Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) in Explore the Wild.

Same cloak with partially open wings.

Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer).

This peeper was in Catch the Wind (same frog as above).

Besides the snake being captured by a Red-shouldered Hawk last Friday, Kent (Animal Department) reported seeing what was probably the same hawk catch one in the Lemur Yard on Sunday (1/29/12). From the descriptions given it doesn’t seem as though they were Brown Snakes so, although I can’t be sure, I’m assuming that both were garter snakes. Both Brown Snakes (Storeria dekayi) and Eastern Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) have been known to be out and about in both late fall and late winter/early spring. Of course, this is mid-winter. I saw a garter snake along the Eno River, just half a dozen miles or so from the Museum, on New Years Day this year!

A few birds…

A Downy Woodpecker works on gaining entry to a Trumpet Vine seed pod.

A resident Northern Mockingbird hangs out in a holly, one of the trees under the bird's guardianship in Explore the Wild.

Several turtles…

Crawling out on a boulder in the Wetlands, this Yellow-bellied Slider is responding to unseasonably warm weather (12/22/11).

Another yellow-bellied enjoys the sun several weeks later (1/12/12).

And the heat goes on…

This slider catches some late afternoon warmth at the base of a willow (1/24/12).

What looks to be the same turtle as above was out the very next day (1/25/12).

And something left over from summer…

An Eastern Tent Caterpillar egg mass on a small cherry tree along the Dinosaur Trail.

The other side of the egg mass reveals what seems to be an attempt by a bird to get at the eggs within. Or did some of the caterpillars hatch thinking it spring? The black-topped eggs are empty eggs.

It wouldn’t be out of the question for those eggs to have hatched. It is very much like spring on this last week of January. The Red-shouldered Hawks were up performing their aerial courtship displays, I saw a spider wasp carrying a spider along one of the service roads here at the Museum, Spring Peepers have been heard calling (on my drive home Saturday I heard chorus frogs!), the male Belted Kingfisher was in town trying to impress our female with his fish catching prowess (she was having none of it and chased him off), and Jennifer Armstrong (Exhibits) reported seeing a red-shouldered with a snake!

And there’s much more, but you have to be there to see it. So, get out and have a look around!

Thin, and moving very slowly, this treefrog makes its way towards cover.

This is probably the last Green Treefrog that we will see until spring, except for the occasional sight of one in the Butterfly House’s Conservatory, that is. These little frogs have a knack for finding there way into the warm tropical habitat provided for the butterflies in the Conservatory. And what better place to be for an insect-eating frog but in a warm, humid, closed environment with lots of juicy butterflies everywhere you look!

Hopefully, our little frog (in the photos) found a place to hibernate, perhaps under the siding of the Butterfly House, until the “real” spring comes to town.

One of two Crane Fly Larvae seen on 12/2/11 in Catch the Wind.

What’s going on with the wildlife here at the Museum. Ranger Lew saw a Northern Water Snake on Saturday (12/3). Spring Peepers were calling and Yellow-bellied Sliders were out basking in the near 70 degree air of yesterday afternoon (12/6). Neither peepers or basking Turtles are unusual during this time of year though, a few days of warm temps is often enough to bring either of those herps out of hiding, even in the dead of winter.

Although Honey Bees can be seen throughout the cold season a paper wasp flying about Explore the Wild was a bit more atypical, although not unheard of (12/6). More unusual was a Virginia Pine Borer (Chalcophora virginiensis) yesterday on the Dino Trail (at least that’s what  I think it was, it had been stepped upon). I usually don’t see that species of beetle here at the Museum until April. And, the two crane fly larvae that I saw in Catch the Wind last Friday, six days into December, surely seemed out of place.

Crane Flies have a distinctive posterior. The tip of the abdomen looks a bit like a face.

The warm weather (especially the mild nighttime temperatures) following the much colder weather of just a few weeks ago has the wildlife emerging from their winter quarters as if it were spring. That’s about to change though, Thursday is supposed to bring in more typical weather for the season, things should get back to normal.

Enjoy the mild weather while you can. The nighttime lows are expected to get into the thirties and twenties the rest of the week. And although bullfrogs should still be out, you have one more day to go out and see how many peepers, snakes, and insects you can find.

