Our team wanted to see biodiversity in action, so we went to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. They have 185 acres of beautiful, natural land. Our goal was to actually do something to help protect our earth's biodiversity. We met a land steward named Tara Beauchine. She took us on a hike around the area. You can see movie clips of this on the Interview With a Land Steward Page.

The main reason we went to the nature center was to help stop the spread of invasive species. Buckthorns (small trees) were brought to this area by Europeans who thought they were beautiful. After a while, buckthorns became an invasive species because it spreads rapidly and kills native plants. We spent time locating and chopping down female buckthorns. The buckthorn is also a home for the soybean aphid, another invasive species. Aphids eat crops so that is another reason why buckthorns need to be removed from the area. We only chopped down female buckthorns because female buckthorns are the ones that have the seeds and reproduce other buckthorns. As we cut the branches into short lengths, we laid them on the ground, so they could decompose.

Since we went in March, there weren't many green plants to look at, but there was still a lot to see and learn. One thing that we learned was that another reason why it's important to remove invasive species in our area is because they kill a native plant called milkweed. This is one of the reasons why the monarch butterfly is in danger in this area. Buckthorn is taking over the milkweed, which is the only food for the monarch caterpillars. Plus, the monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on the milkweed. To help preserve biodiversity, we need to save native plants which provide the food for native species.

Honeysuckle, another invasive species in this area, is also cut down. Instead of allowing it to decompose naturally, it is burned instead of being laid on the ground. This is because there is an oil inside the honeysuckle that slows its decomposition.

Our Team at Work!

Even in March in Wisconsin, we still saw lots of animal biodiversity. We saw birds, wild turkeys and deer. We also saw bat houses. Here are some pictures of what we saw.

This doesn't have a lot to do with biodiversity, but we thought people might be interested in how maple sap is collected and made into maple syrup. First, they collect sap from the trees and then they take it to a burner. Next, it boils down into maple syrup. You then pour out all the maple syrup, and the stuff that is left is maple sugar. Here are some pictures.