Between Covid-19, recession, political and racial anger, drought, and power failures, this charming year reminds us that nothing is static. Ouch. The eastern Connecticut biota that we attempt to preserve and protect is dynamically responding to climate-induced change. But before we get too grim, let’s review what we each noticed in flora and fauna behavior in 2020. Compare notes, class: what did you see this season? And how does it stack up to other years? I’m serious – please reply. Let’s be a community.
How about the lack of mosquitoes? Even during the reasonably wet spring, we were able to sit outside at dusk like no other year. And it continued through the dry summer and fall. For me, ticks followed the same pattern, mostly missing, except for the flurry of tiny (TINY) nymphs in midsummer. Yellow jackets were September pests at the hummingbird feeder, but as has been the case for a decade or so, I have found no ground nests by accident while mowing the lawn. Hmm: This was three good things in a row that may mean unforeseen bad consequences.
Birds were great. Lots of successful babies fledged, including the Barred Owls, whose (usually) three kids provide early July entertainment most years. With all the dead standing trees around, waiting to host bugs and ants, will woodpecker populations increase? Owls? Flying squirrels?
Things have gotten personal with the coyotes; there is a den nearby now. They took out a neighbor’s cat. They show up in the back yard. They never lived so close before; the power line seems like the travel route they have followed from the farms nearby. Wonder if that’s why there are fewer chipmunks too?
I sampled a bunch of Joshua’s Trust area spring-fed seasonal brook temperatures this spring, and found they averaged about 62F. After they ran into permanent streams (Eastbrook, Chapin Brook, Schoolhouse Brook), they were more like 68F. Marginal. By September, I was afraid to even look back. They were probably dry, and the native brook trout that have survived in many of those places may now be gone.
Those weeks in midsummer where first the baby toads, then the baby pickerel frogs, are hopping everywhere, didn’t happen here. How was it in your ecosystem? Young ring-necked snakes found their way into my cellar as usual.
Acorns were falling already in August; they’re small and adversely impacted by the drought. What effect will that have on mice, chipmunks, and squirrels, and therefore on the tick population next spring? Great looking, colorful, but far too early fall. With all the dead bare oaks, maples looked great. Will they take over in certain pockets of forest, making local leaves more colorful? Will new holes in the canopy have positive effects on nesting migratory birds? Or negative ones, leaving room for more invasive plants? Agree or disagree -what do you think? What did you see?
In memory of Fran Funk
~George Jacobi
We were out hiking locally a great deal this year, and enjoyed many Joshua’s Trust trails. What have we noticed? Pond levels were notably low this summer, perhaps lower than we’ve ever seen before. We also encountered an exceptionally large number of fallen trees and limbs on our hikes. No gypsy moth caterpillars this year, thank goodness, but I think some of the Oak casualties may have resulted from multiple infestations in previous years. We have been seeing more black vultures here recently, and we’re catching some fish in CT that previously tended to be in warmer climes. Saw lots of wildlife this year – frogs, turtles, birds, deer, beavers, muskrats, and one bobcat. Great birdwatching in 2020. Saw several bald eagles this year!
We have raspberry canes that bloom early summer late fall. There were very few pollinators for the early crop,nothing worth picking. The fall crop was much better with pollinators aplenty.
There is hardly any mast on the lawn this fall.
I also saw more bald eagles this year.
We spent a lot more time outdoors. In the spring with our 4 year old granddaughter – it was so much fun to show her the skunk cabbage and the early spring flora. The moles and voles in our yard seemed more active than other years given the number of trails; and the chipmunks left as many holes or more than last year.
Even with the low rainfall, our little area of Mansfield had enough rain to keep the stream running (very low) – it never dried up as it has in other years. We took the tape off of the oaks from last year as we saw no gypsy moths, and all our trees made it back this year. Looking forward to the upcoming winter surprises!