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This calendar is available for purchase while supplies last at Cooperative Extension Publications 1-877-947-7827
learningstore.uwex.edu
Landowner assistance available with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
A special thank you to the Aldo Leopold Foundation for provid ing the phenology data for this calendar.
Also, special thanks to the Wisconsin Wetlands Association for their partnership with this calendar, including contributing photos and content.
Thank you to the following individuals who contributed time and expertise to this calendar – NRCS: Renae Anderson, Kristin Westad; UW-Extension: John Kriva, Jeffrey J. Strobel, Jessica Price; Aldo Leopold Foundation: Jeannine Richards, Anna Hawley. Thank you to all the photographers and writers for their willingness to donate photos and written contributions.
Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) – WRE is a voluntary program to help private landowners restore wetlands previously drained for agricultural use. The program provides assistance for wetland habitat restoration on lands that have been owned for seven years and can be restored to wetland conditions. Landowners may restore wetlands with permanent easements, 30-year easements or 10-year contracts. Permanent or 30-year easements are recorded with the property deed. Enrolled landowners retain the right to control access to the property. Apply for WRE at any time throughout the year.
Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) – ALE helps protect farmland through permanent easements, and to restore and protect grasslands for grazing land. NRCS provides financial assistance to entities, such as land trust or protection programs, who work with eligible producers to establish easements.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers for conservation practices that protect soil, water quality and wildlife habitat. The program is open to agricultural producers on agricultural and forest lands. Flat rate payments are available for over 100 farm and forestland practices, with contracts lasting 1-10 years. Apply for EQIP at any time throughout the year.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – CSP is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial incentives to encourage the maintenance and improvement of existing conservation practices on private agricultural and nonindustrial forest lands. Incentives also support the adoption of additional conservation activities, including wildlife practices. Apply for CSP at any time throughout the year.
Conservation Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CRP and CREP) – CRP and CREP assist landowners or operators who set aside cropland (or pasture that is adjacent to streams) with annual rental payments throughout the contract period. Continuous CRP is an ongoing non-competitive sign up which includes practices such as grass buffers, windbreaks, waterways and wetland restoration. Cost sharing for practice installation is provided as well as other incentives. Whole field practices include tree planting, grass cover, and establishment of prairie and oak savanna. Land eligibility varies by soil type and crop history. Contracts last for 10-15 years. CRP and CREP are Farm Service Agency programs with NRCS providing technical assistance.
Web Soil Survey (websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov) – Web Soil Survey offers easy access to soil survey maps, reports and interpretive data. Soils information is the key to better wildlife, forestry and land use planning.
For more information about these and other NRCS conservation programs, visit www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov
Graphic design/production by Jeffrey J. Strobel, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center, and Brooke Wentland.
Editing by Jessica Price, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center.Photo above: Yellow-headed blackbird, Jeffrey J. Strobel
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
To order a copy, visit
or call 608-250-9971
WWA is a member-supported, non-profit conservation organization
dedicated to the protection, restoration and enjoyment of wetlands and associated
ecosystems through science-based programs, education and advocacy.
wisconsinwetlands.org
Whether you enjoy hunting, wildlife and bird watching, or simply the scenic view of your wetland, the My Healthy Wetland handbook can help you learn about and care for your wetland, including actions you can take to keep your wetland healthy and teeming with wildlife.
Published in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Although this first edition focuses on eastern Wisconsin, much of its information is relevant to any wetland in Wisconsin.
This 96-page handbook is available for free to landowners with property in counties along Lake Michigan thanks to support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Other landowners can purchase the handbook for just $5 plus shipping.
wisconsinwetlands.org/MyHealthyWetlandHandbook.htm
WisconsinWildlife Phenology
2015
Phenology is the study of periodic life-cycle events in nature that are influenced by climate and seasonal change: wildlife emerging from hibernation, birds nesting or migrating, flowers blooming. For many of us, phenological events characterize the changing seasons as much as leaves changing color or the first snowfall. As Aldo Leopold noted, “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.”
Leopold, regarded by many as the father of wildlife ecology, monitored and recorded phenological events in Sauk County, Wisconsin, beginning in 1936. Until his death in 1948, he and his family recorded these events in and around the landscape of his famous “Shack,” the place that inspired his classic book, A Sand County Almanac. In 1976, his daughter, Nina Leopold Bradley, returned to the area with her husband, Charlie, and again began keeping records of phenological events. Following her passing in May 2011, her data set has been continued by the Aldo Leopold Foundation. The dates in this calendar are based on the Leopold family’s data as well as that of other natural resource professionals around the state.
After a year hiatus, we are happy to return to producing the Wisconsin Phenology Calendar. The production has been made possible through a partnership between the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and University of Wisconsin–Extension, with additional contributions from the Wisconsin Wetland Association. Its roots are in the Leopold family’s passion for the study of phenology.
The monthly narratives in this year’s calendar provide information on some of the signal species that can be found in healthy wetlands of the Wisconsin landscape. Wetlands are areas regularly covered by water, like marshes, bogs, swamps and floodplains, as well as places where land meets water, such as the shallow open waters at the edges of lakes, ponds, rivers and coastal fringes. Wisconsin wetlands are nurseries for fish and ducklings, critical habitat for shorebirds and songbirds, important stopovers for migratory species, lifelong habitat for some frogs and turtles, and home to a host of other plant and animal species.
