Sycamore Greenway Friends: 2024

Saturday, December 7, 2024

"But we have curbside recycling!"

If you caught the post about the recent trash cleanup on the Greenway last week, you may have noticed that a huge amount of the litter picked up was beverage containers: pop bottles, beer cans, energy drink cans, sports drink bottles, and more than anything flimsy water bottles by the dozen.

If you spend much time detrashing roadsides around your neighborhood, you can probably attest to the same. Modelo cans and Busch Light bottles spring up like mushrooms...and how the heck are there so many cups from the Wendy's almost a mile away?

This blog has been complaining (venting?) about litter along the Greenway and elsewhere for years. Litter is highly visible—to those who are around to see it. But for many people, a can or bottle here and there scarcely registers as they speed along in vehicles. There is an assumption that litter-prevention programs like our Bottle Bill are no longer necessary, because we have curbside recycling programs that take care of the problem. They claim it's an obsolete law, a relic from a simpler time that doesn't work for today's world. Is it?

A sampling of the beverage containers from the latest Greenway cleanup.

Hardly. It's more necessary now than ever. There are more cans, more bottles, more different drinks sold in those small containers than ever before. And they're still often consumed far from trash cans and recycle bins. And they still find their way onto roadsides and public spaces in huge numbers. The Iowa City Litter Crew collects data from cleanups on Open Litter Map, an open tracking system that lets users upload and tag photos of litter they encounter, and provides just a glimpse of the scale of the problem, in hard data.

Each of the green dots is a piece of
litter that has been picked up and tagged.

Anyone can download the global data from Open Litter Map and create their own visualizations, like this one showing deposit vs. non-deposit containers picked up in Iowa City (if the map below doesn't show you can click here to open it):

Expand those hundreds of icons to other areas of Iowa City; to the metro region; to other cities in Iowa; to busy stretches of highway between those cities...and you can begin to see the scale of the problem.

Iowa's Bottle Bill created a financial incentive to ensure that cans and bottles found their way to proper disposal. The problem is that the law has been rendered ineffective, either through neglect or through a willful effort to undermine it at the behest of, let's say, those who aren't out there picking up litter on the roadsides with us every week.

For one thing, a nickel ain't worth what it used to be. Plug $.05 into an inflation calculator and you'll find that a deposit would need to be $.22—almost a quarter!— to have the same impact in 2024 as it did when the law was passed. In 1979, you could collect five bottles to redeem, and with the quarter you received you could buy yourself a nice candy bar. Today? You'd need to collect 36 bottles!*

One of the 50+ water bottles collected
at the last cleanup.

Our Bottle Bille also doesn't cover some of the most common items: water bottles. They weren't around in 1979, and our lawmakers apparently don't consider them to be a problem worth making the effort to address. Other states have modernized their Bottle Bills, increasing the deposit to $.10 and including water bottles and other single-use containers that join the alcohol and fizzy-drink containers that our law encompasses.

And those updates clearly make a difference. A 2022 report shows that only 49% of Iowa's deposit containers are recovered. And while that is significantly better than the 25% recovery for non-deposit containers nationally, it lags far behind states that have more robust programs (Oregon, with a 10-cent deposit and a robust redemption infrastructure, leads the way with a whopping 86% recovery rate).

I'd like to assign every legislator, every citizen, who believes the Bottle Bill to be unnecessary a stretch of busy road to keep clean. I'd ask them to log the litter they find on Open Litter Map, and review the data for their patch and other areas around town to see exactly how pervasive the problem is. And then I'd ask those lawmakers to increase the deposit to a quarter (though I'd be willing to settle for a dime) and include water bottles and sports drinks. I'd ask them to make sure redemption is simple and fast, and I'd ask them to use funds from unredeemed containers for neighborhood cleanup efforts.

And yes, with the current legislators in our state that may be a fantasy. But when we document the problem, we are creating data that other decision-makers can use in support of solving a problem at its source—the industry that creates the waste and the people who consume the products—instead of leaving it to be handled by regular folks who just want to keep their neighborhoods clean.

