502 More Interesting Mating Habits

Hello Listener, 

This month, we discuss some more exciting animal mating habits in the Mid-Altalitic region. This year, we discuss Eastern Hercules Beetles, Dogbane Leaf Beetles, Blue Crabs, and the iconic Bald Eagle. 

We start the episode with garden news and an update about the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.    Check out the official press-release from USDA for additional info.

We also have our: 

•  Native Plant of the Month -  Crowsfoot club moss (~39:10)
• Bug of the Month –Horned fungus beetle (~ 42:40)
• Garden Tips of the Month – (~50:00)

The DNR webpage about salinity in the bay.

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The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Hosts are Mikaela Boley- Principal Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture, Rachel Rhodes- Senior Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne's County), and Emily Zobel-Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County).

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Transcript

Garden Thyme Podcast Transcript: S5:E02 More Interesting Mating Habits ( Feb 2024) 

Note: The Garden Thyme Podcast is produced for the ear and is designed to be heard. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. 

:Up Beat Music:


Rachel

Hello, listener. Welcome to the University of Maryland extension presents the Garden Time podcast, where we talk about getting down and dirty in your garden. We're your hosts. I'm Mikaela.

Emily

I'm Rachel.

Emily

And I'm Emily.

Mikaela

And in this month's episode, we're talking about unique mating habits in nature, part two.

Emily

Hey, listener. In this episode, we're talking about some more sensitive topics. Those of you who may be listening with little ears may want to preview this episode beforehand,

Mikaela

Because we're talking about nature and reproduction. You know what we are talking about?

Emily

We're talking about the birds and the bees.

Mikaela

The birds and the bees. Literally.

Emily

Literally, the birds and the bees. Except I think we talked about bees last time, so we're not talking about bees this year.

Mikaela

But we have some clothing appendages.

Emily

We still have some cool bugs, some neat birds, and some other awesome arthropods that have some interesting, unique mating habits.

Emily

However, before we get into that, we have some breaking garden news.

Mikaela

That's right. So many of you probably saw at the end of 2023 that USDA has released the new and official plant hardiness zone map update. So in November, they rolled out a brand new plant hardiness zone map where about 50% of the country shifted at least a half a zone warmer than we were previously. And this includes Maryland, and impacted Maryland just as much as anywhere else.

Mikaela

So you may be asking yourself, some of you newer gardeners, what is the plant hardiness zone map? This is a map that is used by gardeners and growers to determine which plants are likely to survive the coldest winter temperatures in their location. And these maps are compiled from about 30 years worth of data taking the average minimum temperatures of those locations. So this is very significant, because if you go to the plant store or the nursery, you'll see that on that plant label, it gives you a range of numbers. Zone three to nine. Well, what that means is that that plant grows best or will survive and be hardy in zones from three to nine. And so here in Maryland, we have a pretty wide range, although now it used to be five B was the lowest that Maryland went. And I believe that there's only, like a very tiny pocket in Garrett county that is now five B, like almost insignificant. So at this point, we were kind of bumped up between zone six and almost zone nine. I know on the eastern shore, we have shifted about eight a, eight b, and then the remainder is seven, which is what we were before. So there are different pockets. And obviously, it's going to change based on your area. You can find what your plant hardiness zone is by checking out USDA's plant hardiness zone. And you can google that and it'll take you right to the first page. You can plug in your zip code and it'll bring up your local map so that you can see what plant hardiness zone you belong to. But all of that aside, figuring out what plant zone you are, what do these changes, what do these shifts mean or indicate for Maryland? So, for us, warmer temperatures are going to occur at earlier dates, which means we get a longer growing season, which means we can grow a wider range of plants than we used to. It also means earlier frost free dates in the spring and later first frost dates in the fall, but concurrently.

Mikaela

This also means earlier pest and disease emergence. So some of these older models that we've used for anticipating when certain pests are going to emerge and be a problem and when you should spray, if that's part of your program, it means we're going to have to shift that, and it's probably going to be earlier than we anticipate. It also might mean that there are more generations of pests occurring per year because they have a longer season to live. This also means this shift in temperature, more hot days. And this is significant because the number of days that reach over 86 degrees is going to increase. And 86 degrees is significant because plants start to exhibit heat stress at this point. So the more stressed plants become, the more susceptible they are to those disease and pest problems.

Rachel

So this also means that we have a broader range of plant species that can be used in your landscape. You may even be able to overwinter plants that previously died back or were typically annuals. In some locations, people may grow new types of flowers or fruits or vegetables. So keep that in mind when you're picking out things. We also have, like Mikaela mentioned, higher pest problems with the increase in generations per season and weed pressure. So we're going to see these things emerging earlier than normal, and our weeds are going to thrive in hotter adverse temperatures. And with that, our winters will be milder and they might not be as harsh to kill some of the weed species or the pest species that normally will die off with a hard winter freeze. Our hotter summers and average temperatures mean that we're going to have a higher humidity and more dramatic weather events, severe storms, longer droughts. So you may want to start looking at trees or perennials that have more of a southern variety than northern.

