Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
-
Upload
julie-cipressi -
Category
Documents
-
view
239 -
download
0
Transcript of Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
1/28
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
2/28
Invisibles .................. ..................... ........... 3
Our Mourning Dove Family .................. 4Pictures and Poems .................. ............... 6
Interesting Facts for the Curious ........... 7
Wondernose ................... .................... ..... 8
Could You Find a Koala? ................... ... 10
Te Mailbox........................... ................ 11
Nature rails.......................................... 11
Confusing Creatures .................... ......... 12
In the BeginningGod Created Yellow-breasted Chats..14
You Can DrawA Koala...................... 16
A Wood Duckfrom MarchYou Can Draw ............................. .......18
Daisy Coloring......................................19
Who Am I? ............................................ 19
Where is the Milky Way? ................... ... 20
Creation Close-Ups ..................... ......... 22
Crab Legs and Lunch ............................ 24
Caption Tis ................... .................... ... 25
Plant Reactions ..................... ................ 26
In this issue are hidden six butterfies.
You can see here what they look like;
however, where they are hidden they may
be any size and any color. So get your
binoculars (or magniying glass) and
start searching. See i you can collect
all six butterfies.
Scavenger Hunt
I See It! rom June
Front
Cover:
Tis
peacock
butterfy
is ound
in Europe,
Asia, and
Northern
Arica.
BaCk Cover:
Do I look like Daniel Coone yet?
Samuel Strunk, Kempton, PA
page 7lily pad
page 11rog
h qusi yu.
Hw my sh h d
yu supps idig h
c cus? W jus g
bc m quic ip css
h s vigii. F
hu w, w schd u
hudd h Pmc
ri sh lig sh
h.
ou ids w mili
wih dig sh h, bu
u mily his ws w
xpic. a ldy hd b
schig pi h il
u gup, d sh hd
ic cllci h. Whilsh ud sm by siig
sd hugh sc, ms
w picd up m h sd
li smll s shlls.
B lg, u id
Sh ud ic h.
oy, I jus d h h
c sig hmmy ys id pic
hm u, I hugh mysl. Imgi my supis wh I
ud lms igh i wh h ldy hd b
wig h sd. Hw culd sh h missd i?
as w ppd l, w ghd dmi h
ius h w hd ud. D hd h lgs . H
ls hd h u xpic; h sw cmig i wih
w d gbbd i b i hi h sd.
I ll, w picd up wy-w sh h. Tis ws
immdily f sm ls hd cully schd h
. Csidig h smll sch bch d u sh
sy, hw my h mus h b i h c?I did lil sch d ld h shs h w
h gwig ll h im, shddig ld h s f s
c w. o sh my shd s my s 1,800 h
p y, d s husds i liim. Shddig h
bgis b bihhw sciig i is
l bu Gds wdul ci!
ki Sh
I
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
3/28
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
4/28
arly in the spring, a ock o doves
migrating north passed over the Stout
Family Farm, where they stopped
to east in the corneld, picking up
scattered grain. Mourning doves
eed almost exclusively on seeds,
including corn and wheat,which are abundant on the
arm.
Aer the doves lled their crops, they ew
away to digest their meal while resting. Te
crop permits the dove to gather and store ood
rapidly, minimizing the time they are exposed
to predators like owls, squirrels, and cats, which
by Diane Stout
are
also
numerous
on the arm. Aer
eating seeds, they swallow a bit o ne
gravel, which aids in digestion.
Later, at least twenty doves stopped
by the armhouse to rest on the
deck railing. One male dove claimed
territory with his plaintive call,
prancing around, cooing and billing,
with his neck eathers all rued. He
and his mate selected a nesting site in a blue
spruce tree.
Like all doves, the males wings made a
uttery, whistling sound as he ew about
gathering small twigs to build the nest. In
E
RuthAnnJohnston/istockphoto.com
La
ur
aHo
ok
,
1
4,
Ft
.
Wayn
e,IN
J u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d4
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
5/28
selecting material, the male
was very careul and tested
sticks by shaking them
vigorously. As he handed
his graceul mate the twigs,
she built a nest o imsy
construction.
Te emale dove laid two
small white eggs. Te male
incubated the eggs during the
day, and the emale incubated
them during the night. While
one was taking care o thenestlings, the other one took
time to east on seeds and get a drink o water
rom the creek on the arm. Unlike most other
species o birds, it did not need to li its head
aer each sip o water.
Te doves were devoted parents and very
rarely le the nest unattended. Tis is common
among mourning doves, with one exception.
Te dove will leave the nest and abandon eggs
or nestlings i threatened by a predator or
human. I that happens, they will usually nest
again.
Approximately two weeks aer the eggs were
laid, the babiescalled squabswere hatched.
Both parents ed the squabs crop milk. Crop
milk is a secretion rom the lining o the doves
crop and is ed by regurgitation. Each nestling
dove inserted its bill into the corner o the
parents mouth and swallowed the crop milk
or seeds that its parent disgorged. Te parent
ed both nestlings simultaneously, with one
on each side. I the parent dove had a third
nestling, the ood would be limited. Tere
would not be enough ood or a third nestling
aer the rst two nished. Te smallest
nestling would not have a good chance o
surviving.
