Tulip Tree
Can you feel the coarse and massive folds of bark on this Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)? The leaves are exploding in a green fire across our landscape…finally! Go outside and soak in some nature this weekend.
Read MoreBobcat Signs
Can you spot the mammal here? No? Well…yes, you cannot find it because it is not there, but it has left its mark…literally. What do you see? This is a Bobcat scratching post and resting area, the bark stripped away by sharp claws. You can see the lines that have been carved into the wood. It is conveniently located over a pool of water, making it harder for anything to sneak up on the bobcat when it is at rest. It almost seemed similar to a place one of our pet cats would like to enjoy a snooze on! Nearby we found this pile of scat, also Bobcat. If you have a cat at home that may help you...
Read MoreVernal Pools Poking Through
Last weekend as we were out surveying for HWA in Dobbin’s Woods, a beautiful Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy property, we came across several little pools beginning to form in the depressions of the landscape as the snow increasingly melts back. While these pools aren’t too attractive for us to throw our beach chair next to, they are extremely important to a number of amphibian species. In the upcoming weeks these small pools will serve as little nurseries for salamander and frog offspring to safely develop from egg-y masses to free swimming larvae to land conquering tetrapods....
Read MoreDaffodil Buds
Here we can see some daffodil buds fighting their way through the earth, emerging from the leaf litter despite the snow still present around them. More snow may end up coming down on our early flowers in the next couple of weeks. What is popping up in your yard at this point in the spring? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreGolden-collared Manakins (Manacus vitellinus)
This is the female and male Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus), our second Valentine’s Day pair. This is another manakin species that features the males performing in leks to attract females. The clicking sounds the gentlemen of the species make at lek perches in Panama’s mature secondary forest is one of the most familiar noises you hear in tropical woodlands. This pair was photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Panama while on assignment for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural...
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