Pink Lady Slippers

Pink Lady Slippers

Looks Like:  A large, showy wildflower of the Orchid Family. It has two opposite basal leaves and a large flower at the end of an erect stalk. The flower can be magenta to white-pink. The plant can grow 6-15” in height.

First Emergence on the Preserve - May 12

Lives In:  A variety of habitats and can be found in hardwood, coniferous forests of pine and hemlock. They also can be found on rocky and mossy slopes (similar to much of the habitat found on the Shawangunk Ridge). Pink Lady Slippers prefer to grow in areas of disturbance in these forests.

Niche:  In order to survive and reproduce, the Pink Lady Slipper needs to interact with a fungus in the soil in order to grow and bees in order to reproduce. The Orchid seeds do not have food supplies inside them like most seeds. The Pink Lady Slipper seeds require the threads of fungus to break open the seed and attach them to it. Once attached the fugue will pass on food and nutrients for growth and survival. When the plant is able to produce most of its own food, the fugue will extract nutrients from the orchid roots – a symbiotic or mutually beneficial relationship occurs. Pink Lady Slippers have closed flowers and only certain animals can enter and exit the small opening in the front. The bee is tricked into thinking the orchid holds nectar due to a sweet-smelling aroma the flower expels. As the bee tries to exit the flower, it gets covered in the flower’s pollen. If the bee gets tricked by another Pink Lady Slipper, it will deliver pollen from the first flower and help with the start of reproduction.

Also, White-Tailed Deer love this plant as a food source.

Threats:  Pink Lady Slippers can be found in the Shawangunk woodland areas, however, they take a very long time to grow. Picking these flowers is not recommended.

Frequency:  They are a common wildflower in the Shawangunks. 

Reproduction:  Flowers in early to Mid-May into July.

Fun Fact:  Another common name for the Pink Lady Slipper is the Moccasin Flower as the flower looks like a shoe. The roots were used as a remedy for nervousness, tooth pain, and muscle spasms.

And on a RARE occasion, you get a double Pink Lady Slipper! Found by one of my volunteers, this was an amazing find!
They look like a pair of Ballet Shoes!

High Peterskill Hike

Hiked along the High Peterskill Trail that connects the Preserve to Minnewaska State Park today. I am just loving the spring right now and discovering all the different flowers that give the Ridge its color! Check out some of my favorite flora finds!

TheChristyBel

Bellwort

Star Flower

Painted Trillium

American Kestrel Banding

Mohonk Preserve, Research Associate, Zach Smith
retrieving the chicks from the Kestrel Box.

I am super proud to be part of two departments with the Preserve. Yes, it is really challenging at times and it's hard to balance my time and make sure I am completing all of my responsibilities, but...there are so many benefits. Benefits include using the Mohonk Mountain House, the Mountain House Spa and Lake, getting full access to hike, bike, and climb all carriage roads and cliffs, meeting some really cool people - Jimmy Chin, Mikey Schaeffer, Sasha DiGuilian, etc! But one really exciting thing is assisting our Research Associates! Research Associates submit proposals requesting to lead research projects on the Preserve that align with our mission. Below are some photos of assisting Zach Smith with Kestrel Bird Banding. He waits until the chicks are 3-4 weeks old, takes them from their Kestrel Box, sexes them, weighs them, measures the tarsus, and then finally bands them. Enjoy the balls of fluff! Not going to lie, I did squee with joy. And totally said, "I can't take it, they're so fluffy!"

In the Shawangunks Grassland Kestrel Box, Zach retrieved 6 chicks (4 females and 2 males)

American Kestrel

Weighing Each Chick - They Were Not Happy

Looks Like:  A colorful bird of prey with long, sickle-shaped wings and long tail. The Kestrel has markings on its head called “eyespots”. The two dark marks on the back of its head to fool its prey and other animals into thinking that the Kestrel can still see them even with its back turned. Male American Kestrels have slate-blue wings, white underparts, and rufous backs and tails with black tips, while female American Kestrels have cream-colored underparts and are rufous in coloration on their wings, backs, and tails.

Lives In:  These tiny falcons prefer open grasslands, meadows, and deserts. As you drive on roads, you can commonly find American Kestrels perched on telephone wires in search for prey.

Wahhhh! They were really not happy!

Niche:  The American Kestrel eats a variety of prey – including many insects (grasshoppers, beetles, cicadas, and spiders) to small snakes, lizards, and frogs, to small rodents and other birds (voles, mice, and red squirrels). Kestrels also become prey for larger birds such as Red-tailed Hawks, Barn Owls, and American Crows.