Aer the rst ew days, the parents began to
introduce a small proportion o small seeds,
soened by holding in the crop. By the endo the second week, the babies were being ed
entirely with soened adult ood.
At this time, the squabs began to get their
ight eathers. Tey stayed near the nest to
be ed or a couple more weeks beore leaving
their parents and ying of on their own.
As the ofspring le the nest, their parents
ormed a strong bond which will keep them
together throughout the winter. Once their
ofspring were on their own, the doves ew
south to spend the cold months in a warmer
climate. ypically, they will return in the spring
to the same area which or this pair might be
the Stout Family Farm. s
LauraHook,
14,
Ft.Wayne,
IN
P s b o N a t u r e F r i e n d . 5
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
6/28
I like the rainbow. God made the rainbow.
Want to have your picture or poem published in Nature Friend?Use black ink, dark pencil, colored pencils, or paints on clean, unlined paper , and do not fold drawing. Send to
Pictures and Poems, 4253 Woodcock Lane, Dayton, VA 22821, or
e-mail to [email protected]. Include your
name and address. If you want your work returned (whether we use it or
not), please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Space is limited,
so it is not possible to publish every submission.
A Forest WalkLets take a walk in the orest now
A walk in the woods so grand,Examining what the Lord hath made
And now holds in His great hand.Te singing birds make a joyul noise
o their great Creator God.Te trees sway back in the gentle breeze;Around us the bushes nod.
Te tiny ants crawling all around
Do their mighty Maker praise;Without a king they can work as one
By ollowing Gods best ways.
Gods world should give us an awe or HimWho made all the creatures grand;
And we should praise Him or all Hes doneAs we live on this, His land.
Darvin K. Sensenig, 14N. Andros Island, Bahamas
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d6
Natures JoysAs I skip happily down the road,I see a great big-bellied toad.He jumps into the brushAs i hes in quite a rush!And as I scan my eyes through the eld,I see an otter cross without yield.I see some deer that jump with right,And I laugh a laugh o pure delight!I see a sh jump in the airWhich gives the horses quite a scare.I give them apples to quiet them down,And then I hear a great loud sound!I quickly turn around in a rush,And a great blue heron walks out o the brush.It senses me and ies away,
And out walks a coon with some o its prey.As I walk on in the beautiul day,I think Ill just sit down and pray.I thank God or a beautiul day outside,And I get on my horse or a wonderul ride!
Sydney Simao, 8Poulsbo, WA
Anna Brueggemann, 10Independence, KY
Bethany J Weiler, 10Seneca Falls, NY
Brianna White, 9oledo, OH
Crystal Kaufman, 9
Denver, PA
Grace urowski, 15Athens, WI
Janae Hurst, 4
Denver, PA
Joshua S Smith, 18Lewiston, ID
Mabel Hoover, 12Penn Yan, NY
Matthew Schrock,Cuba, IL
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
7/287 P c k o o m v c s w . P a
warts, right on their noses! Lets count ourblessings as we scurry to #16.
Incorrect. Splash back to #10.
Whats the astest mammal in North America?
Wol see #9
Pronghorn antelope see #25
Cheetah see #4
Dont give up, even i youre wrong. Gallop back to#13 once more.
Retrace your leaps to #26.
Guess again please.
Having a hard time? Youre wrong again! Whiz backto #5.
Right. It seems unbelievable, but they can weigh 150tons once theyre grown! Go to #24.
Im sorry. Back to #24.
False. ry #13 again.
How many hearts does an earthworm have?
10 see #27
1 see #2
None see #22
25 see #30
Ah, you have it! Te pronghorn can run 60 milesper hour. Next is #26.
How many arms can a saguaro cactus have?
3 see #18
21 see #28
50 see #11
Exactly! en hearts to one earthworm. Head or #10.
Having a tough time? Well, back up to #26 andthink harder.
Plod back to #10, and guess again.
Incorrect. Crawl back to #24. by Frieda Brubacker, 15Rich Hill, MO
How much does a baby blue whale weigh?
150 lb. see #7
26-40 lb. see #19
6,000 lb. see #21
Youre mistaken this time. Return to #24.
Wrong. rot back to #5.
I at rst you dont succeed, try, try again. akeanother look at #16.
How many warts does a warthog have?
200 see #3
4 to 6 see #14
50 see #20
Now youve got it! Did you nd this quiz hard? Ihope you enjoyed it! Goodbye!
Youre wrong return to #1.
Absolutely right! A hippopotamus has red (orpink) perspiration. Arent we glad we dont?Hop to #5.
No. Race back to #16.
What color is a hippos perspiration?
Clear see #29
Red see #8
Yellow see #15
Good or you! A giant saguaro cactus may have 50
arms. Tey can also be 50 eet tall. Imagine!Swoop to #13.
ake a stroll to #13 and guess again please.
How tall can a girafe become?
7 eet see #12
20 eet see #6
25 eet see #23
11 eet see #17
Good job this time! Warthogs have three pairs o
1
2
3
4
5
4
6
8
10
12
14
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
8/28
by Rebecca Martin
A.
