Got Nature? Blog

WANE 15 Fort Wayne News & Weather interviews Dr. Jingjing Liang, associate professor of quantitative forest ecology from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources, to ask the expert about when to expect fall leaves. Dr. Liang explains in WANE 15 video that if local forecast projections are correct with warmer temperatures and with little rain, we may have fall color earlier this year with leaves changing in the middle of October. Dr. Liang goes on to explain that with a reduction in solar energy and lower temperatures it will cause trees to produce less chlorophyll.

View full article, When to expect fall leaves this year written by Aaron Organ, for more information about why the green leaves turn to vibrant red, yellow and orange colors.

Check out our Got Nature blog “Why do Our Trees Go From Green Leaves to Different Colors?” which includes video Fall Color Pigments by Lenny Farlee, extension forester.

Other Resources:
Why Fall Color is Sometimes a Dud, Purdue Landscape Report
Forest Migration Plays a Role in Fall Foliage Colors, Purdue College of Agricutlure News
U.S. Forest Service Fall Colors, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
ID That Tree Fall Color: Sugar Maple, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel, ID That Tree Playlist
ID That Tree Fall Color Edition: Black Gum, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel, ID That Tree Playlist
Autumn Highlights Tour – South Campus, Purdue Arboretum Explorer
Why Leaves Change Color – the Physiological Basis, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Subscribe, Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel

Diana Evans, Extension and Web Communication Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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In this Moment in the Wild, Purdue wildlife technician Zach Truelock explains the differences between frogs and toads, from physical characteristics to breeding and movement habits.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning, or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources:
Sounds of Frogs & Toads, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR)
Frogs & toads of Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension resource center
Salamanders of Indiana Book, The Education Store
Amphibians: Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders, Purdue Nature of Teaching
The Nature of Teaching: Adaptations for Aquatic Amphibians, The Education Store
Hellbender ID, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel
A Moment in the Wild, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel

Zach Truelock, Hellbender Technician
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources

Rod Williams, Assistant Provost for Engagement/Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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MyDNR Email Newsletter, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN DNR): Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease affecting white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. Hunters who want to have their deer tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD) can bring their deer to select Fish & Wildlife areas and State Fish Hatcheries during the hunting season.

Deer heads can be dropped into designated coolers or hunters can make an appointment for their deer to be sampled by a biologist during office hours. The 2022-23 sampling locations and their hours of operation are listed on the Fish & Wildlife: CWD website.

Hunters who submit a deer for CWD testing will receive a metal tag reminiscent of Indiana’s historical deer harvest confirmation process.

Alternatively, hunters may submit their deer to the Purdue Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (ADDL) for testing for a fee. Hunters should complete the submission form and follow the shipping instructions on Purdue ADDL’s website.

Resources:
Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN DNR), Fish & Wildlife
Indiana 2022-2023 Hunting & Trapping Season (pdf) list, IN DNR, Fish & Wildlife
Indiana DNR Shares 2022-2023 Hunting Season, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources
Wildlife Habitat Hint: Trail Camera Tips and Tricks, Got Nature? Blog
Bovine Tuberculosis in Wild White-tailed Deer, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 1, Field Dressing, Video, Purdue Extension Youtube channel
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 2, Hanging & Skinning, Video
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 3, Deboning, Video
Handling Harvested Game: Episode 4, Cutting, Grinding & Packaging, Video
How to Score Your White-tailed Deer, video, The Education Store
White-Tailed Deer Post Harvest Collection, video, The Education Store
Age Determination in White-tailed Deer, video, The Education Store
Managing Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer, The Education Store
Bovine Tuberculosis in Wild White-tailed Deer, The Education Store

Subscribe and receive free MyDNR Email Newsletter
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife

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Learn how to protect Indiana from invasive species at a free workshop. Cliff Sadof, Professor and Extension Fellow of Purdue Entomology, and Carrie Tauscher, Arboretum Director of the Crown Hill Heritage Foundation, will show you the best way to look for and report invasive species and provide a chance to practice reporting on the Crown Hill Grounds.

Whether you’re a mater gardener, professional forester, or a concerned citizen, you will learn something about Indiana forest pests. Open to all ages.

Arborist CEUs and Pesticide Certification available.

Date: October 12, 2022
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EST
Registration: Space is limited. Register today, Free Early Pest Detector Workshop
Location: Crown Hill Funeral Home, Celebration Hall, 700 West 38th Street Indianapolis, IN 46208

For more information or questions about this workshop contact Cliff Sadof, Purdue Entomology Professor and Extension Fellow, at csadof@purdue.edu.

