I like Phoebes. Phoebes are interesting birds. They almost constantly flick their tails forward and backward. They are flycatchers. They capture most of their food on the wing, both the bird and their prey items, that is to say they catch flying insects inflight. They are cold tolerant, meaning they can winter farther north than other flycatchers. Not all, but some of the birds that nest in our area remain here the entire winter. They manage to find food during someRead more
Posts filed in: Flora
Scenes of the Season
Enjoy the color while you can!Read more
The Bitter Truth
If you walk out of the doors leading to Loblolly Park here at the Museum, and look up, you will see a persimmon tree chock-full of persimmons. The tree before you has done well this year. Other persimmons on campus did not fare so well. One tree located on the boardwalk leading to the Wetlands lost nearly all of its fruit during the summer when the fruit was about 3/4 inch across and green. I can’t even guess why theRead more
Last Week
The photos shown here are from last week, before Sandy rolled by bringing with her damp easterly, northeasterly, northerly, northwesterly and now still wet and nasty westerly winds. It will again be sunny and relatively warm, but until then have a look at a handful of pre-Sandy photos (just be glad you don’t live in New Jersey, or West Virginia, or….). And finally… What will turn up this week? Read more
Scenes from the Wild
On October 13, I reported that I had seen the first Myrtle Warbler of the season on October 6, the first Saturday of the month. Well, they’re here in numbers now and getting down to business munching on wax myrtle fruit. I also reported seeing turtles basking on a log just off the main Wetlands Overlook. The turtles are making good use of the narrow log a dozen or so feet off the platform. Make sure you stop and haveRead more
Boys and Girls and Turtles and Myrtles
Groundsel Tree is in bloom, both male and female plants have flowers at this time. A few small diameter logs have drifted over towards the Wetlands Overlook and the sliders have taken to basking on the logs. There’s a frog on the log! Myrtle Warblers (you may know them as Butter Butts) are in. I saw the first one here at the Museum last Saturday (10/6). Besides the butter butts, both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and other migrantsRead more
Things to look for
As you stroll around the Outdoor Exhibits area there are many opportunities to see some very exciting sights, if you find plants, insects, and reptiles and amphibians exciting, that is. Besides the bears, wolves, lemurs, and all the great stuff in Catch the Wind there are wild creatures and plants trying to make a living out there amongst and between the exhibits. If you do find the wild fauna and flora exciting, then you’re in luck, many fruits and nutsRead more
More pictures of things that are out and about.
What’s out and about, you say? Here’s a few things that you might see out in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind on a walk around the loop. And finally, look who showed up! Was this the same Great Egret that stayed with us for several months last winter? See you next time! Read more
What’s eating the Hibiscus?
We have one hibiscus growing in Explore the Wild (ETW). You may have seen it. When it blooms the flowers are very large, about 6-8 inches across, and are pink or magenta in color. If you’ve walked by the vending area in ETW during the last few weeks you would have noticed the flowers (the plant has since gone by, it’s no longer blooming). But this is not about the flowers, this is about the leaves and what’s eating them.Read more