2019 Brandeis Bioliteracy Project's Journal

The red-winged blackbird, or Agelaius phoeniceus, is a songbird native to North America. They inhabit most of the continental United States, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada in the winter and summer, respectively.

Red-winged blackbirds are sexually dimorphic. The coloration of males is very iconic; they are jet-black with red and gold shoulder patches. The females, meanwhile, are more drab, with feathers of various shades of brown. While some populations in warmer climates are permanent, northern populations tend to be migratory; individuals that live in Massachusetts and New England in the spring and summer will fly south to Mexico and the southern US in the winter.

Red-winged blackbirds have interesting breeding dynamics: while most males are monogamous and only breed with one female, a few (the most dominant and appealing to females) will breed with many females. These dominant males will breed with females who have other partners to increase their chances of having offspring. Females will also seek out other males than their partners to increase copulation and chance of offspring. Both the female and her partner will raise young chicks together. Clutches typically consist of 3 or 4 small blue-gray eggs with dark speckles.
Due to their interesting breeding behavior, red-winged blackbirds are territorial. Males will control areas to ensure things like access to food and hiding places from predators. Males can hold their territory for years, often until ousted by a younger individual.

Welcome back to campus! We are so looking forward to seeing what you document today. So far during the CNC 34 observers have documented 142 species and made over 600 observations toward the CNC. We can't wait to see how that number jumps. As the semester heads toward a close, don't forget to join the campus biodiversity project which brings together all of our data. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/brandeis-university-biodiversity

The Spring Crocus (Crocus vernus), otherwise known as the Dutch Crocus or Giant Crocus (see - this is why we use latin names!) is an ornamental flower native to the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Balkans. They were introduced to the US by humans, and can be found in somewhat random areas, including Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia, Utah, and Ontario, CA. They are generally bright, mostly purple, and can grow between 10-15 cm tall. The Spring Crocus generally flowers for about three weeks at the onset of spring, and go dormant during late spring. While flowering, they close at night and open up in the morning, but often remain closed on cloudy days.

There are many cultivars of Crocus vernus that are used as ornamental plants. Cultivars are varieties of a species which are selectively bred for specific characteristics, often for gardening reasons. Important cultivars of Crocus vernus are the Jeanne D'Arc, Queen of Blues, and the Silver Coral.

The Great Blue Heron or Ardea herodias is a wading bird that is commonly found in the shallow water of coastlines, shores, and wetlands. They are carnivorous birds, eating mainly small fish. Great blue herons are big birds standing at about 3-4.5 feet with a wingspan of about 5.5-6.5 feet. In flight the birds can move pretty fast, cruising at around 20-30 miles per hour. They are partial migrants, moving away from the northern edge of their range, in Northern US/Southern Canada, in the colder months, but they can be found throughout most of North America year round. They make their nests primarily in trees but do sometimes nest on the ground in bushes and mangroves. Males locate and create nesting sites and then attempt to court females from their nests. Colonies of Great blue herons can consist of hundreds of pairs of individuals, however, individuals hunt alone. The great blue heron is relatively easy to identify because of its size and greyish blue feathers. It has a black crown and head plumes and a long orange-yellow bill, making them further distinct from others. If you’re looking for this bird around campus it can often be found in the Massell Pond!

The cabbage white, or Pieris rapae, is a small off-white species of butterfly that can be found throughout most of the United States.

Males are distinct from females as being yellow-white with lighter brown spots on their wings, while females are more white with darker spots. Male bodies are also similar in color to their wings, while females have darker bodies. Their name comes from their main food source, plants in the cabbage family. Caterpillars will eat their leaves, while adults feed on nectar from their flowers. They can feed on a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated, which allows them to easily adapt to new environments.

Originating in Eurasia, they have successfully spread and created new populations around the world, including places like North Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and North America. First introduced to Quebec around 1860, they quickly spread and multiplied until they covered the entire continental United States and southern Canada. They are often considered serious pests, since they feed on many cultivated crops, like cabbage, cauliflower, and kale. In addition, populations of wild plants that they eat face big risks, as their large populations can pose a serious threat to their numbers. As such, some organizations and institutions have worked to try and reduce their populations and the damage they can cause. A similar invasive species in the white family was eliminated in New Zealand a few years ago, and efforts to control the cabbage white's population are currently underway as well.

The Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a medium sized rabbit, red-brown or gray-brown in color, with large hind feet, long ears, and a short, fluffy white tail. Its underside fur is white, and there is a brownish patch on the tail. They are herbivores.

The Eastern Cottontail is the most common species of rabbit found in North America! It’s in the family Leporidae, which includes all rabbits and hares. It’s a cosmopolitan species in North America, meaning that you can find it pretty much everywhere, including meadows and shrubby areas in the eastern and south-central United States, southern Canada, eastern Mexico, Central America and northernmost South America. It is abundant in Midwest North America, and has been found in New Mexico and Arizona. It is not native to New England, but has been introduced here, which puts it in direct competition with the native New England Cottontail. There are 18 recognized subspecies of the Eastern Cottontail, and they are considered of least concern by the IUCN, even though they are a popular game animal.

These rabbits breed 3-4 times a year and have about 8 young per litter, although only 15% will survive the first year. Young rabbits are quickly and can survive on their own after a few weeks. They become sexually mature in approximately 2-3 months, so the population can grow very quickly.

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is a low growing plant that grows in wetlands or very moist areas, making it relatively easy to find around campus. It’s an early growing plant, emerging in early spring making a good plant to keep an eye out for when thinking about spring emergence times in relation to temperature. It's able to emerge so early because it creates its own heat, which can help it melt the surrounding snow. Skunk cabbage is so named because, if the leaves are crushed or damaged, it emits a smell similar to rotting meat or a skunk's spray.

Although this plant isn’t poisonous for insects, it is for people and many other mammals. If a person was to take a bite of it they would experience swelling in their mouth, burning, and possibly a choking sensation.

This week's Species of the Week is garlic mustard, also known as Allaria petiolata. It is a member of the mustard family, but is named garlic mustard due to its garlic-like scent and flavor. Even its genus, Allaria, means "garlic-like". It is a biennial plant, meaning that it grows in 2 year cycles. In its first year, the leaves are rounded and grows no more than a few inches from the ground, remaining through its first winter.

During its second year, it grows much taller, its stalks reaching up to a few feet high. The rounded leaves are replaced by pointed ones, and small four-petaled white flowers are produced.

Although native to Europe, North Africa, and parts of western and central Asia, it is an invasive species that has spread across most of North America. Initially brought by European settlers in the 19th century for medicine and culinary purposes, it quickly spread out of control and dominates the woodland understory. The insects and fungi that kill garlic mustard are not found in North America, and it is inedible or even toxic to many native herbivores.

There is ongoing debate over control of the species by introducing two species of weevil, Ceutorhynchus scrobicollus and Ceutorhynchus contstrictus, in order to control and reduce the spread of garlic mustard across the United States. As spring approaches and the snow begins to melt, look for it around campus. It grows fairly abundantly and can be found in patches.

This week's species is Tsuga canadensis, otherwise known as the Eastern Hemlock. It is in the family Pinaceae (which is the same family as the Eastern White Pine), and can be found pretty much everywhere along the east coast of the United States and Canada. It is a coniferous tree , marked by its flat, single needles, which have white stripes along the underside. As a young tree, the bark will be greyish and smooth, but it will get scalier, more furrowed, and more red-brown in color as the tree ages.

Another identifier of the Eastern Hemlock is its cones, which tend to mature around early fall. They are round, and much smaller than those of the Eastern White Pine. One threat to the Eastern Hemlock is the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, which is a pest that has decreased hemlock populations significantly. This has caused the Eastern Hemlock to be considered Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Eastern White Pine or Pinus strobus, is an evergreen tree that can grow to about 230 feet and is a long-lived species with a life-span of around 200 years, sometimes as long as 450 years. Because of its thick bark, white pines are moderately fire resistant. Unfortunately, the Eastern white pine is vulnerable to the white pine weevil which is the cause of most of its destruction outside of human influence. White Pine is a fun tree to know about both because it occurs in our area and because it is pretty easy to identify; the needles occur in bundles of 5, which is easy to remember because there are 5 letters in the word white.


Other identifiers are their white stomata, identifiable as a white line on the underside of the needles, and the needles are usually about 3-5 inches. The cones of the white pine are about 3-6 inches long and are a light tan color, sometimes whitesh. This is a good species to keep an eye out for in and around campus as they are relatively easy to spot even in the snow or in the New England winter when many other species of plants are without leaves.