The species spotlighted this month is Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)! Also known as Blue Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia is a perennial wildflower native to Wisconsin that grows well along streams, springs, swamps, meadows and other places with sufficient moisture. This species grows up to 4 feet tall, with a leafy stalk on which blue/purple tubular flowers bloom in July – October. Great Blue Lobelia requires moist to wet soil and partial to full sun, and is resistant to deer browsing. This plant has a wide distribution in North America, found in wet ground from Main to Colorado and into Canada, and south to North Carolina and Texas.

The seedlings of Great Blue Lobelia are very tiny at first, before growing into the clump forming wildflower. This plant usually blooms in its first year. Seeds in October – November and in optimal conditions, this plant may self-seed, but is not overly prolific. It is not very drought tolerant, and requires moist soil.

Great Blue Lobelia is a great plant for shoreline plantings. Along with other native species, its roots are great for capturing and slowing down stormwater runoff, and for holding on to soil which helps prevent erosion. In addition, Great Blue Lobelia attacks hummingbirds and native bee species!

Image Credit: Aaron Carlson; www.wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu; CC BY-SA 3.0

H. Zell; CC BY-SA 3.0

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance recovery initiative. Contact us at wwinfo@fwwa.org

The post Species Spotlight: Great Blue Lobelia appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

Original Article

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

https://fwwa.org/2023/10/27/species-spotlight-great-blue-lobelia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=species-spotlight-great-blue-lobelia

Katie Reed

This month’s species spotlight shines light on a native lamprey species of the Winnebago System: Chestnut Lampreys (Ichthyomyzon castaneus). There are other native species of lamprey in the Winnebago System too. These are the Silver, American Brook, and Northern Brook lampreys. Chestnut and silver lampreys are parasitic as adults, feeding on fish. However, this usually does not kill the fish. Despite the scary looking sucker disks, native lampreys are an important part of the ecosystem.

Chesnut Lamprey (young) Photo Source: Cal Yonce/USFWS

However, there is a non-native lamprey species to be aware of too: the sea lamprey. The sea lamprey is an aquatic invasive species has not invaded the Winnebago System, but is present in the Great Lakes. If the sea lamprey were to invade the Winnebago System, it is likely they would cause major issues for the ecosystem. We must work hard to keep this aquatic invasive species out of the Winnebago System. Though a bit creepy looking, the chestnut lamprey (and Silver, American Brook, and Northern Brook lampreys) are native to this region.

Chestnut lampreys are parasitic as adults but not as larvae. The adult chestnut lamprey attaches to a fish, then scrapes a hole in the body and sucks out blood and tissue fluids for nutrients. After feeding on a fish for several days, the lamprey drops off. Usually, the fish is not killed directly by the attack, but may die due to infections from the wound.

Chestnut lampreys have a skeleton made of cartilage with no true vertebrae. They technically do not have a jaw. This makes lampreys different from eels, which have a bony skeleton and jaws. Lamprey bodies are long and cylindrical. Chestnut lamprey adults range in length from 5-11 inches. The mouth of adult chestnut lampreys is as wide or wider than the head, and contains sharp teeth that each have two points (bicuspid). Along their back, chestnut lampreys have one continuous fin. Adults are usually dark brown, gray, or olive-green on the top, with a lighter coloration of yellow or tan on the stomach. During spawning, they can appear blue-black. Younger lampreys tend to be lighter in color.

The native range of the chestnut lamprey is as far north as the Hudson Bay in Canada and as far South as the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi and Missouri River networks help with this large range, as the lampreys move with their host fishes.

Chestnut Lamprey (bottom; native) vs. Sea Lamprey (top; non-native; NOT found in Lake Winnebago)

Photo Source: Bobbie Halchishak/USFWS

Chestnut lampreys spawn in late spring when the water temperature is about 50ۧ°F. Chestnut lampreys stay in the larval phase for 3 – 7 years. Chestnut lamprey larva do not have eyes. When they hatch, chestnut lampreys move downstream and bury themselves at the bottom of the water body they’re living in. For the next few years, they filter feed on tiny algae particles and tiny organisms before beginning to develop their sucking disk. This disk develops teeth which allows for parasitic feeding. Once Chestnut Lampreys are adults, they can suck blood and other nutrients from host fish. Chestnut lampreys can feed on many different fish species including carp, trout, pike, sturgeon, catfish, sunfish, and paddlefish. They live another one to two years as adults, for a total lifespan of about 6 – 9 years.

