Properties of Water

Click for a larger view of water as frost on a window, Courtesy and Copyright Andrea Liberatore
Water as frost on a window
Courtesy and © Andrea Liberatore

Click for a larger view of water surface tension on a quarter, Courtesy and Copyright Andrea LiberatoreSurface tension – water drops
on a quarter
Courtesy and © Andrea Liberatore

Click for a larger view of water as snowflakes, Courtesy and Copyright Andrea LiberatoreWater as snowflakes
Courtesy and © Andrea Liberatore

In our winter wonderland, water is all around. It piles upon the landscape in great white drifts. It is a substance life is completely dependent upon and as ordinary as it seems, this tasteless, odorless substance is actually quite amazing. Up to 60% of our body mass is due to water, and life as we know it would not exist if not for water’s unique physical properties.

When most known liquids get colder they contract – shrinking around 10 percent in total volume. Water contracts too, but only until it reaches its freezing point, at which time it reverses course and begins to expand. This molecular marvel does wonderful things for life on earth. As water freezes and expands, the resulting ice becomes lighter than its liquid form, causing it to float. If ice contracted as other liquids do, it would sink, and lakes would freeze from the bottom up – and freeze quickly, meaning big changes for aquatic life. Water in all forms happens to be a very good insulator, meaning that it doesn’t change temperature very quickly. Ice floating on top of a pond insulates the water underneath, keeping it warmer, and therefore liquid, longer than it normally would. Obviously this is beneficial for local creatures like fish and beavers not to mention the penguins, whales and seals that thrive in the colder parts of our planet.

Another critical property of water is its stickiness. Individual molecules are generally more attracted to each other than to other substances such as air or soil. This ‘stickiness’, or cohesion, creates surface tension, which allow puddles, rivers, and raindrops to form, and also enables water striders to glide on the water’s surface and rocks to skip across a lake. Water tension is also responsible for a tree’s ability to siphon water from the soil and transport it to the very topmost leaf. However water’s bonds aren’t so strong as to be unable to break when a fish swims through or when you cannonball into the deep end. You can observe surface tension at home by dripping water onto the head of a coin, and watching it ball up into a surprisingly large mound.

Water is also one of the only known substances that naturally occurs in three phases – solid, liquid, and gas. This is important to many facets of life including the proper functioning of the weather system as we know it. Thankfully, there is a lot of water here on earth – about 320 million cubic miles of it. However, only four tenths of a percent of that comes in the form of freshwater lakes & rivers. Most of the rest is locked up in glaciers and oceans. It’s also important to realize that this is all of the water that Earth has ever had, and all the water we’re ever going to get, which can lead to some interesting thoughts about where that water you are about to drink has previously been. Perhaps it was once part of Lake Bonneville, in the snow that fell on the back of a wooly mammoth, or in a puddle slurped up by a brachiosaurus. If only water could talk…

For more sources and to calculate your water-use footprint, visit our website at www.wildaboututah.org.

For the Stokes Nature Center and Wild About Utah, this is Andrea Liberatore.

Credits:

Images:  Andrea Liberatore, Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon.

Text:     Andrea Liberatore, Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon.

 

Additional Reading:

Bryson, Bill (2004) A Short History of Nearly Everything. Broadway (Random House): New York.

U.S. Geological Survey (2013) The USGS Water Science School. Accessible online at: https://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/

United Nations: Water. Accessible online at https://www.unwater.org/

Calculate your water footprint:
https://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/YourWaterFootprint

 

Winter Song Birds

A Black-capped Chickadee, Bridgerland Audubon Society

A Black-capped Chickadee
Bridgerland Audubon Society

In the icy, short days of winter, you may think that Nature itself has curled up to hibernate. Our gardens are drab and deciduous trees are stripped down to bare limbs and twigs. Many songbirds have bid us farewell and flown south. In truth, what remains to be seen and heard of nature here in winter is more subtle and less boisterous. Now is the time to learn calls and songs of birds that reside here year-round, to hear them in solo performances, before the confusing springtime symphonies of birdsong.

This first bird calls its own name [sound: “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee” #9 Songbirds of the Rocky Mountain Foothills]. Black-capped Chickadees take sunflower seeds one at a time from our feeders. When out snowshoeing or skiing in our forests, inquisitive chickadees are welcome companions. They bring joy to a wintry day.

Frequently, a winter chickadee flock includes other birds. [Sound: “annk-annk” #48 Songbirds of Yellowstone] This bird sounds like a child’s squeak toy, but that nasal call belongs to the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Look for this chunky small bird at your suet feeder, or cruising up and down tree trunks in its search for insects.

We also have a minimalist in our winter bird repertoire [Sound: “tew” #62 Songbirds of Yellowstone]. That single note belongs to the Townsend’s Solitaire, which looks like a lean robin, colored the somber gray of an overcast sky. In winter, solitaires dine predominately on juniper berries. Their call stakes out their winter feeding territory. They are regulars at our heated birdbath, perhaps washing down all those puckery berries. If you are lucky, you may also hear their musical warbling, which is more common in warmer months. (Kevin Colver: Songbirds of Yellowstone)

You often hear chickadees, nuthatches and solitaires before you see them, as their plumage is neither colorful nor splashy. If you notice these calls on a winter’s day, it is because you are quiet and focused on the nature around you, leaving civilization’s hubbub behind. Thank-you to Kevin Colver for his wonderful bird recordings.

