May 2010 - Wild About Utah

May 27, 2010May 2, 2016

Utah’s Desert Fox

Kit Fox, click to view larger image, Photo Courtesy and Copyright © 2009 Bryan Kluever, graduate research assistant, Utah State University Department of Wildland Resources — PhD student Bryan Klueve
with an adult kit fox
that was captured
with a box trap.
Kit foxes are weighed,
fitted with a radio collar,
and then released
Courtesy & Copyright © 2010
Bryan Kluever
Graduate Research Assistant
Utah State University
Dept of Wildland Resources

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

The kit fox just might be Utah’s cutest mammal. Weighing in at four to five pounds or so, the kit fox is about a third of the size of the more common red fox.. The kit fox has delicate cat- like features and it has comically large, furry ears. It’s desert-colored coat is tinged with rusty orange finishing in a long black-tipped bushy tail.

The kit fox is the only desert dwelling fox in North America. In Utah, you’ll find it mostly in the western part of the state, where it lives off field mice and jackrabbits as well as insects, birds, amphibians and fish.

The kit fox has evolved a number of adaptations to deal with the desert’s harsh conditions.. First of all those big ears aren’t just for looks. They help the kit fox dissipate body heat through evaporative cooling.

Secondly, kit foxes are nocturnal, avoiding the high temperatures of the daytime hours. During the day they lounge in subterranean dens.

Kit fox legs are relatively short for a fox. That helps them zig-zag through the brush when chasing prey or being chased. And the pads of their paws are furry which gives them better traction in the sandy soil of desert habitats.

Long droughts are common in desert environments and kit foxes have developed ways to deal with them. During a drought, fewer vixens breed and litters become smaller. Kit fox families maintain large territories—larger than necessary for normal years. So when a drought hits, and the population of prey species plummets, the foxes have a larger area in which to hunt.

Kit foxes get top marks in water conservation. Little goes in and little comes out.. A kit fox can exist for many months without ever drinking water. Instead, the fox can draw water from the food that it eats. And that water is used with great efficiency. Little is lost through metabolic processes such as urination, defecation breathing and panting.

Too see pictures of the diminitive kit fox, go to www.wildaboututah.org

Thanks to Brian Kleuwer and Mary-Ann Muffoletto of Utah State University’s College of Natural Resources for supporting this Wild about Utah topic.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.
Credits:
Images: Courtesy & Copyright Bryan Kluever, USU Department of Wildland Resources
Text: Mary-Ann Muffoletto, Utah State University College of Natural Resources

Additional Reading:

White, P. J. and K. Ralls. 1993. Reproduction and spacing patterns of kit foxes relative to changing prey availability. Journal of Wildlife Management 57:861–867 The Wildlife Society, https://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/bitstream/10088/510/1/White1993.pdf

Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis), Wildlife Notebook Series No. 9, Utah Division of Wildlife Resourceswildlife.utah.gov/publications/pdf/2010_kit_fox.pdf

Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis), Species Fact Sheets, Utah Conservation Data Center, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, https://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search/Display.asp?FlNm=vulpvelo

May 20, 2010November 25, 2020

Morels

The morels are among the most highly prized edible mushrooms in North America. Also called sponge mushrooms, morels have a long list of local names. There is an on-going debate as to how many species of morel are found in North America and what each should be named. Some suggest as few as 3 species, others as many as 50 species. For simplicity, Michael Piep of the Intermountain Herbarium, says 4: white or yellow, half-free, gray and black. All are delicious.

All morels have a cone-shaped, sponge-like head on a lighter colored stem. Appearances can be deceiving … morels are difficult to spot at the best of times, and seem adroit at hiding and camouflage.

“Where does one find Morels?”

This is an interesting question … localities range from under an old apple tree in Taylorsville to pine woodlands high in the canyons. In general, the white/yellow and half-free types tend to occur along streams and rivers most often on sand bars and tend to prefer areas with mature cottonwood trees nearby. Black morels are found at higher elevations typically on north or north-east facing slopes and most frequently under Lodgepole pine, but may be found with other conifer species and even quaking aspen. Gray morels don’t seem to be as choosy, and can be found in both habitat types.

The half-free morels start fruiting first, starting at about the time the buds on the cottonwood trees are about to burst. Yellow/white morels fruit at about the time the apple blossoms show pink; as do the grays. The black morels fruit about the time the aspen leaves are the size of a dime.

Hopefully these rough guidelines will help in your pursuit of the wily morel, and as always … Happy Mushrooming!

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Credits:
Photo: Courtesy and Copyright Chris Schnepf, University of Idaho, Bugwood.org
Text: Michael Piep, Intermountain Herbarium, Utah State University

Resources:

Intermountain Herbarium: https://herbarium.usu.edu/
Bridgerland Mushroom Society: https://herbarium.usu.edu/#Bridgerland
Mushroom Society of Utah: https://www.utahmushrooms.com/

May 13, 2010February 22, 2018

Bats and Echolocation

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

There are approximately 4600 mammal species in the world. A fifth—yes, 20%– of these species are bats. They are found everywhere except Antarctica. In Utah they are found at every elevation and in every ecosystem.

Bats are the only mammal that flies. “You forgot about humans,” my very precise husband points out. Well, OK bats are the only mammal that flies without a license and an airplane.

