Nature's Notebook

Fall is officially a season now

2011-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Officially summer is at an end, and fall has begun. Meteorological fall starts on September first in the Northern Hemisphere and March first in the Southern Hemisphere. The birds already knew that, because they have been on the move since late August. The fall equinox officially announcing another fall arrived on September 22 when the sun as perpendicular to the equator.

The predominate focus of fall is maturity and not death. Autumn is a time of summing up; it brings sweetness to the apple and ripeness to grain. Autumn is a time of harvest; this is time of maturity toward which the spring bed, leaf, and blossom reached.

Hickory nuts and acorns are ripe to the delight of squirrels, bears, blue jays, and other mammals storing food for winter.

Late September is important to bears, and especially the pregnant females. Research shows that a pregnant female black bear can consume as many as 200,000 berries in a 24 hour period, and as much as 60-70 pounds of food daily. If she hasn’t gained enough weight by mid-November, her pregnancy will terminate, and she will not be able to contribute to the continuation of her species. So the bear feeding frenzy continues through late fall when food becomes scarce, and bears are forced to den.

The fall fogs are a unique bled of mood and weather. You feel the fall fogs on your face and in your hair, and in your mind. It creeps in softly and silently and blows away much like smoke. The birds are serious about their fall migration now. They are restless and gregarious. Although they are always busy, they are no longer full of song.

Hawks are moving through the Valley, riding the thermals above the ridges. If you watch, you will catch them putting on an aerial show that you won’t soon forget.

Most songbirds are through with the fall molt, and have their winter feathers now. Swallows are congregating in large numbers prior to migrating south, and the monarch butterfly migration peaked around mid-September, but there are still a few flitting through the Valley.

Most of the male hummingbirds have already left for the season. The females with this year’s offspring are beginning their journey now. Keep out the feeders for awhile longer so migrating hummers can sip and rest as they pass through.

Flickers are more easily spotted now with their undulating flight pattern.

Now is the time to tempt wrens and bluebirds, and others to the feeders with a treat of mealworms. Mealworms are the larvae of a beetle. The larvae stage of the beetle typically lasts for about 10 weeks, and is a real treat for the insect eaters.

Late September with the chill of its nights lingering into the daytime hours brings new vigor to the season. The fires in the insect world burn low now. Bugs and beetles are nearing the end of their time. However, black field crickets are everywhere. Grasshoppers still leap at you as walk through a field. They are out to warm themselves in the warmest part of the day.

The change in the insect world is most noticeable in the evening. A month ago the tree crickets and katydids made the night vibrate with they sounds. They still rasp, but at a much slower rate. The slowdown will continue as the chill of the season deepens. The first serious frost will silence most of the insects for the season. Then will come the long, deep quiet until another spring. The quiet will become so intense that you can hear a snowflake falling in the night. Listen.

Keep out plenty of fresh water for drinking and bathing.

Owl photographs are by Tony Dills

Meteorological fall vs. astronomical fall

2011-09-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

Meteorological fall started on September first, but the astronomical fall begins next week on September 22. The birds and animals know when fall is starting, and don't have to have a calendar to tell them.

Temperatures in the mountains generally being to moderate around the first of September, and summer lessen its grip. Temperatures during the day may reach 80, but the nights cool into the upper 50s. Next week, the first cold snap of the season is forecast.

Birds have molted, and have all new feathers now. They are congregating in large groups in staging areas, getting ready to make their annual fall migrations. Hawks ride the thermals daily heading south. Mother Nature is a bit moody this time of the year, and furnishes the mountaintop residents with splendid views of the Valley. Bill Altorp, nature photographer, caught one of Mother Nature's change of season moods.

Fall is knocking at the seasonal change gate

2011-09-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

September in the mountains brings gorgeous butterflies to sip nectar from the flowers. The swallow tails seem to be the predominant flying jewel on the mountaintop. The oppressive late afternoon heat seems to not bother them. They puddle a lot.

You will find butterflies gathered on moist spots in your garden, or around the earth close to a birdbath that has just been filled. Butterflies sip the moisture and minerals from the moist earth that they need. It is predominately males that puddle, seeking salt and minerals which they pass to the females during breeding.

If you want to watch butterflies puddle on a regular bases make your own puddle. Fill a medium size plastic flower pot saucer with sand and add water until the mixture become soggy. Select a spot where you can easily watch the butterflies.

Dig the bowl into the ground to a level that is flush with the surrounding dirt. Add about a tablespoon of composted manure or other compost to the sand. You can add a pinch of salt to attract the male butterflies. Include a few rock or clam shells for the butterflies to sun bathe on.

Butterflies also like bits of over ripe fruit such as bananas, apples or pear slices. Leave the fruit supply at least a day so it will ferment. Butterflies enjoy sipping fermented fruit. Do they get a bit tipsy, maybe. Birds do when they eat too much past it prime fruits.

Butterflies puddle from a few seconds to an hour or more.

Contrary to what you may thing, butterflies do not puddle to cool off. They enjoy shady places for resting and cooling. Butterflies, especially males, like to congregate at a favorite puddling site. Maybe they catch up on the latest male butterfly gossip. Keep your puddling spot soggy to attract the most butterflies.

Notice that you rarely see butterflies on cloudy days. Insects are cold-blooded and can’t regulate their body temperatures like humans can. They also need protection from wind, weather and predators. They seek out shady places like shrubs or vines where they sit to keep warm or to cool. There are butterfly feeders that can be purchased to provide nectar. I don’t recommend them for mountain butterfly lovers. The bears enjoy the nectar also, and destroy the feeders, just as they do hummingbird feeders.

The leaves that are turning and falling are due to heat stress. Fall will arrive on time as it has for eons. The stressed leaves and trees do not signal an early fall. The early defoliation that some trees are undergoing now is common when they are under stress, and summer season of intense heat has been challenging for young and old trees. The recent intense heat and humidity has made it difficult for plants to keep up with water and cooling requirements.

Watch for flocks of nighthawks flying around street lights. Waterfowl migration is beginning, and Monarch butterflies will begin their annual migration starting in late August. Early warblers are winging their way through the Valley. Broad wing hawks start moving south in late August to wintering grounds in the tropics. They are easy to spot with their thick bodies and rounded tails. They ride the air thermals conserving energy to sustain them during their long journey south. The hawks start flying between 9 and 10 a.m. when the air is warm.

Keep out plenty of fresh water for drinking and bathing. This is a time of molt for songbirds, so there is a lot of bathing.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Photo by: Tony Dills

September brings out hungry bears on the prowl

2011-09-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

The bears in the Swannanoa Valley are on the move looking for food anywhere they can find it. Their natural foods are in short supply this year.

About 75-85 percent of bear diet is vegetable matter. They feed on clover, dandelions, chokeberries, pin cherries, wild plums, blueberries, hazelnuts, acorns and whatever else is available in nature. They also enjoy the larvae of ants, bees and hornets. When natural food becomes scarce, bears seek human food scraps and pet foods.

This year many of the oak trees stressed by prolonged heat dropped immature acorns early, meaning in some spots the mainstay of the bear’s fall diet will be in short supply. Also, the wild blueberries were also few and far between this year. Mid-August is the time when bears enjoy the high sugar content of wild berries. The berries make up the soft mast for wild creatures.

Hungry bears are beginning to search from dusk to dawn for food, and any food will do.

Pick up pet food dishes, do not put out bird feeders, and don’t throw left overs and scraps out for wildlife. Bears associate people with food, and will hang out around humans as long as they find food.

Goldfinches are beginning to molt, and the beautiful yellow and black colors are giving way to the more drab ones of fall. As soon as fledglings leave the nest, goldfinches begin to undergo a complete molt which requires a lot of energy and nutrition. They have an insatiable appetite for sunflower seeds.

The goldfinch is often referred to as a wild canary. It isn’t a canary at all. It is a finch. It is the latest nesting songbird in the Valley. It isn’t until the thistle provides down to line the nest, and seeds to eat that the goldfinches nest. Their favorite seed is black oiled sunflower.

The male goldfinch loses his bright yellow summer feathers, and grows winter ones which turn his color into an olive color. The female is a dull yellow and brown all year long. Her feathers become brighter in the summer months.

Sunrise comes later now, and dusk creeps over the mountains earlier in the evening. Since the summer solstice on June 21, we have lost an hour and a half of sunlight already. It is only about a month now until the fall equinox arrives on September 23. On that day, night and day are equal in length. The year has turned noticeably.

Summer steals away as dusk settles in the valley earlier each day. Step outside at dark and listen to the night criers. September nights continue to be noisy, with insects playing their tunes.

Keep out plenty of clean drinking and bathing water for the birds.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Photos by Bill Altork

Late July belongs to new birds

2011-07-20T03:50:00.000-07:00

From mid-July to August is a time in nature when new birds are everywhere.

Young starlings just out of the nest hop awkwardly from limb to limb getting their bearings as fledglings. Speckled robins and brownish redwings are plentiful too. It is only a few short weeks from the nest to the first migration.

This is kindergarten for the fledglings. They have to learn their lessons quickly, and be adapt at applying what they learn, if they are to survive. The first year of a bird’s life is the most dangerous.

Temperatures in the Valley climb into the low 90s, bringing record setting humidity levels. Plants love such conditions, and the birds don’t seem to mind. Summer time in the mountains brings almost daily thunder storms. Sometimes on the mountaintop it is just high hot winds whipping the tree limbs into frenzy, but no rain. Mother Nature will invariably dump the rain into the Valley.

Now is hummingbird time. As the heat mounts, there is suddenly an airy swish and a ruby-throated hummingbird has arrived to inspect the butterfly bush blossoms, and the summer phlox is another favorite. The trumpet vine that persists in spreading is another attractor.

Scientists have determined that when a hummingbird hovers, its wings beat some 55 times a second. When it moves backward, they beat 61 times a second. When the tiny jewel of the air is cruising at top-speed, the wings beat 75 times a second. It is hard to believe that the tiny bird flies over 500 miles over open water when it crosses the Gulf of Mexico during migration. It is a non-stop flight. The tiny hummingbird is one of the gifts of summer that never cease to fascinate bird lovers.

Female hummingbirds select the nest site, build the nest, tend the eggs, and care for the babies. She will not allow the male near the nest. Occasionally a female will return to last year’s nest. Rather than use the old one, she will build a new nest on top of the old one. She feeds the babies, usually two, regurgitated insects, and not the nectar that she eats.

Black bears are winding down from their mating season by the end of July, and then attention is turned to food. They begin to feed heavily to put on fat for winter. It is a record setting year for ticks. Check your pets, and yourself, especially when you have been outside for any length of time. They can carry diseases, cause anemia or even paralysis.

Ticks are parasitic arthropods that feed on the blood of their hosts. They are attracted to warmth and motion. Once the tick is attached, it will not let go until its blood meal is finished. Remember, by no means to all ticks carry disease.

Remove a tick from your skin or that of your pets as quickly as possible. Using fine-tipped tweezers, grab the tick as close to its mouth which will be the part that is stuck in your skin. The body of the tick will be above your skin. Don’t grab the tick around its bloated belly. You could push infected fluid from the tick into your body if you squeezeit. Gently pull the tick straight out until its mouth lets go of your skin or pet’s skin. Do not twist or try to unscrew the tick from your skin. You do not wish to separate the tick’s head from its body, and leave parts of its mouth in your skin. After the tick has been dislodged, wash the area of the tick bite with a lot of warm water and soap. Antibacterial soap will help.

Symptoms of infection from a tick bite should be taken seriously. See your doctor if anyof the following symptoms appear: pain, swelling, redness or heat around the area, red streaks leading from the area, infection draining from the area, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin, and fever or chills. Take a tick bite on you or your pet seriously.

Keep out plenty of water for drinking and bathing. During the hottest days of summer, change your bird water at least daily, and clean out bird baths.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

The sounds of insects are beginning to define summer

2011-07-20T03:46:00.001-07:00

Notice how summer mornings are beginning to become quieter? Many birds are finished nesting, with some completing their second clutches.

Now the sounds of nature are becoming more noisy than musical. It is the sounds ofsummer insects. In the heat of the day cicadas will being to drone on endlessly. Often you will hear large numbers of cicadas sometimes singing in synchrony. They literally pulse from soft to loud and than recede back to soft again. They can lull you into an afternoon nap.

The dog day cicada and the dog days of summer are named for the time of year -- July and August. The star Sirius of the constellation Canis Major –the big dog—is bright in the summer night sky.

The best time to hear summer insects is after dark. It is then that katydids take center stage. Katydids are large green grasshoppers. They are drawn to porch lights. Their green wings are textured, giving them the appearance of leaves. They also have extremely long antennae that arch backward over the length of their bodies. Males sing from early evening well into the night. Their song is non-musical at best...

The voice of the black field cricket is heard from now until frost. Sometimes it is no farther than a corner in the house. In the middle of the night, a cricket in the bedroom can drive a sane person off the rails.

Katydids, crickets and grasshoppers produce their sounds by a mechanical process called stridulating—literally rubbing one body part against another.

Fall webworms are becoming more visible daily. Silk tents are showing up in a variety of shade trees. Caterpillars live inside. As the caterpillars feed and grow, they make the web larger to cover more foliage. When full grown, they drop to the ground to pupate.

The eastern tent caterpillar is sometimes confused with the fall web worm. The tent caterpillar is out in the early spring. Likewise, don’t confuse fall webworms with gypsy moths, which do not make tent-like webs in trees.

Honey bees are busy traipsing from flower to flower. They ensure the food crops and flowers are pollinated. If you step on a honeybee it will sting you. So slip your feet into some shoes before walking through the grass.

Fireflies are becoming more plentiful each evening. They produce light by a chemical reaction. The Blue Ghost fireflies are different from the more ordinary ones that flash their signals back and forth throughout the summer. The blue ghosts glow continuously.

They are mysterious because most people have never seen any and don’t know they exist. The center of their distribution is in the Southern Appalachians, ranging from eastern North Carolina to northern Florida and into Virginia. The DuPont Forest has a good population for viewing. The best place locally to see them is in Transylvania County.

They require high humidity, and dense tree coverage. If you go out in your own back yard in a wooded area, you may see them.

The blue ghosts are about the size of a grain of rice, making them smaller than the more ordinary fireflies. The mysterious nature of the creatures is fascinating.

The praying mantis can be startling to look at, until you examine it closer and find out what a unique creature it is. They eat other insects, which can make them beneficial to most gardens. For an insect, they tend to make fairly good pets. They can live up to three years in captivity.

These are only a few of the most common summer insects. There is a litany of bugs in your yard.

Enjoy the world of insects in the summer heat. They will be gone at the first frost. Keep out plenty of water for drinking and bathing.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Springs here-ready or not

2011-04-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Backyards across the Swannanoa Valley will soon be even more crowded with the birds of spring and summer. They are much like receiving old friends come to stay for awhile.

