Look closely and you'll see...

What a week at the nature center! There's been lots of rain (lots and lots and lots...), but it hasn't stopped animals from being active.

Monday afternoon, second graders from an area school were doing an aquatics class. We were taking samples from an ephemeral pond (one that dries up by the end of spring) and found fairy shrimp. They are tiny - less than one inch long. I didn't take this picture (didn't have a camera with me) but we were fascinated by the ways the fairy shrimp moved. The feathery gills fluttered like they were doing the wave - from the head to the tail and back towards the head. Very cool...

On Tuesday, I was at the Lilly Property with the Heritage E-STEM 7th graders doing prairie studies. While walking down one of the main trails, we spotted a fawn - not more than three feet off the path. This gave us a great opportunity to have the students apply what they'd recently learned about natural selection - what the advantage is to a species to have the young all be born at the same time. We talked about the way fawns defend themselves and saw this played out when the second group of students came out later in the morning . Since it really can't fight to protect itself, a fawn will remain still and try to blend in. That strategy hadn't really work since it was right next to the trail and we could all see it. But by the time the second group came out, the fawn had moved (or been moved by mom). The students (while looking for live traps we had set) found the fawn - hunkered down in more of a brushy area nearer to the woods. We haven't seen it since Tuesday, but assume it is alive and well.

Crossing and recrossing the prairie, I've spotted garter snakes - two smaller ones (about a foot long) and one biggie - almost three feet long!

There have been lots of ticks - mostly wood ticks (dog ticks), but some deer ticks, too. (Feeling itchy now?) Waiting for the bus to arrive today with yet another group of 7th graders, I saw this insect on the curbing. What a fabulous color -

And finally - the main section of the Lilly Prairie was burned today. The very last group of 7th graders to come out today got to see the beginning of the burn. The person in charge of the burn, Craig, stopped by and talked with the class about the impact fire has on prairie plants. What a great way to end an amazing week.