Natural Wonders
with Maggie Jones
In the summer of 1972, I wandered out of a newly rented farm house, looked up, and saw 2 red-tailed hawks soaring over woods and pasture. They were so beautiful, so other-worldly, I was overcome with a desire to know everything about them.
Years later I became a wildlife rehabilitator and a falconer and was able to have close hands-on experience with them. Today that desire to learn about the natural world has only broadened and intensified. I’ll read some of my favorite biologists’ writings and occasionally include my own thoughts.
Sept 26th, 2023
Ben Goldfarb, who wrote the wonderful book, Eager, The Surprising Secret Lives of Beavers and Why They Matter has written a brand new book. Crossings, How Road Ecology is Shaping the Ecology of Our Planet, addresses a topic that we all should think about; roads and highways, and the impact they have on wild places and wildlife. True to his upbeat and inquisitive ways, this book is a great read and it’s heartening to hear Ben’s stories about people who are working to create solutions to the problems created by our ribbons of asphalt.
September 19th, 2023
I hope you can make a quick trip to Duluth’s Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, one of the world’s best hawk migration look-out spots. If you can’t do that, take break at noon or in the afternoon, especially after a cold front has come through, get a friend and lie in your backyard and look up during this time of great movement of birds on passage, some flying over 4,000 feet and some right over the tree tops..good luck!
September 10th, 2023
Have you seen nighthawks recently in the early evening, on the wing soaring and darting after insects, accompanying the migrating dragonflies?
These 2 species migrations are 2 separate events happening in the same airspace and time, —perhaps like me you assumed the birds are eating the insects but it seems this isn’t true. I’ll have Northern rough-winged swallows, nighthawks and dragonfly stories today, with observations that are a delight from 1914 on the Tennessee River.
September 5th, 2023
Today, chimney swifts; this is another contribution from David Krier. Dave is a gifted thoughtful naturalist, with an engineer’s sharp observation skills. I know both Dave and I are very grateful to the people of the Vernon County Historical Society Museum for making sure that their chimney has been preserved and protected for the sake of the swifts and for the community to enjoy for many years to come.
August 22nd, 2023
This is a story of a grand discovery cloaked in a small unassuming form, (much like the little blowsand loving plant Draba, that Aldo Leopold wrote about in S.C.Almanac). This is about a small worm eating snake, called the Lined Snake, which had never before been found in Wisconsin until Viroqua’s own Corey Raimond in September of 2011, decided to go out to explore. The chapter in the terrific new book Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin about the Lined Snake is written by Corey and Jeffrey Lorch who works at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison. We’ll explore the work they do there that benefits not only wildlife, but all of us.
August 15th, 2023
Dave Krier has many reasons for all of us to pay attention to the lights we have on at night, which can be disrupting to insect life, birds and bats, and keep our neighbors from enjoying their view of the Milky Way. We all need to pay attention and think about the impact our outdoor lights have on the life around us. And there are many ways to remedy this problem. Thank you Dave for this thoughtful essay.
August 8th, 2023
Draba, a tiny plant stimulates the mind and heart of those who love the unassuming among us. I read a wonderful essay about Draba, and why it means so much to so many, written by Leah Beiniak, a Program Associate at the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, and then I read part of the April Chapter of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo leopold . My thanks to the Foundation for their generous permission to read these essays.
August 1st, 2023
A sweet essay about a close encounter water rescue of a little jumping mouse ( Zapus ), written by Ben Johnston.
And a brief warning and description of a plant no one wants to live anywhere near; Poison Hemlock, making its way into our landscape. But we will prevail! Forewarned is forearmed!
July 25th, 2023
We get a rare look at the pre-settlement Blue Mounds landscape and
the thoughts of a Tory in the Wisconsin Wilderness as he must re-enter society approaching Dubuque after long travels along the river courses. “I should soon be in the vortex of a white frontier population, must abandon my canoe, exchange the peaceful tent, pitched on the clean bank of an interesting river, for dirty accomodation at some filthy tavern, and make up my account to pay in money for every act of civility I might receive.”
We finish Mike Mossman’s essay about an Englishman geologist’s travels, published in the quarterly journal of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, The Passenger Pigeon, Vol. 50 no. 4, Winter 1988.
7-18-23
Another historical perspective takes us along the old Wisconsin river routes in the 1830s. Along the Fox, the Wisconsin and the Mississippi Rivers, we travel with the first geologist hired by the federal government, a British Tory, to explore parts of our new country. We are in what was then, part of the Michigan Territory which will become Wisconsin, with George Featherstonhaugh (pronounced fen-shaw!). This essay is part one of A Tory in the Wisconsin Wilderness by Mike Mossman, published in the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology quarterly journal the Passenger Pigeon Vol. 50, no. 4, Winter 1988.