The tiny bits of fluff and feather have usually flown thousands of miles to reach local back yards, after spending the winter in Mexico, Central America, or South America, where days are warm and food is plentiful.

Many of the birds that nature lovers consider their birds spend less than half of their lives locally. They move north as the snow melts and raise their young on an endless supply of insects that are abundant only during the spring and summer months. Spring migration has a hint of urgency to it, where fall migration can be a drawn out affair with flocks of birds stopping to rest and eat.

Research shows that a surprising number of bird species are arriving earlier, and are shifting farther to the north. Scientist believes that climate change caused by greenhouse gases building up has disrupted the timing of migration, and sends some species farther north for insects.

Winter has officially passed regardless of sudden snow flurries, cold winds, and whatever else a tantrum from Mother Nature may produce. Spring seems to be a delicate season, but the frenzy of choosing nest sites, mates and producing a couple of broods of babies in a few short months prove that image wrong.

Bird houses should be clean and ready to be chosen as this season’s home for a pair of nesting songbirds? New bird houses should already be up.

Spring is a season that is all dressed up in colorful finery and definitely has places to go. Birds become more easily to recognize as individuals dressed in their spring plumage. There are so many tasks confronting spring time birds that it is a wonder that they don’t suffer exhaustion. They have to decide how often and what to sing, whom to mate with, nest site selection, and when to start nest-building. The female lays eggs and incubates them, producing hr first brood in a couple of weeks after incubation starts. The babies stay in the nest and fledge after about a month, and then the process starts over again for the second brood.

Egg laying is intense and energy demanding. The female needs to be in peak condition, and must have more than an adequate source of daily food. That can be an “iffy” situation in March, since natural food sources are still scarce in the Valley. Generous handouts from bird lovers can make a big difference in the survival rate of the adult birds as well as the babies. Keep the bird feeders full of high quality seeds, and plenty of water for bathing. Feathers must stay in good condition until the molt starts in August.

If you have a chance to watch a pair of birds build their nest, consider yourself fortunate. It is quite a production. Usually sunny mornings are the best viewing time.

It is time to anchor the free roaming felines for another baby season. Collared cats with bells jingling are not a warning to baby birds in the nest. They don’t know what the bell is, and they can’t fly, so they are an easy mark for a cat. Adult birds are busy building nests, and looking for food, and sometimes get surprised by a stalking feline. Do the birds a favor, and keep the cats inside until breeding and baby season is over.

Daylight saving time has arrived to optimize the daylight hours in the Valley. Theoretically it results in use of less energy and electricity. People are able to take advantage of more daylight hours and sunlight rather than burn electricity.

How does daylight saving time affect nature? It is not biological, but rather political, so it does not affect the wild creatures.

Bears are up and about, fat and sassy, having obviously not suffered a hard winter. Wood ducks are already nesting. Screech owls are beginning to nest. Mourning doves are nesting, and some early migrating hawks can been seen. Male red wing black birds are beginning to retune to area pond sites. Flocks of robins are showing up through the Valley, bathing in puddles and looking for worms.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

March is still winter with a touch of spring in the mountains.

2011-03-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

March in the mountains is usually a time of tumultuous wind, and erratic weather patterns, producing spring like days with lots of sunshine, followed by days, dropping into the pits of winter with snow. Branches flop together like the slapping of ropes on ancient sailing vessels. March winds make a wide variety of sounds from hissing to booming in a stand of maples.

The wisteria seeds have already popped. They explode like a cap pistol and then something like a small rock hits a window or a thump against the side of the house. The annual barrage of the wisteria seeds propagates the mountaintop’s ancient wisteria vine.

The seed pods are about half a foot long, brown, stiff, velvety on the outside and hold from four to eight seeds. Each seed I somewhat round, about half an inch in diameter, flat on one side and curved slightly, like an airplane wing on the other. They are hurled a good distance from the mother vine. What triggers the wisteria seed cannonading involves age, humidity and temperature.

The trees and mini-pools created by recent downpours are playing host to flocks of the harbinger of spring-male robins by the dozens. The females will follow in a couple of weeks. The early robins feast on left over fruit still clinging to the trees. Along with visiting cedar waxwings, the fruit will be gone soon.

Sap is beginning to rise, regardless of what the thermometer says. When sap starts up, it means spring is close. That moves man closer to the spring equinox, the buds and the leaves of spring itself. It also means winter has a definite end.

Each day the sun rises a little earlier and sets a little later signifying that earth is turning as usual, on its axis and in its orbit.

Twilight is one of my favorite times of the day. It has the glow of the departing day, giving it a special beauty all its own. It is neither sunlight nor star shine, nor moonlight. It borrows from all of them. The air of twilight is brittle this time of the year. But the light itself is soft and elusive.

Listen for the voice of the red fox with its sharp staccato notes in the darkness. The jays and crows of daylight are silent, ending their day at dusk. The great horned owl has a mournful wail, which is less ominous at dusk than it is at midnight. This prelude time to night is a special interval, enjoy it.

More and more birds join the pre-dawn chorus just at the break of day. There is nothing happier than an early morning wren and a tiny chickadee. They greet the sunrise with exuberance.

Male raccoons are courting females from now through March. Fox kits are born now. Screech owls are beginning to nest, and spring waterfowl migration is in progress. The northern migration of hawks is also in progress. Bluebirds are still scouting nest sites, and some have begun to build nests. Have you cleaned your boxes? It is time. Listen for the spring peppers to begin calling, Bear cubs are making humming sounds as they nurse in the dens. Watch for the reappearance of chipmunks on warm days. Male black bears will be and about by the end of the month. All herald a new season beginning to start.

Keep out plenty of fresh water for songbird bathing and drinking.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Photo: Tony Dills

December is the year in age and wisdom

2010-12-17T11:35:00.001-08:00

December is summation of all the years’ completions. The month is like an older woman with starlight frosting her hair and snowflakes brushing her cheeks. A holly sprig tucked in her hair tells one that she is as young as the morning, and the look in her eye says she is as old as time.

December is bare tree limbs and lacy green evergreens. It is rustling flower stems in the garden and ruthless wind whipping over the mountain. It is seedling maples from two years ago clinging to a stray leaf of two.

It is stiff tailed half grown squirrels scrambling up a giant oak tree. It is mask-faced coon in a moonlit garden feasting on what is left of the corn. They listen for the hounds.

It is ice in the creek and moss covered rocks.

December is flocks of chickadees through the night.

December brings frost to the mountains like cake icing.

It is the Winter solstice, bringing the shortest day of the year.

December is a hungry owl and a rabbit on the run. The groundhog has already sought its winter bed, and the crows are recongregated proclaiming their presence loudly at the first crack of dawn.

It is winter wrens singing at first light, greeting dawn with melodious song.

The spectacular colors of fall now litter the forst floor. The quiet tones of winter dominate the landscape now.

Occasionally there is an accent of winter berries.

December is one of the short months. It doesn’t have 31 days such as they are. The Thanksgiving turkey has vanished, and then there is the Christmas tree waiting to be trimmed, and then New Year’s Day is knocking on the door, announcing the start of a new year.

December has only 288 hours of daylight. That is counting even the overcast days with the sun sulks behind masses of clouds. A December day is nine hours of daylight with just a few minutes left over morning and night. Then there is 15 hours of darkness.

It is approaching chickadee weather in the mountains. They enjoy cold nights, chilly days, and a bit of flying snow, and they will flock to your feeders. They are jaunty little beggars willing to pay for their handouts with hours of antics and entertainment. A full grown chickadee rarely weighs more than a half an ounce. Inside the feather covered tiny body is a heart that beats some 700 times a minute. On a cold day it must consume enough food to equal its own weight to keep its inner fire burning. Chickadees enjoy a generous helping of sunflower seeds.

Keep the water containers filled with fresh water, and be generous with your feathered friends.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

May is a magical time in the mountains

2010-05-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

The fires of spring glow brightly in the mountains. May is truly a time of hope and promise, with bird song at full throttle.

May is the month when spring finally springs in the mountains. Suddenly, there are flowers everywhere, with more trying to bloom each day. It is a time when gardeners must dig in the dirt.

There is tilling to be done, fertilizing, and raking the dirt.

Once the garden is tilled there are earthworms to the delight of the robins.

Earthworms are tireless tillers of the soil, and their castings are the richest and best of all fertilizers. One can never have too many earthworms in the garden. They need moist soil in which to survive. During dry periods, they receded deeply into their burrows, which can be as deep as six feet.

If you want to increase the numbers of earthworms in your garden, add more organic matter.

Bears are up and on the move, even the mothers with cubs. Don’t leave out the bird feeders past 4 p.m. It is useless to rant at a bear raiding the birdfeeder. All you get is a mangled bird feeder and a non-impressed hungry bear.

Bears become used to people, birdfeeders, dogs, and noises that they hear frequently. It is up to humans to take the proper precautions when living in bear country. You can live with bears without encounters.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recommends:

* Securing bags of trash inside cans stored in a garage, basement or other secure area. Place the cans outside, as late as possible, on trash pick-up days. Do not set out the garbage the night before and expect neighborhood dogs or bears to leave it alone.
* Purchase bear proof garbage cans or bear proof your existing garbage containers with a bear proof latching system.
* Black bears are rarely aggressive toward people, but they do become bolder when they are accustomed to people.
* Stop free feeding pets outside. If you must feed pets outdoors, make sure all food is consumed and empty bowls are removed.
* Do not throw table scraps outside. A bear will literally eat anything.
* Clean all food and grease from barbecue grills after each use. Bears are attracted to food odors and will investigate. It is not unusual to find a bear licking an uncleaned grill.

Contrary to what many people believe, wildlife employees will not trap and relocate bears, because this would simply relocate the problem, rather than solve it.

Pups, cubs, chicks and kits are welcome signs of spring in the mountains. You may be tempted to pick them up or feed them, but it is against the law to tamper with wildlife.

Capturing and handling a young wild animal can stress it and sometimes results in the death of the animal. Young wild animals that look abandoned are rarely orphaned. Many species do not stay with their young and only return to feed them. Rabbits are an excellent example. The mother returns three to four times in a 24 hour period of time to feed her young. When you see a fully furred, alert bunny that measure five to six inches on its own, it is normal. Do not save wildlife from nature.

Wildlife can transmit diseases, including rabies and roundworms to humans. Also, it is illegal to keep wildlife without a permit.

Keep the birdbaths full of fresh water, keep the hummingbird feeders filled with a fresh mix, and enjoy the season.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

The mountains are awash with pollen and spring migrants

2010-05-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

Waves of warblers are back in the Valley now. . With their numerous color variations they add a lot of visual beauty to an already spectacular spring season.

Bring the birdfeeders in by 4 p.m. daily. Also, hummingbird feeders are tempting to hungry bears.

The Valley like most of the area is loaded with pollen. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported that pollen has reached record high level . It is at some of the highest concentrations since air quality agencies started measuring pollen in the late 1990s.

The high pollen levels are most likely due to several factors, including the weather turning suddenly warm after a cold winter and cool early spring. Also, there has been little rainfall this spring. In addition to dry weather, winds have been blowing the pollen around.

Also, the coldest winter in eons delayed some trees that normally flower earlier in the spring, so that more different tree species are flowering at the same time.

For some, the enjoyment of spring is an ugly price to pay with sneezes, watery, itchy eyes, ears that pop and crackle, and the chronic sore throat. Then there are those who cough almost non-stop.

The conditions from mid-April until now have been perfect for pollen and wildfire. The hot, dry conditions make both events worse. When you add a mild wind of five to seven miles per hour, conditions are just right for pollen and fire.

The yellowish stuff coating cars is not the culprit causing all the human manifestations of allergies. It is pine pollen that is causing people to suffer and vehicles to be yellow coated.

Rain, which has been missing from the Valley for too long again, will help alleviate the pollen sneezes, but it won’t solve the problem. Pollen will still be around to cause discomfort.

Pollen is crucial for survival of all species. We can’t live without it and it is difficult for many to live with it. Without pollen, seeds would not form, and plants would die out. The pollen that causes most of the severe respiratory problems in human comes from plants that depend on the wind to disperse it. The small lightweight pollen blows around easily and is small enough to get into nasal membranes. Those who are most affected can stay inside, clean the air conditioner filter and pop an occasional antihistamine tablet. All of these should help stoop the sneezes.

Animals summer from pollen attacks also. Your dog may sneeze, cough and scratch until there are unsightly marks on its body. Check the inside of the ears. If they are more red than usual, and the dog is scratching them, it may be due to pollen. Each time you take the dog outside; wipe it down thoroughly before bringing it back inside.

Remind yourself. This too will pass, and Mother Nature will have done her job spreading pollen for another season.

Copperhead snakes are out of their dens, so watch your step in the garden. Also, watch where you put your hands.

Bumblebees are out now. They are gentle and slow. She meanders through the garden collecting pollen and nectar. She is never in a hurray. The bumblebee is round and furry. There is the large queen, the smaller and somewhat imperfectly formed female worker bee and the tiny male or drone bee. Only the queen and the worker bees have a stinger.

Important facts about bumblebees include:

· They live in small nests and never swarm.

· Bumble bees produce enough honey only to feed their young.

The Bumblebee’s biggest enemy is man with pesticide spray. Like every other form of wildlife, they are under serious threat from the chemicals used in flower and vegetable gardens.

· Bumblebees are much less aggressive than honey bees.

· * Bumblebees are hard workers in the garden. They repay man’s kindness by pollinating flowers, fruit and vegetables.

· The best flowers for bumblebees are any kind that is simple and open. They carry more nectar and pollen. Bumblebees enjoy foxgloves, hollyhocks, heather, lavender, oregano, cornflowers, mint, clover, marigolds, and beans.

The main job of bumblebees is to pollinate flowers.

Keep out plenty of clean water for bathing and drinking, and keep the feeders full during the day. Bring them inside by late afternoon to prevent tempting bears.

Listen for toad frogs calling.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Hummingbirds return to the Valley

2010-05-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Photo by Tony Dill

The Valley is enjoying a breath of springtime for a few days.

The birds of winter have slipped away. Notice how few are showing up at the bird feeders now. Those migrating are hardly noticed as they leave silently vanishing often before dawn breaks the sky. The tempo of spring is increasing daily.

The sun swings north and the shift of the season gains momentum.

Squirrels are carrying cedar bark and bits and pieces of newspaper up the trees to their nest. The cedar and the newspaper deter moths and other insects that torment young squirrels.

Hummingbirds are showing up daily in the Valley for another season. The males arrive from a few days to two weeks prior to the arrival of the females. They are as eager as the songbirds to get a start on the breeding and nesting season. They visit the Carolinas from March through November, and have devoted backyard bird lovers who furnish an endless supply of sugar water. The hummingbird feeders are important especially now when there isn’t too much in bloom to feed the tiny, iridescent birds the nectar they have to have to live.

Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers and tiny insects. The flower garden can provide both. Hang hummingbird feeders in the shade. Make sure they are clean and refill the feeders at least every two-three days. If you plan to be away from home for a few days, take the hummingbird feeders down to prevent fermentation.

Fill the feeders with a boiled solution of four parts water to one part white refined sugar or commercially prepared nectar mix. Do not use a honey solution in feeders, because they can produce a fungal disease that is fatal to hummingbirds.

Clean the sugar water feeders with a brush and mild detergent solution and rinse well before refilling.

Some interesting hummingbird facts include:

*The hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world.

*Hummingbirds hover easily. They can move ahead, sideways or backward at will.

*A Ruby-throated hummingbird, those that call the Valley their summer home, weighs about one tenth of an ounce and travels a minimum of 600 miles during migration.

*Hummingbirds often drink up to eight times their body weight daily.

*Although their normal body temperature is about 103 F, it can drop to 70F at night. Unfortunately, a hummingbird in a torpid state cannot respond to an emergency situation. *They have the ability to endure temporary cool weather or cool nights by becoming dormant. To wake from a dormant state can take as long as one hour.

*Flying consumes a tremendous amount of hummingbird energy. Wing beats have been measured from 20-200 beats per second.

* Pesticides, especially sprays, can be lethal to hummers. Malathion, Sevin or diazinon is deadly to them. Also, when you use pesticides, the number of insects in the garden in drastically reduced, and in turn reduces the hummingbirds’ nutritional source. It can also cause starvation and death of the young in the nest.

* Hummingbirds winter in Central America from Mexico to Panama. Some go no farther than Florida. Most winter in the Mexico area. They migrate by day, with once exception. When they cross the Gulf of Mexico, they are over water when night falls and must keep flying until they reach the other side. That requires a lot of energy, and stored fat reserves. It takes about 18 hours in good weather to cross the Gulf of Mexico, and 24 hours if the weather is bad.

The hummingbird is an important contributor to the entire ecosystem. By flying from flower to flower, the hummingbird pollinates plants and feeds on them. Some plants can only reproduce because of the pollination.

Crows, jays, cats, and mice eat baby hummers. The small birds can also be caught by dragonflies and praying mantises. It is not unusual to find them caught in spiders’ webs. They not only eat nectar and insects, but enjoy the sap running from sapsucker drill holes. These are especially important food sources in early spring after a long migration.

Put the hummingbird feeders up, and plant lost of blooming flowers. Keep the water dishes full of clean water, and fill the bird feeders. Birds arriving daily have used up most of their reserves, and need to feed regularly and heavily when they arrive in the Valley for another nesting season.

Towhees and brown thrashers are back, scratching and searching for tidbits of food on the ground under the feeders. Bumblebees are out, and luna moths can be seen around porch lights. It is the peak birthing season for gray fox and beaver. Red tail hawks are beginning to nest, and copperhead snakes are beginning to leave their winter dens.

May you always hear the whisper of wings.

Waterfowl Flyways

2010-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

For years, many wildlife lovers have thought of the migratory flyways as four giant funnels collecting waterfowl from the northern breeding grounds and delivering them to their southern wintering areas.
Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.

Sophisticated tracking methods reveal a far more complex, interlinking network for migrating waterfowl than we even suspected.

Today, wildlife biologists realize that the migration corridors of one single species such as the pintail or mallard may begin in Alaska or Canada and even in the northern US plain states.

From the northern breeding grounds, the migratory network literally blankets the US and even extends deep into South America.

The largest area of prime duck breeding habitat remains in the prairie pothole country of the upper central plains states and Canada.

A better understanding of the complex migration patterns of waterfowl helps in long-term efforts to restore waterfowl populations.

Future success lies in man ensuring there will be adequate breeding habitat, including sufficient winter resting and feeding grounds.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Early spring's light is a gift from the sun

2010-03-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Each year in early spring we remind our readers to be conscious of conditions in nature. All work simultaneously and affect wild creatures' behavior. In the rehabilitation network, birds waiting for spring release are becoming restless, beginning to sing, and many are molting due to inside temperatures.

All are waiting impatiently to join their own kind and enjoy the rites of spring. In nature that means find a mate and reproduce.

When most people feel they are still in the "dead of winter," many wild mammals are entering a period marked by a flurry of mating activity.

It is necessary for many animals to mate in late winter to synchronize the birth of their young with spring's milder temperatures, and more plentiful foods.

Wild babies are brought into the world in April and May when they stand a better chance of surviving the rigors of the wild.

People can easily recognize when wild animals are on the move again. All you have to do is look at the dead bodies littering highways to know that raccoons, skunks, and other mammals are out of their winter dens. Also, early spring snow is usually well marked with various tracks telling their unique stories.

Teaching people of all ages to recognize the tracks in their own back yards is one of the most enjoyable educational programs that the Center conducts. Once people get the hang of who is visiting their back yards, you can read enthusiasm for wild creatures on their faces, and hear it in their conversations. Young children in primary grades especially enjoy this program.

Skunks and raccoons have a gestation period of some 63 days. The first young enter the world around mid-April. From mid-May and early June, wildlife rehabilitators begin getting calls to nature orphans.

The eastern coyote is another mammal with a gestation period ranging from 60 to 63 days making its young arrive in early spring. Coyotes actually mate in late January or February making a litter of five to 10 pups arrive in mid-April or early May.

Female red and gray foxes come into heat in late January. Mating usually occurs in February extending into March in the northern and mountainous regions. Gestation is about 51 days.

The bobcat, one of America's most elusive creatures, mates in mid-February. Gestation takes between 50 and 60 days. Kittens are usually born in April and May.

By late February and early March, rabbits, mink, muskrats, woodchucks and chipmunks begin to find mates and reproduce. Approximately one month marks the gestation of these species.

However, the mink is a bit different having a gestation period of some six weeks rather than four. April hosts the arrival of mink kittens.

Winter is a time of silence in nature. You can go for a walk in snow laden woods and hear yourself breathe, walk and perhaps even think a bit. Winter birds move through the woods looking for insects and seeds without songs or calls. They are as mute as the time of year.

Suddenly, about mid-February, winter's long silence is broken. For the first time in months, day breaks with bird songs and calls. When you hear the birds sing again, you know winter is losing its grip.

The urge to sing is beyond birds' control. It is the photoperiod. It is the lengthening of days. It is early spring. The light is changing. Early spring's light is like no other.

Early spring's light activates birds' hormones through the pituitary gland. Birds respond to increasing light by returning to breeding conditions. Songs are sung to stake out territories and attract mates.

Winter's silence is broken by a territories permanent residents firsts. The cardinals, tit-mice, chickadees, and other birds that refuse to leave home territories during winter sing first.

One of the earliest avian singers is the black-capped chickadee. Traveling in roving bands forging for food in the winter, these birds become more solitary as the days grow longer. Often, when one chickadee sings, others soon join in song.

The tufted titmouse is a close relative of the chickadee. Formerly a southern bird, the titmouse has expanded its range north for some two decades now. It is well established even as far north as southern Ontario. However, it is still absent in northern New England.

Another familiar sound in early spring is the mourning dove cooing. The mourning dove positions a few twigs together, calls it a nest, and begins laying the two eggs that produce the familiar pair of babies. In many areas of the country, mourning doves may have as many as five clutches of two babies every year.

Cardinals and mocking-birds are also among the first early spring songsters to announce that winter is over. You can't really call some of the avian sounds songs, but announcements they are.

Woodpeckers are busy communicating as well as many of the song birds. They drum on dead tree trunks to attract a mate and announce territories. This is true from the smallest to the largest pileated ones. All are busy attracting mates or renewing old acquaintances.

Soon new families will be raised in protected territories. Listen carefully as early spring birds announce the arrival of another season.

Northward migrating Canada geese can be heard honking overhead as they make their way home to nest. It is a comforting feeling to look up and see them winging their way north.

Woodcocks can be heard again in the wetlands as their nest and reproduce. For those of us who work with wild creatures, the witnessing of nature's most ancient rituals is refreshing and challenging. Another year is beginning not only for the birds and wild animals, but for those who work with them.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Everybody loves the chickadee: Nature's Dynamo is tough

2009-11-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a chickadee? From bird watcher to sculptor to bird saver, these little tough guys steal hearts and intrigues research minds.

"Chickadees are tough survivors that live close to the edge of life," reports Margaret Clark Brittingham, wildlife ecologist, who studied some 576 black-capped chickadees as they struggled against starvation and stinging Wisconsin cold.

While other birds head south as autumn days grow shorter and temperatures begin dropping, chickadees remain year around within an initial 20 acres in which they were hatched.

No more than little balls of grey and black fluff, these unique avian mites are teaching humans how to brave winter's most severe temper tantrums bare footed.

Breeding does not begin until April and may extend through July. The female is capable of laying up to three clutches of eggs each mating season.

Eggs per clutch may range from four to 12. It is hard to imagine a female as small as a chickadee covering and incubating 12 eggs, much less feeding 12 always hungry hatchlings every 10 to 15 minutes from sunup to sundown.

Both the male and female chickadee take an active role during the mating season.

The male vigorously defends the nesting territory as the female constructs the nest. Incubation of eggs extends only some 12 days.

Also, the male carries food to the female and takes his turn sitting on the nest. Both the female and male feed the young and protect the nesting territory.

The babies are replicas of their parents wearing the black cap stretched from ear to ear and pulled snugly over the head.

Fledgling chickadees are no bigger than a slender female human thumb from the first joint to the tip. Tiny, but resilient and full of life's energy.

Year around the chickadee feeds primarily on insects and insect eggs. Insects are literally pecked from crevices and pulled from beneath the bark of trees. Wild plant and weed seeds are also enjoyed.

At backyard feeders, chickadees enjoy black oiled sunflower seeds and cracked corn. Peanuts are a favorite treat.

If you crack or chop the peanuts, the chickadee have to work less. If whole peanuts in the shell are available, the industrious bird will take a whole peanut, fly to a limb, hold the nut in one foot and literally pound it apart with its sharp beak.

To cope with extreme cold, a chickadee must eat at least 20 times more food than it does in warm weather.

Researcher Brittingham calculated that in mild winter weather, one chickadee must eat the equivalent of 150 sunflower seeds every day to just stay alive.

When temperatures drop to zero Fahrenheit and below, the chickadee must consume at least 250 sunflower seeds each day to just stay alive. This equates to some 60 percent of the bird's body weight. Backyard feeders make a big difference in this bird's survival in the winter.

Chickadees are terrific foragers. They roam looking for food in groups--better known as tribes--made up of five to nine members.

The lead bird is always a dominant male, backed by a dominant female. These birds investigate every nook looking for insects, their eggs, and seeds.

They also enjoy small invertebrates, spiders, and are agile enough to open bagworm tents and feed on the hidden larvae.

Chickadees supplement their diets with pulpy fruits, berries, and suet from backyard offerings. They are so acrobatic that they seemingly hang up-side down as much as they perch.

Researchers Dr. Thomas Grubb, Jr. and David Cimprich from Ohio State University confirmed that backyard feeders made a difference in supplementing the natural foods of Carolina Chickadees and other bark-foraging species.

Feeders significantly improved the nutritional condition and health of the wintering chickadees and
reduced mortalities.

Dr. James Curry studied Carolina Chickadees in Oklahoma in a natural wooded area without winter feeders and found that the flock sizes were significantly reduced due to cold weather and lack of natural foods.

Human offered nest boxes also made a big difference in flock sizes because chickadees compete with house sparrows, European Starlings, Eastern Bluebirds, wasps and each other for available cavities in which to raise their young.

Also, during cold winter nights, chickadees roost in cavities to survive the cold.

Ornithologists suspect that chickadees conserve life sustaining fat at night by dropping their body temperatures to nearly 20 degrees below their daytime temperature which is around 108 degrees F.

This is called hypothermia. The resting chickadee may wake the next morning with a small amount of surplus fat to get the day started.

Cornell graduate student Susan Chaplin discovered this amazing Chickadee fact first. Brittingham confirmed it in her research.

Also, they trap heat next to their bodies by tensing muscles and fluffing feathers during extreme cold. This acts like a downy quilt next to their small bodies.

The winter chickadee plumage has about 25 to 30 percent more feathers than does the summer one. Also to overcome life threatening winter temperatures, chickadees shiver. The motion turns energy into heat.

The only disadvantage to shivering is that the energy used must be quickly replaced by refueling--or eating.

Exposed areas such as the feet are vulnerable to cold. One at a time feet are pulled up beneath feathers to warm, and the entire bird's body keeps the feet warm when it sits on them.

Bills do not suffer cold temperatures nearly as easily as do feet. A bird's bill is not made up of flesh and blood like feet, but of a substance resembling horn. It does not freeze easily.

"When the temperature dropped below minus 20 degrees F," Brittingham says, "we noticed that chickadees stopped searching for food because the energy expended to find food at that temperature is greater than the energy they obtain from the food they find. When that happened, they simply slowed down, fluffed up, and waited for warmer weather."

"The thing that really impresses me about chickadees," Brittingham notes, "is their metabolism. We weighed birds early in the morning and found that they had virtually no body fat. Yet, the same birds examined in the afternoon of the same day were bulging with fat."

Although chickadees are versatile and adaptable many do not survive their first winter.

Researchers estimate that as high as 70 percent of all first year chickadees do not survive their first winter. Most die during the first month of life. Others die due to predators, starvation and intense cold before they are a year old.

Chickadees are such delightfully energetic, playful little birds that they brighten even the darkest winter day.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

How dangerous is an animal bite?

2009-10-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

The first line of defense for most sick or wounded animals is its teeth. The hurt of the bite may soon disappear, but the complications may just be the beginning. Don't take animal bites lightly. They are serious health hazards for humans.

Saliva and bacteria on the animal's teeth and gums may transmit any number of dangerous diseases to you. Protecting yourself and taking every precaution in handling is a must.

Some of the health hazards of getting bit or scratched by a wild animal include:

Tetanus:

Any animal bite may produce Tetanus. The disease is caused by anaerobic bacteria being introduced into the body through a contaminated wound.

Animal feces, dirt and dust may contaminate any wound produced by an animal bite or scratch.

The incubation period for Tetanus varies from three to 21 days. Some of the most pronounced symptoms include: very painful contractions of the jaw and neck that spread into other muscles. Muscle spasms may literally become intolerable. The body trunk bows forward with the head and heels being pulled backward.

Just for a moment visualize this happening to your body! The facial expression may become locked into a twisted sort of grin.

Not having a current Tetanus shot and working with wild creatures is not a healthy combination.

Even if you are the type person that cannot pass an injured creature without trying to help it, don't risk your health without having a recent Tetanus shot. If you do, you are risking your life!

DF-2

Dysgonic Fermenter (DF-2) is a relatively new disease identified in those working with wild creatures. It is directly associated with canine bites. Those working with wolves, foxes, and coyotes are probably more exposed to circumstances conducive to contracting the disease. The disease is caused by a gramnegative bacteria.

