Top Photo: Tent caterpillar hustling across path. The caterpillar pictured above has made it’s way down out of its secure, communal silken tent in a nearby cherry tree. It’s in search of an even more secure location to pupate, under siding, tree bark, crevice or other hidden location. By late spring to summer it will become an adult moth and deposit eggs on a twig of another cherry tree, or perhaps the very same tree it crawled out of. TinyRead more
Nest Box Update 4.4.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. As of 4.4.23 there are five active nest boxes with a total of fifteen eggs and at least four nestlings. The four nestlings are bluebirds. There are five eggs yet to hatch in another bluebird nest. There are ten unhatched chickadee eggs. ———————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture had four bluebird eggs last week. Today, there are four nestlings. At last week’s inspection (3.28.23) the nest box in Explore the Wild was empty.Read more
The Ode Season
Top Photo: Female blue corporal clinging to siding of restroom building at Cafe Plaza. Odes* are finally being seen around campus. At least four species are confirmed, blue corporal, lancet clubtail, green darner, and common whitetail. Both blue corporal and lancet clubtail are early season species and make brief appearances each spring. Blue corporals prefer still water but can occasionally be found around slow streams and rivers. They typically perch on or near the ground. However, the one pictured wasRead more
Nest Box Update 3.28.23
Top Photo: Eastern Bluebird eggs. We now have fifteen eggs in four active nests. Nine eggs belong to bluebirds while six are chickadee eggs. —————— The egg count in the bluebird nest at the Cow Pasture remains at four. I didn’t see a bluebird while inspecting the box. Even so, the birds must surely be incubating since they haven’t added to the brood in a week. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty. There areRead more
Toad Time, Skink, first Slider Hatchling, and a Goose!
Top Photo: American toad calls out from wetlands. Like magic, American toads were out breeding in numbers on 24 March. It looked to me, though, most of the toads I witnessed splashing about, calling out, and attempting to mount one another were unsuccessful in finding suitable mates. It seemed most of the toads, if not all, were males. Females are larger than males. All the couplings I saw were short-lived and consisted of rather small individuals. Males will mount otherRead more
A Change in the Air
Top Photo: Yona (right) approaches Little Bear at pool in Black Bear Enclosure. Its wasn’t long ago that Yona Bear was a loner among loners, always off by herself. She was aggressive towards the other bears in the enclosure. It seemed, she had a chip on her shoulder. Black bears by nature are solitary creatures, but Yona, our second youngest bear of the four in the enclosure, was even more of an isolationist. She was habitually off on her own,Read more
Nest Box Update 3.21.23
Top Photo: Eastern Bluebird eggs (from previous season). We now have four active nests. Two nests belong to chickadees and two to bluebirds. Neither chickadee nest has eggs, There are four eggs in one bluebird nest and a single egg in another. —————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture has four eastern bluebird eggs inside its cup. At the end of the day, last Tuesday, it had two eggs. There were no birds to be seen during this week’sRead more
You Have to Go Outside to See It
Top Photo: Canada geese float about in wetlands. You can’t help but see the Canada geese drifting about on our three acre pond in Explore the Wild. They’re big, loud, and recently, there’ve been ten of them present, five pairs. With the installation of the floating walkway in our wetlands you may have the opportunity to get quite close to the geese. Of course, they sometimes walk along the main path grazing on the grass as they go, so youRead more
Nest Box Update 3.14.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs (nest from previous season). Three of our six nest boxes are occupied, two by bluebirds one by chickadees. One of the bluebird nests has egg activity. —————— When I peered into the nest box at the Cow Pasture I saw much the same as I saw last week, a finished bluebird’s nest. Other than a few pine needles shuffled about, it looked as though it hadn’t been touched in a week. It wasn’t until IRead more