January 30, 2025

Today in Naturalist Club, we...looked for signs of life. Most naturalists knew that trees don't really die in winter and that most plants that look dead are still intriguingly alive. We were reminded of the ways in which organisms survive winter: Sleep through it (hibernation, brumation, torpor, dormancy); run away from it (migration); or just deal with it (caching food, storing energy in underground roots, just being tough as all get out and not caring what happens around you (I'm thinking of lichens, but there are others)).

We talked very briefly about how herbaceous plants persist through the adversity of winter by taking their nutrients to ground and filling their roots and rosettes with all the things they need to reemerge in spring--the difference between "dying" and "dying back." We also learned how to look at the buds of trees and other woody plants to find evidence of spring's imminent arrival. Leaf and flower buds are already present, some are starting to swell, and just under the thin outer bark of woody plants, a gentle scratch will reveal green, photosynthesizing cells working with reduced resources in harsh conditions. (I didn't show this last one today— excited by other things—but you can demonstrate it on a healthy shrub or tree branch on a walk. Don't scratch or cut too deeply, just enough to reveal the tender green inner bark.)

We found some other signs of life as well, there are slugs and crickets and centipedes riding out the winter under logs and in leaf litter. Lichens and mosses were everywhere. Thriving and carrying on their role in the ecosystem despite the seeming lack of resources. 

We were even treated to an arial display by two American Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, this is one of those Latinized names that are descriptive: Eagle with white head). So we discussed (briefly) thermal clines and how birds of prey use them to save energy (aka natural currency).

These warm winter days are a great time to prove that good things do exist even if we can't always seem them. And what may look like a dark, dank, unpleasant place to us may actually be a warm inviting refuge for someone else.

January 23, 2025

Today in Naturalist Club we ... learned about the seven—yes seven!—species of squirrels in MD.

Most of them quickly got Eastern Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) some got Red (aka Pine) squirrel (Tamiasciurs hudsoniii). They got Southern Flying (Glaucomys volans--I love the Latin name: grey mouse that flies!) pretty quickly. Same with Fox Squirrels (not Delmarva Fox Squirrels) (S. niger and S. niger cinereus). Nearly all were surprised to learn that woodchucks (Marmota monax) and Eastern chipmunks ( Tamias striatas) are also squirrels, they're just not tree squirrels.

Https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/habitat/wasquirrel.aspx 

Https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Woodchuck.aspx 

Https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Eastern_Chipmunk.aspx 

We played a game tying fall to winter by having some chipmunks and some grey squirrels use different styles of caching food for the winter. Our chipmunks made middens full of lots of food in one place, while our grey squirrels spread their food around in many different hidey-holes. Then when winter arrived, they all had to go find food. As they learned, sometimes squirrels forget where their caches are and sometimes someone else finds all the food a chipmunk has carefully (or not so carefully!) hidden away in their midden. Then we really made it interesting and added a fox who ate squirrels and chipmunks who then became owls and hawks and eagles and... There was a lot of gnoshing happening!  

I was asked a good question that I took a SWAG (scientific, wild, amazing guess) at answering. The broad question was can we talk about squirrel brains and of course I said, "yes, but I don't know that much about them." What I did remember—or think I remembered—is that squirrel brains, similar to bird brains, change size in different places depending on time of year. It turns out I was pretty close to the mark (phew!). The folks at University of Michigan explain it well here: https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/news-events/all-news/faculty-news/in-the-autumn--squirrels-think-about-nuts-so-much-that-it-may-ma.html#:~:text=In%20the%20autumn%2C%20squirrels%20think,U%2DM%20LSA%20Department%20of%20Psychology

Short version: In fall, the part of the squirrel brain that governs nut geography grows. Also they weigh nuts by shaking their heads. Sneaky, snacky little critters.

While it may seem like there's not a lot going on during the sleepy, dark (but getting lighter!) days of winter, when you look closely, you can see life persisting and giving us reminders that spring is coming, and with it, renewal. You can look for leaf and flower buds on trees and shrubs now (future squirrel food!), birds are active most of the day, squirrels too. There should be babies in the dreys (squirrel nests) soon if they aren't there already.



December 19, 2025

Today in Naturalist Club…...I was humbled by our Naturalists' education!

I knew for sure that my astronomical discussion of why we have seasons on Earth would draw blank stares and lots of shrugged shoulders. Instead, just about all of the naturalists who were out today know that it is because of Earth's tilt on our axis. They may not have had all the words in the right order, but it was clear that the concept was there.

Since they knew all of that we had lots of time to play. We played a few rounds of one of their favorites, Predator Prey Tag, and then went on a hunt for slugs and other things that crawl in the dark. Logs were rolled; centipedes and slugs and slugs' eggs were oohed and aahed over. They got to look at the slug eggs under magnification (they may keep the magnifying glasses). 

This being a dramatic group we were treated to on-stage one-person performances of What I'll Do Over Winter Break. There may be some Swifties in the group; I'm not sure, though!  

We really did have a great time today. I think everyone is excited about the winter break; it sounds like there are plans for lots of travel; stay safe, and have fun. I for one am looking forward to the longer periods of sunlight.