Migratory bird walk planned for this Saturday

Female chestnut-sided warbler in summer plumage

Join Emily and Than Boves this Saturday, September 24 for a fall migratory bird walk at Ijams!

It is peak migration right now, so they will look for mixed flocks of birds including multiple warbler species like the chestnut-sided warbler Emily saw this morning in the trees by the parking lot.

We will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the front desk of the Visitor Center. Bring binoculars. Please call 577-4717 ext. 110 to register.

Ijams canoeists find ephemeral treasures

Ijams September canoe group

The first Ijams guided canoe trip open to the public on Ijams Quarry Lake turned up an oddity, ghostly aquatic apparitions.

I expected we'd see herons and turtles, which we did, but I didn't believe we'd find the rare freshwater jellyfish that pop up occasionally. The medusa's appearance is sporadic and unpredictable from year to year.


Freshwater jellyfish (Craspedacusta sowerbyi) are not native to North America. They first appeared in a greenhouse aquarium in Washington D.C. in 1907. Since then, they've slowly spread across the country and are usually found in calm, freshwater reservoirs, impoundments, gravel pits and old quarries. Ninety years after they were collected in the nation's capital, the jellies first appeared—or were first documented—in Mead's Quarry Lake in 1997. (Retired TVA biologist Bob Terry, husband of Ijams educator Jean Terry, identified them from collected samples.)

Generally, the small jellies appear in their medusa stage during the heat of summer. This is why I didn't expect we'd find them in mid-September on a cool morning. Lynn Keffer, a canoeist in our group, was the first to see one undulating just below the water's surface, virtually transparent and as wispy as morning fog. About the size of a penny, the jellies are clear to slightly milky white. Walter Cromer, another paddler in our group, quickly became attuned at spotting them swimming around our canoes.

They look like water bubbles, bobbing up and down underwater; one of the most ephemeral lifeforms I've ever written about.

Jelly watchers

C. sowberbyi

The next guided canoe trip I'll be leading is scheduled for Saturday, October 15 at 10:30 a.m. To sign up call me at 577-4717, ext. 119.

- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales

Frostweed: an icy plant to watch in winter

Frostweed, Verbesina virginica

Often overlooked because their flowers are "only" white and not something more vivid. This nevertheless has been a great year for frostweed (Verbesina virginica). The tall late-season wildflower dominates the landscaping around the Visitor Center and surrounding plaza.


Also known as white crownbeard, iceplant, iceweed, Virginia crownbeard, Indian tobacco or richweed—so many names, isn't botany confusingly fun—it's a beautiful native addition to any backyard border. 


But why is it called frostweed, iceplant and even iceweed? These names seem much too wintry for such a vibrant September offering.


Truth is, in the winter, the dead stems—still bloated with moisture laden pith—often freeze and split creating thin ribbons of ice exuded from the base of the plant during cold, frosty nights. The delicate shapes are beautiful, yet ephemeral, as the day warms the "ice ribbons" soon melt away.


- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales  

Here at Ijams, our hearts are a bustin'

Hearts a-bustin',  Euonymus americanusis

When this shrub blooms in the spring, its flowers are a bit ho-hum. Small, green, inconspicuous.


It's the fruits that garner all the attention. The common name of this understory shrub refers to the plant's colorful, emotive seed pods which are now ripe and a-bustin'. 


Once the seeds have matured, the magenta capsules burst, scattering the red seeds up to 15 feet. Known in the Smoky Mountains by the folk name hearts a-bustin', (Euonymus americanusis) is now doing just that: a bustin'. 


Look for it on the back terrace at the Ijams Visitor Center.


- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales 

WalkAbouts take us out and about

Ijams Insect WalkAbout

Special thanks to all of those who attended the recent Insect WalkAbout led by local bugologist Rikki Hall.

Although it was hot, hot, hot, we managed to spend most of the time in the shade catching insects and spiders for Rikki to identify and give us a bit of its life history.

My favorite catch of the day: a blister beetle. Ouch!!

WalkAbouts are like Ijams-on-the-road. We visit local greenways and parks looking for things of interest.  Check out the Ijams events for upcoming WalkAbout adventures. 

Ijams has your yellow composites. Lots of them!

A sunflower species

Oh. Those yellow composites! A central disk surrounded by rays of yellow petals. Gee willikers! 


And you think identifying sparrows is tough. These two photos are sunflowers, but which ones?  UT Herbarium lists 20 species of native sunflowers in our state, all in the genus Helianthus. 


And then there's the tickseeds (Coreopsis)—there's seven species—and wingstem and yellow crownbeard and leafcup and black- and brown-eyed Susans. All yellow composites. Yellow. Yellow. Yellow. 


