"Who cooks for you?"

Monday morning. I rush the kids to school, rush to work, rush to prepare for an afternoon

class. Realizing that the children’s garden is in dire need of watering, I hop back in my car to drive the short distance between the Visitor’s Center and the nursery, not wanting to waste precious time in walking.

After looping the hose over the garden fence, the unmistakable “Who cooks for you?” call of a barred owl stops me in my tracks. Moments later, a return call follows from deeper in the meadow. Back and forth, the series of hoots continues, punctuated by howls, screeches, and trills. Suddenly, time is less important. I cross the gravel road, peer through a grove of wild cherries, and am rewarded by the hunched silhouette of a large barred owl on a nearby branch.

In our fast-paced world of cars and highways, offices and e-mails, conference calls and computer screens, there exists an alternate reality. A parallel world of owls and foxes, of meadow mice and crickets. Slogging through the daily to-do list sometimes makes me lose sight of this world, even though it’s at the very essence of my job as an environmental educator.

The owls have quieted, moved away. Despite their departure, the day is changed, is full of promise. I latch the garden gate behind me.

by Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

          

Early birds

March 20 may be the official start of spring, but some early birds are already gearing up for egg-laying season. Bluebirds are among the first to build neat, cup-like nests of fine grass and pine needles for their powder-blue eggs. Different species of birds build different types of nests: for example, house sparrow nests are a jumble of odds and ends (I can relate), made up of coarse grass, cloth, white feathers, and twigs. Their speckled eggs are creamy, white, or gray. Black-capped chickadees build downy nests of soft plant fibers, moss, and fur where they will lay white eggs with brown speckles.

Children can help birds gather nest materials by hanging colored yarn, ribbon, or even hair cuttings from low tree branches. It's always fun to spy a personalized nest in the backyard. Children can also try to build their own nests from grass and twigs; doing so provides instant insight into why robins line their nests with sticky mud.

For a different spin on Easter egg dyeing, mix up a batch of natural hues. Onion skins produce a lovely orange, and pomegranate juice a purple-scarlet hue. Click here for directions on how to brew natural dyes.

What to do when your child finds a baby bird on the ground? Make sure the family dog (or cat) is safely inside, and then let nature be. Mother birds are likely nearby and will continue to care for fallen fledglings.

Chocolate bird nests are an annual spring treat for the Arboretum's preschoolers. To make your own, mix two cups of either unsweetened shredded wheat cereal or chow mein noodles with one cup of melted butterscotch chips and one cup of melted chocolate chips. Let children shape the gooey mixture into nests (plastic gloves advised!) and fill cooled nests with a few malted eggs.

And finally, since birds and worms go hand in hand, be sure to hand your child a shovel on the next warm day. There's nothing like a little worm digging to get one in the spring spirit. 

Registration is now open for Adkins Arboretum's spring preschool and homeschool classes, as well as for summer nature camps. Click here for more information.

by Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

Uncommon knowledge

Having recently attended a Maryland Bee and Wasp workshop at the 2013 Maryland Environmental and Outdoor Educator conference, I came to the conclusion that the nest I identified in a previous post as a paper wasp nest might actually be the nest of a bald-faced hornet. If any of my readers can make a positive identification, please let me know!

Other facts I learned at the MAEOE conference:

• In their fall migration, monarchs will travel 1,000 to 3,000 miles.
• Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," is the second driver of climate change in our country.
• The United States produces 300 million tons of dry animal waste annually as compared to 7 million tons of dry human waste.
• The order Hymenoptera, which includes wasps, bees, sawflies, horntails, and ants, is the second largest order of insects and makes up half the biomass of insects in the world.
• 75% of flowering plants depend on animal pollinators.
• 30% of amphibians and 21% of reptiles are threatened globally due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species, pathogens, and commercial harvest.
• The call of a pickerel frog sounds like an old man snoring.

As of 2010, scientists have described over 1.7 million of the world's species of animals plants, and algae. While the enormous variety of life on our plant poses a huge learning curve for environmental educators, it's also what makes the job so inspiring.

by Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

photo of pickerel frog courtesy of Scott A. Smith

Nature in focus

On a nature walk today, a fourth grade homeschool student stopped to examine beads of water clinging to a bare winter branch. "That's so cool," he said. "I've only seen that in photos before, never in real life."

In a recent presentation, I shared this quote from Randy White of the White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group: "As virtual is replacing the real, TV documentaries are conditioning children to think that nature is exotic...in faraway places that they will never experience. Children are losing the understanding that nature exists in their own backyards, which further disconnects them from knowledge and appreciation of the natural world."

Thank goodness for places like Adkins Arboretum, where the natural world continues to amaze.

by Jenny Houghton
Youth Program Coordinator

photo by Michelle Dolan Lawrence

Among the winter branches

At the entrance to the Arboretum's woodland paths, bare winter branches reveal a silvery paper wasp nest. Paper wasps gather fibers from dead plant stems and wood, mixing them with their saliva to construct water-resistant nests. Cells are used for brood rearing. Unlike more aggressive yellow jackets or hornets, paper wasps generally only attack when threatened. They are extremely beneficial in their natural habitat, providing biological pest control welcomed by many gardeners.

