From now until May, this large bird will be picking out a mate and building a stick nest in a tree near water. A nest is usually built in the same area as hundreds of other heron nests, in a place called a heron rookery. Both parents then incubate their 2-6 light blue eggs there. If the chicks make it to their first birthday, they may survive to 15 years of age!
To catch meals of fish, amphibians, birds, and aquatic insects, the 4-foot tall heron wades into the water and waits for prey. It then spears and swallows its food whole. Great blue herons have even been known to choke on prey that is too big!
Did you know? The great blue heron is the largest heron species in Wisconsin. You can tell this bird from the similarly-sized sandhill crane in flight because the great blue heron bends its neck (see below).
Learn more: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Kingfishers are appearing along the lakes and rivers of Wisconsin this week. The kingfisher is one of the few bird species in which the female is more colorful than the male. Female kingfishers have a rust-colored chest band and sides that are white on the male.
Kingfishers eat mostly fish, but will also hunt reptiles, amphibians, and crustaceans. Any food material that can't be digested gets regurgitated later in the form of a pellet.
Did you know? Kingfisher pairs create unique nests in the spring. They dig tunnels into the banks of streams and lakes that range from 1 to 8 feet long! The kingfisher has two specially fused toes that act like a small shovel to help it dig its nest. For a picture of a kingfisher nest from the EPA's website click here.
Listen to this bird's rattling call
On warm days, you may glimpse jumping spiders emerging from a long winter’s nap. These tiny, dark spiders populate the tall grasses near Minister Lake where they wait for insect meals. A jumping spider's eight eyes have some of the best vision in the spider world. Once they spot their prey, these arachnids use their powerful back legs to leap at it, up to 40 times their body length! Although they do not spin webs jumping spiders, like all spiders, can make silk. They use theirs as a type of safety cord to hold them when they leap into the air after prey.
Did you know? There are at least 500 species of spiders in Wisconsin. In the spider world, male spiders are usually smaller than females!
Learn more: Spider Web Watch
Learn about spider anatomy: University of Kentucky Entomology
While this yellow weed is very familiar to us here in Wisconsin, it originally came from Europe. Its name comes from the French dent de lion, which means teeth of the lion and refers to the plant's leaves. If you take a close look at a dandelion flower, you'll find that it is actually made up of many tiny flowers called florets.
This perennial plant (comes up every year) has many uses: leaves are nutrient-rich and can be eaten in salads; flowers are used to make wine; and roots can be roasted to make a coffee substitute.
Did you know? Part of the dandelion's success story has to do with its deep taproots, which can reach as far as 5 feet into the earth. If you try to pull out the plant and leave behind even a bit of the taproot, the plant will simply re-grow from it.
Learn more: Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium
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