July 11, 2023
Another contribution from Viroqua’s own David Krier about his experiences with bats, and how he is contributing today to gathering data on bat populations. Learn how we can all help bats.
July 4th, 2023
Maggie reads from the last chapter of Fran Hamerstrom’s book Is She Coming Too? Memoirs of a Lady Hunter; the chapter called Biography of a Dancing Ground about the sharp-tailed grouse. This is one of her most memorable essays.
Natural Wonders-Tuesday June 27, 2023
Part 2 of Mike Mossman’s essay on John Muir’s years growing up in Wisconsin is continued today. We hear selections of Muir’s book “The Story of my Boyhood and Youth” written just a few years before his death. It’s an eloquent portrait of Wisconsin in the 1850s. This is from the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology’s quarterly journal, the Passenger Pigeon, Volume 50, No.2, Summer 1988.
Natural Wonders- Tuesday June 20, 2023
In 1988 The Wisconsin Society for Ornithology introduced a series of essays called “In the Words of Ornithologists Past” in their quarterly journal, The Passenger Pigeon. We will hear the introduction to the series, and first part of Mike Mossman’s essay- John Muir: Reveling in the Wisconsin Frontier.
Muir arrived here from Scotland at age 11 in 1849 and reveled in our wonderful state for his formative years.
Natural Wonders #71
We hear an essay called Embracing the Dark, Insects Need the Night—and So Do We from the quarterly publication WINGS; Essays on Invertebrate Conservation, Spring 2023, a publication
of the Xerces Society. (Xerces.org)
They are working to protect the natural world by conserving invertebrates and their habitat.
This essay was written by Richard Joyce, an endangered species conservation biologist with the Xerces Society.
Natural Wonders #70
We hear from Sara Woody again. She was a Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, and reflects on the quality of her experiences there and the dream job that she got as a result of the many skills she developed while at the Foundation.
This essay is called “How my Fellowship Helped me Land my Dream Job”.
Natural Wonders #69
The birds we see so many of in summer, the cliff swallows fly long distances to come to North America to raise their young. They nest under bridges and culverts and have many fascinating secrets.
Natural Wonders #68
I love our cuckoos, the yellow-billed and the black-billed, and I hope you will too, after hearing about their surprising lives. Today the amazing sounds and habits of our 2 beautiful and distinctive cuckoos.
Natural Wonders #67
Another essay by Viroqua’s own Dave Krier. He talks about the changes made to his lawn and area around his house, making it more and more insect friendly by adding native plants and shrubs especially for the insects that birds love to eat.
Natural Wonders #66
Maggie shares the wonderful world of WDRT and Community Radio on The Spring Pledge Drive edition
Natural Wonders #65
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Natural Wonders #64
This is one for you archers about there, perhaps you make your own bows.
Reading again from a book called Hamerstrom Stories, published in 2002, after both the Hamerstroms were gone, this book gave an opportunity for 90 some friends, gaboons (interns), neighbors, fellow scientists, to tell recollections, sometimes laugh out loud funny stories, about this unusual and remarkable pair of biologists, Frederick and Frances Hamerstrom.
In the early pages, Elva, their daughter, who edited this book, writes about finding a letter tucked into a book written by Aldo Leopold. The letter was from Leopold to his good friend, fellow biologist, and contemporary, Herbert Stoddard.
Natural Wonders #63
Woodcocks do their skydance displays in April and today we read 2 biologists’ stories about this enchanting natural wonder. First, Aldo Leopold from ‘April’ in A Sand County Almanac, then Fran Hamerstrom from her book Walk When the Moon is Full.
Natural Wonders #62
I’m reading from a “new” book published in 2002, after the Hamerstroms were gone but their many friends, family, colleagues, and former gaboons got together and wrote stories about their time with them, Hamerstrom Stories.
As a 14 year old boy, Dale Gawlik started working on a Harrier research project with Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom. His reflections on his time spent there with them are fascinating. Today Dr. Dale Gawlik is HRI Chair for Conservation and Biodiversity at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M in Corpus Christi and a Professor in the Department of Life Sciences. Enjoy-
Natural Wonders #61
A great ‘locally sourced’ reading today, Dave Krier, reflects on part of his work for Valley Stewardship Network, helping people create soil saving and diversity creating prairie strips. The smells and sights and sounds of the diverse plant life fill the senses.
