Disappearing Denizens of the Night

• By Bonnie Caruthers

Moths are often maligned as the pesky flyers around the porch light or, worse, closet and pantry marauders. True, most moths do fly at night or hide themselves away in dark places. However, our focus here is on a different group of moths altogether. Unlike butterflies and other moths, these moths won’t flit from flower to flower because they do not eat — at least not in their short adult life. These interesting flyers have no mouthparts as adults and are all about reproduction.

What are these creatures of the night that have a wingspan the breadth of a man’s hand, with colors and markings that rival those of many butterflies? What are these neighbors of the night that demand no nourishment, no sustenance? They are wild silk moths!

If you have been fortunate enough to see one or more of these lovely insects, it is not a sight you will soon forget. Due to their large size, some can be confused with our indigenous small brown bat. The most common natives to New England are the luna, polyphemus, promethea, io and cecropia moths. They are all of the family Saturniidae, which includes the largest in the world, the Atlas moth, hailing from Asia with a wingspan of up to one foot! The cecropia is the largest moth in North America — sometimes attaining a wingspan exceeding six inches. It is also well known in its larval, or caterpillar, stage due to its enormous size and colorful knobs (or tubercles) that adorn its blue-green body.

I am in my eleventh season of spending intimate time with these extraordinary creatures. I am there as they emerge from their wintered-over cocoons. I place my female moths out to attract wild males for mating, collect a handful of the hundreds of eggs each will produce, and raise the tiny caterpillars right from the egg. They feed for 5-8 weeks all summer — mostly on a selection of trees and shrubs in various habitats — as they grow to two to over four inches, are smooth to spiny, or are decorated with what seems like bells and whistles! I then watch in awe as they magically spin their silken robes for a long winter slumber once again. Of the 100-300 eggs these creatures can deposit, barely 2% will make it to the adult moth. They struggle with both natural and human-induced causes of decline. As caterpillars, they are prey to parasitoid wasps and flies and can succumb to a variety of diseases — bacterial, fungal and viral. Some are meals for birds, and in their pupal stage they are often found in fall, winter or spring by hungry mammals. Habitat degradation and pesticides also take a toll.

Nature’s checks and balances have somehow managed to keep plenty of these winged wonders among us. But there is now a new and serious threat. It is a tachnid fly, which was introduced in the early 1900s to control gypsy moths. The fly now attacks hundreds of hosts in three different insect orders — including Lepidoptera. Our native Saturniid caterpillars' size and feeding habits make them ideal marks for this multi- generational fly, which inserts its larvae directly into its host. Research is being done, but alas, few have adequate funding and resources.

There is not much we can do about the natural and non- native impacts, but individually each of us can take action to help these insects’ overall survival through their stages.

• Bonnie J. Caruthers is a naturalist, freelance nature photographer, and writer living in Walpole, NH. She frequently speaks on Backyard Pollina- tor Conservation, Wild Silk Moths and Native & Invasive Plants. For some up-close moth encounters, visit her photo exhibit at Strand Style Studio, upstairs at 55 Village Square in Bellows Falls, VT, through September. Or come to her program at the Museum on Friday, July 10 at 10:00 AM.

How You Can Help Gentle Giants ~ Tips from Bonnie Caruthers

• While some moths winter over as eggs on stems, the luna, polyphemus and io moths spin their cocoons that range from tight and hard to papery and then fall to the ground. These may end up in the compost pile or garbage when you rake and toss. If you can resist having a spotless yard, you may have more night flyers the following summer. Also you may not be destroying the overwintering chrysalises of butterfly pollinators, such as spicebush swallowtails.

• Some moths burrow into the ground and remain as "naked" pupae all winter. If you unearth one while digging, gently replace it.

• Avoid the urge to seek and destroy every crawly that nibbles on a leaf! Often the bigger it is, the more it may seem creepy; yet it may just be one of our Gentle Giants.

• Minimize or stop your use of pesticides.

Polyphemus moth. Copyright © Bonnie J. Caruthers

Cecropia Caterpillar. Copyright © Bonnie J. Caruthers

• By Rick Enser

…It’s easy to ignore the myriad organisms on which we depend. Most are small, unnoticeable creatures that we label as pests. But as we support local farmers and seek to sustain ourselves from our own gardens, we must remember that our endeavors would not be possible without pollinators…

Pollination is the essential reproductive strategy of the world’s more than 240,000 flowering plants – at least three-quarters rely on an animal to conduct the necessary transfer of pollen. The best-known pollinator is the honey bee (Apis melifera), which effectively pollinates more than 100 commercially-grown crops in North America….But the honey bee is not alone, and is not even native to this continent. For the millennia prior to the bee’s introduction, pollination was performed by a multitude of native insects, including solitary bees, wasps, flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, and thrips, as well as birds and a few mammals.