Water is the most fundamental factor determining the health of a wetland. The quantity, quality and flow of water – and how these factors differ from what they were historically – all affect a wetland’s health. When water in a given wetland is moving naturally (that is, without artificial barriers, drains or inputs), the wetland will support a variety of plants and animals that are specialized to live in that type of environment. These species can be indicators for healthy wetlands, and many are highlighted in this year’s calendar. Healthy wetlands also act like a sponge, removing sediments from rivers and streams and capturing excess nutrients and chemical pollutants from storm runoff. They protect streambanks and shorelines from erosion and help maintain cool, clean water flow in streams and rivers, which in turn, helps to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Before European settlement, Wisconsin had more than 10 million acres of wetlands. However, over the past 150 years, Wisconsin has lost almost 50 percent of its original wetland heritage, as these fertile areas were drained and converted pri-marily to agricultural use. Large portions of the wetlands that remain are considerably degraded, especially in the populated southern half of the state. The disappearance and degradation of wetlands has led to many undesirable consequences, such as loss of groundwater reserves and the consequent need for irrigation, flash flooding, shoreline destruction, accumulation of pollutants and other, more subtle, disturbances. Today, there are regulations to prevent the loss of these important ecosystems, and many programs are working toward their preservation and restoration.
We hope this calendar inspires you to go out and explore those wet and muddy places and find the unique plants and animals that call wetlands home.
The Aldo Leopold Foundation (ALF) was founded in 1982 by the children of Aldo Leopold to promote harmony between people and the land and foster Leopold’s vision of the Land Ethic. ALF is the definitive interpreter and advocate for Leopold’s legacy. It has exclusive rights to A Sand County Almanac and other writings and photographs, is owner and caretaker of Leopold’s Shack and family farm, and serves as a clearinghouse for information regarding Aldo Leopold, his work and ideas. For more information contact ALF at PO Box 77, Baraboo, WI, 53913, 608-355-0279, or on the web at
www.aldoleopold.org
Aldo Leopold
Cover photo: Great Egret – David FreriksAbove: Scarlet tanager, Jack R. Bartholmai Sandhill cranes, David Freriks
(Special Thanks -- Dr. Stan Temple)
Hopkins Law
The dates in this calendar correspond to data collected primarily in southern Wisconsin. To apply these dates to a different area, apply Hopkins Law, which states that phenological events vary at the rate of 1 day for each 15 minutes of latitude, 1.25 days for each degree of longitude, and 1 day for each 100 feet of altitude. This means there is an approximate 22-day difference between Wisconsin’s southern border with Illinois and the northern border with Michigan. There is
also an approximate 10-day difference between the
east and west portions of the state, due to
Lake Michigan’s cooling effect.
A note on dates
The accuracy of phenology recordings is always a bit tricky. The goal is to capture the first occurrence of an arrival of a bird or first bloom of a plant. There is a big difference between spotting the first pair of sandhill cranes to arrive, and when the sandhill crane arrival is peaking, which is much more obvious. This year the dates have been revised and updated to better reflect the modern trends of the pheno-logical data that the Leopold Foundation has continued to track. Many of the spring events have moved ahead (often by about a month) to reflect the current pattern in southern Wisconsin.
Dr. Stan Temple, Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus in Conservation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Senior Fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation Temple and Leopold photos courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation
A very special thank you to Professor Stanley Temple for editing and updating the phenology dates in this edition of the Wisconsin Wildlife Phenology Calendar. Without his expertise and continued work with the historic and present-day data, our understanding of phenological changes in Wisconsin would be very incomplete. Dr. Temple recently retired from the academic position at the University of Wisconsin once held by Aldo Leopold. He is now a Professor Emeritus and a Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. He is currently touring the country, lecturing about the extinction of the Passenger pigeon.
December S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
February S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
American mink Neovison vison
by Jeffrey J. Strobel,UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center
The sight of an American mink loping along water’s edge is a worthy entry in any trail diary. This usually secretive member of the weasel family is largely nocturnal. Often, the only sign it leaves for daytime wildlife watchers is paired tracks in sand, mud or snow after investigating burrows, muskrat lodges, hollow stumps and other hiding places for food. Winter tracks may also disappear at a hole in the ice, where the mink has gone diving to hunt small aquatic prey with the help of its partially webbed feet.
Mink thrive throughout Wisconsin along both fast-moving streams and quiet waters of wetlands and ponds. They are an important wetland predator and need the undisturbed wooded or brushy shorelines, food variety and den habitat that healthy wetlands provide. Muskrats are a favorite food, and mink will occupy abandoned muskrat dens and burrows. Mink also eat many other wetland prey including fish, crayfish, frogs, snails, snakes, eggs and even small waterfowl.
Mink are long and slender with dark brown coats that often have whitish patches on the chest and belly and a darker tail. Adult male mink grow to about 24 inches long, including their tail, and are very territorial. They mark their territory with a skunk-like scent and will sometimes fight to the death in territorial disputes. Females are smaller and give birth to three to six kits in April or May that will begin hunting with their mother about two months later. Owls and foxes are among the few animals that prey on the feisty mink.