Fever is one of the most common symptoms. Other symptoms include vomiting, endocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), meningitis, and some forms of arthritis. Chronic respiratory disease,shock and kidney failure have also been reported.

DF-2 has been found in those with other underlying health disorders such as alcoholism and chronic lung
diseases.

Healthy people rarely contract DF-2.

Snake Bites

Research shows that in 1994 some 38,000 people are likely to be bitten by nonvenomous snakes. An unlucky estimated 8,000 or more will probably be bitten by poisonous snakes.

There are two kinds of snake venoms: neurotoxic and hemorrhagic. Neurotoxic venom produces pain but not much swelling and discoloration at the bite site.

The victim usually experiences some facial paralysis. Difficulty in speaking follows throat paralysis and death usually is the result of respiratory failure.

Hemorrhagic venom causes almost immediate reaction. The injection of the venom from the snake causes pain, discoloration and swelling at the bite site.

Symptoms include muscular weakness, nausea, vomiting and sometimes diarrhea. Shock may be a very serious complication of any snake bite.

All snake venoms contain both neurotoxic and hemorrhagic components. These vary from species to species.

Herpes Virus Simiae

The Herpes virus simiae is better known by the simple term - B virus infection. The Rhesus monkey is the most common carrier in this country.

The virus does not occur naturally in American forests. Monkey groups are thought to pick up the virus from newly captured Rhesus monkeys.

Often the virus may go unnoticed in monkeys. A lesion may be localized in the monkey's mouth. Usually, it is found on the tongue.

When it breaks it leaves an ulcer. Many infected monkeys carry the virus for a lifetime passing it through the saliva.

The disease is rare in man, but it is fatal when contracted. You may develop Herpes virus simiae from a bite or from a skin abrasion coming into contact with infected monkey saliva.

There are many wildlife animal handlers, rehabilitators, and general workers involved in working with primates. They should be very careful to avoid bites and scratches, and when bitten seek immediate first aid and qualified medical help.

The disease may show symptoms anywhere from one week to five weeks after exposure. Common symptoms seen are fever, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and in some cases, severe diarrhea. As the disease progresses, urinary retention and pneumonia may occur.

Neurologic symptoms may include muscular pain, vertigo, diaphragmatic spasms, abdominal pain, and difficulty in swallowing. In the later stages paralysis occurs in the legs. As the paralysis spreads up the body, it may cause respiratory collapse and death.

If you are bitten by a monkey, seek medical help immediately, identifying the species that inflicted the bite, if you can.

As soon as possible after the bite, wash the wound site with soap and water.

Never neglect a monkey bite. It may cost you your life, if you do.

Pasteurella Multocida

This is a bacteria frequently found in animals' mouths. When the microorganism invades the bite wound, it produces reddening, swelling and usually intense pain within just a few hours after the bite.

Rat bites may cause what is known as rat bite fever. Also, it is transmitted by animals other than rats.

Streptobacillus monliformis and Spirillum minus are the culprits. The results resemble flu like symptoms initially. With the progress of the disease, symptoms worsen and may become more pronounced.

Regional lymph nodes become inflamed and swollen. Victims also report joint pains and muscle pains. Usually the bite site heals quickly and without overt complications. However, later ulcers may form and sever complications surface.

Researchers need to exercise caution in handling lab rats as do wildlife rehabilitators growing or purchasing rodents to be live fed to captive raptors. A rat bite is serious.

Infections

Two factors work together to produce an infection after an animal has bitten you. The site of the wound on your skin is not clean and the animal's mouth carries multitudes of germs.

Human skin usually contains organisms that may cause infections when they enter your body through a wound.

Research shows more than 62 different bacteria species exist in domestic dogs' mouths. Some cause uniquely nasty infections.

Numerous aerobic (those requiring oxygen) and anaerobic microorganisms (those that can live without oxygen) are involved in infected animal bites.

Rabies

Rabies affects the central nervous system. It is caused by a virus and always ends in death for the person bitten or the animal victimized by the disease.

All warm blooded animals are susceptible to rabies. Rabbits and rodents are not usually carriers of the disease. Why? Researchers are still not sure.

If you are bitten by a wild animal assume that it has been exposed to rabies to be safe. Don't take unnecessary chances with your life. When the animal is not available for testing, this becomes even more important.

Any time you are bitten or scratched by a wild animal, wash the bite site as soon as possible with antibacterial soap and water, and seek immediate medical attention.

In 1994, rabies vaccinations are not painful. Gone are the days, and thankfully so, of 12 to 14 injections around the navel and severe side effects. Now, it is a rare person who reacts to the rabies vaccinations.

Check with your local health department, and schedule your preventative rabies vaccines before you begin another wildlife rehabilitation season.

Remember, you can't help save wildlife, if you jeopardize your own life. Play it safe, get the vaccine.

If you are bitten by an animal, wild or domestic, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. Then see your doctor, or go to the closest Emergency Room, as soon as possible. You had rather be safe than sorry
about what you may contract from a bite.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Fall berries are vital to wildlife

2009-10-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

If nature failed to provide her huge offerings of fall wild berries, many animals would be left out in the cold to die.

Throughout nature, autumn's most bountiful harvest takes place far beyond the farmers' plow.

From late August through early December, dozens of plants share their berries with wild creatures to build fat stores for winter survival. Without the autumn season's berry offerings many creatures could not survive winter.

Berries are among nature's most important natural foods. They are literally laden with fat producing, life sustaining sugars. Bears consume huge quantities of them to build body fats needed to sustain them during winter denning. Raccoons and opossums feast on them for the same reason.

Many species of birds depend on nature's fall fruits to fuel long flights to warmer climates. Mountain ash and bittersweet are among the favorites at this time of the year.

Many non-migratory animals such as cardinals and raccoons depend on such plants as high-bush cranberry for winter nourishment.

In the northeastern US alone, there are nearly 100 species of trees and shrubs that produce berries or fruits that offer life sustaining qualities. Many species such as wild grape provide weeks of natural foods for more than 50 species of birds.

Trees and shrubs benefit from the fall harvest also. Without fall feeding animals to disperse their seeds, the plants might not survive.

If you want to do something that benefits wildlife, plant berry producing trees and shrubs. They will help feed wild creatures year after year.

At the Center more than 500 Autumn Olive shrubs provide supplemental food for wildlife. By early December the shrubs are stripped of their nutritious fruits and ready for pruning to insure a good crop of berries for next years friends. Another 20 fall through early winter berry bearing bushes feed wildlife naturally.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Getting to know "God's Dog"

2009-10-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

The word coyote comes from an ancient Indian language and means "barking dog." That one phrase leads you to believe that they are not much different from domestic dogs. In some ways this is true, and in others these creatures are truly wild.

Coyotes roam grasslands, deserts, mountains and even urban environments from Alaska to Costa Rica. The entire continental United States and a large portion of Canada is home territory for what some call "God's dog."

They usually breed from January through March. As with most animals, the farther north the later the breeding season and vice versa. Some scientists believe the same male and female breed year-to-year.

Female coyotes breed according to local geographical conditions, and food availability. If food is not plentiful, a lower percentage of females breed. If there is a bumper crop of native foods, a large percentage of females reproduce.

Both one year old males and females are capable of reproducing. Gestation lasts about 63 days producing an average litter of six pups.

Litter size is also affected by population density in an area and food availability.

Coyotes select a variety of dens. Thick underbrush banks, thickets, hollow logs, and beneath rock shelves are favorite sites to dig in and raise a family.

Most coyotes are active during the day with peak feeding times being early morning and about dusk. The more urban the home range, the more likely coyotes are to be more active at night. This is a safety precaution no doubt.

First year coyotes leave the family unit in the fall and early winter of their first year to establish territories of their own. Some first year females remain with their mother during a full season and help raise mothers' pups the following spring.

Coyotes and wolves do not share the same territories with reports of wolves killing coyotes. In turn, the coyote competes with the fox in the same territories for similar foods. Bobcats are reported to not tolerate coyotes in their territories.

Researchers have learned that coyotes and badgers share hunting territories well. The badger digs out the rodents that coyotes enjoy, and the coyotes catch them.

Coyotes and foxes eat very similar items. These include rodents, apples, rabbits, berries, plant foods, insects, songbirds, livestock, deer, and an occasional house cat or small dog when they are available.

Livestock taken by coyotes is usually in the form of carrion. However, newborn pigs seem to be on the menu when they can be found.

Food habits and geographical location determine food choices.

Coyotes live solitary lives and in packs depending on food types available. If an area is rich in rodents, coyotes prefer to live and hunt in pairs. If bigger game such as deer and moose are plentiful, then they willingly join in a pack endeavor to bring down dinner.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Electric power poles deadly to raptors

2009-10-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

There is some half a million miles of electric distribution lines in the U.S. supported by several millionpoles. When a raptor lands on one of these lines, it is usually a fatal grasp.

What happens is that the raptors electrocute themselves when they touch two live wires, or a ground wire or uninsulated transformer and a live wire. The wider the species' wingspan, the more likely the landing will be fatal.

"Eagles comprise some 70-90 percent of all mortalities, and buteo hawks (redtails, broad-wings, etc.) most of the rest," reports Wildlife Conservation Magazine. "Immature birds, which land more clumsily than adults, are often zapped."

The poles most likely to be killer ones are those positioned on high terrains overlooking populations of rabbits, squirrels, and other live prey.

Killer poles may be made safe for raptors with wooden perches 14 inches to 16 inches above live wires or by placing inverted v-shaped perch guards close to conductors. This would discourage raptors from landing on them.

When you find a dead raptor under an electrical pole, record the pole number and location and then report it to your state game and fish department or your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

North American Wolves

2009-09-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Red Wolf:
The red wolf once populated most of the southeastern U.S. It was finally reduced to about 100 wolves along coastal Texas and Louisiana. These were intermingled by coyote genes as a result of interbreeding. The coyote was much more plentiful.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stepped in and initiated a recovery program to prevent the species' extinction. They caught the remaining wolves in the wild and captive bred for reintroduction.

Now a wild population of about 40 red wolves is being established with lots of setbacks in eastern North Carolina.

The Gray Wolf:
The gray wolf used to range over most of North America. There a few wild wolves inhabiting North Dakota, South Dakota, central Idaho, Wyoming, and northern Washington. The most significant populations include: Northern Minnesota with about 2,000; Michigan and Wisconsin with around 110; Montana with some 60-70; and Western Mexico with from 0-10.

The gray wolf as a species is made up of various subspecies. Recovery is focusing on the eastern timber wolf, the Mexican wolf, and the northern Rocky Mountain wolf.

The Mexican Wolf:
The Mexican Wolf was once native to the southwestern portion of the U.S. However, it has been extinct in that region since the mid-1900s. Now a captive population is managed by 13 private breeding facilities in conjunction with the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program of the USFWS.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Did you know? (Bird migration facts)

2009-09-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Billions of birds seasonally undertake the perilous journey of migration.

It is difficult to visualize a Swainson's Hawk, weighing only about two pounds, migrating from its breeding site on the Saskatchewan prairies to wintering ground in southern Argentina.

Equally amazing is a semipalmated sandpiper, weighing only an ounce, migrating from the Canadian Tundra to northern South America.

It is hard to believe a Ruby Throated Hummingbird, weighing only 1/6 ounce, flying from its nesting area in New Hampshire to wintering grounds in Costa Rica.

Migration is not just the seasonal movement of birds during spring and fall to avoid harsh weather. This is just part of the story.

Migration evolved as a way for animals to exploit resources that are seasonally abundant and to avoid times or places where life sustaining resources are scarce.

Many species can tolerate cold temperatures if food remains plentiful. However, if it is not available, the birds must migrate. The availability of food is the driving force in the evolution of migration patterns.

To fly long distances a bird must carry plenty of fuel. Fat is the currency of migration because it provides the greatest amount of energy per unit of weight. The more fat a bird has the farther it can fly. Fat is indispensable. Without it, a migrant cannot fly or survive long periods of inclement weather.

Birds are extremely sensitive to weather and atmospheric patterns. They purposefully select times and altitudes with the best wind directions and the best wind speeds.

The majority of birds migrate at night. However, hawks make their seasonal moves during day time hunting in the late afternoons.

More birds are active during migration at night due to internal clocks, ecology, endocrinology, neurobiology, physiology and evolution according to researchers. Actually, very little is known about the intricacies of migration.

Migratory flight is a result of an infinite number of decisions. To complete it successfully, birds must make many decisions and all must be correct ones. Such decisions include: what time of day or night to fly; what speed to travel; how high to fly; which direction to fly; and where to land.

Migration continues to intrigue scientists, and they continue to study the subject finding out more each year.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

No need to stop feeding suet in warm weather

2009-07-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is one of the best year 'round suet recipes that the North American Wildlife Health Care Center uses. This is the 10th year that we will be feeding our fall and winter visitors this treat. The Center keeps it out every day of the year.

1 cup creamy peanut butter, or crunchy. The less expensive the peanut butter, the fewer preservatives in it.
2 cups minute oats
2 cups white or yellow cornmeal
1 cup mixed bird seeds
1 cup white flour
1 cup lard (do not use oils of any other kind.)
1/2 cup raisins
2 to 3 very over-ripe bananas

Mix all the ingredients together. If you wish to make into cakes, melt the lard and peanut butter, and then stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour the mixture into freezer containers 1 1/2 inches thick. Allow to cool, and then cut it into cakes. It stores well in the freezer.

You do not have to melt and freeze. You can mix the ingredients together and pick a rough bark tree and rub it on it. The birds love it this way.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization

Now is the time to plant a snag for wildlife

2009-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ghost trees are what bird lovers call snags. They are dead trees. They are immensely important to wildlife, and are becoming more scarce each day.

Primary cavity-nesters, such as woodpeckers, chisel nest cavities in them and search for insects. Bluebirds, titmice, wren, screech owls and kestrels enjoy nesting in old woodpecker holes. Deer mice, flying squirrels, tree frogs, arboreal snakes and lizards and invertebrates too numerous to mention enjoy the cavities also.

Other birds, not cavity nesters, use snags to launch territorial attacks. The phoebe is one such bird. Vultures enjoy using them for sunning, and hawks nest in the tops of snags.

Many songbirds such as Cardinals, Indigo Buntings and Bluebirds sing from the tops of snags to announce their territories and to attract a mate.

It is not uncommon for one snag to house several different species at different levels. Screech owls and hawks take the top of a snag for a nesting site, while woodpeckers such as the Pileated will choose to excavate a nest about 60 feet up, and squirrels will nest about half way down in a hollow tree.

House wrens favor holes in snags to raise their young also. A dead tree literally teems with life until natural decay takes the final toll and drops the snag to the forest floor where it continues to contribute to the ecosystem. A snag may stand some 30 or more years before it topples.

Dead trees provide a unique life support system for some 85 species of birds in North America. Some 50 mammals use dead trees for dens and nurseries, and innumerable invertebrate find cozy niches in them.

