Dragonfly April 2015

A new sletter of the Prairi e Park Nature Center, Lawrence Parks and Recreat ion

What is your water footprint? In elementary school we learn

that water is in a constant cycle of

evaporation and precipitation,

flowing from rivers into oceans,

and making our crops grow. While

the amount of water on Earth

remains fairly stable, its

distribution around the globe is

changing, and this change is being

accelerated by human activities.

People use lots of water, not just

for boiling pasta or taking showers,

but also for “unseen” uses, such as

growing food or making clothing.

This unseen water is called “virtual

water.”

The National Geographic

published a disturbing list of the

“The Hidden Water We Use,”

showing how many gallons of water are needed to produce

various products.

Beverages:

1 gallon of milk requires 880 gallons of water.

1 gallon of wine requires 1,008 gallons of water.

1 gallon of coffee requires 880 gallons of water.

1 gallon of tea requires 128 gallons of water.

1 cup of orange juice requires 53 gallons of water.

Grains:

1 pound of wheat requires 132 gallons of water.

1 pound of rice requires 449 gallons of water.

1 pound of corn requires 108 gallons of water

Meat:

1 pound of beef requires 1,799 gallons of water.

1 pound of goat requires 127 gallons of water.

1 pound of pork requires 576 gallons of water.

1 pound of chicken requires 468 gallons of water.

Other:

1 cotton T-shirt requires 713 gallons of water.

500 sheets of paper require 1,321 gallons of water.

1 lb of chocolate requires 3,170 gallons of water.

Why should you care about water use, virtual or

otherwise? As the demand for water increases, the more

threatened our access to fresh water

becomes. Water scarcity affects 2.7

billion people worldwide for at least a

month each year. In addition to this,

pollution makes vast amounts of water

unusable. While this idea of a global

“water scarcity” may seem intangible to

you in a “it-will-never-happen-to-me”

kind of way, this problem has already

reared its ugly head right here in Kansas.

Just last year, Dave Steward, Ph.D. and

his colleagues at Kansas State

University, informed the Kansas agricultural economy that it

was on a fast track to oblivion. Why? Because of the

catastrophically high withdrawal rates of the Ogallala Aquifer.

The Ogallala is the primary source of irrigation not just for all

of western Kansas, but the entire Great Plains. Created 10

million years ago, this ancient aquifer touches eight states,

stretching from Texas all the way up to South Dakota, across

111.8 million acres and 175,000 square miles. Steward’s study

predicted that nearly 70 percent of the portion of Ogallala

beneath western Kansas will be gone in 50 years.

What can you do about it?

Professor Arjen Hoekstra created the

concept of the water footprint. The

water footprint is an indicator of water

use that looks at both direct and

indirect water use of a consumer or

producer. You can calculate your

water footprint, then pledge to dry it

out, joining others who have already

committed to saving thousands of

gallons. While we can’t stop buying

food altogether, it is possible to make

consumer choices that limit the amount

of water used to maintain our lifestyle.

Go vegetarian, or at least opt for less wasteful meats, such as

goat. Order a soy burger instead of beef. Drink water straight

from the tap instead of coffee, tea, or orange juice. And don’t

buy that extra cotton T-shirt. To calculate your water

footprint and for more information, go to

http://www.waterfootprint.org.

New Book, “Your Water

Footprint,” by

environmental reporter

Stephen Leahy, takes a

close look at the “virtual

water” that surrounds us in

everyday life.

The Ogallala Aquifer

is a shallow water table

aquifer located beneath

the Great Plains.

Planting for

Pollinators

1

Kid’s Korner 2

Prairie Park

Animal News

2

Take Back the

Tap

3

Bee Colony

Collapse Disorder 4

Upcoming Events 5

Partner Up With

the Prairie Park

Back

Cover

Inside this issue:

Dr. David Steward,

a civil engineering

professor at K-State.

Kid’s Korner

Did you know… The turkey vulture is a

better predictor of the

coming of spring than the American Robin. Robins

spend much of the

winter in their breeding

grounds, congregating in

large flocks. Because they

spend less time in yards,

people assume they

migrate for the winter.

Turkey vultures do

migrate south for the

winter and only return

when the threat of cold

weather has receded.