American mink – Terry L. Spivey, bugwood.org
photos: Snowy owl, Ted Thousand; below: turkey track, Anna Hawley
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
January 2015
Great horned owls begin courtship activities
Fox and Gray squirrels begin matingCanada lynx begin matingBeavers begin mating
Wolves begin matingRed foxes begin mating
Black-capped chickadees begin spring courtship song
Black bear sows are birthing cubs in dens
Female elk move to south-facing slopes for winter
Burn brush piles when there are over 3 inches of snow on the ground
Erect and clean Barred owl boxes
Northern cardinals begin spring songs
Canada geese begin to arrive
Last of Sandhill cranes migrate south
The Earth is closest to the Sun (Perihelion)
m Full (Wolf) Moon
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Aldo Leopold’s Birthday (1887)
New Year’s Day
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 Sunrise 7:29 AMSunset 4:33 PM
January S M T W T F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
March S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
Tundra swan Cygnus columbianus
by Anna Hawley, Aldo Leopold Foundation
With their brilliant, white plumage, long, graceful neck and black bill, tundra swans are hard to miss. Although not a resident of the state, they are often encountered in flocks in Wisconsin’s wetlands during spring and fall as they migrate between their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic and their wintering grounds in the eastern and western coasts of the United States.
Tundra swans, also commonly known as whistling swans, forage mostly in the water, using their long necks to reach below the surface to retrieve tubers, seeds and new shoots. These birds mate for life, and both parents participate in caring for their young. To nest, both male and female tundra swans help build large, low mounds of plant material on the ground near lakes or other open water in the Arctic. The mother incubates four to five eggs for about a month, while the father stands guard. After the eggs hatch, both parents tend the young, leading them to sources of food where the young feed themselves. The newly hatched chicks fledge at 2 to 3 months but stay with the parents through the first winter.
Tundra swans are just one example of the many species that rely on healthy Wisconsin wetlands – important sources of food, rest and safety – along their migratory routes. To catch a glimpse of these majestic birds in Wisconsin during their nearly 4,000-mile journey, listen for the whistling sound that their powerful wings make as they fly overhead.
Tundra swans – Jeffrey J. Strobel
photos: Red fox, Ryan Brady, pbase.com/rbrady; below: Muskrat tracks, Jeffrey J. Strobel
February 2015Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Mink begin matingBobcats begin mating
Great horned owls begin nesting
Coyotes begin mating
Erect and clean out Wood duck and Bluebird boxes
Horned larks begin migrating north
Turkey vultures begin to arrive
Write prescribed burn plans
Erect American kestrel boxes
Many White-tailed deer bucks are shedding antlers
Sandhill cranes begin to arrive
American robins begin to arrive
Eastern bluebirds begin to arrive
Song sparrows begin to arrive
Red-winged blackbirds begin to arrive
Eastern meadowlarks begin to arrive
Killdeer begin to arriveWood ducks begin to arrive
Skunk cabbage begins blooming
Belted kingfishers begin to arrive
Valentine’s Day
m Full (Snow) MoonGroundhog Day
Presidents’ Day
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sunrise 7:13 AMSunset 5:10 PM
February S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
April S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
Spring peeper Pseudacris crucifer
by Dain Ziegler, Aldo Leopold Foundation
As the spring season begins, a chorus of peeps can be heard throughout Wisconsin’s wetland areas, as male spring peepers begin their competition to attract a mate. Calls of individual male peepers can reach 80 to 90 decibels or more. Their chorus can be a dominant feature in ephemeral and permanent wetlands, marshes and ponds that provide aquatic habitat for the development of peeper eggs and tadpoles.
After their March-to-June breeding season, peepers stop calling and move into woodlands, where they feed on insects and small invertebrates in the woodland leaf litter, and are rarely seen due to their small size and cryptic coloration. Peepers are a small frog, ranging from 1.9 to 3.2 centimeters in length, and have prominent toe pads to help with climbing. They are generally light to dark brown with a darker ‘X’ on their back, hence their Latin species name crucifer, or cross-bearer. Formerly a member of the genus Hyla, which encompasses most tree frogs, peepers have recently moved to the genus Pseudacris with the help of genetic information.
Spring peepers, along with several other species of frog, have adapted a tolerance to freezing that enables them to endure the long Wisconsin winter. As the temperature drops, water inside the frogs’ cells is reduced and replaced by sugars to prevent cell rupture due to ice crystal formation, and almost all major functions stop, including breathing and heartbeat. Peepers ‘hibernate’ until spring, when they thaw, reanimate and begin to call again.
Spring peeper – Gary Shackelford
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
photos: Dark-eyed junco, Ted Thousand; below: White-tailed deer in aspen, Jeffrey J. Strobel
March 2015
Tom turkeys begin gobbling
Snowshoe hares begin mating
Maple sap flows when day temperatures are above 40 degrees
Wood frogs begin calling and breeding the first day and night over 50 degrees
Bald eagles begin to arrive
Erect bat boxes
Female Pine marten are birthing kits
American woodcock first peent
Leopard frogs emerge from their winter burrows
Chorus frogs and Spring peepers call now through first week in AprilVixen foxes are birthing kits
Common grackles begin to arrive
Doe Fox and Gray squirrels are birthing pups
Common garter snakes emerge from hibernation
Mallards begin to arrive
Great blue herons and Fox sparrows begin to arrive
Eastern phoebes begin to arrive
Ring-necked pheasants begin crowing
Canada goose arrival (A. Leopold data 1936-47)
Hooded mergansers begin to arrive
Red-winged blackbird arrival(A. Leopold data 1936-47)
Female wolves are birthing pups
Female lynx are birthing kittens
Opossums begin mating
Salamanders and newts emerge
Canada geese begin laying eggs
Big brown bats begin to arrive
Ruffed grouse begin drumming
Tree swallows begin to arrive
Painted turtles emerge
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers begin to arrive
Eastern chipmunks emerge from hibernation
Hermit thrushes begin to arrive
Pasque flower blooms
Cowbirds begin to arrive
Dutchman’s breeches blooms
Hog-nosed snakes emergeBarn swallows begin to arrive
Vernal Equinox: First day of SpringSt. Patrick’s Day
Daylight Saving Time Begins
m Full (Worm) Moon
29 30 31
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sunrise 6:34 AMSunset 5:46 PM
March S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
May S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30
Marsh marigold Caltha palustris
by Tara Davenport
Marsh marigold is one of the earliest wetland plants to bloom after winter snow has melted, and its beautiful, yellow blooms herald spring. Taking its scientific name from the Latin word palūs, meaning marsh or swamp, marsh marigold grows well in wet, boggy soil. It is found throughout Wisconsin, most often in marshes, wet meadows, fens, swamps and streambanks.
