Welcome to June's issue of the Dereila Nature Inn newsletter.  You are welcomed this month by a dazzling meadow of wildflowers. |
Greetings
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Hello once again! Welcome to the latest issue of Whispers, the newsletter of the Dereila Nature Inn - your virtual nature centre. We hope you enjoy this month's celebration of nature and photography. We thank you all for subscribing. Your support is truly appreciated. |
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Trivia Time
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What is meant by the Greek words phos and graphos?
You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter. |
What's This? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know what this cropped close-up photograph is?
For more of this type of mystery solving,
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| New Features at the Inn
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Here are the latest additions at the Inn. Just click on the images and you'll be taken straight to the page. The Adventure of the Hooded Mergansers
This photo tale from the lagoon starts off with some Hoodies enjoying a lazy day. 
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Contributed by...
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Here are some of the amazing photographs that have been sent in for us all to enjoy.
St. John's Wort, Hypericum kalmianum, from Jim Noeninger, Shiloh, Illinois.
Agile Wallabies, Macropus agilis, from Bernadette Herron,
Townsville, Queensland, Australia.
Gull over the Gulf of Mexico, by Marilyn Flanagan, Florida.
 This stunning scene was captured by Judy Howle, Columbus, Mississippi. Bob Arsenault of Toronto, Ontario caught this deer which
was sneaking around in his condo garden. What great pictures! Thank you so very much for sending them in. 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.
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| Monthly Selections
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Here are this month's choices: Bug - Apple-and-thorn Skeletonizer | Wildflower - Royal Rein Orchid | Bird - Audubon's Warbler   
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
In Running Water is a photo article about the variety of plants that thrive
along the edges of creeks, brooks and other places where waters flow.
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| The Wandering Image
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This month we go down to see the wetlands which are always full of life at this time of the year.  The male Red-winged Blackbird is always a delight to spot. Here he is in all his glory and most likely he's looking for a female to impress. |
| Caption This!
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Do you have an idea for a caption for this month's picture?
Here are some of our ideas:
Number one: "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
Number two: "Simon says, 'Do this!'"
If this month's photo inspires you, please send us your caption in 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
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Snippets in Nature
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This inspiring view is from Spruce Knob in Pendleton County, West Virginia.
Spruce Knob (4863 ft/1482 m) is the highest point in the state and is in the Allegheny Mountains, which form part of the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Once upon a time, these mountains reached the same heights as the Rocky Mountains.
Many thanks to Margaret Straley from Spencer, Roane County, West Virginia, for taking us to this beautiful spot.
If you think you have a suitable nature photograph for this section please send us an e-mailalong with a brief explanation. We look forward to your submissions. |
Behind the Name
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Candy-Stick, Allotropa virgata, has a fun common name. It's easy to see how that name came about as it looks like a peppermint candy stick with its red or maroon and white stripes. Its genus name, Allotropa, comes from the Greek allos, 'other' and tropos, 'turn,' referring to the flowers which turn upwards when young, but downwards when older. The species name, virgata, is Latin meaning 'striped.' |
Joke of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr Squirrel had been in hospital for a while. His wife came and sat by his bedside every day. One day, he motioned for her to come nearer.
"You know," he said, "you have been with me through all the bad times. When I fell from that tree, you were there. When I was chased by those coyotes, you were there for me. When I forgot where I'd stashed our winter food supply, you were with me. When our tree blew down and our home destroyed, there you were. Now my health is failing and you are by my side. You know what?"
"What, my dear?" she whispered.
"I think you're bad luck."
"I know, but I had to tell her." |
| Notes, News and Tips from Around the Inn
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Facebook
 We invite you to post comments on our Facebook page. To visit, just click on the logo or here.
State Reptile Wanted!
We are pleased to have received four new photographs for our state reptile page, however we are still missing two: Alabama's Red-bellied Turtle and Missouri's Three-toed Box Turtle. We would really be grateful if you could help us out and donate an image or two for the page. You can see the page so far by clicking here. Thank you! A Little Reminder
If the birds are still nesting in your area, be sure to keep those holders full with fresh material, replacing any old stuff that wasn't used. Tips from the Inn
It's time to clean out those suet block feeders. Start by removing the cage.
Scrub the woodwork and metal cage with hot, soapy water.
Use an old toothbrush to remove any material that's a bit hard to get at.
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.
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Celebrating Nature
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Pollinators have powerful role in nature. National Pollinator Week,
June 16-22, is a time to celebrate and spread awareness about
the importance of pollinating birds, insects and other animals.
Click here for details.
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Did You Know...
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Did you know that when ants find food they lay down a trail of a chemical called pheromone? This allows other ants to find their way from the nest to the food source. |
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State and Provincial Symbols
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The beautiful Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, is the designated state waterfowl of Mississippi.
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Trivia Answer
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Those Greek words mean "write with light" but we tend to say "photography." |
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What's This?
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This month's mystery close-up is a delicately-patterned
Small Magpie Moth, Eurrhypara horthulata. |
| Nature Notes
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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 time may you enjoy many wonderful encounters of nature.
We hope you'll watch for the next issue of Whispers in your inbox in July. See you then! |
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