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IRGINIA WILDLIFE OCTOBER ONE DOLLAR 1991 Page Editor's A reporter from a large and pres- is to give them the information and on the carpet. So, itwas a momu- tigious newspaper called the they will be "one ofus." It's like mental surprise to us all when, office the other day. He was doing a expecting everyone to love green without much fuss, Terry allowed story on our new Wildlife beans and turnips, certain that if the snake to be temporarily housed Conservationist license plate and he they don't, it's just because the poor in our apartment. Scared to death, had a question. souls never tried them. she locked her door each night so "Just what is that bird on the It's hard to admit that maybe that ifthe snake got out ofits cage, plate?" some people just don't want to be it wouldn'twind up in her bed. "A mallard," said my boss. out in the woods getting bug bitten, Thus, I know that ifby chance I A pause. scratched up, and tired from walk- sat down with Terry and told her "Is it endangered?" ing all day in briars and swamps. how important keeping the land We all got a big laugh at the It's just not something they care healthy for the songbirds and reporter's expense over that, butwe much about. Nevertheless, I won- snakes and spiders is to me and the might as well have cried. Here we dered for the longest time how peo- rest ofus who cannot live without are, in the business ofeducating the ple can live without a conscience for wild things or wild places, she public on the wonders ofnature, wild things and do irresponsible would listen. She feels about as and a bright, well-educated reporter things to the environment. I've much for a snake or a bird as I feel from the nation's capital is as igno- always thought that ifyou just point- for a moon rock, but nevertheless, rant ofthe wildlife in his own backed out the harm they were doing, she realizes that she is not the only yard as most ofthe rest ofus are they would change. But, that's not one that matters. about the workings ofour local the way it is. Itjust doesn't matter I think perhaps that kind ofatti- sewer systems. to many folks, for instance, that the tude has something to do with So, what else is new? I've heard canebrake rattlesnake is on the road respect and compassion and stories about city kids spending to extinction in the state. In fact, I'll unselfishness and very little to do summers in the country and not bet that most people are glad about with ignorance or education. Terry knowing a cow or a pig when they it. will always curse birds and hate saw one. My own sister embar- But I know better than to snakes, but I'm certain also that she rassed me terribly once when she despair. After all, it's always tickled will always show respect for the looked at an asparagus plant in fruit me to think how much my old desires ofothers who might know a and announced, "Aha, so that's roommate Terry hates birds. Terry bit more than she about the work- where peas come from!" quite frankly will tell you how much ings ofthe Earth and compassion It's hard to admit that many she loves to sleep, and seriously for those ofus who need the wild- people do live quite blissfully with- resents beingwoken up by the chat- ness more than she does. out nature. For many folks, watch- tering ofsongbirds on bright spring It would be nice to believe that ing a sunrise from ridgetop may stir mornings. The good thing about someday Terry will be as thoughtful their emotions, but when it really Terry, though, is that she's accomo- toward wildlife as my friend Brenda comes down to stirring their souls, dating. Even though she would is, who, while sunbathing at Cape to the special moments they'd sacri- rather shop than go for a hike, or Cod this summer, kept the home- fice time and money for, well, now sit by a pool and sunbathe rather less bees displaced by the hurricane that's something altogether differ- than go fishing, ifshe knows that at bay by offering them a can of ent. Lots offolks may get more something is really very important Classic Coke. But, there's a limitto peace ofmind listening to a singer to someone she cares about, she everything. Nevertheless, a little belt out the blues in a smoky night- does her best to respect somebody respect for others and a good dose club than spending a cold winter else's needs and desires. ofcompassion goes a long way. day sitting on a deer stand trying to I fact I can remember the time figure out how to keep their hands that one ofTerry's boyfriends had a and feet from going numb. snake his mother wouldn't let him We've been pretty pompous keep at home. Now, Terry Kates about the whole thing, you know. snakes worse than she does birds. We sit here in our offices assuming Not only that, but she won't allow everybody wants the same experi- dogs in the house and allows cats in ences we do, and all we have to do only ifthey never shed or throw up What kind of Hunting seaso lcdi sportsmen look forward to this year? See p. IRGINIA 20forour