Here’s what the leaves look like.

Ranger Katie demonstrates how large sycamore leaves can grow.

As you can see, they have a distinctive shape and some of the leaves can grow quite large.

Here’s a question for those of you who like quizzes:

What other plant, growing in the Museum’s Wetlands, has large leaves, looks like a water lily but is more closely related to sycamore than to water lily?

This tiny frog can be recognized as a Gray Treefrog by the whitish spot under the eye. To judge size, that's the stem of a dried holly leaf that the frog is clinging to with its left "hand."

A second “fresh” Gray Treefrog as well as a very young Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea) were also seen that day.

Though tadpoles are already morphing into adult form, the breeding season is not over for these treefrogs. They will continue to breed into August in our area, spurred on by the thunderstorms that move through the Piedmont each summer. It’s the rain that they want and need. The adult frogs can often be heard calling out in anticipation from the trees and shrubs at the sound of thunder, long before the clouds unload their watery cargo.

An adult Gray Treefrog waits patiently for the coming night's activities to begin. This frog is tucked-in under an umbrella next to the Ornithopter.

The heavy downpour on the night of July 14th brought down to the water many amorous treefrogs. The U-shaped pond next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind was full of frog eggs the following morning.

Some of the many eggs seen the day after the heavy rains of 14 July. These eggs were in the pond next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind.

The yolks (dark part) of these eggs are each about a millimeter in diameter.

The eggs are tiny, and they develop quickly. Within one or two days most of the eggs had already taken on the elongated shape of tadpoles.

A tadpole settles on a small rock, munching on the abundant algae that covers the rock. (size, about 7 mm)

Six days after the eggs were deposited, the tadpoles were scattered about the pond resting on the rocks and stones that cover the bottom.

To survive, the tadpoles must develop quickly, the pools of water that the adult frogs breed in may dry up before the tadpoles reach maturity.

These tadpoles have to eat as much as possible in order to grow and develop into frogs before the pond dries up in late summer. Lucky for these tadpoles, this pond will be replenished before completely drying up.

Like caterpillars on the trees and plants above the pond that become moths or butterflies, a tadpole’s life under the water consists of little more than eating, resting, and growing before changing into a completely new form, a frog. And, that’s just what our tadpoles are doing, eating, resting, and growing.

July seems to me to be rather late in the season for snapping turtles to mate, but at least one male snapper here at the Museum thought not.

A male Common Snapping Turtles attempts to mount an uncooperative female in the Wetlands.

From my perspective on the Main Wetlands Overlook, the male snapper never got what he was after.

That's the female snapper's nose on the left. The male's shell is on the right, his head (center) is mostly submerged.

The pair was last seen swimming in opposite directions across the Wetlands.

Mimi has undergone a drastic change in coloration, she’s now a near negative image of her former self. Where she was black she is now brown and where she was once brown, her shoulders and hips, she is mostly black.

Since last month, Mimi has reversed her color scheme, and grown rather shaggy in the process.

Gus, the only male in the compound, has grown shaggy along with Mimi but you can still see traces of his “blond highlights.” Whether his characteristic highlights will be present after his molt remains to be seen.

You can still see the half dozen or so clumps of blond hairs on his shaggy, shedding coat in this shot of Gus cooling off on a sweltering hot July day.

Regardless of his coloration or condition of his coat, Gus’ overall large size and proportions are the best clues to his identity among the other bears.

Ursula looks less shaggy than she did last month, but still retains her overall brown coloration.

Ursula looks a bit neater than she did a month ago. She still holds on to her brown coloration, although it appears sun-bleached.

Yona has lost most of the punk hairdo she sported 4 weeks ago, but she’s still the smallest bear in the compound.

Although her spike hairdo is all but gone, Yona is still the wee bear in the enclosure and easy to spot, most of the time.

What about Virginia? Virginia is still pretty much the same as she was, all black coat (a bit shaggy at the moment, but all black) with a large white “V” on her chest, and a “leave me alone” attitude.