This perennial grows to a height of 8 to 24 inches, with round, dark green leaves and buttercup-shaped, yellow flowers. Marsh marigold blooms between March and June and attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees, beetles and flies. Pollinated flowers develop into seed pods that, when ripe, split open to disperse seeds on the wind.
Marsh marigold has a long history of use by people, including medicinally and to make yellow dye. In the Middle Ages, it was used in English church festivals as one of the flowers devoted to the Virgin Mary. It was also made into garlands and put on front door steps for May Day festivals. Later, Shakespeare referred to marsh marigolds in his play Cymbeline when he wrote, “winking Mary-buds begin to ope their golden eyes.”
As with all flowers in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae), every part of the marsh marigold plant is a strong irritant. While some parts of the plant can be eaten if cooked properly, raw or improperly cooked marsh marigold can make humans and other animals very sick.
Marsh marigold – Jeffrey J. Strobel
photos: Scarlet tanager, Ted Thousand; below: Rose-breasted grosbeak, Travis Bartnick
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
April 2015
Goslings hatch
Serviceberry blooms
Upper Trout Lake opens (Vilas Co.)
Purple martins begin to arrive
Little brown bats begin to arrive
Pasque flower blooms (A. Leopold data 1936-47)
Mallard hens begin nestingDoe Eastern cottontail rabbits are birthing kits
Female mink are birthing kits
Female coyotes are birthing pups
Tundra swans begin to arrive
Trees susceptible to oak wilt from now until hard freeze
Peak spring duck migration
Eastern phoebe arrival (A. Leopold data 1936-47)
Bald eagles begin nesting
Check bluebird boxes throughout nesting season
Pickerel frogs begin calling
Black bears leave dens
Upland sandpipers sighted
Prairie smoke blooms
White-tailed deer bucks are growing antlers
Marsh marigold blooms
House wrens begin to arrive
Whooping cranes begin laying eggs
Bobwhite quail are mating
Torch or spray garlic mustard seedlings
American toads begin to sing
Large trillium blooms
Whip-poor-wills begin to arrive
Catbirds begin to arrive
Birdsfoot violet blooms
Eastern gray tree frogs and Cope’s gray tree frogs begin calling
Wood thrushes and Scarlet tanagers begin to arrive
Columbine blooms
Ruby-throated humming-birds begin to arrive
Wild gooseberry blooms
Wild geranium blooms
Jack-in-the-pulpit blooms
Put out grape jelly and orange halves for orioles
Lilac blooms
Anemone blooms
Wild quinine blooms
Painted turtles begin laying eggs
Earth Day
Tax Day
John Audubon’s Birthday (1785)
John Muir’s Birthday (1838)
Sigurd Olson’s Birthday (1899)
Arbor Day
m Full (Pink) Moon
Easter Sunday
Good Friday
26 27 28 29 30
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 2 3 4 Sunrise 6:40 AMSunset 7:24 PM
April S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
June S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Sora rail Porzana carolina
by Emily Lehl, Aldo Leopold Foundation
In April and May, sora rails fly into the cattail-sedge marshes of Wisconsin from their winter range throughout the Gulf Coast, Mexico and northern South America. This gangly rail, the most common in North America, inhabits almost every county in Wisconsin during its summer breeding season. Despite their range and abundance, however, these black-masked birds are secretive creatures.
The sora’s coloring and body form contribute to its uncanny ability to hide from most observers. Brown-speckled plumage and a slate-blue breast enable the sora to blend in with surrounding water and vegetation; short, round wings allow it to fly in cover with high maneuverability; and long yellow legs, large feet and a small body size allow it to walk and run with ease across delicate mats of floating vegetation and dip silently into the watery shadows. Careful observers may hear soras as they peep and whinny to each other from behind veils of cattails, willow bushes and dogwoods, or catch a brief glimpse of their bright yellow legs and beak.
In spring, soras establish territories and breed in wetlands. Both males and females perform courtship displays involving preening and posturing, build a nest of dead marsh vegetation in shallow water with lots of emergent cover, and incubate a clutch of 10 to 12 brown-spotted eggs. The young fledge and leave the nest about 21 to 25 days after hatching. After breeding, soras reunite in large flocks to await the fall migration.
