Podcast Directory

Directory Home | Add your podcast | Latest podcasts | Last Updated | Help

Browse Tags: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z - Tracking 56,978 Podcasts, 1,286,590 Episodes.

Top Podcasts by Votes | Top Podcasts by Subscriptions | Featured Podcasts | Webmasters - Promote Your Podcast

Podcast title	www.pplweb.com Nature Notebook Brodcasts with Jon Beam
Website URL	http://www.pplweb.com/communit...
Description
Updated
Category	Environmental
Subscribe
Vote for this podcast	Currently 0.00/5 Rating: 0.0/5 ( votes cast)
Link to this podcast
Episodes
1. Leafy Blanket download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: On a cold autumn night it is nice to have a thick comforter for warmth. The same is true in our forests. Tender plants and tiny insects benefit from the warmth of a thick layer of fallen leaves just as we do from a pile of warm covers. A layer of insulating leaves protects small woodland plants from the extremes of cold and frost. This leafy blanket also shelters insects living at the soil surface shielding them from freezing temperatures. These insects, in turn, become food for certain birds when little else is available. Fallen leaves camouflage and seal entrance holes of chipmunks, groundhogs, skunks, weasels and opossums. These same animals line their winter dens with fallen leaves. Even though we might not appreciate wind-blown leaves piling up in our yards, they serve an important role in nature.
2. Going Golden download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: We don’t usually associate Golden Eagles with Pennsylvania, but there is a definite connection. Golden Eagles visit briefly each fall and again in the spring. Researchers have established that Golden Eagles travel lofty freeways through Pennsylvania each autumn. The majority of the Golden Eagle population that nests in eastern Canada passes through the Keystone State to their wintering grounds. Relying on prevailing winds, these large raptors follow ridges from north to south through a 30- to 60-mile wide corridor. Hawk watch sites at Bald Eagle Mountain, Tussey Mountain, Stone Mountain, the Allegheny Front and Kittatinny Ridge maintain spotters who track migration numbers of raptors verifying the importance of this migration route to eagles. So each autumn as the colorful foliage fades and falls to the ground, Pennsylvania is still going golden.
3. Eating Machines download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Imagine spending most of your waking hours gorging on tasty snacks. It’s certainly not the way to loose weight. Black bears don’t care. In fact, they are trying to gain weight this time of year. Bears eat both meat and plant material. Typical fare includes berries, corn, carrion, honey, insects and fruit during the summer. By fall, they turn to such seasonal offerings as acorns and beechnuts. To build up their fat reserves for winter bears eat as much as possible. When they exhaust food supplies in one place they wander in search of more. Consuming up to 20,000 calories during a 20-hour day is the norm for these hefty bruins. I suppose there isn’t much concern about getting tired from all this activity. After all, in a few short weeks they’ll settle in for a long winter’s sleep.
4. Winter Den download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: It might seem early to find a cozy retreat for the winter months. But when you depend on the temperature around you for warmth and to keep you going, frosty October nights and cooling days are not very inviting. So, for timber rattlesnakes, this is the time to head for shelter. Winter shelter for them is a hibernaculum, or den site, usually located in an underground crevice between a rock ledge and the ground. Or it might be in a rock slide at the base of a cliff. The den site also could take the form of fallen rock partially covered by soil. These sites are usually in or near rocky, forested slopes where rattlesnakes spend their summer months hunting rodents. Many generations of rattlesnakes use these communal den sites often sharing them with other snake species through the winter.
5. Great Bear download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Few of us associate star patterns with the flaming foliage of Pennsylvania’s forests. But Native American lore makes a direct link between stars and leaves. According to the story, three hunters tracked a bear across the night sky from spring through summer, finally drawing into arrow range in the fall. When they shot the bear, drops of its blood fell from the sky staining leaves of maples, gums, sumacs, sassafras and dogwoods bright red. As the hunters cooked the bear meat, fat splashed out of the kettle. This turned leaves of birches, hickories, aspens and others a bright yellow. That, according to the story, is why we have fall colors. Not surprisingly, frosty autumn nights are perfect for viewing the Great Bear, Ursa Major, in the night sky. Part of this constellation we know as the Big Dipper.
6. Early Returns download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Many ducks and geese spend the summer months nesting and raising their young in northern latitudes but turn their sights southward each fall. Departure times vary by species, but most go before winter storms leave them snowbound. These waterfowl stop for rest and refueling on their way. The Susquehanna River is one stopover as are lakes, ponds and creeks in north central Pennsylvania. One early arrival is the Common Merganser, a large, saw-billed bird with rusty colored head and gray body. The narrow, hooked bill helps it catch fish pursued underwater. Common Mergansers continue to dribble in with the bulk arriving in November. These early arrivals stay later than most waterfowl, sticking around until ponds and lakes freeze before departing for points south.
7. Fall Fungi download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Although early October often brings frost and an end to the growing season, it can also produce an explosion of growth. Cooler temperatures and wet weather stimulate a variety of fungi or mushrooms to grow. And grow they do. Fall mushrooms seem to spring up just about everywhere and almost overnight. From lawns to mulch piles to forests, fall fungi decorate the landscape. They appear in unusual shapes and forms, some strikingly colorful, others more drab. Mushrooms are actually the visible portion of the fungus. They are reproductive structures. What is not visible is the mass of tiny underground filaments that secure the nutrients for the fungus. These filaments chemically digest dead organic material from the soil. When the time is right the above ground mushrooms shoot up in no time at all.
8. Migrating Dragons download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Birds and bats are not the only winged creatures that migrate south each fall. So do a few insects. The orange-and-black Monarch Butterfly is well known for its annual migration to Mexico. Less well-known is the migration of the Common Green Darner, perhaps the largest of several species of dragonflies that migrate. There are interesting parallels between dragonfly and hawk migrations. Both show patterns timed to seasonal changes. Both show similar geographical distribution in their migration. Both respond to weather changes, riding northerly winds just after the passage of a cold front. And both respond to terrain, using the rising air along the Appalachian ridges to give them lift. Just where dragonflies go in winter is still something of a mystery, one that scientists hope to unravel in the future.
9. Autumnal Equinox download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Tomorrow is a landmark day for planet Earth. It happens when the center of the Sun crosses the projection of the Earth’s equator in space. The Sun will be positioned directly above the equator and will rise exactly in the east and set exactly in the west. Night and day at the equator will be essentially of equal length. We will have reached what is commonly known as the autumnal equinox. As it reaches the equinox, the Sun is moving on a path that takes it from south to north from our vantage point here on Earth. Many ancient cultures recognized and celebrated the equinox with special rituals. Today we mark the occasion by designating it the beginning of autumn. From this point on until the solstice in December, days will grow shorter and nights longer as we slip toward winter.
10. 4 and 20 Blackbirds download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Four and twenty blackbirds is only a start. Every year in late summer large flocks of blackbirds form as these birds prepare for winter. Flocks start with a few families, but can quickly grow to amazing sizes. Mixed flocks include Red-winged Blackbirds, grackles, European Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds. You might notice them particularly at dawn or dusk when large flocks cross the skyline as they leave or return to roost sites. Blackbird flocks continue to grow as autumn progresses until, one day, they simply vanish on their southern journey. These blackbirds spend the winter months foraging on leftover grain in central and southern United States. The flocks often use the same roosting sites each night as they gather for migration and can produce a rather noisy commotion.
11. Avian Johnny Appleseeds download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: As acorns begin to ripen, you might notice family groups of Blue Jays making a number of trips to oak trees. There they fill their expandable throats with acorns and add another in their bills to carry a load up to one tenth their body weight. Then the jays fly up to five miles from the collection point to hide the acorns. Using their bills they stash the acorns in soft soil or grass, covering up the nuts with plant debris, planting the acorns as surely as if a gardener was doing it. The payoff of all this work is tremendous. Not only does this stash provide the jays with winter food, but it also provisions small mammals and ensures the growth of future forests. So, like avian Johnny Appleseeds, Blue Jays spread the seeds of future oaks across the land.
12. Two Whites download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Two members of the aster or daisy family are blooming. Close relatives, one has medicinal qualities while the other is toxic. Boneset or thoroughwort grows in damp meadows. Native Americans used this plant to treat fevers, rheumatism, intestinal disorders and general colds. White Snakeroot grows along woodland edges and in shaded meadows. Highly toxic to grazing animals, it can be lethal to cows, horses, goats, sheep and pigs. The toxic chemicals pass through the milk, posing a risk for nursing animals and humans. These tall, white-flowered perennials are both native to North America and fairly widespread. Their blossoms provide nectar for bees, flies, butterflies and moths. Certain caterpillars eat their leaves. Even though these two white flowers have very different chemical qualities, they serve a similar role in the environment.