The majority of bats have smallish eyes perhaps leading to the expression “blind as a bat.” But bats are not at all blind. All of them can see and some rely solely on vision for both navigation and foraging. But most bats also have a sixth sense—called echolocation–to navigate and detect prey.

Click for larger picture, Mariana Fruit Bat from the Mariana Islands, Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Photographer: Ann Hudgins — Mariana Fruit Bat
From the
Northern Mariana Islands
Photographer: Ann Hudgins
Courtesy US FWS

Echolocation refers to the process of sending out pulses of sound and listening to
the echoes to locate or avoid objects. Bats emit pulses of high frequency sound from their larynx or voicebox. These sounds are ultrasonic which means that they occur at frequencies beyond the range that humans can hear. The sounds are emitted through the mouth in some bats and through the nose in others.

The sounds bounce off external objects and echoes are returned to the bat’s ear. The size and shape of the bat’s ears help amplify the returning sound. The sound travels through the ear and is converted to vibrations in the inner ear fluid and then on to the brain via the auditory nerve.

Bat brains have unique structures that compare the features of the original sound pulse against the characteristics of the returning echoes. By assembling and assessing the return data, bats can know the direction of and distance of an object. Some bat species have evolved echolocation to such a degree that they can even distinguish shape among individual species of insects.

Click for larger picture, Townsend's Big-eared Bat, Courtesy National Park Service — Townsend’s Big-eared Bat
Courtesy National Park Service

Because of echolocation bats are phenomenal hunters in low light conditions. A single little brown bat can catch 300 to 3,000 insects per night, and a nursing mother little brown bat eats more than her body weight each night — up to 4,500 insects. Hmm. That’s a lot of mosquitoes. I think I’ll invite some bats to my backyard this summer.

Thanks to the Marie Eccles Foundation –the Russell Family for supporting Stokes Nature Center programs.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:
Images: Courtesy US FWS and USDA Forest Service
Text: Stokes Nature Center: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading

Bat Conservation International. 1997. Bat Chat: An Introduction to Echolocation
https://www.batcon.org/, https://www.batcon.org/resources/media-education/learning/bat-squad/bat-squad-ep-4-bat-chat-join-the-bat-squad

Wilson, Don E. 1997 Bats in Question: The Smithsonian Answer Book. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC https://www.amazon.com/Bats-Question-Smithsonian-Answer-Book/dp/1560987391

Bats Live, Prince William County Public Schools, Manassas, VA, https://batslive.pwnet.org/

Bat Week 2015
Sometimes misunderstood, bats are important and fascinating animals. Watch this video to learn some bat facts, find out what challenges are facing bats today and what you can do to help #savethebats.
Bat Week Video from USGS, US FWS and The Organization for Bat Conservation

13 Facts About Bats, US Department of the Interior, Blog, 10/24/2016, https://www.doi.gov/blog/13-facts-about-bats

May 6, 2010May 23, 2016

Dyer’s Woad

In early May, pale yellow carpets some hillsides of Northern Utah. The plants are a non-native known as Dyer’s Woad. This Asian member of the cabbage family has been cultivated as a dye and medicinal plant in Europe and Asia for 2000 years. Dyer’s Woad produces a glorious blue dye, but the process is tricky. No synthetic dye equals the color and characteristics of woad dyes.

Woad had arrived in Utah by 1932 as a seed contaminant. Now it is a noxious weed. Woad has a number of unique abilities that contribute to its vigor. Being a biennial plant, it spends the first year of life as a rosette of leaves, building reserves. In its second year, those reserves allow a woad plant to send forth a tall, lanky stem covered with pale yellow flowers that ultimately yield up to 10,000 seeds per plant.

Although Dyer’s Woad is not toxic, few animals relish it either. The seeds have chemicals that inhibit germination and root elongation in other plants, giving woad a competitive edge. Woad causes millions of dollars in losses each year, so control is a major issue. Herbicides and mechanical removal are best used against the rosettes, but nature has provided a native fungus that views woad as dinner. This rust fungus is very effective at eliminating or severely reducing seed production. Plants infected with the rust fungus are misshapen, wrinkly, and covered in dark spots. Those spots brim with rust spores. Therefore, when removing woad, leave the sickly plants to infect yet more woads.

Click to view a larger picture; Dyer's Woad with rust courtesy and copyright 2009 Brad Kropp - as found on bugwood.org — Dyer’s Woad with rust
Courtesy of and
Copyright © 2009 Brad Kropp
As found on bugwood.org

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Credits:
Photos: Brad Krupp, Utah State University, Bugwood.org
Text: Michael Piep, Utah Native Plant Society

Additional Reading:

Resources:
Intermountain Herbarium: https://herbarium.usu.edu/

Washington Weed Board: https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weed_info/Written_findings

/Isatis_tinctoria.html

References:
Edmonds, J. 2006. The History of Woad and the Medieval Woad Vat. https://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-history-of-woad-and-the-medieval-woad-vat/4928037

Shaw, R.J. 1989. Vascular Plants of Northern Utah. Utah State University Press, Logan, Utah. https://www.usu.edu/usupress/books/index.cfm?isbn=1417

Welsh, S.L., N D. Atwood, S Goodrich & L.C. Higgins. 2008. A Utah Flora, 4th Ed. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. https://www.amazon.com/Utah-Flora-Stanley-L-Welsh/dp/0842525564