The Mourning Dove

This foot-long bird is Wisconsin's official symbol of peace. You've probably heard the distinctive whistling of their wing feathers as they take off. Perhaps you've even heard their low call, which sounds a bit like a great horned owl's. Seed-eating mourning doves feed their young a special concoction called crop milk. This milky, liquid meal is regurgitated to chicks by both parents.

There are two different populations of mourning doves in Wisconsin. One group lives and breeds here during the summer and then migrates to the southern US in fall. The other group migrates from Canada in the fall and spends their winter here. Occasionally, a mourning dove will lose a toe to the cold Wisconsin weather!

Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

An Algae Took a "Lichen" to a Fungi

Lichens are found on rocks and trees and often look like peeling paint. When you touch one they often feel dry and flakey. Lichens are an amazing symbiotic (good for both parties) relationship between a fungus and an alga. Fungi include mushrooms, molds, mildews, and rusts. Algae are the tiny, aquatic plants that we see in Minister Lake and can be single or multi-cellular. An alga intertwined with a fungus creates a lichen. The fungus makes up about 60% of the lichen and gives structure and protection to the alga. In turn, the alga photosynthesizes and gives food to the fungus. Lichens grow when they are moist and soak up early morning dew.

How does new lichen form?

There are several ways that a new lichen can be created. If a piece of lichen breaks off and lands in a moist spot, it can begin to grow. Lichens can also send out small packages of algae cells and fungi threads, which can grow into new lichens. The last way is for the fungal part of a lichen to send out tiny spores, which can create a new lichen if they land on an alga.

Did you know? Lichens are very important in creating new habitats, because they can slowly break rock into soil. Lichens are also good for padding bird nests and as food for squirrels, chipmunks, and deer. Lichens are sensitive to air quality and very few can survive in cities.

Learn more: Lichen Land

The Virginia Opossum has Fattened Up

The only marsupial in North America has been busily packing on the pounds. At the moment their bodies may contain up to 30% fat! As temperatures drop, they will den up with other animals (sometimes of different species) and try to conserve as much energy as possible. During the coldest days of winter some of these animals may lose skin on their ears and noses to frostbite.

Opossums eat grass, nuts, and fruit. They will also hunt small prey like mice, birds, insects, worms, and snakes. In order to ensure that they are not hunted themselves, they have an amazing adaptation: they play dead! When threatened by a predator, they roll onto their sides with tongues lolling out and eyes staring into space. Their bodies also go limp and their breathing slows drastically. Even with this great defense, the oldest wild-caught opossum was just 3 years old.

Did you know? Opossums may give birth to as many as 20 babies in a litter, but fewer than half of them survive. When the babies are born, they are the size of a honeybee and quickly crawl into their mother's pouch.

Learn more: Animal Diversity Web

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