Weekly Wanderings: June 6

Monday, June 6, 2022

June 6

Here I am, once again, in the Maple River State Game Area, about 4 miles northeast of my last encounter with the Maple River. The early morning is sunny and warm (mid-70’s) with a stiff south wind as I gaze at the flowing water while listening to a chorus of birdsongs. Nearby, a basking Painted Turtle catches my eye. Soon my attention is drawn to a resting Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly. This species is so named because they often fly close to the surface waters of rivers and lakes. Like all adult dragonflies, they eat smaller flying insects such as mosquitoes and flies but will also take down damselflies and moths. It is said that a single adult can eat over one hundred mosquitos per day. Exploring the muddy shoreline, I spot a ¼ Scorpion Fly surrounded by caterpillar-like Aspen Catkins. Despite its name, a Scorpion Fly is neither venomous nor does it bite or sting humans. Males use their curled, scorpion-like tail for reproduction, and their cone-like long mouthparts for feeding, (stock photo). Continuing to explore the mud flats, I come upon a stash of 4-inch empty Mussel shells, most likely left by a feeding raccoon. Next, I spot a large, coiled spiral shell in the mud, most likely from an invasive Chinese Mystery Snail. They are called “mystery” snails because females give birth to young, fully developed snails that suddenly and “mysteriously” appear. Native to Asia, they were imported by the aquarium trade and accidently released in the wild. They can clog water-intake pipes, transmit diseases and parasites to fish and other wildlife and compete with native snails for food and habitat. Up ahead, I pause to watch a ¼-inch Spotted Lady Beetle crawl over a log searching for food which could be pollen grains, aphids or mites. After checking out someone’s primitive shelter, I turn around and head back where I catch the tail end of a Grater Snake retreating into the underbrush. Approaching the car, I spot a 1-inch, needle-thin Stream Bluet Damselfly. After spending much of their life under water in the larval stage as a naiad (stock photo) feeding on vegetation, they molt, crawl out of the water, molt again to form wings and fly off. As carnivorous adults, they feed on small flying insects including, mosquitoes, moths and flies. Near the car, blossoms I spot include Buttercup, Wild Strawberry and Daisy Fleabane. Like other fleabane wildflowers, this one’s common name comes from the superstition that these plants could be used to rid a dwelling of fleas. In fact, they attract insects rather than repelling them. It’s an excellent host for a variety of butterflies and moths and all sorts of beetles and bugs that sip its nectar and munch its leaves.