Resource:
Report Invasive, Purdue College of Agriculture
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology
Don’t Move Firewood, The Nature Conservancy
Indiana District Foresters
Indiana Consulting Foresters
Certified Arborists, Trees Are Good
Invasive Insects, Got Nature?, Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR)
Invasive Species, Playlist, Purdue Extension – FNR YouTube Channel
Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab
Planting Forest Trees and Shrubs in Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Purdue Landscape Report
Insect specific sites:
Thousand Cankers Disease (black walnut)
Asian Longhorned Beetle Information (from APHIS)
Spotted Lanternfly (Penn State Extension)
Emerald Ash Borer Information from Purdue
EAB University: Invasive insects and pathogens webinar series

Cliff Sadof, Professor and Extension Fellow
Purdue University Department of Entomology

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In this Moment in the Wild, Purdue wildlife technician Zach Truelock introduces the painted turtle, how to identify the species, its mating rituals and what is its preferred habitat. Learn more inside.

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning, or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Resources:
Turtles of Indiana, The Education Store
Forestry Management for Reptiles and Amphibians: A Technical Guide for the Midwest, The Education Store
Appreciating Reptiles and Amphibians in Nature, The Education Store
Indiana Amphibian and Reptile ID Package (4 softcover books), The Education Store
When Juvenile Snakes Come Calling, FNR Got Nature? blog
A Moment in the Wild, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources
A Moment in the Wild: Black Racer, Video, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
A Moment in the Wild: Eastern Kingsnake, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
A Moment in the Wild: Eastern Hognose, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
Ask An Expert, Purdue Extension – FNR Playlist

Zach Truelock, Hellbender Technician
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources

Rod Williams, Assistant Provost for Engagement/Professor of Wildlife Science
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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The classic and trusted book “Fifty Common Trees of Indiana” by T.E. Shaw was published in 1956 as a user-friendly guide to local species.  Nearly 70 years later, the publication has been updated through a joint effort by the Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Indiana 4-H, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and reintroduced as “An Introduction to Trees of Indiana.”

The full publication is available for download for $7 in the Purdue Extension Education Store. The field guide helps identify common Indiana woodlot trees.

Each week, the Intro to Trees of Indiana web series will offer a sneak peek at one species from the book, paired with an ID That Tree video from Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee to help visualize each species as it stands in the woods. Threats to species health as well as also insight into the wood provided by the species, will be provided through additional resources as well as the Hardwoods of the Central Midwest exhibit of the Purdue Arboretum, if available.

This week, we introduce the honey locust or Gleditsia triacanthos.

This tree, also called “thorn-tree,” has multi-pronged thorns of two inches or more in length, which occur on the trunk as well as on the limbs and twigs. Honey locust can be found with doubly compound leaves with very small oval leaflets arranged alternately on the main leaf stem, or it can have singly compound leaves with very small leaves on a straight stem. Leaves produce a bright yellow fall color.

The bark is tight and red-brown on young trees and features gray-brown scaly strips on older trees. The fruit of the honey locust is a wavy, glossy brown flat pod that reaches lengths of between eight inches and one foot and curl or twist at maturity. These pods, which contain several seeds, are held on the tops of the trees and are highly favored by wildlife.

Honey locusts grow 70 to 80 feet tall.

For full article with additional photos view: Intro to Trees of Indiana: Honey Locust

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Other Resources:
Hardwoods of the Central Midwest: Honey Locust
Hardwood Lumber and Veneer Series: Honey Locust
Morton Arboretum: Honey Locust
Fifty Trees of the Midwest app for the iPhone, The Education Store
Native Trees of the Midwest, The Education Store
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, The Education Store
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store
ID That Tree, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube playlist
Woodland Management Moment , Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube playlist
Honey Locust, Native Trees of Indiana River Walk, Fort Wayne-Purdue University

Wendy Mayer, FNR Communications Coordinator
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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Purdue College of Agriculture News: Timber rattlesnakes are widely distributed across the eastern half of the United States, living as far north as New Hampshire and as far south as Florida. Hilly forests like those found in Brown, Monroe and Morgan County, Indiana suit the secretive lifestyle of the venomous snake. According to Purdue Extension wildlife specialist Brian MacGowan, there is no reliable estimate of the number of Timber rattlesnakes living in Indiana. Sightings are rare but most likely to occur during the hottest parts of the year.

“Late July and August are the peak of their breeding season in Indiana,” said MacGowan. “The males move around a lot more, tracking the scent of the females.”

While they are normally hidden among rocks and brush, rattlesnakes have been observed 20 feet high in trees on rare occasion.

“Chipmunks are their primary food source in Indiana, but larger males eat squirrels and similarly-sized prey,” MacGowan explained. “They even consume songbirds.” A typical adult grows to be between three and five feet in length.

Rattlesnakes are patient hunters. Most often they use their natural camouflage to ambush prey. They inject a lethal venom, potentially strong enough to kill a human if left untreated. The venom contains hemotoxic elements, meaning it can damage or destroy blood vessels and cells.