huntingforecast. WILDLIFE Cover: Scenes from a Virginia autumn; photo by Bill Lea. Back cover: Photo by Dwight Dyke. Features A Commonplace Plant—our wildlife could not live without by Curtis Badger Spartina altemiflora is an unremarkable plant ofour estuaries that accomplishes remarkable things. Notes From Red Lick by Bill Cochran Here is a tale ofa place which carries the memories ofa family still connected by the tradition ofhunting, and a man who is passing it on. 13 Squirrels of the Season by Bob Gooch Hunting squirrels in October is a new experi- ence for many hunters. Here are some tips to help you hunt the new season this year. 17 A Whale of a Story by Sarah White In the beginning, there was black plastic and children scurrying for tape and scissors. In the end, there was "Bensley" the blue whale. 20 1991-92 Hunting Season Outlook Our biologists have looked into the crystal ball and come up with their best predictions for this year's hunting season. photo by Bill Lea October Journal 25 News 31 Recipes 28 Photo Tips 32 Safety 30 Habitat h: Spartina alterniflora is an marshes ofthe coastprotectthe main- land by absorbing the energy offlood unremarkableplant ofoures- waters, and by acting as giant sponges tuaries that accomplishes re- and filters, soaking up surface water markable things. It is the and ridding itofcontaminants before grass ofoursalt marshes returning itto rivers and streams. But the mostvaluable giftofS. alterniflora upon which deals with the complicated process of all life depends. life and death, the synthesis ofenergy, and the mysterious chemical equation that balances the end ofone life with by Curtis Badger die beginningofanother. It is no mean feat what this in- conspicuous little plantaccomplishes. one of Virginia's most com- In purely economical terms, its value It's monplace plants, found in the to the Commonwealth can be mea- brackish marshes that line our sured in the millions ofdollars, even rivers, and the salt marshes of the though the annual crop is never actu- Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coast. ally harvested. In biological terms, S. Yet, to mostVirginians, the plant is a alterniflora is the motherlode, the mystery, a slim, unremarkable grass source and substance ofthe tremen- whose merits are rarely noticed. Still, dously productive and diverse ecosys- Spartina alterniflora, better known in tems we call estuaries. IfS. alterniflora most areas as smooth cordgrass, is re- were a little showier, ifit came from a markable. The vast S. alterniflora more prestigious neighborhood than Fiddler crabs eat detritus by pickingup gobs of it with their claws, and then sorting out the digestible particles with the six legs which cover their mouths; photo b;y David Liebman. stands, itbegins making its mostvaluable contribution in fall and winter, when to our eyes it appears lifeless and wasted. It is then that the plant gradually collapses to the marsh floor and is eventually attacked by single- celled bacteria, which reducethe plant to smaller and smaller pieces. The bits and pieces ofS. alterniflo- raarewashed from the marsh floorby tides and soon contribute to the nutri- ent-rich soup called detritus—a smor- gasbord of bacteria, bits of cellulose from S. alterniflora, algae, free-floating eggs offish, shellfish, and insects, larvae ofvarious species, and many other forms ofnutritious and not-so-nu- Above: Spartina alterniflora is the main tritious matter. This broth, which source ofdetritus that fuels the food web in a marsh, it might even be a good reaches its culinary peak during the the estuary, from fiddler crabs to green- choice for the state flower. Although springand summer, is eaten by proto- backed herons; not much on style, the plant is long zoans which live in the shallowwater, Left: Spartina alterniflora with marsh on substance. by filter-feeding burrowing worms, periwinkles; photo fry Susan M. Glascock. S. alterniflora is the great energy oysters, clams, a variety of mussels, factory that drives coastal salt marsh- nematodes, snails, insect larvae, fid- es. Although S. alterniflora appears to dler crabs, and small fish such as be at its peak of production in sum- menhaden and mullet, which either mer, when it grows in thick, lush filterthe detriais from thewateroreat OCTOBER 1991 Aboi'e: The opportunistic diamondback ter- rapin will eat snails and crustaceans found in the Spartina alterniflora ofits environment; photo by Rob and Meiissa Simpson. Right: Thegreat blue heron, at home alongshorelines, lakes and ponds in Virginia, is commonlyfound feedingon fish in a salt marsh, forminganother link in the chain which begins with the plants of the tided wetlands, like Spartina alterniflora; photo h;v Bill Lea. from bottom mud. it Clams burrow beneath the bottom and send up pairs of siphons, oneofwhich pulls detritus-rich seawater through their digestive systems, while the other expels small non-digestible particles and waste. Most of the filter feeders which consumedetri- tus do so in this manner, sucking the