"The wind whispers secrets to the trees, and the trees nod their wise heads in return." - Michael Ende
It is the windy season in Corrales at the moment. Along with warnings about fires, we have blowing dust, falling tree limbs, and the start of the pollen season. Its hard to appreciate the value of our trees, but we should try. This is especially true as those trees absorb the force and dust from our wind.
The days have begun to grow longer since the end of the winter solstice and the longer days help show off the spectacular sunsets we can see on windy evenings. Even the golden light from the sun's slanting rays are diffused and more distinct on dusty days. Trees carefully measure the length of the day to plan when it is time to bring out their buds and new growth. this is a concept called photoperiodism that is central to many other botany concepts.
While snow is rare and getting rarer, it is worth remembering that those cold days are why the many birds come to spend the winter in New Mexico. The increasing temperatures are one of the cues for birds to begin to flock and start heading back north. The changes in the day cycle change both hormones and behaviors in birds as they prepare to migrate.
The process of hormonal changes cascades down to behaviors such as increased feeding for the females and courtship plumage in the males. In the case of mallards, the male becomes very attentive and often mirrors everything the female does. So, watch for synchronized dabbling duck butts.
Great egrets migrate into the US and head to the southeast Untied States. They rest and feed in similar areas to the herons. There is more food available for all birds as the small fish begin to be attracted to aquatic vegetation and the larval insects hiding there.
For red tailed hawks, the focus is on territory. They need large areas to hunt in these birds are more obvious now as they move from tree to tree, trying to keep an eye out for interlopers while avoiding harassment from other nesting birds like ravens.
The sandhill cranes are more often found in the shade of large trees. Daytime temperatures are getting too hot for them to feel comfortable now. Also their food supplies are getting harder to find without a lot of time spent foraging. They also have to spend more time displaying and in courtship (overlapping, but distinct behaviors). Some have begun to head back north in small flocks ahead of the mass migration. They will mostly be gone by the end of March
Killdeer are common in New Mexico and have adapted well to human environment, often being seen around golf courses. They appear as the irrigation season begins and the acequias began to be prepared starting Feb. 26. These funny little birds are very vocal and have many fascinating displays to distract and divert larger animals from their nests.
There is evidence of much beaver activity in the Corrales Bosque. Due to heavy and constant hunting pressure of many years most beavers are nocturnal and very secretive. However, their activities are very obvious. They gnaw wood compulsively and their glossy coats are starting to look more bedraggled as the winter drags on. This tree might have been cut to reach the high branches. But could equally have been needed to build a new dam, clearing an area for young trees to grow, or they just needed a distracting activity to reduce their constant anxiety. Many predators are also present in the twilight hours listening for beavers that are far from the safety of the water.
Trees often have many uses that are not so obvious. Here, a raccoon is using one to hide from a vehicle's headlights. Raccoons often keep to high areas as they forage to avoid being ambushed by other animals. They prefer to be on the ground searching for scents of other raccoons or food, but dive for the trees when scared because they are not good at fighting or running.
Cottonwood trees naturally shed their branches during high winds and can even start new trees this way in a process called cladoptosis. There are many regulations preventing tree limb removal during periods of bird nesting. Many people also get...tetchy when trees are removed. However, there is exceptions to the rules that allow work for safety reasons, such as reducing fire risk or dangerous limbs. Many people have suggested the somewhat exaggerated panic over falling trees might have something to do with the fact that no laborer likes to work in the middle of winter, instead of in the more congenial temperatures of spring. Actual arborists need a lot of time to safely and competently study a tree situation, and few people appreciate the work that can go into this, especially those people who are on a budget and influenced by aggressive sales tactics from tree removal companies.
Cheiropachus is a form of parasitoid wasp that seems to be pretty rare. Many people will notice the insects are coming out, especially during the heat of the noon day sun. Trees are essential habit for whole sections of insect ecosystems.
There are many undesirable things about clearing the ground of everything living to keep things looking tidy. That leaf litter found in the bosque under the cottonwoods are a part of the ecosystem that protects seedlings and insects with increased humidity and stable temperatures during the cold months. Here is a young assassin bug found in the yerba mansa growths.
The trees are clearly budding now. These are the Siberian elms that bud very early in the year. Trees like elms, as well as pines and juniper, use the windy season to spread their pollen, creating miserable conditions for allergy sufferers. Their flowers have no petals because there are not enough pollinating insects around to be attracted.
Porcupines are becoming more active in the daytime. They like feeding on those new buds, and are often seen reaching for elm buds. They benefit a bit from being near people and vehicles as this reduces their risk of being attacked by predators such as coyote, cougar and owls.
The beavers are coming out a bit more, but the biggest movement is among the gophers, which are starting their mating season after spending the rest of the year being fiercely territorial. Spring can also be a period of danger for these rodents from diseases such as plague and many others. Bacterial diseases like plague rise in the spring and New Mexico has an impressive number of human cases yearly. This gopher probably actually died by being attacked by others of its own species
The importance of being able to get along with others is appreciated but definitely not practiced enough. Corrales has a constant dialogue over the fate of trees on our lands. But when there is a fire because of too much firewood, or poor fire control practices that create a conflagration, it is all of us who will suffer, regardless of our precious opinions.