Usually it is the woodpeckers that claim a snag as home. This is why they are labeled primary snag nesters. Other species use their old nests in following years becoming secondary snag nesters. Each year woodpeckers chisel out new nests never going back and using an old nest site which probably has already been claimed by another species.

Screech, saw whet and pygmy owls, house wrens, tree and violet-green swallows, kestrels, bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, goldeneyes, and buffleheads are secondary nesters using old woodpecker holes.

The large snags are choice ones. The pileated woodpeckers, barred owls and tree-nesting ducks cannot fit into the smaller snags. The large ones offer a wide choice of safe nests. High in a tall snag, it is difficult for predators to reach a nest. It is the big snags that are vanishing from the forests at an alarming rate.

Adding a snag to your back-yard bird feeding station will add interest, attract species that you may not have now, and help cavity nesters. Of course, when you start planting dead trees in your back yard, your neighbors may tend to look the other way as they whisper about your sanity.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

10 ways wildlife lovers can help birds-of-prey

2009-06-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

*** If you discover birds-of-prey nesting, roosting or hunting in your locale, try to protect the areas from disturbances. Contact your state's wildlife commission if you need help.

*** If you witness or have evidence of someone shooting or killing a bird-of-prey, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or your state wildlife commission so the person can be prosecuted. All birds-of-prey are federally protected.

*** If you hunt, make sure you are not shooting at a hawk or eagle.

*** It is a federal offense to disturb the nest of an eagle.

*** If you find a dead or wounded eagle, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS agents will transport injured eagles to veterinary medical centers where they may be treated, rehabilitated and released.

*** Even a dead bird-of-prey, through autopsies, supply valuable information that can help living ones.

*** If you must use pesticides, choose those that chemically break down rapidly after use. Avoid chlorinated hydrocarbons. Read the labels carefully and follow instructions carefully. If you have any doubts or questions, contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or conservation organizations in your area.

*** When cleaning garages, basements, and storage areas, do not flush old pesticides down the drain or dump them into the garbage. Contact your local EPA office for advice.

*** If you find an injured bird-of-prey, do not attempt to rescue it unless you are experienced. Sharp talons leave nasty wounds. Call a local nature center, wildlife officer, wildlife rehabilitator or law enforcement office for help. Stay in the area and keep an eye on the injured bird until help arrives.

*** Hawks and owls are rodent eaters mainly. Poisoned rats and mice may be deadly to them when eaten. Remember this when you put out rodent poison.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

How long does it take to fledge?

2009-05-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

How long does it take to fledge?

Barn Owl – 60 days from hatching
cardinal - 9-10 days from hatching
Cedar Wax Wing - 15-16 days from hatching
Chimney Swift – 25-30 days from hatching
Crow - 28-35 days from hatching
House Wren - 15-16 days from hatching
Mourning Dove - 3-15 days from hatching
Nighthawk - Approx. 23 days
Robin - 9-16 days
Starling - 14-21 days from hatching

Do you know who nests where?

2009-03-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Cavity nesters are backyard birds most hurt by man's encroachment on their environments.
However other bird species nest on the ground, in shrubs, trees and on various ledges. The
following list includes some common backyard bird nest sites.

Ground nesters:
American black duck
American woodcock
Boblink
Bobwhite
Canada goose
Eastern meadowlark
Killdeer
Mallard
Quail
Ring-necked pheasant
Rufous-sided towhee
Western meadowlark
White-throated sparrow

Shrub nesters
Brown thrasher
Brown towhee
California thrasher
Chipping sparrow
Common yellowthroat
Indigo bunting
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Red-winged blackbird
Rose-breasted growbeak
Song sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Yellow warbler

Shrub or tree nesters
American robin
Black-billed cuckoo
Black-billed magpie
Brewer's blackbird
Kingbird
Wood thrush
Yellow-billed cuckoo

Tree nesters
American crow
Blue Jay
Cedar Waxwing
Great horned owl
Hooded oriole
Inca dove
Lesser goldfinch
Mourning dove
Northern oriole
Orchard oriole
Pewee
Pine siskin
Purple finch
Red-tailed hawk
Screech owls

Platform nesters
American robin
Barn swallow
Black Phoebe
Cliff swallow
Eastern phoebe
Say's phoebe

Water tip
Provide water at varying levels for your backyard birds. Each avian species bathes a bit differently.
Depending on size, a bird may need water from only a half inch to several inches deep. Try placing
several flat stones around the edge of your bird bath. This allows the birds to gradually enter the
water.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Treating Finch Eye Disease

2008-08-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Treating finch eye disease takes patience and consistency in applying treatment. It becomes more pronounced and obvious during spring migration.

Migration spreads finch eye disease from one location to another rapidly.

The North American Wildlife Health Care Center's network of rehabilitators have used the following treatment successfully.

The eye lesions have ranged from slightly swollen eyelids with a clear ocular drainage to severe swelling with loss of sight.

When there is loss of sight, there has been nasal exudate simultaneously. In other words, the bird had a runny nose.

The disease outbreak has been investigated by SCWDS, the National Wildlife Health Center, wildlife agencies in various states, and veterinary diagnostic labs in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.

The disease is a conjunctivitis that has been identified as a bacterium usually associated with chronic respiratory disease in domestic chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys.

One recommended treatment is 14 days of oral tetracycline (Panmycin Aquadrops, by Upjohn, at 250 mg/kg, PO, BID approximately .0.05 cc per finch, BID) and 21 days of Tylson.

(Tylan 10, powder for addition to drinking water, Elanco-a division of Eli Lily) at 1/4 teaspoon powder per quart of water. After 21 days of Tylson, continue to use every other day until the bird is released. Make the Tylson the only source of water. Do not offer bathing water during treatment time.

Initially gently clean and open the sore eyes with a sterile saline solution and a Q-tip. Put oxytetracycline eye ointment which is Terramycin by Pfizer in both eyes BID until all swelling and redness is gone. Do this twice daily at least an hour apart from using the drops.

Be patient. It may take close to a month to successfully treat finch eye disease using this treatment.

There are other treatments being tried. As soon as we learn of their success, we will let you know.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Grow your own butterflies

2008-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Have children or a class, or maybe just your own curiosity dictates that you grow your own butterflies this winter. Whatever the reason, it is a fun project for all ages, and increases the appreciation of what it actually takes for a butterfly to go from an egg to a beautiful insect floating from one flower to another in our back yards.

You can raise butterflies indoors this winter with very little trouble or special preparation. Next spring your efforts will kiss the earth as they take their place in nature.

Regardless of how old or young you are, it is simple fun to watch the metamorphosis from egg to beautiful butterfly.

"If you have just one square foot of space, you can easily raise 50 to 100 butterflies," Rick Mikula, butterfly raising expert says. "It's relaxing and rewarding."

Step 1: Make a butterfly aviary. Identify the host plant for the species of butterfly you wish to raise. Pot one and bring it inside.

Step 2: Make a teepee-type framework over the host plant. Cover the entire framework with mosquito netting or an old sheer curtain or panty hose. Secure the bottom of the net to the pot with a rubber band.

Step 3: Check your backyard. Find a female butterfly of the species you wish to raise. A good insect field guide will show you how to tell a male from a female butterfly of a select species.

Mikula has his own sexing tip:
"Holding the butterfly upside down by its wings, look at the abdomen tip," he advises. "You'll see claspers on a male, but not on a female.

"Almost any female you catch in your garden will already be fertilized," Mikula says. "Put her in the teepee cage and add a small piece of melon to supply sugar, or a few nectar type flowers, such as cosmos or zinnias."

Also, you can use a never-used orange pot scrubber in a shallow dish filled with sugar-water.

Step 4: Cover the entire teepee with a brown paper sack to provide privacy and keep the butterfly calm. Strong light causes her to become active and she might hurt her wings on the enclosure.

After 24 hours, begin checking the host plant for eggs. A female will begin laying eggs anywhere from one to seven days after you place her in the teepee.

Step 5: After she lays a few eggs, release her back into nature.

Swallowtail eggs will hatch in about five days, but it takes some 14 days for a mourning cloak to reach the hatching stage.

Butterfly caterpillars have insatiable appetites. They need lots of food. A monarch caterpillar increases its size some 2,700 times in just two weeks!

If the host plant looks spent after a few day, add fresh leaves for the caterpillars. You will probably have to replenish the leaves at least once a day, and maybe more often. Also, it is important to remove the caterpillars every day. They make great fertilizer for your pot plants.

In two to three weeks, the caterpillar will begin changing to the pupal stage. It climbs onto the netting, attaches itself and pupates. Keep the chrysalises or pupae out of direct sunlight or they will become too dry.

Check a reputable insect field guide to determine how long you must wait for your particular species to mature. At room temperature, a monarch emerges in about 14 days, but some butterflies overwinter before the adult emerges.

Butterfly raising is fun and a great way to entertain your children, friends, and yourself.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Common backyard butterflies may be becoming endangered insects

2008-08-10T14:19:00.000-07:00

Have you missed something beautiful in your backyard a little more each year? Nature's flying jewels are becoming more scarce each summer. Numerous species are being eliminated to never more grace our flowers and mud puddles.

Several butterfly species are actually nearing extinction, and several have been listed on the endangered wildlife list. What will our summer yards - our lives - be like without nature's jewels?

If you want butterflies in your yard, or want to increase the numbers you already have, you can have your way by following a few suggestions.
"Good wildlife habitats provides the four basic life requirements of all terrestrial animals: food, fresh water, cover or shelter, and sufficient territory to carry out their life functions, particularly courtship and breeding," advises Billy McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June,
1993.

***Inform all your neighbors about how you feel about pesticides. This includes what your neighbors choose to spray on their yard. Give them a choice...Tell them who to call in your area that can help them not kill birds, mammals and insects through a thorough spraying session.
***Encourage your state, your community to allow the sides of the highways to remain natural feeding local butterfly species all summer.
*** Allow the edges of your own lawn to grow literally wild, and remain uncut. Remember. Butterflies cannot dine on the perfectly manicured lawn.
***Encourage such plants as wild thistle and nettle to grow. These are among the most valuable food sources for butterflies.
*** Do not kill, poison, or eradicate Joe-Pye weed, ragweed, goldenrod, milkweed, knapweed, dandelions, mallow, majoram, bugle, wild thyme, clover, meadow sweet, vetch, currant, blueberry and tick trefoil. Many different species of butterflies enjoy feeding on these plants.
*** Provide numerous butterfly habitats on your property. Establish sunny areas. Also include shaded and partial shaded areas. In addition, provide a shallow pool for butterfly drinking.
*** Never use insecticides. Encourage your neighbors to not use pesticides on their lawns.
*** Trim shrubs in season to promote more growth. Pruning is best done in the spring rather fall.

Butterflies enjoy specific shrubs. To increase the numbers in your own back yard, planting from the following will help feed the butterflies visiting your yard.

"The most successful butterfly garden incorporates a selection of various flowering plants that ensure
blooms from early spring through late fall when adult butterflies are on the wing," McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.

*** Alyssum--blooms summer to mid-fall.
*** Cosmos--blooms late summer to fall.
*** Hellotrope--blooms late spring into summer.
*** Marigold---blooms summer into fall.
*** Salvia--blooms summer through fall.
*** Zinnia-- blooms midsummer into fall.
*** Sweet William--blooms spring through early summer.
*** Asters--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Bee balm--blooms summer through fall--comes in red, lavender, and white.
*** Butterfly bush--blooms mid-summer into fall--white, pink, red
*** Butterfly weed---blooms summer through fall. Collect the seed from a fall ` plant, and relocate by
planting them where you want in the fall.
*** Coreopsis--blooms all summer.
*** Purple coneflower--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Lavender--blooms in the summer.
*** Phlox--blooms all summer-red, pink, lavender, white, and tangerine.
*** Black-eyed Susan--blooms mid-summer into fall.
*** Yarrow--blooms mid-to-late summer.

All of these domestic garden plants are easy to care for year-after-year, add color to your yard, and provide valuable nourishment for visiting butterflies.

"Though all adult butterflies feed by sucking fluids through a tubular proboscis, many species rarely if ever actually feed at flowers. These species dine on a variety of organic fluids from such sources as decomposing animals, fermenting tree sap, rotting fruit and even excrement.

"For this reason, including fruit-producing plants such as grapes, pears, apples or peaches in a garden helps attract more types of adult butterflies than only planting flowers. Fruit must be allowed to overripe and begin to rot or ferment to be attractive...

"Liquids containing sugar or fermenting sugars also attract butterflies and may be poured onto the open ground with some success. I have even seen butterflies gather at puddles of spilled beer or soft drinks," notes McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.

Do not forget to keep or create a small mud-puddle in your backyard for butterflies. All adult butterflies require water particularly during hot, dry summer periods.

Usually morning dew and normal rainfall supply all the moisture needed, but when the weather is dry, butterflies appreciate a mud-puddle. Minerals, and especially nitrogen is gotten from sipping mud.
Butterflies also appreciate protruding rocks in ground level bird-baths. This gives them a place to sun and rest.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Purple Martins and man have enjoyed each other's company for centuries

2008-05-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Purple Martins are a type of swallow. They spend about four months during cold weather in the United States in Sao Paulo, Brazil and the Amazon Valley. They feed almost exclusively on insects benefiting the Brazilian coffee, sugar cane, corn and soybean plantations.

In late January, Purple Martins return to the southern portion of the United States to begin another nesting season. They continue to consume large numbers of mosquitoes. Researchers have found that one Martin can consume up to 2,000 mosquitoes a day. The birds natural United States range extends from Florida and Texas into the midwestern states and up into the eastern seaboard into southern
Canada. All of these areas are largely agricultural.

Purple Martin populations are declining steadily due to pesticide poisoning. Farmers use pesticides to kill crop damaging insects. The Martins eat the poisoned insects and die.

Eight of the world's 75 swallow species migrate into the state of Texas. Towards the end of July, they begin to congregate in large groups preparing to head back to Brazil. This makes them one of the earliest migrating birds.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Butterflies Enjoy a Log Pile

2007-08-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

While cleaning up your yard during late summer, consider building a simple butterfly log to help hibernating visitors.

The top layer protects hibernating butterflies from rain and snow. The thinner the logs the more cavities there are to attract wintering butterflies.

Put the log pile in the shade. Plant nectar shrubs close to it this fall. If you already have the nectar producing plants, place the winter pile close to them.

All butterflies have to have shelter from rain, snow, wind and other weather elements. Also, they require a safe place to roost at night.

