Eco-Narrative of the Campus Woods

Do you ever wonder what secrets the woods hold?
The smell of the forest at this time of year, that rich autumn smell is one that evokes an instant sense of calm and relaxation. The crunch of the leaves underfoot and all of the warm smells, decomposing leaves, the smell of pines and other trees are a signal of the changing season. The warm days of summer are becoming fewer and shorter, as cooler nights and mornings replace humid days; October is a time to look forward to. As the days become shorter, the leaves start to change color and this is the time that the woods start to go to sleep.
The smell of the forest at this time of year, that rich autumn smell is one that evokes an instant sense of calm and relaxation. The crunch of the leaves underfoot and all of the warm smells, decomposing leaves, the smell of pines and other trees are a signal of the changing season. The warm days of summer are becoming fewer and shorter, as cooler nights and mornings replace humid days; October is a time to look forward to. As the days become shorter, the leaves start to change color and this is the time that the woods start to go to sleep.

The woods move at a slower pace for me, the dappled rays of sunlight coming through, giving me just enough light for direction. It takes me a while to get where I’m going, and the sun and warmth help to guide me. During the summer months, I try to avoid the heat and find some water and shade to spend my days, coming out after the biggest heat of the day. Water helps me to stay hydrated, so I will stay near any moist spot I can find. If the heat is too unbearable, I will just tuck myself in a shady spot, pull back into my shell and wait for it to cool down. I am an Eastern Box Turtle and my kind are becoming fewer and harder to find, mostly because our habitat is becoming smaller with construction of new buildings and parking lots taking our natural areas. There are other problems too, when people pick us up and decide to try to make us pets in their homes. I’d much rather live here in the woods as I was naturally designed to do. My scientific name is Terrapene Carolina, the name meaning that my upper shell and lower shell are centrally hinged. This allows me to be able to completely close myself up like a box for protection. My carapace (upper shell) is very decorative, usually with yellow designs on a black shell. I can live up to 100 years, but I myself have seen about half of that so far.
As the air starts to cool around me, it also starts to cool the earth below me and I know it’s the signal to start moving toward my sleeping place for the winter. Ancient rhythms draw me to the deep woods to find a safe place before winter sets in. I like to find a place near water where the earth is softer and easy for me to sink into my hollow for the next few months. The orange and yellow leaves falling around me in these woods help create a safe place for me, from predators. I find a place near the edge of the creek where I draw myself inside my shell and close up for the winter. The temperature will drop and the falling leaves turn to falling snow, it swirls around my shell creating a mound of safety. My body can survive in this shallow mud home until the air and earth start warming in spring when I will emerge.

I am not the only one to seek shelter in these woods, there are others. Also endangered and needing areas of protection, is the Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis), we share the same woods together. Bats are so important to our world, as they play an essential role in pest control, pollination and also seed dispersal. Bats help save money agriculturally by reducing pests and also saves humans from diseases spread by certain insects. Our bat populations are in danger for many reasons but sadly, oftentimes due to humans killing them needlessly and also due to a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome which was just discovered in 2006. There is not a lot known about white-nose syndrome and no known cure for it at this time. The white-nose syndrome affects bats (including the Indiana Bat) during hibernation. This fungus grows in moist areas, like caves and grows on their skin; it can cause dehydration, starvation and even death.

The Indiana Bat is known to migrate through my woods and will seek shelter in the safety of the trees with loose bark, like the Shagbark Hickory (Carya Ovata). The woods in which I live host trees like this, and they look just like they sound, kind of shaggy. The bark lifts up which leaves crevices in which the Indiana bat can crawl up under for shelter. They may hibernate all winter here or just use the tree for shelter as they migrate north or south. These trees also get very tall and have a lot of hickory nuts that squirrels and raccoons love to eat. This place where I live has a special protected space just for the Indiana bat, a 15 acre conservation easement that is Federally protected in honor of the Indiana bat which has been known to roost here. By protecting places like these, we help to maintain some of our natural places for many species who all cohabitate together, like the Indiana bat and the Eastern Box Turtle.