Natural Wonders #60
We travel with a single *atom* within a watershed, becoming part of living things in many forms. Aldo Leopold calls this atom ‘X’ which slowly makes its way, over centuries, to the sea.
Reading from A Sand County Almanac, Sketches Here and There, Wisconsin, The Odyssey.
Natural Wonders #59
Exploring native plant restoration possibilities of your land can make a meaningful difference in increasing the diversity of life around us.
I’ll read The Potential of Pastures and Oak Woods by Dan Carter, PhD. Dan is an ecologist with The Prairie Enthusiasts.
This was published online Oct 4th 2022 on The Prairie Enthusiasts website, theprairieenthusiasts.org.
Natural Wonders #58
We will visit wetlands again today, and some deep history, with Aldo Leopold. His A Sand County Almanac was published in 1949, not many months after his sudden death at age 60. He dedicated this book “To My Estella”. This is Part II, Sketches Here and There; Wisconsin, Marshland Elegy.
I’m so grateful to the Aldo Leopold Foundation for permission to read this timeless book.
Natural Wonders #57
Exploring native plant restoration possibilities of your land can make a meaningful difference in increasing the diversity of life around us.
I’ll read The Potential of Pastures and Oak Woods by Dan Carter, PhD. Dan is an ecologist with The Prairie Enthusiasts.
This was published online Oct 4th 2022 on The Prairie Enthusiasts website, theprairieenthusiasts.org.
Natural Wonders #56
I’ll return one last time, to the book EAGER, the Surprising Secret life of Beavers and Why They Matter, by Ben Goldfarb to read from the 3rd chapter,, Deceive and Exclude.
We’ll learn about problem solvers who have started successful businesses mitigating beaver problems with many types of ingenious devices that lower pond levels and allow coexistence between people and these persistent rodents.The website beaversolutions.com has a wealth of information even if you don’t live in Massachusetts.
Natural Wonders #55
We’ll enjoy more of the introduction to the book Eager, The Secret, Surprising Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb. Imagine our valleys here in The Driftless Area 350 years ago with rich wetlands and bountiful wildlife thriving in the lush ecosystems created by beaver dams.
Natural Wonders #54
The Environmental Protection Agency website says,
Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world, comparable to rain forests and coral reefs. An immense variety of species of microbes, plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish and mammals can be part of a wetland ecosystem.
I’ll be reading today from Eager, the Surprising Secret Lives of Beavers and Why they Matter, Ben Goldfarb
Come with me and let’s get our feet wet.
Natural Wonders #53
We will go with Fran Hamerstrom and her 2 children and Walk When the Moon is Full on 2 cold winter nights and hear foxes in the distance, and see a weasel up close.
Natural Wonders #52- Tuesday January 24, 2023
Maggie reads from the introduction to Vesper Flights, a collection of essays by Helen Macdonald, and then discusses the winter breeding habits of great horned owls and bald eagles.(This is a re-broadcast of the very first episode from January 2022).
Natural Wonders #51
We take a winter trek on a “January Thaw” day tracking a skunk with Aldo Leopold in the first chapter of A Sand County Almanac. I then take a hint from Leopold and expand on a hawk he sees that day, the Rough-legged Hawk, a winter visitor from the Arctic tundra summering grounds.
Natural Wonders #50
We climb to the top of a huge maple tree with Kass Urban-Mead to study forest bees that come to forage for pollen,. In spring, many species of trees flower and produce billions of protein rich pollen grains.
Thanks to the Xerces Society for their permission to read from their Fall 2022 publication “Wings” and their dedication to saving insects and other invertebrates.
Natural Wonders #49
As well as the myriad of things The Professor did, Aldo Leopold was a bird bander. The December chapter of
his book A Sand County Almanac ends with a part called 65290, the band number of a chickadee.
I will then talk about the first bird I thought of when reading about bird banding, an ocean traveler with a seven foot wingspan. She has amazed people for decades; a banded bird called Wisdom.
Natural Wonders #48
We will again enjoy Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. I’ll read his December chapter segments called Home Range and Pines Above the Snow.
“Like people, my animals frequently disclose by their actions what they decline to divulge in words.”
and about his pines, “There is much small talk and gossip among pines. By paying heed to this chatter, I learn what has transpired during the week when I am absent in town.”
Natural Wonders #47
Fran Hamerstrom’s story about the caper involving secretly moving Aldo Leopold’s office, led me to reading about one of the other Leopold grad students, Art Hawkins, which led me to a great dog story and thence to The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s blogs, where I found more thoughts on dogs and their role in
Leopold’s life, in an essay by Sarah Woody. Enjoy!
