Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve BioBlitz #2

Lake Superior Vista from Yellow Trail Overlook (Photo by Clinton Nienhaus)

It was mentioned last year and I will say it this year: A BioBlitz is an incredible thing! Even the most familiar places can hold new secrets. For me, the trails at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, are, in part, familiar territory. A trail, however, is an ever changing landscape. Last year, almost to the day, a massive wind storm toppled many large, mature trees in the Duluth area and Hawk Ridge was no exception to losses. Many of these trees were great trail markers and "old friends" to observe as you made your way to Summit Ledges or toward Amity Creek. Since the wind storm, much of the forest has been impacted. How will this influence the plant and animal communities within Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve? Perhaps, a BioBlitz may be the best way to investigate this question!

Education Director Clinton preparing the group for the day
(Photo by Sparky Stensaas)

Sunday July 23, saw the second a BioBlitz that has run at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in conjunction with the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz supported by Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Friends of Sax-Zim Bog. For those unfamiliar with a bioblitz, the even takes place at one location during a general time frame to find as many species as possible! Now, this may be limited by the expertise of the trip leaders or the participants, but it is a great way to catalog species that can be found in an area. The Hawk Ridge Master Species List (soon to be available online!) is still growing and changing. Lots of information has been gained on birds that migrate through and breed at the Nature Reserve, however, there is very little information on moths, beetles, fungi, bumble bees, spiders, and insects in general. Last year, the BioBlitz added 75 new species including new information on 26 species of lichen! Lichens had not been surveyed from this location, so even the most common species were new to the list. In total, 11 total participants were able to find 159 different species including Ragged-fringed Orchid, Black Bear, and Diamond Spider!

The group looking at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve trail map (Photo by Sparky Stensaas)

This year, we were able to find 156 different species, including 49 new species for the species list, with 12 total participants: Nearly a mirror image of last year! Just like last year, cloudy and inconsistent weather tried to slow down participation. However, those who did participate were able to add a huge number of species to the master list. Nearly 1/3 of the species observed on Sunday were new to the Master Species List! Big surprises include adding 27(!) new species of plant and 20(!) new species of invertebrate! Exciting invertebrates include Giant Cranefly (Tipula abdominalis), a beautiful species of Orbweaver (Enoplangtha ovata), and a species of bumble bee mimicing Robber Fly (Laphyria sp.)! Another fun surprise for the day included a few neat bird observations like an early flyover by Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, and tons of Cedar Waxwings! Also noted by the bird group were many of the breeding warbler species at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve including American Redstart, Ovenbird, Black-throated Green, Mourning, Chestnut-sided, and Nashville Warblers.

A beautiful and tiny Orbweaver (Enoplognatha ovata)
found near the Pine Plantation (Photo by Sparky Stensaas)

Though you can't tell from the photo, the Giant Cranefly (Tipula abdominalis) has a leg span of nearly 4 inches! (Photo by Sparky Stensaas)

You might need to look twice at this bug to see that it is not a bee!
This is one of the bee mimicing Robber Flies (Laphyria sp.)
(Photo by Sparky Stensaas)

A BioBlitz is great event to show folks the diversity of even the most familiar landscapes. Each year, interest in finding and documenting species grows within the general public. Citizen science is as popular as ever and is easier than ever for those interested in reporting sightings. This year, Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve has added a new way for visitors to record the diversity they encounter: iNaturalist!

iNaturalist is a site for the citizen scientist with interest in every piece of the natural world! On iNaturalist, you can document species found in an area with a quick photo and submit these observations to the website for confirmation of ID and is a great way to record any species. Within iNaturalist, you can submit observations on your own, or to projects. Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve BioDiversity is the project where you all can submit your observations of species on your adventures through Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve! This project is looking to record documentations and add to the knowledge of the species diversity at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. All you have to do to submit data is make an account on iNaturalist and snap a few photos! You can then upload those photos to the project and share in the understanding of the biodiversity of Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve!

Participants at species compilation, looking over some final species IDs
 (Photo by Janelle Long)

All in all, when we see and observe and document the biodiversity around us, we getting a better understanding of the places and species around us. Hopefully, the interest in the diversity at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve will extend to your yard and beyond!

-- Clinton Nienhaus, Education Director

Bog to Ridge BioBlitz In Review

Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve BioBlitz compilation at the Outdoor Classroom. (photo by Karen Stubenvoll)

A BioBlitz is really an incredible thing. It provides a unique opportunity to go out in the field with a professional or enthusiast to learn from them and witness their passion for a particular group of flora or fauna or the natural world. Birders know the feeling all too well, but what of the folks who enjoy lichens, moths, sedges, or dragonflies? Generally, those folks don’t get the same level of community and instead venture into the field solo, learning what they can and perhaps finding a person or two with whom they can share experiences. A BioBlitz offers a bit of community for those folks who themselves are enthusiasts or just hoping to learn something about a group of species that they hold dear. 

