Will Baby Raccoon Be Okay?

I HAVE had Raccoon families come with their babies to eat my dog food.  This year's litter came up (mother and 3 babies) and were eating when something scared the mother off.  Two of the young got away but one stayed behind.  Not much later I heard this loud screaming and went out to find another large Raccoon had attacked the baby. I was able to chase it off and the baby seemed OK and ran up a tree and was still there hours later when we went to bed.  She was gone the next morning so I figured they were back together.  That night the mother and babies came to eat but there were only two so I assumed she had been killed by another predator.  A few days went by and we came home to find the lone baby on the steps to our deck.  She seemed frightened so we went and got some dog food and water which she ate and drank and then she went and hid in our bushes.  It has been a couple of days since we have seen her but last night I walked outside and she was sitting right off the deck.  She walked up to me and I gave her some more food and water (I have on leather gloves) and she seemed more relaxed, hung around for about 1/2 hour and then wandered back to the bushes.  Will she be OK or should I trap her with a live animal cage and bring her somewhere to be cared for?  I don't want to see anything happen to her and we have some neighborhood cats that come to eat that I am afraid will attack her.  She seems so lost, I thought the mother would take her back in but since the attack she does not seem to want her around.

Stephanie Miller
Westminster, MD

Get Inspired. Get Organized. Get Kids Outdoors!

TUNE IN to The Today Show Wednesday between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

This Wednesday, July 16, the “Today” show is scheduled to air a special segment on family nature clubs with an in-studio appearance by Richard Louv, live from New York. The segment also features a filmed interview with Chip Donahue and his family-oriented nature club, “Kids in the Valley, Adventuring!” (KIVA). Started in Roanoke, Va., in January 2008, KIVA has already grown to include more than 170 families.

This summer, the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) is launching a new initiative to help families engage in the growing children and nature movement. We encourage parents, grandparents, and caregivers to get directly involved.

How?
Create a family nature club. These Do-It-Yourself clubs offer free, low-cost, family-oriented activities –-the ones that help kids (and adults) become happier, healthier and even smarter while having fun.

Tips, Inspiration, and Resources for Starting Your Own Family Nature Club: Visit the C&NN website, www.childrenandnature.org. This is just the beginning. Sign up now to receive the latest information and resources— and let us hear from you with your stories of successes and adventures.

Get Inspired. Get Organized. Get Out.

Tom Patrick
WindStar Wildlife Institute

Gardening Practices May Result In Butterfly Loss

I KEEP hearing the same refrain lately: there are so few butterflies this year. Actually, it seems like that has been the case for the past several years, but even those people who don't usually notice such things are starting to remark on it this summer. (Black Swallowtail caterpillar)

It was brought home to me as I was doing some yard work that, in addition to the usual culprits of pesticides and loss of habitat, our own gardening practices can have unintentional consequences. Although I grow many natives, there are some flower beds where I try to maintain control over the more aggressive host plants, letting them flourish only in the outlying areas.

I've learned to examine stalks of, for instance, Queen Anne's lace and milkweed before removing them, to check for egg cases or caterpillars, both before and after removing them. I try to get the roots so that, if I spot something after pulling the plant, I can pot it until the eggs have hatched or the caterpillar has moved on to another plant.

Two days ago, I noticed a gorgeous black swallowtail caterpillar on a non-host plant, so I knew that he had something in mind other than eating. Sure enough, when I checked the next day, he just wriggling into the last of his pupa, securely attached to the stem.

I never would have noticed the cocoon if I hadn't seen the caterpillar first, and I would have removed the stem with the spent flowers as I tidied up the garden, discarding the future butterfly onto the compost pile. The black swallowtail is one species that can overwinter in the pupa stage, so I carefully marked the stems in order to spare them until spring.

With butterfly populations struggling, we all need to be especially careful of what we're doing in our own gardens!

Cathy Gilleland
WindStar National Master Naturalist
Finksburg, MD

Nature Can Be Cruel

IT IS getting to the point now, that when my 9-year-old grandson comes to visit, he sometimes asks to go for a walk near to the pond, field and woods. If he doesn't ask and is dressed for walks, I suggest we go for a walk and he agrees.

I don't know who enjoys our time together more, him or me. He looks forward to walking a deer trail or in the woods. Davon is always asking question and even points out a deer track or woodchuck hole to me.

I am a regular visitor to my piece of nature in the suburbs, so I get to see a lot of things that nature has to offer. I am blessed with families of deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies and much more. I visit with birds that won't come to my suburban yard. I also see some of nature's more real or cruel offerings.

A few weeks ago, on a sandy bank between the pond and fields, I noticed some fresh sand. Turtles have been here I say to myself. Wouldn't you know it. The very next day, A four-legged creature had raided both nests and had a nice midnight snack. By the claw marks left in the sand, I am thinking the culprit was the resident Badger.

