Not a banner year for Flowering Dogwood, there is nevertheless fruit on at least some of the trees. We also lost one tree to Hurricane Irene's high winds.

Hearts a Bursting, or Strawberry Bush is beginning to display the reason for its names. This plant is on the Dinosaur Trail just past the Albertosaurus.

Persimmons are beginning to ripen on the trees.

Some of the persimmon fruit has already fallen to the ground, good news for the raccoons, fox, and groundhogs.

Although raccoons, fox, and groundhogs can climb trees, squirrels are expert at the sport and don't wait for the fruit to hit the ground.

The tiny, waxy fruit of the Wax Myrtle is ripening, but not quite there yet. It should be ready for the arrival of the Myrtle Warblers next month.

The Fall Webworms within the silken web are still quite small, they're just getting started (9/9/11).

And, not necessarily a sign of fall but perhaps a sign of exhaustion towards the summer season…

Two shots of the same large snapping turtle in a shady area of the Wetlands. First spotted at about 10:30 AM (left) the turtle was still there at 4:00 PM. There were many questions by passersby as to whether the turtle was alive. Notice that the right front foot is extended and the head slightly to the right on the right photo. The color difference is due to lighting conditions at the time of the photo. (both photos 9/13/11)

Have we seen this snapper behavior before?

That’s all for now.

Who's that?

Over the past winter I often heard loud noises coming from the attic area over the vending machines in Explore the Wild. It sounded like someone was moving furniture around! I suspected squirrels, or maybe raccoons.

On Saturday, June 4, I think I found out who was making that noise, at least the offspring of those noisemakers. I heard the soft chirping of a raccoon coming from somewhere above as I stopped in the shade to sip water in the heat of that humid, June day. Looking up I saw…

A young raccoon peered down at me as I drank water. The youngster was making a soft purring sound, probably impatient while waiting for its mother to return with some food from the Wetlands.

Never a dull one out there.

I did, however, manage to get a few photos of some interesting happenings out on the Outdoor Exhibits trails…

Parasaurolophus with a new snow cap

The Wetlands covered with ice and snow.

The snow that covered the ice of the Wetlands is a great place to look for animal tracks. Here, a Raccoon walked across the ice and back.

These tracks are a mix of Raccoon (bottom left) and River Otter. The otter, or otters, made several passes.

A close view of the otter tracks, note the five toes.

Finding tracks in the snow is fun, but it’s fleeting. The snow that these tracks were left in are now mush, washed away by the rain.

There were many tracks in the snow on Tuesday morning (Feb 2), tracks of birds, feral cats, Gray Fox, as well as the animals depicted here in the photos. Just a few short hours later, they were all gone, vanished, as if the creatures that made them had never been there.

It’s often tracks left in the snow that alerts you to the animals in the area, their passings never being discovered if not for the snow.

The swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild.

The Groundhog which made an appearance on January 13th also came out of hiding on Groundhog Day.

Living near the edge of the swamp above, our early rising Groundhog apparently made an appearance on Groundhog Day as well (Its tracks are visible near the center/right of the photo.)

A close view of the Groundhog's tracks at the entrance of its burrow.

Enjoy the snow while it lasts!

There have been 12 species of frogs and toads heard or seen since January around the Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind Loop. The Wetlands is full of the tadpoles of most, if not all, of those twelve species – a tadpole stew.

I noticed several small Pickerel Frogs in the Wetlands that were still wearing tadpole tails. Pickerel Frogs bred earlier this year in late winter/early spring. These “tailed” frogs are the offspring of that earlier breeding and are now ready to become full-fledged frogs.

In the previous journal entry (5/15-5/31) I made note of the Museum’s turtles leaving the water to lay eggs. I discovered two of their nests this past week. Both were dug up, the eggs left broken alongside the nest. Presumably, Raccoon. The nests can still be seen. One is at the main entrance to Explore the Wild, a small hole dug in the bare soil just to the right of the entrance. The other is about 30 feet further up the path towards Catch the Wind.