grass, is of the Desert variety.

The hottest time of the year is the best time to see dragonflies, and they don't get enough attention for their vibrant colors and delicate features. While I don't see cardinal meadow hawks like this beauty in Corrales, there are other (brown/yellow) meadow hawk species here that seem to like to hunt the drier areas than the more typical, bigger dragonflies.

Human beings seem to be drawn innately to fireworks. Canada day is celebrated July 1, while Independence day is celebrated in an identical fashion in the US on July 4. Could you guess which holiday this picture is from?

The fireworks field at the Canadian gardens of Butchart is a riot of color all summer thanks to being fenced off from people and not mown. The diversity of flowers is clear and many birds hunt the small insects that survive here. The contrast between this unkempt meadow and the surrounding severe, manicured lawns is pretty stark.

The trees further north grow large and straight. Ironically, they often grow slower in Boreal forests than New Mexico's riparian habitats. However, because they face less disruptive stresses such as insects, or eroding river banks, they can focus only their most immediate, competitive need for sunlight. Basically they grow straight up as fast as conditions allow with minimal spreading branches.

We are used in New Mexico to seeing lizards when the temperatures rise much above 50 degrees at night. However, in British Columbia they are not as common. Oddly, this lizard species is common in the gardens of Vancover Island and is called the Common wall lizard. The population was started from a private zoo release in the 1970's. As the baseline climate temperatures rise, this lizard should expand it's range.

Frogs such as spring peepers do very well in places that have extensive ephemeral wetlands such as Canada. While it should be possible to figure out the frog species from the shape of this tadpole, there are actually very few people who can and the mobile apps available are useless. I think this is a pacific Chorus frog tadpole

Intuition can often be deceiving. For example; an otter in the sea..should be a sea otter right? Wrong, this is a river otter hunting in the ocean because, sometimes, the animals have not read the rule book. The lack of seaweed beds and the fact this mammal readily came ashore says it is a normal otter that just goes where the food is.

This strange colored raspberry is actually a salmonberry. The pacific northwest has many types, loganberries, thimbleberries, The fruit is actually an aggregration of berries and the flavor descriptions range from "bland" to "perfect sweetness". In Corrales, there are a few blackberries and raspberries growing wild and the growing season for blackberries, especially, is over by the time you blink. All these berries are actually in the rose family.

What Canada has, and Corrales doesn't, is an abundance of coastline. Anywhere there is a boundary between two worlds there is an increase in diversity and tide pools are a special example of this. Each pool is a separate world and conditions vary between each stage of the tide.

This strange shell creature is called a chiton. It has a series of overlapping plates that allow it to curl into a ball.

Purple shore crabs occur in large numbers along Canada's coasts, they advance up the beach with the tide and populations of the crabs wrestle with each other over each morsel they locate.

Ray finned fish have a seemingly infinite variety of adaptions. (The lobe finned fish eventually moved onto land). There are some fish that can't breath in water. Others are poor swimmers, like this tidepool sculpin feeding in the pools. It is very tolerant of brackish and warm water.

The sand lance is a major food item for many ocean fish and seabirds because of it's abundance. Unlike the drab sculpins, this fish is silver, green and iridescent. This photo definitely does not do the colors justice. This small fish hides by burying it's body into the sand.

Sea anemones and sea urchins live in most rock pools. The urchins protect themselves by burrowing into the rock itself, hollowing out rows of circular depressions. They use their odd mouths to scrape the rock and algae

Sea stars are unique organisms that use tubes and claws among a whole range of other strange structures. The information and oddities of this organism is mind boggling in its depth and complexity. The sea star is the original keystone species, having been identified as a cause of species diversity back in 1966.

The productivity of the tide pools is equaled by the amazing diversity of the cool coastal forests. This caterpillar is feeding on horsetail ferns. I am uncertain what species it might be, however. Probably a winter moth judging by the number of "prolegs." Because caterpillars are insects, they must have six legs (which they do), those other appendages are actually quite different. Take a look some time.

 

 Dense, moist coastal forests are actually pretty tough places for plants to grow. Competition is high, light is low, plant pests and diseases thrive. The do have high nutrient levels, though. This has a lot to do with the fungi and their peculiar abilities to digest non living wood.

Brown rot fungi growth have been linked to increased forest fire risk, caused by their odd ability to digest lignin (structural wood) quickly. Perversely, this fungi type like warm and moist conditions, like that now found in forests across the Canadian plains during the summer. The effects of this orgnaism on forest fire is, unpredictable. New Mexico has a prevalence of white fungi, which grow slower and focuses on cellulose enzymes. This is part of the reason why wood does not decompose much in our hotter, dry climate.

Millipedes abound on the soft, wet, forest floor. These animals have far more than six legs, but they are not insects, they are part of the arthropod lineage. The flat backed millipede is pretty innocuous. In New Mexico their role is played by the imported isopod (also, not an insect), known as roly-polys.

Wasps are well developed and their distribution mirrors that of humans, who they have adapted to. Because eaves of houses are so good at protection from the weather, the wasps build their flimsy nests there. Unfortunately, this is an aerial yellowjacket and we were quite lucky not to have been near the nest, as they are quite territorial and have a painful sting that they employ very quickly. These wasps are rare in New Mexico.

In early summer the humidity and temperatures induce the ants to swarm and the queens to fly off to form new colonies. Here the larger queen has just mated with the smaller male drone and will set off to begin laying eggs. Carpenter ants are pretty ubiquitous in most states, but do well in the moisture of these forests.

The tall trees change the environment wherever they are found. Their growth density shades and humidifies the air below them, and changes the weather above them. Their fallen leaf and branch detritus affects the soil in obvious, and also unexpected ways.

