This season at the sanctuaries: summer 2024
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s lands are permanently protected and conserved habitat for birds, plants, and other wildlife. They are stewarded, restored, and managed by our sanctuary teams. Learn more here.
A strong start to summer at Goose Pond
Interns Hailey, Andi, and Andy remove garlic mustard and dame’s rocket (photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA).
Our three Goose Pond interns are working hard removing invasive plants and brush in the prairies. Although they are becoming experts at identifying the invasive species, they are also learning the native plants and animals with gusto!
This summer, we conducted our first Karner blue butterfly surveys at Goose Pond Sanctuary and Erstad Prairie. Karner blue butterflies are a federally-endangered species, and we were excited to identify one on our restored lands at the end of summer in 2023, the first that we’ve documented. During the survey, each of us (Graham, Emma, and the interns), found at least one Karner, with a total of six! Soon, we’ll also be conducting the 11th annual summer butterfly count at Goose Pond on June 27. Our efforts are part of the North American Butterfly Association’s larger Mud Lake Butterfly Count which has occurred for the past 31 years. A few spots remain, so visit the event page to learn more and register to join.
Karner blue butterfly found during the survey in June 2024 (photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA).
Plan your visit
Take a stroll on our mowed hiking trails or park at the Browne Prairie parking lot (check out the Goose Pond Sanctuary map) to enjoy the wildflowers while listening to the songs of Eastern Meadowlarks, Dickcissels, Clay-colored Sparrows, and other nesting grassland birds. To learn more about birdlife at Goose Pond, read our recent Friday Feathered Features.
Throughout the growing season, the prairies shift through a kaleidoscope of colors. Currently, the bright yellow of golden alexanders and the soft purple of wild lupine are fading away, allowing the vibrant purple of spiderworts, orange of wood lilies, and white of white baptisia to take center stage. By late summer, the prairies will turn yellow again, filled with blooming goldenrods and Silphium species.
Get involved
Although the height of seed collection isn’t until the fall, there are a few early-ripening species to hold us over. With the help of volunteers and our summer interns, we’ve collected 2.7 pounds (1.6 million seeds!) of woody betony, a vital nectar source for early pollinators like emerging queen bumblebees. In the upcoming months, we will collect wild lupine, shooting star, and spiderwort.
If you’d like to be added to Goose Pond’s volunteer email list, please contact land steward Graham Steinhauer at gsteinhauer@swibirds.org.
Learn more:
Goose Pond StoryMap: take a virtual tour
If you have questions, or would like to receive more detailed updates from the team, email goosep@swibirds.org
Blooms are on display at Faville Grove
A young spotted fawn amidst the golden alexander blooms at Faville Grove (photo by Larry Braatz).
The progression of blooming native plants at Faville Grove is a sight to behold, and you are encouraged to come out, dive in and enjoy their beauty, especially in the locations where we conducted prescribed burns last fall and this spring. While the burns knock back and suppress woody vegetation, they also facilitate the growth, blooming, and seed production of grasses and forbs.
Right now, spiderwort blossoms cast a blue sheen across our restorations next to bright yellow compass plant flowers on tall stalks, pale purple coneflowers, white smooth penstemon, and wild quinine. Look closely as you meander through the prairies, and you’ll find a multitude of other species developing their blossom stalks.
One of the adult Bald Eagles brings food to their newly fledged eaglet (photo by Peggy Gierhart/BENW).
Plan your visit
Our Bald Eagle eaglet fledged last week so keep an eye out along North Shore Road toward the southern part of the west section of Faville Grove Sanctuary, where you may also get a glimpse of several pairs of Sandhill Cranes with singleton rust-brown colored colts as they walk the marsh edges and upland fields. Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Eastern Phoebe, and other species’ fledglings are about, plus Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser ducklings. A trip down Prairie Lane to Charles, Martin and Tillotson Prairies might treat you to sightings of Bobolink, Dickcissel, Henslow’s Sparrow, Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren in those restorations (read about more sanctuary birds in our recent Friday Feathered Features).
As we wait for young grassland birds to fledge, trails (check out the map) at Faville Grove are unmowed, but please don’t let that deter your explorations. The ample rains also mean there are ample mosquitos. Bring your hat, water bottle, sunscreen, and insect repellent. Most importantly, bring your curiosity, binoculars and other field gear and be prepared to have a wonderful visit.
Get involved
June and July are the “heavy lifting” months of invasive species control. Interns and staff spend their days tackling—with gloves, shovels, and backpack sprayers—the likes of reed canary grass, wild parsnip, crown vetch, yellow and white sweet clover, burdock, Japanese hedge parsley, and more. Without these efforts, the sanctuary’s landscape would be severely compromised.
If you’re interested in participating in volunteer activities this summer, please email Tucker at faville@swibirds.org for more information.
Learn more:
Faville Grove StoryMap: take a virtual tour
Questions? Contact Tucker at faville@swibirds.org
lots of wildlife activity at FaIR MEADOWS
A molting Wood Duck can be identified as a male bird by the colorful orange bill (photo by Gary Shackelford).
We knew summer was on the way in mid-May when hundreds of dragonflies appeared. Many were common whitetails, known to be among the first dragonflies to emerge from wetlands in large numbers in the spring. Another sure sign was a molting male Wood Duck on Mirror Pond in early June. For a period during the molt, he will be flightless; fortunately, this occurs while vegetation is dense, making it easier to hide from predators. As summer advances, the driveway and trails also attract turtles—Blanding’s, painted, and snapping—roaming about in search of nesting sites. The trails are dotted with small holes where females have been digging to find the perfect spot.
We are also active during this season, particularly as we battle several invasive plants. We are using Galerucella beetles as a biocontrol for purple loosestrife. We captured a small number of previously released beetles, raised them, then placed them on the plants and covered them with fine mesh. After several weeks, hundreds of beetles hatched and are ready to get to work eating the purple loosestrife. The rewards of management from prior years can be seen in Big Prairie: the blue and white palette of spiderwort, baptisia, and northern bedstraw is breathtaking in early summer.
A juvenile common whitetail dragonfly lacks the chalky white abdomen of the adults (photo by Gary Shackelford).
Plan your visit
As a reminder, Fair Meadows is closed to visitors unless attending a field trip or a pre-arranged event.
Recently, the birds (read more about species at the sanctuary in our latest Friday Feathered Features), dragonflies, and turtles were admired by visitors during four birding outings, a nighttime walk, and the SoWBA Flockadelics team Birdathon.
This summer, you can join us to search for butterflies and wildflowers on July 21. Or, come on July 9 for the first Fair Meadows Birding Day. Register by July 8 for this open house day; then park at the barn, grab a map, wipe your boots, and hike the trails. We plan to continue offering open house days on the second Tuesday of each month (the next one will be August 13).
Get involved
We’re organizing upcoming volunteer projects at the sanctuary soon. If you are interested in learning more or joining future efforts, contact Penny and Gary at fairmeadows@swibirds.org.
Learn more:
NEW Fair Meadows StoryMap: take a virtual tour
Questions? Contact the team at fairmeadows@swibirds.org
Cover image: Purple spiderwort flowers, white baptisia blooms, and northern bedstraw on display at Fair Meadow’s Sanctuary’s Big Prairie in June 2024 (photo by Gary Shackelford).