13. Webby Worms download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Although unsightly to us, the gray webbing of fall webworms spun around the branches of trees gives caterpillars protection from parasitic wasps and predatory insects. Safe within the webbing, the hairy caterpillars feed on leaves. Webworm caterpillars eat a variety of deciduous trees, most notably black cherry, walnut, hickory and mulberry here in Pennsylvania. Webworms do little significant damage to trees. By the time the caterpillars start feeding, the trees have already produced and stored the energy resources they need for growth and survival. Only when there are unusually large numbers of caterpillars do they defoliate trees. After feeding for about six weeks caterpillars leave the webbing to pupate individually in the soil or under leaves. There they shelter through the winter before emerging next summer as moths. These adult moths mate, lay eggs and the cycle begins again.
14. Broad Wings download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: You might see them on warm, sunny days. They seem to pool in the air, swirling briefly in unseen eddies, before being carried away by swift currents. Wings outstretched, they glide along the atmospheric river making their way southward. These woodland raptors are Broad-winged Hawks. Although we think of hawks as solitary hunters, broadwings are fairly gregarious, particularly during fall migration. Then they travel in groups known as “kettles” containing from a few to as many as 1,000 birds. Designed for riding air currents with their long, wide wings, Broad-winged Hawks are one of the first to begin fall migration, taking advantage of rising thermals and northwest winds. Using these air currents to their advantage, they make their way to Central and South America where they will spend the winter before moving back north again in the spring.
15. Fiery Collisions download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: There are no traffic signals in space, so Earth collides with objects in its race through the solar system. Traveling at over 67,000 mph makes it difficult to slow down when something darts across our path. Beginning about July 17 and lasting through August 24, space litter from Comet Swift-Tuttle does just that, peaking this year in the wee hours of August 12. From about 1:30 a.m. until dawn, with ideal conditions, we might see as many as 60 collisions per hour. That’s a lot of dents in Earth’s fenders! But don’t worry. Earth has its own air bag, better known as its atmosphere. It prevents space debris from raining down on us like speeding bullets. Instead, tiny pieces of ice, dust, and rock entering our atmosphere at over 100,000 mph, burn up in fiery collisions we call the Perseid meteor shower.
16. Night Chorus download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: As dusk falls on a summer evening the night chorus tunes up. This musical group consists entirely of insects. Each has its own voice in the chorus. They trill, chirp or rasp, all in an effort to woo a mate. As in any chorus, it is sometimes difficult to separate individual voices, but if you listen closely you might hear the chirps of a field cricket or the more melodic pulses of a snowy tree cricket. In contrast are the ticks and buzzes of the common meadow katydid or the harsher calls of the common true katydid. As you listen more closely you just might pick out other voices in this buggy night chorus.
17. Thistle Birds download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The prickly scourge of lawns and pastures, thistle, is going to seed this time of year. And that means its time for goldfinches to nest. These small yellow-and-black birds, sometimes called wild canaries, wait until late in the season to take advantage of silky thistle down to line their nests and tiny thistle seeds to provide abundant food to feed their young. The drab colored female goldfinches sometimes build their nests among thistle stems. Plant and bird seem to be inseparable. So much so that the scientific name for goldfinch, Caruelis, is from the Latin word carduus, meaning "thistle." Few goldfinches begin building a nest before July when thistles go to seed and most are finished by mid-August. Find a patch of thistles and you will likely see goldfinches. It’s no wonder that goldfinches are sometimes called thistle birds.
18. Queen Anne's Lace download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: A lacy, white flower is blooming in fields and along roadsides this time of year. The intricate design of its flat-topped cluster of blossoms is reflected in the name, Queen Anne’s lace. Also known as wild carrot, it belongs to the parsley family that includes some deadly poisonous plants as well as others used for culinary purposes. Queen Anne’s lace is the wild ancestor of our garden carrot. Dig up its root and you will find a tapered structure that when young is edible, but becomes woody on older plants. Wild carrot tends to be more bitter in taste than its cultivated cousins. Originally a native of Europe, wild carrot was introduced into North America early by colonists and has since become naturalized. Because it is so widespread, many people consider wild carrot to be a weed.
19. Berry Feast download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: By now a feast is offered at woodland edges, in fields and along roadsides. The cost is minimal and the meal is delightful. Where just a month ago thorny brambles sported bee-attracting blossoms, now they are dripping with ripening berries. Wild blackberries, a large group of plants including blackberries, raspberries, thimbleberries and others, do indeed provide a banquet for animals as well as humans. These berries produce more food for wildlife than any other shrub in eastern North America. More than 100 birds and mammals feast on their summer fruits. Cardinals, catbirds, robins, orioles, tanagers, thrashers, thrushes, towhees and grouse are a few of the many birds that eat them. Chipmunks, raccoons, and squirrels enjoy the berries and deer and rabbits browse the leaves and twigs. No wonder blackberries disappear as quickly as they ripen.
20. Ghost Flower download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Deep in forests rich with leaf litter are ghost flowers. Startling white in color they thrive in the darkest shadows where few other plants can survive. They grow well in dark places because, unlike green plants, these unique wildflowers do not depend on the sun’s direct energy. More commonly known as Indian pipe, this wild plant is involved in a complex three-way relationship. It begins with a tree carrying on photosynthesis, converting the sun’s energy to food. Associated with the roots of the tree is a fungus. This fungus helps the tree absorb water and minerals and in turn removes some of the tree’s food. The roots of Indian pipe tap into the fungus and help it to this food. Without the tree or the fungus to aid its survival, this parasitic plant would truly be a ghost flower.
21. Monarchs download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: By this time of year large orange-and-black Monarch butterflies catch our attention. These could be recently returned adults or just as likely newly emerged butterflies. Monarchs that migrated south to Mexico last fall began their northward journey in March. They made it as far as the southern United States to lay their eggs before they died. These eggs hatched and the caterpillars metamorphosed into adults. Those adult butterflies eventually made their way north where they are seeking out milkweed on which to lay their eggs. This new generation of Monarchs increases our summer population. Then by September the journey south begins. It reaches its peak through Pennsylvania by about mid-month as Monarchs set out on a journey of thousands of miles south to Mexico.
22. Ragged Sailors download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The azure blue flowers of chicory seem to reflect a cloudless, blue summer sky. These Old World plants dot roadsides, old fields, and vacant lots where their wiry stems support the two-inch flower heads. Each flower has multiple rays much like its other family members, asters and daisies. Chicory was introduced from Europe in the mid-1700s, by early colonists. They cultivated chicory to use its leaves in salads and its roots for coffee. Chicory blossoms open early in the morning but by noon they begin to close against the heat of the day. Their blue color and frayed looking appearance probably contributed to their nickname of ragged sailor. Whatever you might choose to call this common summer wildflower, there is no mistaking its clear blue color for anything else.
23. Cigar Tree download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Large heart-shaped leaves form a green backdrop to the white flowers with yellow, orange or purple spotting of the Northern catalpa. These showy, five-lobed flowers with ruffled edges are why catalpa is primarily used as an ornamental shade tree today. It was once planted by farmers to produce a source of lightweight fence posts because the wood is fairly resistant to rotting. Also known as Indian bean or cigar tree, the catalpa produces elongated, cigar-shaped pods that are green in the summer and look like giant string beans. By fall, the mature pods turn brown and split to release its flat, brown seeds. Originally a native to the Midwestern United States, they are much more widespread today. Although its autumn leaves are not as showy as some of our Pennsylvania natives, catalpa’s flowers provide a beautiful sight this time of year.
24. First Fireflies download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Like miniature twinkling stars come to earth, the first fireflies of the summer wink on and off as daylight fades into night. Childhood memories of catching lightning bugs in mason jars come flooding back as more flashes appear in the deepening shadows. These small beetles communicate at night using light instead of sound. Much like mixing the chemicals in a glow stick to make light, fireflies use a biochemical reaction to light their lamps and control flash rate. Don’t look for these flashy bugs on moonlit nights, though. Bright moonlight provides too much background light making it harder for fireflies to locate a mate. Unfortunately, electric lights also interfere with firefly courtship. Dark locations with tall grass free of chemicals are prime habitat where fireflies can light up the night.
25. Poison Plants download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: A plant is blooming along woodland edges, trails, roadsides and backyards that you should be aware of. The clusters of small, yellow-green blossoms are neither showy nor fragrant. But don’t stop to smell them because this plant is poison ivy. The old adage, “leaves of three, let them be” certainly applies. Poison ivy grows as a ground cover or as a vine. It has almond-shaped leaves arranged in groups of three. The leaves can be light to dark green, dull or shiny. Every part of the plant contains a high concentration of urushiol oil, the irritant that causes rashes. This oil is so potent that it is estimated that only ¼ ounce of urushiol is enough to cause a rash in every person on Earth. Learn what poison ivy looks like so you can avoid it.