Mikaela

Right. And another recommendation I would throw in there is if you're researching what kind of plants would work well for your property. Look at what their native growing zones look like or their growth maps, because you're going to want to select species that grow more southerly than here. So things that grow in the Carolinas will have a better chance of being able to survive in Maryland than plants that were already at their southernmost growing. So I use mountain ash as an example because there are only small pockets where mountain ash grows natively in Maryland, and they're all out west. Well, those growing range is probably going to now be pushed up north. And so it wouldn't make sense to invest in a long lived species that isn't going to be able to handle those more southern climates.

Rachel

Agreed.

Mikaela

So buckle up, Maryland. We will have to adapt to these changes and start thinking long term when it comes to selecting those species that have the ability to withstand environmental pressures to come. So you can actually find the official press release from USDA, and we will include that in the show notes if you're interested in learning more about what they have to say about the new map release.

Rachel

Okay, this is going to be interesting to see all the different changes that occur in Maryland and on the eastern shore.

Mikaela

Well, what's interesting, or at least what I could see, is the parts of the eastern shore that have changed or that have shifted up a half zone. It's almost all coast, so everything east of route 50 remains the same, but everything west changed to eight. And I'm sure it's the influence of water. I can imagine. Yeah. So, like, my zone changed, but maybe someone who's closer to Cordova doesn't have anything changed.

Rachel

Yeah.

Emily

Well, and then again, addition to that, you also have along the coastline saltwater intrusion and sea level rise.

Rachel

Some young grad students should be doing some research on them.

Mikaela

I'm sure that somebody probably is.

Rachel

Yeah.

Emily

To learn more about sea level rise, check out our past episode, Kate McCur, where we sat down and talked about sea level rise and the effect it has on coastal communities.

Mikaela

Our topic for this month is a continuation, so to speak, from last year, when we discovered there were so many interesting and unique mating habits in nature that we just didn't have enough for one episode. So guess what? We're back 2024 with more unique mating habits. So last year we covered things like slugs, horseshoe crabs, honeybees, dragonflies, harvestmen, and springtails. But this year, we have a new cadre of interesting animals and their behaviors to woo the opposite sex.

Rachel

Yeah. And we're going to kick it off with one of my favorites. I love this beetle. And I know you both know how much I love this beetle. So now our listeners are going to know this is one of the one bugs that I absolutely adore, and that is the eastern Hercules beetle. The eastern Hercules beetle, in my opinion, is simply breathtaking. And like its namesake, it is big, strong, and, might I say, handsome. Beautiful. Males can be nearly two and a half inches long, counting the forward pointing horns, much like a deer or an elk. They use their horns to fight the other males. And I got to see this close up and personal when I had two sets of male or a set of males and a set of females, and they constantly fought and kept me up all night long. Even though they were in my kitchen, I could hear them fighting from our bedroom.

Emily

That sounds like a great party, man.

Rachel

It was an awesome party, and I know I had to split them up. Emily got a pair. I kept a pair. So the females actually lack horns, and they can vary greatly in their color. They usually have a number of spots that are black or brown, but they can be like a pale green or tan or even have a yellow hue with these irregular spots. So, like I mentioned, they will use these horns to battle each other. And usually, breeding occurs in the spring after they emerge from the soil. And the females will release a pheromone to attract the males. And when the males find the female, that's when fighting will ensue. The fights are usually not fatal, but they can cause some minor damage to their exoskeleton. And the winner is usually the beetle, who successfully flips their opponent. And when they flip them, they really have a hard time getting back upright because they're so large. They kind of just, like, flail on the ground like a turtle.

Emily

I just picture these beetles, like, flailing their legs up.

Rachel

They can't move because they're so big and cumbersome. After mating, the female will lay around 50 eggs directly into decaying wood or in the soil. In about a month, the larvae will hatch, and over six months to a year, they will grow. And the grub can measure about four inches long. They're huge grubs, and interestingly, the female beetle will lay eggs in the same source of wood year after year until it's completely consumed and broken down. Once the grubs have grown to their full size, they transform into pupil, much like a caterpillar. And they're usually buried underground in deep decaying wood. During this stage, they'll overwinter and emerge as adults in the spring. So this can be a process of a year or more for the grub into a pupa stage. Hercules beetles can be found in deciduous forests. However, I urge you not to disturb them when you find them in the wild. There is some major concern that Hercules beetles will be in decline, as decaying ash trees are some of their favorite rotting trees to use as their larval nurseries. And ash trees are in major decline in our area because of the emerald ash bore.

Rachel

And that's an invasive insect that has come over from a different country. So if you find them, please don't disturb them and enjoy their beauty, because they are amazing. And I do have a fun fact for them because I love a good fun fact. This is the largest beetle found in North America, and they get their name from their incredible strength. Hercules. Go back to that. And it's estimated that a Hercules beetle can lift over 100 times its own weight. So this would be the equivalent of an average 200 pound male lifting 14,000 pounds. Which giant?

Emily

I mean, she likes her men strong, apparently.

Rachel

She does.

Mikaela

That's impressive. Strong, but not flexible or limber enough to get back on his feet.

Emily

Well, she's not mating with the one that got knocked on his back.

Rachel

Yeah, she's picking the biggest, strongest guy.

Emily

She is picking the guy who threw him there.

Rachel

Yeah,

Mikaela

it's his Achilles heel. Because he's a herculean beetle. Sorry, that was bad.

Emily

That's okay, we love you.

