Also In this Issue

Beaver Creek Wetlands Association

The Spotted TurtleVolume 27, No. 1 Winter 2013

www.beavercreekwetlands.org

President’s Message .....................2News & Photo Contest ..............3-4Volunteer Report ..........................5Emerald Ash Borer ....................6-7Monarch Tagging .........................8Seed Collection ............................9Little Beaver Creek Prairie ........10Mystery Plant .............................10

CalendarWinter Hike at Siebenthaler FenSaturday, Feb 9, 10 am

Annual MeetingHilton Garden Inn, Beavercreek 3520 Pentagon Park Blvd.Friday, May 17, 2013, 6:30 pm

Check our website for special events and volunteer opportunities

25th Annual Meeting – A Celebration!Honored speaker: Robert C. Glotzhober Retired Senior Curator, Natural History, Ohio Historical Society

Bob Glotzhober finds almost any area of natural history of interest and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the wonders of nature with groups. He worked for 33 years with the Ohio Historical Society until his recent retirement. During that time he planned educational programs in natural history, wrote text for several exhibits, authored numerous articles for both popular and scientific audi-ences, coordinated land management at OHS’s natural areas, led public hikes, gave educational talks, was involved with recovery of bones from Pleistocene mammals, and coordinated a state-wide survey of dragonflies and damselflies.

Previous to coming to OHS he spent three years working as a natural-ist for the National Wildlife Federa-tion, one year as a naturalist with the Michigan Audubon Society, and three years teaching high school biology and general science in New York and Minnesota. Glotzhober has a BS in Education from Concordia Teacher’s College in Seward, Nebraska and a MS in Zoology from Michigan State University. He is a member of several local, state and national conservation and scientific organizations.

People and Hikes of the Past Season

Last fall’s Eco-Summit at Ohio State University visited the Beaver Creek Wetlands. Most participants were from Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia and beyond. On another hike water resources specialists came from a three state area (see page 12). We also led training hikes for Glen Helen Natural-ists, BCWA volunteer groups, local scouts and Wright State students.

Pictured at left: the OSU EcoSummit participants explore Siebenthaler FenPhoto by Richard Swigart

Continued on page 7 >

2 Spotted Turtle—Winter 2013

President’s Message

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Children and Nature

Several people have recently sug-gested that I read “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder.” I have heard the stories. Kids are discon-nected from the natural world, send-ing kids outside to play is increas-ingly difficult with video games and media exploited fears of the ‘outside’ and there is less and less access to natural areas. The argument is that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development, reduction in obesity and other mala-dies that impact the wired generation of today.

Although it is hard for me to wrap my mind around the issues, having a mother that never let me

waste away my time indoors and acted like she didn’t care what I was doing as long as it was outside (I know she cared), I think I will pick up and read this book over my upcoming vaca-tion. This book seems well accepted as a good presentation of the struggles parents face and the ways we can help children and the community get more connected to nature.

The Beaver Creek Wetlands Asso-ciation gets numerous requests for pro-grams and hikes for groups of children of all ages. We have recently provided programs for home-schooled children, scouts and science classes. We have offered opportunities for Eagle Scout projects and college course require-ments. Throughout the year, BCWA hosts many programs from hikes in the wetlands to tagging Monarch butter-flies. We also highlight all programs offered by Greene County Parks and

Trails that occur within the Beaver Creek Wetlands corridor.

There are currently 11 reserves in the Beaver Creek Wetlands that families can explore to get in touch with nature. Chances are that you frequently pass one of these reserves as you go about your busy life. Please visit and enjoy these wonder-ful places. Check our schedule at www.beavercreekwetlands.org for upcoming events and, if we can help out with a program, give us a call or send me an email.

See you in the wetlands!Rob EvansBCWA President

Below: Trustee Mike Zimmerman shows a Girl Scout Brownie troop what he has caught in his net during a hike at Siebenthaler Fen.

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News

Photos by Richard Swigart

Hagenbuch and his family, many years ago. Tight budgets allowed the preserve to become overrun with a number of undesirable plants, but work done by BCWA this summer and fall has made amazing improve-ments. A new master plan is being formulated and BCWA will take over the day-to-day management and monitoring of the area with the help of the remnant ODNR staff.

Like many wetlands around Beavercreek this natural area is fed by groundwater and many places within it are identified as fen. The plant diversity is great with many unusual plants. Its location imme-diately adjacent to Creekside Trail west of North Fairfield Road makes it visible without entry or trails that would do it harm. With the clearing done by BCWA between the bike-way and Zimmerman Prairie we now have a beautiful vista for all who use the Creekside trail.

