Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The hot and humid days from July 3rd-August 11th are referred to as the "Dog Days of Summer." Let's learn about an extremely loud insect you've probably heard singing lately, the dog-day cicada. The dog-day cicada, also referred to as a harvest fly, is an annual cicada found in North America whose peak singing occurs when the star Sirius is prominent in the night sky. These cicadas have a life cycle of 2-5 years but due to overlapping of broods adults appear every year in the summer. Its song is reminiscent of a buzz saw, the high-pitched whining drone starting softly then growing louder to about 7kHz, then tapering off. The singing is produced by exoskeletal structures called tymbals, which vibrate rapidly to make the sound. This is different from crickets and grasshoppers, whose sound is a result of stridulation, or the rubbing together of body parts. Only the male cicadas sing, to attract a female, and the buzz can be heard up to a half mile away. Coloration of the dog-day cicada is variable but tends towards mostly dark brown or black with green markings on the body. Its membranous wings also have green coloration in the veins, particularly near their base. The preferred habitat is mixed or deciduous woods, and they are frequently found in pine forests. Freshly emerged adults can be found near the ground and in low vegetation, while mature adults may be high in the treetops. Have you heard their song this summer?
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! If you’ve hiked to our pond lately, you may have noticed rows and piles of painted turtles covering the logs and banks. The most widespread native turtle in North America, they are abundant in Ohio and can be easily found in freshwater aquatic habitats including ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams. They can be identified by their dark, smooth shells with bright red and black patterns on the underside. They grow to be 5-10 inches in length as adults, with males being slightly smaller than females. Both sexes have webbed feet to help with swimming, and males have long claws which they use to tickle the face and neck of females during courtship. At this time of year, painted turtles spend much of their day basking. They will typically spend several hours in the morning laying on logs and rocks in the sun. Once warmed up, they actively begin hunting and foraging. Omnivorous, they eat a variety of vegetation including algae and aquatic plants, as well as organisms such as insects, crustaceans, and fish. After feeding, they will bask for the rest of the day, until nightfall when they drop to the bottom of the body of water to sleep. Be sure to hike our Pond Trail to observe the painted turtles this summer! The observation blind has a scope for viewing them as well as other wildlife at the pond.