By constructing a butterfly log pile, you are giving butterflies a helping hand in your own back-yard.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Interesting butterfly facts

2007-08-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

*** Butterflies visit sunny areas more often than shaded gardens. Create a sunny, butterfly corner in your garden.
*** Butterflies warm the muscles in their wings in sun before they fly every morning.
*** Two of the most serious threats to butterflies is wind and man. Create a windbreak in your garden for your butterflies.
*** Butterflies use mud-puddles like birds use bird baths. Keep a mud-puddle in your backyard for butterflies. Robins will visit it also to get mud for their nets.
*** Leave a weed border in an inconspicuous spot so butterflies will have natural weeds to feed and raise their young on. A perfectly groomed lawn is a "turn off" to butterflies.
*** Butterfly predators include: man, lizards, birds, snakes, spiders, and other insects.
*** Caterpillars are susceptible to viral, bacterial and fungal diseases.
*** The cabbage butterfly is an introduced species from Europe, 1860. Some people consider it a nuisance because it feeds on leafy, garden vegetables. It is difficult to not appreciate its delicate, almost transparent beauty!
*** As a caterpillar, the native Eastern black swallowtail is considered by many to be a pest.
*** Some butterfly larvae absorb toxins from the plants they feed on and become very distasteful to predators.
*** If not interrupted by winter dormancy, the entire butterfly metamorphic process spanning the time period of from egg to adult, requires some four to five weeks to totally complete.
*** Each completed life cycle is called a brood. Many butterflies complete three or more broods every year from spring through fall.
*** On the average, butterflies live only a few weeks. Monarchs live some six or more months. The migratory butterflies like the Monarch have longer life spans.
*** The mourning cloak, spring's earliest butterfly, is non-migratory, but lives some six or so months.
*** Migrating brood monarchs fly some 2,000 miles from Canada to winter ground in Mexico. They ride northeasterly winds and move great distances without expending very much energy. They can literally float on the winds.
*** Monarchs wintering in Mexico do not make the return trip in the Spring. Successive broods move northward until they once again re-populate ancestral ranges.
*** Don't cut down that stand of Queen Anne's Lace. Butterflies use it to lay eggs on, and larvae feed on it.
*** Some butterflies are very fond of verbena, vetch and lantana. Plant some, you'll enjoy it also. It is very colorful.
*** Habit destruction especially in the Florida Keys and Everglades and in many parts of California is the main destructive forces costing butterflies their lives.

Helping butterflies in our back yards, helps bring out the best in us while helping a beautiful insect survive in a often hostile world.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Summer Butterflies

2007-07-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Butterflies occupy a unique place in the chain of insect life. They also add a lot of beauty and pleasure to the wildlife lover's life.

Appreciating a creature's beauty is no longer enough to help it maintain its place in nature. Knowing how it lives helps man realize how important it is to make sure each species survives the ultra modern world.

There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly. There are the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis (pupa), and adult. When you observe these changes up close, you will see they are fascinating. Metamorphosis is the scientific name for a butterfly's complete seasonal change.

Female butterflies lay eggs only on plants that provide nourishment to her offspring. A butterfly's feet are unique and are the chief tool used to locate the right host plants on which eggs will be laid. A butterfly's feet scratch a plant's leaves and receptors located on the bottom of the feet taste the plant to identify it as a correct host.

Butterflies lay single eggs and clusters of eggs. Many do not survive hungry predators. A caterpillar emerges from the egg. It feeds almost constantly and sheds its skin several times before forming a chrysalis. Butterfly silk is spun to form a supportive protection for the chrysalis.

During the chrysalis stage of butterfly development rest is the order of the period. The chrysalis is usually camouflaged and may resemble leaves, stems or wood.

When a butterfly reaches an adult stage, the chrysalis splits open and a beautiful fully formed butterfly emerges. It rests on a leaf as blood is pumped into its fragile wings. Before taking off on its maiden flight, the wings must be completely dry and have hardened.

A caterpillar munches its way through leaf after leaf. This is not true of the adult butterfly. It drinks nectar and other nutrients. The straw-like proboscis is the tool used to intake nectar.

Butterflies must maintain a body temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit to fly. You will often find them sunning lazily moving their wings. They are soaking up sun to increase their body temperature.

Many butterflies live only a few short weeks. However, some species live several months. The Monarch survives to migrate north and south. However, a Monarch does not survive to make both the north and south migration in one year. After flying south, it breeds on the way back and the offspring
complete the migration.

The Monarch usually chooses the milkweed plant as its egg host. Meadows with milkweed growing are favorite breeding grounds. Eating the milkweed plant makes the Monarch poisonous food for predators. The Cloudless Sulfur butterfly likes partridge peas, clovers, and other legumes as host plants for egg laying. This butterfly is found in the southern states close to open spaces, gardens and along seashores.

The most help that you can give all species of butterflies is to plant flowers that they enjoy for egg laying and for nutrition. Do not use deadly chemicals that prove fatal to these fragile flying flowers. Remember, adult butterflies enjoy nectar producing plants where caterpillars enjoy leaves, leaves and more leaves.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Butterfly hibernating box

2007-07-07T14:03:00.000-07:00

With the loss of so much natural habitat, non-migrating butterflies like the mourning cloak can be helped with man-made shelters.

This is an excellent summer time project to have ready for fall positioning.

Some butterflies hibernate in the winter in all parts of North America. The mourning cloak spends the winter in many regions, the question mark and comma in the east, and the satyr anglewing in the west.

You can provide thes e and others with a suitable hibernating spot in your back yard. All you need is rectangular wooden box - probably cedar is the best - with narrow vertical holes cut into it. These are for the butterflies to enter and leave.

Place long strips of bark inside the house. The bark gives butterflies something to hang onto while hibernating.

Many home improvement places and garden centers sell butterfly hibernating boxes.

Always place a butterfly hibernation box in the shade as the occupants will not overheat. Also, place it close to nectar producing shrubs and flowers.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Replacing a dove nest

2007-06-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

It isn't unusual for a dove nest with babies to be blown out of a tree during a wind storm. Most doves cross a few sticks loosely held together and call it finished.

Place the baby doves in a box with a heating pad under the box cushioned with a folded towel. Set the heating pad on low. If a heating pad isn't available, secure the baby doves in a container and place it where it will be shielded from the elements.

Materials:
***12-inch square of 1/4 or 1/2-inch wire screen.
Cut a 12 inch circle.
Then cut a 2 1/2-inch pie-shaped wedge from the circle, and discard it. Pull the circle into the shape of a cone. Over lap the edges and wire them together.
Secure the nest basket close to the crotch of a tree limb from eight to 16 feet above the ground.
Replace the baby doves and watch from a safe distance. The parents should return quickly to feed and shelter them.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

May Brings Abundance in Nature

2007-06-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Whatever Mother Nature does, she does it with all her heart. She
dishes out recovery with blooms and new leaves, songbirds, butterflies,
and bees.
The mountaintop reeled under the devastation of the Easter weekend freeze. The Quantum Cherry tree is still struggling to put on new leaves as if the star magnolia. There aren't enough leaves to provide a canopy for the tender pot plants from the greenhouse. I fear the Clendendron trees, one of all time favorites, are dead. There is no sign of life after six weeks since the freeze. They were not only my favorites, but butterflies covered them from the time they bloomed until fall. The oldest stood 30 feet tall, and provided shade for the Pilgrim geese during the heat of summer. Their demise is much like losing an old friend on the mountaintop.
A few of the Iris are showing buds, and the late blooming peonies are opening. What a luxury to have flowers in bloom again. Spring without blooms is hard to imagine, after waiting months through winter for them to arrive. Some of the lilies are nodding in the warm spring breezes with heads full of buds. Others did not show buds this year.
The laurel is in bloom, and it is a welcome escort down the mountain each morning. Bees are back out and humming, and at evening the whippoorwills call. Although it is past mid-May, it seems that is was March only yesterday. Every year we worry about if spring is early or late, and we fear for plants, blooms and buds. But the plants don ' t
forget, because their memory is not like ours. Plants have a fundamental memory, a response to the rhythms of time. It is part of the order that keeps days and nights, season and years in their immutable sequence.
The scarlet tanager has found the mountaintop again. Some call it a black-winged redbird or firebird. Nobody ever forgets the scarlet tanager, once one visits. Beside the tanager, the cardinal' s deep red seems a bit dull. Only the males are clothed in the vivid red, and then only in the spring and summer. The females have yellowish
olive-green feathers. Her wings are a brownish-gray. When winter approaches the male tanager will look much like the female.
May' s air holds the golden dust that sends many humans hurrying for the tissue box. The air itself is dusted with the substance of life, the pollen crop of the trees. The hickories, oaks, walnuts, and all the conifers spread clouds of sulphur-yellow pollen. It is one of the
oldest fertility rites on earth. Some of the pollen reaches the female flowers and produce the seeds that keep the planet green. It will be over soon, and red noses and eyes will be able to return to normal.
The day begins early now. At first light, the birds begin to celebrate the dawn. The dawn chorus swells into a full cathedral choir by 7 a.m. No one complains that May is a noisy month.
Wisps of silver mist still hug the hollows with memories of midnight coolness at daybreak. The busyness of the day hasn' t intruded yet.
You can hear the breeze whispering through the treetops. The sunrise is the day's beginnings. Perhaps that is what the birds are celebrating. Those who know another dimension of time can, for a little while, participate in genesis itself.
June bugs are already on the back walk. They are blundering beetles
that appear at dusk and linger well into the dark.
Fawns are beginning to appear in the woods. Leave them where you find them. A fawn lacks scent and with their dappled coloring, they are well camouflaged, and usually remain safe from predators. The doe returns to the fawn several times a day to nurse it and clean it. Staying only a few minutes each time, she leaves again to seek food. Most
fawns do not do well in captivity. Leave nature where you find it.
Bees are in serious trouble in the Valley. They are suffering "bee hive collapse." The bees leave the hive in search of nectar and pollen, and never return. This is drastic, because man depends on bees to pollinate crops to produce food. Man cannot replicate what the bees do. There is no substitute for trillions and trillions of honeybees
worldwide, pollinating hundreds of thousands of square miles. If
honeybees become extinct, man may not be far behind. Mites and pollution, including pesticides, had already compromised bees and now a new plague has struck.
"We don't know what is causing the hives to collapse," Edd Buchanan, master beekeeper says," We are meeting and we are studying, but we simply don't know yet."
Researchers have decided to call the latest bee plague "colony collapse disorder." A Cornell University study estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States, which includes fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
"Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee
to pollinate that food," Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation, said.
Some beekeepers on the east coast report losses of more than 70 percent of their hives. Beekeepers consider a loss of up to 20 percent in the off-season normal. Colony Collapse Disorder is not just a United States problem. It is occurring in Spain and Poland as well.
With global warming threatening many species, and now bees seriously endangered, it may be later than we think.
May you always hear the whisper of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Some birds enjoy air bathing

2007-05-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Game birds and sparrows enjoy a good wallow in dust to clean their feathers, while other birds enjoy a dip in a puddle or bird bath.
Sometimes you may catch a glimpse of a bird air bathing. The bird is stimulated to go through the motions of bathing while watching other birds in water.
The air-bathing bird goes through all the motions of taking a bath with no water. After taking the imaginary bath, the bird preens its feathers just as it would after a real bath.
Some behavior truly falls in the category of mind over matter.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Bluebirds are an early summer favorite

2007-05-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Eastern and western bluebirds are among the most favorite of spring songbirds.

Populations have made great strides in stabilizing since the species almost became extinct. The eastern bluebird can be found in hardwoods and grasslands mainly in rural settings. Grassy areas like meadows, pastures, roadsides, yards, rights-of-way, and farmlands attract the gentle bird. The more open grassy areas provide foraging habitat. Nearby trees are used for perching and nesting sites. The largest threat to the bluebirds' future is the continued loss of nesting area.

Landowners are important in the struggle in keeping bluebird populations stable. Keep the snags or dying trees rather than destroying them. They provide cavities for nesting.

Approximately two-thirds of the diet of an adult eastern bluebird is made up of insects and other invertebrates. The remainder of the diet comes from seasonal fruits. Favorite insect foods include crickets, katydids, beetles and grasshoppers. The birds also enjoy spiders, earthworms, millipedes, centipedes, sow bugs and small snails. When insects are scarce, fruits become very important.

During the winter months, eastern bluebirds consume dogwood berries, hawthorn berries,wild grapes, hackberry seeds and sumac. Supplemental fruits include blackberries, honeysuckle and bayberries. Virginia creeper, red cedar and pokeberries are enjoyed. The availability of winter foods often determines whether bluebirds migrate or stay. If they decide to stay in a region, they gather in flocks and seek cover in orchards, and heavy thickets. A brush pile is a delight for bluebirds.

Bluebirds feed by sitting prey from high perches. They swoop down to catch insects on the ground.

The eastern bluebird's winter and summer ranges differ primarily in how far south the bird reaches. Eastern bluebirds nest from southern Saskatchewan, east across southern Canada to Nova Scotia, south to southern Florida, and south from eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains from Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and the Dakotas south to Texas. Bluebirds winter in the middle parts of eastern North America south into Mexico, the Gulf coast, and southern Florida. Populations have also been found in southeast
Arizona and south into Nicaragua.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Did You Know? (Crow facts)

2007-04-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

*** Crows show strong group loyalty. Despite man's hunger to always expand taking more and more habitat. This bird has not only survived but thrived.

*** Crows incubate their eggs for 18 days. Within five weeks the baby crows are able to fly.

*** A crow can eat almost anything. Diet includes grains, insects, eggs, fruit, even carrion. Rarely do crows face a food shortage because they are so adaptable.

*** A crow gives up flock loyalty during nesting season. Attention is transferred to the female. Researchers believe that they mate for life and are model wildlife parents. A mate knows where the other is at all times. Even in flight, a slower mate is waited for so that the two can fly as a team.

*** During nesting the male provides the female with food. When the eggs hatch, the pair provides their offspring with a minimum of eight full meals every day.

*** Crows have very rapid digestive systems. This accounts for them being able to eat large quantities of food even when they are babies.

*** The raven and crow are two different birds. The raven is larger and remains in northern regions throughout severe winters.

*** A crow, like a parrot, can learn to repeat words and even long phrases. This indicates a high degree of intelligence. It can associate words with meaning. Also, the crow responds to commands.

*** The crow is a scavenger and hunts along the sides of roads.

*** Crows warn each other of danger.

*** Crows build large basket type nests of sticks, bark, fur, leaves, and whatever else they can find that attracts their attention. Yearlings often help.

*** Scarecrows are useless in discouraging crows from raiding the garden.

*** Researchers have succeeded in distinguishing some 300 different crow calls. Five different crow calls have been distinguished to refer to different kinds of danger.

*** Crows dislike hawks and owls and chase them when the opportunity arises.

*** The crow's ability to learn new behaviors in a changing environment is one of the reasons they are as common as they are.

*** Crows have forward pointing bristles which cover their nostrils. This aids in preventing bacteria from entering their bodies when they feed on carrion.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Offering nesting materials to songbirds makes life easier for them

2007-04-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Birds can find nesting materials without our help, but having them readily available entices birds to nest in favorite backyards.

