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Posted on March 22, 2019 by The Art of Ecology

Malacology – A funny word for a funny group of animals.

While we may first think of these tiny creatures as garden pests, snails are very important members of the ecosystem and should be valued! Snails eat leaves – yes, they do like leaves in your garden – but their favorite food is rotting vegetation and fungi. Sometimes they will also ingest soil in order to …

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Category: Animals, Backyard Habitats, Gardening, The Art of Ecology Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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The Spicebush flowers of spring have given way to large oval shaped leaves and green berries. In the fall, those fruits will ripen into a vibrant red and be a delicious cinnamony sort of flavor, great for all of the autumn-flavored drinks and cookies!
The Evening Grosbeak is a cold-loving bird who forages on cones of pines, spruces, firs, and other native conifers. They prefer mountainous regions and generally stay in northern North America (Canada and Pacific Northwest US). During winter migration, they may venture south, even into northern Pennsylvania, however it's uncommon to spot one of these beauties.
These Jack-in-the-pulpit flowers are bizarrely pollinated. They don't need a ton of flashy color, and sometimes it's hard to spot the flower, and that's because they rely on gnat pollinators, rather than butterflies or bees, who use flashy colors to figure out which flower they'll like.
While Spoonbill Sandpipers are not natives to North America (they migrate along the Pacific Coast of Russia into southeast Asia), we do have other types of spoonbills that are so named for their uniquely shaped bill that scoops food out of watery sand. Our native Roseate Spoonbill actually has a small migration, if they move at all. Migration is not necessarily triggered by temperature, but by access to food resources (which can be impacted by temperature among other things). The Roseate is more impacted by changing water levels which can put food out of reach, or dry the food out!
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