On August 21st, Dr. Marjorie Rhine, a professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, led a wonderful and enlightening hike called Insect Superpowers in Japanese Culture and Ecological Systems. With 8 attendees present we walked around the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to the Biocore Prairie and ended our hike at the Eagle Heights Community Garden. We started by looking at the rain garden near the Picnic Point entrance. Dr. Rhine, pointed out our first insect, a cicada on a leaf. She then followed up by showing us a haiku by Matsuo Basho “Stillness-the cicada’s cry drills into the rocks." Along the way, we discovered several fascinating superpowers that insects possess. Did you know that dragonflies experience time differently than us!! They can observe and process information more quickly than we can!

We ended our hike at the Eagle Heights Community Garden, where Dr. Rhine, showed us the best spot to find butterflies. We spotted a few monarch butterflies! Report and photo by Diana Tapia Ramon. 

Before moving on to the plants themselves, the event began by leafing through a collection of foraging books recommended by Eve and Kelly. The titles included cookbooks like Hunt, Gather, Cook by Hank Shaw, The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora by Alan Bergo, as well as more traditional foraging guides like Wild Edible Plantsby John Kallas and the Peterson Field Guide to Wild Edible Plants. Most highly recommended, however, were books by Samuel Thayer (The Forager’s Harvest, Incredible Wild Edibles, Nature’s Garden) whose lived experience as a forager directly informs his expertise on the subject and his writing. Look to his website to see which plants are covered in each of his books: https://www.foragersharvest.com/sams-books.html

​All being found just within the plantings around the preserve welcome kiosk, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and cattails (genus Typha) volunteered themselves as the first exhibits of the trip. It must be noted that the collecting of plants, for foraging or otherwise, is not allowed in the preserve. However, our leaders Eve and Kelly had  special permission to do so just for this event, so we did get to nibble on a few of these plants we would normally have to find elsewhere.

​Milkweed gets its name from the milky-white substance it contains within its stems and leaves. This substance, called latex, is toxic, but it loses this quality after boiling. Boiled milkweed flower buds and very young pods (some foragers recommend two or three changes of water to completely flush the toxins) become safe for human consumption. 

​Lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) is a non-native, weedy species that tastes quite similar to spinach (even better than spinach by some accounts). It can be eaten raw or cooked.

​Sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) is another common exotic weed, and it was named “oleraceus” to recognize how good it is to eat! Prickly lettuce (Latuca seriola), another edible, can be distinguished from sow thistle by a row of spines that run along the midrib of each leaf, and by the way it holds its leaves perpendicular to the ground.

​Right behind the sow thistle and prickly lettuce, in the small pond directly adjacent to the Picnic Point entrance, were the cattails. Sometimes referred to as a wild “supermarket” for all of its different edible parts, Eve clarified that only certain parts of the cattail are good to eat in each season. Kelly recommended that the green male cattail spike can be steamed at buttered like corn on the cob, and that you can collect bright yellow pollen from the slightly older male flower  spikes. The pollen can be used for baked goods, which doesn’t much change the flavor, but adds protein and turns your dough bright yellow. 

​Before moving further into the preserve, Kelly brought out some day lily (Hemerocallis sp.), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and bee balm (Mondarda sp.) samples to share with the group. Yarrow is good for teas, while all parts of the daylily flower are edible – even the little stamens have a slight peppery taste. 

​Once inside the preserve gates we learned that native and European highbush cranberries (Viburnum opulus var. americanum or V. opulus var. opulus respectively) are hard to distinguish. They require that you use a hand lens to look at the shape of the small glands present on the petiole right under the leaf base. If the glands are concave (Eve referred to these as “little bowls of yuck”), the plant is non-native V. opulus var. opulus and bears unpleasantly bitter fruit. If the glands are convex, the berries should be palatable after the first frost!

​Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is another edible fruit found in the area, and is familiar to many people under the guise of elderberry syrup, a common supplement for immune system support. In addition to the dark purple berries, the flower blossoms can also be used for a variety of culinary purposes, like being fried and battered as fritters or being part of a sparkling elder flower cordial with lemon or sumac. 

