The Kid’s Guide©

to Expl orin g Na
oS eeu
y
Received On
NOV ~~ 2914
- The Kid’s Guide
to Exploring Nature
By the Children’s Education Staff
at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Marilyn Smith, Ashley Gamell,

and Sara Epstein
with Patrica Hulse, Saara Nafici, David William Daly,
_ Becky Beer Laboy, and Niall Dunne

Sarah Schmidt
Editor

Laszlo Veres

ae
a BROOKLYN
BOTANIC
GARDEN
Parents and caregivers, please see page 118
for tips on enjoying this book with your family.

Elizabeth Peters
EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Sarah Schmidt
MANAGING EDITOR

Jason Knouft
Allison Miller
SCIENCE EDITORS

Joni Blackburn
COPY EDITOR

Elizabeth Ennis
" ART DIRECTOR

Scot Medbury
PRESIDENT

Elizabeth Scholtz
DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Sonal Bhatt
VP OF EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION

CONTRIBUTORS
David William Daly
Niall Dunne
Sara Epstein
Ashley Gamell
Patricia Hulse
Manny Jose
Barbara Kurland
Becky Beer Laboy
Saara Nafici
Marilyn Smith
Laszlo Veres
«

Handbook #200
Copyright © 2014 by Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-889538-88-4 (hardcover edition)
Printed in China by Ocean Graphics Press.
© Printed with soy-based inks on postconsumer recycled paper.
Guides for a Greener Planet are published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden,
1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225.
Learn more at bbg.org/handbooks.
The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature
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 loring Nature
What do baby ladybugs look like? What happens to
acorns when a squirrel forgets where it buried them?
ale)vax(onl oy-\n-Met-ixel pToM gat-la)vainaley-to[U]inel-1-¥an Adal-1¢-e le)
mushrooms come from?
Do you ever wonder about things like this? If so, you
would make a terrific naturalist. A naturalist observes
plants, animals, and other living things closely, asks
questions, and tries to learn the answers. This book is
full of information, adventures, and advice to help you
become a naturalist.
 4

How to Be a Naturalist
A naturalist is a scientist who studies nature. Start looking at the world
through a naturalist’s eyes, and you will be amazed at what you learn.

A naturalist studies living things by observing Ask questions. When you observe closely,
them and then tries to discover how they relate you are sure to notice a lot of cool or unusual
to each other and their environment. In earlier things: Birds with knife-shaped bills, flowers
times, before there were many professional that look like bells, trees that smell like root
scientists, most of what was known about life beer, Why would that plant or animal have that
on earth was discovered by naturalists. Today, trait? Does that shape, color, or smell help it in
being a naturalist takes many different forms. some way? Does it help it make or find food?
Field biologists, environmental educators, and Reproduce? Ward off predators?
scientific illustrators are all modern naturalists.
Keep a journal. Buy a sturdy composition book
You can be one too! The chapters in this book or journal to record what you observe. On
will get you started. So will these tips. the next page—and throughout this book—
you will see examples of the kinds of details
Be quiet and still sometimes. Slow down and
you can record in your journal. Use some
use your senses to listen, look, smell, and feel
of the scientific words you'll see in boldface
what's around you.
throughout this book. They are defined in the
Find a sit spot. Choose a place outside that you glossary that begins on page 114.
can return to over and over again and observe. —

Notice how it changes throughout the day and

About the Pictures
throughout the year. Do you hear the same
birds in the morning and in the afternoon? This book’s illustrations will help you learn
What flowers are blooming in April? In June? to identify dozens of common plants and
animals. They are all drawn with accurate
Make comparisons. You are sure to see
colors, shapes, and other details. But
differences as you explore. How does the forest
sometimes they are made to look larger
change as you hike higher up a mountain? How
than they are in real life so that you can see
is one tree's bark different from another's? How
these details clearly. Read the descriptions
do bumble bees look different from honey bees |
to get a sense of how big things actually are.
and sweat bees?

6
 What to keep in your journal
Information about your surroundings:
Record the date, time, location, and weather conditions.
(Is it sunny? Has it rained lately?)
Your observations:
Choose an interesting plant. Describe it. Note its size and
color. Does it have any flowers? What do they look like?
What do they smell like? Are there any insects near the
plant? Do you hear or see any other animals nearby?
Where are they? What are they doing? Gathering food?
Hiding from predators?

Pictures:
Draw what you see, or make rubbings of leaves, bark, and
other natural objects. Take lots of photos! This is a great
way to capture and preserve an image Without disturbing
the plants and animals you find.

Specimens:
Get an adult’s permission to collect leaves, seedpods, and
other plant parts. (Weeds make good subjects!) Press
them between pages of newspaper undera heavy book
for several weeks, and then tape or glue them into your
journal and write about them.
Where to Explore. Y

Look for fascinating plants and animals in the woods, at the beach, at the
park, in a street tree bed, and on your window ledge.
This book is written for kids living in cities in Meadow Meadow plants, mainly grasses and
the northeastern United States. The woods, wildflowers, grow ih clearings in the forest
meadows, lakes, and beaches described here are created when trees fall or are cut. Birds, insects,
like those in natural areas of this region. You and other small creatures live in them. National
will also see some similar environments in your and state parks are likely to have true meadows.
own neighborhood—in the park, or your yard Big city parks often have meadow-like clearings
if you have one. that are mowed infrequently. They don't have
nearly as many species of plants, but they are
If you take a day trip to go beachcombing or
still good places to observe some of the same
hiking, you may see even more of the plants
wildlife, like fireflies, bats, bees, and butterflies.
and animals highlighted. Many also live in
other parts of North America too. Here’s where Woodland Edge The zone between woods and
to explore. clearings contains plants and animals from both
habitats. Trees and shrubs are widely spaced,
City Nature in the city? Absolutely! You will
and grass and wildflowers are able to grow
learn a lot by observing the trees on your street,
among them. The edge of a road or trail and
the squirrels in the park, and even the weeds in
the shore of a lake in the forest are examples.
the sidewalk cracks.
Lake or Pond You will see aquatic animals
Woods Forests once covered this part of the
like ducks, fish, and turtles and plants like
country. You can find small woodlands in
duckweed and water-lilies if you visit a
large city parks, botanic gardens, and arboreta.
freshwater pond or lake.
National and state parks contain larger wooded
areas. Some have been restored and include Beach There are beaches all along the east
trees and other plants that once grew here coast of the U.S., but those within state and
naturally. Mammals like deer and chipmunks, national parks are the most likely to include
reptiles, and hundreds of bird and insect a healthy shore ecosystem because they have
species live in these woods. been protected to minimize damage from
disturbances like home building and industry.
 Tools of the Naturalist

Ziploc bags

Camera

: j ie
Colored if you are in an area where it’s ok to collect
7 specimens like leaves, pinecones, and insects
penci 5

Writing
instrument

Magnifying
glass

Chopsticks
for poking and picking
Binoculars
up natural objects

available at trailheads and

Insect repellent
nature centers
Spring is a time of amazing change in nature. In March,
the temperature sometimes still dips below freezing, and
the trees are bare. It looks and feels a lot like winter to
us, but plants and animals know that it’s time to prepare
for a new cycle of growth. Head outside, and you'll see
flower and leaf buds swelling on bushes and trees, birds
and squirrels collecting materials to build nests, and even
some insects starting to move about on sunny days. By
May, the season is in full swing. Notice how trees have full
sets of leaves. Flowers are blooming on trees, shrubs, and
other plants. Birds, insects, and other animals are busy
gathering food, pairing off, and welcoming babies.
 So much happens in spring. Fresh green shoots burst through dark, wet
soil. Animals find mates and build nests. See if you can find these six
signs of spring:

A plant that unfurls Green shoots poking

ina spiral = out of the ground

A pollinator visiti
Animal babies in a nest Dee ee
ei a flower

Ti l = A tree with flower buds

eee ©" that open before the
| ona bush or tree leaf buds

clockwise
Photos,
from
left:
Miller,
Elizabeth
Uli
Bullene,
Rebecca
Rogers
Barry
Dana
Peters,
Lorimer,
top
Spring Is Busting Out All Over
Assure sign of spring in the forest is the sudden appearance of wildflowers
in late March and April, long before the trees grow new leaves. You might
even find new flowers blooming if you retrace your path after a short walk!
Wildflowers can pop up suddenly from the forest another plant of the same species. This is
floor because they grow from large, specialized usually delivered by insect pollinators. Plants
roots that store food through winter. In spring, have developed different flower shapes, colors,
that stored food is used to produce leaves and patterns, and smells to attract a variety of insects.
flowers, which can develop much faster than When a bee, fly, beetle, or gnat crawls inside a
they would on a plant starting from a seed. blossom looking for a meal of pollen or nectar,
Spring-blooming plants need to soak up sunlight grains of pollen stick to its body. Some rubs off
and complete their growth cycle before the trees’ on the next flower the pollinator visits, enabling
dormancy ends. Not only will trees’ leaves block that flower to perhaps make a seed.
the sun, but their roots will also start drawing
more water from the surrounding soil. Seed Spreaders
Most of these wildflowers can be seen for only Many wildflowers also rely on animals to carry
a few weeks. Once the forest becomes shady, their seeds away so the plant can spread to new
the aboveground parts wither and die, though locations. Some produce edible fruits so that
the underground parts continue living, waiting birds, mice, and box turtles will eat them and
until it’s time for next year’s blooms to emerge. then “plant” the seeds after they pass through
their bodies. Other spring flowers make seeds
Insect Helpers with a small, oily morsel attached. These take
less energy to create than a plump berry, and
Most spring wildflowers develop new plants
ants love them. They carry the seeds back to
vegetatively, when their roots or stems grow
their nest, where they eat only the oily part.
and spread, but they also reproduce through
They bury the seed, which eventually sprouts.
seeds, To make seeds, they need pollen from

1 Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) 5 Large-flowered trillium 8 Trout-lily (Erythronium americanum)

2 Canada violet (Viola canadensis) (Trillium grandiflorum) 9 Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
3 Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) 6 Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) 10 Wild ginger (Asarum canadense)
4 Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) 7 Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) ll Bumble bee (Bombus species)

13
Wonderful Wildflowers

Jack-in-the-Pulpit Mayapple ,
Tiny flowers without petals cover The mayapple grows in large
this plant’s central stalk and are colonies of individual plants that
surrounded by a leafy sheath reach about a foot tall. The young
called a spathe. Each one- to
three-foot-tall plant is either male
or female, but its gender can
leaves look like small umbrellas as
they push up from the soil, usually
in early May. The plant’s yellow
aif
Arisaema
switch from year to year. fruit, a favorite of box turtles, Podophyllum
triphyllum
ripens in summer. peltatum

Dutchman’s Breeches Wild Ginger

The flowers of this ten-inch-tall Search below the heart-shaped
plant resemble white pantaloons. leaves to find this low-growing
They are only pollinated by plant’s reddish-brown flowers.
queen bumble bees, which have Wild ginger’s underground
tongues long enough to reach Dicentra stems smell like the Asian ginger Acari
the nectar deep inside. cucullaria plant that is used in cooking, Banadente
but they are not related species.

Canada Violet Trout-Lily

Violets are known for having Each flower and pair of mottled
purple flowers, but this species leaves of the trout-lily grows from
has white ones. It grows about a bulb that’s at least four years
ten inches high, and its seeds pop old. The trout-lily grows only
out of their pods and are carried about four to eight inches tall and
away by ants. Viola attracts ants, which carry most of
its seeds away within a single day. rythronium
canadensis
americanum

14
 q
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ae Go at Gi uD oo Oy

|
Field biologists are curious,
adventuresome, and observant.
They must love exploring nature and
reportingon what they find.

Some scientists spend most of their time

in a laboratory. Not field biologists! A field
biologist studies living things in their natural
habitats. Today’s field biologists usually
specialize in a particular plant or animal,
ferns, say, or black bears; an ecosystem’ or
habitat type, like wetlands or alpine forests;
or place, like the Amazon.

Field biologists collect data in different ways,

depending on their specialty. Some collect
samples of live plants, soil, or water. Others or swinging nets back and forth over bushes.
may record the location and number of Botanists (plant experts) may travel to
animals in a certain area. unexplored parts of the rainforest to look for
For example, ornithologists (bird experts) new species of plants.
track the populations of certain species to Field biologists do spend some time in the lab
ensure that they are healthy and not at risk or office compiling their findings and writing
of becoming threatened or endangered. To about what they've discovered. Many work
do this, they capture birds, place tags on their for government agencies or universities. They
legs, release them back into the wild, and often teach college classes and usually publish
then check back after a period of time to see articles in scientific journals in order to share
if their tagged birds are still thriving. their findings with other biologists. But they
Entomologists (insect experts) often collect
always head back into the field before too
insects for study. They may trap them by long to see what else they can discover.
leaving dishes of sugar water on the ground
y
¢
ba

Iii
AE
Ponds That Disappear
It is a dark night in March, and in a shallow pond in the forest, spotted
salamanders are dancing underwater, tiny spring peeper frogs are chirping
loudly in search of a mate, and hundreds of wood frog tadpoles are
zooming through the water, feeding on algae.
This busy place is a vernal pond, a temporary produce babies. They lay eggs in the water, and
pond that is most full in the spring. (Vernal the tadpoles or salamander larvae that hatch
means spring.) These ponds form in late winter live and feed there.
when dips in the ground fill with rain and
melted snow, and they dry up in the summer. The Transformers
Some amphibians, which spend part of their
As the young amphibians grow larger, their
life in water and part on land, have adapted to
bodies prepare for life on land. Tiny legs appear
thrive in this wet-then-dry habitat.
on their sides, and their tails shrink until
Vernal ponds are great places for many types of they look like miniature adults. Soon they are
salamanders and frogs to breed since there are ready to leave the pond and move into the
no fish, which could eat their eggs and tadpoles. surrounding forest, where they'll spend most
These amphibians must, however, start breeding of their time under fallen leaves and logs to
very early in the spring so that their young have prevent their moist skin from drying out.
time to complete their metamorphosis into
Vernal ponds don’t last long. They dry up as
land dwellers before the pond dries up.
the weather warms and the surrounding trees
draw the water up through their roots. By late
Salamander Show
summer, you will see nothing but dry or damp
The best: time to spot salamanders and frogs ground where there was once a pond teeming
is during their spring breeding season at the with aquatic life. The hundreds of amphibians
vernal pond. Adults often come back to the that once lived here will have crawled or
very same pond in which they were born to hopped off into the forest.

1 Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) 5 Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) 8 Spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
2 Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) 6 Spotted salamander 9 Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)
3 Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) (Ambystoma maculatum) 10 Wood frog egg masses
4 Raccoon (Procyon lotor) 7 Spotted salamander egg masses

17
 Nature Activity

See Salamanders Dance the Night Away

Visit a vernal pond after dark, and you may see hundreds of salamanders
dancing underwater. If you're lucky, you may spot some wood frogs too.
Nature centers often have naturalist-guided Search for salamanders on the ground as they
walks in the woods to watch as hundreds walk toward the pond. Once they reach the
of salamanders make their way from under- water, male and female salamanders dance
ground burrows to the vernal ponds where together, swimming up and down as part of
they mate and lay eggs. You can organize their mating ritual. Shine your flashlight into
your own expedition to a vernal pond if you ‘ the pond to see them underwater.
know when to look and what to look for.
Each female lays a group of 50 to 125 eggs
Spotted salamanders migrate overnight at the underwater. These egg masses, which are
end of winter when conditions are wet and often attached to aquatic plants or debris, are
the temperature is above 40°F. Plan your visit one to four inches long and surrounded by
within three weeks of this occurring. You will an envelope of gel. They'll often be several
see the most activity if you visit after dark. feet from the pond edge and are easier to see
Each person must carry a flashlight and step during the day.
carefully to prevent harming the amphibians.
You will also probably be able to spot wood
frogs at the pond. Listen for a plop—they tend
to sit near the edge of the pond and jump
into the water whenever they hear movement.
They lay all of their eggs in one night. The
egg masses of wood frogs aren't surrounded
by an outer covering of gel like those of
salamanders, and they usually float near the
surface of the water like a raft.