Millipedes and slugs are well represented in the forest. Molluscs and arthropods are found on coral reefs as well as the forest floor because there is an abundance of easy living to be found in both these places.

The streams in Canada are clear with little sediment. The cold, fast moving water is ideal for certain fish species. However most native species are in low abundance due to introduced species, such as this juvenile trout.

When diversity is diminished in a stable ecosystem, that system become less stable and less resilient to short term changes. The Salish sea is relatively isolated and certainly being affected by human activities, but not very obviously. The view is still beautiful and unspoiled, but there is far more heat and sun on average, and the temperature variability year to year is also increasing. The physical space is also decreasing, with tree coverage shrinking in size and becoming fragmented more each year as roads and buildings replace them.

Animals adapt to new environments constantly, with rapid generation cycles best able to change. Mayflies are aquatic creatures, with the winged adults surviving just long enough to migrate, finding mates and laying eggs. They are important food sources forfreshwater fish.

Jackrabbits in New Mexico are creatures of the desert plain, surviving on coarse grasses and relying on speed and open spaces to survive. In the heart of Calgary, Jackrabbits are thriving in the manicured parks as they adapt to no predators, but the threat of constant stresses from pets and vehicles.

Squirrels are found everywhere. Some live on the ground and others often become opportunistic hunters of nestling birds. Like many small mammals, they now thrive in cities. Often, they do better than the squirrels that shun humans in the country.

Beavers in New Mexico are shy and only venture out late at night. In Calgary, with no predators, they can be found in large numbers in most water courses where they feed on young vegetation during the day before migrating upriver in the evening.

Summer is well know as being time for butterflies. It can be confusing because some butterflies migrate while others tend to hide during cold periods. While New Mexico tends to see skippers, this northern crescent in Alberta is a different species that occupies a similar niche.

Clear fast moving mountain streams with rock beds are a very different environment that the typically silty rivers seen in Corrales. The water in Canada is cold and usually very pure. Insects such as this stonefly usually indicate low levels of pollution.

Orb weavers are spectacular spiders that produce large trapping webs where there are large numbers of insects, such as close to creeks. These spiders are usually very shy, this one is pretending to be a pebble.

Other orb weavers tend to find their insects in trees and when startled they curl up and drop to the ground below. They are often found at the boundaries of trees and open spaces where gnats and other small insects congregate.

 

 Similar but different is a common theme in my writings. While we have blackbirds in Corrales such as the red winged blackbird, we don't see this species much. Obviously it is named the yellow headed black bird. The two blackbird species do not get along and the yellow headed ones evict the red winged ones to poorer quality area of cattails where their migration habitats overlap as territory control is vital to breeding success.

Many bird species to not seem to get on with each other. This long distance picture shows a bald headed eagle being harassed by a small group of ravens, ruining its hunting and nesting opportunities and forcing it to move along. Interestingly, the seagulls do not interact with the eagles as much, but shriek a warning until the ravens take up the actual assaults. This co-operation benefits both parties in the long run, even though gulls and ravens compete over territory between themselves as well.

Eagles are sometimes seen in Corrales as they migrate along the rocky mountain chain in the winter. This one in Canada seems to have a nesting site. They have a very prominent chest because of their huge flight muscles that power wings that not only have to fly, but has to be strong enough to take off while in the water and with a heavy fish prize.

Seagulls and ravens have adjusted very well to live in Victorian during the summer. This pair of gulls use the anti bird wire on a roof top to protect their nest from harassment of the egg thieves.

The ravens are not as big as sea gulls, and do not hunt. They are expert scavengers and harass other solitary birds in small groups for their eggs, nestlings, or hunted food. This one was pateintly waiting for the seagulls to leave their nest undefended and occasionally called for back up from other ravens. They seemed to prefer to build their nests in more secure areas such as trees and building overhangs.

The world of animals often have strange and unusual interactions between unexpected species. While I do not know what species of fly this is, I do know it was found in a human's surgical site, but is not a typical parasite of wounds. This was an opportunistic chance where a fly just happened upon a location where the eggs could thrive. In the modern world, medical entomology is a dying art, but veterinarians and old text books from the interwar period had a lot of good information that is slowing being lost to modern students.

Along the bosque, the toads are doing well. Many use burrows from gophers or cicadas (depending on their size) to stay cool and moist as they wait for evening to spread out and hunt crickets.
 

Many times humans in Corrales alter environments and cause changes they did not expect. This large old elm tree was removed. As a consequence, all the wildlife around it has vanished almost overnight as the moisture in the soil disappeared. Tall grasses are a typical feature we have lost, that many animals need. But old growth trees support insects, bats, birds, reptiles, and almost everything else.

In Canada these preserved wetland ponds seem a perfect wildlife habitat. However, they serve the same function as the canals in Corrales. These are storm drain run offs designed to collect effluent from vehicles such as rubber dust (which suffocates fish) and oil from leaking cars. A problem with trapping contaminants is that no one wants to clear it away. More than half the US population has been exposed to harmful lead levels from gasoline in cars that is currently outlawed but still found is soils along roadways. If this storm pond was stocked with fish, they would have dangerous levels of lead and other contaminants in their bodies.

Humans can often produce some solutions for the harm their activities cause to other humans, but it is clear we are a long way from being perfect, or even balanced. Whether or not we can do more than just slow the loss of our environment has a lot to do with how well we can communicate and learn from the mistakes of others. As we travel we can see the similarities and differences in the world. Different places can have different problems but it is clear we all still have a lot of learn moving forward.