Willif W Quti #71What animal can tavlfor many miles through the ai,
even though it has wig?You certainly look mystied, Won-
dernose. Youve heard o ying squirrelsand ying sh that can travel or quite
a distance through the air without wings. But many
miles? Tats a dierent story.
One act that helps to keep our mystery animal
airborne is that it is very small. But even the tiniest
insect will eventually all to the ground i it doesnt
have something to aid in keeping it alof. Our little
mystery creature travels by a method called balloon-
ing. (Some have called it parachuting, too, but I eelballooning is a better word.) Now are you imagining
some little mouse or grasshopper clinging or dear
lie to a balloon as it wafs out over the ocean? Its not
quite like that though Im told that sailors up to two
hundred miles rom land have seen these airy ellows
sailing above the waves!
Lets begin at the beginning o our mystery animals
lie. Te mother lays a large number o pearly white
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d8
eggs and encloses them in a silken sack, sort o like a
cocoon. No, Wondernose, our animal is not an
insect, though in size its not bigger than one.
o continue with the lie story, this silky bag or
cocoon is usually constructed in the all. Afer she has
laid the eggs, the mother dies. Te eggs are lef alone
I Pylvaia dutch (a laguag pk by may
f u a) th tm gvuaaw (w)
i u t cib m wh i cuiu abut
vythig au him. Wondernoseak ltf quti t atify hi h cuiity. Aft all,
that a g way t la, it it?
EdP
hillips/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
9/289
to hatch in late winter. Since the weather is still cold,
the babies stay inside their sack or awhile. And since
they have no other ood, Wondernose, Im
araid these babies tend to eat each other to survive.
As they develop, the babies grow too large or their
skins, which dont grow with them. So every now
and then the babies molt. I guess you know what
that means, Wondernoseto molt is to
orm a new skin and shed the old one.
At last spring arrives. Te surviving babies tear a
hole in the side o their home, and one by one they
crawl outside. Tey must nd homes or them-
selves where they will repeat the cycle o building
an egg case and laying eggs by all.
Tis is when the traveling comes in. Te baby
will climb to the top o some tall object like a
ence post, tilt its abdomen in the air, and allow
the wind to pull tiny strands o silk out o a
body part called a spinneret
I knew you would guess it now, Won-
dernose. O course our mystery animal is
a spider, and the species Ive chosen to describe is the
common garden spider, though others have similar
habits. Maybe you had a hard time guessing because
you orgot that spiders arent insects. But surely youve
been taught that, among other dierences, spiders
have eight legs while insects ofen have only six.
Getting back to our spiderlings aerial act, the wind
catches those silky strands, lifs the spiderling into the
air, and wafs it along like a balloon on a string! You
wonder how they know when to land, Wonder-
nose? I dont even know i they have any say in where
they land. Teyre probably at the mercy o the wind.
Since theyre called garden spiders, were going to as-
sume that a certain spiderling lands in your garden on
a blackberry bush. Here it will proceed to spin a web
that is a marvelous eat o engineering. First it puts
up a basic line called a bridge. From this it suspends
oundation lines; and, beginning rom the center o
this space, the spider spins out threads like the spokes
o a wheel radiating rom the hub.
Beore I tell you more, Wondernose, I should
explain that a spider spins two kinds o threads dry
ones and sticky ones. In act, all spiders have at least
three kinds o glands that each produce a dierent
type o silk; some spiders produce ve kinds. Each
type o silk has its own unction.
Returning to our garden spiders web, youll remem-
ber that it was putting up spokes with dry silk. Next
it coils a strand o dry silk throughout these spokes to
hold them together. Ten it adds a sticky thread, also
coiled throughout, and removes the dry thread again.
At last it is ready to catch ood! You know the rest,
Wondernose. You have watched a y getting
caught in one o these crafy traps. Ofen a web will be
damaged by the time a spider has had its supper. It will
either repair the web or build a new one.
Guess how long it takes the garden spider to engi-
neer a new web? Only one hour!
i w g o o o m g c h . t n
s
Magg
ieB
ullin
gto
n,
13
,Ath
ens
,AL
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
10/28
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d10
you were to visit eastern Australia, how easily
might you nd a koala in the wild? Several things
could make this a challenge. First o all, koala num-
bers have been seriously depleted by hunters over-
harvesting them or their thick sof ur. Once almost
extinct, they are now protected by law, and eorts are
being made to increase their population.
During the day, koalas are hard to spot as they sleep
curled in orks and clinging to limbs o eucalyptus
trees. Teir brown, white, and gray coats blend right
in with the background.
At night koalas are active, swinging rom tree to
tree, stripping o tough, oily eucalyptus leaves. Stu-
ing them in their mouths, they chew and chew and
chew. Although eucalyptus leaves are deadly to many
animals, God has provided the system o the koala
with a special bacteria to saely process the chemicals
in the leaves. By the end o the day, the average koala
will have eaten 2 lbs o leaves.
Koalas spend most o their lives in
trees, seldom coming to the ground
even or water. In act, the name
koala comes rom an Aborigine
word meaning does not drink.
Koalas usually obtain needed mois-
ture rom the leaves they eat. Duringsome seasons o the year, the euca-
lyptus lea is two-thirds water.
