Along with warm spring weather come the ticks! During this season, these eight-legged creatures lay their eggs on the forest floor and begin a two-year lifecycle in which they go from egg to larvae to nymph to adult. The larvae, nymphs, and adults all wait for their meals to come to them. They hang onto the tips of grasses and low shrubs, waiting to be brushed, or to fall, onto an animal host.

One tick that you’ve likely heard a lot about is the deer tick. When deer ticks are small nymphs, they feed on white-footed mice from whom they can pick up Lyme disease. When they become adults, deer ticks feed on larger animals such as–you guessed it–deer. Adult deer ticks are just a bit larger than a sesame seed and can transmit Lyme’s disease to a human after being attached for 24 hours.

Another common tick in Wisconsin is the wood tick. These ticks are larger than the deer tick and are about the size of a watermelon seed. Wood ticks are not known to carry Lyme disease.

Did you know? There is a great way to tell male and female wood ticks apart! The females have a white “necklace” behind their heads, and males have white stripes down their backs that look like “suspenders.”

Learn more: UWSP Wellness

Tick Prevention: Minnesota DNR

From wintering sites as far away as Central and South America, warblers are beginning to return to Wisconsin to nest. These small birds (a bit smaller than a black-capped chickadee) travel together at night in large groups. Soon you will see them searching among the tree buds at CWES for their favorite food: insects. These birds are quick movers that flit from tree branch to tree branch.

There are many species of warblers that call this area home in the summer time. At this time of year, black and white warblers and yellow-rumped warblers are making an appearance. Soon after them will follow ovenbirds and yellow warblers. As you look for warblers among the trees, keep in mind that as with most birds, the males are a brighter color than the females.

Did you know? Each warbler species has its own unique song. The black and white warbler sounds like a squeaky wheel, while the ovenbird gives a loud “teacher, teacher, teacher.” Play the calls below and see if any of them sound familiar to you.

Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Black & white warbler: Call	​ Yellow-rumped warbler: Call
​Yellow warbler: Call	​ Ovenbird: Call

You may have noticed this shrub pushing out leaves in the understory at CWES. Red berried elder (also called red elderberry) is commonly found along many of the trails here. As this plant matures, it developed clusters of little buds that are almost purple in color. Very soon, these buds will open into clumps of tiny greenish white flowers. By mid-summer these blooms will have produced red berries that birds and mammals love to eat. While wildlife can and do enjoy the berries, they should not be eaten by people.

Did you know? The hollow branches of this plant have been used to make flutes, and its wood has been used to make combs in the past.

Learn more: Cofrin Center for Biodiversity

After spending the winter sleeping on and off  in their underground burrows, chipmunks are now searching for leftover seeds and nuts above ground. As new leaves, shoots, berries, mushrooms, and insects emerge, chipmunks are given a smorgasbord of options.

However, looking for a meal not the only thing that chipmunks have in mind! In April these small mammals bred, with males competing for females. In early May, female chipmunks are now giving birth to 2-8 young, which they will raise on their own. Keep an eye out for these little ones in mid-summer when they will be old enough to fend for themselves. Sometimes, a female will breed again and have a second litter in the fall.

Did you know? Chipmunks are solitary creatures, each with their own separate burrow which they improve each year. Chipmunks can fit the equivalent of nine large nuts in their check pouches, and sometimes need to push the nuts back out with their front paws.

Learn more: Animal Diversity Web

As spring marches forward, a colorful collection of birds begin to find their way to the bird feeders at CWES. One of these is the rose breasted grosbeak. The colorful males are easy to spot with their bright red chests, but the females are a bit trickier with their brown and tan streaks. These unique birds are one of the few species in which both the male and female bird will sing. Their beautiful song sounds a bit like a robin’s, but is sweeter and faster. Compare the two calls here: Rose breasted grosbeak and American robin.

After filling up on insects, seeds, and berries, these birds will soon be making their nests. Rose breasted grosbeaks make their nests in trees. These nests are so thin that the bottoms can almost be seen through! Both male and female will share nest duties, but not equally. Males incubate the eggs 1/3 of the time, and females 2/3.

Did you know? A group of grosbeaks is called a “gross.”

Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Male grosbeak. These birds are larger than a sparrow.

Female grosbeak. Notice the white stripes above her eye.

Warmer weather means that more plants are beginning to grow and bloom. Two species that you are likely to find in the forests at CWES are wild oats and early meadow rue. Early meadow rue’s blooms are not flashy, but they are unique. Its yellow stamens (the male part of the plant that makes pollen) hang down like tiny tassels. This plant is a little over a foot high and seems to like trail edges. Sessile bellwort, also called wild oats, prefers more shaded areas. These plants are a bit shorter and reach about a foot high. One good clue for identifying this plant is that the stem forks at the top. Also, if you look closely at the plant’s blooms, you will find six, straw colored petals on each of them.

Learn more: Robert Freckmann Herbarium: early meadow rue or Robert Freckmann Herbarium: wild oats

The woods and feeders at CWES aren’t the only places that are becoming more and more active, the pond is as well. In fact, skating across the water’s surface is a very unique organism…the water strider.