Threats:  Breeding habitat has declined for Kestrels due to thinning and clearing of land and standing dead trees. In addition to breeding habitat declination, the American Kestrel population is declining due to the loss hunting habitat. “Clean” farming practices such as the removal of unwanted hedges, trees, bushes, etc. reduce shelter for prey sources.

Measuring the tarsus

Frequency:  Even though this raptor is a common widespread falcon throughout our country, the American Kestrel population is declining due to human encroachment into the natural world.

Reproduction:  American Kestrels do not build their own nests. They will nest in pre-existing holes or cavities in trees that were made by other birds or use nest boxes that have been built by humans. Kestrels will use the same territory to nest in year after year. During courtship, the pair will perform aerial displays, a series of sequential dives in the air. The female will create a nest called a “scrape.” A scrape is a small depression in the substrate on the floor of the cavity or nest box. The female can lay up to four to six eggs in a clutch. The eggs will be incubated for about 30 days predominantly by the female while the male hunts and brings in food. When the eggs hatch, they are tiny balls of white down and fluff. After two weeks once hatched, the chicks begin to develop their flight feathers and the symbolic colors of an adult Kestrel. They will begin to fledge 30 days after hatching.

Female (left), Male (right)
Females are pretty rufous on entire wing,
Males have a blue, gray slate color wing

Fun Fact:  The American Kestrel is our most colorful and smallest falcon in North America. Their size is comparable to a Mourning Dove or a Blue Jay.

TheChristyBel

Getting to Hold a Baby Kestrel
My Life was Complete!

Raymond L. Burton, Sr.

Yesterday evening was an exceptionally hard day as we celebrated the life of someone who I have known my entire life. Ray worked with my father at the Delaware refinery. When my parents were in need of finding a babysitter, nanny, or daycare, Ray had 'volun-told' his wife she would take care of me while my parents returned to work. 
Since my biological grandparents lived overseas or had passed before I was born, Ray has been the closest figure to a grandfather for my brother and I our whole lives.

Since I was a few weeks old, my family and his family have become merged together. Despite no blood relation, Ray, his wife, their biological children and grandchildren have become an extension of my family as we celebrate every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, graduation, birthday, and in between life milestone together. There is not a chapter of my life that does not include Ray in it with me. Even though future holidays, life events, and family functions will not have my 'grandfather' sharing these moments with us in person, he will be sharing these moments forever in our hearts.

To an amazing grandfather!

Ray, we will miss you!

With love, always, theChristyBel

Jefferson Salamander

Jefferson Salamander

Looks Like:  Dark brown to gray body with a lighter underside. Blue-gray speckles are on the limbs and lower sides of the body. Jefferson Salamanders can be 4.25” to 8.25” in length. They have a wide snout, a long and slender body. And a tail that almost extends the length of the body.

Lives In:  Upland deciduous forests that feature moist, rocky outcrops. They prefer to live underground under rotting logs.

Niche:  Jefferson Salamanders’ diet includes worms, insects, snails, and slugs. This species is often prey for owls, snakes, striped skunks, and raccoons.

Threats:  In dry spring times, many young Jefferson Salamander in temporary vernal pools can die before they mature enough to leave the pool before it dries up. As their pond dries and the water level declines they also become more vulnerable to predators. With climate change, the wide fluctuation in the occurrence and amount of precipitation during spring and summer and lack of snow cover in winter can pose major risks for this salamander’s survival. Acidic rain at breeding time can cause embryonic mortality. Loss of small unregulated wetlands is also a major threat.

Frequency:  These salamanders are rare to find except for breeding nights in late winter and early spring. An average lifespan of Jefferson Salamanders is three years.

Reproduction:  Jefferson Salamanders will breed in woodland, vernal pools. They will emerge on rainy nights and migrate to pools when the ground is partially thawed and ice still on pools. When the males and females locate each other (by chemical communication), the males will entice the females with snout rubbing, clasping, and synchronized swimming and tail waving. The female will pick up the male’s released spermatophores in her cloaca and will lay up to 250 eggs in small clusters a few days later. The egg masses are tubular and clear, attached to twigs and soft vegetation. Eggs will hatch 4-6 weeks later and the larvae will complete development after 2-4 months.

Fun Fact:  The Jefferson Salamander is involved in a hybrid complex with three other species of salamanders – the Blue-Spotted Salamander, the Small-Mouth Salamander, and the Tiger Salamander.