You can help collect that data as well: it's as simple as snapping a photo with your phone and uploading to the Open Litter Map, tagging it with the type of litter and brand. Check out the Quick Start Guide the IC Litter Crew has put together for a walk-through, or attend a meetup with the group.

*Economists may note that the size of a candy bar has increased since 1979 as well, from an average 1.2 ounces in 1978 to 1.55 ounces for a Hershey bar today. Adjusted for that size difference, you'd still need to collect a whopping 28 containers at a nickel apiece to buy a candy bar of the same size as a 1979 bar.

Resources/Additional Reading:

Saturday, November 16, 2024

Big Tree Hunt Part 2: It's Pronounced "Cray-po"

A pretty Ginkgo at Crapo Park

The champion Bald Cypress having been located—maybe?— at Aspen Grove Cemetery, the next stop on the Burlington Big Tree Hunt was the big, beautiful Crapo Park, located at the south end of town.

At 85 acres, Crapo Park is a bit smaller than Aspen Grove, and the landscape feels considerably more orderly. Established in 1895, the park includes, in addition to the arboretum, a small constructed lake housing goldfish; a memorial to Zebulon Pike, who is said to have raised the first U.S. flag on Iowa land in 1805 as he explored the Mississippi River; a replica log cabin; and a magnificent twisting red slide, among many other features.

But the draw for this day was the arboreal residents, specifically a few choice specimens of personal interest from the Big Tree list: Blackjack Oak and Dawn Redwood (a Bald Cypress lookalike). Again, my blundering about without a plan nearly rendered the quest impossible, but my steadfast companions, better planners and more adept with mobile data, discovered that Burlington has both a tree list and a tree map of Crapo Park, with trees marked with little numbered metal tags. So armed with the vague locations from the Big Tree list and the map, we walked the park west to east, admiring all the magnificent specimens along the way.

Champion Bur Oak at Crapo Park

Not on my list, but difficult to overlook, were the spreading branches of the champion Bur Oak, near the lake. The venerable specimen had a trunk circumference of almost 16 feet, with a crown that spreads over 100 feet.

Near the "electric fountain" on the map was my first target: the Dawn Redwood ("Tree # 777' S. of baldcypress grove E. part of Crapo Park" as described on the Big Tree list). We located the grove of Bald Cypress trees easily enough, but where was the Dawn Redwood? None of the individuals in the area seemed to have the gravitas of a champion, with trunks fairly slender when considered against the earlier Bur Oak.

Dawn Redwood, Crapo Park

But there, almost as if in disguise, was one tree whose leaves were just a little more green than the russet of the cypresses. A definitive numbered tag was not evident, but its location matched that shown on the map. An examination of the leaves confirmed the ID: the small leaflets were attached opposite one another, as opposed to alternating leaflets of a Bald Cypress.

The #2 champion Dawn Redwood of Iowa is a tall, skinny thing: less than 5 feet around the trunk, and 67.5 feet tall. Unlike the Bald Cypress, Dawn Redwood is a native of China—though it was found on our continent tens of millions of years ago, alongside dinosaurs. It was thought to be extinct until it was "rediscovered" in 1941. Seed collected from those isolated groves was brought to the U.S. and propagated; Dawn Redwood is now a regular landscape tree. Any individuals planted here would be a relatively youthful 60 years of age or younger.

The second tree on our quest, the Blackjack Oak, was another somewhat puny individual. Tree # 465 along Potter Avenue was not of a stature that would rate a second look normally: 5.5 feet around the trunk, and just over 47 feet tall. This species is native to the southeastern U.S., with its range just barely reaching the very southern edge of Iowa. The leaves, described as bell-shaped, are quite distinct from those of what we might typically think of with the pointy lobes of red oaks and the rounded lobes of white oaks. This late in the season there wasn't much to it, many of the leaves having already dropped.

Blackjack Oak, tree # 465

Blackjack Oak's bell-shaped leaf

Do you know any state champion trees? Why not plan a pilgrimage in the coming year and visit the state champion of your favorite tree?