Planting Pawpaws and other cool stuff

This past year we have been doing quite a bit of management at Koogler Reserve. Richard Swi-gart dug up and potted a bunch of Pawpaws a while back, and this fall they were ready to plant. Pawpaws like to be moist, but not wet, and often are a bit away from a stream, sometimes on a moist slope. We found a place like that not far from the observation deck and have our fingers crossed that we might one day see them fruit.

Earlier in the year, using mate-rial from MEEC (Marianist Environ-mental Education Center) provided by Don Geiger, we planted swamp roses in the midst of a non-native sweetflag patch to see if the roses would out-compete the sweetflag. Don also provided buttonbushes and shrubby cinquefoil that we scattered in around the reserve to increase diversity. The buttonbush plants may be particularly important at Koogler Reserve and may replace ashes and cottonwood trees lost to either flooding (beavers) or the emerald ash borer. Some other plantings went to our conservation easement in the southern corridor and we planted seeds in a patch where we earlier removed invasive Phragmites aka common reed.

Wright State Bio Club volunteers plant pawpaws.

Disaster at Hagenbuch Reserve & CreeksideCrews clearing access to DP&L power lines between Creekside Trail and US35 wiped out numerous plant-ings and many, many hours of management carried out by BCWA and MEEC volunteers. In the photos you can see how vegetation was ground down to and even below the surface. DP&L owns an easement that allows this clearing, but this is far more damaging than has been seen before, and was not really necessary as part of the access to the power lines and towers. Talks are underway to prevent this problem in the future. We

will attempt to establish a written agreement on the management of these green corridors along the bike-way and in other locations within the greater Beaver Creek Wetlands system.

Ohio Preserves Need HelpBudget cuts have made the job of

protecting Ohio’s natural resources an ongoing challenge. The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP) under the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has been essentially elimi-nated and much of the conservation land it was sworn to protect has been parceled out to other parts of ODNR. The loss of staff with expertise in natural area management has been severe. Dedicated people, most of them leaders in natural resource pro-tection have formed the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association, a non-profit organization, to fill in where current state personnel are unable to meet the needs of conservation. Check out their web page at www.onapa.org to see what you can do to help.

BCWA is helping by maintaining the DNAP preserve called Zimmerman Prairie. This wet prairie was donated by one of our founders, the late Bill

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BCWA’s 25th Anniversary Photo ContestShare your photos to help celebrate our 25th anniversary in 2013! BCWA announces a photo contest to highlight the beauty of the wet-lands corridor and help celebrate a quarter century of work to protect and restore this unique space. The contest is open to members and non-members. We seek photos of all seasons showing anything found in the wetlands: wildlife, flowers, landscapes, insects, birds, people or anything else you find interesting. Entry deadline is March 31, 2013, with judging in April. Winners will be announced on the website and newsletter. All submissions must be 8” x 10” (landscape or portrait style) prints labeled with name, address, phone number, and e-mail address, plus the date of the photo and loca-tion in the Beaver Creek Wetlands where it was taken. If identifiable people are shown, permission to use their likeness is needed, particularly with children. Photos should be in the highest resolution possible, and a digital version will be required from the winners.

Mail prints to BCWA Photo, Contest, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301. Prints will be returned only if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided. Submission of photos indicates willingness to allow use

for a calendar or in our newsletter.

An exhibit of the winning entries is planned for the May 2013 annual meeting. Winning photos will be published in a 2014 BCWA calendar to be available in summer of 2013.

So, get out into the wetlands now and don’t forget your camera!

DonationsIn the fall edition of this newsletter, an article entitled “Conquering an Alien Invader” detailed the challenge of managing non-native sweet flag, which has invaded area wetlands, and how success was finally achieved by utilizing large tarps and old swimming pool covers to solarize dense stands of it. This manage-ment technique is also being utilized on patches of Phragmites, another wetland invasive species.

Accompanying this article was a request for donations of these materials. BCWA received dona-tions from the following people: Bob and Wendy Kirchoff of Bea-vercreek—two large pool covers, Gregg and Jennifer DeVilbiss of Beavercreek—a large (and very heavy!) pool cover, Michael and Michele Foley of Beavercreek—a large canvas tent, and Mickey Gibson of Huber Heights—a large canvas tarp. Thank you! These materials will be recycled for invasive plant control at various wetland sites in the spring. As there is now a stockpile of these materials, BCWA is no longer accepting additional donations of this kind, but stay tuned.

