Land Between Two Rivers; 202; Woodlands: It's What You Think. Part 2

The following program is made possible through a grant from the Kenny Lindstrom foundation incorporated a charitable trust Mason City Iowa. On. I was and is essentially a prairie state forest located either in the east where the available moisture is greater or along the bottom lands and on the slopes adjacent to streams one has the impression that forests invaded from the south by progressing up the river valleys and advancing up the slopes until stopped by the sweep of winds in the fire of the upland prairie's. The end glaciated region of northeastern Iowa the southeast corner of the state and the drainage is of the Iowa. The skunk and the demoing rivers work and still are the areas of the state most significantly forested. Probably the most reliable estimate of the state's original woodland acreage is six

million six hundred eighty two thousand nine hundred twenty six acres. The present forest area has only one million five hundred sixty one thousand acres. From a probable forest acreage of 19 percent of the state's land area. We are now reduced to no more than 4 percent. The. Air in this field of the stream valley we can see all three types of Iowa's woodlands coming together in one view. First in the foreground along a stream you see the bottom land community and these trees with a very fine like green leaves are willows which are again among the more common of the bottomland trees in Iowa. Then we start to go up the slope. You see the trees with the yellow green leaves are the hard maple mixed in with AM are some of the with the darker green leaves or the red oaks that would be the slope

community. And then going out to the top of the hill the very summit in a drier environment you find the white oaks the dark green leaves on the hilltop. Now we often think of forests as a very static or permanent type of environment that actually forests are very dynamic they change with time and force in Iowa also change over distance you'll find that the forest communities in southeastern Iowa for instance will be quite different than the forest communities in northwestern Iowa because the climate is more moderate and more moist in southeastern Iowa. So that in Upland forest in southeastern Iowa will consist of different species than it would in northwestern Iowa. Although you will find folks in Hickory's in both places. Now the climate in Iowa has changed since glaciation and it has created a very interesting situation with regards to the distribution of forest and prairie in Iowa. Following glaciation about 10 to

14000 years ago I had a very cold climate similar to what you would find in Canada or northern Minnesota at that time there were evergreen trees such as pines and spruces and firs that dominated the landscape and then the climate following glaciation began to become much warmer and drier and as it did the evergreen trees receded to the north and were replaced with hardwood trees folks and maples trees such as this. The climate continued to warm and dry and eventually it became so warm and dry that it was dominated by the prairie grasses which moved in from the southwest and at the time of settlement of course Iowa was about 85 percent of prairie in about 15 20 percent woodland. And about the time of settlement a little before the climate again began to get a little more moist. And so and when the settlers first came they found woodland advancing out onto the prairie in many parts of Iowa and we're still seeing

this today for example in the less hills in the western part of the state. Time distance climate movement these are forces that dictate change change is not normally associated with woodland communities. Then again most people don't view woods as a community. But still the local guys and he's the type of guy you find yourself listening to even when you start out by not doing so. Hold it hold hold up there. Again. Don't. You see that. That's what it looks like and later on it will have. Like the head of the snake coming out the other star but there's a rattlesnake. There's another one over here. Rattlesnake rattlesnake turn around here.

Well that's what you get. Called because you know any little hair on that damn. You. If you look at the base of the hair it's kind of worn out a little bit. Very small but it's slow and a little bit. The way it works. You're walking along here bare bashed and bumped against that that hair. That pushes the Jewish off the end of the hair and it gives you a little hypodermic shock which caused it to stand her

nature hypodermic needle. Would you believe it's good to eat. You with delicious delicious. Well I would need at this rate. The thought of her eating at this rate but if you gather when it's about this size or a little younger and cooking like you would if you don't like Spanish. Oh what. Did I actually take much better than spinach really because when you're that neutralizer that part in the juice of it and it makes it kind of gives little better flavor and a lot of people don't give it a second thought. All the next time you go through the wood you're on your mama's. Thank you.

Questioning what makes the world around you to be curious enough to get your hands dirty so that you can discover the citizens that inhabit the wetlands. This is the only way to determine what you think about issues such as conservation and preservation. You need not be an academician like Lois Tiffany to root out your opinion. It is not even necessary to travel far from your home. All you have to do is open up your eyes and ears. Tuning into your natural heritage can be infectious and instructive. Let's see the rest of married yes that's this year. He's a.