The Naturalist in me paused for a moment and figured some critter enjoyed a protein rich snack, and figured it was all part of nature's check and balance system. Too many turtles wouldn't be good for pond life.

I digress.  The following day, our daughter stopped by with Davon and our 9-month-old grandson.
I had to show Sparkie (Davon) the messed up turtle nests. As we were slowly walking near the pond, he began to ask a few questions and I began to explain to him how nature can be cruel.

We spotted the Great Blue Heron wading and spearing for fish (it missed). "See Sparkie" I say, "the heron is fishing." We stop for a few minutes and watch the large bird spear and miss several times. "The heron also eats frogs, small snakes and other things it can spear. The Snapping Turtles in the pond eat fish, frogs, baby ducks and in return baby turtles are eaten by other turtles and maybe the heron over there. It is all part of nature's balance so one species doesn't overpopulate and may suffer by starving to death. It's all part of God's plans."

A half grown rabbit scurries into the brush and a pair of American Robins let us know we are too close for their comfort.

"Now I want to show you something."

We followed a deer path to where the turtle mess lays. At first he saw eggshells. "Grandpa, where are the baby birds?" he said to me.

"No birds this time Bud. This is what's left from a couple of Snapping Turtle nests, that another animal like a Raccoon or Badger found and ate what was in the eggs."  I explained to him how the turtle eggs feed another animal and if all the turtle eggs hatched and made it to water there would be too many turtles for the pond. "Sometimes Nature can be cruel but it's all part of life."

"See how rubbery the shells are."

I explained to him how nature seems to be cruel, but things like this happen all the time in the animal kingdom and it happens for a reason. Explaining to a young boy that not all baby bunnies or little deer live to see tomorrow or their birthday can be a challenge. I don't know if my grandson gets the picture or his youthful mind wonders to other subjects, but there were several questions and answers that day and we managed to walk a bit longer along a deer trail.

He spotted another woodchuck hole. "Grandpa, did the woodchuck get the eggs?" he asked.

With a smile and keeping it simple, I tried to explain the difference between plant eating animals, meat eating animals and animals that feed on both.

It is wonderful when your teaching a wide-eyed boy that takes it all in. Davon is getting better at spotting the little things, too. The time we spend on walks and little field trips is priceless for me. Looking back to my youth and my memories, I have to believe they will be priceless for Davon as well.

A future Naturalist...only time will tell. For now I have my grandson who I can share a bit of nature with and enjoy some quality time together. Can life with a child get much better than that?

Ronald F. Patterson
WindStar National Master Naturalist
Michigan Certified Nurseryman
www.gardening-for-wildlife.com
Kentwood, MI

Brown Thrasher's Repertoire of Songs

IT WAS that last bit of twilight before the world outside became as dark as the inside of a pants pocket. I heard a sound like that of a loud, smacking kiss. 

I recognized the call as that of the Brown Thrasher. A Brown Thrasher has one of the largest repertoires of songs of all our common birds. Its song is an attractive series of loud musical phrases, each phrase usually repeated, the whole song often continuing for several minutes at a time. (Brown Thrasher by Dan Sudia)

Some listeners use the mnemonic “Drop-it, drop-it; cover-it-up, cover-it-up; pull-it-up, pull-it-up.” They repeat themselves just like we do.

The Brown Thrasher is slim bodied and long tailed. It is rufous above, with a soft white throat, breast, and belly with brown streaking, and buffy flanks. The bill is fairly long and the adults have bright yellow eyes. It is a striking beauty, the state bird of Georgia, and has a hockey team in Atlanta named after it.

An aggressive defender of its nest, the lanky Brown Thrasher has been known to strike cats, dogs, Raccoons, and, occasionally, people.

I listened to that constant lip smacking. I hadn’t heard so much since the last lutefisk feed I attended.

My wife and I searched for the reason for the vocalizations—the purpose of the alarm calls. We saw it. It was a mother Raccoon and baby (kit). The Raccoon is an eater of baby birds and eggs.

It’s difficult to be too critical as I eat eggs myself, but we joined the thrasher team and chased the Raccoons away. The comments from the thrashers ceased.

Not long after that night, I walked near a nest box housing Tree Swallows. I wanted to check on the babies and I enjoy looking at cute things. As I peered at the brood, a swallow parent, an elegant flyer, dive bombed me. Its attack strategy was a swoop, hang a left turn, swoop—repeat as necessary. It flew close enough that I could hear the click of its beak and feel the whoosh of its wings on my hair.

I felt like I needed a hard hat. I’m glad Raccoons don’t wear them!

Al Batt

Storyteller

Hartland, MN

What Species of Snake Is This?

I SAW this snake on my patio near our small koi pond yesterday.  It is about 30 inches long and I think it is a Garter Snake, but don't know for sure and whether it is dangerous. It has a blunt tail compared to other snakes I have seen so thought I should check it out. Do you know what it is?

Dan Martin
Mt. Airy, MD