What is it Wednesday: February 10, 2021

 

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

February 10, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

This photo of a freshly dug groundhog burrow was taken on February 8, and on the same day we saw a groundhog out walking around in the snow near that burrow! 

In a recent Facebook post we said that Lutherlyn’s groundhogs are currently still hibernating, but clearly that’s not totally true! Although groundhogs don't fully emerge from hibernation until March, there is some activity before that in February, and the how and why of it is fascinating. 

Throughout a groundhog’s period of hibernation, there are regular times when the animal partially awakens. These brief awake periods are called arousal, and they happen about every 5-6 days all winter. During arousal groundhogs’ metabolism speeds back up closer to normal for about a day and half, then they go back into full hibernation, which is called torpor. It is thought that the arousal periods give the animals a chance to eliminate waste and re-balance their cellular chemistry, and maybe even sleep in ways that are more refreshing to the brain than torpor. During these arousal periods the groundhogs stay in their burrows.

In early February, when male groundhogs emerge into an arousal period, they also emerge from their burrows. After emerging, they visit nearby burrows of female groundhogs within their territory. The female groundhogs are also awake, and may or may not emerge from their burrows at this time. Then, both go back to their burrows for some more hibernation time before they fully emerge in early March.

Mating does not happen during this pre-emergence arousal from hibernation, but it is an important part of the mating process. It is similar to a courtship period. Groundhogs must mate very soon after emerging fully from hibernation, so that their young have the best chance of survival. If they mate earlier, the babies will be born before there is enough food for them to eat. If they mate too late, the babies won’t have enough time to grow enough to fully prepare for their own first hibernation. So, the visiting-the-burrow time allows male and female groundhogs to get familiar enough with each other during the hibernation period to be ready to mate soon after they fully emerge from hibernation. The groundhog we saw near a freshly dug out burrow was probably a male, and the muddy tracks it left in the snow were his paths to the nearby burrows of female groundhogs.

Knowing about this brief emergence in February also helps explain some of the idea of Groundhog Day. Groundhogs, the males anyhow, really do emerge from their burrows, look around for awhile, and head back into their burrows to hibernate some more. 

Groundhogs are one of the most common animals we see at Lutherlyn in the warmer months, to the point of sometimes being a nuisance. It is fascinating to be reminded that these very common animals have an intricate life cycle that allows them to best survive in their environment. Keep an eye out for groundhogs roaming in the snow in the next week or so, and about a month from now you will start seeing them emerge from hibernation for good. 

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!

For more on the research into groundhog behavior, see 
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-01/ps-mgh012403.php

Superb Owl Sunday

Did you know Superbowl Sunday is also Superb Owl Sunday?! Here are some photos of some of the superb owls in Lutherlyn’s Discovery Room in the Environmental Education Center! The Discovery Room has great horned owls, screech owls, and a long-eared owl, and they have some pretty amazing adaptations that make them such effective nocturnal avian predators.

Screech owls are among the smallest and most common Pennsylvania owls.
They may be gray (known gray phase) or reddish-brown (known as red phase).

Their most common call sounds like a high-to-low-pitch whinny, but they also 

make a series of repeated trills or short whines. 

Great horned owls are the largest owls in Pennsylvania.
The "horns" in their name are actually tufts of feathers near the top of their head. 

Feather tufts on owls are likely a camouflage feature, helping owls to look 

more like the shape of the branches they perch among in trees. 

Long-eared owls are a little smaller than great-horned owls,
this time their tufts are called "ears" and their tufts are the longest of any PA owls. 
The ears of an owl are actually much lower on the head than the tufts,
to the side of the eyes, and are covered by feathers.
The disk of feathers around the eye helps direct sound towards the owls' ears. 

The feathers around an owl's eyes also directs light into their eyes, 

 which are very large. Both these features enhance their night-time vision.

Owls can't turn their heads around a full 360 degrees, but they can turn very far.
This combined with their wide-set but forward-facing eyes
gives them a large range of vision.

An owl's talons are very sharp, strong, and curved, perfect for grabbing prey. 
Their legs and toes are covered with fine fluffy feathers, 

which helps keeps them silent while flying. 

Owls have these fine sound-cancelling feathers on their wings and bodies as well. 

On this Superb Owl Sunday, take some time to appreciate what wonderful unique creatures owls are, and the many features that make them so special. Maybe if you have a chance to spend time some time outside near a forested area at dusk or after dark you'll get to hear or even see some of these superb friends. 

What is it Wednesday: January 27, 2021

 

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

January 27, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

 This is a buck rub – a spot where the bark has been rubbed off part of the trunk of a small tree, from a male whitetail deer rubbing its antlers on the tree. This buck rub was found fresh back in November.

Most buck rubs are made during mating season, roughly October-December. The buck leaves its scent on the tree by rubbing against scent glands that are at the base of the antlers. This tells does and other bucks that a male ready to mate is in the area. 

Some buck rubs are created in late summer when bucks are losing their “velvet” (a layer of skin with fine hairs that covers the antlers while they are growing). Bucks may rub their antlers against trees to help remove the velvet when it is ready to come off. 

Though buck rubs are generally created between September and December, they can remain visible all year long. Here at Lutherlyn we mostly see buck rubs on trees about the size of the one in the photo – about 4-6 inches in diameter - but bucks will rub on trees both smaller and larger than that.

Amazingly, antlers are grown and shed every year. This is the time of year bucks begin to shed their antlers. Keep an eye out on the forest floor over the next few months and maybe you’ll find some shed antlers! 

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: January 20, 2021

 

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

January 20, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

This is a closeup of cattails. 