On the rare occasions the koala
comes down rom his tree, he scuttles
along the ground, swaying awk-
wardly, but ast enough to elude a
pursuing dog.
by Michelle Beidler
Te urry koala looks like he would t right in with a
teddy bear collection. In act, he is sometimes reerred
to as koala bear. But in reality, koalas are in the marsu-
pial amily and closely related to the kangaroo.
Te newborn koala is very small and is blind, hairless,
and earless. At one week, the baby koala is about the
size o a jelly bean. Like the kangaroo, this baby is called
a joey. How does this tiny creature nd his way to the
pouch on his mothers belly? It can only be an instinct
provided by our God who created all things good.
For the rst several months the joey nestles in his
mothers pouch. Finally he ventures out to spend the
next six months riding through the treetops clinging to
his mothers back. At the age o 4 years old, the koala is
ully mature and can range in size rom 2 to 3 eet tall.
Did you ever see a koala? You might think, as cute as
they are, they would be ound in most zoos. However,
outside Australia, ew zoos are able to host koalas. Can
you guess why not? Answer on page 11. s
I
Pxlar8/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
11/28
Do you have a nature experience you wantto share, a question youd like to ask, or athought you want to share about somethingin Nature Friend? We want to hear romyou! Write to: Te Mailbox, 4253 WoodcockLane, Dayton, VA 22821, or e-mail
A N S W E R S
11
Dear Nature
Friend,
I know that
honeybees usually
die when they
sting, but I was just thinking, why
dont wasps die when they sting? It
seems like they should, since they are
both ying and stinging insects.
Haley DasenRogers, AR
Dear Haley,
Honeybees have a barbed stinger
that causes it to remain in the skin
afer stinging a person or mammal. When
it pulls out o the abdomen o the
honeybee, the injury to the bee
causes it to die. However, the
bee does not lose its stinger
afer stinging another insect.
Te stinger o a wasp is
smooth, so it is not pulled rom the bodyo the wasp; thereore, the wasp does not
die afer stinging.Nature Friend
Dear Nature Friend,
I really enjoy your magazine. I have
a problem. Flickers keep pecking holes
in the side o our house. No matter
how many times we chase them away,
they always come back. Tere are
ten holes in the wall. What can I do
about it? I anyone can give me some
advice, that would be nice. Please write
to: John S. Jacobs, 93 Meadow Dr,
Blanchard, ID 83804. Tank you.
Dear Nature Friend,
A ew weeks ago, my sister went
to get something out o my parents
room when she saw a Coopers Hawk
outside eating a bird. She called us,
and we watched him pull o all o the
eathers. It was so ascinating to watch
him eat the whole bird! Afer he ew
away, we went outside and there was
just a pile o eathers on the ground. It
was a wonderul experience getting to
see one o Gods wonderul creations
in action.Brianna Starks
Indianapolis, IN
i p p c h c o s o c N a t u r e F r i e n d s M n
nswertoWhytherearefewKoalasinzoosonpage10:
alaseatonlyeucalyptusleaves,andmostzoosareabletoobtainenoughleaves.
nswertoWhoAmIonpage19:leCrocodile
ScottLinstead
Do you like tarantulas? I sure do! In July, I try to
nd them! I enjoy holding them and eeling theirhair. arantulas are big, hairy brown spiders,
commonly ound walking around on hot July days
in search o their avorite oodgrasshoppers! Te
scientic name or the tarantula is theraphosidae.
Tey are capable o biting, but are not harmul to
man. Tey are in the amily o the European wol
spiders.Olivia Anz, 15
Tryon, OK
JohnBell/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
12/28
an you tell a rog rom a toad? Whats thedierence between a rabbit and a hare?
How about an alligator and a crocodile?
Can you tell them apart? Some animals are so
similar to each other that people get them mixed
up. Here are some hints to help you.
Frogs and toads are oen mistaken or each
other. While toads are members o the large rog
order Anura, within this group the name toad is
given to those that typically have dry, warty skin.Frogs, on the other hand, usually have smooth,
moist skin, and can leap great distancessome
kinds even climb trees. oads stay near the
ground. Tey can hop, but are more clumsy than
rogs.
Alligators and crocodiles are harder to tell
apart. Te major dierence is in
their snouts. An alligators snout
is rounded at the end, while a
crocodiles snout is pointed. Is
the reptile giving you a toothy
grin? Its probably a crocodile. A
crocodiles ront angs t outside o its lips, so you
can see teeth even when the croc has its mouth
closed. An alligators teeth are hidden when it shuts
its mouth. Youre more likely to nd an alligator in
the Southeastern United States, while crocodiles
are more common in Central America, Arica, and
Asia.
Lizards and salamanders are another dicult
pair. Start by looking at their skin. A lizard has
skin like a snakesdry and scaly. A salamanders
skin is smooth like a rogs. Lizards have claws on
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d12
by Jessica Van Dessel
CarlosSantaMaria/istockphoto.com
DonKonz/
istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
13/2813
the ends o their toes, while salamanders do not.
Many species o lizards live in the desert; they dont
mind hot, dry climates with bright sunlight. But
salamanders preer to stay in dark, damp places.
