Posts Tagged: Cattail

Snow or Slush

Cattails at the Horicon Marsh

“Winter is the king of showmen

Turning tree stumps into snow men

And houses into birthday cakes

And spreading sugar over lakes

Smooth and clean and frosty white

The world looks good enough to bite

That’s the season to be young

Catching snowflakes on your tongue

Snow is snowy when it’s snowing

I’m sorry it’s slushy when it’s going”

–from Winter Morning Poem

By Ogden Nash

The Horicon Marsh should be entering into the slushy stage in the coming week as temperatures head toward 50 degrees.  Today, the marsh remains frozen and quiet.  It is a peaceful place to come for a drive or a hike.  The solitude of winter contrasts with the abundant and busy wildlife in the spring.  The Horicon Marsh is a pleasant and satisfying place to visit in any season.

Shades of Autumn

Sumac at the Horicon Marsh

It is a calm, gray, fall day, perfect for a drive on the auto tour.  Sumac is turning red, orange, and yellow.

Sumac at the Horicon Marsh

The velvety, reddish brown fruit is rich in Vitamin A.  Apparently, birds aren’t all that excited about eating it, but they will resort to it if other food is scarce.

Trumpeter Swans with Cygnets at the Horicon Marsh

Trumpeter Swans and their growing cygnets enjoy a leisurely swim.

Trumpeter Swans at the Horicon Marsh

A little boy was walking with his mother along the road as I was standing taking pictures.  He exclaimed, “Mom, she is taking pictures of that white bird!”  He was so excited and so was I.

Cattails at the Horicon Marsh

The prolific cattails are going to seed.  Cattails are actually an herb.  Each spike can contain 220,000 seeds!

Milkweed at the Horicon Marsh

Milkweed is also an herb.  The plant contains cardiac glycosides, similar to Foxglove, that are used to treat some heart diseases.  These glycosides are absorbed by Monarch butterfly larvae.  Milkweed is the only thing the larvae eat.  The glycosides make the larvae and adult butterflies toxic to birds and other predators.

Canada Geese at the Horicon Marsh

Canada Geese take a break before migrating south.

Great Blue Heron at the Horicon Marsh

This Great Blue Heron stands in the water near the road.

Red-tailed Hawk at the Horicon Marsh

I love the coloring of the Red-tailed hawk.  His eyes looks so dark and almost hollow. Red-tailed Hawks have keen vision.  They can see their prey, like a mouse, a mile away.

 

Some of the information today was found in the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers:  Eastern Region.