Spring peepers may be harder to spot, but

you know they are active when you hear a
loud chorus of chirps at the pond.
Awesome Amphibians
Spring Peeper 2

This tiny frog is an inch long and has pads on its toes
for climbing. When it’s time to find a mate, big groups
of males form a “chorus” at their breeding pond. Their
high-pitched calls sound like sleigh bells and can be
heard half a mile away. They chirp from late afternoon
until dawn, but if you walk too close to them, they
suddenly go silent, so they're hard to spot.
Pseudacris crucifer

Wood Frog
You can recognize a wood frog by the dark “mask”
behind its eyes. It is two to three inches long, and its
call sounds like a quacking duck. It is found as far north
as the Arctic Circle, thanks to a type of antifreeze inside
its cells. So it’s no surprise that it can start mating even
before all the ice and snow have melted.

Spotted Salamander
The spotted salamander is six to eight inches long with
bright yellow spots, but this “mole” salamander is rarely
seen, since it lives in burrows up to a foot deep in the
ground surrounding its pond. When it’s time to breed,
large numbers of salamanders emerge after dark and
silently walk to the pond, where they do a mating dance
Ambystoma
and lay eggs in the water.
maculatum

19
 a
coreloh
ecmee mmtek-x-)

Baby Animals in Disguise

Newborn animals are all around us in the spring, but most are hard to spot.
That’s because their parents keep them out of sight, hidden away in nests
and burrows where they are warm, dry, and safe from predators.
In spring, when there’s plenty of food available, One species, called the tufted titmouse, even
many animals raise their young. But think yanks fur and hair right off other creatures, like
about it: Have you ever seen a baby squirrel? dogs, mice, and humans, so they can make a
These tiny creatures, called kittens, are always soft, warm nest for their babies. Ouch!
tucked away in tree cavities or leafy nests, where
Other baby animals just seem to be disguised
they feed on their mother’s milk for months.
because they look so different from the way
Baby cottontail rabbits are also hidden, either they will as adults. You may know that frogs
underground or in ground-level nests covered start off as tadpoles, but did you know that
over with fur, grass, and leaves. Mother rabbits newly hatched mosquito larvae look like tiny
never visit during broad daylight. Why not? worms that wriggle around underwater? Many
Because doing so might give away the nest’s other flying insects, like dragonflies, also start
location to predators. off their lives underwater. These animal babies
may not be as cute as squirrel kittens, but they
Watch for Clues are much easier to find!

Some first-time animal parents make mistakes.

Did You Know?
They might build a nest out in the open where
we can see it. This is our chance to observe the Many people believe that a parent bird will
nest. Look for birds flying back and forth to reject a rescued baby if it smells the human
one spot over and over. This could be a sign scent on it. In fact, birds have a poor sense of
that they are building a nest or bringing food to smell and will gladly welcome a rescued bird
their nestlings. You may also see birds gathering back into the nest.
materials like twigs and leaves for their nests.

1 Wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) 4 Eastern bluebird nest with a cowbird egg 7 Ladybug larva (Coccinellidae)
2 Aphids (Aphis species) 5 Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) 8 Meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius)
3 Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) 6 Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

21
Baby Animal Secrets Revealed

Meadow Spittlebug
Have you ever seen what looks like gobs of spit on
plants in a meadow? This bubbly foam is actually a
typeof protection made by baby spittlebugs, which
are smaller than grains ef rice. These young insects,
called nymphs, make the bubbles to hide themselves
Philaenus from enemies and to keep themselves from drying
Spumarius out. When the nymphs become adults, they lose their
power to make spittle.

Brown-Headed Cowbird
Some birds sneak their babies into other birds’ nests!
The brown-headed cowbird is one example of a
“parasitic nester.” Instead of raising its own babies, the
female lays eggs in the nests of other bird species. The
other birds raise her chicks along with their own. It’s a
pretty successful strategy: Cowbird populations are on
Molothrus ater the rise.

Ladybug
Ladybugs hatch from tiny yellow eggs and begin as
larvae that seem nothing like the adult beetles. They
Larva Pupa look more like colorful mini-alligators! Though they
may appear kind of creepy, ladybug larvae help protect
Egg
plants. Just like adult ladybugs, they chow down on tiny
insects called aphids, which feed on plants.
Coccinellidae

22
 Animals build nests for a very special reason—to start a family. Go
on a walk in spring to find evidence of animals preparing to lay eggs
or have babies. Notice the different types of materials used in the
construction. See if you can find these animal homes:

A wasp nest built A hollow tree that could

with layers of papery ; be home to squirrels,
| tree pulp birds, or raccoons

A nest with baby

animals in it

me A bird's nest that

» Anest on or in
a includes both natural and
the ground
man-made materials
f i al

Brezovsky,
Hulse
Milan
Laurel
Nelson,
Patricia
from
clockwise
Photos,
photogramrnal,
left:
Caroline
Hulse,
Fan,
Patricia
Voagen
top
 &ay=

gw sm tb
‘a Say
Pigeons, Everywhere You Go
Even if you’re not an expert bird-watcher, chances are you can identify
pigeons! They’re found all over our country, from coast to coast, and across
the world, from the tropics to the Arctic Sele How did these birds get to
be so common in so many places?
Long ago, wild rock doves, the ancestors of the Pigeons mate for life, and one pair can raise up
modern pigeon, lived on cliffs and in caves in to six broods each year. They build flimsy nests
Europe, northern Africa, and the Near East. hidden away on window ledges or under eaves,
As long as 10,000 years ago, people began to and the female lays one or two eggs at a time.
domesticate these birds and raise them for. food.
Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs, and
As people migrated to other parts of the world,
once the babies hatch, both parents feed them by
they brought pigeons, too. The pigeons you see
regurgitating a fatty fluid called crop milk into
today are not truly wild but feral, meaning they
their beaks. They grow quickly, and after about a
descended from domesticated rock doves that
month, the young pigeons, or squabs, look just
escaped their keepers.
like adults and are ready to leave the nest.

Happy Anywhere
Did You Know?
Pigeons can survive in a wide range of
Pigeons have an amazing sense of direction.
climates, and they can eat many different
Even if they are taken very far from home, they
foods. These traits have allowed them to live
can use the earth’s magnetism to find their way
almost anywhere. Their wild ancestors nested
back. In earlier times, before telephones and
in treeless rocky areas and fed on seeds that fell
computers, people trained pigeons to carry
to the ground. Sometimes they scavenged in
messages home quickly. Soldiers used homing
nearby fields for grain that farmers left behind.
pigeons in this way to warn each other when
You can see how cities, with their clifflike
enemy armies were planning attacks.
buildings and plenty of food on the ground,
suit pigeons just fine.

1 Adult rock pigeon (Columba livia) 3 Checker pigeon 5 Red pigeon

and chicks 4 Pied pigeon 6 White pigeon
2 Blue-bar pigeon

25
 Nature Activity

Birds of Many Feathers.

Have you ever noticed how many colors and patterns there are in pigeon
plumage? This common bird has some striking variations.
Most pigeons are predominantly gray, but You can study these differences. Go to a
some are reddish brown, white, or black. And spot where you've seen pigeons hanging out
the gray pigeons usually also have patches of before. Bring somte birdseed and scatter it
other colors, like purple and green. The way around, and see who shows up. Keep a tally
these colors are arrayed is also very diverse. of all the different color morphs you see.
These variations are called color morphs. Which ones are the most common?

Blue Bar Checker

Dark head and tail,
Dark head and tail, gray
iridescent neck and
speckled pattern on
chest, light gray body,
wings and back, wings
and two dark stripes on
may have bars
each wing

Pied
White
White patches anywhere
on the body
No special markings

Spread Red
Very dark gray to black, Reddish-brown coloring
metallic patch on neck over most of the body
What Are These Pigeons Doing?
Courting ;
A male pigeon courts a female by puffing his neck
feathers up, lowering his head, and fanning his tail while
he struts around in a circle. He may “drive,” or run closely
behind the female. If she accepts him, they will nuzzle
each other's necks and “bill”—the female puts her beak
inside her mate's as they bob their heads up and down.

Flocking
Pigeons are social birds, seeking safety in numbers.
Whether roosting, eating, or flying, flocking together in
large groups helps deter attacks by larger birds such as
red-tailed hawks or peregrine falcons. In flight, pigeons
take turns leading the flock, veering and swooping at
speeds of up to 40 miles per hour.

Feeding
Watch a flock of pigeons feeding—it looks like a frenzy.
But they're not competing. If you scatter assorted
birdseed and watch closely, you'll see that each bird is
concentrating on a particular kind of seed. And if one
pigeon discovers a new food source, it will share that
information with the rest of the flock.

27
 | Beach

For the Birds

Visit the beach in spring, and you won’t see many sunbathers yet. But you
will see thousands of shorebirds gathered together along the shoreline,
eating, flapping, calling, and vying for a prime location to forage for food.
Where did they all come from, and what are they doing here?
There are always birds at the seashore, but — end up being eaten, but because so many have
there are never as many—or as many different been laid, some will survive to hatch into tiny
kinds—as there are during spring. You might horseshoe crabs.
see a dozen different kinds of bird in one glance.
Many are endangered or threatened species. Staying Put
Among them are migratory shorebirds that Other migratory birds, like piping plovers and
fly thousands of miles north to their breeding black skimmers, have reached the end of their
grounds every year. Some species, like the red journey once they get to the coasts of New
knot, the ruddy turnstone, and the sanderling, Jersey, New York, and New England. These
fly all the way from Central and South America birds will stay here for the summer instead
to the Arctic tundra! They must use the beaches of going farther north because these beaches
of the mid-Atlantic as a stopover to rest and eat. are their nesting grounds. They are now busy
finding mates, building nests, and preparing to
Perfect Timing raise their young.

The horseshoe crab, a hard-shelled sea creature Resident birds like the herring gull and the
that has been around since the time of the American oystercatcher are also around. They
dinosaurs, provides food for many of these live along the coast year-round. In the spring
migrating birds. Just as these hungry birds they become more active as they start looking
are arriving along the east coast of the United for mates and defending their territory.
States, horseshoe crabs are coming ashore to lay
billions of soft, protein-packed eggs. Most eggs

1 American oystercatcher 3 Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 6 Piping plover (Charadrius melodus)

(Haematopus palliatus) 4 Herring gull (Larus argentatus) 7 Red knot (Calidris canutus)
2 Black skimmer (Rynchops niger) 5 Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) 8 Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

29
 Nature Activity

Help Rebuild Shorebird Habitat

You can help restore sand dunes, a fragile habitat for shorebirds. While you're
at the beach, you're sure to be treated to remarkable spring birdwatching.
All winter at the beach, storms bring strong time at all. Volunteers also sometimes remove
winds that push waves far onshore. These invasive plants and pick up litter as part of
waves erode the sand dunes, endangering the effort. \ ‘
the fragile dune ecosystem. Every spring,
A healthy dune system is the basis of a
professional conservationists and volunteers
_ healthy seashore. A healthy seashore offers
restore damaged beach habitat by planting
the best chance for survival for wildlife that
American beachgrass, which helps stabilize
depends on it for food and shelter.
and rebuild the dunes. You can help too.
One conservation group that organizes
Early spring is the best time to plant
beach restoration along the East Coast is the
American beachgrass because its roots are still
American Littoral Society (littoralsociety.org).
dormant. Many conservation groups organize
There are also many local groups devoted to
weekend events in which volunteers help
a specific park or beach. Keep an eye out for
plant the grass. It may take more than 5,000
beach restoration events in March and April.
plugs of grass to cover a damaged dune, but
with many people helping out, it will take no

NE:
Three Fine Feathered Friends

Red Knot
This little bird migrates all the way from Chile to the
Arctic Circle! It must stop to refuel along the Delaware
Bayshore. The red knot relies on horseshoe crab eggs
even more than other birds do. They are this bird’s
only food on its stopover. For years, people overfished
horseshoe crabs, so there aren’t many left. As a result,
the number of red knots dropped so far that the bird Calidris canutus
became an endangered species. Strict regulations are
now in place to protect both the horseshoe crab and
the red knot.

Piping Plover
In the spring, the piping plover arrives on northeastern
beaches and builds its nest in blowouts, U-shaped
recesses in the dune made by winter winds. It lays its
eggs in a scrape, a depression it makes in the sand.
Camouflage is the main form of protection for the
piping plover’s young. Both the eggs and the chicks are
sand colored. When predators approach, the chicks stay Charadrius melodus
very still to go unnoticed.

American Oystercatcher
This species must live along the coast because of its
food preferences. As you might guess, the oystercatcher
loves oysters, but it also eats mussels, clams, crabs, and
even starfish. It can use its long bill as a shovel to dig for
clams, as a knife to probe inside tightly closed shellfish,
and as a hammer to crack open shells. Haematopus palliatus

31
Life on the Rocks
Rocks are always under our feet. Though they’re not living, they help make
life on earth possible. They are the building blocks of the planet.

Rocks form the structure of mountains, valleys, How else do rocks support life? Many living
and shores. Rocks were smashed and pressed things live on, in, or under them. Some birds,
into these landscapes millions of years ago. like peregrine falcons, nest in crevices of cliffs.
They were pushed up from underground, Insects and other tiny creatures sometimes
melted and reshaped by volcanic eruptions, and shelter under small rocks. Cold-blooded
carved into by glaciers, huge sheets of ice that animals like snakes and turtles often lounge on
once covered much of the land on earth. The sun-warmed stones to heat up their bodies.
glaciers also pushed huge piles of rocks around
Plants sometimes grow on bare rock too. Many
the continents as they moved.
ferns and mosses thrive on shady, wet stones,
The earth’s outermost layer of solid rock is called and trees can send their roots right over boulders
bedrock. Much of the land is bedrock covered to reach the soil. The flaky brown, green, or
with layers of loose stones and soil that support orange crust you sometimes see on rocks is also a
forests, meadows, and other ecosystems. But living thing—two living things, actually—called
there are places where the bedrock is exposed, lichen. Lichens are made up of algae and fungi
like cliffs and mountaintops. that partner up to live on rocks or trees. The
algae gather energy through photosynthesis,
Soiland Sunbathing and the fungi absorb moisture and minerals.

Rocks are made of minerals, and as they slowly

Did You Know?
crumble, the minerals become part of the soil.
Plants take up minerals, and then animals Lichens are so sensitive to air pollution that
like us eat those plants. Youve probably heard scientists use them to judge the surrounding air
that our bodies need minerals like iron and quality. If you see lichens, then the air you're
calcium—those come from rocks! breathing must be pretty clean!

1 Rock cap fern (Polypodium virginianum) 3 Scaly dog lichen (Peltigera praetextata) 5 Five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus)
2 Rosette lichen 4 Common garter snake 6 Gneiss boulder with ribbon of quartz
(Phaeophyscia rubropulchra) (Thamnophis sirtalis) 7 Manhattan schist outcropping

33
Rocks That Will Knock Your Socks Off
Mica ;
Mica is a mineral. Sometimes it is found on its own, as
a glittery, flat rock that can be peeled into layers. It is
also found in combination with other minerals. Mica
is used in paint, walls, and even makeup. It’s the secret
ingredient added to Naw YorksCity sidewalks to make
them sparkle.