Honey bees were first introduced to North America at the Virginia colony in the early 1600s. Beekeeping moved slowly north, arriving in Vermont around 1720. At first, bees were kept in makeshift hives and allowed to gather and hoard their honey supply. In the fall, keepers would kill the bees with a sulfur gas and destroy the hive to collect the honey, hoping they would find wild swarms and restock in the spring.

In 1862, modern apiculture was born when L.L. Langstroth developed the movable-frame, top-bar hive. By permitting access to the hive’s interior, honey could be collected without destroying the occupants. Beekeeping flourished, and by 1900 Vermont and Maine led New England in honey production.

In 1947, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated there were 5.9 million colonies in the United States, but by 2005 that number had dropped to 2.4 million. Much of the decline has been attributed to the Varroa mite, a tiny parasite that lays its eggs in comb cells so its young can feed on the developing bee larvae. An infected hive will fail within one or two years.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) gained media coverage in 2006, when some large beekeeping operations in the U.S. reported losses as high as 80% of their hives. Many causes have been suggested for CCD, including…genetically-modified crops, malnutrition, and use of synthetic pesticides….Experts are now saying that CCD is more likely caused by a combination of factors that stress and weaken a colony to the point of collapse. Among these stressors are malnutrition, long-distance transport of hives, Varroa mites, viral infections, other diseases (such as American Foul Brood), and the use of chemicals to control these pathogens.

According to Steve Parise, the VT State Apiculturist, CCD has not yet been reported in Vermont. “The decline of honey bees,” he reports, “has not been as evident here, and the number of beekeepers [about 1,600] and annual production of honey [500,000 pounds] has remained fairly constant the past few years.” This brighter picture speaks to good hive husbandry practiced by many VT beekeepers, most of whom keep fewer than five hives. Also, many have adopted an organic approach that, in Ross Conrad’s view, “reduces stress on the bees, and is why organic beekeepers seem to be faring better during these times of such devastating losses elsewhere.”

Still, Vermont’s beekeepers must remain diligent in protecting themselves from losses caused by Varroa mites...many keepers are breeding their own replacement stock with bees resistant to mite and viral problems…

Although honey bees are faring relatively well in Vermont, there is growing concern about wild pollinators. There are 49 species of bumble bees in the United States (18 in Vermont), and some have become commercially important because they function as “buzz-pollinators” – a bee that literally vibrates pollen grains from the anthers of certain flowers, including cranberry, blueberry, tomato, and cucumber. As an alternative to honey bees (which do not buzz-pollinate), several bumble bees are imported and managed for crop production, most notably greenhouse-cultivated tomatoes. However, imported bumble bees often escape to the wild, where they can potentially infect native populations with pathogens that arise in confined colonies. As a result, several species of native bumble bees have suffered significant declines.

In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences warned that “pollinator decline is one form of global change that has a credible potential to alter the shape and structure of the terrestrial world.” Landowners throughout Vermont can improve habitat for native pollinators by doing three basic things.

First, provide a diversity and abundance of pollen and nectar sources by planting flowers that bloom at different times during the growing season…Native or naturalized plants are best, since they have adapted to local growing conditions and native pollinators have evolved along with them.

Second, provide quality nesting sites. Because many native bees nest in soil, provide patches of bare ground adjacent to crop fields and gardens…. For guidelines for constructing nest boxes (and selecting beneficial plants) see the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation website, www.xerces.org.

Third, cut back or eliminate the use of pesticides. If chemicals are deemed necessary, choose ones that directly target specific weeds or pests, and make sure application methods reduce drift into natural habitats and are used at night, when bees are inactive. The Natural Resource Conservation Service’s website, www.nrcs.usda.gov, offers guidance on how to improve pollinator habitat through such actions as the creation of hedgerows and wildflower meadows.

Homeowners can also learn to tolerate weeds along property edges and allow old fields to repopulate with weeds and wildflowers. Simple measures like these will help perpetuate healthy populations of beneficial insects and ensure that the pollination services they perform in Vermont will continue to enhance our local food production for years to come.

Naming Opportunities

The Museum is seeking donations – perhaps in honor or memory of a special person or event – to fund four items in time for the Museum’s Birthday Party on May 23.

• 3 unique 5’ indoor benches with arms @ $300 each
• 1 mystery specimen now at the taxidermist @ $350

Anyone interested in discovering more about the items or funding them should call Lillian Willis at the Museum.

New Mountain Lion Sighting at the Museum:“Catamount”

Slate Carving by Frank Mather

Gift of Peggy Blumenthal and Doug Murray, 2009

When Doug Murray and Peggy Blumenthal went to the annual Kings Mountain Art Fair in California in 2003, a carved slate sculpture of a Catamount immediately caught their attention because of then-recent “sightings” in and around Grafton, as well as the diorama at the top of the Museum stairs.  When the artist revealed the slate had come from Pawlet, Vermont, the couple purchased the work with an eye toward giving it to the Museum.  Upon moving from their Eastman Road house in Grafton, they donated the work to the Museum and then sent this information about the sculptor.