(There are six champions in Iowa City. How many could you find?)

Sources/Additional Reading:

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Big Tree Hunt, Part 1: The Bald Cypress

Who doesn't love a big, beautiful tree? Those venerable neighbors who have inhabited our land for dozens, if not hundreds, of years, eluding the inexorable advance of both plow and bulldozer. Do you ever look at a massive trunk topped by a beautiful spreading crown and think, "That must be the biggest tree in the state!"?

Good news! Iowa has a "Big Tree" program that documents state champions of different species. What makes a champion? Trees are measured using three dimensions: height, crown spread, and trunk circumference. Those dimensions go into a formula that assigns a points value to the tree. The trees that have been documented with the highest point totals in each species can be found in a list published by the DNR. Although the program is technically under the aegis of the DNR, it relies on volunteers to do the heavy lifting, particularly one amazing and dedicated volunteer by the name of Mark Rouw.

Iowa City boasts a number of champion trees, including a Hophornbeam in Hickory Hill Park, as well as several specimens on the University of Iowa campus featuring the state champion Black Walnut on the Pentacrest. (If you enjoy trees, be sure to explore the UI Campus Arboretum and its tree inventory map.)

The Sycamore Greenway doesn't have a lot of big trees (yet...check back in a few decades!). Like much of the state, it is a developed or constructed area and thus very "young" in terms of tree life. When I went in search of the champions of one of my favorites, the Bald Cypress, I discovered a treasure of big trees in an old river town just a day trip away.

Burlington, Iowa, is famous for Snake Alley, its crazy twisting brick road. But it also home of many champion trees, a significant number of which have escaped that plow and bulldozer by virtue of making their homes in a venerable cemetery and a spectacular city park, both of which were established well over a century ago. I set out, with much enthusiasm and very little plan, to visit some of those arboreal elders.

Pulling into Aspen Grove Cemetery and confronted with a spider web of narrow, winding roads and paths, that lack of plan was immediately apparent. My target was the #2 state champion Bald Cypress, the only one of its kind on the list with a location provided (the others apparently on private property). It was 84 feet high with a trunk circumference of around 11.5 feet.* How hard could it be to find a beautiful Bald Cypress that size?

Well.

First off, the cemetery itself is spectacular. Established in 1843, three years before Iowa became a state, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the final resting place of Aldo Leopold as well as many U.S. Representatives from the late 19th century. It also sprawls over 133 acres as the paths meander up and down hills, criss-crossing with named roads that would perhaps be helpful to someone who had an idea of where they were going.

Alas, under the "Location of Tree" column on the Big Trees spreadsheet, it said only "Low ground, Aspen Grove Cem. Burlington, Des Moines Co." So after turning in the direction that seemed headed downhill every time I reached an intersection, unsure of whether I had wandered into an access road or somewhere else I wasn't supposed to be and attempting to behave in a respectful manner...there it was! Was it?

To be perfectly honest...I don't know. It was a big, beautiful Bald Cypress and it seemed to be nestled in a sheltered depression, near a curious deep canal that lent an eerie and ancient atmosphere with the low, misty morning chill in the air.

The spreading branches still held many of their leaves in early November, though a glowy russet color had replaced the soft summertime green. Below the branches a soft carpet of fallen leaves (needles? Some sources describe them as needles; some as leaves. Others split the difference and use "needlelike leaves) rest undisturbed.

There on consecrated ground, with this living thing that had stood sentinel for decades as the town grew and faded and individual human lives came into and passed out of this earth...can an experience be mildly transcendent?

But alas, my schedule did not include unlimited hours to commune with a tree, no matter how enthralling. The cemetery is home to other champions, including a Mockernut Hickory, Flowering Dogwood, and White Ash. But time being limited, I had to make my way to Burlington's other refuge for amazing trees: Crapo Park.

To be continued....

*For comparison, the national champion Bald Cypress in Louisiana is just a bit taller, at 91 feet, though it has an impressive crown spread of 87 feet and its trunk measures a whopping 52 feet around.

