Welcome to June's issue of the Dereila Nature Inn newsletter.
The eggs are hatched and a new generation of Canada Geese welcome you this month. |
Greetings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi everyone and welcome once again to Whispers, the newsletter of the Dereila Nature Inn - your virtual nature centre. The sun is shining and the wildflowers are blooming. The mountain snows are melting and all around it's such an exciting time to be a lover of nature. We've got another terrific issue this month that we hope you'll enjoy. There are some important nature celebrations to tell you about, some wonderful photos that have been sent in to us for everyone to appreciate, a bit of trivia and lots more.
We'd like to welcome our new subscribers and we thank everyone for your wonderful support.  Please join us on Facebook where we welcome your comments and feedback. |
|
Trivia Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which bird can run the fastest?
You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter. |
What's This? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know what this cropped close-up photograph is?
We've got an strange one for you this month.
For more of this type of mystery solving,
|
| New Features at the Inn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the latest additions at the Inn. Just click on the images and you'll be taken straight to the page.
Apex Nest Box
Build an attractive nest box for your garden using some simple supplies from the wood shop.
Marine Life Trivia 1 - Sea Stars
After visiting this page you'll be able to really impress your friends with your knowledge of Sea Stars. 
Traditional Nest Box
Welcome nesting birds to your garden with this traditional, straightforward nest box.  Find the latest additions on the news/updates page. |
|
Contributed by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are always really impressed with the fantastic photographs
that are submitted to use each month for this section.
Tony D. of Toronto, Ontario, spotted this Three-toed Sloth while on vacation in Costa Rica.  We don't get many photographs of snakes sent in, so this one is really welcomed. It's a Northern Water Snake, sent in by Jim Noeninger, Shiloh, Illinois.
Judy Howle, Columbus, Mississippi, spotted these amazing storks.
 This lucky heron was sent to us by Gail Freiherr, Knoxville, Tennessee.
This beautiful White Fringed Phacella was taken in the
Smokey Mountains by William Snyder, Salem, Illinois.
While in the Manitou Mountains in Calabogie, Ontario, Albertina Pianarose
of Ottawa, Ontario, was lucky enough to find these Yellow Ladyslippers.
Tony, Jim, Judy, Gail, William and Albertina, thank you so very much
for taking the time to send in these fantastic photographs for us all to enjoy.
If you would like to see your nature images in our members' section,
simply send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you.
|
| Monthly Selections
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are this month's choices: Bug - Water Strider; Wildflower - Prairie Onion; Bird - Mexican Jay   
Simply click on the images to visit the pages.
You can also check out the archives as they're just a click away:
Wildflower Archives | Bug Archives | Bird Archives
OUR MONTHLY PAGE
The Bird's Nest Restaurant is this month's featured page. It's the gateway to dozens of pages featuring recipes for making bird food as well as numerous tips and tricks for attracting birds to your bird feeding station, deck or garden.
|
| The Wandering Image
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our wanderings this month took us down to the sea at low tide.  This interesting animal is a Puget Dwarf Brittle Star, Amphipholis pugetana. Brittle stars are extremely delicate, as their common name suggests. |
| Caption This!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What do you think these two passing birds are saying?
We welcome your caption ideas and have supplied two to get you thinking.
Number one: "Good morning! Can't stop!"
Number two: "You won't be running like that on the way back."
If this month's photo inspires you, please send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you and add your caption to our collection. You can visit the rest of the collections at the Inn: The Mammals| The Birds | The Insects |
|
Snippets in Nature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This beautiful place is Schwabachers Landing in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Susan Asis Kalman of Flushing, New York, was lucky enough to be there on a picture-perfect day. Thanks Susan for letting us all enjoy this special scene. If you think you have a suitable nature photograph for this section please send us an e-mail along with a brief explanation. We look forward to your submissions. |
Behind the Name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nodding or Drooping Wood-reed is also sometimes called Wood Reedgrass, so using its scientific name, Cinna latifolia, is helpful to avoid confusion between the different common names. The genus name, Cinna, comes from the Greek word kinni, an old name for an unknown grass. The species name, latifolia, comes from two Latin words: latus meaning broad and folium, leaf, a reference to the wide leaves of this wild grass. |
|
Joke of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A camel was wandering around, lost in the hot desert for days and days. Suddenly he spotted a pack of sled dogs pulling a bear on a sled.
Desperate and dehydrated, the camel said to the bear, "I'm lost! Can you help me?"
The bear answered back, "You think you're lost!"
"I remember that very well and was really pleased to get back home." |
| Notes, News and Tips from Around the Inn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Facebook
 We invite you to post comments on our Facebook page. To visit, just click on the logo or here.
Nest Box Festival
We mentioned our first annual Nest Box Festival on Facebook. If you missed it, you can check things out here. In the meantime, we welcome your input, so if you have nest boxes in your garden, we'd love a photograph or two as we build this celebration. For more information or to send a photograph, just send us an e-mail.
A Little Reminder Did you know that some birds require grit to help them digest their food?
These Pine Siskins are picking up grit on a walkway.
To help your feathered visitors, you can supply some fine gravel or sand. This feeder works really well. We are also continuing to supply crushed egg shells as mentioned last month. Tips from the Inn
If you're looking for a quick and easy water dish for the birds to bathe in
and drink from, try using an old frying pan! Simply remove
the handle, which is often just a single screw, and you're all set.
 You can stand the frying pan water dish on an upright log, or slip it into a planter or flower pot. Put some soil or stones in the planter to help keep it steady. Picture of the Week  Be sure to drop by the Inn every week to see the latest Picture of the Week. You can also do so by clicking on the image to the left or by clicking here.
Past Issues
We upload past issues of Whispers as new ones are issued. You can view them all with a simple click here. |
|
Celebrating Nature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are some of the great things happening this month.
June 5 is a day to celebrate and spread awareness about
some of the issues our planet is facing. It's World
Environment Day. Click here for more information.
Celebrate World Oceans Day on June 8.
For more information please click here.
National Pollinator Week is a time to celebrate and acknowledge
the importance of the pollinating birds, insects and other animals.
It runs from June 17-23 - click here for details.
Coming up in July, Canadians will be celebrating Canada Parks Day.
More about that next month!
|
Did You Know...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know that the the state bird of Hawaii, the Nene, Branta sandvicensis,
evolved from the Canada Goose, Branta canadensis? |
| State and Provincial Symbols
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Western Painted Turtle has been selected as the official reptile of four states.
Visit our page of state reptiles so see and find out more |
| Trivia Answer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reaching speeds of 45 mph/70 km/h the Ostrich is the
fastest runner in the world of birds. |
| What's This?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our mystery image this month is the foot of a Northern Flicker. |
| Nature Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
Spread the Word ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter for this month and that you'll forward it on to your nature-loving friends. Until next month may you enjoy many wonderful encounters of nature.
Watch for the next issue of Whispers in your inbox during the first week of July. See you then. Best wishes everyone! |
|
