It is such a critical time to be studying pollination networks. In places like South Africa, it is difficult to research plant interactions with pollinators just through observation because they have such a rich collection of pollinators including bees, wasps, beetles, moths, and birds. DNA metabarcoding is helping show which species are interacting and which plant species are visited most frequently by which pollinator species.
#bees #pollinators
Photo from Denise Johnson
Twine makes an excellent natural hanger for our roosting pockets, but we worried about the twine breaking after being outside in the elements for some time. Waxing the twine gives it more protection from water and mildew. #winterbirdhouse #roosting #birdhouse #twine #waxedcord
Put out a little extra treat today for #NationalBirdDay
Photo from Edoardo Busti
One of the best things that you can do for birds in winter is providing them with water. Even in places with lots of snow and ice, birds need to use precious calories to melt the ice so offering fresh, clean water to stay hydrated is a big help. Heated birdbaths are a great way to attract birds to your yard in the winter. One of the challenges of providing water to birds in the winter is that the ideal depth for a birdbath is 1-3 inches deep (deeper water can be hazardous), but maintaining a birdbath of this depth requires venturing out into the cold frequently to refill it. One option is to place your birdbath near your window so that you can just refill it by opening the window. One of the downsides of this is that you don’t want to put birds at risk of colliding with your window. What do you do to stay warm while maintaining a winter birdbath?
#ThursdayThoughts #winterbirds #heatedbirdbath #itscoldoutside #cyclonebomb #blizzard2018
Photo from Noah Silliman
If you live in Colorado, you aren’t going to see an arctic polar bear walking through your neighborhood, but this year an irruption of snowy owls heading south meant there was a snowy owl sighting near Standley Lake in Westminster. #WildlifeWednesday #snowyowl #raptor #irruption
This picture from Mathew Schwartz is of a Snowy Owl in New Jersey.