Rachel

I love it.

Mikaela

I try.

Rachel

But the only time that I have seen these guys has been when a client has brought them into the office because they're concerned about what they are. So I'm not scavenging the forest looking for them. I've only had the pleasure of having them when someone brings them in.

Mikaela

And their grub stage, if you ever come across them, are gigantic. They're almost longer than the beetle themselves. And so we get people who are alarmed. They don't cause any damage to live trees. They only eat dead or decaying wood. And so it's not like a bore that's going to decimate tree populations. They are just a really cool find. And so if you do find really big, large grubs, try and put them back into their rotting wood, because they are just really neat.

Rachel

They're so cool.

Rachel

All right, so if you're like me and you're easily distracted by shiny objects, I'm going to point you in the direction of the dog bane leaf beetle, because this is next to the Hercules beetle. This is absolutely one of my favorite beetles to keep my eyes open for. And I usually start to see them in Maryland around mid June, and they are just absolutely beautiful. They are like a coat of many colors. These native beetles glisten with mixed shades of green and gold and copper and blue and red. They are just a true jewel beetle. They are just so incredibly beautiful. But life is short when you're a dog bane beetle and hanky panky rakes supreme. The dog bane beetles are the poster child for promiscuity, with adult beetles mating as many as 50 times during their short lifespan. And they only live for about six to eight weeks. I know they're just out there living their lives.

Mikaela

They're living their best life.

Emily

That is a lot of time spent trying to fornicate.

Rachel

So for those of you who like to do math in your head, like I do, this is about once a day, because they only live for six to eight weeks, so they're actively trying. They are busy beetles. So the dog bean leaf beetle uses a chemical signal, like a pheromone, to communicate with each other. So these chemicals are specific for the dog bane beetle. The males initiate courtship, and then they like to stick around and piggyback on the females to deter other males, so they don't actually fight. Like the Hercules beetle, they're just hanging out saying, hey, she's mine for the next six to eight weeks. Go find your own.

Emily

He's a little needy, Petey man.

Rachel

yeah

Emily

Nobody likes a clinger. Although that seems to be something that we repeatedly see in nature, because we're definitely going to see that in some other ones, like blue crabs definitely do the same thing.

Rachel

Yeah, they got to mark their territory. So the eggs are laid in protective capsules on a host plant leaf or on the ground nearby. And the grubs hatch by midsummer, and they feud on the roots and stay underground or pupate. And there's usually one single generation per year. I usually find these guys on forest edges because they love to feed on their namesake dog bane.

Mikaela

They are super attractive.

Rachel

They're very eye catching. They are. Maybe that's how they get their mates, too. They're just like, hey, look at me, I'm so pretty.

Mikaela

Right? Like you do.

Rachel

Yeah. All I can hear for a dog bane beetle is Taylor Swift 'bejeweled'.

Emily

I mean, it would be fitting for them. They're very pretty, shiny beetles.

Rachel

I'll look for that post in the summer.

Emily

Yeah.

Emily

So our next organism we're going to talk about is something that is iconic to the Chesapeake Bay, which is the blue crab. So unlike most marine organisms, blue crabs mate and spawn in different times and different locations. Mating occurs primarily in relatively low salinity water typically in the upper areas of estuaries or in the lower portions of rivers. Mating takes place in areas where the female crabs normally go to molt. So shallow areas, marsh line banks with submerged vegetation, tends to be a popular mating ground for blue crabs. So here in the mid atlantic area, so in the Chesapeake Bay, that's going to be the upper parts of the bay, and they typically will mate May through October. Down in the southern part of their region, they will mate April through June, and then a second time or a second group potentially could also mate September through October. So here in the bay, the female basically will mate up in the northern parts of the bay, where you have this low salinity water, but then she will migrate to the mouth of the bay in order to spawn, where she can produce between 750,003 million eggs or brood.

Mikaela

Wow. Almost productive.

Emily

She makes a lot, that is a lot of baby blue crabs, but this is an example of, I think they're j animals where they produce a lot of eggs because their survivability rate is so low, because blue crabs are delicious.

Mikaela

Guys, I know we got to feed all the Marylanders

Emily

And you got to feed all the environment, so all the animals out in the environment love to eat blue crabs just as well. There's a lot at stake, however, for the females when it comes to choosing her mate, because she has to molt in order to become soft enough to mate. And unlike the males, that once they reach adulthood, will continue to molt throughout their lives, she's only going to molt once and mate once. So what she can do is after she molts and she mates, she's going to hold that sperm in her body for up to two years to fertilize all the eggs that she can produce within the next two years of her life. So when she is ready to potentially get ready to mate, she will release some pheromones into the water and male blue crabs will pick up on these and find her. In order to prove himself worthy of being her one and only mating partner, he is going to dance for her. So this is a pre-mating rituals, where he's going to stand up on his legs and he's going to look real tall, and he's going to spread out his big claws and he's going to wave them around and he's going to fan her with his swimming legs to show that he's super mobile and he can move a lot and he's got high health, and he's going to wave that all around and he's going to blow water on her.

