Nature Notes from Earthshine
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AUGUST 2007
Benny was working in the Pioneer Village a few days ago and found this ~3 year old Eastern Box Turtle that had been attacked by a predator of some kind.
It is a wonder that this tiny turtle survived the attack because it has so much damage and has lost so much shell. "Tiny" is being treated for its injuries and will stay with us for about a year until it is strong enough to be released back into the wild.
Take a look at the short video below of Tiny enjoying some eggs--Mmmmm good!
UPDATE on Tiny for July 2008: Tiny is doing great living in his own special enclosure. His injuries have healed to the point where he doesn't need treatment anymore, he is eating very well and growing fast. Photos soon.
It finally rained yesterday and wow what a downpour--with all the associated thunder and lightning! After the storm I was doing some trail work on the Red Trail and found this land snail inching its way out from underneath a log to enjoy the moisture.
Snails are mollusks that, like turtles, carry their home on their backs. They are very important to the health of the forest because they eat dead vegetation.
Check out this awesome thunderstorm I watched from the porch of the lodge last night! It never made it to Earthshine but in Hendersonville they received a couple of hours of heavy rain and about 2000 lightning strikes per hour! NOTE: It looks black because it is dark. Pay close attention to the video and you will see the show. The small faint light near the bottom of the screen in the video is a yard light in front of the Sunrise Cottage.
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
AUGUST 2007
Benny was working in the Pioneer Village a few days ago and found this ~3 year old Eastern Box Turtle that had been attacked by a predator of some kind.
It is a wonder that this tiny turtle survived the attack because it has so much damage and has lost so much shell. "Tiny" is being treated for its injuries and will stay with us for about a year until it is strong enough to be released back into the wild.
Take a look at the short video below of Tiny enjoying some eggs--Mmmmm good!
UPDATE on Tiny for July 2008: Tiny is doing great living in his own special enclosure. His injuries have healed to the point where he doesn't need treatment anymore, he is eating very well and growing fast. Photos soon.
It finally rained yesterday and wow what a downpour--with all the associated thunder and lightning! After the storm I was doing some trail work on the Red Trail and found this land snail inching its way out from underneath a log to enjoy the moisture.
Snails are mollusks that, like turtles, carry their home on their backs. They are very important to the health of the forest because they eat dead vegetation.
Check out this awesome thunderstorm I watched from the porch of the lodge last night! It never made it to Earthshine but in Hendersonville they received a couple of hours of heavy rain and about 2000 lightning strikes per hour! NOTE: It looks black because it is dark. Pay close attention to the video and you will see the show. The small faint light near the bottom of the screen in the video is a yard light in front of the Sunrise Cottage.
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
It is a wonder that this tiny turtle survived the attack because it has so much damage and has lost so much shell. "Tiny" is being treated for its injuries and will stay with us for about a year until it is strong enough to be released back into the wild.
Take a look at the short video below of Tiny enjoying some eggs--Mmmmm good!
UPDATE on Tiny for July 2008: Tiny is doing great living in his own special enclosure. His injuries have healed to the point where he doesn't need treatment anymore, he is eating very well and growing fast. Photos soon.
It finally rained yesterday and wow what a downpour--with all the associated thunder and lightning! After the storm I was doing some trail work on the Red Trail and found this land snail inching its way out from underneath a log to enjoy the moisture.
Snails are mollusks that, like turtles, carry their home on their backs. They are very important to the health of the forest because they eat dead vegetation.
Check out this awesome thunderstorm I watched from the porch of the lodge last night! It never made it to Earthshine but in Hendersonville they received a couple of hours of heavy rain and about 2000 lightning strikes per hour! NOTE: It looks black because it is dark. Pay close attention to the video and you will see the show. The small faint light near the bottom of the screen in the video is a yard light in front of the Sunrise Cottage.
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
UPDATE on Tiny for July 2008: Tiny is doing great living in his own special enclosure. His injuries have healed to the point where he doesn't need treatment anymore, he is eating very well and growing fast. Photos soon.
It finally rained yesterday and wow what a downpour--with all the associated thunder and lightning! After the storm I was doing some trail work on the Red Trail and found this land snail inching its way out from underneath a log to enjoy the moisture.
Snails are mollusks that, like turtles, carry their home on their backs. They are very important to the health of the forest because they eat dead vegetation.
Check out this awesome thunderstorm I watched from the porch of the lodge last night! It never made it to Earthshine but in Hendersonville they received a couple of hours of heavy rain and about 2000 lightning strikes per hour! NOTE: It looks black because it is dark. Pay close attention to the video and you will see the show. The small faint light near the bottom of the screen in the video is a yard light in front of the Sunrise Cottage.
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Snails are mollusks that, like turtles, carry their home on their backs. They are very important to the health of the forest because they eat dead vegetation.
Check out this awesome thunderstorm I watched from the porch of the lodge last night! It never made it to Earthshine but in Hendersonville they received a couple of hours of heavy rain and about 2000 lightning strikes per hour! NOTE: It looks black because it is dark. Pay close attention to the video and you will see the show. The small faint light near the bottom of the screen in the video is a yard light in front of the Sunrise Cottage.
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
I was checking on the water level in the small pond above the Pioneer Village and discovered that it was totally dry!!! I noticed an old metal can in the middle of the pond that shouldn't be there so I carefully made my way through the gumbo mud to remove the trash. When I picked up the can it felt very heavy so I looked inside and looking back at me was a smallish Snapping Turtle! Although his shell was only 7 inches long he acted like he was bigger than I was. I decided that this tiny dried up pond was no place for a young Snapping Turtle so I released him in the big pond where he happily swam off as you can see in the video below.
Here's something you don't see everyday! A female Green Salamander guarding her eggs! They live in the trees most of the spring and summer then squeeze into tight cracks in rocks to lay their eggs. Crickets love to eat salamander eggs so the female must guard them until they hatch. Green Salamanders are an endangered species and can only be found in a few areas of WNC.
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
We have reason to believe that Green Salamanders may live on the property of Earthshine! I will be searching for them and will update this page with any that I encounter.
Check out the Dark Fishing Spider that we found!
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
These guys are harmless to humans but if you are a small insect--WATCH OUT!
What a truly awesome creature...unless you are a bug!
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Check out the Big Brown Bat that Gene and I found in Weasel's Barn a few days ago! He was roosting alone on a downstairs rafter!
Everyone on the last Critter Hunt was fortunate to meet the bat up close and personal! Bats are wonderful and very beneficial creatures that eat hundreds of insects per night--insects that would otherwise prey on our crops, flowers and even us!
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
NATURE NOTE: If you ever find a bat, please leave it alone and observe from a safe distance. If you ever have a bat in your house DO NOT PANIC! DO NOT swat at the bat with a broom or other blunt object. Simply open all the doors and windows, turn off the lights and fans, sit down low if you can and soon the bat will hear the night sounds and find his way outside to be with his friends again.
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE
Nature Notes Page Two
CLICK HERE FOR HOMEPAGE