Spongy Moth on Madeline Island 2022, Autumn Update

/
Spongy Moth on Madeline Island 2022, Autumn Update

I knew there were going to be some spongy moths on the island this summer because I did a survey for spongy moth egg masses this past spring that was included in the MIWP 2022 newsletter (See the May 12th article in Education & Advocacy). The intent of the survey was to get some idea of the number of egg masses in the area, and thus the potential for defoliation in 2022. Working with guidance from Wisconsin DNR forest health specialists, I selected areas to survey that were at high risk of spongy moth introduction based on public use, especially by summer visitors. These included campsites and parking lots at the Town and State Parks, and trailheads throughout the island.

Except for a couple of sites within the parks I did not see many egg masses. So, I was completely taken aback at the widespread occurrence of spongy moth caterpillars and the extent of their defoliation on the island this summer. I had been completely unaware of egg masses in other areas of the island—areas that I had not viewed as high risk for introduction!

There are things you can do to protect high value trees in a yard or small woodlot. See this article for more info…

REMEMBER: Human movement of infected items is the main way spongy moth is introduced to new locations. Before leaving the island and before coming to the island, inspect and destroy all forms of spongy moth (egg mass, caterpillar, pupa, or moth) on any items you are carrying, including firewood and your vehicle.

Read More

Return of the Spongy Moth (Formerly Gypsy Moth)

/
Return of the Spongy Moth (Formerly Gypsy Moth)

By Kathy Kromroy, 2022
Toward the end of August last year, I noticed pale brown fuzzy blotches, about the size of an oblong quarter, on a few oak and birch trunks on our island property on North Shore Road. I recognized these fuzzy blotches as egg masses that had been deposited by female spongy moths Lymantria dispar, formerly called gypsy moths. In September I found a few egg masses on scattered trees and the sign at the Burroughs Trailhead, and in October I saw several trees with at least one egg mass during an hour of looking around the Town Park parking lot…

I had not seen any traps for spongy moth on the island for several years, so I contacted several forest health professionals to request guidance for what we should do in 2022, given the egg masses I had seen.

Read More

Madeline's Birds

/
Madeline's Birds

Victoria Erhart, 2020
It was heartbreaking. If you love and watch birds, a 2019 Science article reporting a decrease of 3 billion North American birds since 1970 was not so much a surprise as a confirmation of your worst fears. I’ve been a regular birder for over thirty years, and every spring in recent years have seen a lot of communal commiseration over the lack of birds, warblers in particular. I have a message from Tom George, former executive director of Madeline Island Chamber Music and a warbler aficionado: “I want to cry when I see the loss of three billion birds since 1970. But we’ve observed this over the years, haven’t we?”. Yes we have, but seeing a label like three billion applied to a general sense of unease is devastating.

Read More

Lessons From the Arrival of Bloody Red Shrimp in Lake Superior

/
Lessons From the Arrival of Bloody Red Shrimp in Lake Superior

2018, By Titus Seilheimer, Fisheries Specialist, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
The arrival of bloody red shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) in Lake Superior is a reminder that ballast water transport remains a major issue for the St. Lawrence Seaway and international shipping. Although only a single individual was captured in the Duluth-Superior harbor, the find highlights the connections between all the Great Lakes.

Read More

National Marine Sanctuary Proposed for Chequamegon Bay

/
National Marine Sanctuary Proposed for Chequamegon Bay

Adam Haecker, 2016
All of us who live on the island year-round or descend upon the island in the summer appreciate our surroundings. I mean, look around you. The natural beauty of Chequamegon Bay and the Apostle Islands is undoubtedly breathtaking, and the cultural richness of Native American history and the fur trade industry dates back hundreds of years. Therefore, the need to protect these great resources is increasingly important; and today we might just have the best means to do so. It is called a National Marine Sanctuaries or NMS, for short.

Read More