Chestnut lampreys are primarily nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. This is often why we don’t see them unless they are attached to fish we catch! During the day, they rest under rocks and along river banks. Adult chestnut lampreys are not known to have predators, but the larval lampreys are preyed upon by burbot and brown trout.

Though we tend to think of parasites as “bad”, they play an important role in the ecosystem including helping to remove weaker fish from the population. The lamprey population may become large when they have plenty of fish to feed on, but then decrease as host populations decrease. This cycle is normal in the ecosystem. Aquatic invasive species like the sea lamprey are a cause for concern because they interfere with normal population dynamics.

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance recovery initiative. Contact us at wwinfo@fwwa.org

The post Species Spotlight: Chestnut Lamprey appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

Original Article

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

https://fwwa.org/2023/08/25/species-spotlight-chestnut_lamprey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=species-spotlight-chestnut_lamprey

Katie Reed

This month’s species spotlight highlights Wisconsin’s largest and only aquatic salamander: the mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus)! This brown or grayish salamander typically has dark spots and deep red, feathery gills. These salamanders have a finned tail too. Mudpuppies can grow up to 16 inches (1.33 feet) long!

Mudpuppy – USFWS National Digital Library

The skin of mudpuppies is very slimy, though the rumors that mudpuppies are poisonous are not true. It is still best to avoid touching them and leave them be if you find one because they have sensitive, permeable skin.

Habitat & Diet

Mudpuppies live their whole lives in the water of lakes and rivers. They prefer areas with large flat docks and will live in underwater holes. Mudpuppies eat aquatic invertebrates (animals in the water without a backbone) such as worms and insect larvae. They will also eat small fish and other amphibians.

Behavior & Population Info

Mudpuppies breed in late fall and spawn in June. Eggs hatch in July or August. It is estimated mudpuppies can live up to 20 years old.

Mudpuppies are typically nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night. They may be more active during the day if the live in murky/muddy water but are tricky to spot and study. Currently, Wisconsin’s mudpuppy populations have not been extensively studied, so it is unknown how the species’ population is faring in Wisconsin. Their status is listed as common, but have recently been listed as a species of special concern in Minnesota, and are threatened in Iowa and Illinois. It is known that mudpuppies in Wisconsin are the only host of the Salamander Mussel, a state threatened species. In the winter, mudpuppies may be a common bycatch during the ice-fishing season, and in 2022 the Wisconsin DNR asked for help documenting mudpuppy observations. Mudpuppies are active year round, even under winter ice!

Mudpuppy – iNaturalist – thismia – CC BY-SA 4.0

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance recovery initiative. Contact us at wwinfo@fwwa.org

The post Species Spotlight: Mudpuppy appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.

Original Article

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

https://fwwa.org/2023/06/28/species-spotlight-mudpuppy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=species-spotlight-mudpuppy

Katie Reed

Climate Ghosts author: To save more species, treat them like kin

For Professor Nancy Langston, our intransigence in protecting struggling species like caribou and others is a puzzle. These species exist in our memories and culture, and we’ve invested in protecting them, so why do their populations continue to crash? 

That’s the question at the core of Langston’s latest book, “Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene”.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/climate-ghosts-author/

Gary Wilson

Invasive Tracking: Researchers trying to trace zebra mussel infestations

While initial populations of invasive zebra mussels were brought to the Great Lakes on boats and in freighter ballast water, a new source of the invasive species has researchers concerned — pet stores.

The Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center has partnered with the University of Minnesota Genomics Center to genetically trace zebra mussels that have been found in aquarium moss balls in pet stores.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/invasive-zebra-mussel-research-genetic-testing/

Rachel Duckett