Rabbits and hares are very hard to tell apart. o a
scientist, the dierence between them is that baby
rabbits are born with closed eyes and no ur, while
newborn hares have a ull coat o ur and open eyes.
o tell the adults apart, check the size o their ears.
Hares have longer ears and longer hind eet. Rabbits
are smaller all over. Rabbits like to have their homes
underground. Tey will dig themselves a burrow, or
move into one le by badgers or groundhogs. While
many rabbits nest underground, the cottontail
rabbit makes its nest in a small depression
above ground. Hares make simple nests in the
grass.
How about butterfies and moths? Both othese insects are caterpillars rst, go through
a pupa stage, then emerge with wings, so
whats the dierence? Well, to start with,
butterfies are usually more colorul. Teir
wings are covered with intricate patterns in
many colors and shades o blue, black, yellow,
white, orange, or brown. A moths wings are
much plainer. Butterfies tend to fy during the
day, while most moths come out toward dusk and
at night. Watch the insect as it rests on a fower or
on your window screen. Te wings o a moth will
lie fat, while a butterfy will oen old its wings
upright over its body. Also observe the antennae
are they long and slender, with knobs at the end? I
so, it is probably a butterfy. I they appear short and
uzzy, it is likely a moth.
Our nal pair is the tortoise and the terrapin.
Yes, both are turtles, but many people use the name
tortoise or the species o turtles that live only on
land. ortoises have stubby eet, with short claws or
digging, and they dont mind living in dry places.
In act, many tortoises live in the desert areas o the
Southwest United States. Te name terrapin is
used or the turtles that live in resh water or coastal
streams and marshes. Tey have fatter shells than
tortoises, and their eet may be webbed. errapins
eat small crabs and snails along with water plants.
ortoises are strictly plant eaters. Still not sure
which is which? Just call them all turtles, and
youll be
okay!
God
designed
each o His
creatures to
be unique.
Even these
look-alike
animals
have special
eatures that
set themapart rom
each other.
Te next
time you see
a rog or a
toad, or a
butterfy or a moth, remember the care God took
with each one. s
P s b o N a t u r e F r i e n d .
CathyKeifer/istockphoto.com
JohnBell/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
14/28j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d14
ne summer day, while recuperating rom
an operation, I was resting on a quilt in our
backyard. Te yard joined a brushy woodland in the
oothills o western Virginias Allegheny Mountains.
Suddenly I heard a medley o birdsong. Looking up,
I saw a beautiul warbler-type bird ing itsel into the
by Naomi Myers
air as i to say, See me?
Te bird was a yellow-breasted chat, the largest
o the wood warblers. Te chat is about 7
inches long when ully grown. It has a thick,
dark-colored, slightly-curved bill and white
broken rings around its eyes, making it look a
little as though its wearing glasses. Its throat and
breast are a bright yellow, its head and back a dark
olive green. Te emale yellow-breasted chat is a
bit smaller than the male, and her colors are not
quite as bright.
Te chat behaves and sounds more like a
member o the mockingbird amily than one o
the wood warblers. In act, sometimes it is called
O
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
15/2815
a yellow mockingbird. Its song is a mixture o
cackles, whistles, mews, squawks, tweets, cheets,
and sometimes a beautiul warble. It has even been
known to make a noise like a car horn! It mimics
other birds, and sometimes its noises seem to come
rom several directions at once.
Although the chat is usually
secretive, hiding in dense
thickets, sometimes when
it sings it ies rom one
bush to another, its legs
dangling and wings opping
loosely. It may jerk its tail up and down
and twist its head.
Te chat is ound rom
southern Canada south as
ar as central Mexico, at the
edges o woods, in dense
thickets and brambles,
and in low, wet places nearponds, streams, or swamps.
Although most o these birds
migrate to Central America
or the winter, some stay in
the United States, even as ar
north as New England.
Its cup-like nest is made o
dead leaves, bark, grass, and
weeds, but is lined with fnegrass. It is hardly ever built
higher than three eet rom
the ground. A clutch usually
has our eggs, but there may
be three or fve. Te eggs are
white or light cream, with
lavender or rust spots.
Chats eat mostly insects
such as grasshoppers, ants,beetles, wasps, and tent
caterpillars. Tey are also
ond o berries such as
strawberries and blackberries.
In winter, some chats will come to protected
bird eeders near a house and will eat a variety o
oods, including peanut butter, bananas, grapes,
cornbread, and doughnuts.
I hope you will be able to see a yellow-breasted chat sometime. I no longer live
in the Allegheny oothills, and Ive
seen that beautiul bird only once.s
TimV
idrine
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
16/28
a Koala by Michelle Beidler
youwillneed:
[[4 paper 4 kneaded eraser4 4B pencil, 2B pencil, or mechanical pencil
4 paper stump or blending
Want us to consider your drawing or publication? Send
your completed drawing on clean, unlined paper, and do not
old. On the back write your name, age, and address. Send
to You Can Draw a Koala, 4253 Woodcock Lane, Dayton,
Virginia 22821. If you would like it returned, you must include
a sel-addressed, stamped envelope.
