Wonderfull Earth

"When out fossil hunting, it is very easy to forget that rather than telling you how the creatures lived, the remains you find indicate only where they became fossilized." Richard E. Leakey Dear Reader, I was raised by a duo consisting of a rockhound and a naturalist. My parents went rock collecting for their honeymoon, and the old museum case in the living room is full of many of their souvenirs. I remember countless hours examining minerals and fossils with my father, enthralled as he would highlight the delicate bones of a skeletal fish, trace the veins of a fossilized fern, or rub our fingers over the bumpy shell of trilobite. It was a highlight of my childhood.  Fossils help us learn about conditions of the past and the path that ancestral creatures took to evolve to the animals we know and love today. For example, fossil records helped scientists determine that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is likely related to today's living chickens. So we're eating the descendants of...

No matter what holidays you celebrate, this is the season to enjoy your family, keep the kids busy on those days off, and spend time outdoors before winter  reeeally  hits. Looking for ideas? There is a lot going on around town these days! Or, if you'd rather cozy up around your own house or yard, there are plenty of fun activities you can do with your friends and family. Read on for ideas... Out and About Beyond the Edge of the Sea and Seaworthy @ the UW Ebling Library and Story Time at the UW Geology Museum .   Check out this traveling exhibit featuring the magnificent watercolors of deep-sea expeditionary illustrator Karen Jacobsen (Art and Science Exhibitions on display until January 31, 2012), and stop by the Geology Museum on Thursday, 12/15 at 10:30am for their family Story Time! Winter Solstice Celebration @ the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Celebrate the longest night of the year with a nighttime winter hike under the stars, feed winter bird neighb...

"Snow is a gift to the tracker: a blank page upon which nature writes its stories." Paul Tappenden Dear Reader, Freshly fallen snow is the perfect blank slate on which the stories of nature can be written. Whether it be loop-de-loops around the yard, impact craters in nearby snowbanks, or trails leading to treasure troves and food stores, kids, adults and animals alike are tempted by a layer of fresh, clean snow, just asking to be tracked upon. So with all this in mind, we hope this issue of Nature Net News inspires you to go out and trailblaze your own set of tracks! Enjoy! Kathe, Sarah & Brenna The Folks at Nature Net Did You Know..... There are many different types of tracking in addition to finding footprints. For example, Large Scale Sign, used by the United States Search and Rescue Task Force , involves reading the landscape for traces of activity and habitation, such as resources an animal needs (food, water or bedding), signs of animal dens, or the presence o...

"In plain sight now, within the den, we found four baby raccoons, a month old perhaps. The entire litter of kits might easily have fitted within my cap. Each tail had five black rings. Each small face had a sharp black mask. Eight bright eyes peered up at us, filled with wonder and worry." - from Rascal, by (Wisconsin's own!) Sterling North Dear Reader, Who is that marauding at midnight? Who's ripping up and spreading around all your trash? Who washes their food and hands before every meal? It's the masked crusaders of the dark - they're raccoons! Ever since childhood, I've had a special affinity for these cunning critters. From Racoony, who would launch himself at our front door to eat my mom's ornamental corn wreathes, to Big Guy, rapping on our sliding glass doors for more catfood, I've had 'coon run-ins aplenty. But, despite their mischievous acts, I still find myself grinning whenever I see one of those little masks looking at me from a tr...

 "For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, s o long as they are wild, free, spontaneous." - Edward Abbey Dear Reader, Fall is upon us, but in these last warm days of summer, take a look at the wild beauty that blooms -- our native grasses and wildflowers. Native plants and wildflowers grow naturally and are deemed "native" because they existed in forests and prairies before pioneer cultivation. Native plants and wildflowers play important roles in the local ecosystems. For example, prairie grasses have deep root systems that help keep soil from eroding and soak up lots of water. This is why many rain gardens (gardens designed to keep runoff from buildings or roads from washing away the local ecosystem) feature native prairie plants! Learn more about these natural wonders in this edition of Nature Net News today! Enjoy, Kathe, Sarah & Brenna The Folks at Nature Net Did You Know..... The seed of the Indian Paintbrush is so tiny, that several hand...

Nature Net News Your source for tips & tricks for exploring nature with your kids Dear Reader, Summer is ending soon, and what better way to celebrate these last halcyon days than to get away for a weekend and live amongst nature? "The man who goes afoot, prepared to camp anywhere and in any weather, is the most independent fellow on earth." Horace Kephart I remember, as a little girl, sitting around the campfire with my family, lighting marshmallows aflame with glee. I also remember when the fire burned down to embers, telling ghost stories before going to bed and startling at every strange and exciting sound I heard that night.  Camping is not only a way to spend a vacation, but a way to instill a connection with the natural world. This is important, especially in these times when many children don't get outside as much as their parents or grandparents did in their childhood. Camping is a fun way to remedy that, promoting fami...

Nature Net News Your source for tips & tricks for exploring nature with your kids Dear Reader, What's the buzz about bees? "How doth the little busy Bee Improve each shining Hour, And gather Honey all the day From every opening Flower!" "Against Idleness And Mischief"  by Isaac Watts Plenty! Bees are busy pollinators, and their pollination helps produce over one-third of the human diet! That's not even including the delicious honey in everything from our morning tea to our lip balm. However, bees are often vilified due to the little stinger that they use for defense, in addition to their aggressive relatives, including the wasp, which patterns itself after the bee. Some bees, such as the bumblebee, sting very rarely and are quite mild. These buzzing beauties are in danger due to many modern factors, including pesticides (they don't distinguish between bugs), climate change (seasonal changes are affecting the synchronization of flower openings and bee...

Nature Net News Your source for tips & tricks for exploring nature with your kids Dear Reader, "I wish I were a muskrat, eye deep in the marsh." Aldo Leopold The croaking of the peepers is one of the first signs that summer is on its way and new life is teeming in a wetland nearby. From skating water bugs to baby bullheads waving tentacles in a friendly hello, the pond is one of the epicenters of life during early summer.  Did you ever go to your local pond to dip a fishing net (or a parent's really expensive butterfly net) into the waters, and pull out a netful of life? Did you ever catch and raise tadpoles, watching in amazement as limbs sprouted, and letting the little frogs hop off your hand deep into the pond from whence they came? Did you ever slip off your shoes and dig your toes into the marshy ooze? 'Tis the season for pond dipping, and that's just what this episode of Nature Net News is all about. Read how to collect and identify what you find, get ...

Nature Net News Your source for tips & tricks for exploring nature with kids     Dear Reader, "The crane is wildness incarnate." Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac Have you ever seen a crane flying overhead? Even with its long legs trailing behind, the crane manages to look graceful and make flying look utterly effortless. These beautiful creatures are seen as symbols of wisdom in China, good fortune and happy marriage in Japan and longevity in both. The Greek god Apollo was said to use the form of a crane when he visited the mortal world, and in Europe, cranes were associated with vigilance and loyalty. These classic beauties make their home and travel through our region. So what are you waiting for? Come, learn, and marvel at Wisconsin's cranes in this issue of Nature Net News! Enjoy! Kathe, Sarah & Brenna The Folks at Nature Net Did you know..... Sandhill crane chicks usually hatch in early May. In order to stop the extinction of whooping cranes, people dre...