That’s about it. Hope this helps you to sort out who’s who when visiting with the bears. I’ll keep you posted if there are any further drastic changes to the bears’ appearances.

Enjoy!

The first, the Common Pug (Eupithecia miserulata) can be found on herbaceous flowers growing along the pathways in Catch the Wind. We’ve seen the pug before, on daisies.

A Common Pug on rudbeckia, or Black-eyed Susan, growing in Catch the Wind.

This pug is decidely yellow, the color of the flower it's eating.

This small caterpillar (about 15 mm) seems to change color according to its diet. It’s often the same color as the flower that it’s consuming, making it more difficult to see by, say, a hungry bird.

Another small caterpillar which blends in well with its environment is the Camouflaged Looper (Synchlora sp.).

A Camouflaged Looper atop the seed cone of rudbeckia.

The path made by this camouflaged looper is clearly visible on the seed cone of this flower as are the tiny pieces of seeds and other material attached to its back.

This half-pint caterpillar (aprrox. 10 mm) uses a different strategy for concealing itself than does the pug above. It chews off pieces of the flower or plant that it’s feeding on and attaches the pieces to its back. It matches the color and texture of whatever flower it happens to be on at the time, adjusting itself to the situation.

The looper moving to another flower on the same plant. Perhaps it thought its cover blown by all of the attention I was paying it.

The looper pictured above, after having been photographed, crawled down from the flower it had been on and moved to another flower on the same plant.

The next day I noticed that the caterpillar was sporting a brown and yellow outfit!

The looper wearing a new coat.

Why had this caterpillar waited to apply the yellow petals to itself until it moved to this particular flower?

Here the looper chews off a piece of rudbeckia flower petal to attach to itself.

There are many other examples of how this caterpillar adorns itself at BugGuide.net, I think it’s worth a visit.

The third caterpillar in this group, another tiny specimen (about 10-12 mm), is the Redbud Leaf Folder (Fascista cercerisella). This prison-striped moth larva uses a most obvious method of concealment, it makes a fold in a redbub leaf and seals it with silk to hold it together while it consumes the leaf from within. They may also overlap two leaves, attaching them with silk, but the folded-leaf method is the classic leaf folder tactic.

This leaf has three leaf folders concealed within the fold. Can't see the third? Look below.

The arrow points to a young leaf folder that has not yet acquired the black & white barring.

The problem with the leaf-folding strategy is that the leaf is very easy to spot by naturalists, and other critters, who are looking for Redbud Leaf Folders. The caterpillars may as well spell out on the leaf in big, bold silken letters, “OPEN ME, THERE’S A CATERPILLAR INSIDE!”

This leaf is a dead give-way that there may be a Redbud Leaf Folder inside

The silk "tie-downs" that the caterpillar uses to secure its hideaway are visible in this photo.

The trees that have leaf folders on them usually have many leaf folders on them and a bird could have a feast moving from leaf to leaf. However, I’ve discovered that the leaf folder has another strategy for eluding predators. Upon being uncovered the caterpillars often wriggle frantically, sliding off the leaf to the ground and the safety of the leaf litter below.

Falling to the ground may seem like a death sentence for a tiny caterpillar like the leaf folder who relies upon the leaves of the redbud as food, but since these little caterpillars pupate in the leaf litter beneath the trees, supposedly, after the leaf they have been munching on dries and falls to the ground, they may look at their escape to the ground as an early retirement and pupate ahead of schedule. Perhaps only the larvae that are ready to pupate wriggle off of the leaf (a research project for a biology student or a summer camper?).

I’m not so sure about how and when they pupate though. Although some references state that the caterpillars fall to the ground with the leaves in which they conceal themselves, I’ve opened many a fold and have found only silk and frass (poop) within. The empty folds lead me to believe that the larvae drop off the leaves when they’re ready to pupate and do not necessarily wait for a ride to the ground within the folded leaves, if indeed they do pupate on the ground, which does seem likely.

