What is it Wednesday: May 6, 2020

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

May 5, 2020. 

And the answer is....

This is the broken egg of a wild turkey, found at the edge of the forest behind Baker Chapel. We found at least three eggs in this one spot. 

Wild turkeys make their nests on the ground in dead leaves at the bases of trees, under brush piles or thick shrubbery, or occasionally in open fields or meadows.

Turkeys begin to lay eggs in April and early May, laying one egg a day until the nest contains 8-15 eggs. After the last egg is laid, the hen begins to incubate them all. The baby turkeys, called poults, generally begin to hatch in June. This nest was probably pilfered by a predator. Animals that might eat turkey eggs include raccoons, opossums, skunks, gray foxes, groundhogs, and snakes. If a turkey’s initial nest fails to produce poults, the hen will often lay another clutch of eggs in a new nest.

When you are out in nature, take some time to observe all around you, at various heights, including on the ground – you might find surprising things!

  

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!