What is it Wednesday: March 27, 2019

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 

March 27, 2019.

And the answer is....

This striking burst of color is a male scarlet tanager. The female scarlet tanager is also beautiful, but looks very different - a greenish yellow, with olive colored wings. 

We see and hear scarlet tanagers at Lutherlyn near Chapel Rock, and around the Amphitheater, starting in May. 

They spend their summers here, but winter in South America! Right now, they are making their way across the continents. They will arrive in the southern edge of North America soon, along the Gulf Coast in early April. They continue to travel north following the emergence of spring foliage - scarlet tanagers are canopy birds, spending the majority of their lives high in the tops of the tallest trees, so they need to wait until the trees leaf out before they can move into an area. 

They prefer mature un-fragmented mixed hardwood forests with plenty of oak trees. Lutherlyn, and especially the area around Chapel Rock, makes a perfect home for them!

To learn more about the critters that come and go from Lutherlyn, and how ecosystems are connected even across continents, check out the many learning experiences offered by LEEP at www.lutherlyn.com/ee. 

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!

What is it Wednesday archive: May 23, 2018

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 23, 2018. 

And the answer is....

These tracks found alongside Shawnee Run at Lutherlyn belong to a coyote. 

We often see evidence of coyote at Lutherlyn, such as tracks and scat, and occasionally hear their yips and howls at night. But they are sly and mostly nocturnal animals and are rarely seen. 

Eastern coyotes migrated into Pennsylvania through Canada through the mid-1900’s, interbreeding with wolves along the way: Eastern coyotes are larger than their western cousins, and have verified wolf DNA. They are opportunists and generalists, living in a variety of habitats and feeding on a mix of plants, small animals, and scavenged carcasses. As one of Pennsylvania’s largest remaining natural predators, coyotes fill an important role in the ecosystem, and are not a threat to humans (though it may be wise bring pet food and small pets inside to keep them safe). 

We’re glad to have these clever critters around!

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!

What is it Wednesday: March 20, 2019

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

March 20, 2019.  

And the answer is....

This is a spot where the roots of skunk cabbage plants have been exposed, after a stream bank was eroded by high water. 

Skunk cabbage are one of the first plants we see emerging from wet soil early in the spring. The curled dark reddish-purple horn-like flower emerges before the broad green leaves. (This flower is what is visible just under the words in this photo.) 

The network of roots below the flowers is visible here because the soil they were growing in was washed away along the Semiconon Run during high water. 

According to resources on edible wild plants, the roots of skunk cabbage can be dried and made into a cocoa-like flour – we may revisit this spot to harvest some roots and give it a try! Caution is needed though, as any part of the plant not thoroughly dried will cause an intense burning sensation of in the mouth!

It’s best to only eat plants from the forest if you are with someone who knows them well. To find out how you can learn from LEEP about edible wild plants (and much more!), through school field trips, summer camp, retreats, and special events, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee. 

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!

What is it Wednesday: March 13, 2019

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

March 13, 2019.  

And the answer is....

These are buds on one of the kousa dogwood bushes along the porch of the Lutherlyn dining hall. 

Many people don’t realize that trees and shrubs already have buds on them for the new flowers and leaves that will grow in the spring. Buds emerge in the summer or fall and have been waiting on the twigs all winter. (This photo was taken at the end of January during Winter Retreat.) 

The buds visible in this photo will unfold into the white flowers of the kousa dogwood in May. 

By then, LEEP will be hosting up to 200 students a day in school field trips! To learn more about LEEP field trips and more, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee.

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!

What Is It Wednesady: March 6, 2019

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. 

And the answer is....

This small plant has several common names: spotted pipsissewa, striped wintergreen, and spotted wintergreen, to name a few.

I first learned this plant as “spotted wintergreen” which made no sense to me – the leaves have stripes, not spots, and it doesn’t taste like wintergreen.

It is the same size and growth pattern and similar shape as teaberry, which it sometimes grows near, and which does taste like wintergreen - so that seemed even more confusing. A wintergreen that does taste like wintergreen, and one right nearby that does not.

But, it does stay green in the winter – that explains the wintergreen part of the name. And the “spotted” may refer to the look of the small drooping white or pinkish flowers it has in the spring. It is also known as striped wintergreen, which seems like a more accurately descriptive name, or spotted pipsissewa. What a great example of the confusing nature of common plant names!

But, the benefit of common names is that they are common – people (may) know what you mean when you use the name, whereas they almost certainly will not know what you mean if you use the Latin name (Chimaphila maculata, in this case) unless you are talking with a specialist. 

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!

What Is It Wednesday archive: March 21, 2018

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. 

And the answer is....

This is a close-up view of the elk in LEEP’s Discovery Room, focusing on the base of the antler. 

This elk (aka wapiti) is one of the newest and most popular additions to the Discovery Room. 

Astonishingly, male elk grow a new set of antlers each year – imagine growing that much new bone every year! 

This elk was part of the Pennsylvania herd of elk in Cameron County, and was taken during a limited hunt in 2006. 

Next time you’re visiting Lutherlyn, stop in at the Nature Center and get a close-up look at the wapiti and other animals in the Discovery Room!