Walnuts were next along the stone wall, and we learned that native  black walnuts (Juglans nigra) do have a distinct taste from the European walnuts you find at the store. There is a man who collects local black walnuts from yards around Madison, processes them and sells them for a hefty price at farmer’s markets: https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/10/13/collecting-black-walnuts

​Eve recommended that you get the walnut husk off as soon as possible, and then one of our attendees chimed in from experience that it takes three weeks for the exposed nuts to dry and cure before eating. Many other Wisconsin trees and shrubs have edible fruits and nuts. The serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), and oaks (Quercus spp.) were mentioned by Eve and Kelly on this field trip. Acorns from the white oak group were recommended over red oak acorns because of their lesser tannin content. They need to be mashed and flushed with water to remove the tannins, then dried and used as flour.

Once we were back on the main path out to picnic point Kelly pointed out black currants (YUM!), grape vine tendrils (YUM! Exquisitely tart), and dogbane (YUCK! Don’t eat anything called “bane”). Also in the YUCK! category, always avoid bittersweet nightshade and white snakeroot. Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) produces bright red berries that are attractive to young children but can be fatal. White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) is so toxic that one can die from drinking the milk of a cow that ate it. “Milk sickness,” or being exposed to the snakeroot toxin through milk, is rumored to have killed Abraham Lincoln's Mother.    
​https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/milksickness.htm

​Surprisingly, while stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) can give you a painful rash, if cooked it is a tasty and nutritious green. Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) similarly can be cooked and eaten. Even common yard weeds, like dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) and the broadleaf plantain (Plantago major), can be of use to foragers. All parts of the dandelion are edible, and Eve suggested trying to make “dandinoodles” from the stalks of dandelion flower buds as described in Stephen Barstow’s Around the World in 80 Plants (not to be mistaken for another book with the same title by Jonathan Drori). Just boil with salt as you would regular pasta noodles! See also http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?tag=dandinoodles). The broadleaf plantain is not as much of a culinary plant as it is a useful medicinal for making poultices. Kelly affirmed that it works well on bruises. 

​A few more edible plants we encountered on our way out were American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) – only to be eaten in moderation - and mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum),which has a characteristically square stem like other members of the mint family. 

While this wrapped up our Food for Thought: Wild Edible Plants trip, Kelly mentioned she is also part of foraging field trip put on by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin in early summer in Spring Green. I you want to keep any eye out for info on the 2023 foraging trip, and other Natural Resource Foundation trips, check out this website:
​ https://www.wisconservation.org/field-trips/

Many thanks to our wonderful leaders Eve Emshwiller and Kelly Kearns and our intrepid attendees! Thanks as well to Friends field tripper extraordinaire Doris Dubielzig for providing me with her notes and photos. Report by Will Vuyk, with photos from Doris Dubielzig.

Invasive Plants of the Preserve, presented Sunday morning, 12 June 2022 by Anne Pearce, Invasive Species Outreach Specialist at UW-Madison. We had a small but very engaged group for this Sunday morning walk.  Anne began by providing the official definition of “invasive species,” that is, a non-native species that has the potential to cause harm (ecological or economic).  People often use the phrase more broadly, but although a native species may be aggressive, or even “weedy,” it  is not technically invasive.

Anne began by showing some invasive plants that are right near the entrance to the path towards Picnic Point.  We saw reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), and learned to recognize it by its large ligule where the leaf sheath meets the blade.  This species covers large areas where it crowds out other kinds of plants and becomes the only species in the stand, especially in wet ground.  Another plant that is very near to the trail entrance is European Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus var. opulus (a.k.a., Guelder-rose), an invasive species which is difficult to distinguish from the closely related native American highbush cranberry  (Viburnum opulus var. americanum, sometimes still sold under the older name Viburnum trilobum).  The best way to distinguish between them visually is to use a hand lens (loupe) and examine the small glands that are at the top of the leaf stalks (petioles), just below the leaf blade.  If the glands are concave, like tiny bowls, the shrub is the European invasive, whereas the glands are convex it is the native one (see more at https://extension.umaine.edu/cranberries/highbush-cranberry/).  Unfortunately, those along the path toward Picnic Point are the invasive kind. 