Quartz
Quartz is a shiny mineral that usually looks like milky-
white or pinkish crystals. Quartz is also often found in
combination with other rocks. It can look like a white
ribbon wrapped around the rock or like many sparkling
specks embedded in it. Most sand is made up of tiny
grains of crushed quartz. Quartz sand, or silica, is used
to make glass, used for everything from computer
screens to windows to drinking glasses.

Schist
Sparkly‘schist contains both mica and quartz. It is
formed by heat and pressure deep underground and
then shoved up to the earth's surface. Tall buildings
can only be built on very hard rock, like schist, that can
hold their weight. New York City’s skyscrapers are built
on top of a strong, durable layer of this rock called
Manhattan schist.

34
 Nature educators are great
communicators who know tons
about nature and ecology.
They must love plants, animals,
and people of all ages.

Has someone ever shown you an amazing

animal up close at the zoo? Or taught you
to identify birdcalls on a nature walk in the
woods? Or dissected an interesting flower so
that you could see what it looks like inside?
That person was probably a nature educator.

For these teachers, a zoo, beach, camp, or

hiking trail can be their classroom. They
usually teach kids—and sometimes adults—
about the natural world by showing them gardens, where they may teach classes on an
actual examples of plants and animals, often ongoing basis.
in their natural habitat. I,
Nature educators often do a lot of writing as
People can learn a lot about nature by reading __ part of their work. They may write brochures,
: | books, but to really understand how a living guides, or books. In fact, the book you are
: | thing looks and behaves, nothing beats a live reading was written by a team of nature
example. Zoos, parks, and public gardens educators!
: often have professional nature educators 5 pe
| Se By teaching kidsayabout nature, these
on staff to show visitors around, teach
educators help inspire them to care deeply
workshops, and lead demonstrations. oe
about living things and their habitats.
Some nature educators also put together These students can then go on to become

the exhibits in visitor centers or along trails. environmental stewards, people who work to
Others may work at summer camps or school _ protect the planet for generations to come.
sJUlaalaatea
Ahh...summer! People think of these long, hot days as
times to kick back and relax, but this is a very busy season
in the natural world. Plants and animals change rapidly
through the summer months as they take advantage of
the warmth and sunlight. Plants do most of their work for
the year in summer. They use sunlight to make sugar and
produce fruits and seeds. Some animals, like squirrels and
birds, are busy raising young and may already be preparing
for winter. Others, like dragonflies and butterflies, may
complete a whole life cycle before fall arrives. Explore the
outdoors during different times of the day (even at night!)
O see a dynamic ecosystem in action.
 ?

As the weather warms and the days grow longer, you will see many
changes in nature. See if you can find these six signs of summer:

: A leaf bigger than A bee visiting a

your hand disk-shaped flower

Sor ic
pe venues A spider sitting in a web
flower cluster

iG es: A plant other than a tree

ee that’s taller than you

Bullene
Rebecca
Mathew,
Photos,
from
clockwise
left:
Agriculture,
of
Elizabeth
Bullene,
Uli
Naveen
Department
U.S.
Peters,
Lorimer,
top
On Top of the Water
The surface of a pond is a special world where air and water meet.
Water-lilies bloom here, dragonflies lay eggs, and ducks eat one of their
favorite foods, a tiny, bright green floating plant called duckweed.
Zoom in and you'll see that what looks like A Busy Surface
a blanket of green is actually thousands of
tiny duckweed plants, each with a single root Darting among these floating plants are tiny
dangling below. Ducks love to eat it, and so do springtails and water striders, which are held up
other waterfowl, as well as muskrats, beavers,
by the water’s surface tension and never get wet.
and frogs.
Fishing spiders wait on the pond’s edge until
they feel the ripples from a passing insect and
Water-lilies, smartweed, and spatterdock grow then dart out to catch and eat it.
up through the water from roots anchored in
Meanwhile, on the underside of the pond
the muck at the bottom. Their floating leaves
surface, tiny pond snails glide along upside-down
make good resting spots for dragonflies and
other small creatures. Pond snails and water and mosquito larvae hang, each breathing
through a tube on its tail that extends just
mites live on their underside.
above the water’s surface like a snorkel.
How are these plants able to spend their lives
in and on top of the water? They have special Did You Know?
adaptations like spongy, air-filled stems,
Ponds and lakes are similar but not exactly the
which carry oxygen down to the roots below.
same. A pond is often fed by a single small
They also have broad leaves to increase the
stream and is fairly shallow and still, making it
surface area available for photosynthesis. Their
possible for aquatic plants to cover its surface.
stomata, tiny openings in the leaves where
Larger and deeper, a lake may be fed by several
carbon dioxide and oxygen pass through, are on
small streams or one big one and can have
top of the leaves instead of on the underside, as
currents, so plants grow only along the shore.
with most plants.

1 Duckweed (Lemna minor) 5 Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) 8 Mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
2 Fragrant water-lily (Nymphaea odorata) 6 Fishing spider (Dolomedes triton) 9 Mosquito larvae (Culex species)
3 Smartweed (Persicaria amphibia) 7 Freshwater snail (Sorbeoconcha physidae) 10 Water strider (Gerris remigis)
4 Duckweed firetail (Telebasis byersi)
39
 Nature Activity

Build a Boat That Stays Afloat

How is it that some aquatic plants and insects are able to grow or walk
right on top of the surface of the water?
Insects like water striders stay afloat on top Visit a pond and conduct an experiment
of a pond or lake because of surface tension. using natural objects like leaves, twigs,
Surface tension exists because water molecules _ acorns, sticks, and pinecdnes. Which float?
stick very tightly to each other when they Which sink? Can you construct a boat that
are next to air molecules. It’s almost as if the floats using only the materials you find at
molecules form an invisible skin. your feet? Which materials work best?
Amazing Aquatic Plants and Animals
Dragonflies and Damselflies, Smartweed
Many species of dragonfly and You may have seen similar
damselfly spend the majority of plants growing as weeds in the
their yearlong life as nymphs, ) ae park or in your yard. Those are
living just under the surface . a closely related species of
of the water. They are usually smartweed. Why do you think
adults for only a few weeks. this aquatic smartweed has Persicaria
During this time, females Telebasis wider leaves than its relatives amphibia
deposit their eggs underwater, bye rsi onland?
usually on a stem or under a leaf
of an aquatic plant.

Water Strider
Fragrant Water-Lily Striders hunt for aquatic
Try to get out early in the day invertebrates. They grab their
to see this water-lily. It opens prey with their front legs,
its flowers and smells most then suck out their juices
fragrant in the early morning using a sharp mouthpart
and then closes up for the day called a rostrum. Gerris
around noon. Nymphaea remigis
odorata

Duckweed
Spatterdock Duckweed survives cold
This plant looks a lot like a winters by forming special
water-lily, but it has bright buds called turions in autumn.
yellow flowers. (Water-lilies are They sink to the bottom of
usually pink or white.) If the the pond and lay dormant
water level drops, spatterdock’s over the winter. When the
more rigid stems hold the leaves Nuphar water warms in the spring, they minor
above the water, while water-lily advena - float back to the surface and
stems bend so that the leaves develop into new plants.
stay afloat.

41
What’s That Smell?
Many woodland plants make delightful scents to attract pollinators, like
the magnolia, which has sweet-smelling flowers to draw beetles. So why do
many other. plants produce strange or even awful smells?

Smells can be a powerful defense. Since Skunks and Stink Guns

plants can’t run away from the animals that
eat them, they have other ways to defend Many animals also produce nasty smells as
a way of warning predators, “I taste terrible.
themselves. Some have thorns. Others contain
deadly poisons. But many plants are able to Dont eat me!” When a tiger swallowtail
caterpillar is threatened, it raises a red “stink gun”
fend off pests just by smelling bad. Just as we
use strongly scented bug spray to ward off that looks like antlers and oozes foul-smelling
mosquitoes, these plants have their own built-in goo. Some ground beetles spray putrid chemicals
repellents—natural chemicals that protect them when attacked by predators like toads.
from pests. Many not only smell terrible but Toads use smell to defend themselves too. They
also taste terrible to insects, rabbits, deer, and give off a scent to repel snakes, owls, and skunks.
other animals that eat plants. And of course, when a skunk is threatened, it
shoots a stinky fluid from the base of its tail. It
Tro the Rescue! can shoot up to 15 feet, hitting the predator with
a nasty musk that stinks for days!
Some plants can even use smells to call for
“bodyguard” insects. For example, when a beet This strategy works against most predators,
armyworm caterpillar begins chewing on the but there is always something willing to eat a
leaf of a corn plant, the corn plant recognizes stinky meal. Great horned owls dine on skunks
the caterpillar’s spit. It then releases a special regularly. Why doesn’t the unpleasant scent
scent that attracts a certain species of wasp that bother them? Probably because these birds have
attacks the beet armyworms. The wasps soon almost no sense of smell.
arrive to rescue the plant!

1 Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) 5 Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) 8 Spicebush swallowtail butterfly

2 Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) 6 Brown marmorated stink bug (Papilio troilus)
3 Sweet-bay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) (Halyomorpha halys) 9 Spicebush swallowtail caterpillar
4 Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) 7 Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) 10 Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

43
 Nature Activity

Make Your Own Bug Spray

You can use the power of plant defenses to concoct a homemade insect
repellent that really works. Mosquitoes beware!
The scents and flavors of our favorite kitchen Ingredients and Supplies
herbs actually ward off many insects. You 2 sprigs (or 2 Tablespoons, if dried) each of
can use these plants to make homemade bug several kinds of bug-repellent herbs or spices
repellent. Many herbs and spices will work—
1% cups of apple cider vinegar
see which ones you have at home and sniff
them to decide which combination you like. ~ Empty pint jar with lid
Bug-repellent herbs and spices include basil, Empty spray bottle
chives, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, lavender,
Instructions
lemongrass, lemon balm, mint, thyme,
rosemary, and sage. 1 Pour the apple cider vinegar into the jar.

2 Add the herbs and spices you choose.

3 Screw on the lid and shake the jar

thoroughly. Then place it where you will
see it every day. Label the empty spray
bottle with the date and the ingredients
and set it aside.

4 For the next two weeks, shake the jar

of vinegar and herbs for a few minutes
each day to release the plant oils into the
vinegar 6

S After two weeks, fill the spray bottle with

equal parts water and your herb solution.
Shake it up to mix and apply to your skin.

Warning: This bug spray may smell very

strong for the first few minutes.
Smells That Repel
Sassafras ;
The bark, leaves, and roots of this tree smell like root
beer. In fact, root beer was originally made from its
roots. Even though people like its fragrance, most
insects can’t stand it, which means sassafras has few
pests to worry about. But there is one insect called the
spicebush swallowtail caterpillar that loves spicy leaves
and is happy to munch on sassafras. You can identify
sassafras by its three different leaf shapes—a football, a
Sassafras
albidum
mitten and a ghost.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Like other stink bugs, this insect oozes a smelly liquid Halyomorpha
from its body when threatened. Most predators lose halys
their appetite when they detect the foul odor. If they
do try eating the stink bug, they will find the taste
horrible. This bug originally came from Asia, and here
in the United States. only a few predators are willing
to eat it. As a result, it has become invasive. It is
running rampant on our farms, threatening crops like
apples and peaches.

Liquidambar
Sweetgum
styraciflua
This tree contains a powerful, bitter-tasting resin or
“sum” that discourages insects and also helps the tree
heal its wounds. It flows like sap inside the tree, oozing
out wherever the bark is broken. You can identify a
sweetgum tree by its spiky fruits and hand-shaped
leaves that smell sweet and spicy when crushed.

45
 Meadow

Eioots, Chirps, and Wing Beats

Take a walk through the meadow after dark, and you'll hear and see plenty
of night life. Many creatures only come out now because it’s harder for
predators to snatch them up.
These animals are nocturnal, which means they The American toad has a pouch in its throat
rest in hiding places during daylight and wait that it can inflate like a balloon to make its
for the cover of darkness to come out and find trilling calls. The katydid, a relative of the
food. Meadow voles venture out to find seeds cricket, rubs its front wings together to make
and leaves, porcupines come out and chew a call that is so high pitched that it sounds like
tree trunks to get to sap, and beetles crawl out a hiss to us. Other katydids can hear it clearly
of hiding to munch on leaves. Some of these with special ears located on their front legs.
animals will even avoid coming out during
Night is not entirely safe, though. Nocturnal
a full moon because the brighter moonlight
hunters like owls, raccoons, skunks, and
makes them easier to spot.
opossums have adaptations of their own that
help them hunt insects, rodents, and other prey.
Looking for Love
Some have huge ears and eyes that give them
A meadow on a warm night is a symphony of powerful hearing and night vision to help them
trilling, buzzing, tweeting, and bellowing. Why? find dinner in the dark.
Many male insects, birds, and amphibians call
to attract mates in the dark, when it’s safer to Did You Know?
advertise their location. Some of the tiniest of
You can tell the temperature by counting cricket
these creatures play the loudest, using special
calls! Some crickets get more active as the
body parts like musical instruments. The cricket
temperature rises. Count the number of chirps
chirps by rubbing a “scraper” located above one
for 15 seconds and add 37. The total will be very
wing over a spiny ridge atop the opposite wing.
close to the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
Imagine running a pencil across a comb.

1 Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) 4 Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) 6 True katydid (Pterophylla camellifolia)
2 Barn owl (Tyto alba) 5 Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) 7 White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)
3 Field cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus)

47
 Nature Activity

Speak to the Fireflies %

All you need is an ordinary flashlight and the secret codes below to
communicate with fireflies on a summer night.
A firefly’s light is caused by a chemical .Try impersonating a male firefly. Head to a
reaction in the rear of its body, called the grassy area on a warm evening with a small
“lantern.” Males use a special code by altering flashlight, and use this chart to identify some
the timing and length of flashes as they fly. common firefly species. Use your light to
Each firefly species has its own pattern of flash one of these patterns a few times in a
flashes to attract a mate of the same species. row. Watch to see if anyone flashes back at
Females perch in the grass. If a female is you from the grass!
interested, she responds, usually with a
single flash.

Eastern Firefly Pennsylvania Firefly Say’s Firefly

(Photinus pyralis) (Photuris pennsylvanica) | (Pyractomena
y, angqulata)
9

Flash Y2-second flash every 1 flash every 7 seconds, Series of 8 fast flashes
Pattern 6 seconds alternating between every 3 seconds
short (4-second) and
| long (2 2-second)
| flashes
sag ‘

Flash color yellow green orange

pace
Sons Le

Notes The males make a Some females Males are often the
J-shape by flying impersonate other victims of the female
upward with each flash. firefly species to Pennsylvania firefly.
trick—and then eat—
them.
Nocturnal Navigators
White-Lined Sphinx Moth — -
Like many moths, the white-lined sphinx moth is a
nighttime pollinator. Many flowers open at night
specifically to attract moths. Some of these flowers
are bright white so they can be seen in the dark. Many
release perfumes, another way to attract insects at
night. Moths navigate by using the moon. Have you ever
seen a moth circling an electric light? It has probably
mistaken the light for the moon and become confused.

Barn Owl
A barn owl can circle silently above a pitch-black field at
night and hear a tiny mouse below. It then dives down
and expertly scoops up its prey. One secret to the barn
owl's success: One ear is placed high up on its head and
the other is lower. This helps it calculate prey location
by sound alone. The barn owl's eyes are also twice as
sensitive as ours, but it can only look straight ahead!
Like all owls, it must turn its head to look around.
Tyto alba

Little Brown Bat

Bats use echolocation to find their insect prey. They
send out high-pitched sounds and then listen to how
they bounce off surrounding objects. This works on
prey as tiny as a fruit fly. A single little brown bat can
find and eat thousands of mosquitoes in one night! We
usually can’t hear a bat’s sounds, but some insects can.
Myotis lucifugus
Moths will zigzag to escape approaching bats, and some
beetles and crickets make loud clicks to confuse them.