You may e-mail scanned art as a high-resolution jpeg
attachment, 3 inches and 300 d.p.i. Send to youcandraw@
naturefriendmagazine.com. Label art with name, age, address,
and then crop excessive margins. Name fle: koala-childs
name-age
While we appreciate all the hundreds of submissions we get,
we can print only a few of them. Selections are made from all
age groups and not based on quality alone.
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d16
When drawing a complex picture, it is helpul
to start with basic shapes. For instance,
this illustration starts with a circle or the
mother koalas head. Tis circle is divided
into quarters with lines extending beyond the
circle. Tis helps locate ovals or other main
shapes.
o avoid smearing your drawing, rest
your hand on a sheet o paper as you
work. Afer your drawing is complete,
it can be sprayed with xative.
Te lightness or darkness o a tone is
known as value. I used a mechanical
pencil to make this value scale, but then
went over the darkest areas with my sof
lead 4B pencil.
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
17/28
a m o s s s o g s c h o o c c m . K h B k s
Long sweeping strokes or long hair on the ears. For darkest areas, use short, scribbly
strokes. Ten with your kneaded eraser, lif out the lightest areas.
Use parallel even strokes or the
shiny eucalyptus leaves. Blend
rom dark to light with your
paper stump.
Shorter strokes made with a
mechanical pencil or the ur.
Coarse strokes made with a
4B pencil. Use this or the tree
trunk.
o show the thick ur, scribble in this
pattern, and then ll in with lighter
strokes.
Bright white highlight
bring the eyes to lie.
o ensure you have
enough contrast in your
drawing, compare it
with your value scale.
You should have some
areas as dark as the rightend o your scale, with
gradations all the way up
to white.
The Koala drawings will be
featured in the November issue.
Please return your drawing by August 15.
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
18/28j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d18
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
19/28
I lay eggs
that are only
two to three
inches long. I can
grow to 20 eet in
length and weigh over 1,500pounds, though I am usually
around 16 eet long, weighing
500 pounds. I am ound in
Arica south o the Sahara,
along the River Nile, and in Madagascar.
I eat mammals, reptiles, birds, sh, and even
insects. Who am I?
Justin Phillips, 8
Santa Clarita, CA
D a i s i e s are the happy white owers o springand summer that grow in our elds and roadsides
like white polka dots swaying in the wind. Tey
grow one to two eet tall, and their strong,
slender stems make them perect or
braiding daisy chains. But wouldnt
it be un to have daisies o diferent
colors? With a little efort, you can.
19
Te daisy stems act like a straw,
drinking up the colored water and
turning the white owers to pink, light
yellow, and blue. Te colored liquid moves
rom the glasses up through the stem to
reach the owers.
Experiment to see how many diferent colors
o daisies you can make by mixing diferent ood
colors together. (e.g., red and blue make purple.)
i w g o o o m g c h . t n
by Joanne Linden
Tree tall water glasses
Red, yellow, and blue ood coloring
Water
Fresh-cut daisies (rom the eldor the fower shop)
An old shirt or apron to protect your clothes
Old newspapers to cover the table
Rubber gloves to protect your handsrom staining
M a t e r i a l s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
D y e i n g D a i s i e s
Fill each glass 1/3 ull o water.
Add ood coloring, one color to each
glass, making a strong solution.
Put a ew resh daisies in each glass.
Let them sit in the solution or severalhoursovernight is best.
(Te longer the daisies stay in the solution,
the darker color they get.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
VM/
istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
20/28j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d
ow many stars can you see? Tat depends
on two very important considerations: the
weather and your location. I it is cloudy, you
cannot see any stars. But even on a very clear
night, the number o stars you can see depends onwhere you are. I you are ar rom city and night
lights, you can see about 2,000 stars at any one
time. I you are near a city, your sky has much
by Lester E. Showalter
light pollution rom many buildings, signs, and
street lights. People in the city can see only the
very brightest
stars even on
a clear night.
For example,
they could see
the stars o Orion, but probably not the stars o
Cancer.
I light pollution hinders your view o the glory
o God in the heavens, perhaps your amily would
consider traveling an hour rom towns and cities
to see the stars in their splendor. Be sure to take
along binoculars, or a telescope, i you have one.
Tese summer nights make or comortable
H
Te Star Guide and a 105-page
booklet, Discovering Gods Stars, may be
ordered from Nature Friend. Tis booklet
gives instruction for using the Star
Guide, the pronunciation and meaning
of the constellation names, essays on the
stars, and pointers in learning the stars.
call 877-434-0765, or mail a check to
Nature Friend, 4253 Woodcock Lane,
Dayton, VA 22821. Price for set, with
shipping, is $15. Extra for foreign addresses.
T oder:
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
21/2821 i k h w o s h p w h h m g z P a
stargazing, though
wintertime gives
the clearest skies.
Assuming that
tonight is very
clear and you have
little or no light
pollution, the
eastern sky will
give a view o
the Milky Way
stretched outrom north to
south. Te longer you wait in the night, the higher
and more clearly you will see the Milky Way. Te
Milky Way looks like a long, aint cloud among
the stars. But the Milky Way is not a cloud; it is a
huge strip o stars, so many and so aint that they
blend together to make a milky area in the night
sky.
