The Return of a Native

From the time that European immigrants arrived on North American shores half a millennium ago, wolves have been hunted mercilessly and driven from the landscape. Poisoned, trapped and shot for their pelts or to prevent them preying on our livestock, millions of wolves were slaughtered over the last few centuries, ostensibly making the country safer for us all.

The truth is that wolves have never posed a serious threat to human populations. Verified accounts of wolf attacks on people are almost nonexistent. Also, confirmed losses of livestock due to wolf predation have traditionally been less than those due to coyotes, extreme weather or poor ranching practices. Despite these facts, by the mid-1900s wolves were systematically eliminated from nearly all of the lower 48 states. Biologists pointed out the ecological “hole” that the wolf’s removal had created and called for its return.

Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, became the site of a symbolic wildlife reintroduction. In January 1995, 14 wolves captured in Canada were transported to the northwestern corner of Wyoming, housed in large outdoor enclosures, and allowed to form cohesive social units prior to their release. Problems encountered during the early stages of the reintroduction were eventually overcome, so that wolves not only roam throughout Yellowstone once again, but have dispersed and successfully re-populated the neighboring Rocky Mountain states of Montana and Idaho. The renewed presence of wolves has also been documented or is suspected in Oregon and Washington, further re-establishing the presence of this threatened species throughout its former range.

The wolf’s “successful return” resulted in its removal from the Endangered Species List and is viewed as something of a mixed blessing. The loss of its endangered status reduces the level of protection afforded to re-established populations and renders them vulnerable to hunting once again. Simply stated, wolves appear to be winning the natural battle for survival, but the legal battle to protect this species continues.

Wolf Myths, Legends and Stories

Humankind’s relationship with the wolf is one that has sometimes been based more on fiction than fact. While some cultures have revered wolves, others have feared and even demonized them. Morals taken from Christian scriptures, for example, epitomize the wolf as evil, while other legends portrayed it as a devil or a witch. Still other ancient societies believed that wolves were guardians of the dead. By contrast, a number of European cultures regarded the wolf as a symbol of fertility or a protector of crops. Viking warriors donned wolf skins in hopes of acquiring superhuman strength during battle. Native Americans did the same in order to conceal themselves when hunting. In addition, they looked to the wolf as a sacred pathfinder and a teacher. Clearly, our historical opinions of the wolf were strong and diverse.

The opinion that modern day children have of wolves is definitely colored by the oft read Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood. Just about every child can recite the famous exchange between the title character - “My, what big teeth you have!” – and the wolf disguised in Grandma’s nightgown – “The better to eat you with!” Other children’s stories that cast the wolf in a bad light include one of Aesop’s many fables, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, another Brothers Grimm tale, The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, the English classic Three Little Pigs and the Russian story and musical composition Peter and the Wolf. Then there are the legends of werewolves - humans that take the form of wolves and prey upon other people when the moon shines full. Werewolf legends date back to the Middle Ages, but have spawned dozens of modern horror movies.

Few animals have such a long, powerful and varied history with our own species. In our next blog we’ll take a look at how that has affected the wolf’s status in the world today.

Gray or Timber Wolf II

The animal we call timber wolf is a very social creature. We’re all familiar with the terms “a pack of wolves” and “wolf pack,” which describe the normal family unit of this species. The typical wolf pack is built upon a nuclear family – a male, female and their offspring. Packs can range in size from two to 20 animals, but average about eight. The term “lone wolf” describes the exception to the rule, an old animal that has been driven from its pack or a young wolf seeking a new territory. Either one must survive by its own cunning.

The average timber wolf stands about two to three feet tall at the shoulder and weighs perhaps 80 to 85 pounds. Its dense coat of fur makes the animal look much larger, so people have a tendency to over-estimate a wolf’s true weight. However, a few very large wolves have been documented, including some that tipped the scales at 175 pounds or more. Females tend to be a little bit more than three-quarters the size of males.

Timber wolves feed on a wide variety of prey including animals as large as deer, elk, bison and moose, but they will essentially feed on whatever is available, even carrion. The method of stalking prey is basically to conceal the approach and give chase when their quarry attempts to flee. Although wolves have great stamina and can run for many miles, the typical chase lasts only for a few hundred feet.