26. Modern Mayflower download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The Mayflower reached our shores in 1620, carrying the pilgrims across the Atlantic. Right now a very different mayflower graces our forests. A native wildflower known as Canada mayflower or wild lily-of-the-valley is blooming in rich woodlands. This low-growing plant has clusters of small starry-shaped, white flowers. It reproduces through underground roots as well as seeds and spreads out from a central point often blanketing the forest floor with a dense growth. From a distance this mass of blooming flowers looks like a white mist among the trees. This member of the lily family sports two or three teardrop-shaped, green leaves. Mayflower ranges south from Canada reaching its southern extent in Pennsylvania, but ranges farther south only along the Appalachian Mountains.
27. Jug-o-rum download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Although Pennsylvania’s largest frog emerged from hibernation in April, bullfrogs prefer warmer weather and don’t begin courting until mid-May. The typical jug-o-rum calls are familiar to anyone who has spent time near a pond on a summer night. Bullfrogs are more solitary than most of our frogs and males actively defend their territories as well as attempt to attract a mate with their territorial calls. Their nocturnal activity fills warm nights with vocal dueling as large male bullfrogs vie for the attention of females. Although each male is an individual singer, when several frogs reside in the same body of water they sound as though they were singing in chorus. Their calls fall silent by August, but bullfrogs remain active until mid-October.
28. Dames Rocket download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Look for a Mediterranean native wildflower blooming along roadsides and in old fields. The plant, Dame’s Rocket, was introduced into this country from European gardens in the 17th century and has become a naturalized citizen here. There is no doubt that it adds a touch of beauty where it blooms from mid-May through mid-June. The three- to four-foot tall plant has showy flowers ranging in color from white to several shades of pink to purple. Often confused with taller varieties of phlox, Dame’s Rocket is in the mustard family, related to cabbage, broccoli, radish and wintercress. It has four petals on each flower instead of phlox’s five. The flowers host butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Although it does provide a beautiful sight each year, it tends to push out some of our native plants species.
29. Cicadas download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Our region of Pennsylvania is about to experience an event that hasn’t happened for almost two decades — the return of periodical cicadas. Slowly and silently these heavy-bodied insects move upward through the soil, emerging around the bases of trees over the course of a few nights. These cicada nymphs split their hard outer shells and emerge as winged adults. Often called 17-year locusts, these insects are not related to grasshoppers. The mating calls of these insects can be almost deafening as they court and mate. Emerging cicadas provide a feast for many of our native birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Within a month of emerging, the survivors mate, deposit their eggs and die. We won’t see the next wave of periodical cicadas until 2025.
30. Snoring Frogs download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Most of us know someone who snores during their sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than one-third of adults snore at least a few nights each week. Few of us snore while we are awake or while underwater unlike pickerel frogs. These medium-sized brown frogs with two rows of dark, rectangular markings on their backs become active when water temperatures reach the upper 50s. Then the males begin calling to attract females. They inflate two vocal sacs and produce a reverberant snore while underwater. From April into May males snore away from slow-moving water of streams, springs, ponds and marshes, advertising for females. By summer pickerel frogs wander some distance from water. Beware of handling one if you find it. Their skin secretions are particularly irritating to us and toxic to some predators.
31. Virginia Bluebells download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: If you pass by a wooded floodplain this time of year you might be surprised to see a wash of blue color along the stream bank. That blue is from the aptly named Virginia bluebell. These wildflowers grow in dense patches with each flower head containing clusters of blossoms. Every individual flower is tubular in shape, flaring at the open end and hanging down much like a bell. The pale blue of the flowers is eye-catching. A closer look at a patch of bluebells shows an interesting pattern. Although the open flowers are blue, flower buds are pink with a faint tinge of purple. Once in a while mature flowers remain pink or sometimes white in color. Virginia bluebells bloom for about three weeks each spring before their soothing pastel colors fade from the landscape.
32. Hot Bees download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: On cool spring mornings bumblebees are active when most other bees are too cold to fly. Part of this cold tolerance has to do with their furry bodies that help insulate them from cold air. But that is only part of the story. Just as we might sip a hot drink to warm up, so do bumblebees. Recently scientists found that bumblebees select specific flowers from which to sip nectar. These blossoms have structures that focus the sun’s energy warming the nectar deep inside. The warm nectar in turn warms the bees and enables them to be active at temperatures as low as 40oF. By comparison, honeybees need temperatures 20o higher before they are active. The bumblebee’s adaptations allow it to take advantage of early spring wildflowers and pollinate them in the process of sipping their nectar.
33. Garter Snake download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: One of the most common snakes in Pennsylvania is the Eastern Garter Snake. Long yellowish stripes against a dark background make this harmless snake easy to identify. It is also one of the first snakes to appear in the spring. Garter Snakes leave their hibernation spots and venture out to warm themselves in the spring sun. Because of their small size and dark color, these reptiles warm quickly. Once their body temperature is up they spend the day searching for food. Earthworms, crickets and grasshoppers, salamanders, toads and frogs are favorites. Because nights this time of year are cool, Garter Snakes return to underground dens to avoid the lowest temperatures of the day. These long, slim snakes are the last to go into hibernation each fall and the first to come out each spring.
34. Waterfowl Waves download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Almost like clockwork, as soon as lakes, rivers and ponds have open water, ducks and geese appear. They don’t all arrive at once, but rather come north in waves. As day length increases, waterfowl become restless and anxious to migrate north to their breeding grounds. Ice-covered waters prevent their northward progress. Spring storms also hold them back. Congregations of waterfowl swell at times like this. Some flocks make short hops while others are content to wait for better conditions. Then within a day or two, they seem to vanish as they push north, leaving behind stragglers and those waterfowl that will stay to breed here in Pennsylvania. We will not see the migrants again until fall when they reverse direction as they travel south to their wintering sites.
35. Bluebird Holes download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Some male bluebirds spend the winter in Pennsylvania. These males are the first ones on territory as the weather warms. Other male bluebirds begin arriving this month. Soon after their return, these males search for and explore potential nest cavities. The best sites are snatched up quickly. After all, a male bluebird uses the nest site to show a female that he is a good provider and can offer a safe haven to raise young. So males check out dark holes in trees, nest boxes, clothesline poles, and about anywhere they can fit, provided there is good habitat nearby. If you are thinking about putting up a bluebird nest box, this is the time to do so. If you have one already in place, make sure it is cleaned out and marketable for prospective nesters.
36. Wake-up Time download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Imagine waking up from a long winter's nap of say, three or four months. You might feel like stretching your legs — all four of them — that is, if you were a chipmunk. And, of course, you would be ready for a good meal. Unlike gray and red squirrels that are active most of the winter, chipmunks spend those months hibernating in an underground burrow. Heart and breathing rates drop to a bare minimum. Body temperature is barely above freezing. They do not wake or eat during this time until their biological alarm clock wakes them. Then, over the course of several days, they regain normal functions. Chipmunks don't stockpile food as do other squirrels. Instead they must depend on a good layer of fat to meet their winter energy needs. So upon waking they must have quite an appetite.
37. Cardinal Duets download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: After a winter of relative quiet in our woodlands, hearing birds singing again is a real treat. One early songster is easily recognizable by its bright red plumage, dark mask, and crested head. You guessed it: a Northern Cardinal. Did you know that both male and female cardinals sing? In the early stages of courtship starting last month, males sing fragments of their song. By now courtship behavior begins to increase and countersinging takes place. This involves one cardinal singing a particular phrase and another matching that phrase. The first songster changes phrases with the second bird matching those changes. Countersinging occurs between rival males as an auditory sparing, but also takes place between male and female cardinals to cement the bond between them.
38. Quiet Crows download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Throughout most of the winter crows have appeared in large, noisy free-ranging flocks as they searched for food. Now a change in that behavior is happening. As crows enter their spring courtship they form smaller family units — most likely a breeding pair and their non-breeding young from the previous year. As nest building time approaches this group of crows will begin to hang out in a particular area day after day near suitable nesting trees. And they fall silent. In a week or two after this happens you might see a crow carrying branches and twigs to build a new nest or reinforce an old one from last year. You might even see a crow breaking dead branches off a tree for its nest. One thing for sure, though, you won’t hear much from crows once nesting begins.
39. Returning Redwings download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Winter doesn’t end for another month, but a sure sign that spring is coming will appear any day now. Male Red-winged Blackbirds will be returning to our area to find a piece of real estate to claim as their own. These glossy black birds with red shoulder patches return early to find the best neighborhood in which to set up housekeeping. After all, a good home — or in the case of blackbirds, a good nesting site — has a better chance of attracting a female. So, for the next two weeks, male Red-winged Blackbirds will defend their individual sites with song, conspicuous flashes of their red shoulder patches and short chases. They will be well settled in to their cattail marsh homes when the females make their way back north. Then the competition for mates will really heat up as their distinctive “konk-la-reee” calls will echo across the marshes.[insert Red-winged Blackbird calls here]
40. Raccoon Romance download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Imagine a winter romance that includes fur coats and a late night rendezvous. Both partners wear masks and if you were to eaves drop you would hear the pair — mostly the female — conversing in shrieks, growls, clicks and chitters. [insert raccoon audio clip] Definitely not a typical romantic interlude, that is, unless you are a raccoon. Male raccoons are wandering in search of prospective mates. Females not in the mood for the suitor’s attention are quick to verbalize their rebuffs. This can result in a lengthy and noisy chase up and down a tree as the female tries to escape her pursuer. Finally they meet nose to nose, sniffing each other and patting each other’s face. Once she selects a mate, the romance ends after a brief honeymoon. Then the raccoon couple go their separate ways.
