Author: Holly Strand

Holly is a Communications Specialist for the State of Utah’s Division of Emergency Management. A geographer by training, Holly received her master’s degree from the University of Colorado. She worked 10 years for World Wildlife Fund, helping collect expert knowledge to map and describe conservation priorities in biodiverse regions around the world. Before that, she led specialty tours to northern and eastern Eurasia. Over twenty years of professional work in great places with unique habitats and endemic species has given Holly an appreciation of what’s special within the Utah landscape.
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Til Death Do Us Part

Audio:  mp3 Listen to WildAboutUtah

Tundra Swan Pair
Cygnus columbianus
Courtesy US FWS
Tim Bowman, Photographer

Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

Each year we celebrate Valentine’s Day by expressing our love and devotion to a significant other. While humans are the only species that actually celebrate it, we aren’t the only animals who bond together as couples. Monogamy–or long term pair bonding as animal behaviorists call it–is practiced by over 90 % of birds. Along with a modest number of mammals, including wolves, beavers, voles and gibbons. Even a few fish pair up.

Monogamy may have evolved for different reasons among different groups of animals. For some, female dispersal may have played a role. If females are few and far between–as is the case with white tail ptarmigans–there is a tendency to pair up. Perhaps additional potential mates are too far away too bother. For males, monogamy can save a lot of time and energy. Monogamous males don’t have to fight over females or bother with first time courtship rituals. And by closely guarding a single female , males can protect their genetic investment.

There are advantages for females too. With a mate, you can get a little assistance around the nest or den. Male partners can help incubate eggs, guard against predators and help feed the kids. The fact that male and females are equally suited to care for chicks may explain why monogamy is so much more common among birds. The male improves his chances for reproductive success by investing in just one female’s little ones. The situation is different in mammals. Mammal males just can’t step in and help as much with gestation and lactation. So perhaps that’s why only 3% of mammal species form pair bonds.

The offspring of monogamous pairs tend to be pretty helpless at birth. Having two caregivers means that the you can take more time to mature. This long, slow development leads to larger brain sizes. Humans demonstrate this phenomenon very well as we parent our children longer than any other species on earth!

The tundra swan is Utah’s best example of monogamy in the wild. Young tundra swans date around a bit when they are young, but they eventually settle down with a single mate for life. They build and defend a nest together and raise the kids. But then they stick together the rest of the year as well. Greetings and courtship rituals such as head bobbing and dipping and ritual bathing strengthen their commitment toward each other.

You can see these beautiful swans in massive numbers twice a year when they migrate through Utah. Tens of thousands of them stop by the Great Salt Lake on their way to either the Arctic tundra or to central California.

For sources, pictures, and archives of past programs, go to www.wildaboututah.org

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Image: Courtesy US FWS, images.fws.gov
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading

Limpert, R. J. and S. L. Earnst. 1994. Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: https://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/089

Mocka, Douglas, and Masahiro Fujiokab. 1990. “Monogamy and long-term pair bonding in vertebrates” Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Volume 5, Issue 2, February 1990, Pages 39–43

Reichard, Ulrich and Christoph Boesch. 2003. Monogramy: mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and Other Mammals. Cambridge University Press.

Schultz, Susanne and Robin I.M. Dunbar. 2010. “Bondedness and sociality”
Behaviour, Volume 147, Number 7, 2010 , pp. 775-803(29).

Schultz, Susanne and Robin I.M. Dunbar. 2010. Social bonds in birds are associated with brain size and contingent on the correlated evolution of life-history and increased parental investment. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Volume 100, Issue 1, pages 111–123, May 2010.

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Baby, It’s Cold Outside: Peter Sinks. Courtesy the Utah Climate Center

Peter Sinks
Courtesy Utah Climate Center

Peter Sinks
Campbell Scientific Weather Station

Courtesy Utah Climate Center

Holly: Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

-18 in Logan, -20 in Moab, -26 degrees in Randolph. In other words, it’s January in Utah! Subzero temps are common this time of year across most of the state.

Some sources give – 50 degrees Fahrenheit as the coldest temperature ever recorded in Utah. It was -50 on Feb 6, 1899 in Woodruff and again on Jan 5, 1913 at the East Portal of Strawberry Reservoir. But—as many of you know—the real lowest temperature recorded was -69 degrees occurring at Peter Sinks on Feb 1, 1985. There were two weather stations recording at the time. A Campbell Scientific instrument recorded a temperature of -70.5 from a sensor 20 inches above the snow surface. A few days later, USU student Zane Stephens retrieved a minimum recording alcohol thermometer which registered -68.3. The National Bureau of Standards calibrated Stephens’ thermometer which adjusted the reading to -69.3. This became the ‘official’ temperature minimum since– at that time–the National Weather Service only recognized the type of weather station used by Stephens.

While the -69 observation was verified, the station it came from was not part of any long-term weather monitoring network. That’s why you still see the -50 cited as the low. But -69 is so much better. For this figure gives Utah boasting rights for having the 2nd coldest recorded temperature in the lower 48 (plus Hawaii). -69 beats the coldest temperature recorded in Europe which is only -67. And it comes fairly close to North America’s record which is -81 in the Canadian Yukon. Just so you know, Asia’s record is -90 in Verkhoyansk in Siberia. And of course, Antarctica takes the cake with -129 at Vostok Research Station.

