Limpy's Gone

One hunter has a trophy – and all of Pennsylvania’s wildlife watchers and photographers have lost. On the second day of Pennsylvania’s annual elk hunt Limpy, one of the least wary of the elk herd’s big bulls, was killed. 

For more about Limpy see here or my posts on elk in September and October.

 

Unfortunately, killing an animal like Limpy that is thoroughly habituated to humans and totally unwary does nothing to enhance the image of hunters in the minds of the vast majority of the public that does not hunt and already might view hunting as a questionable activity. 

 

Perhaps Limpy’s death and the reaction it may generate will prompt the Pennsylvania Game Commission to enlarge the “no kill” zone within the elk range – but that’s doubtful as long as the Commission derives virtually no revenue from non-hunters, even those who have an abiding interest in wildlife.

Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

“Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow”, is a very old adage that has appeared in a number of versions, but is as true today as when it originated – apparently in the 1300s.

This year many of the oak trees in northcentral Pennsylvania had a fairly good crop of acorns; not a bumper crop, but there are still a lot of acorns on the ground. The variability of acorn crops mystifies a lot of folks, but it makes perfect sense when you consider it from the trees’ perspective. There are hordes of seed predators that eat acorns in any oak forest; from the large: deer, bear, and turkeys through the medium: squirrels, chipmunks, blue jays and wood ducks to the small: acorn weevil and acorn moth larvae that can infest up to 90% of the acorns in some years. These seed predators seem to be the primary reason oak, and most other, trees produce such variable crops of seed.

If seed production was constant the populations of the various seed predators would be stable and they would be able to consume all or almost all of the acorns; and so the trees have apparently evolved a mechanism to insure their genes will be passed on by producing widely variable amounts of seed. During years when acorn production is very low the seed predators’ populations tend to plummet. If, in a following year while seed predators’ populations are low, there’s a bumper crop of acorns, many will escape being eaten and germinate to produce seedlings. This is especially true because squirrels and jays tend to bury significant numbers of acorns in places that are ideal for the seed to germinate and grow but they do not retrieve all those buried acorns.

 

 

Red, white and chestnut oaks in our area were dropping acorns throughout the Big Woods this fall - 

 

Chestnut Oak Acorns

White and chestnut oak acorns mature the same year the trees flower; the acorns germinate soon after they hit the ground in the fall. Following germination the radicle (root) emerges, elongates and enters the soil.

 

The acorn then overwinters with its root in the ground, but waits until the following spring to develop an above-ground stem and leaves.

 

Chestnut Oak Seedlings - 1 year old

 

 

 

Red oak (and black, scarlet and pin oak) acorns take two years to develop from the trees’ flowers and wait until the spring after they fall to germinate and begin to grow.

 

Red Oak Acorns

Oak seedlings, unlike those of most other species of trees in the northeast, spend their early years growing a large root system and put minimal resources into top growth. They frequently spend anywhere from five to 15 years growing their root systems and only then begin to grow rapidly in height.  

 

White Oak Seedling - 8 years old

 

While the oak seedlings remain short they’re vulnerable to browsing by white-tailed deer. Where deer populations are excessive, repeated heavy browsing results in the seedling’s death and may result in total elimination of oak reproduction over large areas.  

 

The Colors of Autumn 2014

The days have been getting shorter for more than four months and those shortening days triggered changes in tree leaves throughout the northeast. As the days became shorter the production of chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves that produces sugars, declined and finally ended. The chlorophyll broke down revealing the anthocyanins (red pigments) and the carotenoids (yellow and orange pigments) that had been hidden all summer. As this is occurring an abscission layer of corky material forms at the base of the leaves’ petioles, cutting off the flow of water to the leaves, and weakening the leaves’ connection to the twig – which resulted in most of them falling to earth in the last few weeks. 

The entire process resulted in an influx of “leaf peepers” by car and tour bus, all looking to enjoy the brilliant autumnal colors that decorated our hillsides. Even we locals took pleasure in the colorful display, although we may not have enjoyed the increase in traffic on normally quiet rural roads.  
The display is almost over now, but photographs remain to remind us of the pleasures of autumn. 

‘nough said, enjoy the show –

October Elk

Back in September I visited Pennsylvania’s elk range at the peak of the breeding season and recently went back again. By mid-October the elks’ breeding activity is rapidly drawing to a close. Almost all of the females have already been impregnated and the bulls are fatigued from chasing cows and battling rival males.

The big bull that the group of elk photographers call Limpy, and was the subject of a video in my post "September Elk", was still hanging out with some cows --

and would bugle occasionally,

but made no effort to mate with any of the cows.

A younger, but mature, bull that was several hundred yards away was more interested in breeding, was still bugling vigorously and pursuing the cows in his band.  

As the light grew dim (almost too dim for photography) on a day that had turned cloudy I headed back to the car for the trip home, another big old bull was continuing to bugle but not chasing any of the nearby cows.

In early November comes elk hunting season for which the Pennsylvania Game Commission has issued 108 licenses. Elk hunting in Pennsylvania has been rather controversial since seasons began in 2001; with some landowners and farmers wanting the population reduced, hunters wanting the opportunity to shoot a trophy and naturalists, elk viewers and photographers wanting the elk to expand their range and an increase in the number of large photogenic bulls. 