Sunday, October 20, 2024

Behind the Fence

On the north side of an impenetrable white vinyl fence, unseen and likely forgotten by those who built the fence, a little micro-habitat of opportunists thrives just out of reach of the trailside mower.

Horseweeds, sowthistles, fleabane, dock, amaranth, a spiky flatsedge, and an enterprising grapevine are just a smattering of the dozens of plants making a community in this shady, 65-foot span. Even late in the season, into October, there were still some flowers available on the horseweeds and fleabane to bring an assortment of tiny pollinators, including a stunningly-patterned moth.

Spotted Beet Webworm Moth

(Hymenia perspectalis, tentative)

Earlier in the season, this scrappy little patch would have barely merited a glance, when just opposite the Greenway was glowing with big, beautiful flowers everywhere. But squeezing out the last bits of summer, before the last flowers fade and the last insects disappear for the long winter months, it's a low-expectation oasis.

Life happens when we give it a chance.

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Consider the Spider

Orchard Orbweaver

"Once you begin watching spiders, you haven't time for much else."
- E.B. White

Consider the spider. Eight legs, eight eyes, silken webs. When welcomed into the home, may go by the name of Charlotte or Boris. Everyone has an idea of what "spider" means.

Bowl and Doily Spider (tentative)

But do we? Records on iNaturalist show more than 60 species of spider identified in Iowa City alone; though they share a similar general body shape, there is an astonishing variety of features that can be seen, with different groups adapted to different lifestyles. They are generally divided into two categories: those that spin webs, and those that hunt their prey.

Within those two categories there are dozens of other specializations. Some species of web-building spiders may create the typical two-dimensional spiraling orb between vertical branches or posts, like the beautiful jewel-toned Orchard Orbweaver; others make those cobwebs that add atmosphere to the corners of your basement, or they construct elaborate sheets (or even "bowls and doilies") held aloft on grass stems.

Hunting spiders are further categorized as wolf spiders, jumping spiders, crab spiders, and several others. They may still produce silk, as a dragline to help them get around, for example, but they don't create webs to trap their prey. Nimble jumping spiders actively hunt with the help of their excellent eyesight, while many crab spiders rely on camouflage to lurk in wait for a passing insect.

They are beautiful, beguiling little bits of life that share our yards, and sometimes our homes. They feature in our stories and our songs, and are worth spending time getting to know.

Sources/Additional Reading:

A pair of domestic spiders(?) found around the house:

Bold Jumping Spider

Common Cellar Spider

Thursday, July 25, 2024

The Not-so-subtle Senna

Yellow, yellow flowers everywhere. Walking a familiar part of the trail, my eyes scan the usual floral sights of late July: the Silphium brothers Cup Plant (big brother) and Rosinweed (little brother); inspecting the Gray-headed Coneflowers for Camouflaged Loopers...hello, what's this?

My brain, seeing the shape and color of the bushy yellow inflorescence, quickly said "Showy Goldenrod, nothing unusual, move along" followed immediately by "isn't it a little early for goldenrod?" and directing the eyes back for a closer look.

Bees and ants visiting
senna flowers.

Despite the initial vague resemblance...definitely not a goldenrod. For one thing, the leaves are compound, with tidy paired leaflets. And the yellow flowers comprising the showy inflorescence were big and blowsy, with many dark anthers projecting from the loosely open petals. A senna! Has that been there all these years and I've just never noticed it before now? It's hardly a subtle plant.

There are two similar species of senna in our area, which can be tricky to tell apart: Maryland Senna (Senna marilandica) and American or Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa). Some points mentioned to help identify are the hairiness of the style (longer on Wild Senna) and the behavior of the seedpods. (I am not confident in our senna here so I will just call it a senna.)

Knob-like nectaries are situated
at the base of leaves.

They are members of the legume family and are native to the eastern U.S., with Maryland Senna having a slightly wider range, reaching Nebraska and points south. All those stamens (ten in total) provide pollen to bumble bees (and many other pollinators).