But just because rattlesnakes are venomous does not mean they create frequent problems for nature lovers. “Timber rattlesnakes are reclusive and are quite unaggressive as far as snakes go,” MacGowan explained. “A lot of the locals in the areas I research don’t realize rattlers live nearby since the snakes keep to themselves.” According to the CDC, roughly 7,500 instances of venomous snakebites are recorded a year in the United States. Of those, about 5 are fatal. During his time as part of the Hardwood Ecosystems Experiment, MacGowan realized that even when looking, finding a rattlesnake is not an easy task.

For full article on the rattlesanke please visit: Unexpected Plants and Animals of Indiana: Timber Rattlesnake

Resources:
Snakes and Lizards of Indiana, The Education Store, Purdue Extension’s resource center
Snakes of the Central and Northeastern United States, The Education Store
Snakes of Indiana, The Education Store
Indiana Amphibian and Reptile ID Package (4 softcover books), The Education Store
Reptiles: Turtles, Snakes, and Lizards​​, Purdue Nature of Teaching Website
Ask An Expert, Playlist, Purdue Extension – Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube channel
A Moment in the Wild: Eastern Hognose, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
A Moment in the Wild: Eastern Kingsnake, Purdue Extension – FNR Video
A Moment in the Wild: Racer, Purdue Extension – FNR Video

Purdue University Department of Agricultural Communication

Dr. Brian MacGowan, Extension Wildlife Specialist
Department of Forestry & Natural Resources, Purdue University

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The classic and trusted book “Fifty Common Trees of Indiana” by T.E. Shaw was published in 1956 as a user-friendly guide to local species.  Nearly 70 years later, the publication has been updated through a joint effort by the Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Indiana 4-H, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and reintroduced as “An Introduction to Trees of Indiana.”

The full publication is available for download for $7 in the Purdue Extension Education Store. The field guide helps identify common Indiana woodlot trees.

Each week, the Intro to Trees of Indiana web series will offer a sneak peek at one species from the book, paired with an ID That Tree video from Purdue Extension forester Lenny Farlee to help visualize each species as it stands in the woods. Threats to species health as well as also insight into the wood provided by the species, will be provided through additional resources as well as the Hardwoods of the Central Midwest exhibit of the Purdue Arboretum, if available.

This week, we introduce the black locust or Robinia pseudoacacia.

This tree has compound leaves that are eight to 10 inches long, made up of seven to 17 small rounded leaflets arranged alternately on the twigs. The black locust has thorns on the twig where the buds and leaf stems branch off and also on the limbs and trunks of young trees. The bark is a light to medium gray marked by very rough, long running ridges. An orange coloration can be seen when scraping the bark surface.

In the spring, black locust produces long hanging clusters of fragrant white flowers. It is a member of the broad legume family and its fruit resembles a bean, with brown or black pods that are approximately three inches long and very thin and papery.

For full article with additional photos view: Intro to Trees of Indiana: Black Locust

If you have any questions regarding wildlife, trees, forest management, wood products, natural resource planning or other natural resource topics, feel free to contact us by using our Ask an Expert web page.

Other Resources:
Hardwood Lumber and Veneer Series: Black Locust
Morton Arboretum: Black Locust
The Wood Database: Black Locust
Fifty Trees of the Midwest app for the iPhone, The Education Store
Native Trees of the Midwest, The Education Store
Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest, The Education Store
Investing in Indiana Woodlands, The Education Store
Forest Improvement Handbook, The Education Store
ID That Tree, Purdue Extension-Forestry & Natural Resources (FNR) YouTube playlist
Woodland Management Moment , Purdue Extension-FNR YouTube playlist

Wendy Mayer, FNR Communications Coordinator
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Lenny Farlee, Sustaining Hardwood Extension Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

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American Eagle Foundation: Our native vultures play a crucial role in reducing the spread of disease. However, as black vulture population increases, so too have reports of human-wildlife interactions. Researchers at Purdue University are currently performing research to better understand reports of black vulture depredation on livestock, and their ultimate goal is to find solutions that protect both livestock and birds.

AEF interviewed Dr. Pat Zollner, Dr. Zhao Ma, doctoral student Marian Wahl, and Ph.D. alumna Brooke McWherter for insight into their important research.

Check out the great information in this video discussing how this research was started and the concerns shared to the USDA office from state offices and the public.

Find out what types of vulture species are here in the United States and their roles in the story Protect Our Native Vultures, American Eagle Foundation.

Vultures have a role to play as nature’s garbagemen, cleaning up animal carcasses. If you have any questions regarding this research, or have any experiences to share, contact Marian Wahl.

Resources:
Black Vulture Research Highlighted by NY Times, Got Nature Blog, Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources
Citizen Participation Needed in Black Vulture Research, Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources News
Black Vulture Research, Perry County News & March Edition of Beef Monthly
Black Vulture Ecology and Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Purdue FNR, Dr. Pat Zollner’s WebsiteDiana Evans, Extension and Web Communication Specialist
Purdue University Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Marion Wahl, Graduate Research Assistant
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources

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