Top Photo: Hazel, or common, alder cones. From plush summer greens to fall yellows and reds, the time is upon us. We are there. Fall. Enjoy the colors while you can. Here’s what I saw while out on the loop (in no particular order). Remember, you can’t see it if you’re not there. So, what are you waiting for, go out and have a look around!Read more
Posts filed in: AZA
An Aster, a Skipper, a Lady, and a Shrew!
Top Photo: Purple aster at the Butterfly House Garden. Purple aster is a late bloomer. As such, it attracts many late season insects to its nectar like the common checked skipper pictured here. In our area, this skipper may occasionally be seen as late as December, but certainly into mid November. As I walked into Catch the Wind, I noticed a group of about eight people smiling and laughing as they stared down at the ground near the base ofRead more
Welcome Martha and Oka
Top Photo: Martha’s first day in her new home at Museum of Life and Science. Welcome male red wolf Oka and female Martha to the museum. Both wolves, while not yet fully acclimated to their new habitat, are doing well. The pair arrived from the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY late Monday night (10/21/24) and were released into the kennel area of the enclosure. Here’s some photos to perhaps help you figure out who’s who when you stopRead more
Leaf Crunch’n
Top Photo: Sycamore, ready to crunch. It’s that time of year to think about crunching leaves. Click on the link below to see a repeat of a post from 2021 that will, hopefully, get you in the mood. It’s Crunch Time! Ranger GregRead more
Adeyha & Oak
Top Photo: Adeyha Ranger GregRead more
October Awakenings
Top Photo: Mating common snapping turtles in the spring create hatchlings for the fall (see below). Snapping turtles have a rough and tumble mating season. The choosing and sorting out of mating partners can be rather violent. But for snapping turtles it’s a necessary part of the process which occurs each spring and summer. Rest comes next for the big males. Snapping turtles leave the water infrequently and for only a very few good reasons (a basking snapping turtle isRead more
Early Fall and Things are on the Move
Top Photo: Late flowering boneset blooms in late summer to early fall. It’s early fall and many creatures and plants are prepping for the cooler, leaner months ahead. A walk around the museum’s outdoor loop always brings a surprise or two. Here’s a handful of subjects you might encounter out there during early fall. Late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum) blooms in August through October. Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), or just plain boneset, blooms a bit earlier in the season. The biggestRead more
Off To New Digs
Top Photo: Two of five pups born on April 21, 2024 at Museum of Life and Science. The five red wolf pups, Cedar, Juniper, Maple, Sassafras and Tupelo and two adults Oak and Adeyha, that we now house will soon be transferred to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY. Come by to see them. Wish them well. Good luck!Read more
Monarch Migrants
Top Photo: Migrant monarch butterfly lays egg on one of the last remaining leaves of common milkweed in the Butterfly House Garden. It’s September and monarch butterflies are moving through. In fact, September through early October is peak time for the long distance migrants to cut across our state. Sure, you’d see many more if you were in the mountains or along the coast due to the concentration factor. A combination of geographic features (physical barriers) and regional wind conditionsRead more