He's down south. Dubai has. Always been. Kind of birdwatchers more like. The. Wildlife and the beauty of nature. Different kinds of birds around how many different. People. Get questions about this. Bird boxes to build what kind of feeders to build. One way or the other. First figure that you know. By the. Way that people cold. Describe the birds. And you're supposed to tell them what the dickens it is. The minute I asked the gold watch

the people in the band of course were she says the damage to the band and I don't. Like to get the bird right here on that kind of. Physical part. I do the brainwork the next question the basic bookkeeping the drive you. Can. Just. Not hear the upside down word because you see it on a train upside down. The words.

Beautiful handiwork of the Lord. You need to keep the feeders. Hard work. Of this kind. Station out there.

I counted as many as twenty three cardinals. Right here feeling. Like it. I guess they are kind of symbols of what I don't know and it's interesting to try to find out the answers to questions. I've been concerned about the hibernation of the word. It's not that I'm doing anything. That is going to lead to an. Earth shaking discovery of real research is being done on this by many people. But I have seen some of the things that I want to see just the handling of hibernating for example. I just want to experience that other people have. Why should this means continue traffic. Versus I'm going. To chuck into a situation where I can. Observe it I have. Ketchup for.

The woodchuck is a squirrel. The game. Technicians. Think of the woodchuck. As of an advantage to the scum. Of the fox contrail rat. These other animals use them. Even for. Their rearing. Dan's raccoons now are deprived of our trees to such a great extent. On Earth with. A. Young lady of. Shari'a. When. When. Crews were allowed to die and remain. On the site. There were lots of downed trees at that. Time. So many of those. Disappeared the firat. Has. Become old. Shares. Down. And. They frequently. Discarded. Which are.

The house is better. This is where. There's a. Good sized. Way. Oh well. At least. This the fifth time I've tried it. And on only one other occasion. Have I. Really known that the woodchuck hibernated to an extent only on one other one and it was a young man. Quite skinny compared with this one of the interesting things that are revealed in some others churches that does not have to be found in order to hibernate. But I suspect that it has a good deal to do with whether they survive hibernation is enough they survive in the spring.

You know they emerge at a time when there's very little food. And. They're under greater stress at that time. After emerging from hibernation than actually while they're. Asleep. Because of the scarcity of food. They. Say. I've been aiding. This illogical situation quite different from. Their tissues. Are. Responding to the situation there. Their heartbeat drops. Very very low.

And they're breathing. Their. Their blood stream. It's rerouted to a degree which makes possible the conservation of their food supply. But. This was interesting to me I it's more interesting after you know more about it. And there are some important researchers about hibernating situation. No I did not set out to discover something earth shaking about the hibernation process. There. It would take a great deal more. Equipment and time than I've been able to show it to span but I just want to show you. For people like Dick try. Observing the process of nature isn't rich their life. These nonprofessional experience can lead to significant conclusions.

But if the results are only personal satisfaction. That is enough. But some observers hope that their collected data will form the cornerstone of a life's work. Such is the case with Cindy Johnson growth research on Moss's will lead to a doctorate degree from Iowa State. I mean they're all pretty. They're all neat looking was it. Part of the definition. But. When you're doing you glad to go argue you look there in the park and you take what's there because it's the question I mean that's growing here. What what are the marks that are are found in the area of water and and if it's a tiny something green you can even make it out whether it's you know a part of a plan or a whole plan you take it because. It's there. And so

hopefully one of. Them. Figure out the averages and put it run it through the computer. I will be able to tell you that for example the tree moss has such and such a preset cover on the North Slope and presumably it is just a guess. The Tree Moss is going to have a much higher cover on the north slope in the maple Basswood porous than it's going to have on the south slope. You know oak forest or in Upland forest you rarely find it there. So I will actually have the numbers I don't know just how much you find. I've already documented that there's there's more more mosses on the north slope than there is the south slope which sounds relatively simple minded but actually few people have actually documented that put it down in numbers and said. Now there is a difference and as I said there's quite a difference I find 12 percent on the North Slope and just a fraction of a percent on the south slope. So that's a difference. And the question that I want to ask now is does it. Is there a difference in the species that you find there are there different species on the south slope than you find on the North