broth through hair-like cilia, through membranes, or through a mesh of mucous threads covering theirgills. Fiddler crabs eat detritus by pickingup gobs ofitwith theirclaws, then sorting out the digestible particles Ribbed mussels burrow into the mud and send up pairs of siphons, one ofwhich pulls detri- with six specially adapted legs that tus-rich seawaler through the digestive system, while the otherexpels non-digestible particles cover their mouths. The tiny legs are and waste; photo Iry David Liebman. shaped like paddles and are covered with stiff bristles which sort the large VIRGINIAWILDLIFE particles offood from the small. The the plant's membranes toward the on normal days die currents constant- small particles are digested, but the more concentrated saltwateruntil the ly bend the grasses and scour the soil larger pieces are temporarily stored in concentrations became equal. In a diat provides their footing. a pre-digestive chamber, and when very brief time, the fresh water con- So, S. altemiflora must firstof all they accumulate, are spit back into a tained in the plant would be re- be solidly anchored, which itdoes by claw and returned to the surface of moved, and the plantwould die. sending tough rhizomes through the the marsh. S. altemiflora has solved this soil, interlocking root systems with The detriais eaters are preyed problem by allowing a certain other plants, finding strength not as upon by animals higher on the food amountofsaltto enter its cells, bring- individuals, but as colonies ofplants chain: larger fish, blue crabs, water- ing the salt content of water within which survive or perish together. fowl, wading birds, raccoons and oth- the plant to a slightly higher concen- And the shafts ofthe plants must er mammals. A rail stalks the be resilient and tough, willing to cordgrass marsh, spearing an un- bend but reluctant to break. S. al- suspecting periwinkle snail from temiflora accomplishes this in the A a grass stem. great blue heron same way it survives in saltwater. waits patiently in a shallow gut, By adjusting its osomotic pres- then surprises a passing killifish. sure so its cells are always fully in- An osprey circles over an open flated, the plant functions like a lake, dives, and comes up with a tire innertube, able to withstand A perch in its talons. fisherman great shock before puncturing. drifts in a small boatalonga tidal And the thin column of water creek, hoping to entice a floun- contained in the xylem, drawn derwith an offeringofsquid and constantly through the roots by minnows. evaporation taking place on the The most remarkable thing leaves, helps make the plant flexi- about S. altemiflora is its almost ble, butextremely strong. magical ability to adaptto its sur- S. altemiflora is a wonder of roundings. On the Atlantic chemistry, physics, and structural coast, where seawater contains a engineering. But, more impor- level of thirty to thirty-five parts tantly, S. altemiflora along with per thousand ofsalt, the healthi- the rest of the wondrous plants est stands of S. altemiflora are native to our tidal wetlands, con- found along the very edges of tributes to the production ofdetri- creeks and bays, where saltwater tus, provides a buffer against ero- covers the lower stems and leaves sion and flooding, acts as a filter at each high tide. While in fresh forwaterqualitycontrol, and pro- and brackish marshes, S. altemi- vides a home for wildlife—from flora has numerous competi- nestingto nursery areas to resting tors—black needlerush, pickerel places for species from shellfish weed, cattail, mallow—in the salt Spartina altemiflora is best identified when in flower, towaterfowl. marsh it has the world nearly to when it is easier to ciistingwisK from its close grass relatkes; Still, with our insistence on the photo by Susan M. Glascock. itself. S. altemiflora is one ofthe developmentoftidal areas and the special plants that has evolved pollution ofwatersheds, our tidal mechanisms to enable it to thrive in tration than that of the surrounding wetlands are fast becoming our most an environment thatwould be deadly sea water. In this manner, the osmot- precious and rare habitats. Their loss to other plants. ic pressure is reversed; instead of means species like our egrets, our Ifthe plants found in fresh water fresh water moving away from the black ducks, and even our sea nirtles were to find themselves in saltwater, plant cells, sea water attempts to en- have an uncertain future. With our their lives would literally be sucked ter, inflatingdie plantcells and giving knowing destruction of these places away. Through the process ofosmo- them strength and resiliency. we have gambled with their lives. Per- sis, nature attempts to balance the S. altemiflora must overcome yet haps it is time the tide turned, and concentration ofparticles suspended another problem. It lives in a physi- we, like S. altemiflora, became givers in water by moving a less concentrat- cally demanding environment with of life in the rare and wonderful ed