49
 =>
Sa

Im |
ae
| ——
owe
5
—
=
—
The Urban Forest
The trees that line our streets are an important part of the landscape of
the city. They make our neighborhoods more pleasant and help us connect
with nature, They also help the environment in ways that may surprise you.
You've probably noticed that tree-lined blocks nutrient-poor and can get really compacted
are beautiful. Trees’ shady canopies keep the from people walking on it. Setting up a tree
city cooler in the summer, and they also provide guard around the tree bed will help keep foot
habitat for urban wildlife like songbirds and traffic away. Adding mulch will help return
squirrels. Urban trees also provide a lot of some nutrients and organic matter to the
benefits that might not be so obvious. They soil. Urban trees must also be able to tolerate
provide oxygen and trap pollutants in the air, drought, floods, and pollution like the salt that
such as ash, dust, and smoke. That helps us all some cities use to melt snow and ice.
breathe a little easier!
At Home in the City
Like all plants, trees release water through their
leaves, which also cools the air. This is called A lot of thought goes into planting street trees.
transpiration. A mature oak tree can transpire Most cities employ tree experts called arborists
40,000 gallons of water in a year. The roots of to select good candidates. One of their jobs is
city trees can absorb a lot of rainwater during to choose the right tree for the right spot. They
heavy storms. This helps prevent the sewer have a lot to consider.
system from flooding and carrying pollutants
How tall and wide might the tree grow over
and sewage to our rivers and oceans.
its lifetime? Will it have enough space? Will
it interfere with overhead utility lines? Will it
Tough Customers
get enough sunlight? How much water does
Compared with forest trees, street trees must it need? Once the proper tree is selected and
be able to endure a lot of stress. The soil planted, it’s up to neighborhood tree stewards
in their little sidewalk tree bed tends to be like you to look after it!

1 Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) 3 Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 5 House wren (Troglodytes aedon)
2 Pin oak (Quercus palustris) 4 House sparrow (Passer domesticus) 6 Rock pigeon (Columba livia)

51
 Nature Activity

Become a Tree Steward .

Newly planted street trees need someone like you to help them settle into
their new home and grow into healthy, mature trees.
During the first five to ten years after being Mulch Spreading a two-inch layer of wood
transplanted, street trees need to be cared chips or shredded bark mulch around the tree
for by a steward, someone who looks after bed will help retain water and add nutrients
them. If you have a young street tree in your to the soil as it decomposes. Be sure not to
neighborhood, here are some ways you can mound the mulch up against the trunk.
help it grow.
Make signs A homemade sign can educate
Water This is one of the best things you can your neighbors about what you're doing and
do for your tree, especially in the first two why it’s important. You could also remind
years, before its root system has spread out. people not to litter or chain their bikes to the
Young street trees need from 15 to 20 gallons tree. Include the tree species on your sign
of water a week. That’s about half the volume and a fun fact about street trees. Maybe you'll
of a bathtub. inspire other people to be tree stewards too!

sa
hes
Get to Know Some Common Street Trees

Honey Locust ; Ginkgo

This tree is native to North The ginkgo tree has existed since
America and has feathery, the time of the dinosaurs. Some
compound leaves, which means ginkgo trees are male and some
they are divided’into many leaflets are female. Male plants make
growing from one stem. Younger pollen and female plants make
trees have doubly compound Gleditsia seeds. With ginkgos, you notice Ginkgo
leaves, which means they are triacanthos the difference in autumn, when biloba
divided twice. (mature) female trees drop their smelly,
soft, light orange seeds.

London Plane
The leaves of the London plane Pin Oak
can be mistaken for maple, so Pin oak leaves have deep,
make sure to also look for the / U-shaped divisions and pointy
d
characteristic exfoliating bark, tips. Like other oaks, the pin
which peels off, leaving a pattern Platanus x oak makes acorns that take two pe
that looks like military camouflage. gcerifolig summers to mature. Can you think = Quereus
of a common city animal that pallustris
relies on the pin oak for food?
Norway Maple
The Norway maple has wide,
five-lobed leaves. If you break Callery Pear
the leaf stem, you'll see milky sap This species of pear is planted
inside. We now know that this for its beauty, not for its fruit. It
Acer
species is invasive. In forests, its has lovely white flowers in the
platanoides Pyrus
leaves block sunlight from the summer, and its leaves turn shades
saplings of native trees like the of red and purple in the fall. Its calleryana
sugar maple. You will still see Norway maples in tiny pears are hard and sour, but
many cities because they were planted before this birds love them. They eat these little fruits and
problem was discovered. spread the tree’s seeds far and wide. Because of
this, the Callery pear is also becoming invasive.

53
 Woodland Edge

Working Together
Plants, animals, and other living things are connected by special
_ relationships. Many help each other out, but a few cheat!
Living things are dependent on each other in its toxic white sap. Not monarch butterflies!
all sorts of ways. How did they come to be They have evolved to handle the toxins, and in
linked? Over many generations, organisms fact will only lay their eggs on milkweed leaves.
that live in the same ecosystems have slowly When the caterpillars hatch, they eat the toxic
changed, or evolved, along with each other. leaves, making their own bodies poisonous to
As a result, they now have all kinds of special predators. This protects them so that eventually
traits, or adaptations, that help them survive they metamorphose into butterflies that
and reproduce. These adaptations can help or pollinate more milkweed flowers.
hinder other species’ chance of survival.
Milkweed provides the same protection to
Visit a flower patch in summer, and you might milkweed bugs and beetles. The flower clusters
see monarch butterflies on the fragrant pink are also foraging habitat for some creatures.
- flowers of milkweed plants. The butterflies help Crab spiders hide out here and capture visiting
the plants make seeds by moving pollen from insects. Below them, long-legged harvestmen
one flower to another. In exchange, the plants wait to catch any scraps the spiders drop.
provide monarchs with a meal. They produce
the nectar that the butterflies sip from the Unfair Trades
flowers. A close relationship like this is called
Symbiotic relationships often benefit both
symbiosis. Some symbiotic organisms are so
partners, but not always. Some organisms have
intimately linked that one lives inside another!
evolved ways to take advantage of others. For
instance, “nectar robbers,” like carpenter bees,
Poisonous Protection
steal nectar from flowers without pollinating
The symbiotic relationship between monarchs them. Some flowers also trap their pollinators!
and milkweed goes beyond pollination. Most It may not seem fair, but in nature, these
animals stay away from milkweed because of organisms often get ahead.

1 Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 4 Milkweed aphids (Aphis neril) 7 Monarch caterpillar
2 Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) 5 Milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) 8 Monarch cocoon
3 Harvestman (Phalangium opilio) 6 Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

55
Some Symbiotic Relationships
Oak Tree and Eastérn Gray Squirrel
When squirrels collect acorns in the fall, they end up
planting a lot of oak trees. The squirrels first eat the
acorns that have been nibbled by insects, because those
acorns will rot soon. Squirrels bury the intact acorns,
which hold up longer aastored‘food. Those are also
the ones that will successfully grow into oak trees, and
this is exactly what happens to the acorns the squirrels
Quercus species
and Sciurus carolinensis forget about.

Pink Lady’s Slipper and Bumble Bee

Pink lady’s slipper orchids have evolved to cheat their
pollinating partners! Their flowers smell like sweet
nectar. Hungry bees push their way between the
scented petals, only to find themselves trapped inside
the pouch-shaped flower, with no nectar to be found.
Entrance To escape, the bees must push their way out through a
tiny hole. As they do, they get covered in pollen, which
they carry to the next lady’s slipper flower.
Cypripedium acaule
and Bombus Vagans

Ants and Aphids

Many ant species farm tiny insects called aphids, much
like humans raise cows. Aphids make sweet “honeydew”
with the sugar they suck from plants. Ants eat the
honeydew, and some even “milk” the aphids by stroking
them with their antennae. In exchange, ants protect the
aphids from predators and bring them to food. Some
ants even build shelters for aphids out of leaves and
keep their eggs warm in their own nests.
Formica species
and Aphis species

56
 Taxonomists are observant, careful,
and detail oriented.
They must love classifying plants,
animals, fungi, or other life-forms.

There are more than one million known

species of living things on earth, and each
one has a carefully chosen scientific name.
This name helps tell scientists how it is
related to other living things and how it
evolved from its ancestors. A taxonomist is
an expert in classifying and naming species.
The system we use to classify plants, animals,
and other organisms was developed by a
naturalist named Carolus Linnaeus 250 years taxonomists also study DNA, genetic material
ago. Living things are divided into families inside an organism’s cells. This helps them
(like the aster family), genera (like the figure out how different species evolved
coneflower genus), and species (like the purple —_ from their ancestors. Early naturalists were
coneflower) based on certain traits, like height, surprisingly accurate at classifying species
leaf shape, or flower type. just by using traits they could observe. Still,
DNA shows that some organisms that seem
To make it easier to keep track of everything, ; 7
closely related actually evolved from different [F
.
Linnaeus developed a two-name labeling ;
; ancestors, and taxonomists are constantly
system. Each organism has a Latin species
: : f reevaluating these classifications.
name that includes its genus (Echinacea for 8
all coneflowers) and a modifier, or epithet, to Scientists think there are seven million
distinguish it from other species in the genus undiscovered organisms—not counting
: (Echinacea purpurea for the purple coneflower). _ bacteria—yet to be found deep in the oceans
and in unexplored corners of the planet. This
In earlier times, scientists placed an organism
; eae ought to keep taxonomists busy for a while!
in a category by carefully observing it. Today,
 Meadow

The Buzz on Bees

Visit a patch of flowers on a sunny day, and you are bound to see and hear
bees. If you pay close attention, you'll notice that there are actually many
different kinds—round, fuzzy bumble bees, tiny green sweat bees, big
black bees, and bees with amazing patterns.
New York City alone is home to more than 200 bees have tiny stingers but do not use them
species of bee! The plants all around us rely on unless their life is threatened. Why should they?
these bees to spread their pollen so that they They have no colony or honey stores to defend.
can make seeds. We humans also rely on them If they do sting, it is much less painful than a
because they pollinate many of our food crops. honey bee or wasp sting.
The bees that make the honey we buy at the
Shake It!
market are just one kind of bee, the European
honey bee. Farmers brought them to North Scientists have discovered that most bees
America in the 1600s. The native bees that actually pollinate flowers by buzzing. What you
were already here don't make honey. And most hear when you hear a bee buzz is the sound of
dont live in a big hive with other bees like it shaking its whole body.
honey bees do.
When a bumble bee visits a tomato blossom,
for instance, it grabs on and shakes like crazy
Cuckoos and Cutters
until a cloud of pollen covers its body. The
Native bees usually live alone, in small holes in bee cleans up and gathers most of this pollen
wood, inside plant stems, or in the ground. They to carry back to feed its young, but some gets
have as many different lifestyles as they have left on its body. This gets carried to the next
shapes and sizes. Leaf-cutter bees cut pieces of flower the bee visits. Now the flower has been
leaves and use them to build their nests. Lemon pollinated, which means it might produce a
cuckoo bees steal pollen from other bees’ colonies delicious tomato for us to eat!
instead of collecting it from flowers. Most native

1 Eastern prickly-pear (Opuntia humifusa) 3 Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) 5 Eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens)
2 Mountain mint 4 Blue-green sweat bee 6 Eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica)
(Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) (Augochlorella species) 7 Leaf-cutter bee (Megachile species)

59
 Journal Activity

Bee Behavior Stakeout %

Why is one bee flying in circles and another diving face-first into a flower?
Watch closely, and you may be able to decode their mysterious behavior.
On a sunny, warm day, find a spot with many side, guess why the bee is doing what it’s
flowers blooming and look for bees. Follow doing. Is it defending its territory? Looking
one bee with your eyes for as long as you can for food? After you've observed a few different
and note what it is doing. Get close enough types of bee, ask yourself—do different
to see its legs, eyes, and tongue. Draw and bee species behave differently? Do bees do
describe it. Next, make a chart. On the left different things at different times of day?
side, describe the bee’s behavior. On the right

p.m:
August 5. 1:90
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Appearance:
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dives into the

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yellow flower,
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Tt’s looking fo
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Tt flies around to land or wat
flowers.
up above the enemies:
(?) are
ar
Globs of pollen
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It may be clea
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S) It rubs its eyes or scratching
itself.
Bees to See...and One Wasp!
Eastern Bumble Bee European Honey Bee
This is one of the easiest native You have probably seen a lot
bees to spot. It is large, round, of these bees, which have
and fuzzy, and it pollinates a fuzzy thorax and a yellow
many of our important food and and black striped abdomen.
flower plants. This is the species of bee that
Bombus produces honey and beeswax. Apis
impatiens
If you see one, there may be a Pralitces
beekeeper’s hive nearby.

Eastern Carpenter Bee

This bee looks a lot like a
bumble bee, except that its Leaf-Cutter Bee
abdomen is smooth instead of The dark body and yellow belly
fuzzy. It bores holes in wood of the leaf-cutter bee makes it
to make its home. A carpenter easy to identify. Leaf-cutter bees
bee may be big and loud, but it Xylocopa collect pollen on their bellies
doesn’t sting. Virginica instead of in pouches on their
hind legs like other bees. Megachile
Species

Blue-Green Sweat Bee

This bee is tiny and shiny and Eastern Yellow Jacket
looks more like a fly than The yellow jacket is actually not a
a bee. Farmers love sweat bee at all—it’s a wasp. Like bees,
bees because they pollinate yellow jackets drink nectar, but
food plants like strawberries, Augoc Eineella they also eat insects. You can tell a
tomatoes, and watermelons. species wasp from a bee by looking closely
at its body. Wasps have very skinny
Vespula
waists and smooth bodies. )
maculifrons

61
Wonder Weeds
Walk down a city street, and you will see plants growing everywhere: in
sidewalk cracks, in tree beds, along the edges of buildings, in empty lots.
They’re weeds, of course—the toughest, wiliest plants in the world.
Most people think of weeds as a nuisance, but for birds to eat. Inside the fruit are seeds that
they are also pretty amazing plants. They have pass unharmed all the way through the birds’
the power to live almost anywhere and can digestive system so they are able to sprout up
survive in tiny patches of dirt where they are wherever the bird leaves droppings.
trampled by people, blasted with car exhaust,
Weeds sometimes produce prickly or sticky
and peed on by dogs!
seeds that “hitchhike” on people or other
These wild plants weren't planted by a gardener. animals to be planted far from the parent plant.
Instead, they planted themselves. Is that what Some weeds make feathery seeds that are carried
makes them weeds? Not necessarily. A weed away by the wind or on water. Some weeds do
is simply a plant you don't want growing in a several or even all of these things.
certain place. A rosebush growing in the middle
of a lawn could be considered a weed if you When Weeds Invade
wanted only grass there.
Some weeds are so good at spreading that they
take over a large area and crowd out other
Super Spreaders
plants. These weeds are called invasive and are
Weeds usually show up where people don't want considered the worst of the weeds.
them because they can reproduce incredibly
Weeds tend to be the plants that people interact
well. How do they do this? Some make
with the most. We're constantly pulling them
thousands of seeds from a single plant. Others
out or cutting them down, but many of them
can regrow from a tiny bit of root left in the
were originally introduced to the area by people
soil. Many spread through underground stems,
as food or ornamental plants!
called rhizomes. Some weeds produce fruit

1 Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) 4 Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) 6 Giant leopard moth (Hypercompe scribonia)
2 Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) 5 Quickweed (Galinsoga quadriradiata) 7 Gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
3 Hedge bindweed (Calystegia sepium)
Weeds You’ll See Everywhere...and Why
Pokeweed :
This tall plant with dark pink stems is somewhat
poisonous to people, but its berries are a healthy food
for catbirds, robins, and other songbirds, which carry
the seeds far from the parent plant. It can grow ten
feet tall and has a deep taproot that makes it hard to
completely pull out. If even a small piece of the root is
Phytolacca
left behind, it will regrow.
americana

Dandelion
You will see dandelions almost everywhere. That’s
because they are hard to uproot and their seeds spread
amazingly well. The yellow flowers turn into puffy,
white seed heads containing hundreds of seeds, each
Taraxacum
one attached to a tiny, feathery “parachute” that floats
officinale
away in the wind. If you’ve ever blown on a dandelion
head, you've probably helped plant dozens of new
dandelions. Dandelions also have deep taproots that
can resprout even if the leaves and stems are pulled.