Credits:

Bird Sounds: Courtesy and Copyright 2008 Dr. Kevin Colver, Songbirds of the Rocky Mountain Foothills and Songbirds of Yellowstone and the High Rockies https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections

Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon Society https://www.bridgerlandaudubon.org

Additional Reading:

Black-capped Chickadee, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-capped_Chickadee.html

Red-breasted Nuthatch, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch.html

Townsend’s Solitaire, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Townsends_Solitaire.html

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

    Ruffed Grouse and the Christmas Bird Count

    Ruffed Grouse and the Christmas Bird Count: Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus
    Ruffed Grouse
    Bonasa umbellus
    Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
    I set out this week to investigate why so many gifts in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ are birds. You know the song: there are swans a swimming, geese a laying, calling birds, French hens, turtle doves, and that partridge in the pear tree. Well, I never did find the answer. But what I did find was some interesting information about a native bird often incorrectly referred to as a partridge –a bird that is supremely well adapted to life in winter. Ruffed Grouse and the Christmas Bird Count

    Ruffed grouse resemble partridges in that they are ground-dwelling game birds of similar size and stature. Their name comes from a collar of long feathers surrounding the necks of males who fluff them out when seeking mates in spring. The birds come in two color phases, differentiated mainly by their tail feathers, which can be either gray or chestnut brown. While not well understood, a grouse’s color phase seems to be linked to climate. Grouse with gray tails are more prevalent in areas defined by cold winters, while brown grouse are more common in warmer climates.

    Now that snow is blanketing the landscape across much of their territory, the ruffed grouse is in its element. Harsh winters that adversely affect populations of other ground-dwelling game birds such as quail, pheasant, and turkeys, don’t seem to faze ruffed grouse. Their ability to survive is dictated by a number of special adaptations. The first is on their feet, where each winter nubby feathers called pectinations grow on the sides of the birds’ toes. Looking like strange combs, the bristles act as snowshoes, allowing the grouse to walk on top of even the softest snow. More special feathers grow on grouse legs like personal leg-warmers, and also near the bird’s beak, covering its nostrils. Scientists believe the feathered mustache enables grouse to breathe in warmer air than they otherwise would, thus keeping their internal temperature more stable.

    Changes in weather bring about some changes in behavior as well. Warmer months find the birds resting in evergreens or thick brush. But in winter, when a foot or more snow covers the ground, grouse roost in the snow. The birds create small burrows which hide them from predators, offer protection from frigid winter winds, and keep them surprisingly snug and warm. Many a backcountry skier or snowshoer has been startled by a hidden grouse bursting noisily from its snowy lair.

    The birds’ diet also changes seasonally from a summer sampling of green foliage, seeds, berries and insects, to the protein-rich dormant flower buds of trees such as aspen and birch. Grouse also won’t hesitate to eat the sweet flower buds of domestic trees like apples, and were at one time considered a pest in New England orchards. And so it’s actually not out of the question that within ruffed grouse territory, you might wake up one Christmas morning to find a ‘partridge’ in your pear tree.

    Speaking of birds and the holiday season, it’s nearly time for the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. Over the next few weeks, tens of thousands of volunteers around the country will join in this 113-year-old tradition, collecting data on the types and numbers of birds living in their area. This data allows scientists to monitor and track populations over time and space. Participants can be seasoned birders, first timers, or anything in-between. In Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake, and Zion National Park, the count takes place Saturday, December 15th. Other locations around the state will host their events between now and January 5th. To find a count near you, visit birds.audubon.org and click on Christmas Bird Count. For the Stokes Nature Center and Wild About Utah, this is Andrea Liberatore.

    For the Stokes Nature Center and Wild About Utah, this is Andrea Liberatore.

    Ruffed Grouse and the Christmas Bird Count-Credits:

    Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson Leaping Lulu
    Images: Courtesy Utah Division of Natural Resources

    Text & Voice:     Andrea Liberatore,
                Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon.

    Ruffed Grouse and the Christmas Bird Count-Additional Reading:

    Furtman, Michael. ( 1999) Ruffed Grouse: Woodland Drummer. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA.
    https://www.amazon.com/Ruffed-Grouse-Woodland-Michael-Furtman/dp/0811731227

    Ruffled Grouse, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Natural Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=bonasa%20umbellus [Link updated January 2024]

    New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (2012) Ruffed Grouse. Available online at: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/45436.html

    National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count:
    https://birds.audubon.org/get-involved-christmas-bird-count-find-count-near-you

    Utah Christmas Bird Counts:
    https://utahbirds.org/cbc/cbc.html

    Logan Christmas Bird Count:
    Bridgerland Audubon Society Logan Christmas Bird Count 15 Dec 2012