41. Kestrel Courtship download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: February is a month for romance. After all, it’s when we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Among raptors, the small American Kestrel begins courtship this month. Shortly after the male kestrel establishes his territory, he begins making short flights in search of a mate. He tries to wow a prospective female with dives from 30 to 60 feet high, ending just above her head. Then he present’s her with food he has caught. It might not be as romantic as giving flowers or chocolate but, no doubt, shows that he is a capable provider. Once a bond is established between a pair, the male kestrel will lead the female through his territory to look at cavity nesting sites. And as with many couples, the female ultimately makes the final decision on where they will raise their young. That is romance kestrel style.
42. Red Twigs download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Fiery red against a backdrop of snow or the stark grayness of winter woods, the twigs of red osier or red-stemmed dogwood are a striking sight. This midsized shrub grows best in lowland forests, wet meadows and wetland edges. The twigs turn red in autumn after this dogwood loses its leaves. Songbirds, grouse, rodents and bears eat this dogwood’s white berries; deer, rabbits, meadow voles and beavers browse its bark and twigs; many animals find shelter in its dense stands. Native Americans knew this shrub as Kinnikinnik. They used its bark for medicinal purposes and its pliable twigs to make baskets. Because it tolerates extremely cold temperatures, its range extends far north of Pennsylvania. Overlooked most of the year, this dogwood shines in the winter.
43. Winter Raptors download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Winter is a great time to find raptors. Several species of raptors or birds of prey are residents in Pennsylvania while others move in for the winter months. A slow drive on back roads on a sunny winter’s day can reveal a number of these feathery predators. Our smallest falcon, the American Kestrel perches on utility lines overlooking grassy fields. Larger Red-tailed Hawks perch along roadsides surveying open areas. Northern Harriers glide and hover low over fields during the day and might be replaced by Short-eared Owls at dusk. Both light and dark Rough-legged Hawks add to the mix. Evergreen stands just might harbor a flock of Long-eared Owls. And some winters bring us an influx of Snowy Owls from the Arctic. Grab a field guide and binoculars and head out for your own winter raptor adventure.
44. Winter Desert download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: When we think of deserts we usually envision shifting sands, dry climate, and cactus. So how can Pennsylvania be like a desert? While we might not have the typical characteristics of Death Valley, cold winters do make Pennsylvania a functional desert. Winter frost, snow and ice lock up moisture in and on the soil. This frozen water is not available to plants during the winter months, just as water is not available most of the time in deserts. Most trees and shrubs have adapted to this lack of water by losing their leaves each fall. Others have thin, wax-coated leaves to minimize water loss and freezing. These are the pines, spruces and firs. Deciduous trees survive by going dormant in the winter until warmer temperatures and spring snowmelt or rain puts an end to our winter desert.
45. Bottoming Out download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Even though the hours of daylight have been increasing since late December it is still winter. Since mid-July when we reached the hottest days of the year, daily temperatures have been in a steady decline. Starting late this week temperatures bottom out as we experience what are normally the coldest days of the year. This cold spell usually lasts from the 18th through the 29th. After that the thermometer creeps slowly upward to warmer times. With the long cold spell in January, it is no wonder Native Americans referred to January as the month of the ice or cold moon. Even without thermometers, they were well aware of icy cold days this time of year, a time when the world was locked in ice and snow. And like us, they knew warmer days were coming.
46. Unexpected Guests download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Wherever winter birds congregate at feeders unexpected guests just might show up. Some could be unusual migrants from the north woods come to sample the fare. Just as likely could be a bird that has no interest in eating seeds. Instead, this raptor looks for a feathered meal. One likely raptor is the Cooper’s Hawk, a medium-sized bird of prey with a long tail and short, rounded wings designed for pursuing birds and small mammals through the forest at dizzying speeds. You might not notice a Cooper’s Hawk until it attacks. These raptors perch high up in a tree, biding their time to ambush an unsuspecting bird. The hawk will pounce on prey as large as doves, blue-gray wings flashing in the attack. Of course, small birds are quick to head for cover at the slightest provocation and often deprive a hungry Cooper’s Hawk of a meal.
47. Winter Reds download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: One native plant appears to celebrate the holiday season with bright red berries. On a drab winter day these eye-catching fruit look like tiny ornaments hung on leafless branches. This is winterberry holly or American winterberry. Unlike evergreen hollies, winterberry sheds its leaves each autumn. Winterberry grows in wetlands and offers its densely packed berries as gifts to small mammals, songbirds and game birds. You might find eastern bluebirds, wild turkeys or white-tailed deer enjoying these fruits. Once known as “fever bush,” winterberry served Native Americans as a treatment for winter fevers. Today, winterberry is used as a landscape plant offering its red fruits just in time for the holidays. Look for this native shrub in your travels. You can hardly miss its festive red berries, eye catchers not only for us, but also for birds and mammals.
48. Changing Seasons download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Yesterday our Sun reached its farthest point south in relation to Earth marking the Winter Solstice, the official beginning of winter. Historically the solstice was known as Midwinter. We now have 9 hours 13 minutes of daylight and well over 14 hours of night. The length of day and night will begin to shift slowly at first, but then somewhat faster as we move through the winter toward spring and then the Summer Solstice in June. The word solstice means sun standing still and refers to the fact that for several days in a row the sun appears to rise from the same point on the horizon before it begins shifting back north again. Many ancient cultures celebrated this time as a turning point, a time of rebirth. They knew that after these cold days of winter spring was not too far away.
49. Forest Chat download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: On-line chat rooms might be popular these days, but Great Horned Owls had their own version long before computers were around. Each year in mid to late winter, these large owls begin to call with a series of hoots that sound like they are saying, “Who’s awake? Mee too!” [insert Great Horned Owl audio] Male owls do this to establish and maintain a territory that can be as big as two square miles. The male defends this territory from intruders by hooting from a number of perches. In the process, Great Horned Owl hoots also attract a mate or reinforce the bond with its mate from the previous year. Two owls will chat back and forth through a winter night with first one owl calling then the other answering in real time.
50. Ice Up download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: As daily temperatures continue to drop, ponds quickly lose their heat to the cold air. Night after night water temperatures edge downward just a bit until one night it happens: ice forms. Fortunately for aquatic animals like frogs, turtles and many insects, ice forms at the surface of the pond. If it formed at the bottom, those critters hibernating in the mud would freeze. As it is, these pond creatures get a little assistance in cold weather. Ice forming over the surface of a pond actually seals in what little heat is left. The ice protects the pond waters from cold winds that would otherwise rob the water of its meager heat. This keeps the pond and its inhabitants from freezing solid except in the most extreme conditions. Even though this first ice might not last through the day, it won't be long before ponds and lakes are locked tight for the winter.
51. The Journey download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Imagine setting off on a journey of several thousand miles. You put on some extra weight before you go. Then you leave without either map or food, taking only the clothes on your back. You rely on instinct to guide you, a built-in compass and keen survival skills to sustain you on your trip. Could you reach your destination? Every year hundreds of thousands of waterfowl take to the skies and begin such a journey. Lakes and rivers and even ponds and streams become rest stops for these migrating birds. Ducks, geese, swans and other waterbirds stop in north central Pennsylvania to rest and feed before continuing south. Among the typical visitors this time of year are loons, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, mergansers and coots. Some will linger a day, others several weeks. Then it is off on the next leg of their journey.
52. Foxy Sparrows download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Often around this time of year a bird appears under feeders that you might not have noticed before. It is a large sparrow with a rusty tail, gray face, reddish streaked chest and back, and a rufous cap. This is a Fox Sparrow, a bird that spends its summers in more northern climes. In November Fox Sparrows start showing up around bird feeders as they push south. Sometimes one will stay for quite a while before slipping to warmer places. These sparrows attract attention because of how they feed. Fox Sparrows are ground feeders, often kicking backward in leaf litter with both feet to uncover food. When doing this under a feeder they make hulls and seeds fly. If you feed birds, keep a sharp lookout for Fox Sparrows. It’s a great bird to add to your feeder list.
53. Bird Restaurants download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: If a new restaurant opened in your town, but did no advertising whatsoever, chances are it would be a while before you found out about it and tried their fare. A similar situation happens when you put out bird feeders this time of year. Birds aren’t aware that there is food waiting for them and it might be some time before they discover this new food source. If natural foods are abundant birds will take advantage of those first. Mild temperatures keep seeds and berries available longer than in wintry conditions, so birds forage for these natural foods. But once colder temperatures arrive and snow covers the ground, birds search more widely for food. Once birds discover feeders they supplement their natural foods at a time when they need the additional energy and food is scarce. Be patient; they will come.