Place the nesting materials where birds can see them easily. Place nesting materials on shrubs, over a clothesline or in a suet basket and hang from a tree branch. Never place nesting materials in a nest box. Birds might think it was already occupied.

What to offer birds?
String that is no longer than 4"
Yarn that is no longer than 4"
Small rope no longer than 4"
Soft cloth pieces
Upholstery stuffing
Scraps of fur
Recently shed or combed pet hair
Cotton
Sphagnum moss
Clean Poultry feathers
Dried grasses
Healthy human hair
Pieces of wool
Soft bristles from old paint brushes

Do not offer terry cloth because of the possibility of birds getting their feet entangled in the strings. Also, yarns, strings, threads and ropes longer than 4" can be hazardous, because birds can entangle their delicate feet. Pet hair is a favorite as are poultry feathers because they contain enough natural oils to help a bird's nest repel water.
Food crop of berries for next years friends. Another 20 fall through early winter berry bearing bushes feed wildlife naturally.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Spring has Sprung

2007-04-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

Spring has Sprung

Spring has taken her rightful position as queen of the season only yesterday. Winter will tease spring several times during the next few weeks until the cold winds are blown out for another season.
Spring will not be deterred, thank the power that steers the universe. Whether is has been a cold, snowy winter, or a mild one, spring renews man's spirits, as it has for eons. Our ancestors surely crawled out of the caves, shed their animal skin coverings, and warmed themselves in the sun. The feeling is still the same.
Man sheds his heavy winter coats, gloves, and toboggans and sweatshirts, and greets the sun enthusiastically every year.
Man is still awed by the magic of seeds sprouting. It is still somewhat magical to ponder how sap at the roots of trees and shrubs knows when to begin its methodical movement upward toward leaf buds. Last weekend I pushed the leaves away from a portion of the lily bed, and surprised budding plants and myself. It is time that they were pushing through the earth, but finding them working, as they should be is always a pleasant early spring surprise. They have lay dormant for months, and now are working hard to put on an early
summer show that I wait for 11 months every year.
The early spring garden always brings my grandmother close to me again, as does the summer growing season. My fondest memories of her are in her kitchen creating delicacies for her family and preserving food for the worst of all winters to come. When she wasn't in the kitchen, she was in the garden prodding plants to produce for her kitchen. She knew flowers and vegetables like she knew her children and their children.
My grandmother had firm thoughts about daylight saving time. Her clock, the one that hung in the kitchen on the wall above her dough board table, always showed "God's time," and she didn't believe in setting it ahead or back.
The days are beginning to stretch in the morning and evening. Man earns his keep day to day, but those in tune with nature also live season to season. You sense the changing seasons most when you dig in the dirt.
Spending early years on a west Tennessee farm, tagging around after a German grandfather who spent his life farming, gave me a keen sense of what it meant to live season to season. The mind works with the season at hand, but ponders the season to follow.As I uncover plants beginning their spring growth cycle, my mind sees them in full bloom in early summer. It makes all the early spring gardening work well worth the aching back and sore muscles.
Regardless of how you feel about starlings being the one of the major pests of the western world, notice their brilliant yellow bills. They turn yellow as the breeding season approaches. The bill begins to change color at the base and the yellow spreads outward to the tip. The robin's bill is the same color in the springtime. It is signs of the season.
Purple martin houses need to be up and in place to receive the flocks coming in. Blue birds are already examining houses and choosing where they will nest this year. If you are putting up new houses, don't be discouraged if bluebirds decided to not nest in them this year. Sometimes it takes a season of looking,
examining, and then accepting them by the birds. All birdhouses should be cleaned and ready for use by the
time spring arrives.
In nature, spring is the season of reproduction. Wild turkeys are courting and will establish continue to gobble through April. Male red-winged blackbirds are arriving and setting up territories around area ponds. Mourning doves are beginning to pair and coo. Some doves will raise as many as five pairs of
offspring before next fall. The female lays only two eggs, and then begins to incubate them. Squirrels are already busy having their first babies of the year. Songbirds are singing and calling for mates. Nature has risen from the depths of darkness and cold again.
May you always hear the whisper of wings.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Bats See with Their Ears

2007-03-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Bats actually "see" prey with their ears. Through the somewhat complicated process of echolocation, a bat learns from echoes how big its prey is, how fast it is moving and in which direction it is going.

As a bat approaches its prey it increases the number of signals it produces fixing it precisely in the surrounding landscape.

A bat can detect prey, follow its protective evasive movements and catch in less than one second! Scientists blocked bats' ears, and found they crashed into objects while flying in the dark and were unable to catch prey.

The puzzle was unraveled in the 1930's when Harvard University researchers found that bats emitted high frequency sounds that bounced off objects and returned to the bats as echoes. Scientists labeled this ability as "echolocation."

Many bats cannot locate objects more than 10 to 15 feet away from them. Some species have to be closer than that.

Between the emission of a pulse signal and the reception of a returning echo, just six-one thousandths of a second passes.

A bat thinks very quickly in just under a second. It locates its prey, decides if it is edible, tracks the creature's evasive moves, and then catches it. All of this takes just one second. Once a bat locks onto to the exact location of an insect, it rarely escapes being caught. Some moths are able to pick up on the pulses of a bat and begin evasive moves, while others actually send out signals of their own that act as jamming devices to bats' echolocation.

While roosting bats make notices that are detectable by the human ear. We cannot hear the ultrasonic sounds of echolocation. Roosting bats peeps and squeals.

Other creatures that use ultrasonic sounds to help them survive include whales,dolphins, shrews, moths, grasshoppers, crickets and cicadas.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

February is the most temperamental month of the year

2007-02-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

February rushes into the year like an excited little girl with her first handful of valentines, proclaiming herself the best of the best. The month is the spoiled brat of the year, not being able to make up its mind whether it wants spring or winter.
In February, there are spring- like temperatures one day, and flying snow the next. For the Western North Carolina Mountains, snow in February is usually Gulf-driven, which means it falls heavy and wet with flakes as big as goose feathers. It is a month of early jonquils finally brave enough to blossom, and crocus blooms pushing through the earth. These early bloomers are determined to announce the approach of another spring, regardless of what wind chills rattle man's bones. February is more a phase in nature than a month.
It is hard to take February very seriously for long. She sulks, she beams, and she changes from one minute to the next. It is reassuring that February matures into March with mad, whirling winds when spring is no longer a drop in visitor, but a full time resident.
Groundhog Day on February 2 anchors the month in ancient lore. The whistle pig or woodchuck, better known as the groundhog, has pull in high places. It is the only animal to have a day named in its honor. Noself-respecting groundhog is up and about on February 2. It is one of the true hibernators in the mountains.
German immigrants, the Pennsylvania Dutch, brought the legend of the groundhog to America in the 18th Century. In Europe, they had regarded the badger as a spring barometer. According to legend the burrowing groundhog awakens on February 2, emerges, and if it sees its shadow, it will return to the burrow for six more weeks of winter. If it does not see its shadow, the whistle pig will remain outside and start
another year, bringing spring to the Valley. There has to be plenty of succulent green shoots for the rodent with a voracious appetite to munch on to tempt it to stay up.
Punxsutawney Phil, America's official groundhog that predicts the weather, lives in Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania. He is reputed to be more than 100 years old. Have many Phils have there been? No one in the know is confessing.
Gus is the official groundhog of the Asheville area. He lives at the Western Carolina Nature Center. Gus is as adept at predicting winter-spring weather as is Punxsutawney Phil. He is a cousin of the squirrel, but shy and reclusive. In the wild, it eats succulent green plants, like dandelions, clover and various grasses. They are literally tiny mowing machines. Gardeners are not fond of the groundhog. Early plants have little
chance of surviving the razor sharp teeth of the totally vegetarian.
February is a prime squirrel mating month. It is during these times that the squirrels are oblivious to car horns, cats and humans. They are caught up in the pandemonium of noisy mating romps through the trees.
It is just Mother Nature regenerating herself.
Notice how the winter wrens have added several notes to their brief calls. Just a week to 10 days ago, their calls were one note only. Hairy and downy woodpeckers have stepped up the drumming from last week.
They are insistent that potential mates hear them. Both the male and female woodpeckers drum to announce territory. They drum also to renew pair bonds. It won't be until the last part of March or early April thatthey will excavate cavities for nesting.
Male cardinals are beginning to sing fragments of their mating song. Both the male and female cardinal sing beautifully. Rabbits are beginning to strip bark from young fruit trees. Doves can be heard cooing every morning and evening. Titmice and song sparrows are beginning to sing as well as mockingbirds.
Flocks of robins have invaded the Valley. These majestic birds that man always associates with spring can sing for long stretches of time.
The rains have brought worms to the surface, and robins are feasting. Those that remain in the Valley throughout the winter live on berries. Nature is making promises and reassuring man of the vitality of life.
The light is noticeably changing now. It is the lengthening of days that triggers hormones in birds that cause them to sing, and begin to send out mating calls. February means sunrise by 6:30 a.m. for the first time since last November. The daylight hours are as long as they were in October. Its nights can be more cold than December's darkness.
The sun is noticeable swinging north. It is only about eight weeks until spring officially arrives, with nature's gate swinging shut on winter for another season. The full moon of February is called the owl moon.
Screech owls continue to trill, calling for mates. They will nest next month.
May you always hear the whisper of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Winter continues to tease the mountains

2007-01-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

Winter continues to move in and out of the Valley flexing its seasonal muscle, and reminding man that its presence will be felt.
The jonquils that became confused and shot up blades at least six inches high, and some set buds, are delayed only. They will not be killed,unless winter moves in with a fury for weeks. They are hardy flowers determined to grace yards with their cherry blossoms every late winter and early spring.
The Lenten roses are especially pretty this year, and blooming only a couple of weeks earlier than usual. It seems every year; these unusual flowers are suddenly in bloom, adding charm to their particular corner
of the garden.
The jay, crows and titmice rule the bird feeding station currently. The jays are not bashful about criticizing slow moving humans who haven't put out the peanuts. The titmice and chickadees call for the suet early. Daybreak finds juncos on the ground cleaning up any left overs that have fallen from the feeders the day before that the ever hungry raccoons missed the night before.
From the number of hawks that have made their presence known lately, one wonders if they are congregating, making preparation for an early departure south, or maybe they are just hungry and have their vigilant eyes on the songbirds for a meal. The large red tails are year round residents, and they have not been among the evident hawks. Usually the crows route out the hawks and put them to moving, but occasionally one escapes the diving, screaming crow machines that are determined that a hawk will not stay
in their territory.
Winter wind is deadly as it gusts to more than 50 miles an hour on the mountaintop some nights. The wind has an elemental voice that roars through the night. It rattles the shutters and panes and whistles around the corners of the house. Wind is homeless, because it is forever on the move. If it seems to relax momentarily, it is merely gathering strength for the next blow. It thickens the ice in the ground drinkers, and it swirls even a small amount of snow, blowing it completely off the mountain at times. I try to remember what an old timer told me about mountain winds. "Remember girl. It is just winter blowing itself out."
January doesn't have just two faces like its mythological namesake, but 31. It seems different every day and night. It's temperament rangers from spring like frolicking to dead of winter huddling.There are some robins that refuse to migrate, weathering the ups and downs of January, feasting on overripe berries, and sunning themselves sober after a bout of mid-afternoon snacking. Most birds participate in eating too many too ripe
berries at times, as do raccoons and other animals, and suffer the consequences of the staggers and snoozes.
If you happen upon one of these creatures, leave it where you find it. Nature will take its course. However, if you have an outside cat that can find the bird, it may be best to pick it up, place it in a small box, and let it go when it has its wits about it. Never, never pick up a raccoon for any reason.
Pinecones are terrific barometers of what the humidity is like outside. On dry, sunny days, the cone opens widely. When the air is moist, the cone closes tightly. The fibers of the pinecone respond to the rise and fall of humidity, as do the leaves of the rhododendron open and close as temperature changes.
Deer seek the shelter of evergreen thickets to avoid the biting January wind. Also, they alter their behavior, slowing the loss of fat and protein energy reserves during severe weather. Their winter hair is thick and long, providing a comfortable winter coat by this time of the year. Their hair works much like a down comforter wrapped around the body.
Good-hearted wildlife lovers who feed deer may be doing more harm than good. What kills a deer when it is fed during the winter is an imbalance in the beneficial relationships that must exist between microorganisms in the rumenticulem compartment of their stomach. Rapid changes in diet produce digestive disruptions, which can prove fatal. It is likely that winter conditions in Western North Carolina will ever be severe enough to warrant supplemental deer feedings.
A brush pile is one of the most beneficial things the backyard wildlife lover can do for smaller critters. One provides escape places for small songbirds, and animals. Also, it gives shelter from winter's cold wind and snow. Even some butterflies choose to over winter in a brush pile.
A compost pile is a favorite of insects and wrens. The wrens love to explore and find insects in the pile. January is the height of mating season for fox. The fox bark is one you will never forget. They emit short triple barks or screams, communicating with one another. They look for suitable places to create a den for three to four cubs, which are born in March. The family group stays together throughout the summer,
breaking up in early fall.
May you always hear the whisper of wings.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Mother Nature is on a roller coaster ride with temperature swings in the mountains

2006-12-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

Mother Nature played "gotcha" this week with snow showers.
People were excited by the appearance of snow, since many thought the season had slipped out the gate for the year. Not so. Winter is definitely not over.
I hear a lot of people questioning, "do you think we'll pay for all these warm days?" One never pays for a good day from Mother Nature. It is a gift freely given. A too warm winter, and several too warm winters in a row, is a different story. Records show that 2006 was the hottest on record. What is the harm?
Wildlife takes its cues about migration, mating, feeding and life in general from the length of daylight, the temperature and the amounts of rain and snow. Usually birds return just as food sources become plentiful again. Butterflies emerge as plant sources for food become available, and animals mate only when conditions are conducive to raising their offspring.
About 10 days ago I saw honeybees in the garden. It was sad because there are no blossoms with nectar to feed them. It must be confusing to the bees and other insects. It is warm; the sun is shining, and where are the blooms?
There is supposed to be a natural synchronicity between animal species and the seasons. That isn't the case any more. Mother Nature's timing is off, and wildlife suffers as a result.
The last three decades has seen a gradual warming not just in the United States, but also throughout the entire world. Scientists confirm that this hasn't occurred in the past 1,000 years. Spring is arriving earlier around the world. Wildlife must adapt or perish.
Too warm springs bring the arrival of migrating birds weeks early, and hatchlings are making their way out of the egg too early for food supplies to be available to their parents to feed them. Some species will flourish and others will die. What man must remember is that everything in nature is connected. Nothing happens in isolation. One plant dying and one animal species vanishing into extinction can set off a chain reaction of biological events. What can result is the annihilation of a whole ecosystem.
Disruptions in wildlife life cycles are already widespread and alarming in many parts of the world.
Disrupted synchrony affects birds drastically. Scientists are finding that some species are producing more females due to the warmer weather, caterpillars are hatching at least a week to 10 days earlier, disappearing when the birds need them the most to feed their young. Some birds are putting on less fat to survive winter, because they don't seem to need it due to warmer temperatures. Coral reefs are being affected negatively and amphibians are also suffering ill effects.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program's records show that when earth warmed after the last glacial period peaked, which was about 20,000 years ago, animals and plants that could move toward the poles or to higher elevations did so. Species that could not keep up with the rate of habitat change simply vanished.
Now suitable habitat may not be available to those species that choose to move because of human development. Due to the presence of farms, cities and freeways, some species may not be able to move fast enough.
Hundreds of research studies confirm that animal and plant species have begun dying off or changing sooner than was originally predicted, because of the warming of the earth. Even biologists and ecologists are surprised by the fast-moving adaptation, because warming is occurring so rapidly.
At least 70 species of mountain frogs with nowhere to go to escape the escalating heat have already gone extinct. Another 100 to 200 other cold dependent animal species are in serious trouble. This includes penguins and polar bears.
Research scientists are not only seeing many species move north, attempting to adapt to changes, but plants are blooming earlier, and there is an increase in pests. These same scientist thought such changes would be at least a decade away. The changes are occurring now. Children 10 years old now will notice drastic changes by the time they are 50 to 60 years old.
Now the most noticeable changes that man sees are earlier springs. Notice the cherry blossoms appearing earlier each year, and grape harvests are earlier each year. Many songbirds are laying their eggs at least nine days earlier each spring. Man is witnessing evolution that he can track.
You may not be able to save the polar bears or the penguins, but what you do in your backyard makes a big difference to wildlife. Feed the birds, make sure they have fresh water, providing shrubs that give the birds shelter and food, and watch the use of insecticides is important.
Remember. All summer birds eat insects. Butterflies need the shrubs for the blossoms and leaves to feed the caterpillars. Bees need blossoms for nectar, which feeds them.Helping wildlife is as close as your backyard, the parks and area gardens. All are important to feeding and sheltering the wild world.
Squirrels are beginning to breed. Raccoons will breed from now through March. Pileated woodpeckers will begin to drum to establish territories.
May you always hear the whisper of wings?