Now that you know what to look for and where to look, go out and have a scout around. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find any pugs or loopers, they’re not that easy to spot. You should, however, be able to pick out the leaf folders with little or no problem!

Thanks to one of the kids in Summer Camp here at the Museum, who, in his search for insects next to the Wetlands, spotted and captured one of these 1.25 inch (about 30 mm) amphibians. The kids thought the toad a frog and were very excited when I happened along and told them that it was in fact a toad, at least in name.

Both the common and scientific names of this secretive amphibian contain the word toad. Eastern Narrowmouth Toad refers to the facts that it lives in the east and has a narrow, pointed head and mouth. The Latinized Gastrophryne carolinensis means belly toad of Carolina (gastro=belly, phryne=toad, carolinensis=you guessed it, of Carolina).

Narrowmouth Toads typically only come down to water during breeding season. They are primarily only active at night. You may, though, be able to hear their bleating calls during cloudy or rainy weather.

These little toads are not true toads like the American Toad or Fowler’s Toad but belong to a wide ranging family of frogs known as Microhylidae which suggest that they are small treefrogs (micro=small, hyla=tree). However, they spend most of their time in burrows, under logs, or in the leaf litter.

Notice the narrow snout. Also notice that this toad is missing its right eye, though it doesn't appear to be a recent injury, if indeed it was an injury.

Narrowmouth toads eat ants, among other small insects. The toads secrete a toxic substance from their skin which may help protect them from the bites of their prey. This secretion may also irritate your skin and eyes if you’re not careful in handling these toads, so wash your hands after picking one up, that is if you’re lucky enough to see one.

A Great Blue Heron "suns" on a rock in the Wetlands on one of June's many hot and humid days.

Stretching and panting, the heron readjusts itself.

Preening is just part of the routine for birds, including this Green Heron on a stump just off the boardwalk.

A big stretch of the wing.

A Great-crested Flycatcher perches on a lamp post in Explore the Wild while searching for insects to catch.

Gray Catbirds continue to sing throughout the outdoor exhibit areas.

A Gray Hairstreak nectars on Butterfly Weed in Catch the Wind.

Large and brightly colored, a Great Spangled Fritillary is conspicuous on this Butterfly Weed.

Often seen on the moist ground where they suck up nutrients, Red-spotted Purples are common in our area.

A Mourning Cloak quietly sits atop a leaf alongside the path near the entrance to the Dinosaur Trail.

Quick fliers, this Silver-spotted Skipper pauses to nectar on the tiny flowers of Dogbane near the entrance to the Lemur House.

Can you guess how each animal got its name?

What did you see at the Museum in June?

The living ode was a Swift Setwing (Dythemis velox), a species that’s common enough in our area but not so common as to be seen on every outing in every location. I usually run into them at a woodland pond or next to slow moving water at a river. They’re typically perched out in the open on a prominent bare branch or similar object next to or over the water with wings held down and forward and abdomen often pointed upward.

A Swift Setwing in typical posture (photo taken at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, Hillsborough, NC).

Of four setwings that occur in North America, only one is found here in North Carolina and the Swift Setwing is that one.

The other new species was found on the Dinosaur Trail, partially eaten. I wasn’t sure what it was at first since it was missing much of its body.

The partially eaten remains of the mystery dragonfly.

The head, thorax and abdominal appendages are often important in determining a dragonfly’s identity. All that remained of this unfortunate odonate was a portion of the thorax with a few legs and rear wings still attached. The abdomen, sans appendages, was intact.

Some of the major parts of a dragonfly (the wings and legs are attached to the thorax). Although this is a Golden-winged Skimmer the basic layout is the same for all odes.

The abdominal appendages would have been a great help in IDing this dragonfly. In males, abdominal appendages act as claspers to grip the female behind the head during the transfer of sperm and, in some species, while the female oviposits or lays eggs. The shape of the appendages are specific. A male dragonfly’s appendages can only grasp a female of the same species, they simply won’t fit onto a female of a different species.