54. White Throats download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The peak migration for a handsome sparrow occurs about now. This rusty-backed bird has dark stripes on the crown of its head and a dark line extending through each eye. A yellow “eyebrow” in front of each eye adds a bit of color. But the most striking feature is a conspicuous biblike white throat-patch that gives this bird its name: White-throated Sparrow. Although a few of these sparrows breed in the Pocono Mountains and others at higher elevations in northern Pennsylvania, most breed across Canada. They begin trickling south into our state in September, with increasing numbers from about mid-October through mid-November. Numbers of these sparrows gradually taper off by December. However, you might just see a White-throated Sparrow or two at your bird feeders well into the winter months. Typical sparrows they spend a lot of time feeding on the ground.
55. Danger Zone download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: This time of year our deciduous forests should have signs reading: “Danger, Hard Hat Area.” It’s not because of construction, but rather the falling of black walnuts from high in the forest canopy. With a hearty crashing sound these green to brown, golf-ball sized missiles hurtle to the ground. Once there, the green husk turns brown and begins to flake off revealing a hard nutshell inside. Although difficult for us to break, gray squirrels come equipped with tools to open the nuts. Sharp incisors make quick work of the shells, revealing the tasty and nutritious nutmeat inside. Nuts that aren’t eaten are often buried until later, sometimes never to be found again until they have sprouted into new walnut trees. So walnuts sustain squirrels and squirrels unwittingly plant the nuts to sustain the walnut population. What a wonderful relationship that is!
56. Saw-Whets download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: It’s tiny, bright-eyed, active on late October nights and makes strange tooting calls. If you guessed it to be Pennsylvania’s smallest owl, you are correct. On moonlit nights each autumn, Northern Saw-whet Owls are drifting through the night on silent wings. By day they roost in low foliage, but the “whitewash” under their conifer roosts is a sure clue to their presence. Standing only seven to eight inches tall, these tiny owls begin hunting at dusk for mice or sometimes insects or small birds. Saw-whet owls are migrating through Pennsylvania this time of year but the tiny, nocturnal raptors are rarely seen or heard. Just how far these migrating owls travel or where they spend the winter is still something of a mystery. To confuse matters even more, some saw-whet owls spend the winter right here in our conifer forests.
57. Old Gold download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: From Canada south to Delaware, autumn brings a bit of gold to forests. The round, quivering leaves of quaking aspen glow like golden sunlight each autumn. Aspen trees are known as ecological pioneers, one of the first tree species to establish itself after a disturbance by fire or landslide. These sun-tolerant trees grow quickly, but live only a short 40 or 50 years. And yet, an aspen grove could be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. What we know as aspen trees — trunk, branches and leaves — are really clones sent up from a well-established root system. Weighing in at 32 tons to the acre, these root systems cover tens to over one hundred acres underground. Individual aspen trunks share water and nutrients taken in by the massive root systems. So that autumn gold could just be the result of centuries of growth.
58. Inky Caps download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: When it first comes up, it looks reminiscent of a British lawyer’s wig. The white bell-shaped cylindrical cap of this mushroom is covered with large, shaggy buff, tan or brown scales and is perched atop a tall, slender white stem. More popularly, this autumn mushroom is known as a shaggy mane. You can find shaggy mane mushrooms growing in wood chips, grass, or bare, hard-packed soil, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or thousands over the period of a few weeks each fall. Within twenty-four to forty-eight hours these stately mushrooms quickly disintegrate into a dripping, black goo. This happens when the cap releases self-digesting enzymes that help release its spores. During colonial times, this black substance was used to make ink. So, it’s not surprising that one of the names for this mushroom is inky cap.
59. Woodland Alarm download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: If you walk through an autumn forest this time of year, you just might be startled by a strange “chock chock” sound repeated every couple of seconds. Although some people might think this call is from a bird or a frog, it is actually the scolding call of an eastern chipmunk. These furry little creatures spend much of their time from late summer through fall gathering and stock-piling seeds and nuts for their winter hibernation. The scolding calls could be a warning triggered by another chipmunk’s intrusion into the caller’s territory. Or perhaps the chipmunk is not happy that you interrupted its busy routine. Get too close to the caller and it is likely to give a series of loud chips and squeaks as it runs along the ground only to disappear down a hole into the safety of its burrow.
60. Feathered Deer download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: You might notice an abundance of Killdeer in certain locations this time of year. Their “killdee killdeer” calls make them easy to recognize. Killdeer are one of the most common and widely distributed shorebirds in Pennsylvania. From August through October, Killdeer are making their way to the southern part of the country where they will spend the winter months. During migration stopovers, Killdeer frequent open areas with short grass such as golf courses, field edges, pastures or even plowed fields. They turn up on shorelines of ponds, lakes and rivers and mudflats. As soon as the ground freezes, Killdeer move south and by mid-to late November, few remain behind. But come next March, these upland plovers with double black bands on their breasts, slender wings and long tail, will return to our area to nest and raise their young once again.
61. Dragonfly Migration download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Birds and butterflies are not the only creatures that migrate to warmer climates in the fall. Some species of dragonflies move south for the cold winter months, too. The best known of these migratory dragonflies is the Common Green Darner, a three–inch long insect. Green Darners store fat during the summer before migrating, much like birds do. And also like birds, they take advantage of tailwinds produced by cold fronts out of the north. And just as migrating hawks use air currents along ridge tops in Pennsylvania, so do Green Darners. But, sharing the skies with migrating raptors sometimes comes with a price. American Kestrels, small falcons, often feed on migrating dragonflies in the late afternoons. Why do these dragonflies migrate? Like their feathery counterparts, these insect-eaters head south to ensure they have a continuous food supply during the winter months.
62. Swallow Flocks download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: They gather in fives and tens, twenties and thirties this time of year. You can see them sitting on utility lines or flying to nightly roosts before sunset. This post-breeding flocking behavior of Tree Swallows begins once young leave their nests. They vacate their breeding area and join other new fledglings and adults. The birds gather at the best available food source over fields or lakes. These family groups join other swallow families and their numbers grow. These flocks feed, preen, bathe, roost, and fly together throughout migration. Tree swallows migrate later than most birds. Although swallows are insect eaters and linger until the weather turns, they can switch to eating berries to get through periods of cold weather. Sometimes other species of swallows join these large flocks of Tree Swallows as they finally move farther south for the winter.
63. Flying Cigars download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: A black cloud swirls in a clear, twilight sky, twisting about as it flies overhead. A chimney appears to suck down this living cloud as darkness falls. Chimney swifts, gathering for fall migration, have found a roost for the night. Swifts look like dark, flying cigars with long, narrow curved wings. Their small, weak feet only allow them to cling to vertical surfaces; they cannot perch like most birds. During the day swifts ply the air with rapid wingbeats and open mouths gobbling up insects while performing aerial acrobatics. Their nightly roosts in chimneys can be their undoing, however. Cooling autumn nights prompt people to kindle fires in their fireplaces or call a chimney sweep to clean the chimneys. Swifts fall victim to both each year. But the ones that survive make their way south to spend the winter where food is abundant.
64. Foliar Flagging download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Billboards along travel routes lure humans from interstate highways everyday. Similar advertising happens in nature. Before most trees show any change in leaf color, certain understory trees already have brightly colored foliage. Trees like spicebush and dogwoods change color early to lure migrating birds to their berries. The energy-rich, ripe berries are fuel for migrating birds. But with only a brief stopover in unfamiliar territory, how do birds find these nutritious snacks quickly? The trees advertise. Colorful leaves are like neon lights against the green forest making it easy for sharp-eyed birds to find this fast food. Scientists call this “foliar flagging.” It’s a real attention getter. What do the trees get in return? Birds carry their seeds to new sites sometimes miles away providing a long distance dispersal mechanism that helps ensure the trees’ survival.
65. Disappearing Moon download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Early Tuesday morning, the Moon disappears, eaten away by Earth’s shadow in this year’s second lunar eclipse. Unfortunately for us easterners, the Moon will be setting in the west as it reaches totality, when its surface is completely in shadow. Because a lunar eclipse only happens during a full moon, the Sun will be rising in the east as the Moon slips below the western horizon. Daylight will break across the morning sky as the Moon disappears from view. Even so, this eclipse is worth a look if clear skies prevail. Watch for the first hints of the eclipse at about 4:30 a.m., August 28th. Totality occurs near 6 a.m. Even though we will not have the best view of this eclipse, next year on February 21st, we will be in position to see an entire lunar eclipse from Pennsylvania.
