Glenda Denniston spotted the rare Rusty-patched bumble bee in the Preserve, and not just one but two individuals. She reported today: "Yesterday I photographed this Rusty-patched Bumble bee (B. affinis) on a Monarda near Second Oak, Frautschi. I sent the photos to Susan Carpenter, our local bee expert, and she confirmed the ID. Susan said it was a worker and that she was engaging in “nectar-robbing” behavior (bypassing pollination of the plant to access nectar by a shortcut). This is the first Rusty-patched I’ve seen in the Preserve in quite a while, though I haven’t been looking as carefully as I once did." One big reason Glenda spends much time in the area of the Second Oak at Frautschi Point is that she has been instrumental in developing the current flowering plant communities in this area, which attract many different pollinators.

See also an interview with Susan Carpenter, Friends member and leader of our popular pollinator field trips in the Preserve, about her research on Bombus affinis in the Arboretum, as well as her Guest Blog in the Scientific American on "How to protect our disappearing bumble bees."

The Rusty-patched bumble bee's tongue is not long enough to reach the nectary at the base of a tubular flower such as Monarda or wild bergamot. Thus it did some nectar thievery by perforating the flower petals at the base and gaining quick access through the hole to the food. Wild bergamot is a marvelous forage plant for bumble bees, especially those with long tongues. It keeps its flowers open all day, replenishes nectar continuously, and replaces spent flowers with new ones over much of the summer. The gallery below features two different individuals. Notice the darker brown spot on the B. affinis shown in the two lower photos. 

That same day, Glenda also spotted another bumble bee that is currently in the decline and of Special state concern in Wisconsin: the Yellow or Golden northern bumble bee (B. fervidus). see the photos below. 

​Fungi in the Preserve grow every months of the year, but they tend to flourish in warm temperatures and in the moist conditions we currently have in the woods. From the plethora of fungi photos submitted this month to iNaturalist, a selection is shown here, many of them photographed by Friends members. The Kingdom of fungi has its own classifications of families and species, but here is a grouping by color, mainly white. It includes many common gilled mushrooms, as well as shelf fungi, bracket fungi, rust fungi, and even jelly fungi. One reason there are so many white fungi is that they have no chlorophylls. They recycle important nutrients in the forest, and they extract the energy they need from organic compounds, such as sugars or protein, in living or dead organism. These processes take place mostly beneath the surface or in the soil, and the function of the visible part of the fungi is to ensure reproduction by producing and releasing spores. 

June 7 was a beautiful day to go on a hike. David Liebl, on his own hike through Bill's Woods that day surveying nesting birds, watched the resident Sandhill crane family doing the same—striding from the old apple orchard, along the Biocore Prairie, to the Eagle Heights Community gardens where plenty of food is in easy reach on about 300 garden plots. 

Along the southern edge of the Western UW Playing Field, large puddles form when there is plenty of rain. In this case the puddle formed in a rut made by a large tire. The mud seems to be just right in consistency for Cliff Swallows who are collecting mud for building their nests along cliff sides. Arlene Koziol has recorded with her camera, how they gather mud in large groups, in sync with each other. They bring these tiny pellets to their nesting site, up to half a mile away, adding to the nest rim of the mud construction they have "glued" to the cliff.
Please visit Arlene's Flickr site for a movie and an amazing sequence of photos.

David Liebl, who regularly monitors wildlife in Bill's Woods, observed this deer on Saturday, May 9, one of a herd of five. He previously sighted the herd on April 18 in the woods. 

The past few post have given us glimpses of the diversity of spring flowers in the Preserve. And more are emerging every day. Many of these plants are tucked away, but Jeff Steele has a keen eye to spot them when just a few leaves are showing. Here we are following him on his walk this past Monday (5/4) in the Lakeshore Preserve. Jeff's posts on iNaturalist document that spring wildflowers grow all over Madison, in parks of course, and protected places, but also in backyards and front yards and some unlikely nooks and crannies. Test your memory when you peruse these leafy photos and picture the flowers that go with them. 

Great waterleaf and Virginia waterleaf often grow next to each other, but one has more serated edges than the other. The Common jewel weed has formed its first round leaves, almost quarter size, the Mayapples are ready to fan out their umbrellas over large patches of ground, the Royal fern is uncurling its delicate young stem and leaves. In the case of Baneberry, it's hard to distinguish between the red- and white-berried Baneberry as their leaves are almost the same, but their fruits will tell. The Early meadow rue, so graceful, carries male and female flowers on separate plants (it's name Thalictrum dioicum means literally two households). On Jeff's photo the flowers have yellow stamens that hang like small tassels. The last two photos show the (smooth-leaved) Solomons seal and the Hairy Solomon seal, just emerging in one strong stalk. The leaves of the Hairy Solomon seal feel - yes - hairy on the underside. Check it out if you happen to see them in the woods. Thank you, Jeff, for sharing these photos.

Arlene Koziol spends many days documenting behavior of birds and water fowl. She reports: "When I watch the behavior of a common bird such as the Mallard duck, it becomes a new and exciting bird to me. Their social displays are happening in most of the ponds and lakeshores in Madison. In fact, as soon as I get out my door I am always aware of bird behavior. Now in my backyard, Black-capped chickadees are building a nest in our bluebird house and driving off intruders. Fascinating bird behavior can happen anywhere!​" In the words of Paul Williams, Arlene provides us "with eyes and insight when [we] have to be other places." Enjoy the entire sequence of two male mallards in hot pursuit of one female.  Arlene's Flickr site.

Spring also presents us with uplifting, peaceful displays of caring social interactions. On a recent cold morning, Jeff Koziol captured this scene along the lakeshore: A mama Canadian goose providing shelter for its little Gosling. She covers the Gosling with her spacious wing, her head turned toward her offspring, and the Gosling, already somewhat protected with down and feathers when hatching, snuggles into the warm goose down of its mama.  

In springtime, visitors to the Preserve are in for so many treats of colors, sound and beauty, lifting our spirits and inviting us to contemplate the cycle of life. These earliest of flowers are already frequented by insects, busily gathering food and also pollinating for the next cycle to begin. Here is a small collection of photos from Glenda Denniston and some insects photographed by Mark Nofsinger and posted on iNaturalist. The big bumble bees seen in early spring are the queens that overwintered and are now gathering nectar and pollen to build cups and food balls for the next generation of bumble bees.