Just how do water striders walk on water? They have thousands of tiny, water repellent hairs on their feet that keep their light bodies from breaking the water’s surface. These insects are predators that grab their prey (smaller aquatic insects) with their short front legs. They then suck the prey’s juices using a mouth that is shaped like a straw.

Did you know? Water striders hunt their prey by feeling the vibrations they make on the water’s surface. Water striders have been known to walk on the surface of running water!

See a close-up of a water strider’s adaptations: Creek Connections

Learn more: Buglopedia

These tiny wonders have made their way back to our state at this time of year. The males returned first to scope out territories and the females followed a week or two later. They flew back to us from wintering sites in Mexico and Central America, some of them even flying across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping! Their trip from South to North took them about two weeks of traveling. To prepare for this journey they had to almost double their body weight. Soon they will be building a tiny cup-shaped nest on small tree branches. The nest will be carefully constructed from thistle and dandelion fluff, covered in lichens, and anchored together with spider silk.

Did you know? Hummingbirds are the only bird that can fly both backward and forward. Their wings beat an amazing 53 times per second and can propel them at speeds of 50 mph. To fuel their fast pace, the birds consume about twice their weight in nectar and insects a day. We’d need to eat over 200 cheeseburgers each day to do the same! You can help these birds out by filling a feeder with sugar-water for them. Simply mix of 1 cup sugar with four cups of water and you’ll have a great snack for these feathered friends.

Learn more: Journey North

The wood anemone is a beautiful, delicate flower found in this area. This plant usually has five unique, white “petals,” which are not petals at all but sepals. Sepals are small, modified leaves that cover a flower bud as it develops and then surrounds the mature flower. On this particular plant, they just happen to be large and white and look like petals. The wood anemone is a low plant that only reaches about 5 inches in height, and has three divided leaves around its stem.

Did you know?

The wood anemone is a spring ephemeral which means that it is only visible for a short time, and will disappear- leaves and all-soon after seeds are produced.

Learn more: Freckmann Herbarium

Red maples are a widespread hardwood tree that tolerate a range of soil types. There are many of them in the woods of CWES, and at this time of year they are producing seeds that will ensure that we have red maples here for many years to come. Their seeds are shaped like flattened wings and are called samaras. You have probably seen and played with samaras before, but you may have called them “helicopters” or “whirlygigs.” The shape of samaras allow them to be moved by the wind and spun away to new locations. The red maples at CWES produce double samaras that contain two seeds.

Did you know?

A fun tree ID hint, red maples produce their samaras in the spring, while sugar maples create them in the fall.

Learn more: Red Maple

These beautiful birds have been back for a few weeks and are now beginning to build their amazing nests. They weave complex

Listen for this bird’s sweet, musical song in the wooded edges at CWES. Baltimore orioles are closely related to blackbirds and meadowlarks. They eat a variety of caterpillars, fruit, insects, spiders, and nectar. Putting out orange halves at your bird feeder will provide these colorful birds with a sweet treat.

Did you know?

The Baltimore oriole originally got its name from its colors, which were the same as the family colors of the Baltimore family (the English family of Lords and Ladies who ruled the colony of Maryland).

Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

See an oriole build its nest (video by Laura Erickson)

That’s right, along with all the beautiful birds and flowers that are re-emerging, so too is this irritating plant. Right now, poison ivy leaves are growing from the plant’s short, woody stem. Touching any part of a poison ivy plant or touching something else that has touched it, can transfer oils that will make you itch. Even if you have been immune to ivy in the past, your immunity can change and you can have reactions to it, so always be cautious. If you think that you have brushed up against a poison ivy plant, wash the area immediately with cold water and soap. Also be sure to wash your clothes with detergent and make sure that they haven’t rubbed against furniture or something else that could spread the oils. A reaction usually appears within 12-48 hours and produces red, itchy skin and blisters.

Did you know?

Poison ivy can be found in a variety of habitats and looks a bit different from place to place. Poison ivy has groups of three, usually reddish-green leaves. If you’re not sure, follow the “leaves of three, let it be” rule!

Learn more: American Academy of Dermatology

After migrating to Mexico and spending months there in large groups, monarchs are beginning to return to us. However, these are not the same monarchs that left us eight months ago. Those monarchs made their way to Mexico, spent the winter, and then journeyed to the southern U.S. There, they laid eggs and then died after an eight month life. The eggs they laid became caterpillars that turned into butterflies who continued the journey Northward. These new monarchs will only live 2-6 weeks. Several generations of these short-lived monarchs will live and die during the spring and summer, and then in late summer the longer-lived monarchs will emerge and make their own journey to Mexico.

Watch for female monarchs laying their eggs on the underside of milkweed plants. Eggs are laid singly, and are the size of a pinhead. You can tell male and female monarch butterflies apart by looking at their back wings. Male monarchs have a small black spot on each back wing, and females do not.

Did you know?

Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed plants. Milkweed has toxins in it that make both monarch butterflies and caterpillars unappealing to predators.

Learn more: Journey North

 Male monarch butterfly (look for black spots on back wings)

Monarch caterpillar and egg

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