After we arrived, we met Nicole, Amanda, Mary, and Carey for lunch. While we ate lunch, we talked about the history of the Door Peninsula and what the Nature Conservancy is doing on the preserve. First, Nicole told us that Door County is a popular tourist spot and by summer, the population of the peninsula triples. We got a few handouts on the Green Bay and learned another thistle that was native, the Dune Thistle which made Joan and Marissa upset (we don't like thistle - they hurt to pull!!). There is also a native and invasive type of phragmites in Door County. Unlike what Craig and his crew are doing with the native and invasive cattail, the Nature Conservancy is still looking for the best way to control the phragmites. We were also introduced to Northern Pike (a fish). They are top predators and good indicators of a healthy cycle. As of now, the population of the Northern Pike is declining due to the loss of wetland habitats and formation of barriers that bar them from moving to open water from their breeding grounds inland.
Then we headed over to Schoenbrunn Cabin on the Mink River Preserve to meet Dan Soluck, a researcher who studies the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly, a federally endangered species that is only found in pristine wetlands.
We only got to meet Dan because his students from the University of North Dakota were studying mortality rates of the Chicago population of the dragonflies across the highway.
Dan taught us about the geology of the area. All of Door County used to be a huge coral reef (about 300 million years ago!!), but over time was converted to dolomite, a very hard rock that resists erosion better than limestone. This particular type of geology allows water to flow in the little streams and springs where the dragonfly larva lives.
Northern Door County is probably the best place in the world to find Hine's Emerald Dragonflies. Dan said that it is hypothesized that the dragonflies should be found in New York, but researchers have yet to do so. They are unique because they live for 4-5 years in only the larval stage whereas most dragonflies live for a total of one year. The larva spends most of its time in tiny streams, but it has hairs on its body that allows it to live for 1-2 weeks without water. In situations when they don't have water for longer periods of time. the larva goes into the burrows dug by the Devil Crayfish, a natural predator of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly. Fortunately, the larva are good at avoiding the crayfish, though scientists aren't sure how.
We went down to the shoreline and Dan showed us some fossilized coral in the rocks. We got to look around for smaller ones to bring home.
After a bit, we drove down to Old Lime Road to look for some dragonflies. There was a sign to warn drivers to slow down for flying dragonflies. It's the only place in the world where you can find a sign like that!
We were disappointed we didn't see many Hine's Emerald Dragonflies, but we still saw more than we would have anywhere else! We stayed at the Mackarat House for the night, which was donated by a local family. We made a simple dinner of pasta and tomato sauce. We also got to meet Matt, a student from UW Greenbay working on his Master's project- looking at the effect of leaf litter on the growth of phragmites (Marissa thinks...).
After dinner, but before sunset, we all wore dresses and went out to town to grab some ice cream. Shockingly, all the shops were closed when we got there, but Yum Yum Tree was still open. Marissa bought us all ice cream and 60 pixie stix!! We then went to the pier and took a bunch of silly pictures while Marissa watched and read her book on shore. We found many props to use.
Stealing Marissa's pose....
When we went home, it was already ten and we played Apples to Apples, Rat trap, and Mao. The main rule of Mao is that you cannot explain the rules of Mao, so Marissa had a great time as the rest of us got pretty frustrated trying to figure out the rules...... She of course knows the rules!
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