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Revised 02/27/08 |
Michigan Botanical
Club
KirkKelDel Field Trip Our May field trip was at Olivet’s delightful KirkKelDel research area in southwestern Eaton County. Led by Pat Fields we enjoyed a long morning exploring a variety of habitats on the 40-acre parcel just north of town owned by Olivet College. The site name was formed by adding the names of Kirt who sold the property to the college at a moderate price and the Kellogg Foundation that aided in the purchase. The last part of the name stands for Dynamic Ecological Laboratory. Dynamic it is for its varied habitat on this relatively small tract. Pat took us to an open meadow, spring pond, upland forest, prairie remnant, large pond, and ending at Pine Lake at the north east of this tract. In one part of the upland forest there were clusters of plants Bob Peebles suspects are American Colombo! They’re still hanging on as the woods closes over them. One odd fact of Eaton County is the lack of documented plants. A look at the county dot maps in “Voss” makes this point quite clear. One site that is being used to develop a plant list is this dynamic ecological laboratory site. Acess through this acreage is a two-track running north off of Bass Line Road and turning east ending near Pine Lake. One drawback is “night visitors” who build camp fires and from time to time leave unwanted household items. Pat Fields has diligently hauled out a variety of such discarded items. For the nine folks attending our Saturday field trip, 6 members and 3 guests, this was certainly an interesting experience. Submitted by Ron Priest, 23 May 2005 Mary Leys, Her 5-Story Atrium, Bugs, And Me It started as a request for an insect ID. Mary Leys submitted several live moths to Howard Russell, Insect Diagnostician, at MSU. Since he knew of my focus on small moths he passed them along to me. With nearly three thousand moth species documented in Michigan and eighteen thousand species in other orders, its reasonable to give specimens to a specialist when available. From one specimen, a pair of wings and its genitalia were removed, stained, and slide mounted. That allowed me to reduce potential species to about 500. Still, nothing looked familiar. I contacted Mary and suggested we meet to examine the area she had found the moths.
Mary is Head Groundskeeper for the Accident Fund, Insurance Fund of America in downtown Lansing. Her primary responsibility is maintaining a magnificent 5-story atrium filled with tropical plants. Each floor has open conference areas that extend out over this plant filled landscape. We headed to the second floor where she had seen most of the moths. Before we entered the plant section, protected by floor to ceiling glass walls, we were required to wear shoulder harnesses. Upon entering the plant area we attached our harnesses to a cable protecting us from a potentially disastrous fall. Our search turned up no obvious insect damage. Mary mentioned she might have a spider population in the soil, a most significant clue. Upon racking the soil surface I found webbing to be very common. These webs were actually branched tubes constructed by caterpillars. Five caterpillars were recovered. With moths, their suspected caterpillars, and their larval habits, I was able to identify the moths as an European species, Oegoconia quadripuncta, (Haworth) in the family Symmocidae. Their caterpillars feed on plant detritus, not attacking live plants and the moths are quite secretive except when flushed. This may be an easy “pest” to control. Surprising to me, this species has previously been recorded in Michigan. The obvious question to Mary, “When can you lead our chapter on an atrium field trip?” It would be an exceptional delight in the dead of winter. Mary promised to look into the possibility but cautioned that with heightened security, we may not have access after normal business hours. She hopes she can make some arrangement. Looking out over 5 floors of tropical plants would be a unique experience not easily forgotten. Submitted by Ron Priest, 23 May 2005 You will recall that Chuck Pierce gave us a helpful talk Last year on digital camera photography. Chuck responded to our request for newsletter input from members with four beautiful painted trillium pictures taken this spring in St. Clair County. To see them go to his web site at: http://www.carsoncity.k12.mi.us/~hsstudent/wildflowers00/liliaceae/paintedtrilliumFS.html Below, left, is one of them taken by fellow Red Cedar member and Chuck’s wife, Dianne Pierce.
Many of you know Hope Rankin and her work in Beal Garden at MSU. She was a guest on the May field trip to KirkKelDel. Above, right, is one of the digital pictures she took and graciously shared with us on a digital disk. June Field Trip: More fun with fungi! In our April program, Fun With Fungi Heather Hallen-Allen gave us a comprehensive overview of fungi and promised to lead us to see local examples in June. On Saturday, June 11, 10 AM, we will meet in the parking lot of the Plant Biology Building and car pool to a selected site. July Field Trip: Put July 16, 10 AM on your calendar for a repeat trip to the Clifford Prairie Restoration Project. August: Red Cedar Chapter Potluck, BBQ, Pool Party: Saturday evening, August 13 at the Wesselman’s. Details will follow in the July newsletter. Our hats are off to the Southeastern Chapter. Anyway you look at it, the 2005 Foray was a big success! Saving the Environment The Sunday evening MBC Spring Foray program by Phyllis J. Higman gave us a comprehensive view of the thinking being done by Michigan Natural Features Inventory to work with developers to preserve natural assets as an essential ingredient of future development in Oakland county. The June 6 edition of Newsweek includes an article, Investing in Green in which ecologist, Gretchen Daily proposes that ...”the way to make conservation work is to look at farms and forests as “ecological assets” that must not be squandered.” She wants us to ...”look beyond buying up land (which becomes) little islands of wilderness floating in a hostile sea of development... We need, as well, to promote an understanding of how developers can profit by preserving natural assets.” She makes the case that development is going to happen. Preservation efforts require a better understanding of how biodiversity pays off when development plans include it. The Meridian Township recently solicited plans for future development in the township. Each of three plans submitted had natural conservation as an integral part of the plan. Is this a perspective a botany club should help foster? Perhaps we should begin now to learn as much as we can about how development can be more biodiversity friendly and do what we can to promote it. Invitation From the Wild Ones: Mark Ritzenhein, president of the local Wild Ones, has invited Red Cedar Botanical Club Members to join the Wild Ones in a canoe excursion. The June Meeting of the Red Cedar Chapter of the Wild Ones will be our annual member's get-together. This year will be a canoe trip on the Grand River, at Onondaga, and the chapter has decided to invite the recipients of the e-mail list as well as members of the Michigan Botanical Club's local Red Cedar Chapter. The canoe excursion will take place at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 11, 2005. Please drive yourself, and arrive by 9:30 am. We will meet at the home of Russ Bodell and Family, Grand Adventures Canoe and Kayak Livery, 4590 Onondaga Rd, Onondaga, MI 49264 (517) 628-3046. From Lansing, take US-127 South (currently being re-paved, so if you have an alternate route, feel free to use it), to the Leslie exit, Bellevue Road. Take Bellevue Road 6 miles West, to Onondaga Road. Turn South on Onondaga Rd; the boat launch will be just before crossing the bridge into the village of Onondaga, on the West side of the road. App. 30-minute drive from Lansing. There are several options available for trip length. The shortest is about one-and-a-half hours, and I have decided that this is the best choice for our group at this point. If others want a three-hour paddle, then let me know. It might be better if we all went on the same route together, however. Individuals will be responsible for rental charges. There is a small discount for group rates, which does not apply to kayaks ($20 kayak, $27 canoe). Livery service is available for those who wish to bring their own craft ($5-10). Life vests will be provided. Bring sunscreen and insect repellent; waterproof your valuables; bring a hat and loose fitting, light clothing; bring sunglasses for glare (hope it's sunny!). Bring your own lunch and drink, if you want. Any questions? Ask now. Please reconfirm with me by e-mail or phone that you are attending. My cell phone number is (517) 290-6320 (private). Regards, Mark Ritzenhein, President, Red Cedar Chapter of Wild Ones
Mark S.
Ritzenhein
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