Emily

Then he's going to do this weird thing where he snaps his body backwards and he kicks up sand. And then he's going to show her all of his swimming and walking legs. And if she's like, no, I'm not sure I'm impressed yet. He starts the whole dance all over again. You better have the moves he does. Luckily, though, if he does have the moves and she accepts it, she's going to do this thing where she turns around backwards and she's going to wedge herself underneath him. What this does allows him to clasp on and carry her using his walking legs. So a lot of times scientists will refer to this as 'doubler' or 'buck and ride', and they're both right side up, facing the right direction. So this is sort of a pre copulation embrace that they do. The male crab is going to then carry her for anywhere between two to seven days while she gets ready to molt and then molts. So once she begins to molt, he's going to release her, and he's going to stand guard over her making a cage with his walking legs basically to protect her. The entire molting process can take several hours to complete.

Emily

Once she's done molting, she'll typically be what we refer to as a soft shelled crab. So once she's hardened up to, like, a safe point, they'll actually copulate. And in this case, mating involves the male placing a sporiform, which is sort of a packet of sperm, inside of her. So it's not direct fertilization. She basically will hold that in a separate compartment inside of her. And then as she produces eggs, she will fertilize them as she goes. Once he's sort of done this, she will continue to harden up her shell, and he'll continue to guard her through this vulnerable period of time. Because when her shell is really soft makes her ideal for lots of predators. He'll neglect food and will basically stay with her until she's hardened. And this can be anywhere from two to three days.

Mikaela

He's so attentive.

Emily

I know. He dances and then he stays by her side.

Rachel

Oh, my God.

Emily

I know.

Mikaela

I will forego eating, which men don't do. Okay.

Rachel

No, they don't.

Mikaela

He's a keeper.

Emily

Yeah. It's a good thing that she decided her one and only time was with him. So once she's basically hardened up, he'll back off and let her go, and then she'll bring in her migration to a higher salinity of water. So that she can spawn. And in the case of the Chesapeake Bay, if they were going from the upper part of the bay all the way down to the mouth, that would be 200 traveling. And remember, blue crabs are not super big animals. That is massive distance to go from where you mate to where you're going to have your children.

Rachel

That's a long little walk on their little legs.

Mikaela

We have legs and we don't walk that far.

Rachel

I mean, they are being carried by currents and tides and that kind of thing, but still very impressive.

Emily

It's super impressive. And then if you think about, like, she's doing this, she's got the currents and the tides kind of carrying her, but there's tons of predators along the way as well. So scientists have basically found that blue crab eggs need a salinity of at least 18 parts per thousand to survive. And crab larvae need the higher ocean salinity of more than 30 parts per thousand in order to really endure and grow. So the female crab is going to make that move to the saltier, lower bay. And once she gets down there, she'll start to produce her eggs and she'll fertilize them and they sort of become this spongy mass on the underside of her. It's worth noting that per crabbing laws, standard fishermen and everyday people who are crabing, if you come across a crab with eggs, you are legally supposed to throw it back. And this is important for environmental reasons, because we want to keep our female breeding crabs in the bay. So the eggs will eventually hatch into larvae that will go through a series of molts out in the high salinity kind of coastal waters. And then when they're ready to make that final molt for females or for males, they will make their way back up into the bay.

Emily

I couldn't find anything whether or not they make their way back to the same place where their parents were from, because obviously they don't have a connection to it the way Sam and her other ones do, home spawning or something like that. But there's tons of research into this and the salinity and the effects that climate change is going to have on kind of these crab malting habits because of a change in salinity, the change in temperatures, all these things kind of trigger these different effects for blue crabs. And one of the best ways for us to keep a healthy abundance of blue crabs is to protect not only the spawning area, but that mating area as well. So those sub aquatic grasses are super important for blue crabs. So it seems really silly, but particularly when you are in the bay fishing and stuff, and there's areas that are, say, like low wake or no wake areas. Following that is super important because that creating that extra current can rip up these sub aquatic vegetation, which is where these crabs are mating. So help allow the crabs to have their romance. And don't use your power boats in no weak areas around subaquatic vegetation.

Mikaela

Right. If you enjoy know be.

Emily

Yeah, yeah. Conscious of the know.

Rachel

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has a really great page on salinity and subaquatic vegetation and how that impacts crab populations. If you want to take a deep dive into that.

Emily

Yeah. If I remember, too, we will include it in the show notes.

Mikaela

I just put a note for us.

Emily

Thank you. 

Mikaela

All right, so the bald eagle, another classic symbol of American strength. So the mating and nesting season for bald eagles varies depending on their location. So while it's the season for Maryland, it might not be for everywhere. So throughout much of their range, bald eagles breed in early spring, and the breeding can last into the summer because it does take a long time to rear and take care of those eggs. And again, the location determines whether or not the birds migrate to the nest. Bald eagles maintain breeding territories, but outside of the breeding season, it is common to see them roosting with other bald eagles. So it's not uncommon to see many in one location. And in fact, it is often photographed and documented. Most bald eagles are capable of breeding at about four or five years of age, but in dense populations, they might not start breeding until much older. And they do mate for life. So they'll take care of one another until one of the individuals in a pair dies. The survivor will take on and accept a new mate. Bald eagle pairs engage in a number of different courtship rituals as they build their bond before they mate.

