I had planned to write a diary on the possible ecological effects of the oil spill on coastal ecosystems this week but life intervened. So look for that next week. It could be said that the Gulf is 'in my backyard' so I thought I would diary briefly about what is in my 'real' backyard and what you might find in yours. We're going to have a lighter version of 'A More Ancient World' for its sophomore outing.
The wild turkeys in the above picture were in the backyard of my previous home in Urbana, Illinois. They were the largest of over 80 bird species that we recorded from our yard in the 7.5 years we lived there. This diary is going to deal with the diversity of life that you can find right outside your door.
When I stepped outside to get a better picture of the turkeys the male approached until he was literally just outside the door (and I was back inside).
A lot of backyard diversity is introduced species. And native species that do well in human modified habitats such as this mockingbird. This species likes a 'parkland' environment in which trees and open spaces are intermixed. Sounds like many suburban neighborhoods. Actually my neighborhood has too many trees and we don't have a huge number of these guys.
But a surprising amount of biodiversity around our homes is part of the more ancient world, organisms that have been living there for eons and have taken our modifications in stride. Careful observation will reveal a lot more than you might think.
Birders keeping 'yard lists' is quite common. I have attempted to keep track of the vertebrate species seen at each of the three houses my wife and I have lived in over the past 15 years.
Our first home was in Phoenix, in an old neighborhood in the heart of the city. In five years we logged only 30 bird species, 2 reptiles (one introduced), and no mammals or amphibians. I desert-scaped the front yard with many native plant species but we were too distant from any 'natural' habitat for most things to reach us.
In Urbana the situation was reversed. The surrounding countryside was the 'great corn desert' and town was a leafy oasis. It was also on a major migratory flyway which accounted for much of the bird diversity. We had no reptiles but two amphibians and about 10 mammal species.
When we moved again we selected our new home in part because of the opportunity to live with wildlife while staying fairly close to work. Birding from the yard consisted of opportunities like this.
I know that most people aren't as lucky as I am in terms of being able to see eagles from their kitchen window. But there is a lot biological diversity almost everywhere - you just need to be able to find it.
These narrow-mouthed toads spend much of their lives living underground, feeding on ants. We can hear them calling after rains, bleating like unhappy sheep. I would never see them except that I have to rescue one occasionally from our pool.
A more obvious cold-blooded visitor is this black racer, one of four snake species seen in my yard.
Other reptilian visitors include this Florida Cooter which hiked a couple of hundred yards up from the lake to dig her nest along the side of the road. Unfortunately virtually all such nests are found immediately by predators.
One industrious female turtle managed to make it into our backyard and her nest actually produced hatchlings - I rescued three and transported them down to the lake
The above creatures only occupy our yard transiently. Others live there permanently like this anole, probably my favorite yard animal.
Or they live in the yard for the great majority of their lives, moving closer to the water to breed, like this green treefrog. Both of these species evolved to live on trees and shrubs and find human structures an excellent substitute.
Fewer people live surrounded by this kind of wildlife than was once the case. But there is still a lot more out there than most people realize. For example, an abundant but seldom seen resident of wooded neighborhoods is the screech owl. You can barely see this one up in the tree.
So far I have only talked about animals. In part that reflects the interest of the average person. But it also reflects the fact that people place plants deliberately in their yards. So the diversity is usually a construct. I encourage some native plants such as this cross vine which will attract insects.
While I discourage others such poison ivy.
I imagine some of you sitting around saying 'well that's all very well for this mole guy. He's got eagles perched across the street and alligators out his kitchen window. But I live in a high rise.'
No matter where you live there are still living things around. Bacteria in your gut, mites in your eyelash follicles, mites living on the dust in your home but the millions. Insects virtually everywhere. Reminders that although we have created a new world for ourselves we remain imbedded in the older one, part of a network of species interactions.
Here are some of the larger insects in my yard. For everyone of these giants there are dozens if not hundreds of smaller species.
Cicada - the size of a hummingbird
Lovebugs - actually a type of fly.
An all female species of mantis that looks like a walkingstick insect.
Butterfly
I've seen this amazing species of scarab beetle twice
Dragonflies forage in the yard regularly when they are not breeding down by the water.
And I'm going to finish off with a couple of the more amazing creatures in my yard. Paper wasps have small colonies compared to ants or honeybees but their nests are beautiful and out in the open so you can observe their behavior. As long as you don't touch the nest they are not aggressive (my camera was only a few inches from the colony).
And among my very favorites are these golden silk spiders. The largest non-tarantula spiders in North America, they are the only new world species in a group found mostly in the old world tropics. The females don't really look real - they look like garish toy spiders. Their webs can be 4 or 5 feet wide and the threads are quite strong. We have three in our yard right now.
The males are tiny relative to the females and several males will live in a colony with a single female. The small size of the males may reflect selection for agility in avoiding capture by the female. The large dark object in this picture is a captured prey item.