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

Fall Moves into the Mountains

2006-09-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Summer is no more than a glimpse in the rear view mirror of fall now.
The birds continue to gather for migration, leaving backyard feeding stations and trees void of their gregarious chatter and song that was so obvious just three short months ago.
A growing population of Monarch butterflies are moving through the Valley in their fall migration. This is one of the best populations in the past decade. This is the "Methuselah generation." In late summer, aunique generation of Monarch butterflies is hatched. Unlike their parents, grandparents, all of whom had ephemeral lives measured only in weeks, the migratory butterflies survive seven or eight months.
This generation performs the incredible feat of flying from Canada and the United States to the center of Mexico to winter. This same generation will begin the trek north next spring. Once they reach the United States next spring, a kind of relay race begins. Their short-lived offspring lives only four or five
weeks. They continue the trek northward over several generations. Old feathered friends slip away under the cloak of darkness to avoid predators in the daytime sky. Many songbirds migrate at night, landing in early morning to rest and feed before continuing on their southward journey.
On the mountaintop there is a flock of flickers debugging the front yard, and down on McCoy Cove Road, the robins are congregating. Some will move farther south around the Atlanta area, but others will winter in the Valley. Overhead, there are at least a half dozen broadwing hawks riding the warm air currents of the
Valley. All of them are restless with the fall urge to move.
September's chill is beginning to reach over into the daylight hours, quickening the pulse of humans and wild critters alike. There is renewed vigor in the air. For insects the fires are beginning to burn prettylow. The first frost will thin their numbers out tremendously. On a balmy August night the tree crickets
fiddle around 160 notes a minute, and now they are down to about 40. As fall's chill deepens, theslowdown in the insect trickle to a close for another season. A few katydids and crickets will survive the first frosts, and proclaim their good fortune weakly, but by late October they will fall silent.
Then there will come the long, deep annual quiet until another spring breaks the silence that is so intense that one can hear a snow flake falling in the night, and an owl a half mile away proclaiming its territory.
Fall officially arrives on Friday, September 22, with early wintering sparrows landing in the Valley. When the autumnal equinox arrives, the sun crosses the equator and the lengths of day and night are equal.
Fawns have lost their spots, adult white tail bucks are rubbing the velvet off their antlers in anticipation of another rut season, and persimmons are starting to ripen. Acorns are falling like shots from the skyand squirrels are busy bury as many of them as they can. Snakes begin their winter dormancy, and bittersweet starts to ripen. Black gum, bittersweet and dogwood are showing rich fall colors.
May you always hear the whisper of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

August brings subtle changes in nature in the valley

2006-08-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

August brings a change in the light of day. The changes are subtle, but they are there at midday and at dusk. You see the light changes most clearly in the early morning hours just after dawn arrives.
It is still the light of summer, but the shadows lie differently than they did a month ago. There is a feel and a look of gathering haze.
Sunset no longer has its June clarity, and leans more toward a brassy color. Rain-washed air is more dazzling than it was in July.
Each season has its own light. Spring dawn literally sparkles with clarity. During May the middays are tinged with a subtle green to match the color of the new leaves. Fall days are golden, reflecting the season's haze. Winter's light is frosted and silvered. Winter dawns and dusks are wrapped in shades of blue light and purple. The shadows of winter are long, regardless of the time of day. The light of July and August dazzle with heat.
The sphinx moths are busy working the flower gardens now. Some folks call them hawk moths while others refer to them as hummingbird moths. They are winged marvels wearing quiet beauty of dark grays and browns and some have a dab of olive green. Each has a long sucking tube, coiled beneath its head. When it prepares to feed, it uncoils the tube and plunges it deep into the nectar of flowers. At one time it was a
hungry caterpillar attacking the tomatoes.
Goldenrod is in bloom, and mikweed is in its shed stage, sending silk parachutes carrying seeds floating on summer breezes. More sumac than usual is showing early color. The summer's drought is beginning to catch up with the season, allowing us a glimpse of the face of Autumn ahead of the calendar.
Katydids are green grasshoppers with built-in fiddles that play a somewhat monotonous three-note tune. They are in full voice every evening now. In nature, the katydid has a reputation to live up to as a prophet. Supposedly when you hear the katydid's first tune in late July, it is three months until the first frost. When one hears the katydid call during the daytime, usually in mid-August, it is supposed to be just six weeks until the first frost. There is no doubt that when the katydid begins to scratch the night with its tune,
the bloom is definitely fading from the roses of summer.
The katydid is heard at night, and the cicada plays a tune during the daytime. To some, the katydid seems to make the call, "Katydid, Katydid" over and over.
During the later part of July and throughout August until frost, katydids join a host of night criers, making the time of the year the noisiest. Only the male sings, and the female hears with ears located near her knees. It is the first frost that silences the night criers for another hear.
As August progresses,the katydid is joined by other night scratches.
Some resemble the katydid, and others are kinfolks, like crickets. All saw away at the night making sounds that only insects can make.
Joe-pye weed is in bloom and with its unfolding come the swallowtail butterflies floating lazily above the big pink heads. They land frequently to siphon nectar. The female looks like a dark shadow of a tier swallowtail. She is smoky-black with marginal yellow spotting at the bottom of the wing. There are squadrons of bumblebees accompanying the swallowtails.
The Joe-Pye-weed is named for a Native American, Joe Pye, who used the plant to cure typhus. It is a plant of short-lived beauty. Its flowers fade quickly, and give way to the ragweed plant. Ragweed is in its glory when the early fall's breezes work as a pollinator. The sneezes start, and drive those allergic to carrying boxes of tissue with them for several weeks.
Hummingbirds are beginning to migrate so look for more and more around the feeders fattening for the trip south. Wild grapes are ripening, and snapping turtle eggs are beginning to hatch. Copperhead babies are at least a week, and some are two weeks old. Bluebirds and robins are beginning to feast on the berries of dogwoods.
May you always be blessed with the whisp of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

June is the year at one of its best times

2006-06-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

June is the maturing year at the altar - a bride with a bouquet of wild roses and sweet peas.

An early morning mist veils June. Webs of dew are her sparkling jewels. She is gowned with breathtaking sunrises and trimmed with a romantic full moon. It is the year becoming its best.

June is cornflower blue and day lily gold with the white lace of Carolina daisies. June is bridal wreath mixed with mock orange.

June is a time when the year settles down to the business at hand-growth and maturity. The frenzy of preparation is past. Now comes a more leisurely time. June is a time when nature pauses to catch up. The drive of July is yet to come.

June is a time of lush ripe strawberries in the mountains. They are tempting to man and bird. June is a time of peas in the garden, first lettuce and string beans in blossom. June is a time of sweet and fieldcorn pushing green spikes toward the sun, to the delight of resident crows.

June is a melodious, full throat wren singing at the window at 5 a.m., promising more for a few mealworms for her babies. June is wood thrushes in the evening, singing their sweet contralto songs. Dusk is a silky time of day waning into soft starlight. In nature, life is good in June.

The brown thrashers are plentiful this year, coming to feed at dusk on the ground under the bird feeders. They have come to expect an unclaimed peanut or two that a careless squirrel scattered. It is a too full squirrel that occasionally overlooks a favorite treat.

Mother Nature continues to surprise nature lovers with the unexpected. Recently, while preparing the dogs their dinner, I noticed a brown whatever scurrying across the driveway and start to climb an oak tree. The dogs are thoroughly modern ones, each one eating a prescription diet taliored to its needs. Where did the dogs go that could eat anything and thrive?

My first reaction to the brown whatever was that it had to be a raccoon. Closer observation proved the creature to be a groundhog making its way up the tree with a skitter of claws. I've never seen a groundhog climb before, and assumed something was after it.

No predator showed up. Soon the groundhog was 30 feet off the ground, surveying its world from a lofty perch. Occasionally it nibbled the lichen growing on the tree, and tasted various leaves. Obviously it was in no hurry to move on.

The groundhog clung to the tree in a fork of an Oak limb, eyeing me suspiciously. It turned around head down to get a groundhog's focus on me.

Of course, the creature wasn't about to come down with the biggest predator of all standing at the base of the tree with a gadget in her hand-camera. Mother Nature came to its rescue with a thunderstorm that sent me inside. The groundhog clung to the tree and nibbled, riding out the storm. Occasionally it shook, riding its hair of excess water and spraying an arched area of several feet of nothing but air with a shower of water.

Occasionally groundhog sounded off with a high pitch-piercing whistle, giving meaning to its folk name of "whistle pig." The whistle confirms that the creature was concerned about its predicament

Groundhogs spend 80 to 90 percent of daylight hours asleep. This guy was having a high altitude adventure in an Oak tree, when others of his species were snoozing. When the groundhog descended the mighty oaktree, he did so unceremoniously and let go of the tree about six feet from the ground, landing with an ungraceful thud, but no worse for the adventure.

May Mother Nautre be kind to you, and bless you with the whisper of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education

May is busy putting the icing on the season’s cake

2006-05-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

From mid-May to June reminds me of being in a bakery where cakes are being decorated with frothy pastel colored icing. It is a confectionary time in nature.

There are apple blossoms and lilacs It is time between new leaf and full leaf canopies. It is a time of anemones and roses. May is a dainty time in nature.

The day starts early on the mountaintop with birds singing from their hearts. Soon after first light they begin to celebrate the dawn. It is easy to wake and for a few minutes listen and identify who is up and about. There is one male tufted titmouse that begins to call and announce his territory before the light arrives. Obviously he wants everyone to know who and where he is, especially the opposite sex.

The trees shimmer in the early light with their fresh new leaves that are still celery green. As the season matures, the leaves will become shades of darker green. Roadside grass is lush with newness, and hurries toward June's maturity. For those who suffer allergies to grass, it is not a comfortable season.

Wisps of silver mist hug the Valley. The busyness of the day has not intruded yet. One can hear the breeze whispering through the treetops as it tussles the young leaves. It is the sunrise hour, the beginning of another new day. June bugs are already out. These big, blundering beetles respond to spring with a hum all their own. They appear at dusk and linger into darkness, buzzing a greeting to
porch lights and lighted windows. They come from soft white grubs in the soil, but to look at their armored bodies and oddly stiff wings, one might think they are a product of a whimsical workshop.

If you stand outside near a light, one of the beetle bombers is likely to land on you, craw up your arm or crawl under your hair. Many young boys who didn't know any better used to tie a string to a leg and have their own beetle flying machine. Such behavior is much too boring for young boys today. I'm sure the June beetle is thankful that boys find it boring.

When a June beetle finds its way inside, it doesn't take long to hear it blundering against a wall or scratching with its six pairs of claws. The beetle lays a few dozen eggs in June or July with each egg tidily enclosed in a little ball of dirt. The eggs are placed in a shallow burrow in a garden or field and lawn. Each egg hatches into a white grub that as trouble crawling because of its large abdomen curled under the body. The grubs feed on roots of grass and other plants, often damaging crops and lawns.

Raccoons, skunks and bears enjoy a snack of beetle grubs when they can find them. In the fall the grubs burrow down to two feet in depth to spend the winter. In spring they surface to continue feeding and growing until fall arrives again. Once again they burrow deep in the ground.

In June or July of the following year the grubs become pupae, and in August or September the adult beetles hatch. Obviously, in the world of June beetles, Mother Nature takes her time.

The adult beetle continues to stay buried in the soil and does not emerge until the following spring. On a warm late May or early June evening, it emerges and flies to a close tree where it chews on the leaves and waits for mating and egg-laying time to arrive.

The June beetles have many predators. What raccoons, skunks and bears don't get, shrews, blackbirds and crows move in for a snack. It is the grubs that attract predators not the mature beetle. Black wasp burrows and paralyzes a grub by stinging it. Then the wasp lays an egg on the paralyzed victim's back. The wasp egg hatch and the larva fed on the body fluid of the living grub-finally consuming all of it. Surely the grubs and wasps would make great characters in a horror movie. Fishermen discovered long ago that a big fat white grub with a brown head makes good fishing bait.

When you see a June beetle in flight, it makes one wonder how the insect accomplishes the feat. The beetle shares the category of nature's impossibilities with the bumblebee.

When a beetle lands on its back, it is almost helpless, looking much like a tiny mechanical toy. They blunder into walls and furniture inside, and make a buzzing fuss that drives house cats insane until they locate the beetle. The claws make cats step back and ponder the bug. I have a Maine coon cat, Minnie, that can ponder a June beetle for at least an hour, before she gives up her beetle prey to one of her brothers, who is too lazy to do more than stare at it. It is the buzzing sound and the flailing claws that entice a cat to at least touch the bug.

The June bug persists in nature. They aren't pretty like butterflies, and wasps and bees are more industrious, but the beetles hold their own in nature's hierarchy.

May Mother Nature always be kind to you, and grant you the whisper of wings.

© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education