Harris Center Teacher/Naturalist Jaime Hutchinson shows Francestown Elementary School third grader Rachel Hardwick how to use a compass. Jaime led a series of units in Francestown, teaching second graders about wildflowers, third graders about mapping, and fourth graders about watersheds.

 

"Jaime connects with children with nature in a way that makes them more curious about the outdoor world," said Principal Mary Ellen Stanley. "She's such a great teacher. Thanks to Jaime's help, it's good to know we'll always have children in the woods."

 

The Harris Center's lessons with Francestown Elementary School are supported in part by funding from the Francestown Land Trust. The Harris Center extends its sincere appreciation to the Francestown Land Trust and the teachers and staff at Francestown Elementary School.

On June 13 Dr. Scott Reynolds, a leader in bat research in New Hampshire, gave a fact-filled session on the natural history of bats and their ecological and economic importance, followed by a field trip to the Merrill hay barn in Hancock.

 

For decades the barn has housed a maternal colony of little brown myotis bats.  Dr. Tom Kunz, world bat authority, with whom Scott was a post doctoral student, began taking us to see colony members up close and personal in 1993.  The buzz of bat activity was always amazing, but not this year.  Just 10 bats were seen and three captured, versus more than 40 captured the last time Scott netted there with us (in 2003). The culprit for low bat numbers this year is white nose syndrome.
 
The mysterious disease was first noticed in New York in 2006, and this year it struck five hibernation sites in New Hampshire for the first time. The syndrome is associated with a geomyces fungus (causing the "white nose" symptom), which disrupts the bats' deep sleep, resulting in activity burning up critical fat reserves needed to survive the winter.
 
The ultimate cause of the syndrome is still in question, perhaps multiple environmental stresses.  Dr. Reynolds also noted a new hypothesis, that the cold loving fungus itself is really to blame and may have been transported north from the Antarctic by humans!
 
What bat ecologists do know is that it will require substantial federal funding to do the necessary research - and that the funding is needed now.  One of the fun facts noted by Dr. Reynolds is that by banding bats, we know that, unlike most small mammals, the little brown bat can live over 40 years!  But they are therefore slow to reproduce (only one young per year when successful), so that means colony recovery will take many years if and when a cure is found, hopefully before it's too late for bats!

 

- Meade Cadot, Harris Center senior naturalist

Learn more about white nose syndrome from
National Geographic, including a section
on Scott Reynolds and his research.

 

So many wildflowers, so many things to discover. Where to start?

How about a short quiz?
 
1. Spring ephemerals are wildflowers that:
A: don't use photosynthesis
B: eat insects
C: appear early in the spring and disappear quickly
D: are pollinated by bats
 
2. Pitcher plants and sundews are examples of:
A: wildflowers that don't go dormant in the winter
B: carnivorous plants
C: edible plants
D: plants that grow in very sandy soil

3. What plant can be male one year, and female the next year?
A: columbine
B: dandelion
C: Jack-in-the-pulpit
D: pink lady's slipper

4. New Hampshire's official state wildflower is the:
A: pink lady's slipper
B: purple lilac
C: purple finch
D: rhododendron

5. One of our most abundant wildflowers is the:
A: purple lilac
B: Canada mayflower
C: sundew
D: pink lady's slipper

6. True or false: The red (or purple) trillium has one of the most beautiful fragrances of all of our wildflowers.

7. Purple loosestrife is:
A: a harbinger of spring
B: one of New Hampshire's rarest wildflowers
C: well-known for its medicinal properties
D: a non-native invasive plant.
 
8. Indian pipe is different from most wildflowers because it:
A: is deadly poisonous to wildlife
B: consumes insects
C: contains no chlorophyll
D: is a non-native invasive plant

9. This flower opens in the morning and is closed at night:
A: milkweed
B: Japanese knotweed
C: waterlily
D: jimsonweed

10. As it grows and prepares to bloom, this plant actually creates heat:
A: fireweed
B: bunchberry
C: day lily
D: skunk cabbage

The answers.
 
1.      C: Appear early in spring and disappear quickly. Spring's first arrivals are usually short-lasting flowers, often living a hurry-up life-cycle before the forest canopy leaf-out. Many take advantage of the extra-moist earth in early spring and are pollinated by flies. A few examples include trillium (wake robin), spring beauty, and trout lily.
 
2.      B: Carnivorous plants. They occur in bogs, highly acidic environments where plant decay is slow and plants have little available nitrogen from the soil. Pitcher plants and sundews gain an advantage in bogs by capturing insects to obtain nitrogen.
 
3.      C: Jack-in-the-Pulpit, one of my all-time favorite wildflowers. Instead of having female and male parts, an individual Jack-in-the-pulpit plant is either all-male or all-female. Its gender depends on the amount of food it has accumulated in the previous year. This strategy lets the plant respond to environmental conditions. For instance, if the plant has surplus energy, it can produce a female flower, which eventually produces a cluster of bright red fruits. Don't eat these!
 
4.      A: Pink lady's slipper. The lilac is New Hampshire's official state flower, but the pink lady's slipper is the state wildflower, so designated in 1991. The purple finch, by the way, is our state bird!
 