The identification process would be more difficult than I had guessed (glad I took a photo, buy I should have kept the specimen itself). The pattern on the abdomen was distinctive enough, but there are two small darners in our area (pygmy darners) which have very similar markings on their abdomens, Harelquin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) and Taper-tailed Darner (Gomphaeschna antilope).

If I had the head, thorax, and especially the abdominal appendages it would be easier, but I didn’t have those parts so I was going to have to rely on some other characteristic of these two dragonflies to separate them. One reference mentioned that the Taper-tailed Darner has fewer veins in its wings than does the Harlequin Darner, but what does that mean. Would I have to count all the veins in the wings? Not if I could help it!

Fortunately I have several references, and one “Dragonflies Through Binoculars,” mentions that the Harlequin Darner has two bridge cross-veins on its wings while the Taper-tailed Darner has only one.

What’s a bridge cross-vein? Well, about halfway out on the forward edge of the wings of dragonflies there is what is called the nodus (see photo above). Here, there is a relatively thick vein that travels back on the wing through a couple of cells to a rather oddly shaped cell in the wing (most of the cells are somewhat square or rectangular) which sort of connects the surrounding cells at a central place in the wing.

Here, see for yourself:

There is only one cross-vein visible on this close-up of the mystery dragonfly's right wing.

Based on the absence of the second bridge cross-vein, I’ve checked off Taper-tailed Darner on my official list of odonata documented here at the Museum.

If you’d like to see an image of the wings of the other darner, Harlequin Darner, click on this link to G. & J. Strickland’s wonderful scan of this species. Once there, you can download the original scan which allows you to zoom in for a close up view of the wings (click on the area at bottom left of image labeled “Get Original Uploaded Photo”). You can also get a close view of this dragon’s appendages.

Assuming that you clicked on the link, how many bridge cross-veins did you see in the wings of the Harlequin Darner? Two, right? The presence of that additional vein eliminates Harlequin Darner.

So, how did this dragonfly end up partially eaten and discarded on the path on the Dinosaur Trail? I don’t know for sure, but it could have been another much larger dragonfly, or even a wasp or hornet who is responsible for the demise and consumption of the little pygmy darner. We’ll never know for sure though, but it has the look of being eaten by an insect and not, for example, a bird.

There are more species out there that I’m sure that I’ve missed, and a few that I’ve seen that I just couldn’t identify, so the list of odes here at the Museum will eventually grow from the current 31 species.

Of course, you don’t have to identify everything that you see, or put a name on every dragonfy that cruises by. You can simply stand on the boardwalk in Explore the Wild and enjoy watching all the differently colored, shaped, and sized odes zipping by you as you gaze out across the water and enjoy them for their beauty, agility, and diverse behaviors.

Happy oding (Happy dragonfly watching).

Wild Bergamot with Bumble Bee.

Butterfly Weed with Bumble Bee.

Lotus in early June.

Open Lotus flower with seed head in center.

Maturing seed head of Lotus.

Rudbeckia or Black-eyed Susan.

Pickerelweed.

Ripening Blackberry.

Buttonbush.

Queen Anne's Lace with White-margined Burrower Bugs.

Trumpet Vine or Trumpet Creeper.

Trumpet Vine with ant inspecting the bell of the trumpet.

What have you seen?

Fox tracks have been seen at several areas on the loop and a lucky Museum Guest reported to me that she saw 3 Foxes crossing the path along the main entrance to Catch the Wind on the 27th of August.

It’s exciting to see a Gray Fox; however, it’s important to remember that even though they are within the boundaries of the Museum’s property, they are wild animals and should not be approached. Enjoy your good fortune at seeing one of these beautiful animals, but leave it be

At least four Mallards remain in the Wetlands. These birds are most certainly a family group, although the adult male is absent.

As is usually the case, the local Great Blue Heron was a regular fixture in the Wetlands throughout August. It’s apparently doing well in its hunting ventures catching frogs, small fish and even managing to catch a small snapping turtle on August 8, although it couldn’t quite get the turtle down its gullet. The turtle, being about 6 or 7 inches from the front to back of its shell, and nearly as wide, simply would not make it past the bird’s bill. There’s little flexibility in a turtle’s shell and try as the heron did it simply was not to be. After several attempts to swallow the turtle, which by this time had expired, the heron dropped the unfortunate reptile in the water and turned its attention towards preening.