Sora rail – David Freriks
May 2015photos: Coyotes, Jim Backus, www.magoophoto.com; below: Blue-spotted salamander, Ryan Brady, pbase.com/rbrady
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Marsh marigold blooms (A. Leopold data 1936-47)
Ring-necked pheasants begin nesting
Sandhill cranes hatch
Wild lupine blooms
Shooting star blooms
Eastern wood pewees begin to arrive
Indigo buntings begin to arrive
Ruffed grouse hatchFirst flight of Karner blue butterflies emerge
White-tailed deer does are birthing fawns
American woodcocks hatch
Veeries begin singing
Common nighthawks begin to arrive
Monarch butterflies begin to arrive
Blue-winged teal begin to arrive
May-apple blooms
Young eagles hatch
Mallards hatch
Choke cherry blooms
Look for Morel mushroomsCommon loons begin nesting Whooping cranes hatch
First Fireflies can be seen
Wild asparagus emerges
Pink prairie phlox blooms
Green frogs begin calling
Blanchard’s cricket frogs begin calling
Female beavers are birthing kits
Wild iris blooms
Warblers begin to arrive
Yellow hawkweed blooms
Black-eyed Susan blooms
Harebell blooms
Indian paintbrush blooms
Yarrow blooms
Daisy fleabane blooms
International Migratory Bird Day
Mother’s Day
Memorial DayRachel Carson’s Birthday (1907)
m Full (Flower) Moon
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2
31
Sunrise 5:52 AMSunset 7:58 PM
May S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30
July S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Black tern Chlidonias niger
by Scott Stipetich, Farm Bill Biologist, NW Wisconsin Area Pheasants Forever, USDA NRCS
With its striking black head and buoyant, bouncy flight pattern, the black tern floats over Wisconsin’s freshwater marshes. Once a common breeder across the entire state, black terns are now common only from La Crosse to Marinette and south. They can also be found along our Great Lakes and the Mississippi River as well as prairie pothole wetlands in Burnett, Polk and St. Croix counties.
Beginning in late July, black tern flocks leave Wisconsin on their nearly 8,000-mile migration, traveling as far south as Ecuador and back. The birds return to large, shallow marshes to breed in late April to late May. They build nests by creating a small depression on a floating mat of vegetation, which allows the nest to stay dry when water levels fluctuate. Black terns lay two to four eggs that are tended by both male and female birds. Nests are almost always surrounded by high-quality, native emergent vegetation, including cattail, sedge, arrowhead, water lily, bur-reed or wild rice, and in close proximity to open water. While in flight, adults glean insects and small fish from these areas of open water to feed their chicks.
The Wisconsin population of breeding black terns has declined steadily for many decades, and the species is now listed as endangered in the state. Programs such as USDA Wetland Reserve Easements and US FWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife help provide healthy wetlands for breeding habitat.
Black tern – Dennis Malueg
June 2015photos: Badger, Jim Backus, www.magoophoto.com; below: Pileated woodpecker holes, Jeffrey J. Strobel; Eastern wild turkeys, Travis Bartnick
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Bullfrogs begin callingRing-necked pheasant broods appear
Lead plant blooms
Wild columbine seed collection
Prairie smoke seed collection
Blue-winged teal ducklings hatch
Marsh milkweed bloomsHoary vervain blooms
Flowering spurge blooms
Butterfly weed bloomsGray dogwood blooms
Trumpeter swans hatch
Black bears begin mating
Mink frogs call now through July
Wild lupine seed collection
Common milkweed blooms
Goat’s rue blooms
St. Johns wort blooms
Compass plant blooms
Rattlesnake master blooms
Mountain mint blooms Queen of the prairie blooms
White prairie clover blooms
Whorled milkweed blooms
Purple prairie clover blooms
Wild bergamot blooms
Canada goldenrod blooms
Culver’s root blooms
Purple coneflower blooms
Ironweed blooms
Yellow coneflower blooms
Round-headed bushclover blooms
Cup plant bloomsInvasive Purple loosestrife blooms
Prairie dock blooms
Evening primrose blooms
Flag Day
m Full (Strawberry) Moon
Gaylord Nelson’s Birthday (1916)
Summer Solstice: First day of SummerFather’s Day
28 29 30
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1 2 3 4 5 6 Sunrise 5:21 AMSunset 8:30 PM
June S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
August S M T W T F S
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23/30 24/31 25 26 27 28 29
American bittern – Gary Shackelford
American bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
by Maria Kopecky, Aldo Leopold Foundation
The American bittern is an elusive bird that thrives in large, uninterrupted wetland complexes throughout Wisconsin. A member of the heron family, the American bittern is approximately 2.5 feet long from bill to tail and has a 3-foot wingspan. Both males and females have mustard brown plumage with stripes of white on the chest and throat and a black patch extending down the neck from below the eye.
American bitterns are often observed standing with head, neck and bill pointed straight up, swaying slowly from side to side with the surrounding wetland reeds and grasses. These birds produce a peculiar guttural “oog-ka-chuk” call that can be heard up to a half-mile away. However, they can be hard to spot, because unlike other herons that flush when disturbed, the American bittern prefers to remain still, trusting its camouflaging coloration.
American bitterns are most active at dusk and dawn. They hunt insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles by standing still and then rapidly spearing prey with their long bills. Female American bitterns do most of the nest building, egg incubation and chick rearing. They construct platform nests of reeds and grasses and lay three to five buff-brown eggs that are incubated for about 25 days. Shallow, thickly vegetated freshwater wetland habitat is critical for successful nesting.
This unique and hard-to-spot bird is a species of Special Concern in Wisconsin, threatened by the degradation and destruction of wetlands through drainage, dredging, pollution and conversion to agriculture.