And then there are the goldenrods—don't get me started—37 species in Tennessee. They're not composites, but they are yellow. 


There are several yellow composites and goldenrods in bloom along the Ijams trails and Will Skeleton Greenway. 


-Story and photos by Stephen Lyn Bales

A sunflower species (perhaps Jerusalem artichoke)

Migrating warblers passing through Ijams

Blackburnian warbler (Dendroica fusca) in summer plumage
named in honor of English naturalist Anna Blackburne

Migration is slowly but surely starting at Ijams. This morning we set out early hoping to come across some flocks of early migrants but started feeling like we may be out of luck when we only found goldfinches, chickadees and titmice. 

After some searching, we found a mixed flock of migrants including a Cape May warbler, Blackburnian warblers (at least one still in summer plumage), chestnut-sided warbler, magnolia warblers and American redstarts. 

This is a nice assortment of warblers, but it shows that migration has not fully started here yet. Next week with the cooling temperatures migration will surely pick up, and we’ll see a higher diversity of species. 

As for now, it is fun to see a few passing warblers here and there. 

- Story by Emily Boves

With cicadas, it's all in the tymbals

Swamp cicada (Tibicen chloromera) 

The hills (of Ijams) are alive with the sound of music.

At this time of the year, the singing is done mostly by insects, during the day, mainly cicadas. But it's not a vocalization, they use another part of their bodies.

Male cicadas have loud noisemakers called "tymbals" on the sides of the abdomens. Contracting the internal tymbal muscles produces a clicking sound as the tymbals buckle inwards. As these muscles relax, the tymbals return to their original position producing another click.

Roughly click, click, click. Very quickly. Each species produces a different clicking pattern.

Listen for them anywhere at Ijams.

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales.

Leafcups are dominant along Ijams' trails

Small-flowered leafcup (Polymnia canadensis) 

Two of the dominant wildflowers in bloom at this time of the year are the leafcups.

Both small-flowered leafcup, a.k.a. whiteflower leafcup (Polymnia canadensis) and large-flowered leafcup a.k.a. bear's foot leafcup (Polymnia uvedalia) are found in limestone woodlands, an excellent way to describe Ijams since karst topography—complete with caves, fissures, underground streams and sinkholes—is the bedrock just below the surface throughout the park.

Both leafcups bloom late in the season, growing tall (P. uvedalia can reach heights of ten feet) and profusely, so much so that they can block trails. Robust members of the sunflower family, you can distinguish the two by the size and colors of the flowers. Both also have rather large leaves.

As legend has it, the Native Americans used the large leafs to fashion impromptu drinking utensils, hence the name: leafcup.

Look for them along many of the Ijams woodland trails.

Large-flowered leafcup (Polymnia uvedalia)

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Late-season caterpillars munching away at park

Milkweed tussock moth (Euchaetes egle)

Pity the poor milkweed leaf in August. The caterpillars of the milkweed tussock moth (a.k.a. milkweed tiger moth) are ravenous. They're a common mid- to late-summer feeder on both milkweed and dogbane.

As Wiki reports, “Early instars appear slightly 'hairy' and gray. They skeletonize whole leaves gregariously, leaving a lacy remnant. They are gregarious until the third instar. Later instars sport tufts of black, white and orange (sometimes yellow) setae. The head capsule is black. The later instars wander much more, and may appear alone or in small clusters.”

I cringe anytime I hear the word “skeletonize.” Remember the basement acid scene in Vincent Price’s “House on Haunted Hill”? Reduced to a skeleton in a blink of an eye; not a pleasant way to go. 

Look for these fuzzy munchers in the plaza in front of the Visitor Center.

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Ijams' nesting is over for the year! Well, not quite.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Just when we thought all nesting was over at the nature center, we're reminded that no one has told the mourning doves: the most family oriented species I can think of.

Mourning doves can have up to five broods a year; but oddly, a clutch size of two is the norm. Nesting can start as early as February if the weather allows it and the busy pair may continue to produce until November.


With this degree of fecundity, you'd expect there to be a lot of doves in the fall, as there is. Perhaps this is why there is still a limited dove hunting season in Tennessee.

You have to wonder: why not just raise one clutch of ten offspring per year and then fly to Aruba for a break. Nature works in mysterious ways.

The Ijams' nesting doves have found a safe and well-sheltered location behind the Visitor Center.

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

You can find Joe Pye at the Homesite

Joe Pye weed

Who was Joe Pye? And why does he have a weed named in his honor?

