Wild Warner Walk II
By Trish O’Kane
Madison, WI—On a sunny Sunday afternoon in May, surrounded by gnatcatchers, redstarts, orioles and swallows, UW-Madison student and botanist Christa Seidl led Wild Warner’s second nature walk for 2011.
Thirteen participants of all ages learned from Seidl about bird and insect migration, Warner Park’s watershed history, Wild Warner’s native understory plants and the ongoing battle in the meadow between encroaching trees and receding grassland.
“Why would birds or insects come to Wisconsin instead of staying in tropical rainforests?” Seidl asked the crowd.
While studying rainforest ecology in Ecuador, Seidl learned that birds and insects migrate to the northern hemisphere because of the burst of nutrients in the spring. Competition for food sources in the rainforest is fierce, she told the crowd. Leaf litter on the forest floor quickly decays leaving little available food while here in Wild Warner, newly-arrived birds and dragonflies easily find food.
Seidl slowly walked the group through Wild Warner’s Big Woods, identifying May Apples, Solomon’s Seal, Yellow Wood Violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpits, Trout Lilies, wild ramps and Wood Anemones all along the path.
“Native Americans used to eat the root of Jack-in-the-Pulpit in bread,” Seidl explained. “But first they had to dry it for over a year to be able to eat it.”
As a migrating ovenbird sang in the background, Seidl shared her favorite tree story.
White Oak is probably the most important tree in human social history, she told the crowd. The English empire was able to expand because the white oak’s massive straight trunks are ideal for ship masts.
The walk ended in Warner meadow where participants watched bluebird houses and learned about prairie burning and forest succession.
Wild Warner was proud to host this talented naturalist; Seidl worked in the Gaylord Nelson Institute Bird Buddy program at Sherman Middle School in 2010-201, where she taught middleschoolers about birds and plants. She will be working for the Madison Arboretum all summer. Be sure to join one of her walks.
This walk was the second in Wild Warner’s 2011 Nature Walk series.
Two upcoming summer walks are scheduled: a Bird Walk on Saturday, June 4, 8:00am led by Trish O’Kane and a Warner Wetland History Walk on Sunday, June 12, 4:00pm led by UW-Madison wetland ecologist Dr. Quentin Carpenter. Both walks will meet at the Warner Crayola shelter.
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