mainland wood frog - with my reflection in her eye!

 

 

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – March 14, 2020

Brought to you with the support of VLT and MCHT – Thanks to both organizations!

sea stack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fell behind in February, trying to catch up and be caught up.

Another in the series of blips – is the latest of the bunch

 

water boatman

 

 

 

 

 

This is the ice, insect, mushroom, herpetology, plant post

 

 

 

 

 

Contact us – with all the observable nature stuff going on around Vinalhaven it feels good to have a safe place where you can unload and share your sightings with other humans. Send your photos, sightings and whatnots to vinalhavensightings@gmail.com . The place to be really, and to share.

 

Check out Nature Bummin’ posts at - www.mcht.org/story-tag/nature-bummin/

 

St George wood frog

 

Sightings – This just in – Amphibian cruise (3/13)  in St George turned up one female Wood Frog, which was super cool. However, there are plenty more salamander and frogs needing to migrate. This Tuesday looks good – still 4 days away or so, but – and means tons of Spotted Salamanders may be crossing ‘Round the island road’ on their way to vernal pools and breeding. What a motiviator! Might be worth an early evening cruise – slow and cautious of course.




 

 

 

Sea Lavender in ice hula

 

Spring Peeper – heard 3/11 from back porch in St

George. What a world!

 

Sea Lavender - The lavender color that gives this species the second part of its common name is a subtle beauty of which I find that subtleness to be a nice addition to late summer/fall shore line sessions and explorations. People used to pick them to add to flower bouquets on tables and handed to actors at the end of a show. Those were the days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lavender color is absent at the moment, but last year’s plants still line grassy shorelines around Vinalhaven. The first part of their common name freezes on an infrequent basis, so finding Sea Lavender wearing ice hulas near Carrying Place Bridge had to be documented. Consider these documented!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bubble tracking ice bubbles – February is a nice time for ice bubbles. Slow meandering streams such as Indian Ladder are/were prime spots for finding bubbles frozen in time and to maybe even get the chance to watch a bubble freeze…right before your eyes. It’s magic without the creepiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The creek in the Basin Preserve connecting Jim Mack’s Pond and Old Harbor Pond has been a gold mine for such bubblishish events to occur. Here are a few shots from last month on the creek.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ice bloom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

trump meets Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

frozen black jelly roll

 

 

 

Mushrooms - frozen black jelly roll! -

 

 

 

frozen tree ear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And tree ears!

 

 

tree ear

black jelly roll

 

 

 

 

 



fiefly

Insects we trust – Fire fly – seems early (3/9), but that’s the way it goes, as they say. Firefly on my shirt in early March!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Springtails. We love them. They hop around like crazy here’s a video from (3/9)

 

These may be snow fleas without snow. Sounds like a sad holiday Claymation special.

 

St George Marsh Ice – Lots to see as always on the st George ice – and ice every where. Here are a couple of sightings that easily could have been replicated on Vinalhaven –

 

 

 

 

 

Water Boatman – a frequent and common “catch” during pond studies and scoop sessions around the island, this particular water boatman was ‘caught’ in a quick freeze of open water on the marsh ice. Located about 3 feet from an recent opening in the ice, the water boatman apparently swam around in the melt of a sunny, warm February day, only to have the opening and surrounding water freeze while it was above ice.

 

Anyway – I went back the next day, another sunny one, and the water boatman was gone. Eaten? Sub-ice? Or maybe it flew away?

 

 

caddisfly larvae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caddisfly larvae -  one of our favorites in any pond study/scoop session, caddisfly larvae are “unique” in their habit of collecting debris – leaves, needles (modified leaves), pebbles, whatever) - to make a mobile, protective casings. Caddisflies are major predators in ponds and vernal pools, and the larvae drag these debris huts – “if you are not living in paradise your skills s**k” – around with them.

 

I found two caddisfly larvae, naked on the ice on morning. Observation on subsequent visits lead this JAFO to conclude they did not make it. Never seen them above ice in the winter before. That doesn’t mean much though, easy to miss them I would suppose.   

 

 

 

 

 

Cranberry fruits in ice – low snow, ice and water level winter in the marsh lead to some cool sightings, including these cranberry fruits frozen in ice. Gone the next day…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took the St George 6^th graders onto the ice for a field trip at the end of February. Lots of cool stuff to see and find, including the remains of a snapping turtle we suppose was eaten by a river otter or two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a link to a post I wrote about the trip for MCHT website about it – Nature Bummin’.

 

www.mcht.org/story-tag/nature-bummin/ . I think that’s the tag for it!

 

Might not be up yet. is what it is! Check again this week maybe!

until next time!