Natural Wonders #46
“Every farm woodland, in addition to yielding lumber, fuel, and posts should provide its owner a liberal education. This crop of wisdom never fails but it is not always harvested. I here record some of the lessons I have learned in my own woods.” Aldo Leopold
Natural Wonders #45
Again we will enjoy a Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold published in 1949.
This part of the November chapter called Axe in Hand, delves into our biases when we walk into the woods with our axe, or more often now, our chainsaw. We choose what to cut and what to leave, what we favor and what we do not. Why do we make the decisions we do, working on the land?
What I love about this chapter, and Leopold generally, is that he reveals his own thought processes. We are privy to his inner self, weighing many different ideas and perspectives.
My thanks to the Aldo Leopold Foundation for permission to read this wonderful book. Please visit their website, Aldoleopold.org for some treats. They have a blog with many contributors that you will enjoy reading and the Phenology Calendar for 2023 is ready for mailing and packed with wisdom and observations for the whole year.
Natural Wonders #44
But It’s Already Done
I’m reading again from My Double Life; Memoirs of a Naturalist. Fran Hamerstrom tells a story that reveals the love and respect Aldo Leopold’s students had for him. They used the dark of night to pull off a youthful student stunt that would make all their lives much better on the UW Madison campus.
Natural Wonders #43
We hear more from Fran Hamerstrom, born in 1907, from her book, My Double Life, Memoirs of a Naturalist.
This chapter is called A Letter from My Mother-in-Law, and finds her in the beginning of her time as a field biologist, with her life long partner Fredrick, moving into a farmhouse that their professor, Aldo Leopold, had arranged for them to live in. This is in Waushara County in the middle of winter, with no running water, no heat except the wood stove, no electricity and no phone.
Natural Wonders #38
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold continues to delight.
We will hear the August and September chapters, each with a view into a world we may have never been aware of, if it wasn’t for our perceptive sensitive author who guides us on such sweet trips afield.
Natural Wonders #42
We learn from Aldo Leopold about the bur oak and its history on the southern Wisconsin landscape from the April chapter of a Sand County Almanac.
“Thus, he who owns a veteran bur oak owns more than a tree. He owns a reserved seat in the theater of evolution.”
I add some things I’ve learned about our forest ecology today and how forest succession has changed in the 80 years since Leopold wrote his deep historical picture of the oaks.
Natural Wonders #41
Sand County Almanac, Soundscapes and Wildlife
This week, soundscapes, specifically the sounds that Aldo Leopold heard, sitting outside the Shack, watching and listening in the early dark hours. The sounds that he heard have changed dramatically since he was listening and scientists have reconstructed them. And because sounds of wildlife are often directly related tolight intensity, both topics are intertwined. I will also talk about sounds that sturgeon make here in Wisconsin, and the Sound Forest Lab at the University of Wi at Madison, studying sounds of tropical forests.
two links:
https://news.wisc.edu/aldo-
https:// www.soundforestlab.org
Natural Wonders #40
We take another walk into the sand country with Aldo Leopold, celebrating the glory of October. We read from A Sand County Almanac the last part of the October chapter, Too Early and Red Lanterns. “Getting up too early is a vice habitual in horned owls, stars, geese and freight trains”, then wander from one red lantern to another, “the lanterns are blackberry leaves, red in the October sun”
Natural Wonders #39
Smokey Gold
Today the memorable introduction Aldo Leopold wrote in 1948 for “A Sand County Almanac” after we slip into a chapter called Smokey Gold.
We travel afoot with Aldo Leopold in Adams county on a grouse hunt, but more to the point, we observe in detail the trails and tracks, smells and colors of many dwellers of the scrub wetlands in Fall.
“The Tamaracks change from green to yellow when frosts have brought woodcock, fox sparrows out of the north.”
Natural Wonders #37
Drifting Down the Yellow
Another gem of a short story from Fran Hamerstrom’s book, Is She Coming Too? Memoirs of a Lady Hunter ; the chapter called “Drifting Down the Yellow”. The book is illustrated by Jonothan Wilde who was a close friend of the Hamerstroms and he is my very favorite artist. His pen and ink drawings are charming, so beautifully rendered, a perfect compliment to the stories.
Natural Wonders #36
It’s Fall and many of us yearn to get out and hunt. We venture out with Fran Hamerstrom, who always tells delightful stories; these are about two outings, each a dog story with a twist. This chapter, Dog Days, is from her book Is She Coming Too? Memoirs of a Lady Hunter. My sincere thanks to Elva Hamerstrom Paulson for permission to read from Fran’s books.