July 2015Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
photos: Leaf hopper, David Freriks; below: Gray squirrel and Catbird, Jeffrey J. Strobel
Second flight of Karner blue butterflies emerge
Turk’s cap lily blooms
Shooting star seed collection
Monkey flower blooms
Deer antler growth nearing peak size
Big bluestem in pollenBoneset blooms
Nodding wild onion blooms
Joe-pye weed blooms
Sandhill crane chicks learn to fly
Purple martins begin to gather
June grass seed collection
Begin pulling Spotted knapweed
Fall shorebird migration begins Cicadas can be heard
Painted turtles begin to hatch
Common spiderwort seed collection
Turkey hens are molting
Rough blazing star blooms
Spotted jewelweed blooms
Gerardia blooms
Stiff goldenrod blooms
Great blue lobelia blooms
Cardinal flower blooms
Independence Daym Full (Buck) Moon
m Full Moon (Blue Moon)
The Earth is farthest from the Sun (Aphelion)
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12 13 14 15 16 17 18
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1 2 3 4 Sunrise 5:22 AMSunset 8:41 PM
July S M T W T F S
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September S M T W T F S
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Ebony boghaunter Williamsonia fletcheri
by Renae Anderson USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Ebony boghaunter. The name alone sends shivers and calls up visions of a dark, foggy bog with ghostly haints flitting just out of sight. Adding to the aura of mystery, the boghaunter’s habitat requirements and life-cycle are still not well understood. But should you see one, this smallish, delicate dragonfly is a rare and welcome sight.
The ebony boghaunter likes forested sphagnum bogs and fens – the same places frequented by its flashier cousin, the orange-and-black Ringed boghaunter. In the US, this species is found only in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. In Wisconsin, it may be seen by the alert observer in the northern and central parts of the state, as far south as Juneau and Adams counties.
At just 1 to 1.5 inches long, the ebony boghaunter is one of the smallest emerald dragonflies. You might find the green-eyed males and grey-eyed females perching in small sunlit patches on logs or tree trunks, making quick flights to capture small insect prey. But time your search carefully, its flight season is brief – from early May through June. If you miss the boghaunter itself, you may only find the exuviae (cast skins) of this elusive insect.
The limited range and delicate aquatic microhabitat needed for larva and nymphs make this species vulnerable to threats from pollutants, changing water levels and wetland destruction. But even when the conditions seem right, it is often not found, leaving it an even more ghostly, ethereal phantom.
Ebony boghaunter dragonfly – Mike Reese
August 2015photos: White-lined sphinx moth, David Freriks; below: Common loon adult with juvenile, Ted Thousand
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Canada tick trefoil and False boneset seed collection
Horsemint and Common evening primrose seed collection
New Jersey tea and Bottlebrush grass seed collection Snapping turtles hatch
Bottle gentian blooms
Sweet flag seed collectionEnd of Snowshoe hare mating
Wild rice ripens
Turtlehead blooms
Thimbleweed and Prairie cinquefoil seed collection
Northern orioles begin second song
Blackberries and Elderberries ripen
Golden Alexander seed collection
Side-oats grama seed collection
Black-eyed Susan seed collection
Monarchs begin migration to Mexico
Goat’s rue seed collection
New England aster blooms
Fringed gentian blooms
m Full (Sturgeon) Moon
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16 17 18 19 20 21 22
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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1
30 31
Sunrise 5:48 AMSunset 8:19 PM
August S M T W T F S
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9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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23/30 24/31 25 26 27 28 29
October S M T W T F S
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Wild rice Zizania palustris
by Peter David, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Northern Wisconsin accounts for a significant portion of the global range of northern wild rice. It is found in abundance only here and in portions of Minnesota and adjacent Canada. This endemic, wetland species has played a large role in local ecology, culture and history.
Wild rice compresses its entire life cycle into a single, short growing season, passing through submergent, floating-leaf and emergent growth stages as spring advances into summer. As autumn arrives, the plant’s seeds mature and begin to drop into the sediment to pass a quiet winter, while the biological community within the rice bed peaks. These shallow wetlands teem with a diverse abundance of life, ranging from moths to muskrats to waterfowl and more, attracted by the abundant food, cover and habitat that the rice provides.
It is also at this time of the year that humans become part of the wild rice community. To the Ojibwe, September was denoted the Ricing Moon, the time of the year when families moved to the rice waters to socialize and gather the nutritious grain they would depend upon to get through the bitter winter months.
Although Kevlar® canoes may have replaced ones made of birch bark, the historic practice of rice gathering is still exercised by tribal and non-tribal ricers each fall. Gathering and eating this local, organic food is a unique way to enjoy the bounty of Wisconsin’s wetland communities.
Wild rice beds – Jeffrey J. Strobel
September 2015photos: Great blue heron, David Freriks; below: Northern leopard frog, Gary Shackelford; young painted turtle, Anna Hawley
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Clean out Purple martin boxes and cover holes
Flowering spurge seed collection
White wild indigo and Round-headed bushclover seed collection
Canvasbacks begin migrating southLeaves are turning color
Whooping cranes begin migrating south
Wild bergamot, Leadplant and Swamp milkweed seed collection Sawtooth sunflower,
Switchgrass and Indian grass seed collection
Trumpeter swan cygnets learning to fly
Prairie blazing star seed collection
Rattlesnake master and Pasture rose seed collection
Hawks and Blue-winged teal are migrating
Stiff gentian blooms
Purple prairie clover seed collection
Migrating Canada geese begin to arrive
Prairie dock and Culver’s root seed collection
White-tailed deer bucks begin to shed velvet
Ruby-throated hummingbirds begin southern migration
Ruffed grouse broods begin to disperseWool grass seed collection
Wild quinine seed collection
Dark-eyed juncos begin to arrive
First frost
Autumnal Equinox: First day of Fall
Labor Day
m Full (Harvest) Moon
27 28 29 30
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13 14 15 16 17 18 19
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 2 3 4 5 Sunrise 6:22 AMSunset 7:33 PM
September S M T W T F S
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27 28 29 30
November S M T W T F S
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29 30
Tussock sedge Carex stricta
by Tara Davenport
Tussock sedge is a common wetland plant named for the mound or ‘tussock’ that forms as its old leaves die and build up on and around the living plant. Most tussocks are about 1 foot tall, but some can grow as large as 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. These large tussocks can persist for decades. Tussocks serve as microhabitats for many different species. The moist microclimate of the tussock provides refuge for frogs, toads and salamanders, while the abundance of leaves and stems creates excellent nesting habitat for birds, including rails and snipe. Researchers have observed up to 20 species living on one tussock.