The “fluff” of cattails is packed into the brown cylinders on top of the stalks, and is released by the wind. Like the fluff of dandelions, the fluff of cattails is its seeds, being dispersed by the wind.

Cattails grow in wetland areas and along the edges of ponds and lakes, and in addition to spreading by their numerous wind-blown seeds, they also spread by rhizomes (horizontal root-like underground stalks), creating large interconnected stands.

Cattails are remarkable plants. The hollow spongy tissues in the stalks and leaves (called aerenchyma) transfer oxygen to the parts of the plants submerged in water. The young shoots, rhizomes, green flower spikes, and pollen can be eaten, and the leaves woven into mats, baskets, and other objects. They provide food for wetland animals, including muskrats. Cattails are excellent at filtering pollution out of the water they grow in – they are used in mine drainage treatment wetlands at abandoned coal mines, including the one at Lutherlyn.  (Plants growing in polluted water do accumulate the pollutants in the fibers of the plant, and should not be eaten). And they have a striking beauty on a winter day against a blue sky. 

 

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: January 13, 2021

 

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

January 13, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

This is ice that had frozen on lower lake, which then collapsed 

and settled to the bed of the lake when the lake was drained for the winter.

Every winter, sometime after the Pastoral Plunge is complete, we drain the lower lake. (Both of Lutherlyn’s lakes are man-made, and include an outlet valve that can be closed or opened as needed.) Because we use lower lake for swimming and canoeing, it is helpful to control the amount of vegetation growing in it. Exposing the bed of the lake to freezing temperatures throughout the winter limits the amount of vegetation that builds up each year. Salamanders, turtles, frogs and tadpoles that live in the lake find enough soft mud in the lake bed to survive the winter. Any fish that are living in the lake either find refuge in a small amount of water that collects in the lowest spot below the jumping boards, are washed out into the stream with the draining water, or become food for herons, kingfishers, and raccoons.

This collapsed ice effect does sometimes occur naturally. If a natural dam - such as a beaver dam or a build-up of debris across a stream - has created a pond and then breaks during a cold spell, it can leave behind a scene similar to the one seen here. Flooding in winter can also freeze, leaving behind a layer of ice when the flood water recedes. If the ice layer is thick enough, and the flooding is among trees and other plants, the ice layer can even remain suspended above the ground as the water recedes, until it melts enough to weaken and break.

If you are only accustomed to seeing the lake in summer, it can be fascinating to see what it looks like when drained, with the contours of the lake bed now visible. You can visit Lutherlyn this winter to see this and other less-familiar winter sites – check out www.Lutherlyn.com for more info on Winter Family Getaways and other events! 

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: January 6, 2021

 

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

January 6, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

These are the catkins of an alder shrub along the edge of Miller Lake.

Catkins are types of flowers that form on some trees. The elongated catkins in the background of this photo are the male catkins/flowers, and the rounder shorter ones in the front are the female catkins/flowers. In alders, the female catkins are sometimes referred to as cones because of their shape and woody texture.

Other common trees in our area that develop catkins are oaks (male only, female flower a different shape) and birches (male and female catkins). Pussy willows are also catkins.

Alders are commonly found near streams, rivers, and wetlands, and are a pioneer shrub that moves readily into disturbed ground. They also have a symbiotic fungus in their root systems that brings nitrogen from the air and fixes it in the soil (similar to how beans do this in gardens), meaning alders add nutrients to the soil they grow in. Smooth alder and speckled alder are native to eastern north America, and naturalized European or black alder is also common. Black alder is more tree-like than shrub-like, and the female catkins of speckled alder droop, meaning this is probably smooth alder in this photo.

Catkins like the ones that stay on alders are more noticeable this time of year, when deciduous trees are bare of leaves and there aren’t many “flashy” sights to catch our eyes in nature. Take a look around this winter and see what you can spot in nature in this season!

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: December 30, 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

December 30, 2020. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

This is a print of the front foot of a Virginia opossum. 

Possum tracks are easy to identify by their five widely splayed toes. The hind foot has an even more widely spread “thumb” that lays almost at a 90 degree angle from the rest of the toes. As with most animals, the print of the hind foot is larger, and the  prints of the hind and front feet usually overlap at least partially, as you can see in the longer views of the full track.

Virginia opposums, usually referred to as possums, are the only marsupial north of Mexico in the western hemisphere. When the babies are born they continue to develop and nurse in a pouch. Even after leaving the pouch they stay with their mother as they continue to grow, often riding on her back.  Possums have a short life – they only live about two years in the wild, four years in captivity.

When European settlers arrived in North America, the range of possums extended about to northern Maryland and southern Ohio. Their range has been steadily increasing northward, especially since the early 1900’s, and now extends all the way into southern Ontario and New England. Though they have spread into these colder areas, possums are not well adapted to winter weather and some do not survive colder winters in these places. They are great to have around however, as they are omnivores and eat many things we consider pests, including rodents and ticks!

Possums are famous for “playing possum”  - appearing to be dead when they are threatened. Not only are they stiff and immobile when this happens, but the lips pull back to show a foaming mouth and scent glands release a bad odor, often leading predators to leave the possum alone. This is not an “act” but an involuntary response, like fainting. If left alone, the possum revives after a few hours.

It is interesting how snow often reveals just how much is going on all around us, by showing the tracks of who has been coming and going. We are often unaware of how many animal neighbors we have and how active they are! Around the possum tracks are tracks of deer and birds, and nearby just out of the picture were those of squirrels and rabbits.

Tracks of raccoon, cats, foxes, and coyote are also not uncommon to see at Lutherlyn. For information on opportunities to visit Lutherlyn in the winter, and maybe catch a glimpse of this busy animal community and the tracks they leave behind, check out www.Lutherlyn.com! 

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!