Happy World Wetlands Day!

It's World Wetlands Day! YAY! What does that mean? It means we appreciate wetlands for the day, even if we aren't normally in the habit of thinking about them. Some of us happen to be thinking about wetlands all the time because we happen to study plants that live in wetlands. But others may say, why do I care about these places that I never want to go in because they are wet, muddy and full of mosquitoes? You might care about these places because they are nursery habitat for the fish, crabs and shrimp that you like to eat. You might care about these places because you are worried about climate change and wetlands store (literally) tons of carbon, both aboveground and belowground. You also might care about wetlands because you like bird watching and you can see storks, egrets, herons, coots, ducks and roseate spoonbills, among others, in wetlands.

Wetlands come in many shapes and sizes. Wetlands can be marshes, mangroves, fens, bogs and pannes. They can be wet from freshwater or saltwater. You probably have a wetland somewhere close to where you live. Love your wetlands!

I'm coming back, I promise!

Sorry for the hiatus...Dr. Danger will be returning with more Wild Times soon. Very soon. Stay tuned.

Winter wildlife

It's 9 degrees F in Chicago and it's the middle of winter. But it turns out you can still wildlife in these conditions! Today as I walked into work, I saw what looked like a lump of snow that had fallen off the roof. But as I got closer, it moved. I was startled to realize that the white lump was not snow, but a swan!

It had tucked its head into its side but looked up a little bit for a photo. This is a mute swan, Cygnus olor. You may be familiar with the trumpeter swan, but this is actually a different species that is native to Europe. It was introduced to the US and can sometimes be aggressive toward native birds. However, right now this guy or girl is not being aggressive; just cold. Apparently it lost its mate, so not only is it cold but it is single right before Valentine's Day. I was told that it was hanging out in the lagoon down the road, but seems to want to sleep near the building. It's probably warmer near the building, so if I were a swan I would want to sleep there too!

Gopher tortoise

It seems like all my cool wildlife sightings have been in the same place lately. Today in St. Augustine, Florida, at the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve, I saw this gopher tortoise.

He or she is definitely hiding because I was walking by and stopped to take a photo. It was just hanging out on the trail, and wasn't in a hurry to move as I passed (so typically tortoise). It pulled its head into its shell, but not all the way, so I could take this photo. 

American Dagger Moth Caterpillar

The other day as I was walking down the street in Chicago, I saw a big bright caterpillar making its way across the sidewalk. This critter is an American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) caterpillar. It looks soft and fuzzy, but those "hairs" will sting you if you pick it up! They release toxins when they break off, a nice little defense mechanism. The caterpillar will get lighter in color as it gets older, and will turn into a moth as an adult.

Rattlesnakes, oh my!

I was super lucky and got to see multiple snakes in one day on a recent fieldwork day in St. Augustine. Just off the trail at the GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve sat an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. It was rattling!

Then on the way back down the same trail, I saw a pygmy rattlesnake. If you're afraid of snakes, you don't have to worry here: it was less than a foot long! But it is venomous. I almost stepped on it. Good thing I didn't!

A lizard that walks on water

There is a lizard that people call the Jesus Christ lizard because it can walk on water. Another name for them is basilisk lizard, and there are a few different types. I've seen them in mangroves a few times in Panama, and here's a photo of one I saw yesterday. This one was not walking across the water, but was sitting in a tree. It's a plumed basilisk lizard--see all the cool fringe stuff on its back? This is a male. The females do not have all the fringe.

Mangrove Roots: Aboveground and Underwater

Red mangroves have roots that grow aboveground, called prop roots. Red mangrove roots often have lots of cool marine organisms living on them--the roots provide structure and space for oysters, sponges, tunicates and algae. It's really fun to look at what is living on the roots underwater. Take a look yourself.

The bright orange stuff is fire sponge, so don't touch it!

From above, you might not know about all the life competing for space on the mangrove roots.

Gone crabbin'

We went crabbing today. In trees. If you're saying to yourself, "don't those guys on Deadliest Catch go to the Bering Sea to catch crabs?", you are right. Lots of crabs live in the ocean. Some live on land too. And some live in trees in mangroves. It sounds crazy, but mangrove tree crabs (Aratus pisonii) climb up trees, from the water to the tops of trees. They are pretty small crabs, so you're not likely to see these on your dinner plate anytime soon. Despite or maybe because of their small size, they are really fast and really hard to catch! They hang out on aerial roots or the trunk of a tree and creep around the other side when you approach, and it seems like they can see you coming a mile away. The mangrove tree crab below is one we caught and put in a bucket, hence the white background:

Fun times in the mud...plus animal sightings

Today I was in the mangroves, collecting leaf samples (like you do). I started to reach for a leaf when I saw something move, and luckily it didn't run away but froze. It was a green anole, a native Florida lizard!

Then I was driving out of the site when I hit a really muddy patch and got the Smithsonian van stuck in the mud. Oops. I noticed the muddy patch on my way in, but managed to get through without getting stuck. Not so on the way out. 

