Back in October I expressed some concern for our local fish eating birds’ ability to see their prey due to the turbidity of the water in our Wetlands caused by the Red Swamp Crayfish. I specifically mentioned our winter resident Hooded Mergansers who prey upon the Golden Shiners that live in the Wetlands. After observing [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Treefrog caught off guard
December 9th, 2011Caught out in the cold yesterday was a somewhat emaciated young Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea). The frog was seen amongst the horesetail growing in front of the Butterfly House. It was apparently lured out of hibernation by the warm temperatures and rain of the night before. This, however, is December and fronts that carry precipitation [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Gray Squirrel and the Pine Cone
December 9th, 2011It’s that time of year again when the Eastern Gray Squirrels build their nests and stock up for winter. The one in the following photos is searching the leaf liter along the boardwalk leading down into Explore the Wild in hopes of finding stores for its nest. After a few minutes of striping off some [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Spring at the Museum?
December 7th, 2011It’s December not April. 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 [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Behind the Scenes at the Butterfly House
December 5th, 2011If you’ve ever been to the Butterfly House (BFH) you’ve probably seen the many butterflies, other insects, and scorpions and spiders on display. What you probably haven’t seen is the mural in the above photograph. That’s because the mural is on a wall in a back hallway of the BFH which is not open to [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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POP QUIZ Answered
December 2nd, 2011But first, the clues: Palustris means swamp, swampy, or of the swamp. Hot, stylish, phat, fly, and coxa are, or can be, other words for hip, although coxa is more literal than the others in that it refers to the hip bone. So, now we have “swamp hip,” which doesn’t make a lot of sense. I [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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End of the Month POP QUIZ!!!!
November 30th, 2011Clues: Palustris Hot, stylish, phat, fly, also coxa. If you don’t know, take a guess! ———————– Answer here. Read the rest of this entry »
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Are the wolves out today?
November 28th, 2011“Are the wolves out today?” I’m asked that question on a daily basis by visitors here at the Museum. Unless there is a sign indicating that the wolves are off exhibit due to veterinary care, the answer is always “Yes, the wolves are always out.” They’re not always easy to find though. Our Red Wolves typically [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Dragons!
November 25th, 2011Besides the many human visitors to the Museum on the mild, blue-sky day after Thanksgiving, Autumn Meadowhawks (Sympetrum vicinum) were out in numbers. These late season dragonflies can be seen into the first half of December. While I expect to see meadowhawks at this time of year, what was remarkable is the sighting of a female Common [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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