Additionally we thank Joe and Rusty Lehman for construction of a wellhead protector at the constructed fen site at Beaver Creek Wildlife Area, and John Deal (Deal’s Land-scaping) for some tree wraps we used to protect oaks on the prairie at Fairborn Marsh.

Left: damage by deer to oaks in the prairie

Right: fall color of oak planted as a seedling about 10 years ago.

Upcoming ActivitiesWinter Hike Mark your calendar February 9th 10 AM at Siebenthaler Fen parking lot for a Winter Hike.

Knollwood Garden Party Date and details to come nearer to this an-nual springtime event

Spring Planting Starting about the second week of April we hope to be planting greenhouse grown plugs of wetland plants at one of our prime res-toration sites. Let us know if you are interested in helping. We are talking about hundreds or thousands of plants!

Membership Renewals The Annual Meeting signals our annual membership renewal time. See if you can get friends to become members.

Beetles We will head for Lake Erie to collect Galerucella beetles to continue our work on control of purple loosestrife. Probably in early May – watch for info on our web page.

Monitoring Survey Work needed. If you would like to become a leader in providing critical information and have the time to devote to it let us know. Several areas listed below can provide us with information that helps us take good care of the wetlands. We need people who can commit enough time and have or are willing to learn the expertise to run these studies and perhaps rally helpers to accomplish the task they chose. Let us know if you want to give us help like this.

Christmas Bird CountBreeding Bird SurveyMigratory Bird Count (Birdathon; April/May)Reptiles and Am-phibiansAquatic Invertebrates Spiders SurveyButterflies and MothsDragonflies and DamselfliesPlant diseasesPlant invadersTrash and dumping reports

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Volunteer Activity Report

The primary focus of autumn land management activity in the Beaver Creek Wetlands was honeysuckle control and seed collection for restora-tion purposes.

The Saturday morning volunteer crew assists with land management on five different properties along the Lit-tle Beaver Creek. Most of the activity this fall was focused on Zimmerman Prairie, where volunteers removed the all too common woody invasives—honeysuckle, autumn olive, privet, Callery pear—plus any trees growing in the prairie, especially under the power transmission lines. Most of the cut woody material was dragged to the fence line along the bike trail, which is the driest part of the property, and a Fecon was brought in to shred it. Seed was collected at this site to be sown in the winter on the areas left bare after invasive removal. At Little Beaver Creek Prairie, the small honeysuckle was treated with foliar spray, and the remaining large honeysuckle was cut and treated. A patch of native shrub wahoo was liberated from honey-suckle and grapevines. The hundreds of young trees planted at Creekside Reserve during the restoration in 2010 received attention—weeds were cleared and tree wraps were installed for winter protection. In addition, a patch of Phragmites on the US35 side of the park was cut and treated. Sweetflag control continued at the Hershner property—surviving rhizomes were dug out (this is messy work!) and seeds were collected on site and sown immediately on the bare areas after the tarps and pool covers used to solarize large patches of sweet-flag were removed. Volunteers also performed some maintenance chores at Hagenbuch Reserve—weeds were removed from around the newly planted shrubs and a large sycamore tree that fell across the creek was par-tially removed to prevent the under-mining of the bank adjacent to the bike trail. Working under the direction of Don Geiger, the Little Beaver Creek crew included Deb Adams, Jim Amon,

Nancy Bain, Skip Beehler, Ann Byrd, Bill Byrd, Jim Byrd, Matt Cary, Aaron Deckard, Lois Gschwender, Dan Karr, Debbie Karr, Steven Lesiecki, Jim Schneider, Richard Swigart, and Tom Whitman.

Volunteers could be found work-ing at many other sites in the wetlands corridor. There was a larger than expected infestation of purple loose-strife hidden among the willows at the northernmost meander of the creek at Beaver Creek Wetlands Nature Reserve (aka “the mitigation area”). Several afternoons were spent collect-ing mature seed heads that were then destroyed off-site, preventing down-stream distribution of large quantities of seed of this wetland invader. At Siebenthaler Fen, boardwalk main-tenance and repair were needed, while at Fairborn Marsh volunteers worked on seed collection, honeysuckle control, weeding around shrubs previ-ously planted, clearing honeysuckle from the fence line at the park en-trance, liberating a stand of American hazelnut, and cleaning up after Fecon work. At Koogler Wetland/Prairie Reserve, the primary land manage-ment activities were seed collection, trail and boardwalk maintenance and even repair—one of new benches was damaged by a falling tree. Pawpaws were planted along the edge of the strip of woods and the fen and redbuds were planted along the New Germany Trebein Road fencerow. The primary invasive plant targeted at the conser-vation easement in Beavercreek Township has been reed canary grass, with secondary target of autumn olive. Volunteers collected seeds of wetland plants to be used for restoration and planted Eleocharis, Carex stipata, and bur-reed that had been grown in the WSU greenhouse from seed or plugs previously collected. Volunteers under the direction of Jim Amon for most of these activities included Skip Beehler, Lorrin Bush, Steve Carnegis, Matt Cary, Bill Gruner, Lois Gschwender, Jennifer Howard, Debbie Karr, Joe Lehman, Allysion Loveless, Jim Schneider, Judith Streiff, Richard Swigart, and two student groups—the Beavercreek Youth Council on Make