Slope. Does it matter what kind of vascular plants are around it. Who knows maybe the fact that this had to fear because it's underneath the basket. Yeah maybe if we were under maple tree it might be a different kind of species or maybe there would be anything those sorts of questions have never been answered and that's sort of what I'm heading up with this private venture that trying to approach trying to answer some of those questions. And so I'm looking at this from looking at the moss on the ground as well as Moss on trees and the market climate factor so those are the three parts of the study that I didn't want to do. The Apple Moss and it's called that because the capsules which is where the the like the seeds their spores come from in the spring time. These are bright green and they're usually sort of they're pretty good size for Moss capsules and there be a bright green they look just like apples. Little green apples in the springtime. Slate Now of course they're brown but that's where the name Apple Moss comes from.

When I do the circuit if I come out and measure out that's a lot that I do when I'm not goofing off. Takes about two hours that I can stretch that part of the bus. It's nice sometimes just to sit on a on a slope like that seems to be a mosque for a little bit to enjoy the birds and to listen. I just I really I think there I think the really neat plans I think that are so pretty and they're really interesting in terms of where they do grow cold air is on the North Slope. So I guess I'm a bit of a loss myself. I like things I enjoy the challenge of them and I think it's really exciting in that nobody has stopped to say well why is this thing. Why is it is it because colder or maybe it's just because it's better or maybe it has nothing to do with us. Maybe it's because you find a certain vascular plant here that one that has to be here because it's colder. Nobody's asked the question the field is wide open you can go anywhere and there are just lots of questions that can be asked. It's exciting from that point of

view. We classify as kind of a western with. Jamia census. For example. You're right not so much the river but there. Was. You know get in the last sort of september october certain days when certain weather patterns of France as a front moves down and we get the right wind direction. We get just continuous migration of birds coming during certain hours of day. Just a steady stream. What.

Pair of Red Tails going through courtship rides I didn't understand what they're doing. Tell you what. Hold on tight. To make sure you get that grip. I just don't. Get to say it because this is different it's called. That a lot of stuff that I had no idea existed. I think I only give him upside down sometimes they kind of go into. Their state of the. Dolls or I mean you think it's a female or male. Thing. To smaller females get quite a bit larger you see in their breasts or get a little bit heavier they get. Yeah I didn't even see the other one.

I think given. That there's a lot we don't know about how about lifestyles or life cycles and some things that we do know show that they are bombers environment when things a certain chemicals in the. Process are going to contaminate their food source. It. Throws off their reproductive success and that's just part of one of the things we're looking at while certain species then they are having problems reproducing what is it. What is the main What's the thing that's really causing the problem. Where is it coming from is it covers Impreza sides or is it something that just a natural occurrence like this or that the Red Tails seem to be doing real well they're adaptable They're hardy they can utilize several different habitats in their nesting they can utilize several different migration routes. A widespread diet they can play on any one of a number of things whatever's most abundant in

the nest. But some species have been doing as well. We talked earlier about the Peregrine that David caught a couple years ago. Species and normally on this stretch of the Mississippi until late 50s maybe even as late as early 60s. But the use of DDT and just plain some of their burgers are no longer. Around. So in answer to why I do it there's a whole series of questions that I'd like answered. And it's mainly I guess it's mainly to that that's what some of the reasons that some of it is just because I'm I'm just. Like this I think. Well I guess we'll just go. I think the idea might. Be some. Part of something like this. A red tailed hawk winging overhead in a. Day can cause a flash of

reality to cross your mind. As winter sets in. You might decide this disturbing vision is worth pondering. Looking out your window as the snows fall. You might inspect a book and rectors you have made the initial steps towards engagement with I was with trees. The woods can seem desolate. And frightening to the uninitiated overcoming inhibitions can stimulate curiosity. Sometimes childhood curiosity can turn into a lifetime award. Think about it. Maybe you'll agree in time. That.

This program was made possible through a grant from the Kenny Lindstrom foundation incorporated a charitable trust Mason City Iowa.