Deer Tick
Whether it is a warm and sunny day or a cool, cloudy one you can now expect to find some ticks outdoors, especially in edge habitats. The photo shows a tick I recently pulled off of my dog on an inch ruler. In western New York this is rarely a problem, and only a handful of sites have any ticks to be found. However, in places like Connecticut the population is robust, booming, and filled with diseases. Any time that you or your dog goes outdoors this spring, and throughout the year really, you should be mindful of ticks. The best way to protect yourself is to stay covered, change your...
Read MoreHelp Museums
Are you a local friend in Chautauqua County or Western New York who wants to support the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and similar museums? Please consider emailing our New York State Senator Cathy Young and New York State Assemblyman Andy Goodell asking for their support on the Museum Education Act. Why? Currently, New York museums are the only chartered entities that receive no direct funding from the Education Department that charters them. This bill would help museums continue and expand their curriculum-based educational programming and also help school districts and...
Read MoreThe Migratory Connection
Join us at RTPI on Thursday, June 11 at 7:00PM for a free public event – The Migratory Connection: RTPI’s Tropical Conservation and Education Programs by RTPI President Twan Leenders. Find out where your favorite warblers and hummingbirds hang out when they are not in your backyard and be amazed by the other tropical birds they share their wintering grounds with. Meet some of the rarest frogs on our planet and see what RTPI is doing to help save them from extinction. Explore the exotic wildlife that calls the jungles of Costa Rica and Panama home – and see how some of it visits us on a...
Read MoreNo Flower Picking!
It is that time of year again! Pink Lady Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium acaule) are among our favorite neighbors. You can see them flowering in good numbers right now in mature mixed forest habitats. As tempting as it may be to some, these beautiful plants make terrible transplants and will not survive a trip to your backyard. Please enjoy them responsibly and leave them where they belong. They look better in their natural habitat anyway and it will give you yet another reason to visit your favorite nature preserve or park!
Read MoreTick Season
Tick season has arrived! Whether it is a warm and sunny day or a cool, cloudy one you can now expect to find some ticks outdoors, especially in edge habitats. In Western New York this is rarely a problem, and only a handful of sites have any ticks to be found. However, in places like Connecticut the population is robust, booming, and filled with diseases. Any time that you or your dog goes outdoors this spring, and throughout the year really, you should be mindful of ticks. The best way to protect yourself is to stay covered, change your clothes, check yourself from head to toe, and shower...
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