a Difference Day, and the Wright State University BioClub.

Seeds collected at multiple sites were taken back to the lab at Wright State University, where volunteers met several times to process it. Participants in this activity were Jim Amon, Denise Fong, Bill Gruner, Michelle and Anya Hickman, Jennifer Howard, and Deb-bie Karr.

Land management activities have wound down for the season, although there will be a brief burst of activ-ity mid-winter, an optimum time to sow all the seed previously collected. Volunteer activities will resume in early spring—watch for details on the website and in the spring edition of The Spotted Turtle. Thank you to all who have donated their time and efforts to these restoration activities!

—Debbie Karr

BCWA receives award!Partners for the Environment recently awarded BCWA $2500 to fight the ongoing battle with invasives such as purple loosestrife, reed canary grass, Callery pear and honeysuckle. Part-ners for the Environment is a Dayton Foundation-related group which has seen the need for environmental achievement in the Miami Valley and has stepped forward to help organiza-tions like ours through a competitive grant program. BCWA is deeply ap-preciative of all they do and offers its sincere thanks.

See this in living colorYou can read the newsletter online in full color. Help us save paper and mailing costs by letting us know if you wish to receive your newsletter electronically. Email Bob at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org

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Editors note: Our speaker for the Annual meeting, Bob Glotzhober, provided this fascinating article and photos on the Emerald Ash Borer. His work at Cedar Bog is using biological controls in an attempt to prevent the extinction of ash trees throughout the region.

Attack of the InvadersUsing Exotic Wasps to Counter Emerald Ash Borers

The first wave of an invasion was observed in the Detroit area in 2002. Ash trees were dying everywhere in the region. The cause – a tiny metallic green beetle called the Emerald Ash Borer (abbreviated as EAB) which was likely introduced from Asia along with wooden shipping materials. By 2010, 20 million ash trees in south-eastern Michigan, northern Ohio and Indiana were dead, with nearly 100% mortality. By that time, the infesta-tion had spread to 13 states and two Canadian provinces, and the beetles continue to spread.

Ash trees make up about 12 percent of all forest land in Ohio, and are particularly abundant in swamp forests. The devastation was so heavy that one of the Toledo Metro Parks

with a lot of ash was closed for an extended time while workers came

in to cut down and burn the trees in a combined effort to protect the public from falling trees and to attempt to halt the spread of more beetles.

At OHS we became concerned about the potential affect of EAB at Cedar Bog Nature Preserve in Cham-paign County. Cedar Bog is a complex of various wetland habitats surrounded by drier buffer areas. The most critical habitats are the sedge meadows and their surrounding evergreen swamp forests composed of Northern White Cedar. However, a large area of the preserve is a hardwood swamp forest, where Black Ash, Green Ash, White Ash and Pumpkin Ash abound. In the wettest areas of the swamp forest, ash trees are as much as 60 to 80 percent of all the trees. Several uncommon or rare species thrive in the swamp forest, including the state endangered Small Purple Fringed Orchid (Plantanthera psycodes).

How do you protect ash trees from an exotic, invasive animal like the EAB? While there are chemical pesticides that are effective against the EAB, they are somewhat costly and impractical for anything beyond single, residential landscape trees. Further, the potential impact on other beetles and insects in a nature preserve quickly eliminated this type of ap-proach at Cedar Bog. As early as 2003, researchers with the USDA started looking for natural predators of the EAB back in Asia where the EAB is native. They found three species of tiny, non-stinging wasps that are parasitic on the eggs and larvae of EAB. Experiments showed that they parasitize no other insects beyond the EAB, or if really stressed some other borers in the same genus as the EAB. After extensive studies to confirm their safety, the USDA approved them for release to help control EAB infesta-tions. The staff at OHS put together a proposal to introduce these parasitic wasps at Cedar Bog and submitted it to the Ohio Department of Natural Re-sources for approval – a step required by Cedar Bog’s status as a Dedicated State Nature Preserve. The ODNR fully endorsed our plan, and com-mended us for taking a pro-active step

