Two plants currently in bloom are Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei) and Alder. Mahonia is a Chinese shrub with thick, superficially, holly-like leaves and can been found at the Wetlands Overlook near the Lemur House. Mahonia, with its small yellow-green flowers, typically blooms in winter. The alder is on the north side of the Wetlands. It’s a woody shrub and can be found near streams, ponds, and lakes throughout our area. It’s one of the earliest blooming trees or shrubs andRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Tracks
It doesn’t snow very often here in central North Carolina. When it does snow, it usually doesn’t last long, melting within a day or two, sometimes disappearing the same day. I try to get out as early as possible when there’s a covering of snow to have a look around and see what creatures have been stirring. A dusting of snow often reveals the comings and goings of many creatures that may be easily overlooked otherwise; a squirrel hopping alongRead more
Is it Time?
A Woodchuck was reported near the entrance to Catch the Wind next to the Ornithopter. Apparently, the weather warmed enough on at least one day of this period for this large rodent to briefly wake from its slumber and have a look around. One entrance to its burrow is just across the path from the signage to Explore the Wild on the back side of the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop.Read more
There’s Always the Birds…
With the low temperatures of the 15th-18th of this month, the Wetlands iced over enough to force the Hooded Mergansers to take flight and seek bigger water where they could swim and dive for fish. One merganser returned on January 24 and four were in attendance on the 29th of the month. Canada Geese remained as long as there were small pockets of open water. They too finally departed as snow and more cold weather moved in on the 21stRead more
Brave Souls
Frogs persist in the Wetlands. Besides the BullFrogs being harvested by the Red-shouldered Hawk in the small swamp adjacent to the Wetlands Overlook, a Pickerel Frog was seen busily hopping along the grass near the restrooms in Explore the Wild on the relatively warm day of 24 January. Where it was going, and the reason for its haste, can only be supposed. A Painted Turtle and a couple of Yellow-bellied Turtles were out basking in the bright sunshine of theRead more
Creeper Pods
Seed pods of Trumpet Creeper can be seen hanging from the now brown, leafless vines throughout the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, most noticeably on either side of the path next to the Wetlands Overlook and behind the Sailboat Pond. These 4”-8” long pods (image at left) contain small winged seeds. I’m not sure if many bird species include these seeds in their diet, but I saw an American Goldfinch pecking at one of the half-open pods.Read more
Birdapalooza
January 10th was a fun day. It was Birdapalooza at the Museum. I see a lot of people during my day out on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, and by all accounts, Birdapalooza was a rousing success! Besides there being many special programs in the main building and other areas on the Museum grounds, I led a Bird Walk around the Wetlands and through Catch the Wind. Many of the birds that I had staked out earlier remainedRead more
Busy Beavers
In the Wetlands, the Beaver (or is it Beavers) has (or have) been very busy lately. Besides damming the culvert where the water exits the Wetlands (underneath you as you descend into the Wetlands on the boardwalk) as soon as it’s cleared of the many twigs, branches, leaves, and mud that keeps the water from flowing through it, the beaver has been steadily gnawing away at the willows and other trees around the Wetlands. Beaver “sign” is everywhere. From theRead more
Excavations Underway, Visitors from the North
For the past month or more, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker has been excavating a hole near the end of a broken branch of a Loblolly Pine. The pine is just outside the entrance to the Lemur House. The bird will, presumably, use the hole to roost in during the cold winter nights, and perhaps to nest in later in the year. This industrious woodpecker is not always at the site, but is usually on the job from a little afterRead more