Walker Nature Education Center
A LOOK INSIDE • Calendar of Events 4 • Kid’s Corner 6 • Wildlife Counts and Classes 7
Nature Notes By Sharon Gurtz
JUNE
• American Goldfinch nest. • Fireflies are active. • Northern Red-backed Salamanders lay eggs. • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Viceroy and Wood Nymph butterflies are seen.
JULY
• Black Cohosh, Cardinal Flower and Sweet Pepperbush bloom. • Damselflies and dragonflies are active. • Eastern Rat Snakes lay eggs. • Wild blueberries and raspberries ripen.
August • Southern Flying Squirrel young are born. • Eastern Box Turtle and Snapping Turtle eggs hatch. • Asters, sunflowers and goldenrod bloom. • Fall bird migration begins.
BRANCHING OUT Reston’s Misidentified Snake By Ken Rosenthal The aquatic habitats of Reston provide wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities. Frogs, turtles and snakes sun themselves along the water’s edge, where they can easily escape to the water when you approach. In Reston, the most common snake found near water is the Northern Watersnake. Unfortunately for these snakes, they are often mistakenly identified as venomous Copperheads or Water Moccasins. Sun-loving lifestyle Northern Watersnakes are thick-bodied snakes that live near virtually every body of water in their range, including lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands. They can be active during day and night, and are most often seen sunning themselves on rocks, trees, shrubs and low branches overhanging the water. Like all snakes, they are cold-blooded and need to warm up by basking in the sun in order to get their metabolism moving. This is especially important for Watersnakes because they hunt underwater, where the water is cooler than the surrounding air and can quickly lower their body temperature. A wide variety of animals make up the Northern Watersnake’s diet, including worms, crayfish, fish, frogs, salamanders, birds and small mammals. At night, they hunt minnows and other small fish that can be found sleeping in shallow water. Watersnakes have long
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Summer 12 Volume Sixteen