Earth Almanac: May/June 2008

Fire Owls

How fitting that the flammulated owl, our second smallest owl (after the elf owl), derives its name from flammeolus, the Latin word for flame. Although its face and wings are tinged with the orange tones of glowing wood embers, those who first described it were unaware that it depends on fire to renew the brushy, shade-intolerant undergrowth that sustains it in forested mountains from British Columbia to northern Mexico. Widespread fire suppression has destroyed some of this habitat. The bird is hard to see because it roosts close to tree trunks so that it resembles a branch. This—together with its unusual migratory behavior (stemming from a need to follow its insect and arachnid food supply south in winter)—had led ornithologists to believe that it was in steep decline. Improved census techniques, however, reveal that the species is quite common. “We now know it sings most consistently late at night,” says ornithologist Kenn Kaufman. “And its soft voice doesn’t carry; you can’t just stop and listen along the road as you would for barred or saw-whet owls.” Listen carefully for their song, a soft, low-pitched boop, repeated about once every two seconds. And though they’re more often heard than seen, look for them at dawn and dusk as they pop in and out of old woodpecker holes.

Colorful Blankets

A smaller but even more spectacular version of the sunflower is now brightening plains and prairies from northern Canada south to California and New Mexico, and east to Quebec and New York. Under full sun and in sandy earth, the blanket flower can reach a height of two and a half feet. There is some debate about how this hardy annual (sometimes a perennial) got its name. Under prime conditions these plants “blanket” the earth; and the brown-centered blossoms glow with shades of red, orange, purple, and yellow, reminiscent of the rich color patterns of Indians’ blankets. Cultivars, sometimes marketed as Gaillardia, Yellow Sun, and Red Plume, are widely available at nurseries and are easily propagated if you create prairielike conditions for them. Water well at first, but allow the earth to dry completely between waterings. The nectar will attract many species of butterfly, and in winter the seeds on ripe flower heads are relished by birds, especially goldfinches.

Pillar of the Forest