One o the brightest areas o the Milky Way is
in the constellation Cygnus, the swan. Tis star
picture is commonly called the Northern Cross
because there are our stars that orm the upright
o the cross and three stars that orm the cross
beam. At the top o the cross is the bright star
Deneb, and at the bottom is Albireo, a double star.With 30-power or higher magnication, this is a
very splendid double star, as one is golden and the
other blue. Tese evenings the Northern Cross is
lying on its side just above the eastern horizon.
Between the head and oot star o the cross
is a very rich star eld o the Milky Way. Even
7-power binoculars will make this area burst into
hundreds o stars that you cannot see with the
unaided eye.
What is the Milky Way? Te Milky Way is a
huge amily o stars spread out like a fat wheel
and turning very slowlyso slowly that it does
not appear to be turning at all. All the stars you
can see are part o the Milky Way. We are living on
a planet that is orbiting the Sun that is one o the
stars in the Milky Way. As we view the Milky Way
in the sky, we are looking out through the edge o
the fat wheel. Te Milky Way actually extends the
entire way around the sky. Te part o the MilkyWay we can see in the winter lies between Gemini
and Orion.
A big amily o stars like the Milky Way is called
a galaxy. Tere are millions o galaxies besides the
Milky Way. In the September 2008 Nature Friend
you will learn how to nd another galaxy. s
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
22/28
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d22
Worm-Eating OwlLast night this bit o drama unolded in the yard shortly aer
midnight. Te og was extremely thick aer a day o rain. I saw
through the window that the outside, motion-sensitive light had come
on. I looked out to see the two
resident barred owls perched
in the yard. One was perched
atop a 4x4 post that holds a
bluebird box; the other was
perched about 5 eet o the
ground in the cherry tree just
outside the kitchen window.
Te one in the tree was closely
examining the ground below
it.
Aer sitting there or about
As the monarch larva reaches maturity, it crawls away
rom its host milkweed plant, searching or a suitable
perch. Once it has selected a spot, it weaves a silk mat
rom which to hang. When the mat is complete, the
caterpillar grabs the silk with its rear legs and hangs
upside down. Te ront part o its body curves up to
orm a J shape.
Hours later, a slight color change and a small
amount o movement signal the orthcoming event.
Te skin splits as the caterpillar jerks rom side to
side. In a ew seconds, what was the caterpillar alls
to the ground. What remains is an emerald green
chrysalis that will serve as home or the next two
weeks. Once tucked saely inside the chrysalis, the
larvas molecular structure is broken down and,in a true miracle o God, is reassembled again as a
beautiul new creature.
About 24 hours beore the monarch emerges, the
chrysalis turns clear, exposing the unmistakably
orange and black colors and patterns o our new
buttery. wo things are strikingly apparent as he
rees himsel rom the chrysalis. Te abdomen is
abnormally swollen and the wings are small and
shriveled. Immediately, excess body uid is pumped
2 31
Monarch Butteries
JerryDalrymple
JerryDalrymple
TimQ
uade
RogerMayhorn
RogerMayhorn
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
23/2823 t h o c h s m g z w c s ! W a
5 64
rom the abdomen through veins into the wings.
Watch, and you can see them expand right beore
your eyes. Tis is a critical time or the monarch; he
must perorm two tasks i he is to survive. First, he
must expand and dry his wings. Secondly, he must
unurl and gain control o his proboscis or eeding
tube. About an hour or so aer the process began, heis ready to y. Warmed and dried by the late summer
sun, this ascinating little creature is o, looking or
his frst meal as a monarch buttery.
As winter approaches, these delicate creatures must
make their way thousands o miles south and west
to wintering grounds in Caliornia and Mexico. Te
monarchs make this amazing trek over prairies,
rivers, expressways, and mountain ranges, arriving
at a winter home they have never seen beore. Here
they will gather by the thousands, waiting or winter
to loosen her grip. And with the onset o spring,
this same brood will make its way north, populating
areas o the United States along the way. As each newgeneration matures, the butteries push their way
arther and arther north. Several generations later,
monarchs can be ound as ar north as Maine and
parts o Canada. Ten, in the all o the year, the last
brood is beckoned back to the wintering grounds and
the cycle repeats itsel all over again.
Jerry Dalrymple
a minute, the owl dropped rom the branch to the
ground, grabbed a night crawler, and gulped it down.
It sat there or a ew seconds, then ew about our
eet and pounced on another worm. Tis one was so
long that the bird had to lean back a little to get it out
o the ground. It then ew back to its perch with the
night crawler dangling rom its beak. Reaching up, it
grasped the worm with its le oot and held it, while
it rearranged its hold on the worm with its beak.
Ten with three quick jerks o its head, it gulped the
night crawler down. Tis went on or a ew minutes,
with the owl getting fve night crawlers, which was a
bit surprising, considering that the thermometer read
36 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, the other owl never le its perch on
the post. It just occasionally turned its head to look
around. I dont think it had learned the art o night
crawler grabbing.