The Catamount’s artist Frank Mather was born and raised on the East Coast and learned his sense of craftsmanship and respect for natural materials from his father, a master woodworker.  Mather began sculpting in college and, following graduation in 1967, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area.  The inspiration to carve directly in slate came from exposure to low-relief stone carvings during a hiking trip to Nepal in 1972, so he developed the techniques and hand tools necessary to accomplish the elegant lines and fine detail in his work.

Mather’s original carving was created by hand from a single piece of slate, a durable, weather-resistant stone that could allow his unique carving to be placed outdoors.  All colors are the natural colors of the slate itself.

The Museum is delighted to have this artistic interpretation of a most impressive, once-native species. Thank you, Doug and Peggy!

News From the Museum

Spring has sprung, and new life is blossoming at the Museum, literally! Director of Education Betsy Bennett Stacey has returned from maternity leave, so visitors occasionally may glimpse charming Mackenzie Claire Stacey, born on February 7, 2009. Other recent new additions involve exhibits, programs, and the building itself.

Exhibits. A most appropriate stone sculpture arrived (see Catamount article), and plans call for a mystery specimen to be unveiled at the Museum's Birthday Party on May 23. Meanwhile we are negotiating with artists and collectors to have a new artistic exhibit and/or collection every month or two. These exhibits will complement our permanent collections, seasonal displays, and featured programs. For instance, fishing season opened in April, so we have insect, amphibian, and fish exhibits on display. Rotating every two weeks now through fall, there also will be one or more live amphibians or reptiles visiting the Museum. Starting in May, courtesy of Dick Warren, honey bees once again will be visible in an enclosed hive on the second floor. An article on those insects, vital to farming and sustainable agriculture, is in this newsletter.

Programs. Starting in May a new monthly series of guided hikes for women will take place, in different locations in Vermont and New Hampshire and with different leaders, on the second Tuesday of each month from 9:30-11 AM. If men wish such a hike, let us know. We also are aiming for one weekend hike a month for families and individuals. We welcome your suggestions for locations and leaders.

Our renowned summer Nature Journaling/Writing Institutes for educators will continue again this year. Interested teachers may go online to get information or call Betsy Stacey. And because it isn't just through writing that people interpret and learn from nature, the Museum is offering free to visitors sketching pads and pencils that they may use in the Museum or gardens and then return to the desk. Our birds hold still enough for people of all ages to draw and compare them! Other still-life wildlife may be brought from our archives upon advance request.

Creations inspired by nature will continue with the Museum's hosting of the first Fairy House Tour to be held in Vermont! Watch for more information about the tour on September 26 and 27, when participants can meet Fairy House books author Tracy Kane.

Building. We've brought benches into the Museum to make people comfortable when discussing a diorama or exhibit, and are working on securing some seating created out of Vermont wood by a Vermont woodworker. We're making changes to the Museum's exhibits, entrance area, and to the Second Nature Shop, which has new merchandise for sale and now has items and books sorted by topic.

New Mission Statement. The Museum's 2009 Mission reflects its work in hands-on, place-based environmental education for people of all ages through its school, library, and public programs; hikes; workshops; teacher and volunteer training sessions; and exhibits at the Museum and at the Fish Ladder facility on the Connecticut River in Bellows Falls.

The Nature Museum is a regional resource for nature, science, and environmental education in the Vermont and New Hampshire communities of the Connecticut River Valley. The Museum provides information and experiences which engage and enlighten its audiences and inspire stewardship of the natural world.

Come visit often. Hope to see you at the Museum's Birthday Party on May 23, if not before!

Request for Loans of Collections and Art to Display and for Public Input on Exhibits

Many people don’t realize that the Museum regularly adds or rotates special exhibits that relate to the seasons or special topics of interest.  We also have an amazing number of specimens, mounts, and information in our archives that we use for school and public programs and that may be put out upon advance request.  While we have many supplies, we would also like to augment our resources to further inform, delight, and inspire our visitors.  We know that some members have, or know of others who have, appropriate exhibits that are display ready and that the collectors may be eager to share their interest by loaning them temporarily to the museum.  While exhibit space is limited, we would like to feature a different loaned exhibit each month or two and publicize them so people have additional reasons to visit the Museum on a regular basis.

Here are some special topics on which we seek small exhibits that are already mounted or framed for display.   Please note that some displays more appropriately may include more of specimens or pictures.

