Bittersweet nightshade is a viney plant which winds its way along the wooded edges of CWES (especially near the driveways). Most of the nightshade species in Wisconsin are exotics, and all produce toxic berries. Bittersweet nightshade is the most commonly found invasive nightshade in Wisconsin.
Did You Know? The term nightshade comes from Renaissance Italy, where noblewomen put a drop of the plant’s juice in their eyes to dilate their pupils and make them look more attractive.
Learn more: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium
The giant puffball is the largest of the sixteen species found in Wisconsin, and is edible when fresh and solid. These fungi can reach the size of volleyballs, and weigh up to 40 pounds! The large puffballs that we see above ground are only the fruiting bodies of the fungus (much like a plant's flowers). The rest of the fungus is growing hidden below it and looks like a mass of tiny tangled threads. These masses are called mycelium and are often found beneath the bark of rotting logs.
Eventually, the puffball’s outer skin dries out and cracks, puffing out the 7 trillion tiny spores found inside. The spores are just slightly smaller than a human red blood cell. If you were to line them all up, they would wrap around the earth's equator!
Learn more: Tom Volk's Fungus Site
Hummingbirds begin to slowly leave after Labor Day, with the males taking off first and the females and juveniles following later. Hummers from Wisconsin will fly all the way to Central America to overwinter. The little birds will put on a whole gram of additional fat before they set out on their long journey. That’s a lot of weight for a bird that weighs less than two pennies (about 4 grams) to start off with!
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!
Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Most of Wisconsin’s dragonflies overwinter in the mucky bottoms of ponds as a nymph or egg... but not all! Populations of adult green darner dragonflies migrate south in the fall, with their mature offspring returning to us in the spring. These three-inch long blue and green dragonflies feed on prey as large as other dragonflies! If you keep your eyes open you may see one or two by Minister Lake.
Wisconsin Butterflies
Animal Diversity Web
You will find aquatic nymphs (young) of both dragon and damselflies in Minister Lake at this time of year. Once a dragonfly nymph emerges from its egg, it may stay in the nymph stage anywhere from a few weeks to several years depending upon the species and conditions. Dragonfly nymphs breathe through gills on their abdomen, while damselflies get their oxygen through three “tails” located on their rear.
These nymphs are ferocious predators and will consume anything they can capture: other nymphs, fly larvae, tadpoles, and even small fish! They also have a unique hunting adaptation: their long lower jaw is extendable and can shoot forward to nab food. When not hunting, the hinged jaw folds flat against the nymph's body.
Learn more: Buglopedia
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