This evergreen sedge can be found growing in sedge meadows, shrub-carrs, marshes and fens throughout Wisconsin. It flowers in late spring, sending up tall stems topped with small reddish-brown flowers above the rest of the foliage. Like many grasses and sedges, tussock sedge is wind-pollinated and its seeds, which ripen in mid to late summer, are wind-dispersed. These seeds are a food source for birds, such as dark-eyed junco, northern cardinal and a variety of ducks, as well as squirrels and other mammals. The tussock sedge also reproduces vegetatively, spreading by way of rhizomes to form large patches.
Unfortunately, tussock sedge is at risk, as its habitat is being invaded by non-native reed canary grass, particularly in disturbed areas. Researchers are studying how to better control this invasive species to preserve and promote habitat for tussock sedge and the many species it supports.
Tussock sedge regrowth after fire – Tara Davenport
October 2015photos: Red squirrel, Ryan Brady, pbase.com/rbrady; below: Monarch butterfly on bush clover, Ted Thousand
Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
Black bears begin to denCanvasback peak fall migration
White-tailed deer bucks begin rut
Redhead ducks begin migrating south
Red-winged blackbirds gather for departure
Eastern prickly pear cactus, Showy goldenrod and Old field goldenrod seed collection
Rough blazing star seed collection
White-tailed deer bucks are making scrapes and rubs through November
Big bluestem and Blue vervain seed collection
Stiff goldenrod, Ironweed, Canada wild rye and Yellow coneflower seed collection
Bottle gentian seed collection
Tamarack trees are turning golden
Compass plant seed collection
Prairie dock seed collectionWood ducks begin migrating south
Frogs begin to burrow into mud
Sky blue aster and Little bluestem seed collection
Teddy Roosevelt’s Birthday (1858)
Ding Darling’s Birthday (1876)
m Full (Hunters) Moon
Columbus Day
Halloween
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 Sunrise 6:55 AMSunset 6:39 PM
October S M T W T F S
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18 19 20 21 22 23 24
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December S M T W T F S
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North American beaver Castor canadensis
by Kristin WestadUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
North American beavers are Wisconsin’s largest rodents, growing to more than 3 feet long and weighing in at over 40 pounds. Beavers cut trees for food and for building lodges and dams, using powerful jaws and large curved teeth that never stop growing. Their favorite trees are aspen, birch and alder.
Amazingly, just the sound of running water stimulates beavers to build dams of sticks and mud. They prefer locations where their favorite trees grow near the water. Beavers engineer their dams to create a deep pool of water that won’t freeze all the way to the bottom, allowing them to stay active throughout the winter.
Beaver ponds serve as habitat for a variety of other wildlife, including frogs, turtles, dragonflies and toads. Even the trees killed by flooding provide food and shelter for other animals. Woodpeckers drill holes in the standing snags as they feed on the insects and larva within, and these holes serve as nesting cavities for wood ducks and hooded mergansers. Herons often build rookeries in the dead standing trees of beaver ponds.
When a beaver dam is abandoned, the water drains out and the pond is replaced by a ‘beaver meadow.’ The abundance of sunshine and mucky, rich soil nurtures many wetland plants and others that aren’t common in the adjacent forest. Aspen grows well in these openings, and as this tree grows abundant, beavers often come back and build another dam. And so the cycle begins again.
Beaver – Brian Hansen
November 2015Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
photos: Eastern screech owl, Ryan Brady, pbase.com/rbrady; below: Canada Geese, Jeffrey J. Strobel
Peak Mallard and Scaup fall migration
Buckthorn still has green leaves – mark and control them now
Ring-necked pheasants begin to winter in cattails
Little brown bats begin migrating south
White-throated sparrows begin migrating south
Last Eastern phoebe sighting
Daylight Saving Time Ends
m Full (Beaver) Moon
Election Day
Thanksgiving Day
Veteran’s Day
29 30
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sunrise 6:32 AMSunset 4:50 PM
November S M T W T F S
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8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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29 30
January S M T W T F S
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3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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24/31 25 26 27 28 29 30
27 28 29 30 31
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13 14 15 16 17 18 19
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 2 3 4 5
Christmas Day
Christmas Bird Count Dec. 14-Jan.5
Endangered Species Act passed (1973)
m Full (Cold) MoonWinter Solstice: First day of Winter
White-tailed deer bucks begin to shed antlers
Look for snow fleas (springtails) on the snow near dead vegetation
Lake Mendota average freeze date (Dane Co.)
