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Monday May 11
Monday May 11
Check out the lesson about habitats created by the Alliance for the Great Lakes
Friday May 8
Friday May 8
Tuesday May 5
Tuesday May 5
Three Rose-Breasted Grosbeak's visited the bird feeder on my porch today. I knew the adult male right away by the shape of his beak and bold pattern of feathers on his body. The other two birds had a similar profile, but their colors were not nearly as bright. I knew that they were Grosbeaks, a seed eating relative of the Cardinal, but was not sure if they were young males or females.
There is a tremendous amount to learn from the feathers of birds. If you have a bird book at home, spend some time looking at the coloration and characteristic of male and female birds of different species. Share what you learn as you go.
Monday May 4
Monday May 4
"The pilot fish's relationship with sharks is a mutualist one; the pilot fish gains protection from predators, while the shark gains freedom from parasites. It was often said by sailors that sharks and pilot fish share something like a "close companionship"; there were even tales of this fish following ships which had captured "their" shark for up to six weeks and showing signs of distress in its absence."
Gudger, E. W. (March 1929). "Some Instances of Supposed Sympathy Among Fishes". The Scientific Monthly.
Friday May 1
Friday May 1
Once the nest is complete, the female robin begins to lay eggs. She will lay one at a time until she is ready to incubate. The nest is not really a home for the pair of robins, not a place for them to sleep.
The nest is a very specific, well designed, and perfectly build environment to warm, shelter, feed and fledge their chicks.
Thursday April 30
Thursday April 30
When starting a nest, a pair of robins will collects about 350 dried fibers of grass and small twigs that are about 6 inches long. This nest is in my backyard, and so also contains some wool that was laid out to dry on my porch above.
To complete the nest, the robins must travel to find mud and carry it back in their beaks. It will take several hundred trips to collect and apply enough mud to give the nest the stability that it needs.
Wednesday April 29
Wednesday April 29
Clouds
Clouds
The names of three common clouds are rooted in Latin.
They are:
Cumulus - “a heap"
Stratus - “to stretch”
Cirrus - “lock of hair”
Can you tell what kind of clouds are in the pictures below?
What kind of clouds can you see outside today?
Clouds can tell you something about what is happening in our atmosphere, You can study clouds, record the types that you see with notes and drawings. Some people have even organized into cloud watching clubs and learn all about the relationships between the many kinds of clouds that appear in the sky, how and why the change, and seek out places where beautiful and unusual clouds appear.
Tuesday April 28
Tuesday April 28
Early in the morning or after a spring rain, you will find that there is much to see by looking down, sitting down, moving your eyes closer to the ground and paying attention.
worm1.MOVworm 2 .MOVMonday April 27
Monday April 27
Psychidae
Psychidae
Have you noticed trees with leaves that appear to be still hanging on from last season, but when you look closer you see that they are not what they seem?
While walking with my dog yesterday, I stopped to look at a young tree that was just beginning to make leave buds. Along with this new growth, there were many of these...
Notice the way that these objects connect to the branch. How would you describe this attachment? Do you think that they were created by the tree?
They are called Psychidae and are commonly known as bag worms, bag moths, or case moths. They are a part of the Lepidoptera family along with butterflies and other varieties of moth. Members of the bag worm family are found all around the world.
The caterpillar larvae of the Psychidae construct these cases out of silk and nearby materials like sand, soil, leaves, lichen and twigs. Bag worms add material to the front of their case as they grow, protected by the camouflage of their case. Bag worms chew holes in the leaves of deciduous trees which can weaken and even kill a tree if more than 80 percent of the leaves are eaten. When ready, the bag worm caterpillar secures itself with a very strong attachment to a rock, tree or other stationary object where it can blend in while it pupates.
Be on the lookout for bag worms this spring and make a record of where you see them, and how many there are. If it looks like there are very many on a young tree, pay attention to the tree's health this summer, knowing that too many bag worms can cause real harm.
You can also learn more about bag worms' construction. They make all kinds of amazing structures for protection, depending upon the plants, predators and climatic conditions in which they live. You can learn more about bag worm life ways and share what you find out.
Friday April 24
Friday April 24
Today is our Arbor Day!
Today is our Arbor Day!
On Arbor Day, citizens of the United States organize to plant trees. The very first Arbor Day happened in the Spanish village of Mondoñedo in 1594. A stone carving depicting the event still exists, and the town is has continued to value its trees. There are other early records of community leaders planning events festivals, carnival and parties for the planting of trees all over the world. Civic as well as religious leaders have written about the importance of trees, defending trees in urban areas, and drawing awareness to the the great benefits that they offer to communities.