to protect this unique nature preserve.After several years of monitoring

the site, in October of 2011 the first adult EAB showed up in the purple pheromone traps at Cedar Bog. There were only two EABs in each of two traps. In past wasp introductions, this would not have been sufficient evidence to start introducing the wasps – as the wasps are difficult and expensive to rear and the USDA wanted to make sure that releases took place at sites that had significant infestations of EAB. However, EAB may be established for a year or two already before they start showing signs of infestation, and many previous introductions were too little, too late. After several discussions, the staff at the USDA lab in Brighton, Michigan agreed that it was time to experiment with a more aggressive introduction of these parasitoid wasps. Yes!

On Friday, May 25, 2012 Dr. Avraham (Avi) Eitam of the USDA office in Reynoldsburg, Ohio brought out our first round of parasitoid wasps. Site manager Eric Doerzbacher and myself assisted him in locating the best spot for our introduction and then releasing the wasps. We selected a central point, and then divided the area around it into quadrants. Releases would take place on three ash trees in each of four adjacent quadrants to the central point. Since additional releases are planned, and monitoring of the effectiveness of the introduction is important, each tree used was marked with a numbered metal tag to assure our introductions and monitoring will be consistent.

A total of more than 4,000 para-sitic wasps were released; 1877 of

Small Purple Fringed Orchid at Cedar Bog

Avi Eitam collecting parasitoid wasps for EAB control

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Spathius agrili (a parasite on larval EAB), 1088 Tetrastrichus planipen-nisi (another parasite on larvae) and 1452 Oovius agrili (a parasite on EAB eggs).

Some people have expressed concern over the introduction of wasps – might they not attack and sting visi-tors? The answer to that is a resound-ing “NO.” These wasps are very, very tiny – the largest (Spathius) measuring

only about 5 mm long (about 3/16 inch).

The wasps were shipped by over-night delivery from Brighton, Michigan where they are reared to Dr. Eitam’s lab in Reynoldsburg inside of coolers. Friday, when Avi arrived with the coolers of wasps at Cedar Bog, we unpacked the small plastic containers which held the wasps – and proceeded to open each up on the specified trees. The two species of larval parasitic wasps were shipped as adults – so as we started releasing them, they flew and crawled not only on the ash trees, but also on our arms. It was sort of interesting, trying to ignore a few mosquitoes landing on us, so as not inadvertently swat one of these valu-able wasps!

The egg-parasitic wasps (Oovius agrili) were shipped in the same plastic containers, but on eggs of EAB

which they had already parasitized, and in which the wasp larvae were waiting to hatch and emerge. Instead of opening a container and letting the wasps fly away, these containers were tacked onto the trees upside down, with a layer of fine cloth netting seal-ing off the bottom. When the wasps emerge, they can easily crawl through the netting, and search the ash trees for more EAB eggs to parasitize.

There is no guarantee that the introduction of these three species of parasitic wasps will eliminate or even control the Emerald Ash Borers. That is certainly the hope – at least that they minimize the destruction of the ash trees and develop a balanced popula-tion of EAB and the parasites. That type of balance exists in many native wood boring insects and their parasites or predators. That is also the type of balance that exists now with other ex-amples of biological control of pests, such as the beetle that feeds upon Purple Loosestrife which a couple of decades ago had taken over much of our Lake Erie marshes. Today, Purple Loosestrife has been greatly reduced by the beetles and is no longer a major threat to the marshes. So, if this introduction of parasitoid wasps

works, we might loose some ash trees, we will see some EAB surviving, but the parasitic wasps will keep the EAB from becoming so numerous that they wipe out all of our ash trees. All I can say is “Go wasps!”

—Bob GlotzhoberRetired Senior CuratorNatural HistoryOhio Historical Society

Parasitic wasp on my arm, Cedar Bog

Containers with wasps

Attaching parasitic wasps for EAB control

In 1989 he was appointed by the governor to the Ohio Natural Areas Advisory Council, and was reappoint-ed every three years through 2004, and acted as Council chair for more than seven years. He served on the Federal Recovery Team for the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly. In 2008, he was awarded the Wildlife Diversity Conservation Award by the Ohio Division of Wild-life for his work with dragonflies and damselflies in Ohio. In 2011, he was given the Distinguished Professional Interpreter Award by the Great Lakes Region of the National Association for Interpretation.

