Animal Popsicles  -  Animals that Freeze to Survive Winter
Megan Betcher
by
2M ago
Winter and cold temperatures have finally hit us in Minnesota. Many birds (and some insects) migrate to escape the cold, other animals grow thick winter coats and adapt their diets to what is available, while others decide to skip the cold weather and just sleep through it. These tactics are all great ways to survive harsh winters, but did you know that some animals actually survive cold weather by freezing themselves and thawing out in the Spring? ​ Usually freezing is not a good thing for living organisms - think frostbite. When ice forms, cells can be pierced by the growth of sharp ice crys ..read more
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DIY Tree Frog Hotel
Megan Betcher
by
10M ago
The birds are singing and the frogs are calling, the soundtrack of Spring is welcoming after a long winter! Last fall I randomly came across a video about tree frog hotels and was reminded of this when the frogs started calling this spring. I hadn’t heard of tree frog hotels before but I was intrigued. Do they really work? So I decided to try making my own tree frog hotel and see what happens. If you build it, they will come - right? Tree frogs have toe pads that allow them to climb trees and shrubs. In residential areas they can be found stuck to windows and glass sliding doors eating insect ..read more
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Love in the Animal World
Megan Betcher
by
1y ago
Prairie Dogs "kissing" at Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo in Byron, MN With Valentine’s Day upon us, the topic of love in the animal world and mating rituals seemed appropriate. Human mating rituals include activities from offering food, to giving gifts, and even dancing. Animals have similar rituals, but there are some species who take it a step farther and have very interesting and odd rituals! We'll start with some cute ways animals show love and we’ll work our way to the very odd and crazy ones!   Let’s start with some birds and their cute and loving rituals.   Bowerbirds Bowerbir ..read more
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Why Do Animal Eyes Glow in the Dark?
Megan Betcher
by
1y ago
​We’ve all had that moment when you’re driving in the dark and suddenly you see eyes glowing on the side of the road! But why does that happen? Why do animals’ eyes seem to glow in the dark but not humans’ eyes? ​Many animals, especially ones that are more active at night, have a special reflective surface behind the retina called the tapetum (Ta-PEA-tum) lucidum or “tapestry of light.” This reflective surface helps them to see better in low light conditions, but how exactly does that work? Light such as moonlight or starlight enters the eye and hits photoreceptors that transmit information t ..read more
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Yellow Garden Spider
Megan Betcher
by
1y ago
​Last fall we had the unique opportunity to observe a Yellow Garden Spider that took up residence in the hostas next to our front door. She used the flower stalks of the hosta to anchor her large web. It was fun to see her dew-covered web each morning and see what she had in her web each afternoon. She occupied her web for quite some time and even laid two egg sacks before she disappeared when the weather got too cold. It was a cool experience, and I can only hope that one of her young will take up residence in the landscaping this year.   Yellow Garden Spiders (Argiope aurantia) are memb ..read more
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Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Megan Betcher
by
1y ago
​Earlier this summer, Tony came to visit me at the zoo and spotted a caterpillar hanging on the rock wall in a “J” formation. When you see a caterpillar in the “J” it means that it will be transforming into its chrysalis within the next 24 hours. This spiky caterpillar wasn’t one that we were familiar with, so we did some searching and found out that it was a Mourning Cloak caterpillar. As I was researching Mourning Cloaks, I found some interesting information about these butterflies!   Mourning Cloak Butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) can be found throughout the United States and most of Ca ..read more
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Lead-free Fishing Tackle - Get the Lead Out
Megan Betcher
by
2y ago
 Minnesota Fishing Opener was this past weekend. After a long winter, people are excited to get out on the water fishing and enjoy the warm weather. They’ve been dreaming of getting out fishing, but one thing they don’t think about when planning their fishing trip is how their fishing tackle can affect the wildlife around them.   In 2020 the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) launched a program called “Get the Lead Out” to promote the use of lead-free fishing tackle. The program is funded from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During the oil spill man ..read more
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Chilly Dogs Sled Dog Trips - Ely, Minnesota
Megan Betcher
by
2y ago
Each year when I see the John Beargrease Dogsled Marathon on the news, it reminds me of this unique winter sport that we’re lucky enough to have in Minnesota. Last winter I wanted to learn more about dogsledding, so I read Yukon Alone: The World’s Toughest Adventure Race by John Balzar – a book about the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. While reading I was so amazed at what these mushers and dogs go through and their dedication to the sport. So naturally, after reading about dogsledding, it made me want to go dogsledding even more!   So, I started looking into different dogsleddi ..read more
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Megan's Big Year 2021 Wrap Up
Megan Betcher
by
2y ago
Clarissa, myself, and Jaide with out Big Year mugs and pins to celebrate our year of birding together! Wow, what a year! As I began my Big Year on January 1, 2021 I didn’t really know what to expect, or should I say, what I was getting myself into. I’ve always enjoyed being outside and watching birds, but doing a Big Year brought things to a whole new level. I didn’t have the time or resources to do a typical Big Year where participants travel all over the country on a moment’s notice to get a bird and end their year with upwards of 700 species, but I did end my Big Year being impressed with ..read more
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Megan's Big Year 2021 - December Update
Megan Betcher
by
2y ago
​December included a fair amount of bird feeder watching with Project FeederWatch in full swing and birds spending more time at the feeders because of the cold weather and snow. Although the feeders didn’t produce any new birds for the year, it’s always fun to see the winter “usuals.” I stayed at a Big Year count of 180 species all the way from September until December 31st when we squeezed in a quick trip to the Sax-Zim Bog right at the end of the year. And boy, did that trip pay off! Not only had I been wanting to visit the Bog since before my Big Year, but I added birds to my Big Year list ..read more
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