66. Hellbenders download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: If you spend time around cold, clear streams or rivers with lots of rocks, you just might encounter a “devil dog.” That’s one name for Pennsylvania’s largest salamander. More commonly known as hellbenders, these flat-headed, baggy-skinned creatures can reach lengths of over two feet. An old belief that hellbenders ruin good trout streams couldn’t be farther from the truth. These harmless amphibians need cold, clear streams and rivers with sheltering rocks, habitat similar to what trout require. That makes hellbenders excellent indicators of good quality streams. Hellbenders feed primarily on crayfish and occasionally small fish. In turn, anglers sometimes catch them. If you would happen to catch one of these rare salamanders, don’t kill it. Instead, remove the hook and return it to the waters from which it came. Hellbender populations need our help to survive in Pennsylvania streams.
67. Lights in the Night download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Each August Earth passes through the debris of comet Swift-Tuttle. Small particles enter our atmosphere and put on a bright show of lights in the night. Many people consider this Perseid meteor shower with its fast, bright meteors to be the year’s best when seen under a dark sky. And this year’s new moon will provide excellent viewing conditions for the shower. Look low in the northeast beginning about 10 p.m. tonight for the apparent source of the shooting stars. By midnight this point will be well up in the northeast and highest overhead just before dawn tomorrow. For best viewing, find a dark site, lay back on the ground or a lawn chair and look up. Let your eyes adapt to the dark and with clear skies, the Perseid’s bright streaks in the night will provide natural fireworks.
68. Moon Moth download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: What has a wingspan of four to five inches, is lime green and flies at night? It just happens to be one of our largest moths, a Luna Moth. These beautiful and unusual moths with long projecting tails on their hind wings are a rare find. Their nocturnal habits combined with a short life span of about one week make Luna Moths a real surprise to find in nature. These wild members of the silk moth family feed on the foliage of walnut, hickory, sweet-gum, and persimmon. As adults they do not eat. Unmated females do not fly, but depend on attracting males through the use of a chemical perfume or pheromone. Luna Moths are declining due to habitat loss and pesticide use. As summer winds down Luna moths become more difficult to find, but there is still a chance to see one.
69. Thunder Moon download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The full moon has been the subject of countless folktales, poems and songs. Stories from various cultures describe the dark and light areas of the illuminated face of the moon showing a wide variety of images. We are most familiar with the “man in the moon” image, but some Native Americans saw a rabbit in the face of the moon. Some cultures saw a lady in the moon. Others saw a variety of animals. Tonight’s moon reaches its full phase at 8:48 p.m. It will be the brightest object in the night sky despite the fact that it is about 400,000 times fainter than the direct light of the Sun. And it is the sun’s reflected light that we call moonlight. So if the sky is clear, take a stroll under the Thunder Moon. What can you see in its face?
70. Monarchs download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Summer is the time for royalty. The orange and black Monarch butterfly reigns over fields, meadows and backyard gardens. Monarch caterpillars are hatching now from eggs hidden under milkweed leaves. The tiny green, black and white larva spends most of its time munching away on milkweed leaves taking in nourishment as well as toxins. Leaves provide energy for growth; toxins a means to survive. Following several growth phases, this eating machine slows and picks a sheltered resting site, sheds its skin and develops a chrysalis. After about two weeks a new adult Monarch butterfly emerges. By summer’s end, the Monarch butterfly’s reign is over. It is time to abdicate and move to more hospitable places before invading cold overthrows it. And so, it becomes just another traveler on a pilgrimage to a far away winter sanctuary.
71. Queen of the Meadow download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: There is a queen among summer wildflowers. She towers above other plants growing in summer meadows. She stands tall and stately from mid-summer until first frost, capped by a dusty rose crown of flowers. Native to central and eastern North America, this wildflower is sometimes called “queen of the meadow” for her stately air. Better known as Joe-pye weed it is a member of the aster family. It relishes partial to full sun, growing to a height of ten feet or more. Queen of the meadow has many loyal subjects visiting her blossoms. Bees, butterflies and other nectar sipping insects take advantage of her offerings. This wildflower’s curious common name comes from an historic use of the plant. It is supposedly named after a Native American who cured a typhus epidemic with it. His name was Joe Pye.
72. Sun Lovers download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Hanging out on warm summer days to catch the sun’s rays are the sun lovers. You’ll find them decked out in their sun dresses in whites, yellows and oranges with a few blues and reds mixed in. You won’t have to travel to a sandy beach to find these sun lovers. Rather, look along roadsides and in open meadows to find a variety of sun tolerant wildflowers. There you can see black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, foxglove, evening primrose, white snakeroot and many more. Where spring woodland wildflowers are the sprinters of the plant world, these summer wildflowers are the long distance runners. They bide their time, taking measured steps, covering the distance over a longer period. Many of these flowers will bloom for weeks and even months soaking up the sun’s rays until summer ends.
73. Summer Bird Song download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: All though spring and into early summer, a dawn chorus of birds serenaded us. Members of this chorus began appearing months ago. Others joined at an increasing pace, reaching a crescendo in late spring. With the heat of summer, feathered musicians slip from center stage to lurk behind their curtain of green leaves. Only a few remain, bursting into spontaneous song as they prowl about for food or fly from perch to perch. Taking their place is another group of musicians, the insects. They offer acoustic rather than vocal music and do so from dark night clubs rather than spotlighted concert halls. Most wear somber colors so they remain rather inconspicuous until they begin scritching and scratching, fiddling and filing. Their trills and chirps fill a gap in background sound as bird courtship wanes and buggy romance peaks.
74. Queen Anne's Lace download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Blooming along roadsides and in fields is a frilly, white flower. The flower head, composed of many small flowers, stands atop a two- to four-foot stalk. This European import is called wild carrot, but is better known as Queen Anne’s Lace after its lacy appearance. The reference to the first sovereign of Great Britain is due, supposedly, because Queen Anne enjoyed sewing fancy lace. In fact, if you look closely at the center of the flower you might see a dark spot representing a drop of blood from when the queen pricked her finger. This wildflower is actually the ancestor of our domesticated carrot. Although not native to our country, Queen Anne’s Lace is so widespread today that it is considered a naturalized plant. Because of its aggressive nature, this meadow wildflower is thought to be a weed by some people.
75. Firefly Nights download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Firefly nights begin in June and last into August. As twilight settles over summer fields, meadows and lawns, fireflies appear. Somewhat tentative at first, but with more certainty as darkness deepens, they flash their signals. First one here, then another there and soon they are everywhere. As soon as one flash catches your attention and fades, another prompts you to turn in a different direction. No matter how much fireflies fascinate us, their flashes serve another purpose. You see, only male fireflies flash and fly. The non-flying female waits in the grass for an appealing signal from a prospective mate. When she sees one she likes, she flashes back. He moves a little closer and lights up again. She responds. This continues until they get together and sparks fly. That is romance firefly style.
76. Wet Banjos download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: From local ponds, marshes and wetlands you can hear what sounds like plunking on a wet banjo. [audio of green frog calls] From the warm, shallow waters come the sounds of this musician that never seems to finish tuning its instrument. But then, it doesn’t need to, because it is a green frog. These common frogs look somewhat like a bullfrog but are slightly smaller with a pointed snout. Males have yellow throats and are responsible for the twangy calls. They serenade prospective females from the water or perched on the leaves of aquatic plants. Males put their whole body into making their low-pitched plunking sounds. With each call their throat and sides expand and then deflate. Triggered by warming waters, this annual courtship ritual can last well into the summer. Throughout that time you can hear the wet banjo plunk of green frogs.
77. Master Gliders download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Probably no one but a naturalist celebrates vultures. After all, these bare-headed birds aren’t brightly colored, they don’t sing sweetly and they rarely visit bird feeders. And, while slightly smaller than a Bald Eagle, vultures do not have the eagle’s powerful flight. To make matters worse, vultures hang around with rather disgusting company: dead animals. But, after all, it is their food. There is no disputing a Turkey Vulture’s mastery of the air, however. On summer days, once the sun has heated the ground warm air begins rising. Then it is vulture time. Vultures seem to lumber into the air from their nighttime roosts, but once they catch a thermal, the warm rising air transforms them into efficient, feathered flying machines that can soar on outstretched wings for hours. That is why these skilled gliders truly are worth celebrating.
78. Singing Wrens download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: From woodland edges and brushy thickets comes a musical torrent, a bubbling that rises in a frantic effort to fit too much song into too little time. Then without warning, the song switches abruptly to a discordant, scolding buzz. The source of all this racket is a small brown bird, a house wren or jenny wren. The Chippewa name for the wren translates into "making big noise for its size" a rather appropriate moniker. Male house wrens are the noisy guys, singing and scolding as they flit here and there defending their territories from actual and perceived intruders. They are also trying to attract a female to one of the several twig nests they have built, some of which are in the mostly unlikely of places. An interested female gets a thorough guided tour of future accommodations complete with a serenade.