July 16^th and 17^th held host to the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz. This was the 4th year for the Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz, which partnered this year with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory to conduct BioBlitzes at two locations: Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve and the Sax-Zim Bog. Though both locations are in the northwoods, the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz offered great chances for field trip participants to get a feel for the entire area; from the bogs and conifers of the Sax-Zim Bog to the upland forests and rock outcroppings of the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve.

Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz folks prepare to go out in the field. (photo by Rubin Stenseng)

Each year, the BioBlitz turns out more and more participants, of all ages and abilities, to explore and document as many species as possible with 5 or 6 hours. On the first Sax-Zim BioBlitz, there were four participants, which is a stark contrast to the over 50 participants at this year’s two day event. Field trips this year were also a bit different from the standard expert lead explorations afield. The Sax-Zim BioBlitz format involved an expert/enthusiast/professional lead trip to find and learn about a particular group of species, ie birds. However, the Hawk Ridge BioBlitz had a generalist focus, look for anything and everything, giving trip leaders the opportunity to share information and excitement about more than just one collection of species. 

BioBlitz participants Ben Yokel and Karen Stubenvoll look on as a species is being discussed. (photo by Janelle Long)

Overall, the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz had two focuses. First, the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz hoped to show the public a particular location through the lens of a particular species, so that they may begin to understand and care for their local ecosystems. Second, the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz had a goal of data collection. By connecting the public with the task of data collection, it gives greater stakeholder value to the true diversity of a place. Last, by educating the public about a under observed species, it is hopeful that they will, in turn, educate someone they may know and build greater appreciation for a given species or area. 

Trip leader Bill Tefft photographing a butterfly at the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve BioBlitz. (photo by Janelle Long)

This year, the Bog to Ridge BioBlitz was lucky enough to have a team of 9 experts lead field trips during the course of the two day event. At the Sax-Zim Bog BioBlitz Jim Lind and Dave Grosseuch lead a trip looking for dragonflies and damselflies; Sparky Stensaas and Ben Yokel lead a trip focused on birds; Clinton Nienhaus lead a field trip documenting fish species; Chad Heins lead a group looking for spiders; Jerry McCormick lead a trip looking for Butterflies; and Kelly O’Brien lead a trip documenting plants. Clinton and Sparky also lead trips at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, along with Bill Tefft. Each trip leader went out in the field to document species and to educate one of the over 50 field trip participants.

Numbers of species can often be telling of the diversity of an area, however, we cannot always give each species the credit (observation or documentation wise) that it is due. For example, this year during the Sax-Zim BioBlitz 90 new species were added to the already towering species list. In the 90 new species, 20 were moths, 17 were spiders, and 14 were grasses or sedges. Good numbers of new species are great, but there were some astounding records made by Spider Field Trip Leader, Chad Heins. Of the 17 species of new spider added to the Sax-Zim Bog species list, 10 had never been recorded in St. Louis county and 2 species had never been recorded in the state!! As equally exciting as the new records are, all of the spiders found by Chad’s field trip were found within close proximity to the Friend’s of Sax-Zim Bog’s Welcome Center!

The Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve BioBlitz proved equally fruitful, locating 75 new species to the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve species list including a whopping 26 new species of lichens and plants, and 17 new species of insect. The most impressive point to this list is the amount of new plant species observed. Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve had previously undergone a fairly intensive plant survey, yielding thorough documentation of the area. However, species like Ragged-fringed Orchid, Narrow-leaved Cowwheat, and Wild Geranium had slipped past surveys and avoided previous documentation. All in all, Sax-Zim Bog field trips found 374 species and Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve field trips found 159 species, for a grand total of 424 different species over the two locations!

 

 

 

 Pictured above are a selection of species seen during the BioBlitzes (from top to bottom: Tile Lichen (photo by Clinton Nienhaus), Williamson's Emerald (photo by Clinton Nienhaus), White Eulithis (photo by Clinton Nienhaus), Indian Pipe (photo by Rubin Stenseng), Baltimore Checkerspot (photo by Jerry McCormick), and Rock Polypody (photo by Clinton Nienhaus))

Each BioBlitz that is done sheds new light to each location, no matter how well we may know its secrets. Case in point, the Sax-Zim Bog master species list was nearly 800 species and field trips were still able to add 90 new species!! What an amazing show of diversity in a location that has had strong documentation. Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve had an impressive list of over 450 species and added 75 new species under the premise of a general species hike. At each of these locations there are certainly more species to be found. Documentation of those lesser known or hard to observe critters like insects, salamanders, moths, and aquatic invertebrates may add much to our already deep understanding of the northwoods. Who knows how fast the species lists can grow if more experts and more field trips are out exploring our local wild spaces?!

FOSZB Board Member Gene Oillia looks on as trip leader Clinton Nienhaus talks about a longnose dace captured in the Sax-Zim Bog. (photo by Kristina Dexter)

Thank you to all that participated, field trip leaders (Jim Lind, Dave Grosshuesch, Sparky Stensaas, Ben Yokel, Clinton Nienhaus, Chad Heins, Jerry McCormick, Kelly O’Brien, & Bill Tefft), Larry Weber for his wonderful evening program, and to the species that let us enjoy and appreciate them. We hope you can join us for another BioBlitz in the future!