Sneaky
This hognose snake was taking a nice, quiet nap in the warm midday sun…until we came along. He woke up kinda grouchy! Lucky for us, he just looks fierce. Hey...I was sleeping! Do you mind??
Critters
A Nighttime Hunt
Senior Naturalist and Education Facilitator Jan Aiels recently took some families on a nighttime adventure. Here’s her account: Hot, humid nights are perfect for nighttime adventure in the woods hunting the big game of high…
No, not THAT newt
Jean has been out and about again…this time on the hunt for salamanders! Getting the traps ready Last year, Margaret asked a question I had never even thought about. Why don’t we see salamanders here?…
Sure Signs of Spring
Two sure signs of spring here today. The first came when I got out of my car this morning and started across the parking lot towards the barn. Birds were chirping away when I heard…
Critter Cam
Jean took the Flip Cam out to the apiary to check in on our bees. Take a look! Indian Creek Nature Center Apiary in February
What Happens When We Don’t Have Winter?
We’ve been getting lots of calls from people wondering how this unusually warm winter is going to affect their trees and plants. Will we have sap for maple syrup? What if my trees bud and…
Hawk(eye) Season
A Cedar Rapids resident brought us these spectacular photos taken in her yard of a young red-tailed hawk. She brought them to us for identification, thinking the hawk was too large to be a red-tail…
Summer fun
Summer camps started this week and we’ve got kids all OVER the place here all having a BLAST! Our Young Explorers are planting an American Indian “Three Sisters” garden of corn, squash and beans that…
Calling All Kids!
If you’re wondering what to do with the kids this summer, take a look at the variety of summer camp options offered at the Nature Center! We have programs that run from just an hour…
More signs of spring
Rich reports the wrens, orioles and grosbeaks have arrived back in our area, right on schedule! I guess the bird population follows its calendar no matter how stubbornly chilly it remains around here. I can’t…