Aer the eeding had gone on a short while,
a rabbit shot suddenly out o the darkness rom
the ront o the house. It was chased by one o
the our gray oxes that hang around our yard. Te
rabbit passed within about 10 eet o the eeding
owls perch, startling the owl, then disappeared into
the shadows. Te owl lied rom the branch, circled
around its mate, and disappeared into the og at the
edge o the yard. Te mate never moved. It continued
to sit there and watch as the ox stopped to smell
around the bush the rabbit had passed. Aer a ew
minutes, the ox trotted o into the og, and the one
owl remained sitting on its perch.Roger Mayhorn
JerryDalrymple
JerryDalrymple
JerryDalrymple
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
24/28j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d24
ucked into the center o a ower, our
little hunter is all camouaged or the
hunt. She is watching the eeding ground
o her prey, hoping or a juicy meal.
by Kevin Shank
A honeybee is making her rounds, gathering
nectar to carry back to the hive. Indeed, the
honeybee is very busy. Not only is she gathering
nectar, she is pollinating plants by carrying pollen
on her body as she travels. As she moves rom plant
to plant, this ertilizes them and enables the plants
to bear ruit.
Te bee is getting closer now,
only one ower blossom away.
Te white crab spider is well
camouaged on the white ower
blossom. Will the bee come to
her blossom? Will she be able
to capture it? Te last one had
gotten away; in act, the lastseveral.
Here comes the bee, right
into the ower the crab spider
has claimed as her own. It has
been her home or a ew days, ever since the last
ower blossom wilted away. Her once-yellow
body has changed to white to match the color o
istockphoto.com
S
onjaFagnan/i
st
oc
kph
ot
o.
com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
25/28
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
26/28
j u l y 2 0 0 8 n a t u r e f r i e n d26
by Lyndon Martin
he oak tree in your yard looks pretty placid at rst glance. It
stands tall and strong, bowing only to the winds gusty taunts.
Te violet on your windowsill cheers your room as it stares
stoically through the glass, week aer week.
Plants arent as motionless as they look! Plants are living
organisms and move in response to their surroundings, but they
do it very slowly. A tropism is a plants motion towards or away
rom some inuence. Plants must respond to certain stimuli to live
eciently and saely.
Plant tropisms are controlled by small amounts o chemical
messengers that the plant produces. Tese chemicals are called
hormones. Hormones tell plant cells how to behave. Te most
common and inuential hormones in plants are the auxins. Auxinscontrol how plant cells grow in size. When auxins ood into a
certain part o a plant, the cells in that area begin to grow longer and
bigger. Auxins control tropisms.
Sunlight is a major inuence afecting
any green plant. Green plants
use the suns energy to
produce their ood.
Since the ood-making
process takes place inthe leaves o the plant, the
leaves must be oriented toward
the light. I sunlight is shining
on a plant rom primarily one
direction, the stems and lea stems o
the plants respond by turning the leaves in that
direction. Tis response is called phototropism.
How does it happen? When a plant is receiving plenty o light
MatthewCole/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
27/2827 t h o c h s m g z w c s ! W a
rom all directions, there is an equal amount
o auxin in all the cells, so they grow at the
same rate. When light strikes the plant rom
only one direction, the auxins move away rom
the cells on the well-lit side o the stems and
ood into the cells on the dark side. O course,
these dark cells with their extra hormones
grow quickly. Soon the dark side o the stem
is a little longer than the lighted side, and the
whole stem bends so its leaves ace the light.
In trees with hard stems, the individual lea
stems (petioles) carry out phototropism so
that all the leaves are aligned to the sunlight.
God created His plants to respond so that their
leaves would get the maximum amount o
sunlight to make ood!See it or yoursel! Plant two ast-growing
vegetable seeds in separate pots. When the
plants are about 1 inch high, cover the one
seed with a box. Te uncovered plant will
open leaves toward the light and ourish.
Te covered plant will grow a tall, pale stalk
in an attempt to escape the darkness. I you
leave it covered, it will die. I you cut a hole in
a top corner o the box, the plant with growrantically toward the light!
Cut a hole in one end o a long, narrow shoe box.
Glue a cardboard partition to the side o the box
about one-third o the way rom its end. Glue a
similar partition to the other side o the box one-third
o the way rom the boxs other end. Te partitions
should only extend o the boxs width. Plant a
ast-growing seed in a small pot at the end opposite
the hole. Keep an eye on the stem as it winds its way
around the partitions to move its leaves to the light.
I you place a plant near a window, all its leaves will
gradually turn to ace the window. Periodically turn
your window plants to a new position so they grow
evenly.
Geotropism is a plants response to gravity. Plant
roots respond positively to the pull o gravity. Gravity
makes the auxins move to the cells in the top o
the roots. Tese cells enlarge and bend the roots
downward. Stems respond negatively to gravity.
Gravity makes the auxins move to the cells in the
bottom o the stems and enlarge them to bend the
stems upward. Geotropism is important so roots
reach or nutrients in the soil and anchor the plant,
and so stems reach upward or sunlight.
You can veriy geotropism by laying a small pottedplant on its side. Te stems will soon bend and grow
upward. I you uncover the roots, you will discover
they have turned downward.
Other tropisms include thigmotropism, a plants
response to touch. When an ivy tendril touches an
object, it curls around the object to help the ivy plant
climb. Hydrotropism occurs when a plants roots grow
toward water. s
ChrisRuch/istockphoto.com
-
8/7/2019 Nfm July 2008 72dpi PDF
28/28