A generous grant from the Marion County Community Foundation has allowed the Friends of Big Rock Park to offer several programs this fall. We started out with a beautiful Saturday morning and a trio of naturalists ready to guide us through the wonders of butterflies, dragonflies, and toads.
Central College biologist Kristin Siewart came with a supply of monarchs used for her research study. She is trying to determine if captive and wild monarchs have different wing length and shape. Her research subjects were captive, and she said she had found very few wild monarchs this year. Participants took turns tagging the monarchs with small, round stickers. The crowd was told to hold the butterfly carefully with wings together and tag the right-hand side. Each tag was recorded.
The tags help scientists learn more about the monarchs. Kids in Mexico get paid $5 for each tagged monarch they find and report. If one of our monarchs is found, Ms. Siewert will be notified. The tags don’t hurt the insects, but they do make them slower. The butterflies will now join the eastern migration of monarchs from Canada to Mexico. The butterflies begin migration in August with the larger ones leading the way. Prompted by temperature, sunlight, and the death of milkweed, they roost in trees along their journey and feed on blooming plants. Those with smaller wings need to stop more often to feed and rest.
The butterflies were in no hurry to leave the warm hands of their taggers but slowly flew off into the morning sunlight. They will use the sun and magnetic sensors on their antennae to guide them. These photos taken by Kayla Lindquist show the joyful experience of holding and tagging a monarch.
Herpetologist Nicole Ladner gave us tips for finding toads, frogs, and snakes. Walk slowly and quietly as they can sense vibrations. If you shine a light into creek banks at night, you can see the eyes of one of Iowa’s 17 different species of amphibians. Marion County is home to nine of these animal groups, including cricket frogs. You can recognize them by their chirp, which may remind you of a handful of marbles clicking against each other.
The astute members of the group found an American Toad. Dr. Ladner taught the children to hold it under the armpits. These toads often puff and even urinate when handled, but our friendly toad (or maybe cold) did neither.
Naturalist Marla Mertz gave us a lesson on another migrating insect--dragonflies. These insects travel from Canada to the Gulf Coast, laying eggs all the way there and back. Dragonflies can fly frontwards and backwards and on cool mornings, can be found in bushes, different species roosting at different heights. The uncommon Shadow Darner was the only type of dragonfly we found, and they were elusive. An aspiring naturalist spotted this one.
Thank you to our trio of naturalists for helping us explore and understand the treasures of nature and to Kayla Lindquist for many of the photos on this page.
Above: Siewert and Ladner in appropriate t-shirts.
Above: Mertz helps children give their butterflies a good start on their long journey.
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