The paper wasp nest pictured here hangs from a Liquidambar styraciflua, or sweetgum, tree. The resin of this tree was traditionally chewed by Native Americans, giving rise to its common name. Sweetgums are also known as red gums, gumtrees, alligator-wood, and star-leaved gum. They grow in wet, acidic soil and are recognizable by their five-pointed star-shaped leaves, as well as by their prickly ball-like fruit. Each capsule of the fruit contains two sees. Sweetgum seeds are a favorite of birds and small mammals, such as squirrels and chipmunks.

by Jenny Houghton
Youth Program Coordinator

The winter workout

Why people pay good money to belong to a gym is a mystery to me. Parenting provides all the aerobic exercise I can handle. Take my recent snowy "vacation" morning:

8 a.m.: Chase dog down main street after youngest child leaves the gate unlatched (again).

8:45 a.m.: Struggle through Olympic effort to clothe children in snowsuits, mittens, hats, scarves, coats, and boots.

9:15 a.m.: Walk to sledding hill, pulling sled and pushing stroller (everyone on the block knows I'm Nature Girl—can't be seen increasing carbon footprint by driving 3/4 mile).

10:45 a.m.: Hurtle downhill into marsh on purple sled with toddler. Climb up big hill. Repeat 100 times.

11:30 a.m.: Walk home, uphill all the way, pushing stroller and pulling sled with frostbitten kindergartner on board. Distance seems to have doubled.

Noon: Collapse in sodden heap by door, covering ears to the plaintive cry of "What's for lunch?"

See what I mean about aerobic exercise? And thanks to winter's chilly temperatures, outdoor play means calories are burned at breakneck speed. No gym membership required. There are so many fun ways to explore nature in winter. You and your child can draw snowy pictures with a stick, look for birds' nests among bare branches, search for animal tracks in slushy mud, or use a camera to capture icicles and cool winter light. Running will keep little ones warm, and huddling near a thicket will demonstrate how animals shelter from the cold.

Even if braving cold weather is not your style, it's still possible to engage your children in wintry play. A bowl of ice cubes provides much entertainment and a science lesson: Why is the ice getting wet? Can you see through ice? Does ice have a smell? A taste? What color is ice? Freezing chunks of fruit in ice cubes provides insight into what it's like for animals to find food in winter. Frozen berries are more difficult to smell than fresh, have less taste, and are difficult to eat. This is one reason squirrels bury nuts in the fall: buried nuts taste better than ice-glazed nuts.

Need a discliplined approach to getting outside? Sign up your preschooler or homeschooler for a winter nature class at the Arboretum. Programs begin the first week of February. Click here for more information and to register. Fresh air and exercise are guaranteed, with nary a sweaty rowing machine in sight.

By Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator

Vote for a Turkey!

I often see bald eagles while driving to and from work. While spotting our national emblem sitting in a cornfield always gives me a thrill, I have to admit that eagles do not top my list of favorite birds. Could have something to do with the fact that the ones I see are usually gnawing on a mangled carcass. 

No, if I had been around when our forefathers were choosing the country’s emblem, I would have stood firmly in the wild turkey camp. I believe that turkeys, though not very attractive (a trait shared by many of our former presidents), are far more American than the regal eagle. Consider this: the male turkey’s head can turn a shade of blue, while his wattle can quickly switch from red to white. Red, white, and blue…need I say more?

              

In these trying economic times, our great nation is surely in need of inspiration. Again, America need look no further than Meleagris gallopavo. When necessary, the wild turkey can sprint up to 18 miles per hour—faster than an Olympic runner. And despite its rotund appearance, the turkey is a good flyer, shooting straight up to the sky helicopter-style (I kid you not) and clocking nearly 55 miles per hour. With the turkey for a model, our sluggish economy would speed to recovery in no time.

              

So the next time you are feeling particularly patriotic, visit the Arboretum. There, along scenic woodland paths, you might just spot the noble bird that fed the pilgrims. And exactly what was the bald eagle doing when the early settlers were starving in the wilderness? You have but to refer to the first paragraph for your answer.

by Jenny Houghton

Youth Program Coordinator 

                

              

Foxy Lady

The benefits are great for those of us willing to leave the comforts of home and hot chocolate on a snowy day. Beyond the enjoyment of sledding and snowball fights, there’s always the potential to gain a rare glimpse into the habits of the wild creatures living among us--through their tracks.

 A few years ago, my daughter and I ventured to the Arboretum after an unusually heavy January snowstorm, wading through knee-deep snow to follow a trail of fox tracks. As we walked, a story unraveled before us of a lone fox stopping at the wetland for a drink, tangling with a rabbit, ducking under a log, and finally returning to its den in the middle of Nancy’s Meadow. Though I’ve taught many lessons about animal tracks, it wasn’t until that wintry afternoon that I really earned my “track detective” badge.

 The den we discovered belonged to a red fox, Vulpes vulpes. Red foxes are relatively small members of the canine family, averaging only eleven to thirteen pounds. They enjoy a varied diet, dining on frogs, snakes, mice, berries, rabbits, fruit, birds, eggs, and beetles, to name a few. The fox’s reputation for cleverness might rise from its habit of storing excess food under leaves, in snow, or in the ground. Foxes generally have separate dens for shelter, breeding, and resting. They live in family groups, with an average litter size of four to six kits.

This year’s snowfall has been minimal to non-existent. But as temperatures drop later in the week, I’ll be dusting off my track detective badge just in case.

by Jenny Houghton,Youth Program Coordinator
Drawing by Barbara Bryan