Mikaela

So the wooing period, basically, they do not mate in the air, like, sometimes there's a misconception that they do that, but they do have a very famous and recognizable ritual called the cartwheel courtship flight, in which two bald eagles fly up and they actually will lock talons physically and then get into this out of control cartwheel spin as they fall toward the ground, most of the times breaking apart at the last minute. However, I just saw, I think it was on Blackwater's facebook page the other day. Someone had taken photographs and documented a pair of eagles that were on the ice. They were on the ground because they could not unlock their talons before they fell. Now, apparently both of them ended up flying away and were fine. One had some scratches and some wounds, but they don't always go apart as they reach the ground. So while this incredible behavior is common mating activity for bald eagles, it is also a sort of ritualistic fight between males defending their territory. And that's what the instance was in this photograph, is. They think it was a male being challenged by some young upstart who is coming into his territory, because they did spot a female eagle nearby, which they think was the mate of the older.

Rachel

Those young men starting things.

Emily

I know.

Mikaela

Roller coaster flight is where one eagle will soar up into the sky, only to kind of veer back down, and then they repeat. And this is kind of a display of fitness. I akin it to doing pull ups or pull ups, something like that. Look how strong I am.

Emily

Look at how quickly I can veer up.

Mikaela

Chasing games, which we all understand even as humans. Okay, so once this pair is sort of done with the showy, the flirting, whatever, the pair also work together to build a nest by gathering material. And they usually choose. I mean, most people have seen them. They choose the tops of large trees so that they can have a nice aerial view of everything around them. It's usually pretty obvious. Maybe it's like one big single tree in the middle of some smaller trees or over the water. But bald eagle nests also have been found on cliffs, the ground, and sometimes even on human made structures like power poles and communication towers, where they can get that height. So nests are gigantic. They're usually four to 5ft wide, enough for maybe one of us to take a nap in, and two to 4ft deep. Now, they can get bigger than that, but that's just kind of an average, and they can weigh thousands of pounds, because, of course, they have to use a lot of sturdy material, make sure that they are protected when they kind of brood with their eggs. But making sure the eggs don't have any risks as well.

Mikaela

So they start by gathering large sticks and then, of course, smaller ones and getting softer materials to insulate their eggs. Because it can take up to three months for a nest to be ready once the pair starts building it, that's a long time. So they start very early in the winter. And pairs will often use and enlarge the same nest each year. Because they're sort of territorial birds, they do sort of come back to where they were before. But they may also have alternate nests within breeding territories, probably just in case one gets destroyed or a tree comes down. I actually saw a male bald eagle push out a pair from a nest that's in my neighborhood. So they do have this kind of bird eat bird world out there. Now, I'm going to try and explain bird sex, and I am not well versed in this, so I apologize for what's going to happen. So when it comes time to mate, you should know that birds are not mammals. They have something called a cloaca. And a cloaca is where birds reproduce, urinate and even excrete feces. So the fun fact is, only 3% of the total number of bird species have functional, informed penises, including ducks, geese and swans, and large flightless birds like ostriches and emus.

Mikaela

So all other birds usually have this cloaca, and the mating happens by pressing the cloaca together. And this is also known as the cloacal kiss. Not the kind of kiss we're thinking of. The female will lean forward and the male will land on her back, and the female will move her tail feathers to one side so that he can press his cloacal opening to her cloaca, passing the sperm to hers. Few seconds to a minute that this happens. Okay. Now, generally, eagles mate throughout the year, but this depends on if the male migrates. The female may have a three or two week window throughout a breeding season where she is fertile and the male sperm is said to be viable inside the females for up to ten days. So it's pretty efficient. She can understand when it's the right time. Bald eagles typically lay one to three eggs once a year, and the eggs hatch after about 35 days. The young eagles, called eaglets, are flying within three months of age, and they will continue to use the nest as a home base, where their parents continue to care for them for an additional four to six weeks.

Mikaela

After about six weeks, the young eagles disperse into the world on their own. They learn to fly. The parents go, you're on your own, pal. 

Rachel

Get out of here.

Mikaela

And research shows that approximately 70% of eaglets survived their first year of life, which is pretty high, actually, because nature is pretty tough. Although I've heard that the survivability of larger clutches, where they have, like, three eggs, it's much less likely that all three will make it to that point in their life. Okay, so here are some examples of poly-bald eagles. There can be more than two birds in a relationship. There can be a threesome. There are reports of one male mating with two females, as well as trios consisting of two males and one female. And this could be two males that are building a nest and supporting the female and making sure she is fed, where all the adults are working together to prepare, incubate and raise their clutch in harmony. And again, all three adults contribute to hunting for food for their larger brood. And hopefully, this means higher survivability for the eaglets that are created in those clutches. And this is actually documented in other places in nature as well. So it's really kind of fascinating to think of the bald eagle as being a nurturing creature, considering their sort of dramatic fighting and flight habits, but that they are really dedicated parents and partners.

Emily

I think it's worth noting that outside of the breeding season, they're actually really social birds. So if you were to go someplace that naturally has a population like blackwater wildlife refuge here on the shore, outside of breeding time, you'll literally see bunches of them just hanging out into trees together. It's literally just that lead up to breeding time when they're establishing territory and the young eagles are strutting around, that's, like, the only time you really see these birds be aggressive with each other.

