WILDLIFE OF THE WEEK
Palm Warblers: Genuine Snowbirds
This past week, I headed to Orlando, Florida for Thanksgiving, and was welcomed by the usual array of impressive wildlife that inhabits the state year-round. Florida presents an odd juxtaposition of heavy tourist development and a diverse and dynamic flora and fauna. A casual visit to any neighborhood park could conjure up wood storks, alligators, ibises, or coyotes. But one animal caught my eye this time around, one who, like me, is just here for a quick Winter visit: the palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum). These tiny travelers nest in cold taiga forests of the far North, primarily in Canada but also in Northern Maine and Michigan. They’re very unusual among warblers, which are beautiful springtime songbirds, in that many of them spend the Winter right here in the U.S., rather than journeying further afield to Central or South America. Also, rather than spending their time high in the tree canopy like their kin, they prefer to be low to the ground. In Winter, they’re happy to hop around lawns and neighborhoods in search of insects and are ubiquitous in city parks, golf courses, front yards, and highway medians throughout Florida. A cute, bouncy, and cheerful companion, the palm warbler makes great use of Florida’s diverse habitats, also showing up in ponds and wetlands, where it will snatch bugs from the water’s surface or from floating vegetation. A cheerful combination of lemon yellow with warm beige and chestnut brown, these handsome warblers have a distinctive habit of bobbing their tails while they go about their busy hoppings-about. What a contrast their sunny Florida days must be to the spruce bogs in Northern Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba where so many of these visitors probably hatched!
A handsome palm warbler working its way across a lawn in Florida. Photo from iNaturalist.
A palm warbler perched atop a lawn sprinkler—a common sight in Florida! Photo from Mike’s Birds on Wikimedia commons.
FEATURED BLOG POST
Nine Plants That Stay Green in Winter
Although the Winter season isn’t here quite yet, I always take comfort in considering how even in cold climates, there is plenty of green around if you know where to look. This week’s featured blog post touches on 9 plant groups that keep their verdant colors year-round, and which can provide a much needed taste of lively green during long winter months. Examples range from familiar pines and firs (of Christmas tree fame!) to Lycopodium, tiny forest floor-dwellers that are the descendants of Jurassic giants, and Wintergreen, an understated, handsome little plant responsible for the popular chewing gum flavor. Check out this post to get the inside scoop on where you might find a refreshing splash of green this Winter, and please share with friends and fellow nature-lovers!
NATURALIST WORD OF THE WEEK
Geocarpy (n.) - the production of fruit or seeds underground. This extremely rare style of plant reproduction if exhibited by only a few species, but these include one familiar name: peanuts! Despite flowering aboveground, peanuts grow their fruit beneath the soil, which can only be harvested by uprooting the plant. In peanuts, geocarpy likely evolved as a way to protect the nuts from being eaten by certain ground-dwelling animals, or to keep them from getting transported to unfavorable locations by soil movement during rains.
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