In beds around the trees along the stone wall we saw some other invasive species.  There were two different bedstraw species (Galium spp.), one with Velcro-like hooks along the stem, and one without.  The one with Velcro-like hooks (Galium aparine) is native, can stick to clothing, and is also known as cleavers.   Smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo), which lacks the sticky hairs, is a non-native, invasive species.  Both species can be problematic weeds in gardens and farms.  Another invasive species found in the same area near the entrance is known as goutweed, bishop’s weed, or bishop’s goutweed, Aegopodium podagraria, which is  invasive by means of vegetative growth of  rhizomes.  It has been used as a ground cover because it spreads quickly, and is still sold for that purpose.  However, the same characteristic makes it problematic.  It is difficult to eradicate from gardens, and can even escape into forests if a garden with this plant is adjacent to a forest.  

Bishop’s goutweed illustrates one of the ways that plants can be invasive; in this case by spreading vegetatively.  A different way that a plant may become invasive is to spread by seeds, especially if the fruits are eaten by birds, and then dispersed after passing through the birds’ digestive tracts.  We saw and discussed several shrubs that are in this category.  The first was European buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica, which has fruit that is eaten by birds, and that then causes diarrhea (notice the word “cathartic” within the name?), causing the seeds to be spread in the birds’ feces.  Similarly, several species of invasive bush honeysuckles (Lonicera × bella, L. morrowii and L. tatarica) are infamous for being dispersed by birds.  Thanks to a lot of work by both staff and volunteers, much progress has been made in reducing the numbers of buckthorn and honeysuckle at the preserve, especially along the paths that are most visited, such as the path out to Picnic Point.  One other shrub that is not yet as problematic as buckthorn and honeysuckle, but which has the potential to be just as invasive, is the winged burning bush (Euonymus alatus).  It is commonly grown as an ornamental, and is beginning to appear in woods, similarly to the other invasive woody species.  There is a similar species, wahoo, Euonymus atropurpureus, which is native to our area, and would make a good substitute for the non-native species.  In response to a question about removing and replacing invasive shrubs, Anne suggested a decision tree available at https://woodyinvasives.org/ to help homeowners decide whether they should remove invasive species from their yards and gardens.  She also distributed a handy brochure that lists non-invasive species that can be used as substitutes for invasive ornamental species.  The brochure is also available here: https://woodyinvasives.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LA-Brochure_WEB_FINAL.pdf
A few other invasive species that we learned about were either found along the trail or discussed in spite of our not seeing any.  One participant spotted a single plant of greater celandine, Chelidonium majus, so that Anne could describe how to distinguish it from the similar looking native wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum).  The plants are both in the poppy family and are not easy to tell apart by their leaves, although the native species has larger flowers.  They are easiest to distinguish when they have fruit (seed pods), which are narrow and point up in the invasive celandine, but wider, hairy, and drooping in the native wood poppy (see images at https://bplant.org/compare/586-8527). We did not see porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), but discussed how problematic it is becoming in certain Madison neighborhoods.  It is also difficult to distinguish from its close relative wild grapevine by leaves alone, but can be easily distinguished when its upward-facing, multicolored, pastel fruits (that look like porcelain) are ripening, which do not look like downward-hanging wild grapes.  We also heard about the annual garlic mustard pull in early spring, during which many volunteers help to remove this invasive plant from the woods of the preserve.  

The participants in this walk are undoubtedly better prepared to recognize and fight invasive plants after this interesting morning.  Thanks, Anne! Report by Eve Emshwiller
 
***********************************************************************************
Links to illustrations of highbush cranberry glands here:
https://extension.umaine.edu/cranberries/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/10/Petiolar-Glands-American-Highbush-Cranberry.jpg
https://extension.umaine.edu/cranberries/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/10/Petiolar-Glands-European-Highbush-Cranberry.jpg
These both come from this page:
https://extension.umaine.edu/cranberries/highbush-cranberry/
​

Sunday's walk was fun. It was sunny, cool and windy, very comfortable. 17 participants, led by Jeff Koziol, Bluebird trail coordinator, were able to see a bluebird nest and eggs, a tree swallow nest with eggs and a house wren nest. We were able to let everyone identify flying bluebirds and tree swallows. Chuck Henderson gave us all a real treat by finding a yellow billed Cuckoo (sound only) and to observe a perching kingbird. There was a good discussion about problems with cavity nesting birds and loss of habitat, problems of a cold spring and loss of insects. Everyone learned about the problems of house sparrows and competition for nesting sites. We were able to observe the ideal bluebird habitat, the shortgrass prairie around house 5. This is the first year that boxes haven't been occupied by house sparrows!

