Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA

[Carl Karasti]

There is a new Scientific and Natural Area on the North Shore that folks might be interested in checking out — Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA, which is about 11 miles north of downtown Grand Marais.  Happy exploring....

Carl Karasti

The name includes the term Icelandite which is a type of volcanic rock (formed from lava) and which is similar to andesite (which is between basalt and rhyolite in composition) but it is richer in iron and also poorer in aluminum.  It is a rather rare rock type, especially in our area, but it is the type of rock that underlies this particular fen, which makes this SNA doubly unique.  You can read more about Icelandite by following this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandite

You can read a more complete description of this SNA on this DNR page, which includes information about activities that will be taking place on site on Saturday, Sept. 7.

https://nature.ly/3YrqBuF

Here is a brief description and an aerial photo of the SNA fen (center):

"Minnesota DNR’s newest Scientific and Natural Area protects an incredibly unique habitat along Lake Superior! The Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA, located 11 miles up the Superior shore from Grand Marais, is home to one of two known fens along the lake. A fen is a type of wetland fed by groundwater. This rare feature makes this an important natural area to protect! "

There appears to also be a nice wide beach along the North Shore in this area.

Here is a satellite view of the area

[Dana, Robert (DNR)]

The plant community in this type of wetland is quite sensitive to large-animal foot traffic, especially if the animals are wearing shoes/boots. Because of its small size, such traffic will have a significant impact on a per unit area basis. So, keep this in mind when visiting. Also, don’t wear permethrin-treated clothing—the chemical that is transferred to the vegetation from such clothing is harmful to the arthropod life that depends on this habitat. We don’t know much about this fauna, so we should try not to affect it negatively before it can be investigated. I offer this advice as a private individual, not as a spokesperson for the DNR

 

Robert Dana

 

From: elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Carl Karasti
Sent: Friday, August 2, 2024 3:23 AM
To: Ely Field Naturalists <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {Ely Field Naturalists} Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA

 

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Here is a satellite view of the area

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[Carl Karasti]

Thanks for adding your insights, Robert.  Has there been any development for this site yet, or is it still too new for any of this?  Or will there be any development?  Parking, approved trails, signs informing and educating visitors regarding features and things such as you mention to be concerned about and how to avoid causing damage?

Carl Karasti

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[Dana, Robert (DNR)]

Carl, I don’t know. Probably the event on the 7^th will have some information. Typically, there is minimal development associated with Scientific and Natural Areas (SNAs). Parking sometimes, sometimes signage.

 

Robert

[clever...@gmail.com]

Robert is correct; there will be an entrance sign, a rules sign and signs marking the boundary. Trails are not allowed, except for existing ones like the Superior Hiking Trail in this instance. Otherwise, a parking area will likely be the only development. Before visiting an SNA, the first stop should be the page for that site on the DNR website. For Icelandite Coastal Fen it’s Icelandite Coastal Fen SNA | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us). There you’ll find the rules particular to that SNA (rules may vary slightly from one SNA to another), directions on how to get there, a detailed map of the site, species’ lists, and the natural features that led to SNA designation which can include geologic features, rare plants and animals and rare plant communities like old-growth forests, native prairies and more. Icelandite Coastal Fen is a three-fer, protecting a geologic feature, rare plant community and rare plant species.

 

Steve Wilson

Isabella

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[Stephanie Hibdon]

Can anyone explain to me what this rosette looking cholesterol is on the top of this plant? It appears to be on a willow like shrub In a wetland.

[Stephanie Hibdon]

(Sorry meant cluster not cholesterol.)

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[Heather Monthei]

We have these too.  I believe they are galls caused by a mite.  More knowledgeable members could probably provide more details.

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 3, 2024, at 9:34 PM, Stephanie Hibdon <stephan...@gmail.com> wrote:



(Sorry meant cluster not cholesterol.)

On Sat, Aug 3, 2024 at 21:30 Stephanie Hibdon <stephan...@gmail.com> wrote:

Can anyone explain to me what this rosette looking cholesterol is on the top of this plant? It appears to be on a willow like shrub In a wetland.

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[Carl Karasti]

Yes, Heather is right, they are galls.  If you tromp around in the winter you can find brown, pine-cone like "roses" in places where those galls are currently green.  The leaves turn brown and stiff and you can pick bouquets of them for table decorations..

Carl Karasti

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[Stephanie Hibdon]

Great info! Will collect 'em for winter bouquets! Thanks all!

[Dana, Robert (DNR)]

The attached paper describes the gall midge (insect, not mite) that is the architect of these galls, commonly known as willow rose galls. According to the paper this midge (Rabdophaga strobiloides) (aka R. rosaria) is European. The paper’s topic is whether these galls are palatable to moose, but it does provide the basic information about the midge and the structure of the galls.

 

Robert Dana

 

From: 'Heather Monthei' via Ely Field Naturalists <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2024 10:08 PM
To: Stephanie Hibdon <stephan...@gmail.com>
Cc: Ely Field Naturalists <elyfieldn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: {Ely Field Naturalists} Name this anomaly

 

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We have these too.  I believe they are galls caused by a mite.  More knowledgeable members could probably provide more details.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elyfieldnaturalists/0D86F01D-3561-46C6-9C57-A58B2ACAD6DF%40yahoo.com.

[Carl Karasti]

Thanks for sharing the paper, Robert.

The author states:
"Rosette galls turn brown in autumn and can persist in substantial numbers on willows over winter. As such, these structures represent a potential pool of accessible leafy materials for Moose and other herbivores to eat at a time of the year when leaves and other herbaceous resources are scarce."

Because he was offering these twigs (with and without galls) to the moose in the winter, I'm assuming that the galls were the typical brown, crunchy form, which I would have not at all expected the moose to be interested in, so I wasn't at all surprised to see that:
"One or two galls appeared to have been sampled by each Moose, but most galls were rejected and dropped to the ground."

Interestingly, I do have recollections (from quite a few years ago) of at least a couple of different times seeing some of these galls lying on the snow and wondering what the story was behind that. Perhaps they were rejects from feeding moose, except I do not recall seeing any signs of moose tracks in those areas – and moose tracks are hard to miss.  And if there had been moose tracks that had then gotten filled in with snow, I would expect the galls would have also gotten covered with snow to the point I would not have noticed them.  So, I don't know why the galls would have been lying on the surface of the snow.

Carl Karasti

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[Stephanie Hibdon]

Thank you everyone for getting back to me on my question on "what is it?" Very intriguing discussions!

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[John Pastor]

This is a very interesting and noteworthy addition to the Scientific and Natural Area system. Thanks to Steve Wilson for all he has done for this as well as the SNA System overall.

But there is a problem of access to this site. The Superior Hiking Trail does not go through the fen, but around it on the beach. Currently, you cannot (and should not) walk into the fen. Anyone walking through a fen or bog peatland, often even once but certainly two or three times (or two or three people once), creates a trail that remains more or less permanent because the plants and peat are trampled. The trail quickly becomes a ditch that alters the local hydrology. When we worked in peatlands, we first constructed a boardwalk to our intended sample points or as a transect along which we sampled. We built the boardwalk ahead of us as we went. Pretty tedious, but we did minimal disturbance during many subsequent entries. Otherwise, entry into this peatland should be prohibited, which greatly decreases its scientific value. Perhaps drones could be used to inventory plants, etc but there are a lot of technical issues getting quantitative counts and measurements from drone footage.

It will be interesting to see how the DNR addresses this problem. 

John Pastor

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