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Reported on November 5th, 2001
Fall flowers are still blooming: Yellow wingstem, a few thistles and goldenrod, and some tough Gaillardias and Coreopsis. Visit Redbud Valley's prairies after a rain to search for Zephyr lilies, a.k.a. Eveningstar rain-lilies (Cooperia drummondii.) This is also the season to find Nodding ladies' tresses orchids (Spiranthes cernua) among the prairie grasses. Let us know if you see any!
Fall foliage report: The peak of fall color may happen around mid-November
this year. Most of us consider the peak week to be when there are just about as
many green branches as bare ones, with a lot of color on those leaves that are
turning. Poison ivy leaflets are especially beautiful. Remember, fall color can
also happen with prairie grasses, and with fall fruits, too.
Butterflies:
There are surprising numbers of butterflies still active. We are finding
freshly emerged Monarchs and Viceroys, as well as a Painted Lady and a Gray
Hairstreak here and there. The North Woods is a favorite habitat of Phaon
Crescents in late October, early November. Skippers are numerous, especially
Sachems and Fiery Skippers. Eufala Skippers and Ocola Skippers can be found on
late-blooming wildflowers.
Other insects and arthropods: Crickets and grasshoppers are busy at Meadowlark Prairie. Spiders of many kinds are creating webs made spectacular on foggy mornings. A spider-relative, the Daddy Longleg, is abundant in early November. Note: Daddy Longlegs, or Harvestmen, are not true spiders, having no neck or waist to divide the body into two parts and having only 2 eyes instead of 6-8. We've been hearing a resurgence of the myth that the Daddy Longlegs is "the most venomous or poisonous of all animals, but is unable to bite us with its tiny mouth." According to the Entomology Department at the University of California-Riverside, these members of the order Opiliones do not have any venom glands or venom fangs. They can and do shed a strongly scented liquid when frightened, which may discourage predators, but there have never been any studies to determine if the liquid is anything more than a mild irritant.
Herps: Sunny days bring River Cooters and Red-eared Pond Sliders (water turtles) out to bask on creek banks and logs. A late-calling Gray Treefrog adds comments to lessons at the Teaching Shelter on warm days.
Birds: An immature Rock Wren visiting the feeding area at the Interpretive Building since November 1 has caused human visitors to drop in from all over the state to see it. Sparrows are now very common. All three of the streaked ground-scratchers- Lincoln's Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Fox Sparrow- have been to the feeders. Another two ground-scratchers- Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee- are also present. Screech owls have been reported in mid-Tulsa at several locations; their wavery calls can be heard at sunset near Swan Lake.
Mammals: On October 30, a bobcat looked in the windows of Oxley's Interpretive Building! Now is the time to watch for scraped bark on small trees; "buck-rub" is what we call the places where white-tailed deer have stripped the velvet from their antlers by scraping them on saplings and bushes.
Sky: The first Full Moon of the month happened on November 1; the second one, a "Blue Moon," will happen on November 30. Venus is brilliant in the east before sunrise, and has been doing a "dance" with fainter yellowish-red Mercury. By late November, Jupiter and Saturn can both be found in the easten sky in the evening. A solar flare the first weekend in November created wide-spread auroras that were observed by lucky viewers the evening of November 5. Look for a red glow in the northern sky that may pulse or shift in brightness; it is very rare to see a green aurora this far south. You will have better luck spotting an aurora if you have a sky dark enough to see the Milky Way. Check the internet for discussion groups sharing aurora observations and predicting possibilities of seeing another aurora.