Lesser Burdock
This plant has purple flower heads surrounded by
prickly hooks called bracts, which act like Velcro. In
Arctium fact, the inventor of Velcro probably got the idea from.
minus burdock bracts. If you brush past a burdock plant, a
flower head might get stuck to you and hitch a ride
away from its parent plant. It also sticks to other
animals that pass by. This is how burdock is able to
spread far and wide.
 The plants that most of us consider weeds are everywhere in the
summer—in parks, sidewalk cracks, yards, and tree beds. See if you can
track down these six wily weeds:

Dandelion - Quickweed
(Taraxacum officinale) (Galinsoga species)

Broadleaf plantain Sourgrass

(Plantago major) (Oxalis species)

Lambsquarters
(Chenopodium album)

clockwise
Husby
Smith,
Ole
Nafici,
left:
Wendell
(2),
Nafici
Photos,
from
Jenkins,
Bob
Saara
top
ety Wee
Trough Plants for a Tough Place
Many people think the beach is one of the most pleasant places to be
on a warm day. But the things we love about the beach—the sand, the
saltwater, the waves, the breeze, and the hot sun—are the same things that
make it a very difficult place for plants to live.
Sand is made up mostly of crushed quartz, that reflect the sun’s rays, such as silver or bluish
and it doesn’t have the nutrients that plants gray. Others have tiny hairs on their leaves
usually get from soil. The wind blows sand and stems to protect them from blowing sand.
on top of the plants and buries them. Waves Look closely, and you may see several of these
pound the shoreline, bringing tides of salty adaptations on many beach plants.
water. Salt spray also blows in from the ocean,
coating plants’ leaves with salt. There isn’t much A Web of Life
shade, either, so the sun beats directly down
Beach plants are an important part of the shore
on the beach all day, heating up the sand and
ecosystem. [hey create a habitat that provides
everything that lives there.
food and shelter for birds and other animals
that live here or pass through. The eastern willet
Fat or Hairy Leaves
is a common beach bird that builds its nest deep
Some plants do manage to grow at the beach in the beachgrass on coastal sand dunes. This
because they have adaptations, special traits helps protect its eggs and chicks from predators
that help them survive and reproduce. Like like foxes, falcons, crows, and feral cats. Other
many desert plants, some beach plants have birds, like piping plovers, nest in sandy areas
extra-fat leaves and stems that can store a lot of that are sheltered by the grass. Butterflies and
water. They are called succulents. Other beach bees feed here, too, and in turn, they support the
plants have leathery leaves that protect them plants by pollinating them. Sparrows and other
from salt spray, which can damage the delicate songbirds eat seeds and help the plants spread to
tissues of plants. Some plants have leaf colors new locations.

1 American beachgrass 3 Sea rocket (Cakile edentula) 5 Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
(Ammophila breviligulata) 4 Seaside goldenrod 6 Piping plover (Charadrius melodus)
2 Beach pea (Lathyrus maritimus) (Solidago sempervirens) 7 Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

67
 Journal Activity

Where Do Beach Plants Grow?

A healthy shore ecosystem contains a variety of plants, but they don’t all
grow in the same place. Do some fieldwork to learn what grows where.
On a visit to the beach, draw a circle in the plants, so just draw an imaginary circle this
sand about the size of a hula-hoop near the time. Sketch and describe the plants you see
ocean and look for plants inside. List what growing inside. Hw maity plants did you
you see and draw pictures in your journal. find in each location? Was there a difference
Then draw another circle a little farther _ in the type of plants, size of plants, or texture
inland, and make another list with drawings. of plants growing in the different places?
Then make one more observation of a nearby = Why do you think these differences exist?
sand dune. Walking on the dune can harm its

5
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s I s l a n d R each State P
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A Few Amazing Beach Plants
American Beachgrass ;
The long underground stems of this plant, called
rhizomes, spread, intertwine, and form a net beneath
the sand. This holds the sand in place and helps dunes
to form. As more sand blows on top of the grass, its
leaves continue to grow upward, and more rhizomes
spread below the new layer of sand, building the sand
dune even higher. |

Beach Pea
This plant grows behind the dune, protected from the
constant salt spray blowing in from the ocean. Its fleshy,
leathery leaves withstand blowing sand and the intense
heat of the sun. Its curling tendrils wind together,
creating a clumping mass for protection against the
harsh elements. Bees and butterflies sip nectar from
its purple flowers, and birds and small mammals eat its
pealike seeds.

Sea Rocket
This plant avoids the blowing sand by growing and
spreading low to the ground. Its succulent leaves and
stems store water, and their waxy coating repels the
salt spray. Its capsule-shaped seedpods ripen and break
off from the parent plant. They land in the water and
float away, carrying the single seed down the beach. All
parts of this plant are edible and provide both food and
stored water to shore wildlife.

Cakile edentula

69
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 Meadow

Grass Like You’ve Never Seen

When you think of grass, you may picture a mowed, carpetlike lawn, but visit
a meadow, and you'll see how varied grass is in its natural habitat. Wild grasses
have narrow leaves, tiny flowers, and seed heads that look like everything
from lace to caterpillars. Some grass species grow as high as seven feet!
Grasses have hollow, jointed stems and long, excellent cover for wildlife like spiders, insects,
narrow leaves. The lower part of each leaf forms snakes, and small birds and mammals.
a sheath around the stem. Grasses produce
Grasses have adapted to survive fires and grazing
flowers, though you'll have to look closely to spot
by hungry wildlife. How do they do this? Many
them. They are usually small and surrounded by
grow horizontal stems called rhizomes below the
special protective leaves called bracts rather than
soil. If the aboveground part of the plant is eaten
colorful petals that would attract pollinators.
or burned, grass can quickly resprout from the
The flowers produce a lot of pollen, which is rhizomes. Rhizomes also crowd out the roots
carried by the wind and lands on other grass of other plants. This helps cut down on the
flowers, plus everything else in its path. Once competition for space.
seeds form, they remain on the grass stalks well
Grass also grows a bit differently than other
into autumn and winter and provide food for
plants. Most plants grow from the tips of their
small birds and mammals.
shoots or branches, but grass forms new cells
lower on its stems. So even if a deer, cow, or
A Place for Wildlife
lawnmower removes its top, it can keep growing.
A meadow ecosystem contains many different
grass species as well as other flowering plants. Did You Know?
Notice how close together the plants in a
You probably ate some grass seed today! The
meadow habitat are. It can be hard for people
grass family, called the Poaceae, is one of the
to walk through unless someone has made a
most important plant families to humans because
pathway, but the closely packed plants provide
it includes grains like wheat, rice, and corn.

1 Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 4 Timothy grass (Phleum pratense) 7 Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea)
2 Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) 5 Eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) 8 Meadow spittlebug (Philaenus spumarius)
3 Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) 6 Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) 9 Orb weaver spider (Argiope qurantia)

“1
 Journal Activity

Go ona Grassland Safari

Grasshoppers, praying mantises, and orb weaver spiders are just a few of the
wild creatures you might see in the meadow if you know how to look.
Grass flowers don’t attract butterflies, bees, glass if you have one. Examine the stem and
or other pollinators, but plenty of insects leaves from top to bottom. Don’t forget to
feast on grass stems and leaves. Grasshoppers, _ check the axils, where these parts meet. If you
leafhoppers, skipper (moth) caterpillars, and dont’ find any insects right away, check more
spittlebugs are just a few of the insects that —_—specimens until you do.
live on meadow plants. Praying mantises, orb
Sketch each insect you find. Record its size
weaver spiders, bluebirds, and other meadow
and color. What part of the plant did you
animals hunt them for food.
find it on? Can you guess how or what it
Choose one grass plant in a meadow and might eat?
inspect it closely for insects. Use a magnifying

July 15
w Lake Trail
Pine Meado
ate Park)
(Harriman St

Size: about inches

Color: green

Found O n: the seed head at

the top of ata I grass plant

Diet: Smaller bugs?

Gorgeous Grasses
Switchgrass ?

You can recognize switchgrass by its open, lacy flower

clusters called panicles and small reddish seeds. It is
commonly grown in cow pastures or to make hay. The
stems can grow.six feet high, and the dense roots grow
at least that deep underground. These roots help form
new sod and hold soil in place.
Panicum
virgatum

Indian Grass
This pretty native species can grow up to seven feet
tall. The flowers form in long, thin panicles in late
summer or early fall. Each flower or seed has a
half-inch-long twisted part called an awn and is
surrounded by golden-brown silky hairs, creating a
soft, furry appearance.
Sorghastrum
nutans

Timothy Grass
One of the easiest grasses to recognize, Timothy grass
has flowers that grow in short dense ears that look a
little bit like caterpillars. The green bract below each
flower has two tiny awns, giving the ears a rough
texture. This species was brought to the United States
from Europe around 1700. Rabbits, deer, cows, and
horses all love to eat it.
Phleum
pratense

73
 ¥
You will see big changes ae place within a short time
in the fall. Days get shorter and cooler. Animals feast on
a final harvest of fruits, seeds, and nuts to prepare for
dormancy or migration. Many plants are also getting ready
to go dormant. The leaves of deciduous trees rapidly
folaf-1ay-<-mo)
(ol ar-lale me|e) ovar-Wele-\aal-\
doy) -4ar-1 Maar [allan
on its way. Get outside throughout the fall to watch
the transformation. The lush green landscape of late
September gives way to bright orange, red, and yellow
swaths of leaves in early November. By mid-December,
not much remains but bare branches and brown stems.
 Go outside as the days get shorter and the air crisper to find evidence
that plants and animals are preparing for the winter ahead. See if you
can spot these signs of fall:

A shadow longer wie) Seeds left behind

than your own on a flower stalk

Birds nying south A leaf with many colors

for the winter

Fruit that animals A seed that travels

like to eat by floating

clockwise
Wildlife
and
Fish
Kilby,
Service
Uli
Houlihan,
Mike
U.S.
Photos,
from
Eric
left:
Hulse,
Finn,
Lorimer,
Patricia
Nancy
top
Why Do Leaves Change Color?
The transformation of fall foliage is a spectacular event. The green leaves
of deciduous trees turn brilliant colors before falling to the ground.
How do trees change so dramatically in just a few weeks? And why?
Deciduous trees and shrubs are those that shed xanthophylls. Chlorophyll breaks down easily,
their leaves each fall and survive winter in a but it’s constantly being replaced during the
dormant state. That’s important because their growing season. When the days get shorter and
broad, thin leaves would be harmed if frozen. the temperature drops, deciduous leaves stop
They would also hold heavy snow during a producing chlorophyll. Without it, the orange
storm, which could cause branches to break. and yellow pigments that have been there all
Dropping leaves also makes it easier to survive along really stand out.
winter drought. A large tree’s leaves lose over
Some plants also start making red pigments
100 gallons of water on a sunny day. Its roots
called anthocyanins in the fall. They form on
cant replace that when the ground is frozen.
sunny days when sugar builds up in leaves. This
happens after a special layer of cells starts to
True Colors
form a seal at the base of each leaf. When the
But why do leaves change color so dramatically seal is complete, the leaf detaches and drops.
before falling? Color change is caused when
chlorophyll production stops. Leaves are Nature Recycles
loaded with pigments that capture energy from
After leaves fall, they continue to help sustain
sunlight for photosynthesis, the process of
the forest. How? When they decompose, they
making sugar to feed the plant.
enrich the soil. Their nutrients might even be
Green chlorophyll is the most abundant absorbed back into the same tree from which
pigment in leaves, but it’s not the only one. they fell. In the meantime, they form a blanket
Most leaves also contain small amounts of other on the forest floor that insulates the ground for
pigments, such as orange carotenes and yellow plant roots and the wildlife living underground.

1 Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) 3 Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) 5 Virginia creeper
2 Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) 4 Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
 Journal Activity

Track Leaf Color Changes

Observe one tree carefully each autumn—you may be able to see how
environmental factors influence leaf color.
There are so many things that affect the Along with your tree notes, record weather
production and timing of leaf colors that each information such as the day’s highest and
fall foliage display is a bit different. If you lowest temperaturés, and ‘whether there was
observe one specific tree year after year and sun, rain, wind, or snow since your last
keep detailed notes, you may be able to figure report. Do you see any connection between
out what triggers these changes. the weather and leaf conditions?

Start by recording the date you notice the You can preserve actual leaves by pressing
first signs of color in a few leaves. Record them between pages of newspaper with a
the type of tree, which colors you see, what heavy book on top. Carefully arrange the
percentage of the leaves have turned color, leaves so they’re flat, and don’t let them
and what percentage have fallen off the tree. touch each other. Use lots of empty pages in
Check back every day or week and report the between to absorb the water from the leaf
same information until all the leaves fall. tissue. After a few weeks, the dried leaves can
be glued right onto a page in your journal.

Apa riment
Sugar Maple in Front of My

red, 0% fallen
October 15: 10%
y all week. Today le femcn tatceae
Weather: sunn
1: 15% red, a few ha
ve fallen.

October 2
past week
Weather: 2 days of rain in the
Lovely Leaves
Sugar Maple
This native tree is probably the
Northern Red Oak
Oaks are among the last trees
A“
reason that New England has a to change color each fall. The
reputation for glorious fall foliage. foliage of this species can turn
Its three- to six-inch leaves turn scarlet, eventually fading to a
bright red, orange, yellow, or all russet brown. The brown leaves
three at once. Acer may cling to the tree all winter. Quercus
rubra
saccharum

American Beech Black Gum

The leaves of this large forest This wetland tree is somewhat
tree turn golden yellow, then pale uncommon, so you might not see
brown. Young American beech it very often. But once you do get
trees don't shed their dead leaves a glimpse of its brilliant red leaves
until the end of winter. Fagus at the peak of fall, you will always Nyssa
grandifolia remember it. sylvatica

Tulip Tree Virginia Creeper

This tree’s five- to seven-inch Color change isn't limited to
leaves turn a clear bright yellow trees and shrubs. This common
in autumn. They are easily blown vine has compound leaves
off the tree by wind or rain and with five leaflets, which turn
are among the first leaves to drop scarlet in early fall. You'll find it
Liriodendron growing up tree trunks. Beware Parthenocissus
each year.
tulipifera of confusing it with poison quinquefolia
ivy, which looks similar but has
“leaves of three.”

79
aeheen, Hee eel
cf WP (e
aid
Fascinating Ferns
It’s easy to walk through the woods without noticing the ferns. They have
no eye-catching flowers or fruits like other plants. But that’s exactly what
makes these green, leafy plants on the forest floor so special.
The first ferns appeared on earth much earlier In a film of water, male cells can swim to female
than most plants. They are older than the trees cells, and an adult fern can develop.
and grasses that surround us now. Ferns were
Spores appear in late summer and autumn on
widespread during the time that dinosaurs
the leaves of ferns, which are called fronds.
walked the earth, and they were an important
Look on the underside of a frond, and you may
food for them. Many ferns grew as big as trees
see sori, the structures that hold spores. Sori
then. Some still do!
look like black or rust-colored dots arranged in
an even pattern.
Magic “Seeds”
Sometimes spores grow only on special fronds
For many years, no one understood how ferns
called fertile fronds. These fronds may be fuzzy
reproduced. During Shakespeare’s time, people
or bumpy and can be green, yellow, or brown.
thought ferns made “fern seeds” that had
You will often see them sticking up out of the
magical powers. They thought that carrying
center of the plant. On fertile fronds, spores are
them could make you invisible!
erouped in clusters called sporangia.
We now know that ferns don’t make seeds or
flowers in order to reproduce. Instead, they Did You Know?
make spores. Each spore is the size of a speck
Many fern plants have a structure like a
of dust. Spores need lots of moisture to sprout
slingshot around their spores. When the tiny
and grow. That’s why we usually find ferns in
band snaps, it shoots the spores far away from
shady, damp places. After spores sprout, they
the parent plant. This gives the new ferns that
live as tiny heart-shaped plantlets on the forest
eventually form more room to grow and helps
floor. Each one has both male and female cells.
these fern species spread to new places.