See the article by Bob at left.BCWA’s Annual Meeting will

be held at 6:30 pm on May 17 in the Garden Ballroom of the Hilton Gar-den Inn. The meal will be $25 (menu TBD).

Invitations will be mailed to the membership.

Members are encouraged to bring along friends and neighbors with an interest in preserving and caring for lo-cal greenspace and the life it supports. New members are always welcome.

> Speaker / continued from page 1

Sponsors needed for Annual MeetingThe annual meeting is a great time to celebrate all we have done in the past year, but even more so this year as we celebrate a quarter century of progress. To do justice to the event we need sponsors. Sponsors will be recognized in the announcements sent out, in press releases and on the event program. If you or your business would like to sponsor this milestone event, please contact us at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org.

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This was the third year that BCWA participated in the monarch butterfly tagging program conducted by Mon-arch Watch, a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas. This is a large-scale, long-term citizen science project, and the data collected by participants during tag-ging in the United States and Canada and subsequent recovery in Mexico contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of the monarch population.

There was a big crowd at Koogler Wetland/ Prairie Reserve for the public tagging event on September 15th. There were 34 cars in the parking lot, plus a school bus that brought the Mad River Middle School Green Team, for an estimated total of 80-90 people!

It turned out to be a great after-noon for exploration and discovery—many families were visiting this Bea-vercreek Township park for the first time, and explored the entire loop trail through the prairie and wetlands. Although only 4 monarchs were cap-tured and tagged during the program, the kids caught many other species of butterflies. These were identified and temporarily placed in a cage for all to admire, and included morning cloak, the beautiful variegated fritillary, buckeye, viceroy, cabbage white,

pearl crescent, orange sulphur, clouded sulphur, painted lady, wood nymph, Peck’s skipper, and silver-spotted skip-per. In addition, other insects were captured and examined in magnifier boxes, including an impressively large praying mantis.

The kids running around chasing

butterflies worked up quite an ap-petite, so they then proceeded to the Edible Entomology station. Here they constructed insects from a variety of treats to demonstrate their knowledge of insect anatomy, and then consumed their creations.

In the Monarch Watch pre-migra-tion newsletter, its director expressed concern that the size of the migratory generation of monarchs could be diminished by the early start to the 2012 growing season—plants were flowering weeks earlier than normal, and then going dormant earlier than normal. The main concern was the

condition of plants in the milkweed family, the only food source for monarch caterpillars. Milkweed was expected to be past prime at the time the eggs would be laid for the migrat-ing generation, reducing the numbers of caterpillars, and thus diminishing the number of migrating monarchs and reducing the size of the overwin-tering population in Mexico.

BCWA’s 2012 tagging results bore this out. In the past two years, it took about a week to tag 100 mon-archs. In 2012, volunteers were out nearly every afternoon for over two weeks after the public program, and although weather conditions were generally favorable, the monarchs just were not there in numbers as in previous years. Hopefully, this was just a local issue and other tagging programs had better results. For more information about monarch butterflies, their life cycle and migra-tion, and the status of the overwinter-ing population in Mexico, please see www.monarchwatch.org.

—Debbie Karr

Monarch Tagging Results

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2012 Tagging Totals63 Monarchs tagged57 Wild 40 Male6 Reared* 23 Female

*a class project at Shaw Elementary

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Photos by Richard Swigart

Seed CollectionPlant identification can be challenging enough during the growing season for all of us novices; for an even greater challenge, try it in the fall while help-ing with seed collection! Guided by a list of desired species, the volunteer seed collector attempts to locate and identify plants that are now just a dead stem with dried up leaves and a few seedpods. Some plants shrivel up and virtually disappear, others fall over and are obscured by surrounding vege-tation, and seed from one species even ended up underwater. And no one tells you that while you are collecting seed, you are also inadvertently collecting lots of spiders and other little creepy crawlies! In addition to the targeted species, you unintentionally collect many types of “stick tights” in great abundance all over your clothing.

Collected seed was taken to either the MEEC office or the biology lab at WSU to be cleaned—removing the stems, pods, and chaff by sifting it through sieves of varying sizes. Once separated, the seed could be examined under the microscope. It is fascinating to see some of the methods differ-ent species utilize to distribute seed. Some species release large volumes of tiny seeds, others use “parachutes” and are distributed by wind, and oth-ers use barbs and hooks to attach to passing animals for dispersal. One of the “stick tights” that we intentionally collected—nodding bur marigold—was given the nickname of “4-horned devil” by one of the volunteers who was processing the seed and that was BEFORE she looked at it under the microscope! It looks evil, with barbs on top of barbs. Monkey flower seeds are as fine as dust and look like maggots under the scope, and a lunch bag packed full of seed heads of Tor-rey’s rush reduces down to seed with the consistency of ground cinnamon taking up only about a half inch of the bottom of a small seed envelope.