Look for otter slides along creeks and waterways Last turkey vultures depart
Look for mink slides along creeks and waterways
Upper Trout Lake average freeze date (Vilas Co. 1962-72)
Look for beaver prints and tail tracks in the snow
White-tailed jackrabbits feed on haystacks
Freeze line reaches the Wisconsin/Illinois border
Sunrise 7:09 AMSunset 4:24 PM
December 2015Saturday Friday ThursdayWednesdayTuesday Monday Sunday
photos: Blue jay, Eric Preston, ericpreston.com; below: Ring-necked pheasant hen, Jeffrey J. Strobel
Muskrat – Gary Shackelford
Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
by Kristin Westad USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Muskrats are wetland ecosystem engineers capable of transforming a thick marsh into an open pool with their voracious appetite for wetland plants. These semi-aquatic rodents prefer plants that are rooted underwater, especially cattails and water lilies. By removing stems and roots of wetland plants, muskrats create patches of open water that attract ducks and wading birds.
Though similar in appearance, adult muskrats are much smaller than adult beavers. Muskrats are about 20 inches long, including the tail, and weigh 1.5 to 5 pounds. Muskrats are active all winter, and they have very thick, insulating fur that traps air to help them maintain a warm body temperature even in icy waters. Their warm, soft fur made muskrats an economically important furbearer, especially in the early 20th century.
Muskrats burrow into banks from below the water surface, creating an underwater entrance. They also build wetland lodges that are much smaller than those of beavers. Muskrats create ‘push-ups’ – small mounds of vegetation and mud – for protected feeding and resting sites. Ducks, turtles, frogs, snakes and mink use these structures to rest or nest.
Muskrats are an important prey of many wetland carnivores, including mink, otters, raccoons, hawks, owls and snapping turtles. Muskrat populations can increase quickly, but may crash and cause a ripple effect in the ability of wetlands to support the myriad species that rely on muskrats for food or shelter.
University of Wisconsin–Extension: www.uwex.eduUWEX Environmental Resources Center: www.uwex.edu/ercAldo Leopold Foundation: www.aldoleopold.orgUSDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Wisconsin: www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov
This calendar is available for purchase while supplies last at Cooperative Extension Publications 1-877-947-7827
learningstore.uwex.edu
Landowner assistance available with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
A special thank you to the Aldo Leopold Foundation for provid ing the phenology data for this calendar.
Also, special thanks to the Wisconsin Wetlands Association for their partnership with this calendar, including contributing photos and content.
Thank you to the following individuals who contributed time and expertise to this calendar – NRCS: Renae Anderson, Kristin Westad; UW-Extension: John Kriva, Jeffrey J. Strobel, Jessica Price; Aldo Leopold Foundation: Jeannine Richards, Anna Hawley. Thank you to all the photographers and writers for their willingness to donate photos and written contributions.
Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) – WRE is a voluntary program to help private landowners restore wetlands previously drained for agricultural use. The program provides assistance for wetland habitat restoration on lands that have been owned for seven years and can be restored to wetland conditions. Landowners may restore wetlands with permanent easements, 30-year easements or 10-year contracts. Permanent or 30-year easements are recorded with the property deed. Enrolled landowners retain the right to control access to the property. Apply for WRE at any time throughout the year.
Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) – ALE helps protect farmland through permanent easements, and to restore and protect grasslands for grazing land. NRCS provides financial assistance to entities, such as land trust or protection programs, who work with eligible producers to establish easements.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers for conservation practices that protect soil, water quality and wildlife habitat. The program is open to agricultural producers on agricultural and forest lands. Flat rate payments are available for over 100 farm and forestland practices, with contracts lasting 1-10 years. Apply for EQIP at any time throughout the year.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) – CSP is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial incentives to encourage the maintenance and improvement of existing conservation practices on private agricultural and nonindustrial forest lands. Incentives also support the adoption of additional conservation activities, including wildlife practices. Apply for CSP at any time throughout the year.
Conservation Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CRP and CREP) – CRP and CREP assist landowners or operators who set aside cropland (or pasture that is adjacent to streams) with annual rental payments throughout the contract period. Continuous CRP is an ongoing non-competitive sign up which includes practices such as grass buffers, windbreaks, waterways and wetland restoration. Cost sharing for practice installation is provided as well as other incentives. Whole field practices include tree planting, grass cover, and establishment of prairie and oak savanna. Land eligibility varies by soil type and crop history. Contracts last for 10-15 years. CRP and CREP are Farm Service Agency programs with NRCS providing technical assistance.
Web Soil Survey (websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov) – Web Soil Survey offers easy access to soil survey maps, reports and interpretive data. Soils information is the key to better wildlife, forestry and land use planning.
For more information about these and other NRCS conservation programs, visit www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov
Graphic design/production by Jeffrey J. Strobel, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center, and Brooke Wentland.
Editing by Jessica Price, UW-Extension Environmental Resources Center.Photo above: Yellow-headed blackbird, Jeffrey J. Strobel
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
To order a copy, visit
or call 608-250-9971
WWA is a member-supported, non-profit conservation organization
dedicated to the protection, restoration and enjoyment of wetlands and associated
ecosystems through science-based programs, education and advocacy.
wisconsinwetlands.org
Whether you enjoy hunting, wildlife and bird watching, or simply the scenic view of your wetland, the My Healthy Wetland handbook can help you learn about and care for your wetland, including actions you can take to keep your wetland healthy and teeming with wildlife. Published in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Although this first edition focuses
on eastern Wisconsin, much of its information is relevant to any wetland in Wisconsin.
This 96-page handbook is available for free to landowners with property in counties along Lake Michigan thanks to support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Other landowners can purchase the handbook for just $5 plus shipping.
wisconsinwetlands.org/MyHealthyWetlandHandbook.htm