1 Christmas fern 3 Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis) 6 North American millipede

(Polystichum acrostichoides) 4 British soldier lichen (Cladonia cristatella) (Narceus americanus)
2 Hay-scented fern 5 Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
(Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
81
 Nature Activity

Invisible Spores Revealed!

A single spore is almost impossible to see without a microscope. But make
a spore print, and in just a few days, voila! The spores reveal themselves.
By pressing fern fronds between sheets of the plant, or hiding out on the tips or
of paper, you can see spores displayed in near the base of green fronds. If the fern is
beautiful patterns. Each type of fern will ready to release‘its spores, the sporangia or
make a unique arrangement. Here’s how to sori will look rusty brown.
make one:
2 Place each frond on a piece of white paper,
1 Collect a few fern fronds in late summer spore-side down. Place a second piece of
or early fall. Before collecting, examine the paper over the top of each frond. You can
underside of each frond to make sure it arrange a few fronds on a large sheet of
has spores. They might be on some fronds paper to make an artistic array. Set the
and not on others. They may even be on fronds in a dry place, where fans or breezes
special brown fertile fronds in the center will not disturb them, for a few days.

3S The change in conditions from outdoors to

indoors will trigger the spores to release.
After a few days, carefully remove the top
paper and the frond to reveal the beautiful
spore design underneath.

& You can even try planting the spores you

collected. Sprinkle them onto moist soil
in a small container and cover it with
clear glass or plastic to keep in humidity.
Place the container on a shady windowsill.
Be patient, these little wonders are very
slow growing!
A Few Ferns to Learn
Hay-Scented Fern | ,
The lacy, delicate fronds of this fern are light green in
spring and summer and turn golden in the fall. You can
use your senses of touch and smell to identify this fern.
If you touch it, it will feel slightly sticky. Crush a small
piece of frond in your fingers—it should smell sweet
and summery, like hay. Dennstaedtia
punctilobula

Fertile
‘ fronds

Sensitive Fern
You will see sensitive fern growing along streams and
ponds. Its fronds are bright lime green with chubby,
round lobes. Look for its brown fertile fronds, which
look like stalks covered with beads, sticking up in the
center of the plant. They hold the spores.
Onoclea
sensibilis

Christmas Fern
The dark green fronds of the Christmas fern feel waxy
and leathery. This helps protects the plant over the
winter. Its name comes from the fact that it’s still
green in late December after most other ferns have
disappeared. Some people also think its little leaflets
look like tiny stockings with the “toes” near the stem.

Polystichum
acrostichoides
Why Do Trees Make Fruit?
When you think about fruits that grow on trees, you might picture
delicious orchard fruits like apples and cherries. But take a closer look at
the trees that line our city streets, and you'll see fruits of all kinds.
Plants make seeds to reproduce, of course, but and scatter the hard, brown seeds. You will also
why do so many of them make the fruit that find plenty of nuts like acorns and chestnuts
surrounds them? It’s the fruit’s job to protect in autumn. When squirrels collect acorns, they
and help spread the seeds to new locations, bury some to store for the winter. The ones they
away from the parent plant. When trees grow forget about may germinate and grow into trees.
in a forest, their seeds stand a good chance of
Some trees, like maple, elm, and ash, make
growing into mature trees. This usually doesn't
papery, winged fruits called samaras. You might
happen on our city streets, but that doesn't
know them as “helicopters” or “whirlygigs.”
stop the tree from producing fruit. Did you
How do you think their seeds travel? Pick one
know that acorns, chestnuts, and seedpods are
up and toss it in the air, and you'll see how!
all fruits? Their structure gives you clues about
how their seeds travel.
Did You Know?

Sweet Treats You can help honey locust seeds sprout by

re-creating what would happen to them in the
The Callery pear is a tree youll see on many city
wild. In autumn, collect fallen honey locust
streets. The pears it makes aren't as big and juicy
seedpods. Remove the seeds and rough them
as the pears we eat, but birds like them. When
up by scratching them on the sidewalk. ‘This
they eat them, they spread Callery pear seeds.
is called scarification and mimics what would
Birds can only digest the fleshy fruit—the seeds
happen if they were eaten by an animal and
pass through their stomachs and come out the
passed through its digestive system. Plant a few
other end unharmed. The honey locust, another
in a small pot of soil, water regularly, and see
common street tree, makes seedpods with a
what happens.
sweet fleshy pulp inside. Starlings eat the pulp

1 Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) 4 Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) 6 Male northern cardinal
2 Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) 5 Female northern cardinal 7 Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
3 Pin oak (Quercus palustris) (Cardinalis cardinalis)

85
Sidewalk Seeds to See

Horse Chestnut
This tree makes large green, spiny fruits. In autumn they
fall and crack open. Inside each is a big, shiny brown
seed. Sometimes there are two or three. The horse
chestnut is not related to the edible chestnuts that
some people like to roast. In fact they are poisonous
to most large mammals, including people and horses.
Small rodents can eat them, though, and they are safe
to collect.
Aesculus hippocastanum

Sweetgum
Sweetgum fruits are prickly round “gum balls.” In
the fall they dry, turn brown, and open to release
dozens of small, winged seeds to the wind. Squirrels,
chipmunks, and birds eat some of the seeds, but
others may find a spot to sprout.

Ginkgo
In the fall, when many sidewalks are littered with their
squishy, smelly-seeds, you will realize why this tree
is nicknamed “stinko.” Ginkgos are gymnosperms,
which means “naked seeds.” What you are seeing—
and smelling—are not actually fruits but large, flesh-
covered seeds. Ginkgos are dioecious, which means
that each tree is either a male or a female. Only the
Ginkgo biloba female trees make seeds.

86
 Y woe

Horticulturists are nuturing, patient,

and highly knowledgeable about plants.
| They must love planning ahead, being
outdoors, and getting their hands dirty.

A great garden is more than just a collection

of pretty flowers or tasty vegetables. To help a
garden thrive, a gardener must create a small
ecosystem of plants.

Horticulturists are professional gardeners.

They often work for cities, parks, or botanic
gardens. Most of these places have gardens
with themes—plants native to a certain area,
say, or food plants, or fragrant plants. In
the wild, plants grow where they do because
They may add compost (decomposed plant
conditions like soil, moisture levels, and
matter) to improve the soil. This mimics the
surrounding plants and wildlife favor them. A
way fallen leaves and other plant parts break
horticulturist must sometimes work in reverse
down into soil in nature. Horticulturists may
to create conditions that suit the plants he or
add plants to attract pollinators or bring in
she has chosen to grow.
beneficial insects to make the garden more like
Before planting anything, horticulturists must a natural habitat. Certain wasps, for example,
consider what the plants will be like when kill other insects that might become invasive.
they are mature. They often raise them from
Horticulturists also water and weed to
seeds or very young plants, allowing them
maintain the garden as it grows and
to fill the space over time. Using ecological
collect data on how the plants are doing
knowledge, horticulturists can garden without
in preparation for next year. It’s all part of
using a lot of chemicals to fertilize plants or
keeping their tiny ecosystem in balance as an
kill pests. Many use no chemicals at all. This
example for everyone to enjoy.
is called organic gardening.
Fun with Fungi
Deep in the forest, the kingdom of fungi thrives. Neither plant nor animal,
these organisms come in all shapes and colors, with names to match their
strange looks: turkey tail, dead man’s fingers, earthstars, and more.
Fall and spring are good seasons to search for why one mushroom might produce up to a
a variety of fungi because they thrive in cool, billion spores!
damp conditions. Mushrooms sometimes seem
to pop up overnight, but when you see one, The Fungus Kingdom
you are seeing just a part of the whole fungus.
Many people think fungi are plants, but they
The rest is underground.
arent. [hey grow in a somewhat plantlike way—
After a rainfall, the underground part expands long, threadlike mycelia grow from their bodies.
incredibly fast by absorbing moisture from But they are actually more closely related to
the surrounding soil. The fungus then animals. Unlike plants, fungi can’t make their
sends up the mushroom to make spores for own food through photosynthesis, so they “eat”
reproduction. other organisms. Instead of swallowing food as
an animal does, a fungus grows on it, dissolving
But not all fungi make mushrooms on the
it with enzymes and absorbing the nutrients.
ground. Some species make spores in a “shelf”
growing on the side of a tree or log. Some Most fungi are decomposers, which means
shelves are hard and woody and last for years. they break down dead plants and animals.
You will often see them on logs, branches,
Blown Away and other debris on the forest floor. But some
fungi grow on live plants. Often fungi form a
When conditions are dry, fungi release their
symbiotic relationship with plant roots, called
microscopic spores to float away on the wind.
mycorrhizae. The fungi help the roots absorb
A single spore will produce a new fungus if
water and minerals, and in exchange, the roots
conditions are just right where it lands. But
provide nutrients for the fungi.
there’s no guarantee this will happen. That's

1 Bird’s nest (Cyathus stercoreus) 3 Dead man's fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) 6 Porcini (Boletus edulis)
2 Chicken of the woods 4 Earthstar (Geastrum saccatum) 7 Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme)
(Laetiporus sulphureus) 5 Golden spindle (Clavulinopsis fusiformus) 8 Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor)

89
Fabulous Fall Fungi

Destroying Angel ‘
This plain white mushroom is common in forests
and lawns. It starts as a white “button” and has deep
folds called gills below its cap. The genus Amanita is
famous for its many poisonous species. Some have
yellow, orange, or green caps.. They're a good reason
to avoid eating any wild mushroom, since one bite
can be fatal!

Amanita bisporigera

Chicken of the Woods

This striking fungus grows on trees, mostly oaks,
rotting the wood to make a hollow trunk. Each
“shelf” can grow up to two feet wide. They're often
clustered together in a group.and are very bright
orange to yellow.

Puffball
Each of these pear-shaped fungi is only one to
two inches wide. Puffballs grow in clusters on dead
branches or fallen trees. When young, they’re white
and solid inside. Mature puffballs are brown and |
wrinkly, with a pore, a tiny hole, in the top of each
one. Why are they called puffballs? Touch one, and
you'll release a cloud of olive-colored spores!

Lycoperdon pyriforme

90
 ?

When damp weather sets in, mushrooms seem to appear overnight on

trees, in mulch piles, or right in the middle of a grassy lawn. Head out
_after it rains to explore the diverse array of mushroom sizes, shapes,
and colors. See if you can find each of these:

_ A brightly colored A mushroom smaller

mushroom than your pinky

A fungus growing
A mushroom shaped
like a ruffle ona
like an umbrella
ballerina’s dress

g A “village” of \ A fungus growing like

“4 mushroom caps | ashelf ona tree trunk

Henslee,
from
clockwise
Photos,
Brad
left:
Uli
(2)
Cortlund,
Lorimer
Jason
Lorimer,
top
i
:
a
What Elappened Eiere?
You're walking in the forest when suddenly you notice something
unusual—perhaps a clearing filled with fallen trees or an old stone wall.
What happened here? Just as detectives use clues to solve mysteries,
naturalists can use clues to figure out what has shaped the environment.
Have you ever come across a mossy old stone Trees with Triangles
wall, winding snakelike through the woods?
Fires leave clues, too, like charred bark. You
Much of what is now forest in the Northeast
may also see tree trunks with triangular scars
was farmland in the 1700s and 1800s. These
near the ground on the uphill side. That's
walls are made of stones that were dug up
because leaves, twigs, and other brush tend
from land cleared for the fields. Look closely.
to collect on the uphill side of a tree. When
If the wall has only large stones, the field was
they catch fire, it creates a heat vortex that
once a pasture for grazing. But if the wall also
burns a triangle into the bark. Some trees can't
contains smaller stones, the field was likely
withstand fire at all and are left as blackened
used to grow crops. Each time the farmer
snags—still standing, but dead.
plowed, he turned up small rocks and added
them to the walls.
Changing Landscapes
Wild Winds Blew In time, after any disturbance, ecological
succession takes place. Clearings allow more
You can also figure out how natural phenomena
sunlight to reach the soil, so seeds that have
have shaped the landscape. It’s common to
lain dormant there can grow. Fallen trees
see a fallen tree here and there, but a swath of
decompose and add nutrients to the soil,
downed trees is usually the sign of a sudden
which will support the new plants—first small
disturbance like a storm. After a major
ones like wildflowers and grasses, then shrubs
windstorm (except a tornado), fallen trees all
and trees. Eventually, the land will become
point the same way, so you can actually tell in
forest again.
which direction the storm blew.

1 Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) snag 2 Downed red maple (Acer rubrum) 3 Fire-scarred red oak (Quercus rubra)

93
 Journal Activity

Become a Forest Sleuth .

Do some detective work, and you may be able to figure out what happened
in the woods years or even decades ago. |
Lots of changes occur in the forest when ‘Take a hike through the woods and use your
few people are around to witness. Trees fall. naturalist knowledge and detective skills
Animals come out of hiding to eat. Fires and to try to reconstriict the’events of the past.
storms change the landscape. Some of these When you find a clue, make a note of it.
things happened long, long ago. _ ‘Try to guess what happened.

by side
ur fa ll en tr ees lyin g side
Clue #1: Fo
ed! ly
What happen
c k e d t h e m down. Probab
rm kn o oss
A big winasto go since aihere
15 a lot of m
long time a
happened a
them.
growing on
ones
wa ll wi th bi g and small st
one
Gloear2: A st
d?
What happene rm.
ea to bea fa
This area us
tks
tr ee s t u m P with bite ma
Clue #3: A light-colored
ed!
What happen n some time th
is year.
d o w
awed it
A beaver gn
a st ri p of bark missing
oung tree wi th
GlWedra: A y
d!
What happene du ring the winter
.
deer a te he re
A starving
Clues in the Forest
Stump with Bite Marks ,
Near a pond or lake, you might see evidence that
beavers have been busy. They gnaw through tree trunks
with their strong, sharp front teeth and use the logs and
branches to build dams and lodges in nearby ponds.
When were those beavers at work? Recently gnawed
stumps are light golden. Those gnawed down more than
a year ago have turned gray.

Tree with Stripped Bark

Deer don’t have sharp incisors, so they won't leave
bite marks on trees. Instead, they strip and eat
the bark of young trees during the winter, as a last
resort when leaves and tastier tender shoots are not
available. This kind of tree damage might be a sign
that the deer population has grown too large for the
surrounding habitat.

Wolf Tree
A wide tree with low branches in the forest is a sign that
the area was once an open pasture or meadow. Most
forest trees are tall and skinny. They branch out high
up in the canopy, where they are able to collect more
sunlight. In comparison, a wolf tree is shorter and wider,
because it grew for decades without competition from
other trees for sunlight and space.

95
Winter
The short, cold days of winter trigger most living things
to slow down and seek shelter. But there is still plenty to
observe in nature. Look for clues that help explain how
plants and animals survive this season without heated
homes and well-stocked refrigerators. You might see
fuzzy hairs covering leaf and flower buds, cozy nests
where squirrels hole up, and a few remaining berries that
provide much-needed nourishment for the birds that stay
put year-round.

Uh ee
 ?

Short, cold days and long, colder nights encourage some plants and
animals to go dormant through the winter. But many are alive and
_ thriving. Look for signs of these hardy winter survivors:

Buds with leaves or

flowers tucked inside ee!

§ A winter-blooming
flower

A tree with § green ; the fresh snow

Tracks in
waxy leaves

Gamell
Ashley
Elizabeth
Ratliff,
Searls,
from
clockwise
Photos,
left:
Mike
Gamell,
Blum,
Medi
Peters,
Doc
top
Life Under Ice
If you visit a frozen pond or lake in winter, taking a swim will probably be
the last thing on your mind! But for many aquatic plants and animals, the
safest place to spend winter is in the water.

The layer of ice on a lake’s surface actually keeps Slowing Down

the water below from freezing by insulating it
against the frigid air. That means the water in Cold-blooded animals—amphibians, reptiles,
the lake stays warmer than the surrounding land and fish—face plenty of challenges too. Some
during a cold spell. animals that normally breathe air at the
surface have to survive several months under
Remaining underwater is a good way for many ice without taking a breath. Turtles do this
plants and animals to survive, since only the by hibernating in the mud at the bottom of
smallest ponds freeze solid. Some algae and the pond in an extremely slowed-down state.
aquatic plants are even able to keep growing in They use very little energy, so they are able to
the winter. Other plants survive beneath the survive on the small amount of oxygen they
muddy lake bottom or as seeds underwater. can take in from the surrounding mud. Frogs
hibernate at the bottom of the pond too, but
Finding Food they sometimes emerge from the mud to absorb
oxygen from the water through their skin.
Ponds and lakes support many mammals and
birds through winter. Since they are warm- Fish have gills for breathing underwater, but
blooded, they can stay active all winter as long oxygen may still be scarce. When a deep snow
as they have food. Ducks, for example, often covers the ice on a lake’s surface, it blocks
feed on plants, fish, and insects through patches sunlight. Without it, aquatic plants don’t release
of open water in a partially frozen lake or pond. much oxygen into the water via photosynthesis.
If frigid temperatures cause the surface to freeze Several species of fish have adapted to survive
over, the ducks can’t reach their food, and they with very little oxygen.
must migrate south to find a warmer lake.

1 Broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia) 4 Barred owl (Strix varia) 7 Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)
2 American beaver (Castor canadensis) 5 Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) 8 Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) tracks
3 American beaver lodge 6 Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) 9 White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

99
 Nature Activity

Winter Animal Tracking

Not all animals at a lake in winter are under the ice. To look for signs left by
wildlife in the snow and ice, walk carefully around the water's edge.
Here are a few tracks you might find around a lake. The size of the prints and the distance
between them are important for identification. Some animals leave tail or wing tracks too.

: 3 | % .‘ ) A Ei

Rabbit Deer Raccoon Muskrat fogue Bird

Tracks in the snow aren't the only winter clues animals leave behind. Some of the evidence of
their activity isn’t easy to recognize at first, but if you explore nature in winter, you can learn to
identify what creatures may have been around. Remember: Never step on the ice!

Ow! Pellet Nuts Gnawed by Squirrels Muskrat Ice Trails

Animal droppings, including scat Look for signs of aninial meals If youre lucky, you might see
and pellets, may contain seeds, — such as wood chips made by a trail frozen into the ice itself.
bones, fur, or fish scales. Look a woodpecker searching for These are made when a muskrat,
for them on the ground: They're insects in a tree, deer-chewed otter, or other animal moves
important clues to the diet of twigs, or a partially eaten nut on _through the ice while it is slushy.
the animal that passed by. the ground. When the temperature drops,
the trail is frozen in place.
Winter Wildlife
American Beaver ;
Though it may weigh up to 65 pounds, this shy mammal
is rarely seen. But you can tell it’s around when you see
beaver lodges on a lake or stream and pointed stumps
along the shore. These stumps are left behind when
a beaver chews down trees for food and shelter. The
beaver eats the tender buds and inner bark of trees. Its
lodge, made from branches, twigs, and mud, has a dry
room above water, but the inhabitants must still swim in
Castor canadensis
and out through a doorway under the ice. Good thing
they have thick fur for insulation!

Bluegill
A small sunfish, the bluegill weighs less than one pound.
It prefers small lakes with lots of aquatic vegetation. In
winter, bluegills keep warm by moving to deeper water,
but you might see them feeding on plankton just below
the ice on warmer, sunny days.

Lepomis macrochirus

Bufflehead
This tiny duck considers the northern United States
a warm place to spend the winter! It flies south from
Canada to spend winters here. The bufflehead duck is
very buoyant, which makes it fun to watch as it dives
for insect larvae underwater. It seems to disappear
suddenly from sight, and then pops back up like a cork
10 to 20 seconds later.

Bucephala albeola

101
Pretty on the Outside
Do all trees look alike with their branches bare? Not at all! Bark comes in
so many different colors, textures, and thicknesses that naturalists can tell
what kind of trees they’re looking at even in the middle of winter.
In winter, when many trees have lost their of the trunk, is the heartwood, which is older
leaves, flowers, and fruits, it’s easy to see just xylem tissue. It no longer transports water but
how many different kinds of bark there are. still helps support the tree.
Bark is like a tree’s skin. It’s the outermost layer
of its trunk and branches. Bark is usually less Bark Up the Right Tree
than a few inches thick, and it protects all the
Bark may be thick or thin, flaky or shaggy, as
layers of wood inside.
smooth as paper or deeply wrinkled. Why are
The outer bark you can see protects the tree there so many variations? Bark is an adaptation
from damage during snowstorms, fires, and that helps trees thrive. Each tree species needs
floods. It also insulates during cold winter particular things from its bark to thrive in the
months and helps retain moisture during hot, conditions where it grows. Thick bark helps
dry times. The next layer, the inner bark, lies trees hold in moisture. Smooth bark is hard for
just below and contains phloem, tube-filled insects to burrow into. Some trees have bark
tissue that carries the sugar made by the leaves that sheds regularly, which helps get rid of
to the rest of the tree. mosses and lichens that grow on the outside
of the tree.
What’s Underneath?
Bark can also make bad-tasting chemicals for
Just beneath the inner bark is the sapwood, protection. Many oaks, for example, have
which is made up of xylem, the tissue that deeply furrowed bark, which is perfect for pests
carries water and minerals up from the roots, to burrow into. To discourage this, they release
through the trunk and branches, and out to bitter compounds called tannins, which keep
the leaves. Beneath the sapwood, at the center critters from biting into it.

1 American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) 3 Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) 5 Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
2 Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) 4 Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) 6 Birch bark beetle (Dryocoetes betulae)

103
Beautiful Barks

American Sycamore Eastern White Pine

Sycamores usually grow near The eastern white pine grows in
water, so they don’t need thick the Northeast and has adapted
bark to hold moisture in. to survive long, cold winters.
This tree’s smooth brown bark It has deeply furrowed bark
flakes off and reveals patches a that insulates the tree, holds in
of green and yellow new bark. Platanus moisture, and protects against Pinus

It looks similar to the bark of the occidentalis frost. Like many other pine strobus
London plane tree, a close relative ' species, the white pine also
that is often planted as a street releases sap to repel insects.
tree in cities.

Yellow Birch American Hornbeam

This tree also grows near water No other tree in the forest has
and has thin, papery-smooth bark a trunk and branches that look
that sheds by peeling. Yellow like the American hornbeam’. It’s
birch grows and expands really sometimes called musclewood
fast. Scientists think its bark peels - because of the deep ripples in
off because it cannot keep up Betula its bark, which look like veins or Carpinus
with the rest of the tree! Never alleghaniensis muscles in a person's forearm. caroliniana
peel it yourself, though. This
would harm the tree.

Eastern Red Cedar American Beech

The eastern red cedar grows in This oak relative has smooth, gray
or near swamps, and its shaggy bark. Many American beeches
reddish bark sheds in thin, vertical have fallen victim to beech bark
strips. These trees are a gorgeous disease. It is caused by an insect
sight in a snowy winter landscape. called the beech scale that eats
Juniperus through the bark, which leaves Fagus
virginiana trees susceptible to fungi that grandifolia
can sicken and kill them.

104
| Botanical illustrators are highly skilled
| artists who notice the small details that
make each plant unique.
They must love drawing and plants.

How do naturalists let other people know

how plants look? Before there were cameras,
they relied on finely detailed illustrations.
They still do!

Though photography is an important way

to record images of plants, a drawing can
sometimes show plant characteristics that a
photo can’. For instance, what does a flower
look like deep inside? How thick are a plant’s
for textbooks, scientific journals, museum
underground rhizomes, and what do they
look like growing in the soil? What do fern displays, and nature guides—like this one!
spores, which are almost too tiny to see with Botanical illustrators usually begin a drawing
the naked eye, really look like? A botanical by making a pencil sketch, either by looking
illustrator is an artist whose specialty is to at the plant itself or a photo. Then they trace
create drawings like these. (“Botanical” means it in ink. If the illustration is to be in color,
having to do with plants.) they may paint in watercolors or ink or load
it onto a computer and add the color using
It takes a special kind of artist to draw
graphics software.
these details clearly and accurately. Most
botanical illustrators go to art school and Many botanical illustrations may also be
may get college degrees in science. They considered fine art. That’s not surprising.
need a thorough knowledge of the way After all, what could be more lovely to look
plants are structured. They make drawings at than a realistic drawing of nature?
Snow Days ?

Winter is a tough time for the birds and mammals that live in the city
year-round. They must stay warm and find food in a place that was built
for people.-How do they manage to do it?
Squirrels and raccoons grow thick coats of fur What do city mammals do? In their native
to keep warm. Robins, sparrows, and other habitats, rats, mice, squirrels, and raccoons
birds grow extra feathers. But keeping warm store extra body fat for winter and continue to
isnt the biggest concern for winter residents, hunt as well as eat the food they've gathered and
animals that stay put through the winter instead stockpiled in the fall.
of migrating to warmer climates. Their big
In the city, there isn’t much natural green space
challenge is finding food!
where these animals can forage or look for
Why is this so difficult? Most edible plants food. Some of them have become opportunistic
either die in the winter or go dormant. eaters—they'll eat almost anything! You've
Their aboveground parts die back, and their probably seen rats or raccoons looking for meals
belowground parts “sleep” until spring. Leaves, in garbage bins.
nectar, fruits, and seeds that birds like robins,
jays, sparrows, grackles, and cardinals eat are Warming Up
scarce. Insects, another important food source
There aren't many natural shelters like hollow
for birds, have also died or gone dormant.
trees or rock crevices in the city, so some
animals seek winter homes in abandoned
Finding Food
buildings, basements, or garages. You might
Some winter residents follow a seasonal diet. even see a mouse in your kitchen or a ladybug
They feast on juicy earthworms and insects overwintering in your windowsill when
when the weather is warm and make do with temperatures start to drop. By adjusting to their
winter berries and stored seeds when it’s cold. environment, these animals are able to make
the city their home year-round!

1 Pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum) 4 Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) 7 Abandoned nest of bald-faced hornet
2 Witch-hazel cultivar 5 Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) (Dolichovespula maculata)
(Hamamelis = intermedia ‘Jelena’) 6 Raccoon family (Procyon lotor) 8 Squirrel drey
3 Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
107
 Nature Activity

Help Research Birds

You can help scientists conduct their research by setting up a birdfeeder and
keeping track of the bird species that come by to visit.
You can help ornithologists, scientists who
specialize in birds, conduct their research
by becoming a citizen scientist. Researchers
often enlist the help of ordinary citizens to
gather all kinds of data on plant or animal
populations. One of these projects is called
FeederWatch. The ornithologists who started
it are interested in tracking the populations
of winter resident birds in North America.

They have enlisted citizen scientists from all

over North America to set up birdfeeders in
winter and keep track of the birds that come
and go. Many people in many locations
are collecting this information, so the
ornithologists have a good sense of how
robust the populations of certain species are.
If they notice that a species is in trouble,
they can start looking into possible causes
and sound the alarm that special protection
is needed. Visit FeederWatch.org to find out
how you can participate.
City Slickers
Downy Woodpecker ;
This six-inch-tall woodpecker hangs out with birds of
other species in the winter. Why? Sticking together
makes it easier for all of them to stay safe from predators
and find food. Downy woodpeckers peck quietly when
foraging for insects and seeds. You probably won't hear Picoides
any loud pecking in winter. Come spring, their loud pubescens
knocking is a form of communication that helps the
male establish its territory and attract a mate.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

After spending a busy fall fattening up on acorns and
seeds, the grey squirrel is ready for the winter. When it’s
cold, it curls up with other squirrels in tree cavities—
often abandoned woodpecker nests—or in dreys, nests
they build themselves with sticks and leaves high up
in the branches of trees. A squirrel’s keen memory and
super sense of smell help it find the stores of nuts and
seeds it buried or hid earlier in the year.

Northern Cardinal
Many brightly colored birds molt and grow drab
feathers for better camouflage in winter. Not the
cardinal! The male keeps its flashy feathers. Its bright
color helps attract a mate in early spring. Females are Female Male
always brown. Since food is scarce in winter, cardinals
rely on whatever berries are left, like snowberry and
sumac. These berries are bitter, but they become less so
after they freeze and thaw a few times.

Cardinalis cardinalis

109
 What’s Up, Bud?
_ Trees may look lifeless in the winter, but amazing things are happening
inside them. Even though spring seems a long way off, leaves and flowers
have already formed and are slowly getting ready to burst open.
Scratch a healthy twig with your fingernail. fuzzy, like a sweater. Others are hard and shiny,
The layer just beneath the surface is usually like armor. Many buds contain gooey gums
bright green or yellow and smells fragrant, like and resins, which keep them from freezing and
a summer garden. It is still very much alive and make them waterproof.
waiting to transport nutrients and water up to
As spring approaches, the tree starts to send
the buds in spring. Healthy trees are covered in
more of the water and sugar it has stored in its
buds that formed during the previous summer.
trunk and roots up through the branches and
You can find them along and at the ends of the
out to the buds in the form of sap. (This sweet,
tree's twigs.
running sap is what farmers collect from maple
trees this time of the year to make syrup.)
Tucked Away, Waiting
Soon the buds will “burst.” They grow fatter
Buds can be big and knobby, pointy or round,
as the tissues fill with water and sugar, and the
bright purple, yellow, pink, or green. Some are
bud scales open. Then the leaves or flowers
so small they are almost invisible. Inside each
begin to open. The cells of the leaves expand
one, the leaves or flowers that will emerge in
to their full size, almost like balloons being
spring have already formed. In winter, they are
inflated in slow motion.
miniature, scrunched-up versions of what they
will eventually become.
Did You Know?
Most buds have a tough covering of scales
Most trees only open up about half of their
that protects these tiny leaves and flowers by
buds in early spring. The rest are kept closed as
insulating against the cold and keeping harsh
backup in case the first round of buds is eaten
winds from drying them out. Some scales are
by animals or frozen during a spring cold snap.

1 Ash (Fraxinus species) 3 Red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) 5 Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
2 Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) 4 Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)

lll
 Nature Activity

Force a Branch to Come to Life

You can trick branches into thinking it’s spring by warming them up and
exposing them to light and water. Then watch them leaf out or bloom.
Winter buds need the longer, warmer days of
spring to open. They need lots of water, which
becomes available when ice and snow melt.

To get a preview, in January and February,

harvest some small branches from a few |
different trees outside. Ask an adult which
trees you can use for your experiment. You
will also need an adult’s help to use pruners
or kitchen scissors to cut off a small branch
so that you don't damage the tree. Many
florists and supermarkets also sell branches
of pussy willow, forsythia, quince, and other
flowering trees and shrubs in early spring.
These will work nicely too.
Bring the branches indoors, and place them
in a vase of water in a warm, sunny spot.
Watch them over a few weeks, refreshing the
water in the vase every few days, and see what
happens! Some branches are “forced” more
easily than others. Spring-blooming trees like
cherry and peach put on the best show.
 Some of the Best Buds
Ash ,
_ The big, fat bud on the end of a twig is called a
“terminal” bud. On ash trees, the chocolate-brown
terminal buds look like Hershey’s kisses. Terminal buds
contain leaves or flowers and also a tiny section of Fraxinus
twig, which is ready to shoot out and make the branch species
longer. Sometimes there are even more buds tucked
inside the terminal bud.

Hobblebush
Hobblebush buds are “naked”—they have no scales
covering them. Instead, they have their own antifreeze
chemical inside. Hobblebush, or witch-hobble, gets its
name because it is easy to trip over the gangly stems. It
is a low shrub, so the buds are at eye level. Look for the
crinkly baby leaves sticking out in the cold winter air. Vip oeauna
Moose and deer eat them to get through winter. lantanoides

Butternut
Each small, fuzzy bud on this tree is located just above
a shallow marking called a “leaf scar.” This is where last
season's leaf was attached to the twig before it fell off.
Each leaf scar pattern is different, so you can use it to Juglans
help identify tree species in winter. On a butternut tree, cinerea
the leaf scar looks like a tiny monkey's face.

113
Glossary
s)

Adaptation A trait that enhances survival Dioecious plant A species that has male and
and reproduction or that makes an organism female reproductive parts, such as flowers or
better equipped for a particular environment. cones, on separate plants. Hollies, willows, and
An underground rhizome is an adaptation that ginkgos are dioecious. (Also see monoecious.)
allows plants to survive in areas prone to wildfire.
Domesticate To breed and raise an animal
Awn A long, bristle-like appendage on a plant, or plant for human use. Most of the fruits,
such as those on the flowers and seeds of many vegetables, and grains we eat are domesticated
grasses. Awns help the plant spread seeds, for versions of plants originally found in the wild.
example, by attaching to the fur of animals.
Dormancy A period in the life cycle of an
Bract A special leaf at the base of a flower organism when growth or activity temporarily
that helps protect it. Bracts are usually smaller slows or stops. Deciduous trees go dormant in
than the plant’s other leaves and some are very winter due to freezing temperatures and shorter
showy. Poinsettias, for example, have bright red day length. Many mammals go dormant, or
bracts, which many people mistake for petals. hibernate, in winter to cope with food shortages.

Compound leaf A divided leaf consisting of Ecology A branch of science focusing on the
two or more leaflets growing on the same stalk. relationships among living things and their
interactions with their surroundings.
Deciduous plant A plant that loses all its leaves
for part of the year. In temperate regions such Ecosystem A community of living things plus
as the northeastern U.S., deciduous trees and the nonliving things with which they interact. A
shrubs usually drop their leaves in response to pond ecosystem includes the water in the pond,
cold weather. In tropical climates, leaf drop the muck at the bottom, the plants that grow in
usually happens during the dry season. the,water and along the shore, the animals that
live there, and those that visit to forage for food.
Decompose Jo break down, rot, or decay.
Decomposer organisms, such as many fungi Endangered species A species whose
and bacteria, break down dead organic matter populations have declined to the point that it is
like plant parts and animal bodies into simpler at high risk of becoming extinct (disappearing
forms of matter, making nutrients available for forever). Hunting or harming it is forbidden by
living organisms. laws, and usually its habitat and food sources
are protected.

114
Evolve To undergo a change in characteristics, Habitat The natural environment in which
or traits, over many generations. New traits first a plant or animal normally lives. This
appear spontaneously due to genetic changes. encompasses physical features like soil type,
If a new trait (such as a larger beak or a deep temperature, and moisture levels as well as the
taproot) helps a plant or animal survive and dominant plants. Deserts, lakes, forests, and
reproduce in its environment, then it has meadows are all different types of habitat.
an advantage over others of its kind. These
Herbivore An animal that feeds only on plants.
advantages make that organism more likely to
Herbivores, such as deer, often have large, flat,
produce offspring and pass down the trait. to
wide teeth, which help them chew grass, bark,
the next generation.
and other tough plant material.
Feral A domesticated animal that has gone
Invasive species A nonnative species brought
back to living in the wild for a generation or
to a new habitat by people—either intentionally
more. Unlike stray animals or pets that have
or accidentally—that disrupts that habitat by
been lost or abandoned, feral animals are born
outcompeting or attacking the native plants or
in the wild. A feral cat, for example, may be the
animals. Many invasive species have traits such
offspring or descendant of a stray cat.
as fast growth and rapid reproduction that
Forage To search for food. The term is also enable them to quickly take over new habitats.
used to describe plant material eaten by grazing In their new homes, invasives may have few or
livestock, such as cattle. no natural enemies to keep them in check.

Genus, plural genera A group of closely related Larva, plural larvae The immature form of any
species. For example, all the different oak animal that undergoes metamorphosis into
species—there are about 600 of them—belong an adult. Tadpoles are the larvae of frogs, and
in the oak genus. The genus name is the first caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies.
in the two-part scientific name of a species and
Lichen An organism made up of a symbiotic
always starts with a capital letter. For oaks, the
partnership between a fungus and an alga. The
genus name is Quercus. (Also see species.)
alga provides sugar through photosynthesis, and
Gymnosperm A plant that bears “naked seeds,” the fungus helps absorb water and nutrients.
or seeds that are exposed—unlike a flowering Lichens grow on trees, rocks, soil, and sand in
plant, which bears seeds enclosed in a fruit. The many places, including deserts and polar plains.
seeds of gymnosperms develop on the scales of
Metamorphosis The process by which certain
cones or at the end of short stalks. Conifers,
animals undergo significant changes in their
cycads, and ginkgos are all gymnosperms.

115
body structure and often their behavior as they Photosynthesis The process by which plants
become adults. Many insects, amphibians, capture the energy of sunlight and store it in
and crustaceans undergo metamorphosis; for the form of sugar, used to fuel activities such as
example, tadpoles metamorphose into frogs. growth and reproduction. The green pigment
chlorophyll, abundant in most plant leaves,
Migratory species An animal that moves from
carries out photosynthesis by absorbing light
one place to another, usually in response to
energy and using it to transform carbon dioxide
changes in the weather and the availability of
and water into sugar and oxygen.
habitat and food. Every year, many bird species
migrate north or south with the seasons. Pollination The act of moving pollen from a
male flower part to a female flower part. After
Mycelium, plural mycelia The vegetative
pollination, fertilization can occur, allowing the
structure of a fungus, made up of a network of
plant to produce seeds. Insects, birds, and bats
fine, branching filaments called hyphae. Much
pollinate plants. So do wind and water.
of the mycelium is found underground.
Pollinator An animal, such as a bee or bird,
Mycorrhiza, plural mycorrhizae A symbiotic
that moves pollen from the male part of one
relationship between many plants and some
flower to the female part of another flower.
species of fungi. The fungus grows into the
plant’s roots and helps the plant take in water Rhizome A horizontal plant stem that produces
and nutrients. Meanwhile, the plant provides both roots and leafy shoots. Iris, bamboo,
food (sugar) to the fungus. ginger, asparagus, and many grasses form
rhizomes. They may grow sideways beneath the
Naturalist Someone who studies plants and
surface of the soil, enabling plants to spread.
animals by observing them directly in nature
and tries to understand how these organisms Seed A dormant, baby plant enclosed in a
relate to each other and their environment. protective outer coating. Seeds often contain a
food source that the baby plant uses to emerge
Native A plant or animal that occurs in an area
from its seed coat and begin to grow, in a
naturally—without being brought in by people.
process called germination. Making seeds is
Nymph The immature form of certain insects one important way that plants reproduce and
that undergo a gradual kind of metamorphosis spread. (Also see vegetative reproduction.)
before reaching adulthood. Unlike a typical
Sorus, plural sori A cluster of sporangia (saclike
larva, a nymph looks a lot like an adult form,
structures that produce and contain spores) on
but it may be smaller and lack wings or certain |
the underside of fertile fern fronds.
internal characteristics.

116
Spathe A large bract, or modified leaf, Symbiosis A close relationship between two
enclosing the flower spike of a member of the or more species. Symbiosis can be beneficial
arum family of plants, which includes skunk to all organisms in the relationship or to just
cabbage and Jack-in-the-pulpit. one of them. A lichen is a symbiotic organism
composed of a fungus and an alga in which
Species A group of animals, plants, or other
both partners benefit.
organisms related closely enough to interbreed,
or produce babies. Members of the same species Taproot A stout, tapering, primary root that
have traits in common that distinguish them anchors a plant in soil. A carrot is the taproot of
from similar species. (Also see genus.) the carrot plant.
Spore A reproductive cell or body found in Threatened species A species that is at risk of
ferns, algae, mosses, and fungi. Spores are capable becoming endangered in the future. (Also see
of developing into new organisms without endangered.)
having to fuse with other reproductive cells.
Vegetative reproduction The development of
Stomata Tiny pores in the outer layer of a a new plant from the roots, stems, or leaves of
plant's leaves and stems that allow for the a parent plant instead of from a seed or spore.
exchange of gases such as carbon dioxide Strawberry plants, for example, can reproduce
(necessary for photosynthesis) and oxygen by sending out aboveground horizontal stems
between the plant and its external environment. that root into the soil and form new plants.

Succession The gradual change in a habitat

over time. Disturbances like fire and flooding
can suddenly remove most of the plants from a
site, but a complex community will gradually
rebuild itself. Usually, fast-growing but short-
lived plants, like grasses, will move in first.
Eventually slower-growing but longer-lived
plants, like trees, take over.
Succulent A plant with thick, fleshy leaves,
stems, or roots adapted to store water. Most,
such as cactuses and aloes, live in deserts or on
beaches, where fresh water is scarce.

117
Tips for Adult Caregivers
This book is written to inspire and equip the impulse to “rescue” small animals by taking
children to explore nature. Start sharpening them home. Spring wildflowers wilt within
your naturalist skills, along with those of the minutes, so don’t pick them. Bird feathers and
children in your life, in your own neighborhood. eggs are protected by law, as are endangered or
Parks, botanic gardens, community gardens, threatened species.
even tree beds and window boxes can provide
\ WN

Know the rules of the land. Who owns or

opportunities to closely observe plants and
manages the land youre exploring? What do
animals. Most adventures in this book can be
they require of visitors? Teach your children
experienced right at home or within a couple
to be respectful of rules regarding hours, fees,
of hours of most cities in the Northeast.
trails, collecting, pets, and food.

Improve Your Chances of Success

Know When to Steer Clear
Look in the right place at the right time. The
Avoid troublesome plants. Many wild plants
adventures in this book are listed by season and
and fungi are poisonous, so don’t explore nature
habitat. Pay attention to these cues to avoid
with your taste buds! Most thorns and prickles
disappointment. Choose a focus for your walk,
are easily visible, so you'll know not to touch.
such as pollinators, fungi, or tracks. It’s hard to
Staying on a well-groomed trail will help keep
see everything at once.
you out of harm’s way. Learn to identify these
Open your eyes and close your mouth. three innocuous-looking but toxic plants:
Loud voices and footsteps will drive away most
Poison ivy grows as a vine along the ground or
wildlife, and conversation can distract you from
up trees, with clusters of three leaflets 2 to 12
your surroundings. Designate a few minutes
inches long. Don’t touch any part of this plant.
of your excursions for watching and listening
without talking. Walking your dog and being a Poison sumac is an uncommon shrub or small
of .

naturalist work best as separate outings. tree found in wetlands. It causes more severe
symptoms than its relative poison ivy.
Be a Responsible Explorer
Stinging nettle is a two- to four-foot-tall weed
Do no harm and leave no trace. Only collect commonly found in moist areas. Its leaves and
objects when doing so will not damage a living stems look downy soft, but some of the hairs
organism or the environment. Do not give in to carry a strong irritant.

118
(3)
Uli
Photos:
Lorimer
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

Watch out for pests. Most animals are busy Be Ready for Adventure
avoiding you, but if you do encounter a large
Plan for the weather. Some habitats will be
mammal, keep a safe distance so it doesn’t feel
cooler or warmer than your neighborhood,
threatened. The most common dangers come
at least for part of the day. Dress in layers
from some of the smallest species.
so you can make adjustments. Wear sturdy,
Yellow jackets are wasps that build underground comfortable shoes. Know when the sun sets,
nests. They are much more aggressive than most and check the weather forecast before you go.
other stinging wasps and bees and may send
Prepare to be comfortable. Pick up a trail
out a swarm to defend the colony. If you realize
map if one’s available. A knapsack supplied with
youre being chased by more than one wasp, run
rain ponchos, sunscreen, water bottles, and
away as fast as you can.
wide-brimmed hats can make all the difference
Blacklegged ticks can transmit several diseases between a joyful outing and misery. Carry
to humans through their bite. They can be insect repellent, but only use it if necessary.
smaller than a sesame seed and may remain
Pack your nature exploration kit. See page 9
attached to your skin undetected for several
for some of the things you might want to bring.
days. Make a point of checking yourself
and your children thoroughly after a nature Exploring nature costs little to nothing, requires
exploration. To lower your risk of contact, no special equipment, and can be enjoyed by
stay on the path, tuck long pant legs into your the entire family together. The more time you
socks, and use insect repellent on your clothing. do it, the more rewarding it becomes.
See a doctor if you or your child develop a rash,
fever, or muscle aches.

119
Contributors
‘

David William Daly was Brooklyn Botanic Barbara Kurland, manager of School Programs
Garden’s Children’s Garden coordinator from and Partnerships at BBG, has learned much
2009 to 2014. He’s also an avid backpacker and about plants and the natural world by exploring
chile pepper enthusiast. them with children, youth, and adults.

Niall Dunne is a former staff editor at BBG and Becky Beer Laboy is‘an environmental
the editor of four books for the Garden, most educator and former teacher education
recently, Easy Compost. He currently directs coordinator for BBG. She has a passion for
publishing for the Washington Park Arboretum wildlife and a commitment to connecting kids
in Seattle. with nature.

Sara Epstein coordinates Project Green Reach, Saara Nafici coordinates the Garden Apprentice
BBG’s outreach program in Title I elementary Program at BBG. She is a longtime activist,
and middle schools throughout Brooklyn. feminist, bicyclist, naturalist, and youth educator.
She enjoys hiking with her family in the
Sarah Schmidt edits BBG’s Guides for a
nature-filled streets, gardens, and parks of
Greener Planet series and writes interpretive
NYC, as well as beyond the city limits.
material for the Garden. She loves hiking,
1 el ;
Ashley Gamell manages BBG’s Discovery camping, and exploring the outdoors with her
Garden. In her work at the Garden since 2006, two curious, nature-loving daughters.
she has also curated its Children’s Garden
Marilyn Smith, director of Children’s
and Education greenhouses. A naturalist,
Education at BBG, has worked in the field of
horticulturist, and educator, she loves inspiring
environmental education for over 25 years. She's
learners of all ages to discover the science of the
an avid naturalist who explores new habitats
natural world.
every chance she gets.
Patricia Hulse manages the Children’s Garden
Laszlo Veres has been illustrating books for
and Family Programs at BBG. She has been
children since 1987. His favorite themes are
exploring the wonders of science and nature
historical sailing ships and the natural world.
with children and adults in urban, suburban,
and rural environments since 1995.

Additional Illustrations
Manny Jose pages 15, 35, 57, 60, 68, 72, 87, 105

120
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The
Seattle
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Library

‘cna
The Kid’s Guide
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