As many as four Green Herons have been seen in the Wetlands on a daily basis. Although sometimes difficult to differentiate from the many stumps that have surfaced due to the low water level, they are there; you may have to search a bit to locate them. They will depart in mid-September for their wintering grounds.

A Red-shouldered Hawk has been present on most days of this month hunting from a snag in the Wetlands. If you read this Journal regularly you already know that the hawk typically hunts from this perch, its prey often Bullfrogs. On August 7, the bird took a most unusual prey item from the Wetlands, a Golden Shiner. I didn’t witness the event, although I did see the bird as it left its perch only to disappear behind a group of willows. Ranger Katie, who was at the top of the boardwalk at the time, did witness the actuall capture of the fish. As reported by her, she saw the hawk snatch the fish out of the water and fly off with it. The fish was approximately 8 inches in length. I’ve read reports of Red-shouldereds taking fish but have never seen it myself. It seems that I’ll have to wait a bit longer to do so.

A small number of migrants have passed through our area during the past month. One, a Solitary Sandpiper, was a first for the Museum. To my knowledge, only two other shorebirds have been recorded on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Windloop (Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper), both of which simply circled the area and continued on with their flights. However, a Solitary Sandpiper was seen briefly on August 4 and again on August 19 when another was observed throughout the day at various locations in the Wetlands.

At one point the sandpiper, having been rousted by the activities of the visiting Mallards, circled the Wetlands and landed on the exposed mud just below me as I stood on the boardwalk, no more than six feet’s distance. It was a pleasant distraction from the stifling heat of the day to see such a bird feeding at close range.

The Museum’s Wetlands is not conducive to certain shorebird feeding behavior. I don’t expect very many other shorebird species to pay us visits. If migrating shorebirds pass over us during their southward journeys and do not find an exposed mudflat to land on, most will simply move on. However, the water level in the Wetlands has fallen enough to allow shorebirds to feed in the shallow water and mud surrounding the pond.

Still, even with the exposed shoreline, I wouldn’t expect to see hoards of shorebirds sweeping down on the Wetlands, although a Least Sandpiper or two is a possibility. I’d be excited, but not totally surprised, to see one of these peep in the Wetlands.

A family group of Great-crested Flycatchers was heard and seen feeding on the backside of theExplore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop during the first two weeks of August. This is the same area they were seen last year at this time.

An unknown Empidonax flycatcher was observed on the north side of the Wetlands (8/6).

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers were very active during the first half of August. I noticed family groups on the Dinosaur Trail and in Explore the Wild.

On August 25, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, and American Redstarts were seen on the Dino Trail (Nathan Swick). These birds were obviously migrants.

A Hooded Warbler was seen on 8/13 in the company of a Pine Warbler, Carolina Chickadees and White-breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches. The warbler a migrant, the others local.

During this period, I was able to get a few peeks at a Red-winged Blackbird female and juvenile. This may not seem like a great event in the annals of birding, but up until now I’ve not seen proof of nesting by this species in the Wetlands. This, the sighting of a juvenile, is proof. The male is often seen (or heard) among the willows in the Wetlands or atop a pine next to the Bird Feeder Exhibit, the female remains hidden most of the time, but until now I had only assumed that they were nesting among the willows. Now I know they were.

Keep your eyes opened for American Goldfinches as you stroll the paths of the outdoor exhibits. They are currently in the finest of plumages with jet-black wings and cap and bright yellow bodies. I often hear them singing from the trees behind the Fossil Dig or down along the path on the north side of the Wetlands. Stop by Flying Birds, the Bird Feeder Exhibit, and you may see one of the juvenile birds feeding along with the adults. Notice the juvenile’s buff-colored wingbars and dark bill in contrast to the adults.