Mikaela

Yeah, but it is a cool time of year to keep your eye out skies for these strange flight habits that they don't normally exhibit. Like, you can tell them apart pretty quickly from a vulture based on the aerobatics that they're performing.

Rachel

Yeah, they're beautiful birds.

Emily

Yeah. I think they're one of the things that, even though living here on the shore, we see them a lot. I never get tired of seeing them.

Mikaela

Right.

Rachel

No.

Emily

Even when I see them eating roadkill on the side of the road, I'm like, it's a bald eagle.

Rachel

Exactly.

Mikaela

I think we treat them with this sort of vulnerability because they were affected by DDT so long ago and they were kind of at risk. And even though they've kind of taken themselves off that risk list, it still never fails to be fascinating to see them out as a symbol of strength in nature.

Rachel

Yeah. And they are an amazing bird to see up close and personal, too. You don't really realize how big they actually are.

Mikaela

Oh, my gosh.

Rachel

how big their beak is. And their talents. Until you come across them in nature and you're just like, it's easy to become completely amazed by them.

Mikaela

And so this is a good reminder that if you see two bald eagles locked together on the ground, it doesn't necessarily mean that they need interference from human activity or that they're injured. It could be that they're just locked talons together and they're probably exhausted from fighting, and so you just need to give them some time.

Emily

Good list of weird mating habits, guys.

Mikaela

These weren't so weird so much as they were just cool.

Emily

Yeah, some unique mating habits, some really cool ones from here in the Chesapeake Bay region. So I hope that you guys are all pumped and ready for Valentine's Day, now, listener.

Mikaela

That's right, you can impress your significant other with all of the fun facts you learned from the podcast.

Emily

I think you could mimic some blue crab dancing moves, and you could build a nest to win her over.

Mikaela

Feed your lady.

Emily

Feed your lady. Do some dancing. Throw the other guy off your back. Trying to think of the Hercules beetles. Throw them. Oh, yeah, they're all over. And see if he can get off.

Native Plant of the Month

Mikaela

Native plants of the month, man, you know you missed it. And here I am, I'm back, and this plant that I've selected, you can actually see all winter long, but it's called Crowsfoot club moss, like a podium digitatum, and it has so many other terms or names, so it's also known as fan club moss, ground cedar. But this group of what we call club mosses are what we call fern allies as well. So they're not quite a typical vascular plant. This means they are botanically similar to ferns, but they have their own distinct group of seedless vascular plants. So club mosses belong to an era before flowers and seeds have evolved. So they're a very kind of ancient group of plants reproducing by spores or vegetative reproduction. They're an evergreen perennial to the eastern half of North America, and they grow in undisturbed natural areas that are typically shaded, sloped, or moist. So older forests, hardwood forests, but many, many years ago, crow's foot would be harvested and gathered for decoration around the holidays. But this practice is now discouraged, of course, due to the threat of over harvesting of local populations. Crow's foot only reaches about six inches tall, so it's definitely more of a ground cover, and its appearance is the inspiration for the many common names to this group.

Mikaela

They are unique in appearance and provide a very soft, evergreen looking ground cover to forested areas. Again, unfortunately, cultivation of this plant is very difficult, and it's more complex than humans usually understand. So when we over harvest, it's very hard to replace those plants. And this is why it's very important not only to not harvest, but don't dig up specimens and transplant them either, but leave them in environments that they are currently thriving in. Crowsfoot is actually a very strong part of native american culture for its use in medicine, used as a homeopathic treatment for many different ailments. It's considered an herbal medicine, although it should only be used at the direction of a doctor or physician. And, of course, we don't advocate for the consumption of anything without understanding some of the side effects and talking with your doctor about it. And that's my native plant of the cute. I always forget about it until I'm walking through tuckaho in winter and you see a nice big patch of it. And when it's happy, it grows a really nice population of it. But it has to be in a sort of rich soil, wooded situation and is definitely not for urban soils, urban environments, and certainly would not be feasible to cultivate yourself.

Rachel

It's one of my favorite to find while I'm walking in the woods.

Mikaela

Isn't it cool? There's a lot of different types of club mosses, but I think the crow's foot one is the coolest in appearance.

Rachel

It is the coolest to me. It just takes me back to walking in the woods with my grandfather or my dad, just out finding it. It's just a beautiful little moss.

Mikaela

I would take a nap on it if it were big enough, and I couldn't harm it by doing it, because it is also very soft. It is soft texture.

Bug of the Month

Emily

It's a really cool one. So this month's bug of the month is the horned fungus beetle, also known as the forked fungus beetle. It is a type of darkening beetle, and they are commonly found across eastern North America. So all the way from, like, New York and Connecticut and Massachusetts, all the way down to kind of the Carolinas and Florida, and as far west as Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin. One interesting thing about them is that all life stages are associated with the fruiting bodies, or funguses of wood. Decaying shelf fungus, specifically. So this isn't on any of the mushrooms down in the ground, but these are specifically the shelf funguses that you would find on either decaying trees or living trees. The adults are going to be most active at night, but you can find them during day underneath the shell fungus, just hiding out there or along the trees bark pretty close to it. They are armored beetles. So they're kind of thick beetles, but they're tiny. They're only about half an inch long. And what's really interesting about them is they are bumpy. Like, they are super bumpy little beetles. So they're very armory.