PAGE 2 DRAGONFLY

Prairie Park Animal News: New Addition The Prairie Park Nature Center staff are very sad to say goodbye to one

of our education animals. After suffering several months from a rear

infection. David Dondero the Black-footed Ferret, passed away early this

year. David lived for two years as an education animal at the Prairie Park

Nature Center. We will miss his sweet

and active personality. However, we are

looking forward to welcoming a new

four-year-old male from the National

Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center

in April. Come visit the Nature Center

and welcome Gyrfalcon as the newest

member our educational animal family!

Get Outside for a

Frog Call Hike

Get out and enjoy the

cool, spring weather with

a hike through Prairie

Park Nature Preserve.

The Western Chorus

frogs began calling in

late February and have

not stopped! Males

are calling to attract

females.

The Gray Treefrog and

the Northern Cricket

frog have already joined

in the cacophony.

For a list of Kansas

frogs and their calls,

visit, http://

www.nwf.org/

frogwatchUSA/

frogs_state.cfm?

showstate=ks#frogs.

How many

species can

you identify?

Plantings for Pollinators

DRAGONFLY PAGE 3

While it may not be possible to get out to rescue

sea turtles, or save polar bears right at the moment,

concerned citizens can help support and conserve

another threatened group of animals right in our own

yards. Insect pollinators are vital to the health and

wellbeing, not only of the environment, but of our own

food supply as well.

There are over 4000 different

kinds of bees and wasps native to

North America. Together with

butterflies, moths, beetles, and flies,

these insects make up an army of

invaluable plant pollinators. Over

1300 different food crops in the

world depend directly on pollination.

It is said that one in every 3 bites of food we eat and

drink can be linked directly to pollinators. But

genetically modified seeds, insecticides and other

chemicals have drastically reduced the numbers of

pollinators in the wild. European honey bees were

imported to North America to help pollinate food crops

and fruit trees. Sadly, managed honey bee colonies

have decreased by almost 50% over the last 10 years

due to disease, parasites and pesticides.

Pollinators come in a wide variety of sizes, with

wings and mouthparts designed to

exploit the different shapes and

sizes of flowers. Native plants and

pollinators evolved together to

develop mutually beneficial

adaptations that allow for effective

reproduction. Native bees are best

adapted to pollinating native plants,

but will make use of horticulture varieties as well.

The conservation minded gardener can contribute a

great deal to pollinator survival by selecting plants that

enhance habitat for them. How can this done? Open a

pollinator restaurant right in your own yard. By

landscaping your yard with pollinator friendly plants,

the average person can become a pollinator

conservationist. In return, there will be rewards in

enjoying a lovely garden alive with busy insects all

through the growing season.

To create a five star pollinator restaurant,

gardeners need to follow a few simple guidelines:

Select plants for continuous blooming from spring

to fall.

Select a variety of flower shapes, sizes and heights

to accommodate the foraging habits of different

kinds of pollinators.

Select a variety of colors, as different pollinators

are attracted to different colors.

Plant in clumps. This allows insects to feed and

pollinate without long distance travel.

Eliminate the use of pesticides, replacing weed

control chemicals with less toxic options.

Provide a water source. Shape and Size

Butterflies prefer flatter flower surfaces for landing

and feeding like asters, sunflowers, and milkweeds.

Bees, on the other hand are capable extracting nectar

from a variety of flower shapes. Insect mouthparts will

determine which flowers have nectar available to them.

Some flowers, like beardtongues are adapted specifi-

cally to large bee pollination, while others, like

beebalm are magnets for a wide variety of pollinators.

Large butterflies can reach into long tubular flowers

like honeysuckles, and pentas. By planting a variety of

sizes and shapes of flowers, the gardener will attract a

greater diversity of hardworking pollinators.

Most insects see in a limited light spectrum which

may include ultraviolet light. Bees in particular like

blue, purple, violet, white, and yellow. The lines and

patterns on flowers are important to helping insects

navigate to the nectar source on the flowers. These

patterns appear quite different to an insect’s eye than

they do to ours. Planting a variety of colors will insure

more effective pollination.

Natives vs. Cultivated Plants

While native insects will usually

show a preference for native plants,

both can be used effectively in a

pollinator garden. Native perennials

will have a shorter flowering period

than most cultivated annuals. The

gardener can select from both kinds

best suited to the conditions of light and soil available.