If you look closely at the base of the leaves, you'll find a curious rounded knob: an extrafloral nectary, which makes sweet nectar available to ants, wasps, ladybird beetles, and other insects that may take advantage of the nourishment, possibly providing protective services to the plant in exchange. (Another yellow-flowered native legume, Partridge Pea, similarly provides nectar in the form of little pots at the base of the leaves.)

It's a beautiful plant, and provides a lot of interest not only to wildlife but human observers too. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for it in the future.

Really...not very subtle.

Sources/Additional Reading:

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Ratibida Reverie

Today we're taking a field trip about a mile due west of the Greenway, to Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, where you might encounter a few small patches of Ratibida columnifera, known variously as Mexican Hat, Upright (or Longheaded) Coneflower, and Prairie Coneflower—the second of only two species of Ratibida found in our area (and only four found in the entire U.S.).

While the Gray-headed Coneflower (R. pinnata) is native to the tallgrass prairie and widespread throughout Iowa, its low-growing cousin actually hails from out west in the Great Plains, with only the eastern edge of its range just reaching western Iowa. It is adapted to drier conditions than R. pinnata and probably finds the sandy area around TTRA more amendable than the Greenway's moist soils.

You can tell the two species apart by the shape of the flowers (although the photo above and at right is a slightly stunted specimen): R. columnifera's "cones" are usually longer than its wide yellow petals, whereas R. pinnata's yellow petals are longer and thinner beneath a shorter, more rounded "cone".

Left: Ratibida columnifera. Right: R. pinnata

The leaves and growth habits reflect the habitat preferences of each plant as well: R. columnifera's skinny, hairy leaves help minimize water loss and exposure to the hot sun; R. pinnata's leaves are wider and while also a bit hairy, not as densely so. And much as the prairie transitions from the tallgrass in the east, with its abundant moisture, to shortgrass in the arid west, the tallgrass species Ratibida pinnata can reach 4-5 feet tall while R. columnifera tops out around 3 feet.

Mexican Hat comes in different forms: its petals may be solid yellow, solid dark red, or dark red with yellow at the edges. Given its natural range, those individuals you find in our area are likely planted specimens from a seed mix or as garden ornamentals. They can be visited by bees, butterflies, and other insects, similar to Gray-headed Coneflower.

Cultivated R. columnifera (from the author's garden)

Sources/Additional Reading:

Sunday, June 16, 2024

Fantastic Floristic Features at Corriell Preserve

The sand prairie at Corriell Preserve

This past weekend, Bur Oak Land Trust offered a glimpse of Corriell Nature Preserve (normally not open to the public) to visitors for Blooming Cactus Weekend. Although the stunning yellow cactus flowers on the sand prairie were a highlight, a special treat was a guided tour with Dr. Thomas Rosburg of Drake University, to talk about the floristic survey he is conducting at the site.

Katydid nymph

Attendees were given a list of the more than 300 plant species Dr. Rosburg had documented so far, and a hike through the preserve provided the opportunity for both Dr. Rosburg and Jason Taylor, Executive Director of Bur Oak Land Trust, to share information about plants of interest, the history and current state of the site, as well as how a floristic survey is conducted.

Describing the species present at any location--much less almost 200 acres of diverse habitats including wetlands, forests, sand prairie, and pasture grassland--takes multiple visits over the course of the growing season and over multiple years. Because different plants may be more or less conspicuous at different points in their growth, visits from early spring through summer and into fall are necessary to capture the widest variety of species possible. Conditions may change from year to year as well; Dr. Rosburg told of a pond, full of water this year, that was much drier a previous year, allowing access to plants that may otherwise be inaccessible.

It is impossible to summarize all of the information provided during the hike, so I will limit this post to sharing some of the plants we encountered and strongly encouraging you to both visit Corriell Preserve when the opportunity next arises, as well as find and attend a similar event with Dr. Rosburg! Be sure to follow the Iowa Native Plant Society to learn about future opportunities.