I began to notice freshly morphed Pickerel Frogs on the paths here at the Museum during the last week of May. On June 1st I saw three hopping across the path and reasoned that if I saw three out in the open there must be many more along the sides of the path in the grass. I was right. At the Secondary Viewing area for the Wetlands (between the Red Wolves and the Lemurs) I saw dozens of the littleRead more
Posts filed in: Spring
Bluebird Update June 7, 2012
The noise and movement created by my opening the nest box stimulated at least one of the nestlings in the box at the Train Tunnel to open up and ready itself for a tasty morsel of food. Sorry little bluebird, it’s only me and not your parents that caused the fuss. This nest seems to be doing fine, no problems with moisture and the birds all look healthy. The nest in the flower meadow at the Take Off in Catch theRead more
Turtles: The Evolution of a Project – Part 2
So, there we were, it was the end of April and we had a permit to mark aquatic turtles as they come ashore to lay eggs along the paths and trails here at the Museum. Data sheets, tools, and whatever else I need to do the job were at the ready. Now we wait on the turtles to start emerging from the water to search out nesting sites. The plan is to catch the turtles as them come ashore, notRead more
Longhorn Luck
While walking through Explore the Wild I noticed that Swamp Rose was in bloom. A closer look revealed a beetle and a spider on one of the flowers. The beetle is a flower longhorn beetle. To be more specific it looks to be Strangalia luteicornis. As suggested, adults nectar on flowers. The larvae feed on the wood of various trees and vines. Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris) is a native rose, unlike the, unfortunately, much more familiar Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) whichRead more
Bluebird Update May 31, 2012
There is some good news and there is some bad news. First, the nest at the Train Tunnel still contains four bluebird eggs, the nest is quite dry, and although I didn’t see an adult nearby I’m hopeful that they are still incubating and that the eggs will hatch soon. I first observed eggs in this nest on May 16 which still gives us time when you consider that the incubation period for these birds is about 18 days. That’sRead more
¿dónde está mi casa?
There’s a new exhibit under construction in Catch the Wind. In the process of installing the exhibit there has been much moving about of earth, rocks, and plants across the landscape. Each time that I walk by the site there seems to be something new going on. I walk by often, believe me, there’s a lot going on! On one such stroll past the site last week, Landscape Tech, Jose, pointed out to me a tiny mammal running around inRead more
Algae on the Falls
The waterfall and pool below the falls inside the Black Bear Exhibit has some interesting algal growth. Here’s some images: The pool is scheduled to be cleaned next weekend, so if the long, flowing, green algae appeals to your senses, whether artistic or otherwise, stop by this week because it may soon be gone. Enjoy! Read more
Bluebird Update May 24, 2012
There has been very little change since the last Bluebird Update. There are still 4 eggs in the nest at the Train Tunnel (and it’s still dry). There are 6 eggs in the wren nest next to the Take Off in Catch the Wind, as there was last week. And there are still three empty nests. The Sailboat Pond nest box, the Amphimeadow nest box (which will probably have to be moved due to the extensive human activity at theRead more
Bananas?
Banana Trees at the Museum? You might expect to see banana trees in the Conservatory of the Butterfly House with all of its tropical butterflies fluttering about, but did you know that they grow along the Dinosaur Trail? The most common variety of banana tree grown in our area is a cold hardy species called Musa basjoo. This variety produces fruit, but the fruit are small and full of seeds which makes eating them more work than fun. The bananasRead more