Many plants will have the added bonus of being

good host plants to larval insects. Milkweeds, parsley,

dill, fennel and rue will attract butterfly larvae as well

as adults. Sources for native plants: Sharp seed: www.sharpseed.com Ion exchange: www. ionxchange.com Missouri Wildflower Nursery: www.mowildflowers.net

Butterfly Bush

Foxglove beardtongue

St. Jon’s Wort

8 Years Later: Bee Colony Collapse Disorder

DRAGONFLY Page 4

The importance of bees is hard to overstate.

They pollinate hundreds of crops globally: apples,

blueberries, avocados, soybeans, strawberries,

almonds, you name it. The United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that nearly one-third

of everything that Americans eat depends on bee

pollination. The significance of this hard-working

little insect is one that we Kansans have long

recognized. We did, after all, make the non-native

European Honeybee our state insect in 1976.

So when the first reports of Colony Collapse

Disorder (CCD) began flooding in about 8 years ago,

it was a big deal. This phenomenon led to the sharp

decline of bee populations around the world.

Beekeepers were losing 30-90 percent of their

colonies and scientists couldn't figure out why. Bees

made the headlines in a big way. Many different

theories immediately sprung up.

Here is a list of popular theories explaining

CCD from the last 8 years:

Cell phone towers disorient the bees.

Genetically modified crops expose bees to

new pathogens.

Pesticides such as neonicotinoids, which chemically

resemble nicotine, cloud the bees’ brains. They are

put in a haze, short-circuiting their sense of how to

return home.

Parasites such as the mite called the “Varroa

Destructor,” burrows into the bee and compromises

its immune system.

Overworked and stress bee colonies that are

routinely trucked around the country to pollinate

crops may just be tuckered out.

With so many theories buzzing around, several

federal agencies formed the

CCD Steering Committee in

2007. This committee

consisted of scientists from the

Department of Agriculture’s

Agricultural Research Service,

National Institute of Food and

Agriculture, Animal Plant

Health Inspection Service,

Natural Resources Conservation Service, Office of

Pest Management Policy, the National Agricultural

Statistics Service, and also included scientists from

the Environmental Protection Agency. The Committee

also requested input and recommendations from a

broad range of experts in beekeeping. Their research

effectively checked the “all of

the above” box, concluding

that it was a combination of

various factors that led to the

colonies’ sudden devastation.

They eventually developed

the “CCD Action Plan,” which

outlined the main priorities for

research and outreach to be

conducted to characterize

CCD and to develop measures

to mitigate all the problems. This plan included an

allotted $20 million from the USDA for research.

Eight years after CCD, you may want to know

what's the buzz on bees today. Beekeepers have since

replaced their dead hives. However, colonies are still

dying, just not as dramatically. Where annual bee

losses were once in the range of 5 percent to 10

percent, they are now more like 30 percent. Although

this slow decline is not as sensational as a sudden

massive disappearing act, it is still very terrifying.

Honeybee populations have been gradually and

steadily shrinking over the years. Two decades ago,

the United States had more than three million

colonies. Today, the USDA reports an estimate of 2.4

million. Beekeepers and farmers are worried that this

gradual dying-off will be too great to face our

country’s ever-expanding agricultural needs. We

could be facing an impending food crisis in the

coming century as the world population grows to

more than 9 billion and climate change disrupts

agricultural systems. Believe it or not, CCD did lead to one

positive thing. Bees are now of great interest to

scientists, environmentalists, food policy workers,

celebrities, the media, and many people who never

thought much about bees in the past; unless they were

in danger of being stung. This is important, because

pollinators are going to need all the support they can

get in the years to come. If we all make a pledge to

garden pesticide free, donate money to non-profit

organizations such as the Xerces Society, support

ecological farming by buying regional and organic

food and plant pollinator friendly flowers in our

gardens, we might make a difference.

Varro destructor on a

honey bee host.

Moving spring bees from

South Carolina to Main for

blueberry pollination.

Upcoming Events

DRAGONFLY Page 5

Volunteer Opportunities

Prairie Park Nature Center is

looking for dedicated volunteers,

18 years-old and older. Call us at

(785) 832-7980 for more information. -

Join us on Saturday, August 8th, from

10-11am for a volunteer Open house.

Children/Teens

Wild Adventures for Preschoolers and Parents:

Ages 2-5. Meets Tuesday at 10-11am, 3/31-5/19, 6/2-7/28.