79. Weaving Stacks download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Weaving a hanging sack is an intricate undertaking, especially if you don’t have hands. But the Baltimore Oriole is up to the task. Using its beak, the female oriole carries one long fiber at a time to the drooping tip of a twig. Hanging on to the bobbing twig with her feet, she secures the first fibers, forming a loose framework. Into this she weaves additional strands of grass, grapevine bark, milkweed stems, thread, or yarn. Once the outer walls of this hanging hammock are complete, the oriole begins on the interior. Here she switches to softer materials, shaping the hanging sack with her body and finally lining it with soft, downy fibers that will cushion and insulate the eggs and hatchlings. The several day process produces a one-use, woven nest that makes a fine cradle for young orioles.
80. Frothy Bug download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Walk along a meadow and you’ll see what looks like spit on certain plants. Rather than being left by a passerby, this foam is created by an insect, known quite appropriately as a spittlebug. Related to aphids and cicadas, it belongs to the order Homoptera or true bugs. It is the immature spittlebug or nymph that creates the “spit” while sucking sap from the plant. Positioned head down, the young spittlebug sucks in the sap, pumps it through its body, and expels what is left. As this sap mixes with air it turns to foam, much like the froth on a cappuccino. For the spittlebug, the foam provides a safe haven from predators. The foam also cools the young spittlebug and prevents it from drying out. If you want to see the spittlebug, just blot off the spit and take a peek.
81. Dragonfly Emergence download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Growing up is a difficult process. Starting from an egg deposited into the warm, summer water of a pond or wetland and transforming into a winged predator is an amazing accomplishment. Dragonfly eggs, attached to an aquatic plant, hatch into an underwater adolescent that only faintly resembles an adult. For a year or more this water stage stalks the muddy bottom searching for prey. Early one May morning it climbs a cattail stem, clamps tight and splits its protective body covering. Ever so slowly it pushes out of its old exoskeleton, emerging into a different phase of its life. Pumping fluids into folded wings, it prepares to make its maiden voyage as an adult dragonfly. As the morning sun warms and hardens its outer covering, the transformation is complete. An adult dragonfly has emerged.
82. April Showers download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: What would spring be without an April shower? Tonight there is a very special shower best experienced under a clear sky. This is not a meteorological shower, but rather a meteor shower. The Lyrid meteor shower reaches its maximum of up to a dozen meteors an hour during the night. Unfortunately, the waxing six-day-old crescent Moon interferes with viewing until after 2 a.m. At that time the point from which the meteors seem to radiate will be about halfway up in the eastern sky. You don’t need a telescope or binoculars to view the Lyrid meteors. In fact, the naked eye is usually best to see them. And while the Lyrid meteor showers won’t provide moisture for May flowers, the ancient Chinese called them "stars that fell like rain."
83. Spring Fling download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: By now spring is in full swing and signs of the season are almost everywhere. Life is indeed stirring at an increasingly faster pace each day. Ducks, geese and swans are moving into and through our area, spending a day or two at local lakes or on the river before moving farther north. Songbirds are slipping back to their summer haunts. Many are adding their voices to the dawn chorus. And the first wildflowers are blooming in sunlit haunts in our woodlands. By now turtles are rousing in forests while others drowse in the warming sun along pond edges. Snakes are returning to their usual homes in woods, fields and streams. With all this activity, it’s as though we’re surrounded by a natural spring fling.
84. Maple Blush download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: There’s a kind of blush all over the woods right now. It is a subtle reddish tint easily visible from a distance. I suppose it could be called the blush of spring for it represents the stirring of new growth in red maple trees. Red flowers appear on these maples long before the leaves open, providing the reddish wash of color to our forests. Red maples grow quite well in both lowland and upland forests in either wet or dry soil conditions. With a decline in oak trees in Pennsylvania forests, red maple numbers have been on the rise. Because of this shift in forest composition, red maple adds more color to an early spring landscape than ever in the past — the blush of spring.
85. Hoop Snake download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Only today might one encounter a Pennsylvania hoop snake. They are certainly something to be reckoned with. Their length and color vary according to the teller, but there is no mistaking a hoop snake from the way it moves. When a hoop snake travels, it grabs its tail with its poison stinger in its mouth. It rolls along like a wagon wheel until it finds something to sting. Then it whips the stinger out of its mouth and quickly lashes out with its tail. If you happen to see a hoop snake rolling toward you, the best thing to do is jump behind a tree. Then when it lashes out with its stinger, the worst that can happen is that it will kill the tree. Or so the story goes.
86. Tundra Swans download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Tundra Swans are making an appearance on lakes and slow-moving sections of the Susquehanna River. These large white birds are easily recognized by their long, straight necks; black bill with a yellow spot at its base; black, webbed feet; and black tips on otherwise white wings and body. And there is no mistaking their 14-foot plus wingspan. The main Tundra Swan migration is in a narrow diagonal band across Pennsylvania from southeast to northwest. However, weather patterns can disrupt this migration path. These nocturnal migrants might stay for a week or more, flying out to feed in grain fields in the morning, then back to water later in the day. Eventually, they will continue their journey to the Arctic Tundra arriving in time for summer nesting.
87. Coltsfoot download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Like sunshine springing from the earth, the yellow flowers of Coltsfoot brighten roadsides brown with winter’s dead leaves. Balanced on a pale, scaly stem much like that of an asparagus stalk, each flower looks like a flat-topped dandelion. But make no mistake, for these leafless wildflowers appear before the first dandelions of the season. Coltsfoot flowers close at the end of the day, opening in the morning sun. On overcast days they remain tightly shut to protect their precious pollen. Honeybees take advantage of this early bloomer. It won’t be until after Coltsfoot has gone to seed that its leaves appear. They are large and in the shape of a young horse’s foot. Until then, the yellow flowers bring a little sun to roadsides.
88. Sap Flow download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Warm, sunny days following cold, clear nights stimulate the flow of sap in sugar maple trees. When the sapwood within a maple rises above freezing, increasing pressure pushes the sap in all directions. A broken branch or hole tapped into the tree trunk acts as an outlet for this pressure and sap leaks out. Individual trees differ in their response to warming temperatures. Some trees respond almost immediately with dripping sap, while others take more time to show signs of sap flow. The exact mechanism that causes sap flow is not completely understood. But mystery or not, turning maple sap into maple syrup is a well-understood process. We have temperature fluctuations and sugar maples to thank for that sweet golden syrup flowing over our pancakes.
89. Redwing Return download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Officially, spring does not begin for slightly more than two weeks, but biologically, there are signs that it has started. One sign is the return of Red-winged Blackbirds in late February or early March each year. Returning flocks sweep across the sky, landing in noisy groups in trees and wetlands. The glossy black male redwings sport bright red shoulder patches and come early to stake out the best nesting locations. Even though they might face snowy days and cold temperatures for a time, the males defend their territories in cattail marshes, wet fields, pond edges and ditches awaiting the arrival of females a few weeks from now. With song and puffed out red shoulders, the male Red-winged Blackbirds proclaim that spring is here.
90. Fluff balls download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: The general rule among animals is that the bigger they are, the better they can withstand cold climate. Not so for the Black-capped Chickadee. This little black, gray and white bird, weighing about the same as a handful of paperclips, survives quite well in cold weather. In early winter chickadees begin hiding seeds for times when food is scarce. They also grow new feathers for the winter months, giving them a heavier coat. On the coldest days, chickadees fluff up their feathers, trapping warm air that protects them from below-freezing temperatures. For energy they eat the equivalent of 250 sunflower seeds a day, adding 10 percent to their body weight that they use at night to keep warm. Not bad for a little ball of fluff.
91. Look-alike Woodpeckers download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: A common woodpecker that visits backyards during the winter months is the Downy Woodpecker. This small black-and-white woodpecker found in or near woods is particularly fond of suet. Male Downy Woodpeckers have a patch of red on the back of their heads that sets them apart from the unmarked females. A tuft of bristly feathers at the base of the small bill is what gives this woodpecker its name. The similar, but larger, Hairy Woodpecker also visits feeders, particularly if there are more mature woodlands nearby. They also prefer suet. Hairy Woodpeckers have distinctly longer bills than the downy’s short one. Next time you see a black-and-white woodpecker at your feeder, look closely to determine if it is a Downy or a Hairy Woodpecker.
92. Snowfleas download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Warm, sunny days in a winter woods bring what looks like pepper sprinkled on the snow around the base of a tree. A closer look might reveal that these black specks move. If they do, they are tiny creatures called snowfleas, also known as springtails. They live in soil and leaf litter. On cold winter days springtails are not active, but warmer temperatures bring them to the surface of the snow where they demonstrate how they earned their name. Each springtail has two prongs or “tails” on the tip of its back end. These tuck underneath its body, held in place by two hooks. When a springtail releases these hooks, the tails push down and back catapulting the springtail into the air like animated pepper grains.
