Walker Nature Center
A look inside • Environmental Films 3 • Calendar of Events 4 • Kids’ Corner 6
Nature Notes By Sharon Gurtz
September
• Box turtle young hatch. • Monarch butterflies are migrating. • Eastern Red-backed Salamander eggs hatch. • Red Fox begin dispersing.
October • • • •
Songbird migration peaks. Snakes seek winter dens. Tree nuts are ripe. Woodchucks hibernate.
November
• White-throated Sparrows have arrived for winter. • American Holly berries are red. • White-tailed Deer rut peaks. • Raccoon and Red Fox grow winter coats.
Branching Out Shrew Lives By Ken Rosenthal
In Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, the term “shrew” is used to describe a woman who is nagging, scolding or even violent. While impolite by any standard, the word’s origin bears closer scrutiny. A shrew is actually a small mammal, thought in Shakespeare’s time to be aggressive and cruel in its behavior. In reality, the shrew is a fascinating mammal with a big personality, rarely noticed because of its small size and secretive habits.
Big Family
Shrews may look like long-nosed mice, but they lack the characteristic large front teeth of rodents. Instead they are insectivores, with 385 species of shrews worldwide. Of the mammals, only rodents and bats have more species diversity. There are 12 species in Virginia, four of which can be found in Fairfax County: Kirtland’s Short-tailed Shrew, the Least Shrew, the Pygmy Shrew, and the Southeastern Shrew. The Least Shrew is the most widespread species in Virginia. While most shrews are solitary, Least Shrews tend to be more tolerant of companionship. They have been documented sharing burrows with as many as 30 other individuals. In captivity, they are often recorded huddling together, and have even been observed cooperating in burrow building. While one shrew would dig the tunnel, the other cleared out the loose dirt left behind. They even communicate through calls, although these are only audible to the human ear if one is within 20 inches of the shrew.
Feeling Their Way
Shrews live a secretive life, tirelessly searching leaf litter and loose soil for prey and occupying the underground burrows of other animals. The eyes of shrews are tiny, and their ears are inconspicuous. With diminished eyes and ears, they depend on touch and smell to find their way and locate prey.
Fall 13 Volume Fifteen