Once the woods are dormant and most of the leaves have fallen off the trees, I sleep. This time of hibernation allows my body to rest up and conserve energy through the cold winter months. I am not awake or really aware of things, until my core starts to feel warmth. After these approximate 5 months, the ground around me starts to warm and I feel a thaw; I know it is time to wake up. The snow and ice melts off and the ground will turn soft again, enabling me to start to move. I am ravenously hungry as I emerge and start to look for food. The hillside is covered with flowers, these spring ephemerals are some of the first to bloom, Hepatica (Hepatica Nobilis) are blue wildflowers that start to come up once the temperatures reach approximately 44 degrees Fahrenheit. These spring ephemerals, and others like them, are important for pollinators and for me after being in hibernation all winter. I can eat plant roots, but I also like to eat some of the insects that are drawn to these flowers. Wildflowers are some of the first to come up every year in the spring, but they don’t stay in bloom for long. The fact that there aren’t leaves on trees yet allows the sun to reach them so they can bloom and give sustenance to those of us who have been sleeping.
After I have emerged from my long winter sleep, and have been able to restore some of my energy with food sources, I will start to look for a turtle I can mate with. Again, remember, if you find any of my species, please let us proceed on our way because we know where we are going - it just might be helpful to move us off of the road if we are in danger of getting hit by a car.

In August of 2022, Ohio hosted its first annual Ohio Bat Blitz, which was a two night event in which mist nets were put up to catch bats as they flew into areas where they may be migrating. Five Rivers MetroParks worked with Ohio State University to set up this event at Germantwon & Twin Creek MetroParks to observe what species may be flying through our area. Over the two night event, 97 bats were captured, representing 7 different species, several of which were banded for tracking. There were 3 Indiana bats caught in the nets, which were banded and later released in the same area. These events are very important to scientists to help educate themselves and others about our bat populations and how we can help protect them.
Resources:
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/restoration-of-deciduous-forests-96642239/
https://www.audubon.org/news/how-tell-raven-crow
https://blogs.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbaycitizenscience/a-long-winters-nap-how-do-box-turtles-know-when-to-emerge-in-spring/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjhMpVNFu2A
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/reptiles-amphibians/eastern-box-turtle#:~:text=Found%20in%20woodlands%20throughout%20Ohio,during%20early%20morning%20or%20evening.
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Bats/Indiana-Bat#:~:text=They%20migrate%20north%20in%20the,cottonwood%2C%20locust%2C%20and%20hemlock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA70--wIbbQ - Solidification video by Leanne Betasamokes Simpson (for inspiration)
https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals#:~:text=Bats%20play%20an%20essential%20role,United%20States%20corn%20industry%20alone.
https://u.osu.edu/obwg/bat-blitz/
https://www.metroparks.org/ohios-first-bat-blitz-to-be-hosted-by-metroparks-this-august/
https://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2017/05/10/natural-cause/
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Shagbark-Hickory
https://edgeofthewoodsnursery.com/the-ecological-role-of-spring-ephemerals
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/hepatica_nobilis.shtml
https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/restoration-of-deciduous-forests-96642239/
https://www.audubon.org/news/how-tell-raven-crow
https://blogs.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbaycitizenscience/a-long-winters-nap-how-do-box-turtles-know-when-to-emerge-in-spring/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjhMpVNFu2A
https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/reptiles-amphibians/eastern-box-turtle#:~:text=Found%20in%20woodlands%20throughout%20Ohio,during%20early%20morning%20or%20evening.
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Bats/Indiana-Bat#:~:text=They%20migrate%20north%20in%20the,cottonwood%2C%20locust%2C%20and%20hemlock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA70--wIbbQ - Solidification video by Leanne Betasamokes Simpson (for inspiration)
https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals#:~:text=Bats%20play%20an%20essential%20role,United%20States%20corn%20industry%20alone.
https://u.osu.edu/obwg/bat-blitz/
https://www.metroparks.org/ohios-first-bat-blitz-to-be-hosted-by-metroparks-this-august/
https://webapp2.wright.edu/web1/newsroom/2017/05/10/natural-cause/
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Shagbark-Hickory
https://edgeofthewoodsnursery.com/the-ecological-role-of-spring-ephemerals
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/hepatica_nobilis.shtml