I called the lab manager and he came to the rescue; thank you, Hugh! He brought a tow rope and pulled the van out with a pickup truck--yeah, Ford F150! =)

While I was waiting around for help to come, I noticed a cool slug crawling under the van in the mud. Apparently there are only 3 slug species native to Florida, but 11 exotic slugs. Exotic slugs! Who knew? 

This is the native Florida leatherleaf slug. Some of you may be asking--why are you getting so excited about a slug? Slugs are like snails but with no shell. They are gastropods and hermaphrodites, so they have both male and female reproductive organs. Cool!

If you're curious about all the other slugs in Florida, there is a key here. Seen any of the other ones?

Pileated woodpecker

You have to look closely, but it's there!

Pileated woodpecker in Washington Oaks State Park, St. Augustine, Florida

Jumping Spider in Fort Pierce

Warning: SPIDERS!

Isn't it pretty? Jumping spider (Phidippus sp.)

Yikes another mosquito-borne virus!

As if dengue fever and crocodile bites weren't enough to worry about, here's another peril of working in the tropics: chikungunya virus. It is a mosquito-borne illness that causes flu-like symptoms and arthritis-type pains. Chikungunya started out in Africa and is also found in Asia, but has recently been spreading in the Caribbean for the first time. Luckily, it is rarely fatal.

More here:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/bodyhorrors/2014/01/15/chikungunya-virus-americas/#.UusWbHddV4w

Mangroves on the move

If you keep up with mangrove news, or you read the New York Times, you may have already seen this. But in case you missed it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/science/without-winter-freezes-mangroves-are-marching-north-scientists-say.html?_r=0

Back from Baja

Now for my long-promised post on Baja California. I went down there with other Smithsonian researchers to look for mangroves at the northern edge of their range. We are studying mangroves at their northern limit in Florida, but they reach their northern limit on the Pacific coast in Mexico. We drove from San Diego, in 2 large SUVs that we were a little worried would be targets for hijacking. Apparently dark SUVs are quite desirable among some unsavory types partaking in illegal activities. We didn't get attacked and nothing was stolen, so we were all happy about that. Plus, Baja is so chill that once we were on the road we felt very comfortable.

A day's drive from San Diego puts you in the little desert town of San Quintin. There is a really nice little hotel called Los Jardines. It's set back from the main drag about a mile down a dirt road, but it is an oasis in the middle of the desert:

There is a big bay there with some salt marsh, which is potentially also mangrove habitat. We looked around the bay, but found no mangroves. It was still too far north. But it was pretty!

We drove south and east across the Baja peninsula to the Gulf of California (aka the Sea of Cortez), where we were pretty sure we would find mangroves. The spots we were going to weren't easy to access--one was on an island, another was off a long and rocky dirt road, and the third was so far away from a road we couldn't go--but we did find mangroves. It was pretty weird because they were surrounded by desert, including cacti, which is not at all the landscape in Florida.

We surveyed these mangroves and got a good idea of the plants and animals there. When we got back in the boat, the pelicans seemed to think we were going to feed them. Unfortunately for the pelicans, we had not done any fishing. 

Then we got back into the car and drove southwest to the Pacific Coast, where we found the northernmost stand of mangroves on the Pacific. We were so busy working that I didn't snap a lot of photos, but here's a nice Pacific sunset for you. We stayed in a little fishing town called La Bocana, which is apparently one of the best places to fish in Baja. We had fresh fish and lobster while we were there, so I'm going to have to agree!

In the end, we made some observations about the mangroves at their northern range limit and found some interesting differences between the mangroves in Baja and those in Florida. The two northernmost species in Baja are not the same as in Florida, even though all three common mangrove species occur in both Florida and the Pacific coast of Mexico. We are hoping to get the opportunity to set up some longer term studies there, but for now we don't have the funding to do that. 

Seen any snowy owls lately?

Last year I saw a big white bird in a tree out of the corner of my eye while I was driving. I didn't stop to look at it (I was on the highway, after all) but I thought it may have been a snowy owl. Snowy owls are on the move in the US this year! They have been spotted all over the northern/eastern part of the country. Here's a link to an article with a map. Keep your eyes out for snowies!

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/gotsnowies2013/

Mangroves in Baja California

I went to Mexico to look for mangroves recently. I'll post more pictures soon but here's a write-up from the Smithsonian blog:
http://sercblog.si.edu/?p=4510#more-4510

Corn snake

Look what surprised us in the mangroves yesterday!

Coffee cherry update

My coffee cherries are turning red! They are getting ripe, and you know what that means...harvest time soon! I'm thinking I will have to harvest in batches, since one is already ripe and the rest are just starting to turn red. Other branches are still all green.

Panda poop could save the planet

I may be (slightly) obsessed with pandas, and there is some good news on the panda front. Their poop may help solve the energy crisis. Apparently they have enzymes that help break down plant material  called cellulose--this cellulose is what is problematic for using biofuels for energy. It is difficult and costly to break down. But now, pandas to the rescue! The enzymes they use to break down bamboo and extract energy from it could be used for biofuel. Way to go, pandas (and panda researchers). More info:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/09/10/giant-pandas-could-help-solve-the-global-energy-crisis