Summer is Wrapping Up

Hey there Kids in the Biosphere,

It is almost the end of August, you know what that means, back to school soon...

We know fall is coming because of the temperature change and the fact we are getting ready to go back to school. There are some other activities going on in the Biosphere that show the change of the season:

Katydid - Good find Armstrongs!

• Listen carefully, there is a symphony of insects including: cicadas, crickets, katydids, grasshoppers and more! 
• Maple trees have finished producing their seeds which are commonly called helicopters; throw these in the air to see why.
• Fall webworm nests are noticeable on shrubs and trees (they overwinter as pupae).
• Beavers are busy cutting trees for their winter food supply. Look for piles of branches near their lodge.

  

  Busy Beaver - Nice work Eatons!

• Eastern Chipmunks, Eastern Grey Squirrels, and Red Squirrels are busy storing food for the winter.
• Birds begin traveling south to Central and South America. To get an idea of the volume of bird migration, stand outside on a calm clear night and you’ll hear the contact calls of thousands of migrating songbirds- particularly thrushes and warblers.

  

  Beautiful Butterfly - Well spotted Campbells!

• Common Nighthawks are most visible during the last three hours of daylight (seen in groups, quite high in the sky, moving in a southwesterly direction).
• Red-winged blackbirds are beginning to mass, prior to migration. Check out a nearby marsh!
• Blue Jay calls are common sounds. Some Blue Jays will move south, while others will stay.
• Some butterflies are migratory too! Look for butterflies clustering in trees along shorelines. Lets wish the Monarch Butterflies safe travels to Mexico. 
  

Another way we know fall is coming is the Kids in the Biosphere program is beginning to wrap up.  Keep sending in pictures and activities right up until the end of summer. Don't forget to pick up your prize at the Museum on Tower Hill, 17 George Street Parry Sound. Prizes can be picked up anytime. 


Three cheers my friends for rain drops and frog hops...