Emily

They're thick, and they've got all these little bumps all over them. They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that the males and females do look different and the males distinctly are going to be noticeable, the same way the hercules beetles were earlier, in that they have sets of horns that the females are lacking. The females do have, like, little bumps, but the males have actual horns. And in this case, the males are going to have two sets of horns. So they're going to have a large set of horns which are going to be found on their pronatum, which is the plate that's on their back, up by their head. And these ones are going to be larger horns. And they actually, interesting enough, have a dense of yellow, speedy, or hair underneath the tips of them, and then they have a smaller set of horns that come right out of the front of their head. Now, the males use these horns to compete for mates, so they perform their reproductive behavior on the shelf of the fungi. So, again, think of the last time you were in the woods and you saw some of the shelf fungus.

Emily

They're not super big and these beetles aren't super big. So there's an entire mating cycle going on on that shelf. So the males will court the females by climbing onto her back, orienting himself with his head facing in the opposite direction of hers. Courtship lasts between ten minutes and several hours, after which males often attempt to mate. During copulation attempts, the male will reverse his position on top of her so that they're pointing in the same direction and their abdomens are aligned. The female can reject or accept the male's attempt to copulate by raising or not raising a plate at the tip of her abdomen, or it's also known as her anal sternite. It's like an intense chastity belt where she's like, no, you're denied. If she decides to accept him, she will lower this and they will mate. After copulation, the male will often guard her from sequentially mating with other males. He'll do this by remaining on top of her for about two to 5 hours, until she basically deposits eggs. So later on, the female will deposit a single egg in the upper surface of that host fungi shelf and then cover it up with a mixture of frass or bug poop.

Emily

The function of this hasn't yet to be determined, however, we likely think it's to protect the egg from predators, parasitoids, and to prevent it from drying out. When the egg hatches, the larvae will burrow into that shell fungus, where it will live and consume the fungus, and later it will pupate also in that shell fungus and will emerge as an adult. So the males are often found defending the females on their fungal shelves and have been also cited chasing away rival males as well. The most aggressive encounters occur between males during the courtship and copulation. This is where you can see them sort of doing bry courting. Or basically, if you have a male that's on top of a female that he wants, he will come in and he will use his horns to basically shove them in between the male and female and try to fling the male off. So think of it the same way. You'd use like a bottle opener to open up a wedge drink. It's the same thing here. And there are some really great videos online of this happening. Research has suggested that horn length does not influence the male's access, however, to breeding sites and food, but it does increase his mating success.

Emily

So you can have a smaller horned male who might be able to have to guard the shelf fungus, which would be the site in the food, but he's not quite strong enough to win a female over.

Mikaela

You know what they say about horn length.

Emily

I know. Good for prying off other men.

Mikaela

That's right. Get the other dude off your lady.

Emily

The interesting thing, though, is that they can counteract this because it's like you might have a bigger horn, but if I have a stronger grip, it doesn't matter. Your extra long horn may not be able to prime me off because my grip is stronger. So things like body size and grip strength are also really important when it comes to mating success. So it's the ability to throw another man off and then hold on to her, basically. So very cool little bug. Also a very unique mating and courtship habit. Almost got into our normal one, but ended up being our bug of the month instead. So definitely they are bumpy, thick throwing bugs.

Rachel

That beetle's got back.

Emily

Yeah, that beetle does have back.

Mikaela

It is such a strange looking, is.

Emily

They are, they're really unique and good. Emily, you think about them and you'd think, oh, like if this was the size of a Hercules beetle or that we talked about earlier, you'd notice them. But again, these things are like half an inch, so you could walk right by them and not even notice because they blend in really well. And all that bumpiness is probably really meant to be good camouflage up against bark.

Rachel

I'm going to have to go look.

Mikaela

So we would find them here in Maryland?

Emily

Yeah, they would be found in Maryland.

Mikaela

I'm going to have to check out some shelf fungus.

Rachel

Yep, me too.

Mikaela

I can find, man.

Emily

I know. I'm like, all excited to go out now. They are nocturnal, so they're hiding during the day. So you got to go out at like dusk, dawn or hang out at.

Mikaela

Night because you think like decaying wood where beetles normally would habitate. But, yeah, that is good one, you guys.

Emily

Very cool. I know, I love the fact that their horns have little hair on the bottom too.

Rachel

They're so cute.

Emily

They are. They're bumpy and they're cute and they're tiny but they're really like, er. I want to mate with Sarah. I'm going to throw you off by. Yeah, they're just really are.

Rachel

They are so.

Emily

So. All right, Rachel, garden tips.

Rachel

Yeah, we got some tips. Even though it's February, there are still plenty of things that you can do in your garden. In your gardens you should be making sure that your beds are covered with shredded leaves or straw or bark mulch to minimize the risk of erosion. So for your vegetable beds, it'd be good to have some straw for your flower beds. I'd say mulch or shredded leaves. Mulch and leaves are a little bit too much for your vegetable beds. Also in Maryland, the lawn fertilizer law prohibits anyone using fertilizer products to melt snow or ice, sidewalks or driveways. You want to make sure that you avoid foot traffic on frozen turf because you can injure the crowns. We do have a really great extension publication called Bay Friendly ice melt and it goes over some bay friendly options if you need to melt ice and snow safely. Each winter, people apply tons of ice melting materials to our sidewalks, our driveways, our steps, without regard to proper application or what the deicing substance is. And this haphazard use can damage both the home and our environment. So overuse of some deicers can accelerate the freeze thaw cycles that damage concrete, taking years off our sidewalks and driveways.