93. Warm and Cozy download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: When we are warm and cozy in our snug homes on a cold winter’s day, animals are left to face the worst that winter throws their way. They survive quite well because they have their own methods of coping with the cold. In order to survive winter, animals can leave, sleep or gorge themselves. Many birds simply leave each fall, avoiding winter altogether, returning when the weather warms again. Groundhogs, bats, bears and chipmunks take a different approach. They stay behind, but sleep through the coldest days of the year. Many familiar animals like squirrels, deer and rabbits face winter head on, taking shelter only in the worst conditions. They search for food as a source of fuel to keep them warm until spring finally arrives.
94. Winters Canvas download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: When a winter storm drapes the land with a fresh white canvas of snow, animals paint a story for all who wish to see. Tracks become the signature of each animal traveling through the snow. They reveal a glimpse into the life of the animal artist, a vignette that we often don’t see in the summer. An animal’s trail through the snow is much like an artist’s brush stroke across canvas, providing clues to a much larger image. Follow the trail and elements of the animal’s life begin to take form revealing a clearer picture of its interactions with other animals and with the winter environment. And like all works-in-progress, you just might have to return periodically to understand what the artist will reveal.
95. Promise of Spring download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Deep in a seemingly barren winter woodland lies the promise of spring in an embryonic form sheltered from winter’s cold temperatures and drying winds. Wrapped in a coat of armor against winter’s worst weather, flower and leaf buds remain dormant until spring when warmth and moisture trigger their awakening. These buds formed late in the summer, hidden at the base of the leaf stems. Inside each bud is a miniature leaf or flower, ready to explode in a rush of growth after winter’s dormancy. Each spring this “head start” system allows trees and other woody plants to grow rapidly once the weather changes. This bud break fulfills a promise that began more than six months ago — a promise that springs to life each year.
96. Winter Blues download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: As bluebird populations continue to surge back, more and more Eastern Bluebirds are spending the winter in northeastern Pennsylvania. On warmer days, these insect eaters scour their habitat for bugs. During colder spells, bluebirds sustain themselves on fruit. Berries of native and ornamental shrubs provide an energy rich diet to get these birds through the coldest days of winter. And on frigid winter nights, bluebirds crowd into nesting boxes in groups of five or more. All those feathery bodies raise the temperature inside the house and keep them snug and warm for the night. On a cold morning you just might see several sunning themselves, enjoying what little warmth the winter sun provides. And never do bluebirds seem brighter than against a backdrop of snow covered fields.
97. Hollywood Hawks download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. By Hollywood standards, the Red-tailed Hawk is a celebrity. Its shrill cry [Red-tailed Hawk audio] has appeared in countless movies representing just about any raptor in the world. Here in Pennsylvania, the Redtail is the most conspicuous hawk of winter. These large raptors with their broad wings and ruddy tail are widely distributed across the state. These highly adaptive raptors are generalists and eat almost anything. Snakes, toads, lizards, skunks, rabbits, rodents, birds, and carrion are all fair game. But rodents are the main staple of their diet. On crisp winter days you might see one perched in open country along an interstate, its underside a glaring white as it faces the morning sun, a star of nature playing an important role under a solar spotlight.
98. Cattail Comfort download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Walk through a cattail marsh this time of year and the frozen world appears rather devoid of life. The north wind sends fluffy cattail seeds skidding across the ice and the brown leaves rattle like bare bones. But life is there, deep inside the cigar-shaped cattail head buried in a fluffy cattail comforter. Pull apart one of these seed heads and you just might find the half-grown yellow-and-brown striped caterpillar of the cattail moth spending the winter. Using silken strands, the caterpillar binds the seed head together preventing winter winds from scattering it hither and yon. Inside the comfort of its insulated home the caterpillar spends the winter safe and warm until spring arrives and it continues its development into a moth.
99. Winters Green download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. By now most plants, especially ferns, are brown and withered. That is except for Christmas fern. Its deep green fronds remain evergreen throughout the year. Early Europeans prized these leathery fronds for a bit of green holiday decoration. Visit a winter woodland and you might discover the fern fronds lying flat on the ground. On closer inspection you can see that the small leaflets have an “ear” at the base making them appear somewhat like green Christmas stockings. The scaly stalks support the one to two foot tall fronds. Next spring tender fiddleheads will push through the soil adding new leaves to the old. Until then, these large evergreen ferns add a bit of green to an otherwise drab winter forest.
100. Mantis Eggs download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Do you decorate with a cut or live evergreen tree? Have you checked closely for a present hidden in the branches? Look for a tan to brownish structure about 3 inches long attached to a branch. It looks and feels like a bit of frothy Styrofoam, but is actually the egg case from a praying mantis. A few days in a nice warm house stimulates the eggs to hatch. You just might wake up to find 100-200 tiny mantises climbing about looking for food. The problem is how to feed these insects in the winter. So check before decorating your tree. If you find an egg case, carefully snip it off and put it in a sheltered spot in your garden. This natural gift will open next spring.
101. Winter Ways download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Animals have several strategies for surviving the winter. Many birds and some insects leave their summer haunts behind and travel to warmer places. Warblers, swallows, thrushes, monarchs and green darners travel south. Others stay behind, yet avoid winter altogether. Groundhogs, chipmunks, bears and bats spend months preparing for the coming cold, then head to ground for the duration. They use the “big sleep” strategy and never experience winter’s worst. The rest stay behind and embrace, or at least endure, winter. They bundle up, fluff up or stock up. Foxes grow heavier coats, chickadees trap air between their feathers and squirrels store food for energy. Since animals cannot forecast the weather any better than us, each in its own way prepares for the worst.
102. "Sleeping" Bears download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Turn over a log, pick up a piece of firewood, or rake up leaves and you just might discover a sleeping bear. No, not a black bear, but rather a woolly bear. These furry-looking caterpillars have a rusty middle band and black ends. If you uncover one this time of year, you have disturbed a hibernating caterpillar. Curled up like miniature hedgehogs, woolly bears are hibernating through the winter. Since they produce a natural antifreeze, they are able to withstand below-freezing temperatures with no physical damage. By April or May as the weather warms, wooly bears will rouse and resume feeding for a brief time. Then they will find a sheltered place to spin a cocoon where they will metamorphose into Isabella tiger moths. These moths will mate and begin the cycle all over again.
103. Wind Riders download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Like tiny paratroopers crowded together in their jump plane, milkweed seeds stand ready to ride autumn winds. These small, flattened seeds are stacked inside the dried pods attached to silken strands. A gusty autumn wind coaxes these wind riders to “jump” from the shelter of the pod and travel to unknown destinations. With any luck, these tiny parachutists will land on favorable ground. There, after winter’s triggering cold they will sprout next spring and grow into the familiar milkweed plants of summer. Although the silken strands aid in this process, they once served Native Americans as insulation in their moccasins during the cold of winter. And, during World War II, milkweed silk was used to stuff life preservers. Quite a leap from air to water.
104. Bee Prepared download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Creatures like bees and wasps are ill prepared to survive winter. Since they do not produce their own body heat, freezing temperatures become a life and death problem. For bald-faced hornets, the builders of the gray football-shaped nests, winter survival depends on one individual. Once freezing temperatures arrive, the members of the hive die, all except for the queen. She seeks out a sheltered spot to spend the winter. She hibernates underground or in the dead wood of a snag or log. Insulated from the worst of the cold, she sleeps the winter away emerging in the spring to lay eggs and start a new colony of hornets. So, for bald-faced hornets, the survival of the species is solely dependent on the ability of a few individuals to endure winter’s cold.
105. Alien Brains download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. They look like alien brains: wrinkled, green to yellow balls up to six inches in diameter. These strange looking objects are actually the fruit of Osage orange trees. Somewhat rare today in Pennsylvania, Osage orange was planted by farmers in the 1800s as a living fence. After about 4 to 5 years its thick growth and inch-long thorns make it a formidable barrier to cattle and horses, once described as "horse high, bull strong, and hog tight." The name Osage orange comes in part from the fact that Osage Indians lived in the tree’s midwestern home range. The ripening fruit gives off an orange-like odor providing the other part of its name. This strange-looking fruit is a most unusual sight once the leaves have fallen.
106. Cloaked Flyer download (audio/mp3, 0.00Mb) Description: Welcome to the Nature Notebook. On warmer days this time of year you might be surprised to see a dark butterfly with yellowish wing edges flitting around wooded areas. This is a mourningcloak butterfly and it has come out of hiding to enjoy the warmth. These butterflies spend the winter as adults, hidden in protected bark crevices, woodpiles, and outbuildings. Here they endure the long winter until temperatures in the 50s and 60s coax them from their sanctuaries to bask in the winter sun. Once colder temperatures return, they disappear again, waiting for spring to arrive. Then they seek out mates, court and lay eggs, beginning a new generation. This life cycle makes them one of the longer-lived butterflies, rivaling monarchs. Their winter seclusion gives them over a ten-month lifespan.
107. Harvestman