• Dragonflies and damselflies
• Spiders, fleas, and other insects
• Wasps and bees, their food, homes, habitats
• Flowers that are good, and not good, for honey
• Wool or other fabric dyed from native flowers or berries identified by pictures and names
• Herbarium collections of ferns; local herbs, shrubs, trees
• Caterpillars, what they eat, cocoons, and resultant butterflies
• Different breeds of sheep, cows, chickens, pigs and their special value
• Historical photos:  area landscapes then/now
• Amphibians
• Bird feathers
• Heirloom apples
• Mushrooms and fungi
• Berries edible, and poisonous
• Gems
• Arrowheads and rocks/they come from
• Invasive plants
• Artistic works interpret nature

If you have another idea or source of an exhibit you would like to see mounted, please contact the Museum.  We’d love to hear from you!

Announcements & Items of Interest

Summer's Here!

Members can visit the Museum and see new monthly exhibits at no cost and can choose from many free or discounted programs throughout the year, in addition to other benefits, such as receiving advance notice of programs, camps, and special events. For more program information, make sure to check the Events section of the Newsletter, or call 802-843-2111. Summer camps are filling up fast, so register quickly!

New Museum Director

On January 19, 2009, Lillian Willis of Chester, VT, and Ridgefield, CT, became The Nature Museum’s new Executive Director. She has extensive experience in communications, environmental education, volunteer recruitment, and nonprofit management. She is a past Program and Volunteer Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy’s 1756-acre Devil’s Den Preserve, Director of Communications and Marketing for a Connecticut Girl Scout Council, and Copy Editor for The Viking Press.

Her extensive volunteer work includes positions as a founding member and president of three nonprofits: the Six Town River Board, which trained adults to teach river ecology to fourth graders in six towns in Fairfield County; the Discovery Center, a nature center without walls; and the Norwalk River Watershed Association (NRWA). Accomplishments for NRWA included establishing an interconnecting trail system within towns in the watershed and securing and managing an EPA grant for a project that created a model septic system ordinance for the state of Connecticut, as well as other publications for the general public that educate citizens and businesses on ways to responsibly manage their properties to improve water quality and protect natural resources. She served for many years on the Ridgefield Conservation Commission/Flood & Erosion Control Board and then was elected to the Planning & Zoning Commission/Inland Wetlands Board. A Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselor, she has been the advisor on over 25 Eagle Scout projects – all have been concerned with trail or bridge projects on open-space parcels.

Lillian has received numerous awards for her environmental work – principally for habitat restoration, public education, and creation of the very first public Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day held in Connecticut. An avid gardener, she has received awards from the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut and the Garden Club of America for her conservation and historic preservation efforts, as well as the Catherine Beattie Award for horticultural excellence. Her most recent honor was the first Weir Farm Palette Award from the National Park Service at the Weir Farm National Historic Site for her programming partnership with NPS, work on the adjoining NRWA trail system, and workday efforts to remove invasive plants. She also is the co-author of a cookbook and The River Book.

Lillian is “well aware of the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits in today’s economic climate, but this small museum is incredibly imaginative and forward thinking, and bursting with potential. Its accomplishments at the Grafton location, at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder facility, and through the 400 school, library, and public programs the Museum mounted last year to service 40 communities in Vermont and New Hampshire are very impressive. I look forward to introducing more people to the Museum’s excellent programs, enhancing its facility, engaging more volunteers and members, and expanding the Museum’s influence as a regional environmental resource.”

Museum President Laurie Danforth said, “The entire Board is delighted to have Lillian on board. With her environmental knowledge, boundless energy, infectious enthusiasm, and can-do attitude, we know that the Museum is in good hands.”

View from the Board

As we celebrate the Museum’s 20th birthday we look back at the visionary people whose strong determination and clear direction brought about the creation of our organization. We owe a debt of gratitude to our founders Don Clark and Sue Hadden. From the beginning Don and Sue’s focus was to foster scientific wonder, beauty, and delight in New England’s earth, sea, and skies. This tireless dynamic duo used Don’s extensive personal collections as the foundation for the Museum’s displays and opened the original Museum above the Grafton Town Hall in 1989. Under the guidance of Don and Sue, and with the help of a committed board, the Museum began offering educational programs. So successful were their offerings that within ten years the Museum had already outgrown its home.

Once again hard work and clear purpose paid off as the visionary Board took a leap of faith and initiated a successful capital campaign to purchase the Grafton Grange as the Museum’s new residence. After extensive remodeling the Nature Museum opened in 1999 in its present location on Townshend Road. Over the last decade the Museum’s collections and educational programs have continually expanded. In 2008 we presented over 400 programs in 40 towns and touched the lives of almost 10,000 participants. This is a history of which we can be very proud. It is also good to remind ourselves that our beloved little Museum began with two dedicated individuals coming together with a passion for a common purpose. We certainly have cause for gratitude and for celebration, and celebrate we didl!