Seed collection has been an edu-cational experience and thanks to this “hands-on” activity, I can now identify a few of the sedges and rushes with

both common and botanical names, finally breaking through the mental block (something about teaching an old dog new tricks can be inserted here….). It just sounds impressive to say with authority that the name of this plant is Cyperus strigosus (and hope I’m pointing to the correct plant!)

—Debbie Karr

Top: Seeds circled are magnified here, but are too small to see with naked eye. The are a type of Rush in the genus Juncus. Bottom: This mass of tangled seed is held together with fine threads that make seeds stick to fur. The seeds are barely visible to the naked eye and belong to the Wool Sedge in the genus Scirpus.

10 Spotted Turtle—Winter 2013

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As we drove past it, I point-ed out the Little Beaver Creek Prairie (LBCP) to the employee of Eastgate Ford who was taking me back to my house while my car was in the shop. “It looks like weeds to me,” he said. Ah, yes, I thought, no doubt the subconscious response of many who pass by this 2 ½-acre remnant prairie that was secured for conserva-tion in 1986.

That year was a busy one. The now defunct Native Plant Society of the Miami Valley (NPSMV) had formed in the spring and chose the small triangu-lar area as one of its major projects to promote and educate about the conserva-tion of native plants and plant communities. Once connected to Zimmerman Prairie, which is owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the prairie fen, severed by US 35, supports native species such as queen of the prairie, green dragon, Indian grass, bergamot, and whorled rosinweed. But much to the Society’s dismay, it was soon dis-covered that the land was being covered with fill and seeded with Kentucky 31 fescue in connection with the construction of the new Research Park Boulevard. Originally part of property owned by the family of BCWA’s first president, the late Bill Hagenbuch, NPSMV found that the rem-nant now belonged to the Ohio Department of Trans-portation (ODOT). Work-ing quickly, NPSMV hand delivered a letter in July to

In the past, I wrote about a plant that was a “mystery” to us. At first we thought it was one of the horse gentians and our main problem was determining which one it was. We waited for the seedpods to form in the hope that would help us determine which species it is.

When we finally saw the seedpods, we realized that our plant couldn’t be a horse gentian because the seeds were completely wrong. From the seeds, we thought that it was probably one of the wild petunias. This summer when our

mystery plant bloomed, the flowers showed that it was indeed one of the wild petunias. Close examination of the flowers and plant will be required to determine which of the wild petunia species it is.

A new problem arose making it difficult to do that. Due to variations in our growing season, as witnessed this past year, and the fleeting quality of wildflowers, it appears that a number of excursions to the reserves will be neces-sary to find the flowers at their peak.

This past fall, we were

the chief of ODNR about the significance of the land. A week later, NPSMV met with personnel from ODOT, which agreed to stop filling and to preserve the site.

Later a sign was posted announcing that LBCP was being jointly managed by NPSMV and the City of Beavercreek. Two or three times a year, NPSMV mem-bers gathered at the wet prairie to remove invasive and aggressive species, participate in spring burns, and transfer seeds gathered from Zimmerman Prairie. They stomped and raked in seeds of Ohio goldenrod, Riddell’s goldenrod, sedges, and mountain mint. In 1988, during one of the “Prairie Stomps,” Beavercreek city police showed up in response to a call reporting that wildflowers were being dug up. This greatly pleased NPSMV members who felt that already citizens were becoming aware of the value of this unique native habitat.

Today, Eastgate Ford no longer exists. A bustling interchange replaces the sleepy intersection of US 35 and Fairfield Road. A former exit ramp to US 35 now connects a local bikeway to Creekside Trail. BCWA’s Conservation Crew has taken over the tasks of NPSMV. Lately an exciting discovery was made: Ohio’s native burning bush—wa-hoo—grows in the prairie fen. To some, these may look like weeds. But they are weeds of significance. Little Beaver Creek Prairie endures.

—Nancy Bain

Weeds of Significance— Little Beaver Creek Prairie

Mystery Plant Revisited Again

See this newsletter in full color online at www.beavercreekwetlands.org 11

Spotted Turtle Name and Logo: Noted area wildlife artist Charley Harper generously donated the art for our logo in 1988. His work has been adopted by the National Park Service and is appre-ciated worldwide. Our newsletter recog-nizes the Spotted Turtle as an icon for the many rare animals and plants protected in the Beaver Creek Wetlands.