solution through a membrane to a no windbreaks, so the breezes bend world of a wetland. more concentrated one. Ifa freshwa- the slender stems at will. During ter plant suddenly found itselfin salt storms, waves break across the marsh, Curtis Badger is a freelance writer living on water, the water contained in the sending tons of water crashing upon the Eastern Shoreand isafrequentcontributor plant's cells would be drawn through the shafts ofS. altemiflora, and even toVirginiaWildlife. VIRGINIA WILDLIFE /V. - /* - . >\\*& I: ^:"'j^' *3£ .. ^m* &*W. : 3**2Sf*<tF- From Re :lS is* otes //ere is a tote ofaplace wMc^tarm^ the memories ofafajnrtibjtstitl connected by the tradUiomj^i^l^igyXmd a mar who hpassing it oh. : > by Bill Cochran name being the last recorded on die John's era. Then, after die mm ofdie deed filed atdiecountycourthouse. So centurydieyvirtuallyweredepletedand when deerseasonconies, there is acer- stayed that way until modern game Just up the ridge a couple hundred tain prejudice for me to hunt here, the laws and management resurrected ytahredosldorhosomefrpolmacemwyhedereermsytagnrdeati-s deer, perhaps, a symbol ofsomething diem.Oursisagenerationblessedwidi greatgrandfather,onmymother'sside, deepOerwndeiartsIhsiepeko.ffamilyland is afleet- ddeieerg,ojousdtoalsdJdoahyns'sfowrashu.nTtheerss.e, too, are built his home and reared a family of ing thing, a baton thrust into your Sometimes these times are too a10h.eTahperoefifsonu'ntdaantyitohninsgtotnheesr,e annodwybouut ohda,ndhodpiiatngyotuo rduonwwelild,itfoorcaarbrryioefnpedriie- gploaondtawtihoennanIdexseaemithneetmenyniwnhailteshpoiontes have to peer closely to see them nibbled away, and seethebarkhorned through blackberry tangles that run wild on die hillsides, likethe kids who raw and bleeding by aAbuck ridding itself of itchy velvet. decade ago, onceOpnlaytehdethseorue.th slope is a rambo wedhefrnuitthtereleas,nddibeencarmepelaonutres,d wtehepmlatnhte- appletree, gnarledwith age and near- next spring after they disappeared and cilnagwsthienietsndbarokf. iMtossetxilsitkeenlycei,twbaesar plcaangetse.dTthheenmgstaivlleaupd.iiWrdetiwmeereinlewairrne- planted with loving care by the ingwhose placediis reallybelongs same hardened hands that to. hewed logs for the cabin, diat We stacked rocks picked fromthe don't live here. I wish I did, but livings aren't made on new ground, that sent rail mountain farms much any- fencesofchestnutzig-zagging more. They more likely are along irregular boundaries, made in offices in the city thatduggravesinalittleplot where the only decent view a heavywalk down a north- from adeskis dieSportsman's facingknollfromdiehouse. Calendar, and where some I like to pause in the daysyoucan'tescapewearinga graveyard,toscrapeawaythe We lichen from die stones and tie. live too far away from diefarmtoraisecatdeortoculti- read a historyofharshness of vate row crops. So we operate the mountain life. There, the property as a certified Tree beneath the shroud of sugar Farm, one of around 75,000 msaupmlmeetrreeso,fis1t8h6e4talwehoefndietshaedre across the country, where diere is emphasis on conservation and land werefartoomanytripstothisspot: stewardship and where things like a 6-year-old buried August 26; a 5- trees, wildlife, open space, sky, rocks, year-old September 1; a 1-year-old winds, cold, sun, rain, gun dogs and September7.Typhoid, mostlikely. No huntevershouldbe so intense huntCinogmaerefhaelll,dhinunhtiignhgesftreeomm. a tree thatitdoes notalloWwhriomeforreflection stand offers an ideal perch from which hinunstuecrhsahosueltdtinkg.now thatbeltitfeeristhbaunt aa Ghirseawti-fgereMaatrgtrhaan.dpa John Barlow and tnoosounrvseuynm,ybrkiignhgtdboumt.wWihdienlitdtileeahfetaetr,- vapor appearing for a little while, dien bathes the round-shouldered ridge vnaeneirshmionugn?tTaoinvisetwoctkheishotmoesseietehoufmpaion- tmraadyibteiona, tloittplaessbeittteorntdhoawnnhdoiwe lyinoeu, wGhrearnedpIawaJtochhn,,Iwgheot tborotuhgihnktitnhgisabloanudt drama up close, and maybe even catch received it. Few things remind you into die family in 1838. He paid for it theglimpseofa buck. more of your fallibility than thumbing with "50 venison saddles," so the granIddhaadveJaohpni.cuHiree oisf smeyategrdeawti-tgrheaat ddeitreorumgihnethwehpoagmesadoef fdaimaitldyahsihstboerfy<>troe counHtyehiwsatsoryasnaoyst.ed marksman, with ebyoeoskanindhaislolnagp,.wHhietehabseadrede.p,Topiheirscilenfgt yafotue,rytohue.n pondering who will make it a1n,2u0n0litsote1d,n50u0mbdeeerrotfobehairss,crpeadintd,iearnsd, stands his wile, her bestdress too right- The deer population has come wildcats, turkeys and lesser game. ly girdled for easy sitting, her hand back nicely here on Red Lick Moun- Coming offdie mountain one day fol- ttsthoiagftfrlayppoihcnetruhrmiesusastnhodhualIdwehrpa,uwtjuisthtitshaesrleta.hnedI,hphamowy- ttnaihieinsc.kaLnidikluerdiminoegstBglrupeleaactRe-isgdrgieena,tdhigeerrAdalsnldewgdeharede- slpoornwo,iwneagsysaonuonfugnhssitusecrcoelasdtstfghurelatnhidumpneat,.,aITbthooueltdbtmohyye 10 VIRGINIA WILDLIFE