​
Seth McGee, Biocore lab manager and Purple Martin (PUMA) House monitor, gave a well organized talk about purple martins. We all learned something new. Seth also talked about the Biocore Prairie. It was wonderful; he talked about the importance of fire to maintain the prairie and the ongoing study at the Biocore Prairie dividing  the prairie into sections and selectively burning some sections with an unburned control section. Jeff was able to show people his plant I.D. app and how much it adds to a walk. If you are out on a hike or bird walk, why not check all the plants?
​Seth added this information: PUMAs line their nests with green leaves shortly before the egg laying begins. "The gathering of green leaves is still somewhat of a mystery.  BirdsOfTheWorld says that at least seven hypotheses have been offered to explain it and there seems to be few controlled studies investigating the role of green leaves.  I'm going with "decorating the nursery. 😉"
Richard Ness, PUMA monitor, the next day added photos of Purple Martins gathering leaves from the nearby fruit trees for lining their nests, as a well a Cooper's Hawk standing guard nearby and keeping away unwanted sparrows. Report by Jeff Koziol and Seth Mcgee. Photos by Chuck Henrikson, Signe Holtz, Seth Mcgee and Paul Noeldner. ​

The spring wildflower planting was done at fire circle #3, next to the small beach at the Narrows on Picnic Point. Hundreds of forbs, sedges, grasses and shrubs were all planted to help stem the erosion and beautify the heavily used area. The Preserve student seasonal staff will do follow-up watering and monitoring of the plantings. Participants were Ann Burgess, Biz Nitschke, Doris Dubielzig, Roma Lenehan, Glenda Denniston, Kathi Dwelle, Rick and Nancy Lindroth, Kelly Kearns. Bryn Scriver was the Lakeshore Preserve Volunteer Coordinator.
​Plant List:

Wow!  Thirty-five people arrived for a spring birding tour that began at 7:30am in a chilly mist overlooking the Class of 1918 Marsh. Roma Lenehan, a founder of the Friends and author of the Preserve’s breeding bird survey and Becky Abel, Madison Audubon’s Director of Philanthropy, led the three-hour tour that observed birds in the Class of 1918 Marsh, in University Bay from the Picnic Point trail, in the Marsh on the leeward side of the Point, in deciduous and pine woods, in the former orchard, and on Biocore Prairie.

And the birds cooperated.  Becky Abel explained to the group the importance of stopover sites, like the Preserve, for migratory birds.  On their journey north, birds stop to rest and refuel at three kinds of sites. Typically small, “fire escape” stopover sites, with limited resources, are infrequently used but vital in emergency situations. “Full-service hotel” stopover sites, like the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin, provide abundant food, water and shelter for migrants.Lying between those two extremes, the Lakeshore Nature Preserve serves as a ”convenience store” stopover site.  Located within the city of Madison, this Important Birding Area is a place where birds can rest for a few days and easily replenish some fat or muscle, or both, before continuing. The Preserve offers a variety of habitats, fresh water and a variety of food sources, including fruit and insects (although with our cool, slow spring, insects have been slow to emerge).

Both leaders are expert birders-by-ear. Roma Lenehan recorded observing 65 bird species, and that doesn’t include the accipiter and the gulls we couldn’t identify! Some of the highlights were sighting  sora in the Class of 1918 Marsh, 

• sora in class of 1918 marsh
• four great egrets flying overhead,
• an osprey perched in a tree along the shore of University Bay,
• a veery singing its downward spiraling song,
• SEVEN wood ducks and two belted kingfishers in the Picnic Point Marsh,
• a red-tailed hawk sitting in a pine tree near the site of the Edward and Alice Young farmhouse
• a flock of cedar waxwings in the old orchard field (aka East Savanna)​

The attendees were respectful and cooperative and very appreciative of the variety and number of birds they saw and heard with Abel and Lenehan. Report and photos by Friends host Doris Dubielzig.