Submissions, Questions, or Comments: We rely on members likeyou to make this newsletter the product of several diverse voices. If you have an idea for an article or a picture to include, please send them to admin@beavercree-kwetlands.org. Also, we welcome any comments or questions. For submissions, questions, or comments, please include “newsletter” in the subject line of your e-mail. We reserve the right to edit for content or clarity.

Donations of Land/Easements: If you are interested in donating land, placing an easement on property, or re-membering the BCWA in your will, please don’t hesitate to call the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association at (937) 320-9042.

BCWA Annual Report: Copies are available by request. E-mail the office at admin@beavercreekwetlands.org or call (937) 320-9042.

Founded in 1988, the Mission of the Beaver Creek Wetlands Association is to protect the wetland ecosystem in the Beaver Creek watershed through partnerships, community networks, and public education.

Join the BCWA Today!

Choose your member level: $5 Student $10 Senior (60+) $15 Individual $25 Family

Please make your check payable to BCWA andmail to: BCWA, P.O. Box 42, Alpha, OH 45301

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Help reclaim our local wetlands corridor and restore it’s natural beauty and function. Your member dues fund land acquisition, education programs, habitat restoration and management of our preserve.

$35 Contributing $50 Supporting $100 Patron $1,000 Life

A 501(c)(3) land trust organization. Your donation is tax deductible.

Our Endowment Fund has grown to over $135,000 in a little over three years. A recent bequest was left in the form of a life annuity. Such planned giving can result in tax savings and/or income to you, while leaving a legacy of conservation. The BCWA Endowment Fund is a permanent savings plan to help en-sure that BCWA continues to protect wetlands for future generations. The BCWA Endowment Fund may accept many types of planned, deferred, and outright gifts that can actually increase the value of your estate, enabling you to do more with what you leave for others. Spotted Turtle Society members in-clude anyone who has made a gift to the Beaver Creek Wetlands Associa-tion Endowment Fund.

I would like to learn more about gift options to help grow the Beaver Creek Wetlands Endowment Fund. Please contact me about planned giving.

I have already included BCWA in my estate planning. I would like to become a member of the Spotted Turtle Society.

I wish to make an outright gift payable to ‘”BCWA Endowment Fund”.

Please return to:Beaver Creek Wetlands AssociationAttn: Endowment CommitteeP.O.Box 42, Alpha, Ohio 45301

Endowment at $135K and growing

For information on a variety of planned giving options, call or write to us, or contact The Dayton Foundation directly.

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working in one of our reserves remov-ing invasive species when one of our volunteers discovered a plant that she didn’t recognize. Several of us did recognize the seed heads as that of the horse gentian. The question then arose as to which of the horse gentians it could be. From the seedpods we think we know which one it is, but to know for sure, we will need to see the blooms to make a final determination. This gives us another excuse to look forward to a new growing season and more explorations of our reserves.

—Richard Swigart

Label (1” x 2-5/8” ) here.Place carefully to

cover bottom line completelybut do not touch top line.

Moving? New e-mail address?Don’t miss an issue! Call 937-320-9042

or email: admin@beavercreekwetlands.org

NONPROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDXENIA, OHIO 45385

PERMIT NUMBER 76

The Spotted Turtle | Volume 27, No. 1 | Winter 2013

P.O. BOX 42ALPHA, OH 45301Address Service Requested

Spotted Turtle EditorsJim and Carol AmonMark MartelDeborah Karr

WebmasterRob Evans

Visit us Onlinewww.beavercreekwetlands.org

Contact UsAdministrative Coordinatoradmin@beavercreekwetlands.orgPresidentpresident@beavercreekwetlands.orgTechnical Advisortechnical@beavercreekwetlands.orgWebmasterwebmaster@beavercreekwetlands.orgMediamedia@beavercreekwetlands.orgNewsletternewsletter@beavercreekwetlands.org

OfficersRob Evans, PresidentAnn Byrd, Vice PresidentDeborah Karr, SecretaryDoug Hull, TreasurerJim Amon, Technical Officer

TrusteesLois GschwenderJames RunkleRoger BeehlerNancy BainDeborah KarrSue RytelMike ZimmermanRob EvansMark MartelChristina SimmonsDeborrah Adams Ann Byrd Jim SchneiderDonald GeigerDenny Jarvi

PublisherOregon Printingwww.oregonprinting.com

Photo by Richard Swigart