I’ll return to the elk range in mid-winter to see and photograph the elk again – may they always roam these hills and valleys.

12 of 13

As hunting seasons begin and more people are out in the forest, it was time to retrieve my camera traps from the Big Woods. When I checked the memory card that had been in the camera trap overlooking the bear wallow there was a large number of black bear photos. This vernal pool, where the bears come to wallow in the water, is surrounded by a grove of older white oak trees which had a bumper crop of acorns this fall. Bears seeking to put on fat for their winter sleep had been gorging on the acorns and frequently visited the wallow. The camera had gotten bear photos on 12 of 13 consecutive days – a sampling:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

September Elk

On a day in late September I went to Pennsylvania’s elk range in the aptly named Elk County to view and photograph some of the state’s elk herd. There are a number of folks who do the same, several with truly spectacular results. I’ve been spending time seeking and photographing this herd of elk since the mid-1970s when there were less than 70 animals, the few remaining descendants of elk that were released in the area in the 1920s. Now there are about 900 elk in the region, which draw hordes of tourists to the established viewing areas.

On this morning I got a late start and most of the elk were already in the dense forest where they spend mid-day, so I only saw a few animals. Elk are grazing animals and for most of the year these elk feed in the extensive plots of legumes and grasses that the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Bureau of Forestry have created in the area. The best viewing and photography opportunities are at some of the food plots far from the established viewing areas, so that’s where I headed late in the afternoon.    

By sundown this evening there were over 750 photographs on the camera’s memory card and several videos. Interesting on this day was the bull I call “The Moose” whose left antler is decidedly palmate, but only bears a minimally superficial resemblance to a moose's antlers. He had rounded up a substantial band of cows accompanied by several younger bulls and subsequently lost most of them to another bull

Later, one of the most impressive bulls in the area, also with somewhat atypical antlers,  seemed to be exhausted and had apparently broken an antler tine the previous night  –

Both of these animals are thoroughly habituated to humans, show no fear, and allow a relatively close approach. Unfortunately, because they show no fear of humans, they may not survive the annual elk hunt.

Seven September Days

Every once in a while I’m fortunate enough to see something interesting on seven consecutive days – if I don’t it’s not because there aren’t a lot of interesting things to see every day, instead it's because I’m not out in forest or field or I’m not observant enough to see those things.

Recently, lady luck smiled and I had one of those good weeks –

Sunday – We were riding our bikes when what did we see but a large bright green caterpillar crawling along. Picked it up so it wouldn’t get squashed and put it on a nearby shrub. The caterpillar was apparently a mature tobacco hornworm caterpillar searching for a spot to pupate.  Tobacco hornworms and the closely related tomato hornworm are named for the appendage on their last segment. Both caterpillars feed on tomato, tobacco, nightshade and other closely related plants. The moths which emerge from the pupae are sphinx moths that hover hummingbird-like to feed on nectar of flowers.

Monday – Walked along the river and found that the peregrine falcon is back! Today it was perched in a dead ash tree that was killed by the exotic emerald ash borer. For the last several years a pair of peregrines has spent many winter days watching from these trees ready to make a meal of the pigeons that frequent the nearby bridge.   

Tuesday – Indian-pipe is a common woodland plant in eastern woodlands – a white plant with diminutive leaves and no chlorophyll; it’s a parasite on the fungi that inhabit the roots of oak trees and are thus an indirect parasite on the trees themselves. Today in the Big Woods I glanced down and there at my feet was a red stemmed indian-pipe. Looking around, it was quickly apparent that an entire colony of this rarely encountered color variation grew in this small patch of woodland. Several of the plants even bore flowers; much later in the season than indian-pipe typically flowers.

Wednesday – In the 1990s, as part of the effort to reintroduce peregrine falcons to Pennsylvania, peregrine chicks were released atop a tall hotel in Williamsport. Ever since, one or more peregrines has spent winter nights on a high ledge on the building. This morning one of the birds was back on their old haunts on the same southeast-facing ledge. The calendar may say it’s not yet winter, but the falcons are ready.

With 1000mm lens

Enlarged on computer

Thursday – For 40 years I’ve visited Pennsylvania’s elk range to photograph the animals. Being a beautiful day, this was the day for the trip. Got a late start from home and so didn’t see many elk in the morning. Late in the day was a very different story – that’s for next week’s post.

Friday – Found a number of nodding ladies-tresses, a small native orchid that grows in abandoned fields or disturbed sites. It’s one of several species of ladies-tresses that grow in similar habitats and in this area the most common one. The flower spikes are seldom more than a foot tall, bearing gleaming white flowers amidst all the greenery. Unlike most native orchids, they’re rather common and small enough that most people don’t notice them – but they’re absolutely beautiful up close.

Saturday – The white oaks in the Big Woods are loaded with acorns this year and now those have begun to drop. White oak acorns are the least acidic of any of the acorns in northcentral Pennsylvania and so are the favorites of all the acorn-eating mammals. Today I was walking on an old road that ran through a grove of large white oak; there on the ground, with its back to the road, was a porcupine busily feeding on the acorns. Staying behind the trunk of one of the large oaks I was able to get within 15 feet of the porcupine. When it finally turned around seeking another acorn, it saw me peering around the tree and, without hesitating, hustled off. A hustling porcupine is a humorous thing to see – especially as it passed up a number of easily climbed trees and went on across the ground for several hundred feet.