This one has a bit of debate swirling around it, but according to one account, the plant is named for Joe Pye, a Native American medicine man who treated typhus (typhoid fever) with extracts made from this weed somewhere in the New England region, perhaps around the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1700s. Sadly, there is no one still alive from that era to verify the story.

Joe Pye weed is a monster perennial that can grow to be eight feet tall, year after year. This is no pansy. The mauve colored flower heads can become as large as a basketball, so big and heavy that the plant bends over under their weight.

Look for Joe Pye along the greenway to the Homesite. 

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Late-season fledglings follow parents, begging all the way

A caption for this photo almost writes itself.

"Feed me momma!"

Two weeks ago we blogged about a late-season nest of Carolina wrens that had appeared outside the office window of Jennifer Roder here at the Visitor Center.

After nestlings fledge, they are not independent; they follow their parents learning the finer points of being a wren. AND they continue to beg for food. The parents generally comply at least for awhile, that's what parents do. Just because the young ones have left the home, doesn't mean they are able to survive on their own. In the case of humans, several recent studies revealed that many parents are still supplying some financial aid for their adult children well past the age of 25 years old.

With wrens, this period of dependency is generally significantly less. 


- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photo be Jennifer Roder.

Watch for 'blue tails' sunning themselves at Ijams

Eastern five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus)

The eastern five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. 

Often called blue-tailed skinks, however only the juveniles have such a marking. After a few years, when they become sexually mature, they no longer have blue cabooses but do have five prominent lines that run the length of their bodies. Hence the name. The males have rosy red throats. 

As a group, skinks are only second to genkos in number of overall lizard species worldwide: roughly 1200 known species.

Skinks can be distinguished from other "true" lizards by their relatively short legs and lack of neck. (I know a few football players that fit that description.) 

Skinks can often be found around the foundation of homes; a good thing because they primarily eat ants.

At Ijams, look for skinks near the Visitor Center outside on walls and fences and the large stones near the Plaza Pond. 

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales.  

Whitetail dragonflies 'common' throughout the park

 Male common whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia)

I'm always somewhat embarrassed by any plant or animal that has been labeled "common." It's such a degrading moniker: common yellowthroat, common grackle, common sandpiper, common dandelion, common bladderwort, etc. Where's the respect? It suggests some sort of banality that simply doesn't exist.

But needless to say, the dragonfly known as common whitetail is widespread and ubiquitous. The females have brown abdomens with white spots down the flanks, while the males have solid white bodies, chalky like powered donuts. Both genders have dark bands on their otherwise transparent wings.

Once known as simply as mosquito hawks, dragonflies are environmentally beneficial because the eat lots of small flying insects, especially mosquitoes.

Their scientific name: Plathemis lydia does pique my curiosity. I wonder who was Lydia?

At Ijams, look for them throughout the park, especially near any of the ponds.

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales.

Sumac in bloom on Universal Trail

Winged sumac, a.k.a. shining sumac (Rhus copallina)

Landscaping with native plants tip:

Towards mid-summer, you begin to look for winged sumac (also known as shining sumac) in bloom, a native flowering shrub in the Cashew family.

It makes an excellent native ornamental that spreads by runners creating protective cover for birds. (A five year old sapling can reach a height of about eight feet, so it's fairly quick growing.)

Plus, in the fall, its scarlet foliage and clusters of hairy, red berries make it an eye-catching addition to your yard. It grows well in full sun or partial, and is relatively drought tolerant. 

Birds also eat the fruits from late fall into winter, so think of it as a living birdfeeder.

At Ijams, look for winged sumac growing along the Universal Trail.

- Story and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales. 

Thanks to Crossville's Art Circle Library

Ijams summer out-reach at Art Circle Library

Ijams out-reach:

Special thanks to Susie, James, Patty and the rest of the staff of the Art Circle Library for arraigning last week's nature programs for local kids.

Located in downtown Crossville, the new—opened in 2010—Art Circle Library is a thriving center of the community where you can check out a book, read a current periodical, cruise the Internet, attend an educational program or buy a sandwich at the "Food for Thought Cafe." One of the great libraries in our state, it's bustling with activity most hours of the day.

My two talks were about different kinds of animals: birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, etc. and what distinguishes each group.

The highlight of the two programs? I'm sure most of the kids, especially the ones on the front row, would agree it was when the box turtle wizzed on me. But nature is not static, it's a dynamic process, ever-changing; it flows. And sometimes it flows all over your hands.

- Stephen Lyn Bales 

Migrating ceruleans make Ijams a stopover

Male cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea)

This morning Than Boves and I banded a cerulean warbler along the Will Skelton Greenway at Ijams. 

