Strix varia

The first Barred Owl I encountered was a patient at Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary. I made a joke about how the Owl liked Shakespeare, playing on the Barred/Bard pun, but no one got it. Now I wonder how the animal had veered so far off course. They are found east of Kansas and make their way west through Canada into the Pacific Northwest.

Now that I am officially in their range, there is a mating pair that lives near my home. I can hear them calling to each other. Their call is described as, “who cooks for you?” which is fairly accurate. While I am normally irritated by things that keep me awake, I love hearing this pair.

I haven’t actually seen them yet. I had forgotten they are larger than Barn Owls. There are a number of tree green belts around where I live, which I’m sure is where they live. Barred Owls like mixed forests near water, and there is a lovely creek, although normally they prefer mature forests. They eat small animals and, like many species of owls, are cavity nesters; however, like species such as Great-Horned Owls, they will commandeer nests built by other species such as Red-Tailed Hawks.
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I’m going to keep looking for them in the evenings. For now, I will continue to listen to their nightly sonnets. 

Octopus bimaculoides

My Wishlist Wednesday species is the California Two-Spot Octopus. I would LOVE to see one in the wild. I became familiar with this species at a past job where we had one in our aquarium. She was super feisty! I remember one occasion where a keeper was trying to get her to stop tormenting a sea star and used a scrub brush to pry them apart. Well, this became a game. The Octopus grabbed hold of the brush and was starting to pull the keeper into the tank, the chromatophores in her spots flashing different colors. The Octopus won the fight, and the keeper had to leave the scrub brush in the tank until the Octopus forgot about it and let go.
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It’s pretty obvious where the California Two-Spot Octopus gets its name. Because the Octopus isn’t super big (only 18 inches), the spots are there to make predators think they are the eyes of a much larger animal. The Octopus has a number of predators, including Eels, Seals and Sea Lions.

So, if the California Two-Spot Octopus lives in the ocean, how can I ever hope to see one? Luckily for me, they live close to shore in the intertidal and subtidal zones, so there is a chance I may see one the next time I am snorkeling off the coast of California or Baja Mexico. I want to find out if they are as feisty in the wild as they are in captivity!

Pseudacris triseriata

Someone is making a racket at my mother’s pond. Day and night he calls, and yet, we cannot find the source. This is probably because he is only one and half inches long. Through song comparisons, we were able to determine the culprit is a Western Chorus Frog.

Western Chorus Frogs are found throughout most of Colorado, avoiding the drier regions in the southeast. They are found around bodies of water, like my mother’s pond, since they need water to lay their eggs. They mature like all amphibians, going through a larval or tadpole stage before they shed their tail, grow legs, and emerge from the water.

I wish we could find him. We’ve tried moving rocks, following the sound, but he eludes us. Being able to hide is a great survival tactic for something that is so noisy. Unlike many other frog species, their skin does not produce toxins.
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We’ll keep looking, but I almost hope we don’t find him. His ability to hide increases the chances of him reproducing and I’d rather catch a glimpse of his off-spring – the next generation of noisy pond interlopers. 

Cardinalis cardinalis
 
I remember very distinctly the first time I ever saw a Northern Cardinal in real life. I was in my mid-20s and was taking a train from DC to New York and there he was, flying next to the train! I was so excited! My sister, who had lived on the east coast for some time, at this point, was unimpressed, but I had only ever seen them on Christmas cards!

Cardinals are common backyard birds in their range, which includes the Eastern United States and Mexico, plus parts of Southern Arizona and the tip of Baja California. They nest in shrubs, and prefer open woodlands, which is how I would describe most suburban neighborhoods. They are seed eaters, so would find bird feeders attractive.

Cardinals are rather notoriously noisy and that is partly because the female also sings, calling to the male from the nest, probably reminding him to bring back food for her and the kids. Most female songbirds don’t really have calls, and I must admit, I love the idea of the female Cardinal nagging her mate.
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Now that I live in Kansas, they are probably the most common bird in my area. They are usually the first bird that pops up on Merlin, but I am still excited to see these noisy, bright red birds. Do people really become blasé about seeing them? I hope I never do.

​Taraxacum officinale
 
I realize most people think of Dandelions as “lawn weeds,” but as a child, it was the only flower I was allowed to pick. I loved seeing their bright yellow faces pop up and even better were the seed puffs you could blow (if Mom didn’t catch you and put a stop to it). My neighbor had a sign in her yard that said, “Weeds are just an unwanted flower” which made me instantly think of the Dandelions I loved so much, but seemed to be the bane of my mother’s existence.

Yes, it is true that they are a non-native plant that, due to its highly successful reproductive strategy, has spread across most of the world. The thing is these plants were intentionally brought to North America by European settlers for food and medicine. Every part of a Dandelion is edible and a highly nutritious source of vitamins A, C and K and well as iron. Their roots make a caffeine-free coffee-substitute and the flowers can be turned into jellies and teas, while the leaves are excellent greens for salads. Dandelions are known to help improve kidney function and promote overall health.

Lately, there has been a lot written about how Dandelions benefit wildlife, citing that they are one of the first plants to provide food for pollinators in the spring. Their leaves are also a food source for moth and butterfly larvae and they attract beneficial insects like ladybugs. The deep roots of the plant, which often thwart the weeder, also break up the soil and increase nutrients.

There are native species of Dandelion in North America, too, although they may not contain all the same properties as the intrusive original. These include the Horned or Alpine Dandelion (Taraxacum caratophorum) and the Harp Dandelion (Taraxacum lyratum). It might be worth checking with your local native plant society to see if these grow in your area.
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To me, though, the greatest value of the Dandelion is that it is magic. Ask any child. When you make a wish and blow the seed puff and watch them all float off in the wind like a flutter of faeries, you can truly see the wonder of nature. I worry that as we turn into adults, the world, specifically the natural world, loses its magic, but does it have to? Let yourself go and blow a seed puff again and see if your wish comes true, but maybe not in your neighbor’s garden.

Odocoileus hemionus

Last week, I had Mule Deer run in front of my car several times, and I felt I should write them up and maybe they would stop giving me a heart attack. It isn’t rut, which is their breeding season, when the males are so distracted they don’t pay attention to cars. It’s still too early for fawning season. Maybe they are just excited it is spring.

Mule Deer should be excited for the season change because they are browsers, or leaf eaters. They have to be creative in the winter when there aren’t any leaves. Amazingly, they do live in a variety of habitats across Western North America, including the desert, so they have clearly adapted well.

Mule Deer are part of the bovine family, which includes cows, bison, and some species of antelope. Mule Deer only have bottom teeth and a hard palate instead of top teeth, but their most notable characteristic is their ears, from which they get their name. Apparently, their ears make up ¾ of the length of their head. They are also known as Black-Tailed Deer, but really, who is looking at their tail with ears like that!

Mule Deer are my deer. They are the species I would see when we would go camping as children. I helped raise orphaned Mule Deer at Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary. We rehabilitated them at California Wildlife Center, and then would see them wander through the property after release. I’d see them all the time at Malibu Creek State Park. And, most recently, I would see them wander through my mother’s yard, on occasion.  Whenever I see a different species of deer, I think they look weird. It’s not their fault, I am just so used to seeing Mule Deer. Now that I live in Kansas and we have both Mule and White-Tailed Deer, I’m hoping I have an opportunity to compare them.
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This is not the last time I will write about Mule Deer. Because they live near humans, there are lots of opportunities for human/Mule Deer conflict, especially during fawning and rut. Stay tuned for helpful tips. And in the meantime, drive a little more slowly if you are in an area where Mule Deer live.