The first American Arbor Day happened in Nebraska City, Nebraska on April 10, 1872. It had become clear that deforestation was a growing problem all over the country and so regional leaders organized to the planting of an estimated one million trees in Nebraska.
In 1906, Pennsylvania conservationist Major Israel McCreight inspired President Theodore Roosevelt to begin speaking directly to children about the importance of trees and interest grew in conservation education. On April 15, 1907, Roosevelt issued an "Arbor Day Proclamation to the School Children of the United States", putting attention on the importance of trees and the work of forestry .
Arbor Day, or other similar holidays organized around the care of and planting of trees happen all over the world each spring. Australia celebrates National Schools Tree day and in Victoria, trees enjoy a full "Arbor Week"! In Belgium, the international day of Tree-planting. Trees are also celebrated Also in Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, North Macedonia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Venezuela. It is good to know that people living all around the world have made a commitment to pay attention to trees. You may want to learn more about how Arbor Day is celebrated in different climates, regions and cultures. What do these celebrations, and days of action have in common? What are some differences? What has been the benefit of Arbor Day?
While most of us are probably not planting trees this Arbor Day, we can take some time to pay attention to the trees, learn about their way of living, what they need from us and what they offer.
It can be useful to know more about a particular tree in order to learn about its relationship to other species and make sure that it has what it needs to thrive. You can get to know a tree by its bark at any time of the year. These are the trunks of some of the trees that I am getting to know in Humboldt Park.
The rapid change that comes with the spring is amazing. Tiny flowers and tightly packed bunches of seeds emerging from trees that still appear to be so cold and asleep. Hungry migratory species depend on trees for food and shelter, and trees depend on them to move their seeds far away from where they were formed.
Seeds, flowers, leaves and later fruit, will help me to identify the trees in my neighborhood. Have you noticed the changes in the trees that live around you? Do you know what they are called? What they need to stay healthy? If there is a tree that you can see from your home, spend some time looking at it. Is it making flowers? Seeds? Do other species spend time on and around it? How old do you think that it is? How do you think it came to be growing in the place that it is?
While this guide, offered by the Arbor Day Foundation will be more useful when our trees have made leaves, it is still a good example of how a "key" can help you to determine what kind of tree you are seeing and to learn more about how it lives.
Thursday April 23
Thursday April 23
I stopped to look at this patch of clover growing all around a manhole cover in Humboldt Park. While I know that clover is an important food plant for some animals and insects, I did not know that it is one of 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae. I will continue to watch these plants, noticing when they begin to flower. Flowers will help me to identify which of the many variety of clover they are.
The best pollinator for clover is the Bumblebee. I always feel lucky when I see a Bumblebee and love when I can be close enough to see a delicate dust of pollen on their furry looking legs. Honeybees also pollinate clover, and "clover" honey is one kind of honey that you have probably tasted. As bees travel through a clover pasture, they also help to spread clover seed. Large scale human farming allows less space for useful plants like clover, and this is making it harder and harder for for Honeybees to live with us.
Have you seen clover in your neighborhood? Can you remember the shape and color of the flowers? The way that they smell, and bees coming to feed?
Wednesday April 22
Wednesday April 22
Today is Earth Day, and just a little bit longer than yesterday which was just a little bit longer than the day before. The ground is beginning to warm and soften, making way for new life. What will you do today to remember your connection with the changes that come with the spring?
I will visit the mother goose.
There is a pair of Canada Geese nesting on the edge of a small pond in Humboldt Park. It is likely that this pair made a nest in this exact place last year.
The female built a structure of dry grass and reeds that is lined with her own down feathers. She has been on the nest at any time that I have walked by for the last few weeks. She stays low, allowing herself to be camouflaged. When her goslings hatch, their downy feathers will blend right into the colors and textures of this place, helping to keep them safe from predators. I avoid getting too close to her, not wanting make her feel worried. I am impressed by her staying, wonder what she is eating, and if the male ever takes a turn warming the eggs.
He is often standing on the opposite side on of the pond, guarding the one access point to the water, and ready to move in any direction to defend the nest. When there is a possible threat, he will honk, hiss and vibrate the feathers on his neck, bowing his head low and moving fearlessly in the direction of the danger.
I wonder where they spent their winter? How many eggs are in the nest now? When they will hatch? How long will it take the goslings to grow to be as large and capable as their parents? Will they return to the same pond next year? Will I know them if I see them again?
Have you seen geese this spring? What do you remember about them? Did you see them eat? What sounds did they make? How did they move? The next time that you see a Canada Goose you can think about what their life is like, what it would feel like to migrate and to feel so very comfortable in the water and also in the air.
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