Top Photo: Just out of nest, this yellow bellied slider was headed for the water when it was noticed and picked up by visitors. April has arrived, a big month in the Carolina Piedmont, a transitional month. Turtles that have spent the winter in the ground where their mothers deposited them as eggs last summer are making their way to water to begin the next phase of their lives. If they make it past this first summer they stand aRead more
Posts filed in: Flora
Awakenings
Top Photo: Mystery bird (See bottom of page for identification). We’re approaching the end of March and spring is moving along quickly. Here’s a few sights you might see on your walk around the outdoor loop here at the museum. Redbud is in bloom. Elm is another early bloomer. Its winged fruit is developing now. Buckeye’s palmate leaves are opening and its red-flowered racemes are ready to pop. Birds like this eastern phoebe are nesting. They nest each year underRead more
Middle March Sightings
Top Photo: Pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris, formerly Rana palustris). Pickerel frogs are calling from the wetlands. I saw several on the path in Catch the Wind, Explore the Wild, and on the service roads after the chilled rain during the second week of March. A few were flattened by vehicles. Some apparently survived and made it to the water. More frogs have joined the chorus this week. One of the two larger trees in the following photo has been struck byRead more
The Beginning of March (Spring)
Top Photo: Groundhog (Marmota monax). Groundhogs, or woodchucks, are members of the squirrel family, a ground squirrel. The one shown here lives under a large oak stump that lays on its side in Wander Away opposite the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind. If you’re quiet while passing through Wander Away you might get a glimpse of the large rodent. Can you spot the Canada Geese in the photo below? We currently have three pairs vying for territory in theRead more
Keep An Eye Out For…
Top Photo: Male catkins of hazel alder are in bloom and spreading their pollen. February is the time for alder to reproduce. The yellow-green male catkins fertilize the red female flowers via airborne pollen. This stand of alder is on the north side of the museum’s wetlands. Most woodpeckers make a living pounding their heads, via their long pointed bills, against wood. The activity is multi functional. They could be excavating a nest hole in spring, a winter roost, drummingRead more
Cold Changes
Top Photo: The wetlands after a brief snow event. Cold temperatures and snow bring about changes in bird behavior, directly and indirectly. Birds that typically stay north sustaining themselves on fruits and seeds don’t necessarily need to migrate south due to the cold. As long as they have food they can usually cope with the temperature. However, heavy snow burying food sources and frozen ponds will put most birds on the wing, song birds and waterfowl alike. Birds like purpleRead more
Winter Tolerant
Top Photo: Fatsia Japonica growing on Dinosaur Trail, Museum of Life and Science. Our two late fall and winter blooming plants on the Dinosaur Trail are flowering, Fatsia and Mahonia. Neither are native plants but have been planted on the trail as examples, or at least relatives, of plants that were common at the time dinosaurs may have populated the area. There are also ginkgo trees and several palms along the way. On mild winter days you may see honeyRead more
Grass, Passerines, Ducks, Hyla, Fungi, and Mammals (lemurs, red wolves, and w-t deer)
Top Photo: Grasses blow in the cool wind from the floating walkway in the wetlands in Explore the Wild. Seed production and dispersal is part of fall. The seed produced by the grasses in the wetlands will carry far and wide with the help of the wind. As of November 20, there were still a few green tree frogs hanging on in Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild. They were juveniles. Alder blooms in February. The male catkins andRead more
Colors of November: mostly leaves and fruit with a few animals mixed in
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