Nature Notes
Fluctuating Weather Has Effect on Birds, Plants, Animals
By Patricia Martin

Has this been a strange winter/ spring, or what? The weather patterns have been all over the place. It couldn't seem to decide whether to be spring, winter, or fall. December began with a snowstorm, which seemed to bode well for a "good winter." A week or so later, the snow was gone, and a fall weather pattern seemed to set up until mid- January, when more normal winter patterns appeared and we saw limited amounts of snow. In February, the temperatures plummeted, a January-like freeze set in for a few weeks, and the ice bridge formed. In early March, the temperatures warmed up, snow melted, the winds howled, and "Ice-75" (the ice bridge) was seen drifting away under the Mackinac Bridge. Snowmobiles were put away, bikes were pulled out, and the boats started to run. Then, at the end of March, winter decided to return. With strong winds, freezing temperatures, and snow, the seasons changed again. Snowmobiles were pulled out and bikes put away.

So here we're closing in on mid-April, and winter is still with us. Now, it's not all that uncommon to have cold weather in early April, but the back and forth temperatures have been a bit disconcerting.

This coyote was seen in the vicinity of the Ivey Abitz home this winter. (Photograph by Joshua Ivey Abitz)

If you think we're confused, what about the birds, plants, and animals? They've sure been in for a roller coaster ride this year.

Let's first look at the plants, and how this winter's temperatures may impact our flowers and trees. Luckily for us, most of the woody plants, trees, and shrubs break their bud dormancy based on two major factors. The first is day length. Most plants key in on how long, or short, a day is. Many plants need a particular number of daylight hours, called the photoperiod, to break bud and begin to put out leaves and flowers. Plants also key in on temperature. In our temperate climate, increases in temperature warm the soil, driving out the frost and freeing up moisture in the soil so it can be absorbed by the plants. This allows for the expansion and multiplication of cells, and eventually for increased photosynthesis. In many of the northern plants, bud breaking will not occur if the plants have not been exposed to cold temperatures. This is known as vernalization, and most people are familiar with it in bulbs like tulips and daffodils.

One protection from cold weather in woody plants is the bud scales that cover the growing live tissue beneath. They prevent loss of water, restrict movement of oxygen into the bud, and insulate the bud from heat loss. They have similar functions that the seed coat has in relationship to seeds. When we had that warm period in January, the buds of a number of shrubs began to swell as if they were going to break - and then the cold weather hit. Two shrubs that had noticeable swelling of the buds were the red-berried elder and the common lilac. The elder showed the most bud expansion, although for the most part neither the lilac nor the elder had leaves actually growing. Hopefully, these plants will bloom normally come late spring.

During the warm spell in March, many garden bulbs pushed their way up through the ground. Tulips, crocus, and snow drops had all popped up, and the crocus and snow drops were blooming. Then the cold hit again, with not just a dip in temperature for a day or two, but at least a week of good hard cold. Those plants already blooming have probably lost their blossoms for this year in the freeze. If the flower buds of the tulips were not above the ground before the cold, they may make it. Time will tell.

In some ways we're lucky. The temperatures didn't get as warm here as in some areas in the state, where the warm March days had pushed the orchards further along, and the trees (cherry and others) had already broken bud. The young tissues of flowers and leaves surely froze in the cold. The trees will produce new leaves later in the spring, if the present ones are dead, but the flowers will have to wait until next year.

Birds can be confused by the weather as well. At the end of February, I saw my first robin of the year along the East Bluff. Since then, hundreds of the rosybreasted birds have arrived. I look out of my window at the bird feeders in my yard, and there are a number of robins in the trees. In this last cold spell, they look very round and plump, in part because they've fluffed up their feathers to help keep them warm. They don't look happy.

Other birds have arrived early. I saw a sharp shin hawk at the latter part of January, but in late March, on a sunny afternoon, I saw a number of hawks. I think they were either northern harriers (marsh hawk) or goshawk. I couldn't quite tell, as I didn't have my binoculars with me. We usually don't see the hawk migration through the Straits until the middle to the end of April. Even some of the shore birds are arriving early. In the third week of March, I saw a bufflehead (duck) swimming near Pointe Aux Pins. It's a bit early to see these birds.

It's not only the birds and plants that are confused, but some of the mammals are having difficulty. During the last week of March, while walking toward Robinson's Folly, I saw a bat, one of the small browns, come flittering out of the trees. It flew along the ground in the sunlight and disappeared into the woods. There is surely little in the way of insects for bats to eat right now. We don't usually see bats until the temperatures are milder and stable.

With all of the strange weather that we've had this year, who knows what the spring, summer, and fall will hold. Could it be that we could have a true "Christmas in July?"

A couple of other notes of interest: I've had several people ask me how the coyotes and foxes are doing on the Island. Although several of each species have been reported dead in the last six months, there have been a number of sightings. I've seen a number of each this year. I also had one person report that he had seen either a very large coyote or a wolf on the Island. I know I've seen some good-sized coyotes here, and they can grow up to the size of a German shepherd and weigh close to 50 pounds. I think that what this person saw was a large coyote. I've included a picture that my friend, Joshua Ivey Abitz, took this year near his house. I've seen coyotes several times in that area this winter.

Trish Martin is a year-around resident of Mackinac Island, has earned a master's degree in botany from Central Michigan University, and owns Bogan Lane Inn.