In order to find sufficient food, a wolf pack must range over and defend a large territory. Like other members of the canid family they scent mark these territories with urine, males more so than females. Wolves also scent mark their kills to deter neighboring packs from feeding on the bounty.

Gray or Timber Wolf

The gray or timber wolf is a member of the family Canidae, which includes several other wolf species, coyotes, foxes, jackals, bush dogs, raccoon dogs, the Australian dingo, the African wild dog, and the many different breeds of domestic dogs. All canids have specialized teeth - molars and premolars - that are adapted for slicing flesh.

Fossil evidence suggest that the first true canids appeared approximately 40 million years ago and that ancestors of the modern gray wolf first appeared in Europe and North America only a few million years ago. One of these, the dire wolf, was perhaps the largest member of the dog family ever to exist. It lived alongside mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, saber-toothed cats and camels that used to inhabit this continent. The dire wolf became extinct approximately 10,000 years ago.

Today, wild members of the family Canidae are found on every continent except Antarctica. The smallest species is the fennec fox of Africa, the largest is the gray wolf. Most canids live in social groups called packs that mark and defend a territory.

Trundling Turtles

Set against a background of fallen leaves on the forest floor, the well-camouflaged box turtle can be difficult to see unless it’s moving. And even then, its forward progress may be slow enough for it to escape detection at a casual glance.

When I was young, box turtles were fairly common. However, they have become rare through the years as their woodland and field habitats have yielded to housing and commercial developments. They also fall easy victims to automobiles when their travels take them across roads and highways.

Box turtles played a significant role in the in the lives of the indigenous Lenape people who divided themselves into three clans – turtle, wolf and turkey. The turtle clan was considered the most important and usually the one from which the chief or sachem was chosen. Box turtle shells were also used to fashion ceremonial rattles. Of course, the turtle’s first contribution to his captors might have been at dinner.

The average life span of a box turtle is about 40 years, but individuals can reach the century mark. That’s one hundred years of feeding on fungi, berries, roots, slugs, worms, insects and even a few of its fellow vertebrates.

Enter the Heron

The frogs and toads that inhabit our backyard ponds are rewarded with meals provided by the many insects and other invertebrates that are attracted to the habitats we create. The amphibians also serve as food for predators such as snakes, opossums, skunks, raccoons, crows and even large wading birds like the great blue heron. I was shocked one autumn morning a few years when I looked out the window to see a three-foot tall bird only a few steps from my back door. The heron began making its way stealthily around the pond, its long beak pointed to the water’s edge, obviously in hope of spearing some hapless cold-blooded creature.

I’ve yet to see the heron make a kill, but each year at this time it arrives in my backyard and spends several days patrolling the pond. To the bird’s disadvantage, it’s just about this same time that the nearby maple and oak trees begin shedding their leaves and that my wife and I decide to stretch netting over the water to keep the leaves out. I doubt the heron comprehends our actions and I hope it doesn’t take them personally. We’re not purposely denying him a meal or trying to make his life difficult. We’re just trying to keep the pond from becoming choked with leaves and stagnant.

If you have a backyard pond or decide to install one, you’re sure to be rewarded with a daily cast of wildlife characters, including some that will surprise and impress you.

If You Build It …

One sure way to attract wildlife to your backyard is to install a small pond, water being an essential ingredient for life and a prominent feature in most natural habitats. My family and I embarked upon a backyard pond project a number of years ago, but we never seem to complete it. The routine maintenance really doesn’t have to be very labor intensive, but I always seem to be re-landscaping the perimeter or tinkering with the waterfall feature. In some ways it’s very therapeutic.

Installing a pond can be a small project or a huge endeavor, depending on how ambitious you are. Just about all the materials you’ll need can be purchased at the local hardware or department store, and there are an endless number of pamphlets, books and websites that provide step-by-step instructions for the beginning pond installer.

One of the first surprises we received after our pond was dug and filled was the arrival of green frogs, which I had never seen in our backyard before starting the project. About a half dozen showed up within a matter of a few weeks. They hung out all summer long and into the fall, but disappeared well before the water’s surface iced over in winter, only to reappear the next spring. The cycle continues. They still hop from their lily pads into the water when I approach on a warm sunny September afternoon, but it should only be a matter of weeks before they submerge to enter a state of hibernation