Hummers

It sounds like a giant insect buzzing above your head. A flash of green and red and you spot the male hummingbird zooming after another hummingbird. One of the most amazing birds, hummingbirds can fly not only forward and down, but they can move up and backwards. When flying forward, they can flap their wings 80 times in a second. (Try flapping your arms as fast as you can for one minute - how did you do?)

Males have a red throat; the females' throats are white like their bellies. Sometimes, it's hard to spot the red throat, but wait a second and when the bird turns, you'll spot the iridescence.


Is this hummingbird male or female?

This time of year, more hummingbirds may turn up at your feeders since some from up north have begun migrating. Hummers are territorial, so you may notice one coming to your feeder only to be chased away by another. Listen carefully - you can hear the buzzing of their wings and the chittering noises they make as they scold one another.

In the Twin Cities, you can keep your feeders out until about mid-October. The migrating hummingbirds are hungry and there aren't too many blooming flowers left at that time. Mix one part sugar to four parts water to make your own nectar. Don't color the nectar - the birds don't need it. The feeders usually have red on them and that will attract the hummingbirds.

Feed the birds and enjoy the antics of those amazing hummingbirds!

"I Saw a Baby Monarch" Really?

I've been doing some public programs about monarchs lately. This is the time of year that we can start tagging monarchs since from here on the monarchs that hatch will be migrating to Mexico. At some point in the program, someone usually says something about seeing "baby monarchs." The idea that a butterfly will hatch out at one size and then grow larger is something people don't seem to think is odd. Yet, if you think about the metamorphosis that butterflies go through, you'd realize that a butterfly emerges at the size it will be for the rest of its life.

So, what are the "babies" that people think they are seeing? Well, there are several butterflies that look similar to monarchs. There is the American Copper, the Meadow Fritillary, the American Lady, Viceroys, and the Tawny Emperor.


Meadow Fritillary



Painted Lady



Viceroy

 I suppose if you glimpsed one of these butterflies, you might think it was a monarch - just a small one. But now you know better!

Definitely NOT the Dog Days of Summer

This morning, I woke up to the lowest temperature in many weeks - it was only about 49F. After weeks of summer heat, with the overnight lows never dropping below the 60s, it is heavenly to fell the need for blankets and closed windows overnight. This time of year is often referred to as "The Dog Days of Summer" so called because of the reappearance of Sirius, the Dog Star of the constellation Canis Major. (My favorite constellation, Orion, is now again visible, but only in the last hours of night, just before dawn.) I'm not naive enough to think we won't have hot temperatures at some point in the next month, but for now, I'm enjoying being cold!

Bison Buggy

Last Wednesday, a group of us from the nature center had the opportunity to visit Belwin Conservancy's property where "the buffalo roam." Belwin has a group of about 28 two-year-old female bison that roam freely in a large restored prairie.

The Conservancy staff have studied the effects of the bison on the prairie - Do grasses do better than forbs? Do certain kinds of grasses grow better where the bison walk regularly? Is the quality of the meat different for bison grazing on prairie grasses versus those grazing on standard fields? (Yes!) The buggy is able to get close to the herd (which is used to the sound and motion of the vehicle) and gave us a really good look at the animals.

As we wrapped up our visit, the staff let us collect a few artifacts to add to the props we use in our prairie classes. Naturalists - we like weird stuff!

It's Both the Heat and the Humidity

On average, the Twin Cities has around 15 days of temperatures 90F or higher a year. But the oddness of this year continues. After a remarkably warm spring (especially March), the trend continues. Yesterday, we reached 90F or warmer for the 21st time. And it was the 22nd consecutive day of temperatures over 85F. Today is the anomaly - it stayed in the 70s. The humidity was high again, so it felt warmer than it was, but at least we weren't dealing with heat indices in the 100s. That's coming back this weekend! Stay cool!

Hearing Nature

Hike out to your favorite natural spot. Get comfortable. Close your eyes. And just listen...

caw caw caw
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
buzz-z-z-z-z-z
cheerio-cheeri up
peep peep peep
pee-o-ee

The woods at the Marie Property rang with birdsong - chickadees, crows, pewees, robins, wild turkey chicks, and many others that I didn't know. The cicadas sounded close by as their high pitched buzzing cut through the trills, chirps and warbles of the birds. A crashing sound in the underbrush marked the trail of a rabbit.

Take time to listen. Nature speaks as much as it shows.

How Animals Beat the Heat

I’m sitting in my air conditioned house trying to find ways to avoid going outside because of the oppressive heat. I’m not exaggerating using that word: oppressive. In fact, there is an Oppressive Heat Warning for the Twin Cities area. It’s 98ºF with a dew point of 71. (I’ve decided I will try really hard to to be a good person because this is must be what hell is like.)

So, this got me wondering about what animals do when the weather is hot like this – they can’t get out of it like humans do, so how do wild animals deal with heat?

Sweat It Out: Horses sweat and dogs do too, but through their paws.

Getting the Heat Out: Sweating isn’t enough to cool off dogs, so they’ll also pant to release body heat. But dogs aren’t the only ones. Birds pant, too! Look for birds with their beaks open – they’re breathing hard to get rid of excess heat.

Shelter: Many animals will hide out, seeking shade under bushes or deep within trees. Or they'll go deep into lakes where the water is cool.

Protection: Some animals, like squirrels, use body parts to divert the heat. By exposing the lighter colored underside of the tail, less heat will be absorbed and the squirrel will stay cooler.

Damp by Choice: Even if they aren’t aquatic, many animals seek out water – birdbaths and sprinklers are welcome relief. And, if you’re a vulture, you’ll cool yourself down by urinating down your legs.

Lots of amazing strategies!

July 2: late afternoon
Just after posting the above content, I was watching the grey squirrels in my backyard. One was in the rose garden, stretched out - fully flat - on the bare ground. Earlier in the day, I had watered that garden. I think the squirrel was spreading out on the damp soil to cool off. It stayed like this for about 10 minutes, then went out into the yard and did the same thing on the lawn. Doin' whatever it takes to stay cool!