But back to Utah. Peter Sinks—where the -69 reading occurred–is an oval-shaped limestone sinkhole located on the crest of the Bear River Range just west of Old Limber Pine off of Highway 89. It’s about 150 meters deep and 1 km long. Having no tributary valleys, it’s a perfectly closed basin. On clear nights the area surrounding the sink radiates away its heat. And if the wind is calm, the, colder heavier air sinks and pools on the basin floor . If there were an outlet the cold air could flow out and warmer air could lower in to replace the outgoing cold. But there isn’t an outlet.

You probably recognize this situation—it’s an inversion. The Wasatch Front valleys and Cache Valley experience this same phenomenon during winter. Snow cover reflects incoming sunlight which cools the land surface and warm temperatures aloft seal the colder air down below. Meanwhile, a high pressure system called the Great Basin High brings clear, still air which locks the inversion in place. But the large size of these populated valleys prevents the temperature from dropping down to -69. Thank goodness. But in our case, manmade pollutants created during the inversions create a toxic cold air cocktail that we have to endure. At least until a low pressure system comes in and blows the lid off the inversion, pulling the cold air upward and “mixing” it away.

For more information on inversions and to see pictures of the notorious Peter Sinks, visit www.wildaboututah.org

Thanks to Robert Davies of the Utah Climate Center at Utah State University for his help in developing this episode.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Image: Courtesy Utah Climate Center
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading:

Ahrens, C. Donald, Perry Samson. Extreme weather and climate. Belmont, CA : Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Clements, Craig B. Whiteman, C. David Horel, John D. 2003. Cold-Air-Pool Structure and Evolution in a Mountain Basin: Peter Sinks, Utah. Journal of Applied Meteorology, Jun 01, 2003; Vol. 42, No. 6, p. 752-768

Moller, Allen; Robert R. Gillies. 2008 Utah Climate. Logan, Utah: Utah Climate Center, Utah State University

NOAA, State Climate Exchange Committee. State Temperature Extremes https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records

Utah Climate Center, Utah State University https://climate.usu.edu/

Utah Climate Center with support from Campbell Scientific, Inc. Peter Sinks Monitoring Project. Site history, data and more pictures. https://twdef.usu.edu/Peter_Sinks/Sinks.html

Utah.Gov Choose Clean Air https://www.cleanair.utah.gov/

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Kissing Under the Dung Twig

Juniper Mistletoe
Phoradendron juniperinum
in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
Courtesy Stan Shebs, Photographer
This file is licensed under the
Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

Close-up of Juniper Mistletoe
Phoradendron juniperinum
in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada
Courtesy Stan Shebs, Photographer
This file is licensed under the
Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license.

Holly: Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

Together with poinsettia and holly, mistletoe is an iconic Christmas plant. The term mistletoe doesn’t refer to a single species or even a single lineage of plants. Instead there are over 1300 species belonging to 5 different plant families. All mistletoes are partially or mostly parasitic –they obtain water and minerals from a host tree, shrub or cactus via specialized stems. Sometimes mistletoe stems may branch into tangled masses called witches brooms. These gnarled structures offer nesting habitat for songbirds, raptors, and squirrels and can provide forage for deer and elk.

In Utah, Juniper mistletoe is the most common species. You’ll find it across the Colorado Plateau and along the Wasatch Front. Acacia mistletoe is much rarer and found only in the Beaver Dam Mountains west of St. George. Both of these species are leafless and spiky looking but many types of mistletoe have green leaves to support photosynthesis.

Most mistletoes reproduce with the help of birds that eat their fruit. Mistletoe seeds pass through the bird’s digestive system and are deposited on new branches where they stick and germinate. This explains the mistletoe’s strange name which is Anglo Saxon for “dung twig”.

Considering its humble origins in bird poop, mistletoe has made quite a name for itself. Like a botanical Forest Gump, it keeps cropping up throughout history in myths, cultural traditions and even medicines.

  • In Norse mythology, the overprotective Goddess Frigg went to all the living creatures on earth, making them pledge not to harm her beloved son Baldur. But she overlooked the mistletoe. When mischievous Loki discovered this, he arranged that Balder’s brother would throw an arrow made of mistletoe to strike Balder—killing him, of course.
  • In Virgil’s epic poem the Aeneid, mistletoe was the “Golden Bough” which allowed Aeneas to pass into the Underworld.
  • The ancient Druids revered both oak trees and the mistletoe that grew in them. They believed that a potion prepared from mistletoe would make barren animals reproduce. And they used mistletoe as an antidote to all kinds of poisons.


    • Throughout the ages, mistletoe was used to treat many medicinal conditions such as epilepsy, infertility, hypertension and arthritis. Today, many claim that mistletoe stimulates the immune system, helping the body fight more efficiently against cancer and other diseases.