Rachel

Some deicers can actually corrode metal, causing damage to our cars and aluminum siding. Also, chemicals and deicers can damage plants and shrubs near where the deicer is used if it is applied in large quantities. So if you're deicing your sidewalks, make sure you make a mental note of that because in the spring if you have shrubs next to your sidewalk or your driveway, you may see damage from that deicer. And just like pesticides, read the label and apply according to the label.

Mikaela

I will say that we should also keep an eye out for broken and dead branches this spring. Yes, because of the ice and heavy snow you might not have noticed it in the winter. And even evergreens that have broken branches, they won't start to change color until a couple of months down the road. So you can always prune out those broken branches, but don't be surprised if you see some freeze damage.

Rachel

That's very true. Thank you, Michaela. I was just at a local home and garden store, probably in mid December, early January, I think I sent you some pictures of damaged branches and trees because of the ice and snow that we'd had. So just keep your eyes peeled and remember, hey, back in January we had a really bad snowstorm. I might be seeing damage to my evergreens, my perennials, and my shrubs in the spring, right?

Mikaela

Yeah, I saw a lot of hollies, like in the woods, native hollies, that their branches were basically touching the ground because they were so weighted down with snow. So don't be surprised if plants are also really resilient.

Rachel

They are.

Mikaela

They should be able to bounce back.

Rachel

So if you love your vegetable garden like I love my vegetable garden, it is time to order your seeds. Just, you need to do it. Don't procrastinate. You need to go now to your home and garden store, or online, or visit your local seed library, or seed swap and pick up your seeds. Now start planning. It's always great to buy fresh seed that's local or order from your seed companies and select cultivars with resistance to diseases that we see in our area. If you're starting your seeds indoors, set up your fluorescent grow lights and gather all your other materials that you're going to need, like your pots and your trays and your soilless mix, and your seed starting mats, your heat mats, and get that all set up and ready. Early in this month, you need to start your early crops, such as leeks or onions and shallots and artichokes, indoor under your fluorescent lights. In addition, start peppers. They grow really slow and they need that heat mat, and they need that fluorescent light to actually have a good germination rate. If you saved seeds from last year, now would be the time to test your germination rate on those.

Rachel

So if you saved pea seeds, for example, if you have ten seeds, take ten seeds, place them in a moist paper towel, and like an old blueberry container, and see how many of those seeds germinate. So if you have seven seeds germinate, you have a 70% germination rate. Anything less than 70, I wouldn't use, personally, anything less than probably 52. That's kind of pushing it for me. Later this month, you can start your beets and turnips and chinese cabbage and kale inside and any other early crops. These will be ready to set out in the garden about three to five weeks. Or you can direct sow these crops in the garden as soon as your soil can be worked because they are cold weather crops. If you have the supplies, it's also a really good time to build a cold frame. And then late in the month, you could add some compost or good soil, and you can directly sow your lettuce and spinach or even some early greens in it. To get some early lettuce and greens. Start your compost pile if you don't have one, start collecting some leaves to get that kick started.

Rachel

And also, if you really like summer bulbs, it's time to order those like your dahlias, your elephant ears, your gladiolas, those types of things. And that's all I have for my tips of the month.

Mikaela

Thank you, Rachel.

Emily

There's some awesome tips. I'm excited to start my coal crops. Like, I literally ordered my seeds the other day. I'm excited for them to show up so I can start getting them ordered because, you know, I love me some broccoli.

Mikaela

I'm always amazed at how early you can really start all of this.

Rachel

I know there doesn't really feel like.

Mikaela

There'S an off season anymore. You could spend it and bring it as early as you really want to. So it's kind of exciting.

Rachel

Yeah. And when I start peppers, I usually start them by mid February because they usually take ten to 14 days to germinate. And that's like having them in a germinator. So if a normal, regular individual doesn't have a germinator, that's why I just.

Emily

Buy pepper transplants for that. Super easy.

Mikaela

But there's a special pepper, like an heirloom variety, the fish pepper. I really like growing those. And so those are the ones I will start indoors. I don't care about tomatoes.

Rachel

Well, that's all we have for this episode listener. We hope you enjoy it and we'll tune in next month for more gardening tips. If you have any garden related questions, please email us at umegardenpodcast@gmail.com or look us up on facebook at gardentimepodcast. That's garden thyme. For more information about the University of Maryland extension and these topics, please check out the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information center website at go umd.edu backslash. Thanks for listening and have fun getting down and dirty in your garden.

All three

Goodbye.

Rachel

 The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Its hosts are Mikaela Boley, Senior Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture; Rachel Rhodes, Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne's County); and Emily Zobel, senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County). 

Emily

University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.

:up beat muisc: 

Mikaela

This is my love language.

Emily

Food. I mean, like, food's a good love language. I don't know anyone that doesn't like food. Well, there are people that don't like food, but I don't trust anyone who doesn't like food.

Mikaela

Me either. Yeah, I don't trust people like that. Bye.