Nature Storytime: Ages 2-4. Meets Thursday at

10-10:30am, 4/2-5/21 , 6/4-8/6 .

Gardening for Kids: Ages 7-13. Meets Wednesdays at

3-4:30pm , 6/3-7/29.

Wildlife Explorers: Ages 6-12. Meets Thursdays at

1:30-3pm, 6/4-7/30.

Archery, Beginners: Ages 7-16. Meets at 9:30-11am

on 6/4, 6/18, 7/9, 7/16.

Archery Club: Ages 7-16. Meets at 11:15am-12:15pm

on 6/18, 7/16, 7/23.

Fishing for Fun: Ages 7-13. Meets at 9:30-11:30am

on 6/3, 6/17, 7/15, 7/29.

Canoeing for Fun: Ages 7-13. Meets at 9:30-11:30am

on 6/10, 6/24, 7/8, 7/22.

After School Programs

Homeschool-Exploring Nature: Ages 6-13. Meets at 10am-

12pm

on 4/22, 5/6, 5/20.

Nature Nuts: Ages 7-12. Meets at 3-4:30pm on 4/15,

4/29, and 5/13.

Beginners’ Archery: Ages 7-16. Meets at 3-4:30pm on 4/22.

Archery Club: Ages 7-16. Meets at 3-4pm on 4/15 and 4/29.

Weekend Programs

Saturday Morning Free Programs: 10-10:30pm.

Sunday Afternoon Free Programs: 1:30-2pm.

Natures Creations: Ages 6 and up. Meets

at 2pm on 4/26.

Venom Adventures: Ages 5 and up. Meets

at 1:30-2:30pm on 4/12. Free.

Come Fly a Kite: Ages 5 and up. Meets

at 2-4pm on 4/19.

Gardening for Butterflies: Ages 8 and up. Meets

at 2-3:30pm on 5/3.

Geocaching 101: Ages 8 and up. Meets at

2:30-3:30pm on 7/12.

Hikes and Trips The Call of Frogs and Toads Hike: Ages 10 and up.

Meets at 7-9pm on 4/17.

Let’s go to the Zoo: Ages 7-13. Meets at

9:30am-3:30pm on 6/26, 7/24.

Overnight Programs Adventures After Dark : Ages 7-12.

Meets from 6pm on 7/18 till 8am on 7/19.

Special Events

Festival of the Cicadas. Saturday May 16th for

1-4pm at the Prairie Park Nature Center.

*Enrollment may be limited and/or required.

Call 785-832-7980 or go to www.lprd.org/ppnc for more information.

Have Your Next Birthday

at The Nature Center!

$110 classroom rental for two

hours with a 40 minute live animal

program and a craft, game or hike.

Maximum of 15 children, 10 adults.

Call for more information.

Prairie Park Nature Center

Membership Benefits:

Opportunity to participate in

special “partners only” programs

Contribute help for special events

Receive our newsletter by mail

Volunteer

Receive a 15% discount at the

gift shop

Prairie Park Partners Membership Form (cut out and mail in with payment, cash or check)

Prairie Park Partners Membership Form Kind of Membership: $10/yr Individual $15/yr Family

Make check payable to Prairie Park Partners

Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email: f

I would/would not like to be notified of volunteer opportunities.

Mail payment and membership form to Prairie Park Partners, 2730 Harper St., Lawrence, KS 66046

Educate the public about

biodiversity in the state of Kansas.

Promote wildlife conservation

projects relating to woodlands,

prairies, and wetlands.

Promote the responsible use of

natural areas for recreation.

Encourage public participation in the

preservation of the environment.

Prairie Park Partners is a “Friends”

organization whose purpose is to support

the Prairie Park Nature Center with active

participation in its programs, events and

development.

Mission:

Increase the awareness and

appreciation for the natural world

through education.

Partner Up With the Prairie Park Partners

2730 Harper St.

Lawrence, KS 66046

(785) 832-7980

Staff:

Director: Marty Birrell

Naturalists: Andrea Woody,

Joan Phelan, Dara Wilson,

Pat Pisani, Martin Farrell

& Jenny Stern

Hours: Monday: Closed

Tues-Sat: 9am-5pm

Sunday: 1pm-4pm

Check us out on the Web! www.lawrenceks.org/lprd/ppnc