What do fern fiddleheads, coiled millipedes, and coiled garden hoses have in common with pinecones and sunflowers? They are all spirals. The first three are called Archimedes spirals. The spiral increases at a constant rate…continue reading
Honey locust trees, found only in the southernmost part of Michigan, are not the friend of someone looking for a nice tree to rest against. The specimen in the photo, found in Buchanan, MI, has…continue reading
Our ubiquitous symbol of Thanksgiving, the turkey, was an integral part of Native American life long before that storied feast. DNA studies showed that Indians in south-central Mexico at around 800 B.C. and in what…continue reading
Before the colder temperatures arrived, we were treated to another of nature’s autumn shows. A midge swarm formed at an edge of our front pond where the tiny gnat relatives fluttered up and down in…continue reading
“Mmmm, smells like root beer!” is the reaction from anyone smelling the root of a sassafras tree. Many of our students refer to this tree as the Fruit Loops tree because of the sweet scent…continue reading
Virginia, a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), is Sarett’s newest raptor education ambassador. She sustained an injury to her eye that required its removal so she cannot survive in the wild. Raptors need their binocular…continue reading
Don’t forget membership support is vital to Sarett Nature Center. The nature center staff provides quality environmental programs to over 25,000 school age children each year and we need your support. The nature center is…continue reading
“If the opening is on the left, then it is a lunged snail.” The students learned the difference between lunged and gilled snails using this identification technique. They then determined that the snails in our…continue reading
Exterminator companies probably experienced a recent increase of panicked calls as people noticed large swarms of winged insects that looked like termites. Although termites do periodically form swarms such as these, most likely the insects…continue reading
A few woodchucks are still trying to pack on pounds at our feeders. The fatter the woodchuck, the less time it spends in hibernation. That nearly dead state, although good for energy use reduction, has…continue reading