5.      B: Canada mayflower. Off-trail in the woods, it's impossible to walk without stepping on them. They're everywhere. Their little white stalk of flowers bloom in mid-spring (right now!). If you're standing in a patch of them, you can smell their sweet scent. This member of the lily family spreads by its rhizomes (underground stems or roots).
 
6.      False! The red (aka purple) trillium smells horrible, like rotting flesh, hence its other name: stinking Benjamin. This is a pollination strategy of the early spring wildflowers. Flies are drawn to its foul odor and blood-colored flowers, where they lay eggs and pick up pollen. Later on, ants help spread the seeds.
 
7.      D: A non-native invasive plant. Despite its pretty purple flower, this plant can wreak havoc on ecosystems by crowding out native plants, especially in and near wetlands. It's a native of Europe that found its way here in the early 1800s.
 
8.      C: Contains no chlorophyll. This weird, all-white plant is widespread throughout North America, usually in the dark shadows of the forest understory. The green in most plants is chlorophyll, which is vital for the process of converting energy from sunlight into chemicals that plants use for food. Without chlorophyll, Indian pipe doesn't need leaves and grows where it's dark and shady. Indian pipe's food comes from other plants that are decaying in the rich soil where it lives.
 
9.      C: Waterlily. They open with morning light and start closing toward late afternoon. Dandelions do this, too.
 
10.  D: Skunk cabbage. This is one of the true first signs of spring, arriving so early, in fact, that the heat of its respiration (around 70° F) is enough to melt snow around it. This gives skunk cabbage an early advantage. Like Jack-in-the-pulpit, its foul-smelling flower draws fly pollinators.
 
The Bobcat's Tail is a collaboration between the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock. Eric Aldrich leads outings and handles communications for the Harris Center: www.harriscenter.org.

 

June 28 (Sun) - Ice Storm Clean-up on Thumbs Down Trail with lunch high on the Thumb (Mtn.), providing one of the region's best views of the Grand Monadnock. All hands welcome to join trail chief Jim Orr at 9 a.m. at the Harris Center. Back about 1 p.m.

 

June 28 (Sun) - Pretty Easy Paddling 'Round Beautiful Hubbard Pond, with its islands and emergent plant marshy areas, a great spot to check out wetland plants and wildlife. Meet leaders Betsy Marshall and Brian Bishoff at 1 p.m. at the Annett State Wayside Park picnic area on Cathedral Rd. in Rindge. Ends about 4 p.m. Naturalist on board.

 

July 10 (Fri) - Hiking Sharon's Berry Pasture Trail for, well of course, blueberry pickin'! And if you want to extend the 3-mile round trip hike (800' elevation gain) a little, you can climb the Burton Peak summit for more great views. Meet leaders Lee Baker and Ben Haubrich at 10 am to carpool from the SE corner of the Ocean State parking area at the jct. of Routes 101 and 202 in Peterborough. Back about 2 p.m. Naturalist on board. Co-sponsored by Peterborough Recreation Department.

July 18 (Sat) - Destination Spoonwood: A leisurely paddle from Hancock town landing on Nubanusit Lake, past the active eagle nest (with a chick!) and likely passing territorial loons along the way. Then we'll poke around wild and scenic Spoonwood Pond before a short carry back over Spoonwood's dam en route back to the landing. Meet leaders Tom Faber and teacher-naturalist Susie Spikol at 10 a.m. at the landing (near the end of the King's Highway) with your kayak or canoe (and required life jacket). We'll be back in port about 1 p.m. Naturalist on board.

 

July 25 (Sat) - The Buzz on Native Bees. Join naturalist and native bee enthusiast Michael Veit for a morning of exploring the world of New England's native bees. Discover the fascinating life stories of a few of these essential pollinators. From the charismatic, social bumble bee to the quiet life of the solitary bee, learn the important role native bees play in pollination. There will be a slide show highlighting several types of bees and their life cycle followed by a field trip to the Stokes' garden in Hancock, where we will get the buzz on bees. Starts at 10 a.m. at the Harris Center; done by noon. Co-sponsored with the Monadnock Beekeeper's Association.

 

July 26 (Sun) - Clearing the Way to a Cool View. Help Harris Center trail chief Jim Orr clear the way to Kulish Ledges on Cheshire County's second-highest peak, Osgood Hill in Nelson. We'll have lunch on the rocks and enjoy an outstanding view of Spoonwood Pond. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Nelson town common, by the mailboxes. Done by noon.

August 1 (Sat) - Robb Reservoir Sunset Cruise. With this pond and its surrounding uplands now protected, we'll take a scenic tour of this deep-water marsh and its meandering channels. As a nearly full moon rises, this is scenic, wild beauty at its best! Meet leaders Bob Boynton and Mark Reynolds with your kayak or canoe and life jacket at 6:30 p.m. sharp at the intersection of Routes 9 and 123 south in South Stoddard. We'll be back before dark. If the weather is cloudy, we plan to have the cruise on Sunday, Aug. 2. Check www.harriscenter.org or call 525-3394 if postponement seems likely. Naturalist on board.