Good luck!

The next day as I walked along the north side of the Wetlands, I saw a Common Green Darner (Anax junius) sailing over the water. Luckily, the big darner came flying right over my head and landed on a Wax Myrtle not 15 feet away. I was able to get close enough to it, without spooking it, to grab a shot for the Journal.

A fresh looking Common Green Darner clings to Wax Myrtle at the edge of the Wetlands.

As I’ve mentioned many times in this Journal, green darners move south with the weather. This one looks fresh and may have emerged (eclosed) locally due to the spring-like, mild weather.

Monday night into Tuesday morning the mild weather was pushed out of our area and replaced by much cooler air, by no means cold, but cooler, closer to 50 than 70 degrees. Yet, as I walked the path around the Wetlands this morning there in the water was the familiar face a frog staring up at me from the below, a bullfrog.

An American Bullfrog (11/28/11).

See you in the wild.

What's that at the end of the trail?

An Albertosaurus!

Down to the Wetlands.

The way to the Bears.

Looking back.

Looking across.

Looking into the willows. A trio of mergansers.

…and much, much more.

Male Red Wolf #1369 howls in answer to a siren off in the distance.

To the delight of a group of children visiting the Museum Wednesday the Red Wolves got into a howling match with a fire engine (11/9). At times, sirens set the wolves off but it has to be the right frequency and distance from the Museum for it to work, not every siren works for them.

Snakes are still being seen, due in part to the warm weather we’ve been experiencing the past several days. An Eastern Garter Snake surprised a young visitor Tuesday afternoon by sliding across the pavement in front of her next to the Wetlands Overlook and a Northern Water Snake was at the Main Black Bear Overlook Wednesday (11/9).

Northern Water Snake at the Black Bear viewing area. Is that a slight bulge midway down the snake's body? Probably one of the slow moving frogs that are lingering in the area.

See you in the Wild.

A bumble bee (upper left) shares space with an American Lady on the asters in Catch the Wind.

In typical garter snake fashion, this one flattened its self in an effort to appear more threatening.

An Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) was seen slowly crossing the path in Explore the Wild near the Red Wolf Exhibit. The cool shade of the path made this snake’s movements rather sluggish. It appeared to be heading for its winter quarters and was seen about 30 minutes later in the mulch below the cedars behind the kiosk of that exhibit, a distance of about about 15 feet.

There were numerous school groups in the area yesterday and many kids and chaperons got good looks at the snake.

Another snake seen yesterday near the Dinosaur Trail was most likely a Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi). I didn’t get a look at the snake myself, but from the description given me by a school teacher who happened to see the snake, Brown Snake is a good bet. I often see them at this time of year, as well as in the early spring, as they move to and from their summer and winter quarters.

In an attempt to scare off we humans that were watching it, the garter snake flattened and broadened its head trying to appear more "potent."

A late bloomer for sure, Mahonia is starting to take off on the Dinosaur Trail. This plant, along with Fatsia, also on the Dinosaur Trail, blooms in late fall and early winter in our area. If you miss the summer and its numerous insects, if you’re feeling as though you need an insect fix, take a walk up to the Dino Trail in the next few weeks, you’ll probably see bees, flies, and certainly ants crawling and hovering over the flowers of these late bloomers.

One of two late season flowering plants on the Dino Trail, Mahonia is just starting to bloom.

And, a parting shot…

The garter snake in the mulch, waiting for me to depart so that it can carry on with its travels.

Have a good one,

It was quite a surprise to find this little guy in my net along with the backswimmers and willow leaves. This is one of two Common Musk Turtles caught that day (10/27/11).

Both little stinkpots were released following the program.

A Northern Cardinal and three Carolina Chickadees stock up on sunflower seeds.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Flickers, Winter Wrens, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets have all been seen here at the Museum. We’re still waiting to see the first White-throated Sparrow of the season.

The cool weather brought in by a cold front yesterday had the local birds feeding heavily at the Bird Feeders in Catch the Wind.

Even though the air was much cooler than the previous several days, the sun was intense, turtles were out taking advantage of its warming rays.

A Yellow-bellied Slider enjoys the sun on a cool crisp October day.