Spring is here and those animals that haven’t found a mate are seeking one, or two. On Arpil 5 a Common Snapping Turtle crawled out to dry a bit and perhaps get rid of some of its accumulated algae and parasites before seeking a mate. I had seen three other snappers a few days before [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Flora Posts
Colors, Fleas, Rocks, and a Mint
March 29th, 2013A short while ago my daughter asked me how to spell puce. She had asked her mother what her least favorite color was to which her mother replied “puce.” I had heard the word before and thought it a color residing somehwere in the red part of the spectrum. As far as the spelling of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Smartweed
March 1st, 2013Last week I tweeted about a Canada Goose apparently eating smartweed in the Wetlands. I also mentioned that not many creatures will eat the pungent weed. Other then a few caterpillars, the Smartweed Caterpillar (Acronicta oblinita) and the Tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens), I personally haven’t witnessed much in the way of smartweed consumption among our fauna (there [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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And the sap is flowing!
February 7th, 2013On Tuesday of this week I noticed a large wet area on the trunk of a Carolina Maple in Catch the Wind. That could only mean one thing, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker had been at work. This is the same maple that I mention each year around this time. It seems to be a favorite of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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The Hollies
January 30th, 2013Last week I wrote about a small flock of Cedar Waxwings flying around the Outdoor Exhibit area of the Museum searching for berries. That’s what waxwings do. They’re nomadic and social. In winter you can expect to see flocks of these gentle birds wheeling across the countryside looking for fruit. You may not see them [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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The British are coming (they’re here)!
January 24th, 2013Last week while I was trying to remove ice and snow from the boardwalk in Explore the Wild I uncovered a familiar but still surprising sight. It was lichen growing between the cracks of the boardwalk, British Soldier lichen (Cladonia cristatella). These attractive lichen can be found just about anywhere that there is moisture and [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Another winter update, w/wolf on the side
January 11th, 2013Hazel Alder, which grows on the north side of the Wetlands, typically blooms in February. It looks as though it’ll be right on time. There are both male catkins and female flowers (small reddish spikes at top of photo) forming on the plants. The fertilized flowers will become tiny “cones” which look very much like [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Early Winter Update
January 4th, 2013According to the calendar we’re still in the early stages of winter. While there’s always much going on outside at this time of year, here’s just a handful of images of what you might encounter on your walk around the outdoor areas of the Museum. Stop by the and sit at the bird feeders at [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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The State of Fatsia
December 18th, 2012Last month the fatsia alongside the trail on the Dinosaur Trail was blooming and abustle with activity. Insects, such as False Honey Ants, Yellow Jackets, Honey Bees, various flies and other nectar loving late season six-legged creatures were intently gathering the sweet nectar from the plant. This evergreen shrub is an East Asian species. It’s [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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