Forests for the Bay

A belted kingfisher hovering as it waits to catch some prey (Photo Credit: Ron Dudley).

Diving into the World of the Belted Kingfisher

Due to the abundance of fish and insects that a waterway provides, you can find a wide variety of birds while kayaking streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon.

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A pair of mounted passenger pigeons are frozen in time at the Royal Ontario Museum (Photo credit: rom.on.ca).

An Empty Sky: The Plight of the Passenger Pigeon

How does a species that was once so important disappear completely from the hearts and minds of those whose ancestors witnessed this spectacle? And maybe most importantly, how do we prevent something like this from happening again?

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The right side of a wood thrush perched upright on a rock.

The Forest Flautist: the Wood Thrush

Have you ever heard the flutey call of the wood thrush? These interior forest specialists are commonly found in our eastern forests, but they are vulnerable to habitat changes, like fragmentation, invasive plant infiltration, and herbivory in the forest understory.

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Knowledge is Power; Know Your Flowers (Part 2) – Flower Parts

Remember our Inflorescence Story from this past March? Take another deep dive into flowers with us in Part 2 and learn more about flower anatomy.

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What’s poppin’? Phenological Fun: Lesser celandine

Have you found this invasive perenial wildflower yet? It’s currently poppin’, so be on the look out!

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Circle around katydid eggs on a small branch.

What’s Poppin’? Phenological Fun: Katydids

You can find lots of cool things if you look in the right places! The place this time was the branch of a young black locust tree in one of our riparian buffers. This twig looks like it’s turning into a scaly lizard! But this isn’t a reptile, it’s an insect.

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Tulip poplar flower.

Knowledge is Power; Know Your Flowers (Part 1) – An Inflorescence Story

Have you ever noticed how vastly different and complicated flowering plants can be? Learn more about how botanists identify the different types of patterns in flowers.

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Underwater view of the top of a fairy shrimp swiming in a creek.

What’s Swimmin’? Phenological Fun! Fairy Shrimp

What’s swimming right now? Fairy shrimp! These small crustaceans live in vernal pools and lakes and are an important food source for both fish and birds.

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Front view of a wood frog

Surviving Winter: The Amphibian Way

How do amphibians survive winter? These cold-blooded critters have unique methods for staying alive during the frigid winter months.

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A goose peeking over the top of a wattle fence.

Are You Wasting Your Yard Waste?

Are you wasting your yard waste? Learn how to start using your yard waste as a resource to help your yard flourish, enhance your soil, and reduce your carbon footprint.

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