    While it was originally hung in doorways to attract good health and good fortune, by the 18th century mistletoe morphed into a Christmas decoration. We don’t know exactly how the custom of kissing under the mistletoe –or dung twig—evolved, but I’m certainly glad it did!

    For pictures and sources for this program and archives of past programs, go to www.wildaboututah.org For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

    For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

    Credits:

    Image: Courtesy Wikipedia, Stan Shebs, Photographer
    Text: Holly Strand

    Sources & Additional Reading:

    Drury, Susan. 1987. “Customs and Beliefs Associated with Christmas Evergreens: A Preliminary Survey” Folklore 98.2 pp. 194-199., Abstract

    Fertig, Walter. 2006 “Utah Plant Families: The Mistletoes (Viscaceae)” Volume 29 No. 6 Sego Lily (Newsletter of the Utah Native Plant Society) Utah Native Plant Society

    Horneber MA, Bueschel G, Huber R, Linde K, Rostock M. 2008. “Mistletoe therapy in oncology.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18425885 Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Apr 16;(2):CD003297. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003297.pub2. PMID: 18425885 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

    Milius, Susan. 2002. Science News. “Mistletoe, of all things, helps juniper trees.” Web edition: January 2, 2002. Print edition: January 5, 2002; Vol.161 #1 (p. 6) https://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/2334/description/Mistletoe,_of_all_things,_helps_juniper_trees

    Watson, David. M. “Mistletoe—A Keystone Resource in Forests and Woodlands Worldwide.” 2001. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 2001. 32:219–491, https://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/07/03/rspb.2012.0856.full

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    Blue, Blue, My World is Blue…

    Blue, Blue, My World is Blue…Indigo Bunting
    Passerina cyanea
    Courtesy US FWS
    Steve Maslowski, Photographer

    Spring Azure(Male)
    Celastrina ladon
    Courtesy Wikimedia,
    D. Gordon E. Robertson, Photographer
    Licensed under Creative Commons
    Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

    Holly: Hi, I’m Holly Strand.

    If I were to ask you what your favorite color is, odds are your answer would be blue. All around the world most people prefer blue over any other color.

    Maybe this is because blue is quite unusual in nature. We rarely see blue in animals or plants. Animals are brown, ruddy or grayish—sometimes white or black makes an appearance. Plants are green, brown, red and yellow. So the blue exceptions really stand out.

    There are two main ways to be blue. The first way is thorough pigmentation. Pigments are chemical substances that selectively absorb light. We see color based on the light wavelengths that are not absorbed but reflected. For it is these reflected wavelengths that hit our eyes.

    Blue flowers are the result of anthocyanin pigments. These pigments usually reflect red or purple, but in Uinta’s Alpine Forget-me-nots they create a pure sky blue that will stop you in your tracks.

    The other way to be blue is through a physical rather than chemical approach. A physical or structural color is produced when incoming light interacts with nanoscale biological structures on an object’s surface. In birds, different shapes and sizes of tiny air pockets and keratin in feathers can cause different shades of blue. The lazuli bunting gets its bright blue head and back via structural color. So do indigo buntings and mountain bluebirds.

    Some birds change color depending upon the angle at which you look at them. This shimmering iridescence is caused by a more complex interplay of light and feather structure which sends light bouncing off into different directions. Some of the light waves coincide to intensify color; nd others crash and cancel each other out. In Utah look for iridescent blue on the head and back of the tree swallow and on the black-billed magpie’s wing and tail.

    Iridescence is quite common in insects—think of colorful beetle and butterfly wings . The dazzling morpho is the most striking example of an iridescent blue. While we don’t have morphos in Utah, we do have several species of butterfly in a subfamily group of the gossamer winged butterflies. This group is appropriately called “ the blues.”

    By now Utah’s blue creatures have mostly expired or flown south. However, you can still get your blue color fix. Just look up! Utah’s sky is a deep and satisfying blue due to our aridity and high elevation.

    For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

    Credits:

    Image: Courtesy and Copyright 2003 Michael Kuhns, Extension.usu.edu
    Text: Holly Strand

    Sources & Additional Reading:

    Color
    Angier, Natalie. True Blue Stands Out in an Earthy Crowd. NY Times. Oct 22, 2012
    https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/23/science/with-new-findings-scientists-are-captivated-by-the-color-blue.html?emc=eta1

    Fields, Helen. Why Are Some Feathers Blue? https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Why-Are-Some-Feathers-Blue.html [accessed November 15, 2012]

    Murphy, Pat, and Paul Doherty. 1996. The Color of Nature: An Exploratorium Book San Francisco: Chronicle Books

    WebExhibits. Causes of Color. https://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/15A.htm l [accessed November 15, 2012]

    Color Preference
    Grieve, K.W. (1991), “Traditional Beliefs and Colour Perception,” Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72 (4], 1319-23.

    Krishna, K.P. (1972), “Colour Preferences as a Function of Age and
    Sex,” Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 9 (1), 10-13.

    Madden, Thomas, Kelly Hewett, and Martin S. Roth. 2000. Managing Images in Different Cultures:
    A Cross-National Study of Color Meanings and Preferences. Journal of International Marketing. Vol. 8. No 4 pp. 90-107