Southern Flying Squirrel

Have you ever heard of a Southern Flying Squirrel? It's scientific name is Glaucomys Volans. Flying Squirrels are in the squirrel family. They have tails about 3-5" and their bodies are about 5-7". They can live up to 5 years in the wild, in captivity they can live up to 10 years. Flying Squirrels will live in parks,yards, and forests. They have light brown to gray fur above and they a have white underside. They tail is brownish gray on top and white on the underside just like the body. Glaucomys Volans are omnivores and they eat seeds,nuts,baby birds, bird eggs,baby mice,fungi,carrion, and sometimes they eat out of bird feeders. They usually have 3 young per year. Flying Squirrels sometimes live in old woodpecker holes and in nest boxes. They may build a round nest of leaves on a tree branch to live in. They are nocturnal which means they sleep in the day and live at night. Flying Squirrels don't actually fly, they glide. To do this, they will get on top of a tree branch or some other thing to launch themselves from. Then they jump, extend all four legs, and they stretch the patagium making a flat airfoil allowing them to glide to another tree. If you want to see pictures and know more about a Southern Flying Squirrel, CLICK HERE!

Wolves! Foxes! Coyotes!

I visited a place called Wolf Mountain in New York and it was an awesome experience! I got to see Arctic Foxes, Coyotes, and Wolves! At noon the fire department put off a siren. At that moment, all the canines started howling! It was a really cool thing to see! And I have pictures!

                                                  In this shot you can see a wolf howling

                               In this shot you can see the inside of a wolfs mouth! It was yawning.

                                       And look at this sleepy one! It looks like a big domestic dog!

                             And this is definitely my favorite picture. Look how pretty its eyes are.

                             This is a shot of the two Arctic Foxes. these are their summer coats.

                                                            And here's a Coyote!
                                                    

                                                   I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Ahhh Poison Ivy!

Toxicodendron radicans, more known as Poison Ivy, is a plant everyone try's to avoid. Can you guess why? The name says it all. It's Poison to your skin! When most people touch the leaves or vines or get it on their clothes, they get blisters,rashes, and get itchy all over. But some people are lucky enough to be immune to it. But don't touch it to test! Many plants look similar to Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy has long, brown vines that are hairy looking that climb up trees and other plants. The leaves are green, the top of the leaf is shiny and the bottom is fuzzy. If the leaves are light green, the plant is young. If the leaves are dark green, the plant is mature. In fall the leaves turn bright red. Have you ever heard the saying " Leaves of three, leave it be?" It's good to follow that saying because Poison Ivy has 3 leaves. Poison Ivy also has white berries. If you happen to touch Poison Ivy, wash yourself immediately or as soon as possible. And if you get Poison Ivy and have a rash, Calamine lotion may help with symptoms. If you want to learn more about Poison Ivy or look at the least of similar looking plants, check out THIS LINK

Deer footprint

I was in my swamp and found White-tailed deer footprints. One is a fawns, another is its mothers.

                                                                       fawn prints

                                                                      mother print

Ohio Buckeye

So you've heard of the Ohio Buckeyes, but have you heard of the Ohio Buckeye tree?  It's scientifically called the Aesculus glabra. It grows 20-40 feet tall and can live to be about 125 years. The Ohio Buckeyes flowers are green and its fruit is light brown and round. In autumn, leaves turn yellow and orange. Some call it Stinking Buckeye because when the flowers are crushed they smell bad. It has poisonous seeds that animals avoid eating. The leaves are green during summer and spring

Submission two and three

Here is my second and third submissions for the Funky Nests in Funky Places contest!Submission 2
Submission 3 by the way, sorry they are sideways!

Funky Nests in Funky Places 2014!

Funky Nests in Funky places contest is back again! Last year my drawing of a Western Grebe and chicks was one of the winners! I've just entered another drawing I made and hope you like it! To see it click the link below.
HERE

Spring means birds migrating North!

Spring is coming,the snow is melting,so many birds all over! What could these beautiful birds be!? I saw two Bufflehead ducks just yesterday in a river, I also saw Canada Geese next to the river and flying every hour overhead! I've been hearing many Red-winged blackbirds and Robins,Chickadees and Blue Jays. There is one bird I call the Mystery Bird. That's because I can't figure out what it is! It's about sparrow size,has a completely white underside,brown head,back,and tail,and has a white ring around its eye. IF ANYONE RECOGNIZES THIS BIRD PLEASE TELL ME! Spring is a chance to learn more about birds, plant big native gardens, put up bird baths,and keep filling up bird feeders. If you have or want Hummingbird feeders, DON'T buy sugar water. Make it instead,it's quite easy really. The red stuff in stores may be giving Hummingbirds food, but it's also killing them by the minute. To make sugar water, use 4 parts water,1 part sugar and mix it up real well. DON'T use honey,honey can create bacteria and make the Hummingbirds sick,DON'T use dyes! Dyes are what is killing these beautiful tiny Hummingbirds. The red dye is to attract the hummingbirds. Instead of dyes, get a red feeder,or one painted like flowers. Hummingbirds usually show up at any Hummingbird feeder but are especially attracted to red. When buying suet for other birds, be careful and look at what you are about to buy. Some suet isn't that healthy for birds and includes unneeded ingredients.CLICK HERE to learn more about feeding birds CLICK HERe to learn more about feeding Hummers   Have a great day everyone! :-)