The cerulean was first heard and seen on Monday afternoon. After putting up a mistnet—a wide and tall net that is designed to look like mist—we lured him in by playing a recording of a cerulean singing. 

Behind the net, we placed a decoy cerulean. The cerulean then came down to investigate and got caught in the net. 

The interesting thing about this bird is that he was molting his crown feathers (the feathers at the front of the head.) Researchers originally thought that ceruleans molt their crown feathers on the wintering grounds in South America, so this is a very exciting discovery. 

Mother-to-be Emily Boves

This particular cerulean was a second year male which means he was born last year. He most likely didn’t breed this year and thus explains why he has already started his migratory route. 

Ijams is a good stopover site for migratory birds. They use it to gain weight before their long trek south. This is the fifth cerulean seen/heard here this July. Previously, I have only seen or heard them during peak spring and fall migration. We will keep you posted as to how long this bird sticks around Ijams.

- Story by Emily Boves. Photos by Than Boves. (Editor's note: Husband and wife—Than and Emily—have been doing research on cerulean warblers in the Cumberland Mountains for University of Tennessee for the past three years. In short, they know ceruleans.) 

Here today; flown tomorrow

Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) nestlings

Oh, they do grow up fast!

Ijams education director Jennifer Roder was surprised to find this Carolina wren nest outside her office window at the nature center and had a perfect vantage point to watch the entire nesting process.

Surprised because it's so late in the season, so late in the season in fact, educator Emily Boves speculates that it was the third clutch for this pair of wrens. Raising one brood must be exhausting, but three?

Jen took the above photo on Saturday, July 23 and as she points out, the four nestlings are starting to get their "Big Boy" wing feathers.

Sure enough. Poof. Today they are gone. Fledged. Hasta la vista, baby. Off to wren college.

And their parents? Well, actually they are not quite finished. After they teach their new young ones how to be wrens—what to eat, where to find food, where to roost, what to be afraid of, how to communicate, etc. etc.—then they will take some time off. Or at least, that's what we think.

- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photo by Jennifer Roder.

First class completes wizards of nature school

  The Ijams' distinguished wizarding faculty. Wizards all!

Oh, the magic of nature! The wiz of it all.  

The first class graduated from the Wizarding World of Ijams, our very own Ha-Ha-Hogwarts.

After being sorted into their four houses—and I'm a hard-working, loyal, badger-loving Hufflepuff man, so don't intrerupt me, I'm on task—the sixty young wizards successfully completed four classes: Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions and Charms. Each class was taught by one of Ijams gifted wizardry professors.

But it wasn't all hard studies. After the classes each student got to take part in a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans flavor guessing competition with flavors that ranged from strawberry and blueberry to vomit and booger. Yes, booger and don't pretend you don't know what that tastes like.

The feast treats served after the day of higher learning included pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, sherbet lemon, licorice wands, cauldron cakes and (my own favorite) cockroach clusters. Crunchy. Crunchy. 

- Special thanks to Jennifer's inspiration, plus Peg, Kara, Louise I, Louise II and Sabrina.


- Story by Stephen Lyn Bales. Photo by Karyn Adams. 

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Fields of sunflowers in bloom near Ijams

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) 

Oh my gosh!

If you're into the color yellow. Then park your car at Ijams and walk east along the Will Skelton Greenway to Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area.

The 400-plus acre parcel is managed for wildlife by TWRA and they plant field after field after field of sunflowers.

All during the month of July these fields are a sea of vibrant, intoxicating yellow, enough to make painter Vincent van Gogh swoon because the Post-Impressionist artist loved that color, used it intensely. 

Vincent—if I may be so bold as to call him by his first name since we never actually met—painted numerous canvases of sunflowers while living in Provence in southern France in the late 1800s. And all of the sunflowers he painted originated in America. Once sunflower seeds were exported to Europe in the 16th century, the sunny yellow American flowers became very popular.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales

Two more weeks of Nature Day Camp left

Camper Isabel James with goggley-eyed
raccoon plant marker craft

Wednesday was Mammal Day, part of Ijams Adventures week, in this summer's Nature Day Camp.

One of the activities to honor mammals was a craft. All of the campers got to plant a tutti-fruiti vinca and make a raccoon plant marker. I ask you, "What could be more precious?"

Camp leader Sabrina DeVault said, "They all were excited to mix the compost and plant the vinca. But what really thrilled them was getting to glue on the googly eyes on the raccoon's face."

There are two more weeks of Nature Day Camp. For schedule, click: Ijams Events.

- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales.