This is an exciting time of year at ALNC! Our Monona Campus is bursting with new blooms and young critters at play.
Here are some of the latest "finds" our naturalists discovered:
Froghoppers (spittlebugs) are exploding in numbers and are very easy to find, especially on asters. When they are young, these insects exude a frothy mass commonly known as cuckoo spit on plants in the early spring and summer to hide from predators such as ants. As adults, Froghoppers are the world's greatest leapers! Although they are a mere 0.2 inches (6 millimeters) long, they use a novel catapult mechanism to launch upwards of 28 inches (70 centimeters) into the air!
The Indian Paintbrush is blooming by our Willow! Here's an interesting fact -- the Indian Paintbrush is named from a Native American legend of a young brave who tried to use his warpaint to paint the sunset. Frustrated because he was unable to match the brilliance of nature, he asked for guidance from the Great Spirit who gave him paintbrushes laden with the colors he so desired. With these, he painted his masterpiece and left the spent brushes in fields across the landscape. These brushes sprouted into the breathtaking Indian Paintbrush flowers!
One of our Naturalists also found a variety of Phlox we haven't ever seen here before! We've identified it as Prairie Phlox. This plant can grow up to 2 feet tall and has narrow leaves up to 3 inches long!
To record your own phenology findings, check out Earth Alive!
0 comments:
Post a Comment