Northern Red Salamanders

Northern Red Salamander

This was a very special find, as we do not see them very often!

Looks Like:  Northern Red Salamanders can be 4-7” in length. Their stout body is red to reddish-orange with dotted to irregular, rounded black spots all over its back and limbs. They have five toes on their hindlimbs and four toes on forelimbs. They have 16-17 costal grooves (grooves along its underside).

Lives In:  Terrestrial and aquatic environments. They prefer to under fallen bark, logs, and rocks in woodlands and under leaf litter in cool streams.

Niche:  Northern Red Salamanders are prey to woodland birds, skunks, and raccoons. These salamanders are carnivorous and will feed upon insects, worms, other invertebrates, and sometimes smaller salamanders.

Threats:  These salamanders depend on intact deciduous forests to survive. Their survival can be compromised with encroaching development that devastates and removes forest habitats.

Frequency:  Northern Red Salamanders are uncommon in the Shawangunks. It is a very special treat to come across one on a hike. Northern Red Salamanders can live more than 20 years.

Reproduction:  Males will rub their snout on the female’s head and chin. Once the female is enticed, she will collect the male’s spermatophores with her cloaca. Her egg location is cryptic – she’ll lay her eggs in springs, brooks, and under streambanks. The egg masses are gelatinous in a single stalk. The 30-130 eggs she lays will hatch in early winter and remain in larval stage for 1-3 years before becoming an adult.

Fun Fact:  Northern Red Salamanders have a projectile tongue that can extend and return in 11 milliseconds. They can also release a toxin from their poison glands to repel away certain predators.

Northern Slimy Salamander

Northern Slimy Salamander

Looks Like:  Slimy Salamanders are mostly black with abundant silver-white specks all over its body. It is also has a present nasolabial groove. The Slimy Salamander gets its name from the slimy, glue-like substance that is secreted from its skin glands. 

Lives In:  Under stones, rotting logs, in woodlands and along streams. They often moves underground through animal and insect burrows.

Niche:  Slimy Salamanders will feed on ants, beetles, sowbugs, and earthworms.

Threats:  The Slimy Salamander is neither considered threatened nor endangered throughout its range.

Frequency:  This species of salamander is common throughout the Shawangunks in moist, woodland areas.

Reproduction:  Males will attract females by performing an elaborate dance. Males during breeding season develop pink to red spots on their chin and feet. During the beginning of April, eggs are deposited in moist areas such as caves, under rocks, and rotting logs. Three months after the female lays eggs, the juveniles will emerge. The juveniles do not experience an aquatic stage like other salamanders do and will directly develop into adulthood. 

Fun Fact:  Slimy Salamanders were once considered one species, but recently, have been split into 13 separate species. They all look very similar to each other, but are best differentiated by range.

Upcycling an Arm Chair

The other day, I picked up a very hideous chair from the Mountain House that the hotel was giving away. Besides having a broken arm, I thought this chair still had potential for a second life. I thought, "Hey, I could take it home and totally add some new fabric, and a paint job, and it could totally be my new chair..." Little did I know how hard, stressful, painful, and challenging this project would be.

Let me guide you through this challenging project's journey:

Step 1: Examine this chair and determine what needs to be done. Remove all studs, rip off all fabric, unstaple everything, paint wooden exposed areas, will it need new padding, clean every nook and cranny! Ugh...this is going to suck, I just know it!

Step 2: After removing over 50 studs and several hundred staples, there is a skeleton to this chair. Kinda gross underneath! Please note this was my LEAST FAVORITE part! Not to mention, my hands are so much closer to being arthritic.

Step 3: Pick out some fabric and start to pinch, clamp, pull, and re-staple said fabric on a freshly painted and dried chair skeleton. Also note, make sure you put geometry into consideration. Clearly, I did not...as many of the images were not centered.

Step 4: The bottom...added a fresh, new pad. I had to cut it to the shape of the seat of the chair. Once pads were set, stretch fabric, pull fabric, clamp, make it tight, staple, and staple!

Step 5: And covering the undercarriage...using some mesh fabric, making sure you seal and cover all the mess. Yes, this was a messy process, but once you cover it all and conceal it in the seat, it turns into a....

Step 6: Beautiful, new chair for the house!

What do you think?!

Afternoon Walk at Spring Farm

Took a stroll around Spring Farm this afternoon, look at some of the gems I found:

TheChristyBel

Red Spotted Newt - Red Eft

Wild Columbine

Morels!